* "What did you understand, Vedant?"
* "The relationship between the Mr. and Mrs. was not very good."
* "Why? How did you understand that?"
* "There are three bedrooms in the house, and all three are used." Vedant popped a mint from his pocket into his mouth before uttering the next sentences, "From where I was sitting, a portion of the bedrooms is clearly visible. I realized it seeing that all three bedrooms are used. There are three members in the house, three bedrooms, and all three are in use-what does that signify?"
* "The husband-wife relationship isn't good; they sleep separately."
* "This point is very important. We need to find out why."
Vedant started the bike.
As soon as Akhi sat on the back seat, the bike descended onto the road with two honks.
Akhi's question was heard from inside the helmet, "Where to now?"
* "The deceased's friend's house."
The road was very crowded. Posters and banners of various movies were put up in different places. A festive 'Puja' vibe could be felt clearly. A murder in the midst of this. Vedant knows that enjoying this so much is like celebrating someone else's ruin, but he is a devoted fan of mystery. The bike stopped in front of 22A Beniatola. Getting off the bike, they walked toward the house. A massive old-style house, clearly renovated.
At the entrance of the house was a massive iron gate. The nameplate read 'Khela Ghar', the name of the house.
There was no calling bell; one had to knock with the door-clapper. After knocking about four times, someone opened the door. It wasn't expected that there would be a gatekeeper in this house. It was indeed like a royal palace.
* "Who do you want?" From the accent, it was understood he was Odia.
* "Is Gagan Kar at home?"
* "Who are you?"
* "Coming from Lalbazar," Akhi replied.
Ved-da handed a card to him. The guard took it and went inside.
He returned after a while. Permission to go inside had been granted.
They went in. A person led them to the living room.
A huge room, with a crafted round carpet spread in the middle. A sofa set was placed on it.
Overall, the room was neatly decorated. They went inside and sat on a sofa. A gentleman wearing a vest and pajamas was sitting there; looking at Vedant, he said, "Private detective?" The sarcasm and mockery in his tone were clear.
Ved-da digested it calmly and said, "Not a detective, a 'Rahasya-bhedi' (mystery-unraveler). It's written on the card."
The gentleman waved his hand dismissively in the air and said, "It's the same thing, you've come to do useless enquiries, do them and get lost."
Akhi was about to say something, but Ved-da stopped her with a glance and said, "How long have you known your friend?"
* "Childhood friend, primary friend."
* "What kind of person was he?"
* "Quiet, polite, clever."
* "How was the relationship between him and his wife?"
* "That is a personal matter, ask my sister-in-law."
* "How was his character?"
* "A man of character, had no vices."
* "Any enemies?"
* "Can't say, and besides, this is a serial killing, is it not?"
* "Not all yellow is just yellow," Ved-da stood up. "Let's go."
Akhi and Vedant were leaving; as they reached the door, Mr. Gagan asked mockingly, "Did you find out who the killer is?"
In a calm voice, Ved-da said, "No. I will."
* "How will you know?"
Gagan Babu had been speaking with a sting since the beginning. Ved-da was tolerating it. But he was once the most mischievous boy in college, answering everything with a sting. He had become civilized since becoming a lecturer in Cryptozoology. But this sting from Gagan Babu made his mischievous side reappear. While walking out the door, Ved-da said, "Through a vision in a dream, will that work?" The gentleman had not expected such an answer or reaction; he stared blankly with a dry face. Akhi barely suppressed a laugh and came outside.
Coming outside, Akhi laughed out loud, "Vedant, really you... through a vision in a dream... seriously?"
* "You know I'm a mischievous guy."
* "Where to now?"
* "Let's finish breakfast first, then there is information to collect." The bike cut through all the other cars in the busy city and finally stopped at a specific place. Here, on the footpath, an elderly Muslim man sells chicken stew and toasted bread from a van. Braving the crowd, Vedant and Akhi went and stood there. It was 'office time,' so it was very crowded. From within the crowd, Ved-da raised his voice and ordered, "Two plates."
