Murder in Goa

Aarya Sarkar Series

Ranjana Joshi
OceanofPDF.com
 Copyright © 2023 Ranjana Joshi
All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living
or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written
permission of the publisher.

Cover design by: vikncharlie

OceanofPDF.com
The book is dedicated to my husband, my son, and all the strong women out there who,
like Aarya, dare to follow their dreams and live life on their terms.

OceanofPDF.com
 Contents

Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
About Goa: A note
Key Characters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Books In This Series
Books By This Author
About The Author

OceanofPDF.com
 About Goa: A note
This story is set in Goa, and therefore, I thought it is only fair that I
give you a glimpse of the place. For those of you familiar with it, may
choose to skip this part.
Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India, by the Arabian Sea. It
is situated within the Konkan region and is bordered by the states of
Maharashtra and Karnataka. Even though it is a small state, the smallest in
India, it has a coastline of over 100 km and is blessed with some of the most
pristine beaches. The state hosts numerous domestic and international
tourists every year. The beaches in South Goa are usually less crowded,
while North Goa is the more ‘happening’ place, more popular with the
partygoers.
It has a largely a Hindu and Christian population. The Portuguese ruled
the region for around 450 years, and Goan culture still retains a heavy
Portuguese influence. Hence names like Ribeiro are common in the state.
The locals speak Konkani (Aanu is a word for father that some people use),
Hindi and English. Rice and fish curry are the staple food, and the most
popular alcoholic beverage is the feni.
Karwar is a town in Karnataka, to the south of Goa, a mere 30km from
the famous Palolem Beach in South Goa.
Aarya Sarkar, the detective, is in south Goa, in a fictional resort—
Mariana Resort—somewhere to the south of Palolem Beach, on a vacation
with her friend, Sid, when events related to ‘Murder in Goa’ start
unfolding.
I have used British English spellings, since that is what most Indians
use.
Happy Reading!

OceanofPDF.com
 Key Characters
Aarya: The detective, on a holiday in Goa

Sid: Aarya’s friend, who has accompanied her on the vacation

Dev: A guest who has befriended Aarya and Sid and helps with the
investigation

Sahil: The manager of the Mariana Resort

Disha: Sahil’s wife

Ajit: Sahil's brother

Dilip: Owner of the Mariana Resort, who oversees the operations

Asha: Dilip’s daughter

Simon Lobo: Owner of Bytes, a restaurant near Mariana Resort

Ribeiro: Local Police Inspector

Others:

