The Astral Alibi by Manjiri Prabhu Read Free Book Online

University Road, towards Parihar Chauk. Fifteen minutes later, she was at Vidya’s house. A police car crossed them as she and Jatin drove into the parking of the building. Renuka was sitting on a bench in the parking but she rose hastily the moment she caught sight of the van.
    “I’m so glad you could make it. I just had to talk to someone!” Renuka clasped Sonia’s hand. Her face was blotched with tearstains.
    “Tell me everything. Where is Vidya now?”
    “The police took her body away. Her husband was working a night shift and returned around six. Vidya usually woke up around five, before the whole family rose. This morning when she did not rise, Parmeet was puzzled and shook her. That’s when he found her cold in bed. It was only when I telephoned this morning that Parmeet told me the bad news. I rushed here. I didn’t even get a last glimpse of my friend. My poor Vidya! I was afraid this would happen! Why didn’t she leave these people and go home? I knew she was in danger!” Renuka wailed.
    “Shh…Renuka, you must calm down. This is not the place to raise doubts and suspicions,” Sonia admonished. “Can we go into the house? I’d like to see where it all happened.”
    “I think we can. I’ve already told Inspector Shinde that you’re coming. Vidya lives on the first floor. He is talking to the Sahays right now.
    She led the way up the stairs and to an apartment on the left. Two constables were standing outside the door, but Renuka walked past them and into the hall. On the sofa, a middle-aged couple sat together. Mr. Sahay, a tall thin man with a balding head, wore a crumpled white kurta pyjama. His wife, wrapped in a printed white cotton sari, sat beside him, her ponytailed, oiled head bent, intent on what he was saying. Both wore impatient, irritated expressions. Instantly any vestige of sympathy that Sonia would have felt for these people vanished. Beside them, a young man slumped, his head in his hands. Medium-heighted and dusky, Parmeet Sahay was the spitting image of his father. Sonia’s eyes rested on him with candid interest.
    An Inspector in uniform stood by the grilled window, which displayed a queue of potted indoor plants. Silence seemed to fill the house. As if the policeman had just asked a question that these three couldn’t answer. He glanced up as Renuka and Sonia entered the room.
    “Inspector Shinde, can I speak to you for a moment?” Renuka asked. “This is Sonia Samarth. She is the detective I told you about.”
    “Sonia Samarth…The name sounds familiar.” The policeman frowned.
    “I run a detective agency called Stellar Investigations,” Sonia told him.
    “Of course! I remember now…. astrology and crime, I read about you in the papers. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
    “Vidya was my best friend and I want Sonia to look into the matter,” Renuka explained.
    The Inspector smiled. “We’ve finished with the place actually—the body has been taken away and the fingerprint experts have already left. I don’t mind if you take a look around. Anything more you discover will only help us in our case.”
    “Certainly. And I assure you I won’t meddle with the working of the police,” Sonia added.
    “But
we
don’t want any outside meddling!” Mr. Sahay spoke up harshly. “Our daughter-in-law is dead! It’s bad enough that police have entered this house. Now a private detective—!”
    “
Babuji,
take it easy. Let them do their job!” Parmeet spoke up wearily.
    “Do their job by asking us stupid questions? As if we killed our own daughter-in-law, when it’s obvious that she committed suicide?” Mrs. Sahay demanded harshly.
    “If it’s a suicide, then where’s the suicide note?” Inspector Shinde turned to the couple. “Look here, Mrs. Sahay. No one’s flinging any accusations yet. But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to follow the evidence. We found a bottle of sleeping pills in your cupboard. If your daughter-in-law committed suicide, what was