The Mysteries Of dadi

Part 7

The moment Ayesha came back I pulled her hand and took her to my room.

'What?? Atleast let me have water.'

'Shut up. I just asked your mom if dadi had anything in her hand when she you know... And she said there was nothing!'

'Okay. So you told mom that I told you about the suicide?'

'Yeah stop being a baby. This is huge. I mean how can Dadi not have anything in her hand?'

'So? What's the big deal. She might have thrown it away.'

'She was on the terrace remember?'

'So?'

'Sooooo, how can such an old woman cut her hand, throw away the knife off the terrace and yet be found in the centre of the terrace.'

'I bet dadi is looking down at you and wondering what a crazy grandson. I have to change now and I have important work. So I'll take your leave Mr. Detective.'

'But don't you see how could dadi have done it. She was so religious. You know?!'

I screamed after her as she went downstairs.

Maybe she is right. But Mr. Detective in me was all 'game's afoot' right now.

I scanned the whole terrace in my phone's flashlight. Not one other trace of blood other than the wiped spot in the centre.

I heard ma call me for dinner and I went down. I saw Ayesha talking to someone on my floor with her hand covering her blushing face. She didn't even notice me. That doesn't look like important work Ayesha.

After dinner I called Roshini and told her everything.

'So what do you think? What did she use?'

'No Roshini. Why don't you understand? Dadi didn't kill herself. She couldn't have and now there's even proof!'

'What proof?'

'Nothing she did it with! No traces of blood anywhere.'

'So what are you suggesting?'

'Dadi couldn't do it, so either it's an accident or foul play.'

'Whoa. Stop right there. Remember she was an 80 year old woman.'

'So?'

'It is probably an accident only.'

'No you didn't mean that when you said she's 80. You meant that...'

'Yeah, alright. She was about to pass onto heaven anyway, who would want to get his hand stained for someone like her.'

'So I should stop?'

'Stop what?'

'Doing all this digging?'

'Can't you? Your family needs you Wassi. Be there for them. You've gone to Kolkata to be a good son and not Sherlock.'

I slept early. Roshini is right.

I told Ayesha on message I'm tired. She said she was tired too.

The next day was usual. When Faiz uncle and Ayesha left I tried helping ma being a good son and she said go away, men don't suit in kitchen.

I went out for a walk.

It was so calm around here that sometimes if I paused I felt as if I was in a silent movie.

I silent movie where a woman had just been killed and nobody dared to talk or it'd break the silence.

I was walking back home when I saw Ryaan. He was looking for something in our garden. He had his big white drone in his hand and the remote in the other.

'Ryaan!'

He looked up at me and got scared.

'You looking for something?'

I went closer and he ran away.

After lunch I lied down in my room looking at the age old dirty fan rotating slowly. I guess it's the same from 10 years ago.

I remember how once my plastic ball had hit the blade and was sliced in half from this very fan when I was a kid. It hit me in the head and I didn't know where it came from. I cried for hours.

We used to be so scared of fans when we were small. Mom would always tell us to stay away from it.

And look at kids now. Running around with 4 very dangerous 1600 rpm blades on their very toys.

Wait a second. Shit.

I got up and ran straight down the stairs. Both the women woke up with the crashing sounds of my feet.

I ran out of the house just as ma screamed, 'Wassii?!'

My heart beat harder against my chest than I knocked on Malhotra's house. I had to be calm.

The door opened.

'Hello Mrs. Malhotra. Is Ryaan home?'

'Sure. I see you have bonded so well. I'm so happy beta.'

She opened the door wide. She took me to his room. He wasn't there.

'Ryaan?'

He didn't answer.

She told me he must have gone for his bath. He was out all day.

I looked around his room. It was filled with more than toys that I've ever seen my whole childhood.

I looked again at his drone. I touched the motor top where I had seen earlier, there was a blade missing.