Just then, a hoarse, broken voice was heard, "What's the matter, finding you is no small task."
Ved-da and Akhi looked and saw Bankim Bhattacharya standing with toast and stew on a paper plate. The gentleman was an acquaintance of Ved-da, a Professor of Psychology at Rajabazar College.
Ved-da said, "Oh, Bankim Babu, what's the news?"
* "You tell the news, brother," then in a slightly worried tone, he said, "Brother, these murders that have started-I read in the paper the other day, and heard today it's near your house-so what's the matter?"
Ved-da joked slightly and said, "Serial killing, specifically targeting teachers to kill, you are a professor, so stay careful."
The gentleman's face went dry, his voice trembled, "What? Killing teachers, why brother?"
Ved-da and Akhi laughed together. Ved-da said, "Oh, no fear, no fear, you just don't go out of the house late at night, and stay careful." The gentleman composed himself, bit into his toast thoughtfully, shook his head, and went to sit on a bench. Ved-da and Akhi finished their light meal, got on the bike, started it, and moved along the road. The bike was racing toward Middle Kolkata.
Akhi asked, "Vedant, why did you tell Bankim Babu that the killer is killing teachers?"
Ved-da, after skillfully overtaking a trekker that had been guarding the road for a long time, said in surprise, "What's this, crazy girl, haven't you cracked the point yet?"
* "Which point?"
* "Look, the first one murdered was a math teacher, the next one was a sociology professor. Meaning, the killer is only killing teachers."
Akhi now said in surprise, "What is the meaning of targeting in such a strange way?"
* "Homicider. Do you know what happens?"
* "No."
* "Like in films or stories where serial killers take revenge or are psychopaths, in reality, there is another type of killer, a homicider."
* "Homicider? What is that like?"
* "This patient with mental issues has a grudge against a specific class, profession, race, or gender; they find joy only by killing them."
* "Do you suspect our murderer is that?"
* "The pattern says so."
The bike crossed the main road of Middle Kolkata, went through a wide lane, turned left, and entered a narrow alley. After moving a bit through the alley, the bike stopped in front of a small two-story house. Though two-story in name only, as the ground floor was a garage. Above it was a room with a blue shade.
Some people were sitting in front of the garage playing cards. Ved-da and Akhi went upstairs via the stairs rising along the side of the garage. There was a somewhat wide space in front; entering through that was a 10-by-13 room. It was clearly a liquor den. But there was a certain fancy touch to it. On one side of the room, there were three tables for sitting, and a table fan for comfort. And right opposite to that was the kitchen-cum-cash counter. It was understood that along with drinks, there were arrangements for all sorts of dry cooking. Ved-da moved toward the kitchen-cum-cash counter. Akhi followed behind. A thin man was doing something with his back to the counter. Ved-da called out, "Hey, Guru Takao." The man turned around, saw Ved-da, and said with a wide grin, "Mr. Biswas! What's the matter?" The man came toward them. He was wearing shorts and a sando-vest, with an apron over it. Ved-da said, "Listen, there is some work." Saying this, he gave a detailed description of the murders and said, "Find out if this kind of murder has happened before. And find out about the two people who were killed. I have sent the pictures to you."
* "Okay, I will find out and let you know."
Ved-da and Akhi came out. Ved-da started the bike. As soon as Akhi got on, the bike started moving. Crossing the same road again, the vehicle came and stopped in front of a familiar hotel of Ved-da's.
* "Come, let's have lunch."
Getting off the vehicle, they entered the small but neat rice-hotel and sat in two facing chairs after ordering food. Akhi asked, "Who did we go to?"
* "Once he used to pickpocket and smuggle. Now he has opened a bar. There is a crowd of 'number two' people at night. He knows a lot of news of the underworld. He is my informant."
