An untellable secret
(Some secrets may better remain secrets for ever)
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
Sukanya got off from the sofa once again with a shocking expression in her face. “What type of bloody thinking this is? I already told you what a respectable person that Niranjan is.”
“People who do have so good appearance outside may be bad inside. Sometimes we shall be utterly deceived by the outside appearance.” Sukanya also got off from the chair, put her both hands on the shoulders of Sukanya and looked into her face. “I am sorry. Her dad is so much adamant to know about the truth. To elicit the truth I am thinking that it is important to try every angle and no stone should be left unmoved.”
Sukanya slumped in the sofa wearily. “As that her dad that much wants to know the truth, I also try to help you without becoming emotional. But I am not thinking there was such thing happened. Either by that Niranjan or anyone else. Moreover you have to remember one thing here.” Sukanya paused for a second “Post mortem conducted on the body of Nirupama. No rape or gang-rapge was committed on her.”
“If that rape or gang rape happened on her some fifteen days or so before her commtting suicide, they don’t be detected in post mortem.”
“But still I can say for sure it was not because of either by rape or gang-rape, either by Niranjan or some people else she committed suiside. But if you still hold that view and decide to do investigation in that angle also, that is up to you.” Sukanya resignedly said.
“I shall think about that.” Menaka said
“You are all business like. But I am not feeling angry on you and it is just like I am with Nirupama. I cannot say why but you are reminding me Nirupama in all respects.” Sukanya hissed out heavily, leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. After few seconds she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Menaka. She said “get up”.
“What?” Menaka did not understand anything.
“I say get up and stand.” Sukanya stood up and said again with a force in her voice.
Confused and embarrassed Menaka did so.
Sukanya came near to her, hugged her strongly and burst into weeping.
“You may guess how two close friends would be but you never can estimate how we both used to be. She was such a good friend to me. From such an early start of my life that I knew about myself. By her death a part of me gone. Half of me is dead.” She was saying while weeping.
Menaka was too embarrassed and shocked to say anything. She remained like that holding Sukanya in her hug.
“You cannot understand how much she is devastated after Nirupama’s death.” Sukanya’s mother said who came into the room then. “They both were such friends. I too like Nirupama a lot. In fact everyone liked her a lot. Her death was a saddest thing and a mystery to all of us.”
“I can understand.” Menaka said.
“I am sorry.” Sukanya separated herself from Menaka. “I was shocked and stupefied when I came to know about Nirupama’s death. But I did not and could not weep. I don’t know why but you appeared so close and dearest to me. I want a release.” She wiped her tears.
“I am flattered.” Menaka kissed on Sukanya’s right cheek. “Now sit and relax yourself.” Making her sit in the chair again she said.
“I think time passed without knowing. I do go now.” Once Sukanya leaned back in the chair and relaxed, Menaka said.
“I want you take lunch in our home now.” Sukanya’s mother said.
“I come again. Then I sure take lunch with you both.”
Then Menaka left that place.
***
“Not very much useful information.” After saying to Smaran what Sukanya said to her, Menaka said. She did not miss to say the questions she asked to Sukanya also and the answeres there off. She said the questions she asked regarding Niranjan also and the answers as well.
“We cannot decide anything like that on the face of it. As an upcoming detective you have to understand that point first.” Smaran said.
“But I don’t want to become a detective. I just like to help you in your investigations like this.” Menaka frowned.
“Even then too. Don’t jump to conclusions before going deep into the matter.”
“You are seeing something important and useful then?”
“Yes. I am. But I cannot explain that to you now.” He leaned back and smiled. “So far you did a good job. By asking all those questions like that, you have relieved me from doing that. Indeed you have the best quality to become a detective even you don’t want to become one. Anything important to report regarding Ranganath’s house?” he asked.
“Not much. I am feeling more and more pity observing that woman so.” Menaka said.
“How you are feeling in their home? Especially in that room?”
“Nice and comfortable. I am not having any odd feeling now.” Menaka smiled.
Menaka was about to say something but then they heard tapping on the door.
“Please come in.” Smaran said.
Opening the door Ranganath entered. “Am I disturbing you both? It seems that you are in an important discussion.”
“Not at all. Please come and sit.” Smaran said.
Ranganath came and sat in the chair beside Menaka. Menaka and Ranganath looked into each other faces and Ranganath smiled.
“I am just about to return home and you came.” Menaka said.
“We both go together then.” Ranganath said. Then he looked into the eyes of Smaran and said “I have forgotten to say something.”
“Tell me. What it is?”
“My daughter sometimes went to the library in the town. She used to be friendly with the librarian there. He may be known something, by chance.”
“Did you talk with him after your daughter’s death?”
“The police and I, we both did. But he too could not say anything worthwhile. But you detectives can earth out things from those also which we common people leave as useless.”
“Yes, you are right.” Smaran laughed. “I will talk with that librarian.” He said.
Ranganath and Smaran were talked some more time there. Then Menaka and Ranganath left that place.
