Mystery in the Monsoon
There he was under the large Banyan tree, in the dripping rain. Persistently lifting and dropping the spade, steadily digging away.
His mind had been clouded like the monsoon. But the rains were a blessing and brought abundance. While riding his bike last night humming, “Rimjhim girey savan, sulag sulag jaye man…” he had his Eureka moment.
It had suddenly come to him. Like the pieces of a jig saw puzzle, settling into place.For more than a month Detective Bose Roy had been on edge. How could someone simply vanish and then reappear.
It all began with the phone call he had received. With a quivering voice, a female voice had sought assistance, “Please help! I cant find my uncle… He has disappeared!” “How did you know how to reach me?” he asked, his senses all on guard. “My husband had given it to me. He felt our lives were in danger. So he had given this number to me and made me swear I would call you, in case of danger. So, here I am!” silence… “So,are you coming? Or should I go to the police?”
“No, no I’m coming. I will be there soon… what’s your address?”
“21 Eden Garden, Beach Road, Velim.”
When he reached the place it was close to 9:30 PM. The monsoons were here and Goa was blessed with rain, morning, noon and evening. Detective Bose Roy was quite a tall, well built man, his cinematic good looks were befitting the silver screen rather than one who had to go thundering on Bullet motorcycles. Julie was taken aback momentarily, but reminded herself of the task at hand.
“I’m Detective Bose Roy, Naren Bose Roy,” he introduced himself. “Julie Braganza, wife of Tom Braganza,” she said, shaking hands.
“Yes Ma’am! Please begin at the beginning. What’s going on? Why does your husband think you are in danger and why has your uncle disappeared?”
Sitting down on a once elegant, royal blue velvet sofa, she indicated to him to sit down too. “A few weeks ago,” she began, “some people from Mumbai had appeared at our doorstep. They wanted to buy our home and property. They said it was perfect for a resort, a detox spa and would pay us more than the market price.”
“But my husband did not want to sell, neither did I. All our lives we have lived here. Gone to Mother Mary,down the street to pray, walked to the beach to swim, play with children, party with our neighbours and fish at times. This is our home, the whole street our family. So, we said no! They said to reconsider, they would come after two days.”
“ My uncle was happy with our decision. Infact he celebrated with 2 bottles of Feni!… the Monsoon had just reached and it was such a lovely evening!”
“Does your uncle stay close by?”
“ Here, his room is to the left of the kitchen. We stay upstairs.”
“So what happened?” asked the detective, wondering if he had been called on a wild goose chase.
“Two days later we stuck to our choice. But they became vile. There was shouting and terrible behaviour. We were threatened too! Imagine? In our own home!
Tom picked up the little man who was using filthy abuses and threw him out of the gate. He knows the law, and the rights you know.”
Naren sat there in disbelief! Did Tom actually do that. Well, well!
Uncle was so happy, he was clapping his hands. He called the neighbours too to have a drink!
After two days, strange things started happening… First we lost our pet kitten. I cried quite a bit, but Tom said we would get another one. Then my son’s tricycle was found slashed. How could one do that It would have been better to just take it! My poor son, Peter!”
“So, where is Tom now? Your husband.”
“He had to go for a business meeting to Bangalore. It had been planned since last month. On the way out, he gave me your number. I thought it wasn’t important. Forgot all about it too. My son and uncle have not been well since two days.They had upset stomach and fever too… so I have been running up and down. All afternoon it has rained heavily leaving me morose. But Uncle… he was sleeping after lunch and never came for tea, nor did he respond to my call. When I went to the room, he was not there. Leaving Peter I went to my neighbours, looked around, even in the garden near the woods! He has just vanished. I was heartbroken. That’s when I remembered you!”
“OK! Where is your son, now?” asked the detective.
“Oh he is playing at the neighbours. He is feeling better now.”
“Mind if I have a look? I will need to see all the rooms and everything else you spoke off.”
“Sure! The kitten … disappeared, and the slashed cycle we gave away. Everything else is right there. Please follow me.”
He went carefully from room to room, window to window. There was something quite not right… but what? Hmmm! Interesting he had been thought of at the outset.
There were no interesting things, no clues, no strange messages in blood, for him to work on. So he left.
Two days later Bose Roy went back. He saw the family having a conversation in the living room. Quietly he went around the back. He watched the gate leading to the garden at the back for a while. He could see a beautiful, huge old Banyan tree. Some kids were swinging on the aerial roots.Their carefree laughter indicated their joy.
He went to talk to them.
When he returned in a while, he walked into the house. There sitting at the table enjoying a stiff whiskey was an old man. “Good evening Mr. Braganza… you must be the uncle.”
The man looked at him, “And who are you? What are you doing in my house? We are not selling!”
“Eh… eh, Detective, sorry we forgot to tell you Uncle has been found,” said the man, obviously Tom.
“ And who are you?” asked he in all innocence.
“I am Tom Braganza. You met my wife the other day. I just returned from Bangalore, this morning.”
“May I ask you a few questions, Sir?”
“Why did you ask your wife to get in touch with me?”
“Our lives are in danger. Those crooks want to take our house and property. They have threatened us not to go to the police, so I thought of you.”
“Where was Uncle?”
“ He says he had passed out in the bathroom.”
“No, I was here that evening. I checked every room, including the bath-room,”murmured the detective.
Julie was signaling wildly from where she stood.
He pretended not to notice. Tom excused himself and went to her. The little boy Peter walked upto him. “Hello Uncle! Will you play with me?” He grabbed his hand and pulled Bose Roy. The kid brought a ball and kept throwing it to Naren. Naren rolled the ball towards Uncle’s room and went chasing it. The boy followed.
After a while they both came out stifling giggles.
The detective left without much ado.
It was raining but he had to do it. Digging would be easier too in the rains. Slushy, but easy. He hit a metallic object. The clinking was loud. He took the box indoors and gingerly opened it. There was the most breathtaking set of diamonds ever seen.
“OK Old man, come clean!”he ordered the uncle. His revolver pointing directly at the chest.
“Don’t shoot, I will tell you!”
“I heard my niece saying they will send me to an old age home and sell this house.
“So, you hired people to scare them and leave?”
“How did you know that?”
“The other day, Peter showed me a picture of you and your girl friend, kept under your pillow, she was wearing the diamond set, stolen from Vivesh Bambani’s house. The police has been searching all over for it. And here it is in your backyard. Too much of a coincidence.”
“But how did you know?”
“ Talking with innocent children brings out the truth. The other day when you were missing for a few days, you had gone to meet your girlfriend, bring back the stolen goods. Under the garb of disappearance, you met with your accomplices and buried it here. That was the other picture, narrated by the kids swinging on the tree.
Your niece may have contemplated, but you acted in a devilish way.”
“Thank you Sir for saving us, God alone knows what would have happened?” said Tom hugging him profusely. Bose Roy pulled out his phone and called his friend Inspector Pinto.
The Monsoons are beautiful he thought. All the praise showered on him had helped him to solve another case.
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