* "You've made a good person your informant."
The food had arrived. They ate and got back on the bike; the destination now was home.
In the afternoon, I, along with Oishi-di and the whole group, arrived at Ved-da's house. Once the door of Ved-da's Bagbazar flat is closed from inside, it cannot be opened without a special method.
Entering through the door and crossing the corridor was the drawing room. On one side of the drawing room was a door; beyond that door was Ved-da's study-room.
The door was open. Going inside, I saw Ved-da sitting in his easy chair reading a book. On the desk in front, 'Mexican rock' music was playing on the radio. Ved-da likes Mexican rock very much. The magical light of the falling autumn afternoon came through the grill-less open window. All together, it was an environment befitting a mystery-unraveler. Seeing us, he put the book down and stood up. We sat in the outer drawing room. Neel-da had brought a heap of 'interrogation footage' and details of the previous case.
Not much was learned from the footage or the rest of the details. After watching and listening to them carefully, Ved-da returned them to Neel-da and sat down with the notebook found at the previous murder spot.
A red-colored pocket-notebook. No name inside. Only dates were written on the consecutive pages. After a few pages, one page was torn; on the page below it, a pencil sketch had been made, and on the page under that, a number had emerged. After staring at it for a while, Ved-da turned the page. Nothing else was written. The pages were empty, and toward the end, another page was torn. Ved-da folded the notebook and kept it. Putting a mint in his mouth, he leaned his head back and sat with eyes closed. We all sat silently. I was thinking about various aspects of the case. But I can't understand anything clearly. After sitting quietly for a while, Ved-da suddenly sat up straight.
Oishi-di asked, "Did you understand anything?"
* "It seems I have found a clue." Saying this, Ved-da went to the torn page at the end of the notebook. Upon sketching with a pencil on the page beneath the torn one, a name emerged.
* "Ni-rmal-endu-Maitra!" Akhi pronounced slowly. Then, addressing Vedant, she said, "Where have I heard the name?"
Ved-da opened a drawer and took out a handbill. A handbill for some play. The name of the play was 'Aparahna Belay' (In the Afternoon). Although the text of the handbill was in printed letters, the drawing on the poster was in hand-painted watercolors. In one corner was the artist's signature; the signature was identical to the one in the notebook. Along with that, I noticed that in the list of actors, Nirmalendu Maitra's name was there-the lead actor. A heavy silence filled the room. Ved-da himself broke it, "Either the man is the killer, or this is the book of one of his admirers, and that person is the killer."
* "The second possibility is higher," I said, "Why would a person give an autograph in their own notebook and then tear the page to give it to a fan?"
* "Why, have you never given an autograph in your own notebook and torn the page to give to a fan?"
The point was certainly valid.
* "Do you want to say this man is the serial killer?" Arnab-da asked.
* "For now, we have to proceed based on that clue." Ved-da said the last words to Akhi, "Akhi, see what can be found on Google about this gentleman."
Akhi took Ved-da's laptop, ran her fingers over the keyboard for a while, and then stopped, "No, Vedant, there is nothing except basic information." Just then, Ved-da's phone rang. Ved-da answered the phone and said, "Tell me Raju, I was waiting for you." Raju alias Rajat Mondal. Ved-da's informant. After saying 'hmm... yes' for a while, Ved-da said, "Listen, I need information about someone. The man's name is Nirmalendu Maitra. He does theater and stuff. I need details about him," finally, saying "hmm," Ved-da put the phone down.
* "What's the matter?" Neel-da inquired.
* "I had asked Rajat to look into the two people who were killed," Ved-da replied. "The first one lived a very ordinary life. The second one got involved in an illegal relationship with his talented sister-in-law and was caught red-handed by his wife. Since then, the relationship cracked; they were supposed to divorce within 6 months." Ved-da stopped for a bit. Then he said, "Tomorrow we have to go to Rangamancha Theater. Nirmalendu Maitra is an actor there; some news might be found." One by one, everyone went to their respective homes. Before leaving, I saw Ved-da sitting with his hand over his fist.