Leena: Dilip's cousin, who wants to marry Simon

Karekar and Pawas: Jewellers

Joshua Pinto: supplier of chemicals

Bea, Deep, Kiara: Other guests at the resort

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 1
“He’s Dead”
“Aarya needs a theft, or better still, a murder, to get her back to her
normal, excited self. She is a detective on vacation who’s suffering from
withdrawal.” Sid laughed as he replied to Dev’s question about why Aarya
was sitting with a lost expression on her face.
“Hey, you make me sound like a malevolent, satanic person who
flourishes in a scumhole of crime. I’m not Lucifer,” Aarya said, flicking her
wet hair playfully and showering Sid and Dev with sparkling water
droplets.
She turned her face back toward the ocean and the waves. “I love the
beach, the ocean, and the waves. Ah, I love Goa. I wish I could settle here.”
She lay down on the sand on the Butterfly Beach in Goa, looking up at the
evening sky turning bright orange, lending its beautiful hues to the ocean,
which shone with its brilliance.
“Honestly, when you suggested it, I thought we were coming here for
some case. I didn’t think you’d take a vacation.” Sid said, drawing designs
on the sand with a small stick.
Aarya shuddered a little as she remembered the state in which she had
seen Sid when she had managed to solve the Crimson Party case. It had
been a physically and emotionally wrenching experience for them, and she
wanted Sid to be away from those gruelling memories for some time.
“We need to have fun, don’t we? This is my first vacation in almost two
years,” she said, sitting up and holding his hand. Sid looked at her with a
twinkle in his brown eyes and nodded.
Aarya and Sid had been friends for over two years, though it felt much
longer. Sid had helped her in solving some of her cases as well. She liked
his honesty and loyalty and respected him for his deep knowledge of
security solutions and his courage.
“Hey, you lazy bums. Come on. Let’s have a last dip in the ocean before
we head back,” Dev exclaimed as he stood up and jogged toward the ocean.
Dev Adhikari was a fellow guest at the Mariana resort, where Aarya and
Sid were staying. Having come to Goa alone, he had befriended them, and
the three had been exploring Goa together for almost a week. He seemed to
be a decent man and even had ties to Aarya’s hometown of Nainital—his
parents lived there. It’s always a pleasure to meet someone from your city
while travelling, and it’s amusing how you form stronger connections with
them in other places than in your town.
“Wanna come?” Aarya asked, standing up and dusting the sand off her
shorts.
“Are you sure you want me to come? I don’t want to be the third
wheel,” Sid winked.
Aarya shook her head. “What nonsense, Sid. Come on now.” She pulled
him up and dragged him to the edge of the water. She knew he was still not
comfortable deeper in the water.
Dev was already swimming, and she dived in while Sid sat down near
the edge of the waves. The water felt pleasant as she swam with ease,
careful not to go too far from the shore. With solid strokes, she caught up to
Dev. He swam well with his chiselled body and muscular arms. Even in the
ocean, it seemed effortless. Aarya smiled and wondered how he would fare
in a fight. She imagined him throwing punches and kicking his opponents
with precise, sharp movements, then shook her head. Why was she thinking
all this? They swam alongside each other, almost in sync, before she
noticed Sid waving.
“Time to go back,” Aarya screamed over the waves to Dev.
They had come to the beach on a boat. The boatman, Fernandes, had
allowed them to rent out his boat, warning them they needed to return
before dark.
“We should head back,” Sid said as they neared the shore. “Fernandes
will complain to Sahil and Dilip if we aren’t at the resort on time, and it’s at
least a twenty-minute ride back.”
Dev followed Sid into the boat, and a reluctant Aarya brought up the
rear.
As Sid turned the ignition, Aarya plopped down on one of the wooden
seats and stared out into the horizon, a lost look on her face. She was bored,
though she hated to admit it. The boat bobbed gently on the waves as they
made their way back. She knew Sid was right. She was suffering from
withdrawal. This was the longest she had been without working on a case.
Probably one reason why, even though she loved Goa, she would never
settle in this quiet and calm place. Not enough crime for people like her
who thrived in a cesspool of depravity and turpitude.
Well, she was on vacation; she reminded herself and turned to her
friends with a smile plastered on her face. The trio laughed and chatted as
they rode toward their rooms, a little south of the famous Palolem Beach of
Goa, where they were staying in the small cottages of Mariana Resort,
overlooking the ocean.
“Hey, look! Sahil has already made preparations for the campfire
tonight. I can see the wood for the fire and the chairs already placed on the
beach. Sahil is really the best,” Dev said, excitement rising.
“It’s so hot and humid. I’m sweating despite the breeze. I wonder if the
campfire is a good idea,” Sid remarked, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