&&&
“Yes. I am the librarian here. My name is Sudarshan.” When Smaran introduced himself and said the purpose why he came there, Sudarshan said.
“Now a day very few people are interested in reading paper backs and hard covers. She too interested in studying e-books in her smart phone. But she preferred mostly to read hard covers and paperbacks especially in this library. Sometimes we both used to talk also.” He further said
“Was she used to talk with you? Did you know much about her?”
“We were friendly. She used to treat me like her brother, I know her and her family also. We sometimes talked matters related to our families also. But I cannot say I know much about her. I can say one thing. She is very interesting, intelligent and clever.”
Smaran hissed heavily. “So it can be said that she did not share anything with you that made her suffer that much.”
“No.” Sudarshan nodded his head. “She did not. But if she did not share that even with her parents and close friends also, there was no chance that she could share that with me.”
Smaran nodded his head.
“I really pity her parents. Why did not she atleast think about them?” he nodded his head helplessly.
“That is what many of us cannot understand.” Smaran hissed out heavily. “What type of books she was interested in reading?”
“Mostly books related to psychology. No surprise that she was interested in reading those books as she was studying post graduation with psychology.”
“Are people still interested in reading hard covers and paperbacks? Even after having the facility to read all these books in tablets, smart-phones,”
“Reading habit of hard covers and paperback reduced a lot.” Sudarshan said. “But government is adamant in running libraries offering hard covers and paper backs in some places. In fact this is something very good government is doing.”
Smaran nodded his head. He went along the book cases and observed some of them. Not very much useful information. But he was not disappointed. He was accustomed to this type of trying. The main quality a detective must possess was patience. He has to search everything, try everything even however hopeless it might appear.
“Thank you very much for your cooperation. Please call me if you come to know anything important.” Making himself ready to move away from there Smaran said. He gave his visiting card to Sudarshan.
“Alright. Sure.” Sudarshan said.
***
“These are her smart-phone and laptop. I searched them thorough. Nothing could be found. She has one gmail account, one facebook account, one twitter account and one LinkedIn profile. She used the same password for all these accounts and her father gave them to me. I have gone through thoroughly all these. Nothing, nothing important is known.” Menaka said. “Prior to me Sukanya also did the same with the same result. Her father said to me.”
“Did she maintain strong relations with anyone in those social accounts?”
“No.” Menaka nodded her head in negation. “Moreover she is not a regular user of these accounts. Only occasional posts and tweets. Those too maximum related to her psychological studies.”
“Alright then.” Smaran nodded his head. “Good. You have made thorough search of everything.”
“But so far found out nothing.” She irritatingly said. “That Nirupama is appearing very secretive type.”
“Don’t get upset. Be patient. Go on like this. Don’t become depressing and be optimistic. This is the main quality a detective should have.”
“But I don’t want to become a detective. I am just helping you. I said it many times to you”
Smaran patted on Menaka’s cheek. “Still patience is the best virtue. Even you don’t want to become a detective, you have got loads of patience. I like it.”
Menaka smiled. “I go to my usual place again. The most ironical thing is…..” she paused for a moment and then said. “That Ranganath and Nirmala are loving me a lot. They are looking their daughter in me.”
“That is troubling you. You are feeling guilty.” Smaran smiled.
“You are right.” Menaka too smiled.
“I can understand your problem. But…. Just try to tolerate all this. I do try to finish it as soon as possible.”
Menaka nodded her head. “I am going now.” She said and left that place.
***
“My daughter always helps me in the kitchen. Why don’t you come into the kitchen and help me in preparing the dishes?” Nirmala asked Menaka.
Menaka laughed. “I am just waiting for this. Sure I do help you.”
“Does Nirupama like to work in kitchen?” it was difficult to Menaka to use present tense with respect to Nirupama. But as Nirmala was thinking that Nirupama was still alive she forced herself to talk like that.
“Yes, she liked working in kitchen. She is even more interested in preparing new dishes.” Nirmala said.
“Are you interested in preparing dishes, working in the kitchen?” Nirmala asked after a pause.
“Not much.” Menaka said. “I don’t dislike kitchen experience but not very much interested either. The main reason for it…..”Menaka mopped her forehead with the back of her right hand “My mother does all the kitchen work herself. Not often she gives me the opportunity to work in the kitchen.”
“I cannot say whether you are lucky or unlucky.” Nirmala said. “As a girl you must know all kitchen work very well. But you are quite fortunate that you have got a mother who would not bother you to do work.”
“You are right. I like my mother a lot.” Menaka said.
“All girls like their mother a lot just like my Nirupama does.”
Menaka’s heart once again became heavier.
“Do you know what my daughter likes a lot than anything else?” Nirmala suddenly asked her.
“What that is?”Menaka stood behind Nirmala while she was busy in preparing dishes in the kitchen. Menaka did not know what to do.
“Hypnotizing me. She always likes hypnotizing me. I really liked being hypnotized by her.”
(I hope that you enjoyed upto here. I shall publish the next chapter as soon as possible. Please don’t forget to rate and review.)