The next morning, I arrived at Ved-da's house. I found Ved-da already prepared and waiting for us.
* "Good morning," Akhi greeted.
* "Good morning," Ved-da greeted back and said, "Come, we have to go." Two bikes descended onto the road, one mine and the other Ved-da's.
Looking at the road, I asked, "Where is Rangamancha?"
* "Tala. Five minutes past the Tank."
Cutting through all the other cars on the road, leaving the white lines on the road behind, our two bikes moved toward Tala. The peaceful autumn sunlight was descending on Kolkata through the patches of clouds floating in the blue sky. Both sides of the road were decorated with various 'electric banners' and company banners. A 'reserved' Toto passed by us. On the Toto's radio, that forever familiar Puja song of Shalimar was playing. The Toto got lost in the crowd of other vehicles. Along with it, the song was lost too. One by one, childhood memories were coming to mind.
The two bikes stopped in front of an old-fashioned two-story house by the footpath past Tala Tank. Seeing us, the gatekeeper came forward and asked, "For what purpose, sir?" Ved-da gave one of his cards and said, "Coming from Lalbazar. I want the manager."
The gentleman took the card and went inside. He returned after 2 minutes.
* "Go. The manager's room is upstairs." We parked the bikes and walked through the brick-dust road and entered through the collapsible gate. A staircase went up through the middle of a huge corridor. Going up that and turning a corner was the manager's room.
Entering the room and greeting the bulky gentleman sitting behind the counter, Ved-da said, "Coming from Lalbazar. We want some information about an actor named Nirmalendu Maitra who is with you."
* "What is the matter, is he involved in some case?"
* "Look, it's a police matter, don't show too much curiosity."
The man was somewhat subdued by Ved-da's words. In a thin voice, he asked, "What do you want to know, tell me?"
* "Your name?"
* "Rangalaal Pathak."
* "How many years has Nirmalendu Maitra been acting under you?"
* "Right from the start of his career. It's my foundation, his initiation into drama was with me, and his becoming a star was under me." The gentleman said these words with great pride, "Acting is in the man's blood."
* "How is the gentleman's nature?"
* "Quiet, gentle, amiable person. Just a bit forgetful."
* "Forgetful, exactly in what way?" Ved-da asked suspiciously.
* "When is the play rehearsal, when is the presentation-he can't remember etc." The gentleman continued, "He keeps everything written in a notebook. But for about two weeks, he has been losing that frequently too."
Ved-da sat up straight, "Since when has this been happening?"
* "I remember the day because it was the first presentation of the play Alamgir," Rangalaal Babu replied, "The 7th."
* "How many times has it happened?"
* "About twice."
* "Think and tell me." Ved-da leaned over the desk in front, "Have you noticed any abnormality or aggression in him?"
* "No."
After asking a few more questions, we came out. Ved-da took the address of the gentleman's house. Getting onto the road, our bikes moved through the crowd toward Dharmatala. Nirmalendu Maitra lives here.
Not his own house, a rented house. His former residence was Nadia, Krishnanagar. He used to study at 'Rammohan Roy Public School.' His childhood history is divided into two parts. Although the first thirteen years were spent in a normal rhythm, the next five years were spent in a 'home'. For exactly what reason, even Nirmalendu Babu himself does not remember. The veil of mystery is continuously thickening. Nirmalendu Maitra is gradually becoming the main character of this mystery. But I simply cannot understand what reason could be behind the two murders.
I looked at Ved-da. His face was covered by the helmet. From his body language, it was clear he was deep in thought. The cars and lamp posts on both sides of the road were constantly moving backward. We were headed toward Dharmatala.
The heart is gradually becoming clouded with an unknown fear.
( Marry Christmas )
.... To be continued