Sun Moon & Stars Volume III Curse Of The Third-Eye

Chapter 42

Karnakesh Tamang didn't seem to be a mad doctor who would utter trash and definitely not someone to hide another person's identity. But what he said threw Ragnik and Shomak in a mild shock. 

"What rubbish!" Ragnik was clearly getting irritated when Shomak held him back and asked, "We apologise doctor if we are intruding but the person in that picture, we met him a few days back. He also mentioned his father is a doctor."

Karnakesh frowned a little but looked away saying, "This is a big town, I am not the only doctor whose son's name is Shaang –"

"But the picture –"

The doctor released a defeated sigh, " I believe you should be leaving now. Hills are unpredictable, you wouldn't want to walk in the evening," he said. 

"There might be some mistake!" Ragnik tried to press harder on the matter but the old man refused to discuss further. "No there isn't," he added sternly, "Besides you look in your thirties, so when he died you must have been in school. Also, he was a physics graduate but not a teacher."

"Listen that's just – " Ragnik tried to pursue again but Shomak intervened. "How did he die?" Shomak asked.

Ragnik turned at him but sensing his seriousness didn't interfere.

"Doctor?" noticing the doctor's silence Shomak pressed again.

The doctor didn't look like someone who would share his grief with two strangers but Sudha often said that there was a strange pull and innocence in Shomak's eyes that made people feel comfortable.

While Shomak might have met Karnakesh Tamang only a few minutes back, the old man oddly reminded him of Sashidhar. Applying the same amount of genuine concern as he used to while talking to his late mentor, Shomak pleaded. "Pardon us, doctor. We do not want to force you. But you see, there must be some identity confusion and we want to clarify it. Please, tell us."

The doctor paused for a long minute studying Shomak minutely then in a very low tone gradually began to explain, "He was killed. At the Baghpool," he paused briefly to gather his thoughts then said, "A hole drilled into his forehead, his entire body had turned green."

Shomak noticed how the old doctor looked tired. He could assume that he suffered every day and they were inflicting more pain by constantly scratching the wound that was yet to be healed.

"We are very sorry to make you go through this again, but doctor we are in a crisis here," Shomak managed to sit down in front of him and pleaded again, "The Shaang Tamang we know looks exactly like your son, the picture you have on the wall, there," Shomak pointed.

However, Karnakesh Tamang seemed to be shutting off. Shomak looked up to Ragnik for support. 

The impatient kind that he was, Ragnik took off the frame from the wall, pulled out his cell phone to open a picture of Shaang Tamang with the class of 11B that Mini had shared a few days back, and held the two pictures side by side in front of the doctor.

"No! No! This can't be!" doctor Tamang stood up with a jolt staring at the uncanny resemblance of the two people.

"The imposter is around my fiancée and her sisters every day, if we do not stop him, he might harm them. Please," Ragnik pleaded, "if you could give us any proof, any identification or even your son's birth and death certificates, we can go to the police."

Doctor Karnakesh Tamang rubbed his eyes and inhaled sharply, "I would have given you all the proof but I don't have them."

"You don't? Then perhaps an address or any other acquaintance of your son who might be able to help us?" Ragnik desperately asked as Shomak's throat became dry with fear. Every second they spent at the doctor's house, the danger lurking around the Malakar sisters was increasing.