“Oh. You’re only saying that because Natasha left today. I’m sure it’ll
be fun tonight with music and dancing. You like to dance, Aarya?”
Dev looked at Aarya, but her eyes were glued to the land. “Something
doesn’t seem right,” she said, half to herself. “There’s no one on the beach.
It’s too quiet, and I think I see people crowded near Sahil’s house.”
Sahil Sawant was the manager of the resort. He was a software engineer
who had visited Goa three years ago on vacation and had fallen in love with
the place. Around two years back, he relocated to this beach, leaving his job
in a technology company to work as manager and partner in the resort. It
seemed to have been a perfect arrangement for him and Dilip Amonkar, the
resort owner, who owned the land but had no idea of the tourism business.
Silence reigned on the boat as they covered the remaining distance,
trying to understand the cause of the change in the atmosphere on the
beach. After securing the boat on the dock, they strode toward Sahil’s
house. Some fishermen were standing outside, whispering amongst
themselves. The air felt heavy and morose.
“What happened?” Aarya asked.
“It’s Sahil,” one of them responded. “He’s dead. They think it’s a heart
attack.”
“What?” Aarya and Sid said almost at the same time. “Sahil? Dead!”
“He was a good man,” said another. “Always helped me pull in the net
if he was around.”
“And he looked so fit and strong. I’d never have imagined him, of all
people, dying of a heart attack.” The man shook his head as the others
nodded in agreement.
Sahil’s home was a small two-room house, right by the ocean, atop a
rock. His clothes fluttered in the breeze on the washing line outside. A
white Creta was parked near the door. It was Sahil’s wife, Disha’s car. The
bonnet was still warm.
 Aarya walked past it and reached the main door. Dilip was standing near
Sahil’s body, lying on the sofa. A few more men were standing around the
tiny living room while Disha was sitting on a chair near the couch, staring
at the body, a blank expression on her face.
Aarya scanned the room. There was a tiny table with two chairs near the
kitchenette with a plate of half-eaten rice and daal. There was another
empty bowl lined with spices, the type used by restaurants. She tip-toed
over to it and sniffed it—chicken kebab.
Aarya had been here a few times in the past week, and the room looked
as it had on previous occasions. Nothing seemed out of place.
She approached Disha with gentle steps and laid her hand on her
shoulder. “Please accept my deepest condolences for your loss, Disha,” she
muttered. Despite having gone through similar experiences of consoling
bereaved families multiple times, she was still unsure of what to say.
Disha nodded and looked up to face Aarya. “I’d told him to eat only
home-cooked food. His cholesterol had gone high.” Her voice trembled a
little, and she paused as if trying to control her emotions. She lowered her
gaze again. “But he never listened.”
“No one can control such things,” Dilip remarked in a sombre tone.
“Did you manage to get in touch with Ajit?” Disha murmured.
Dilip shook his head. “I tried, but his phone is switched off. I’ve left
him a message. Hopefully, he’ll be here soon.”
Ajit was Sahil’s brother. Aarya remembered Sahil talking about him. He
lived in Mumbai and had come to Goa for the weekend with some of his
friends.
Aarya, unsure of how she could be of any help, walked to the exit. Dilip
handed Disha a glass of water and followed Aarya to the door. He wiped his
forehead and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry that you all, being
our guests, have to witness this. Needless to say, the campfire party is
cancelled. You all can please stay in your rooms or go out for dinner while I
handle this. Can you tell the others as well?”
Aarya nodded and walked back to the beach. Sid was sitting by the boat,
his face ashen. “I’m sorry I didn’t go inside the house with you,” he said,
standing up when he saw her. “Dead bodies stir up some unpleasant
memories.”
They walked to their rooms, each being an individual cottage with a
small balcony overlooking the ocean, situated a few meters from the sea, on
higher ground to protect them during high tides. There were eight such
rooms in the resort. To the left was Sahil’s house, and rocks flanked the
right side. Sahil had told them they planned to make the rooms double-
storeyed within a year. Construction of a small three-storeyed block with
nine rooms was underway in a corner beyond Sahil’s house.
Dev was standing outside his room. “Hey,” he called out when he saw
them, “perhaps it’ll be better to go out for dinner. We are the only guests
here right now. Bea is out for a party, and Deep and his wife are also out. I
don’t fancy being around a dead body.” Aarya nodded, and he continued,
“How did he die? Any idea?”
“They suspect it’s a heart attack.”
“But you don’t think so?”
Sid and Dev looked at Aarya’s face, but she shrugged. Sahil seemed like
a healthy man. She wouldn’t have pegged him as a heart patient. She pursed
her lips, reminding herself that she was on vacation.
“Who knows? Heart attacks are becoming more common nowadays,”
she said aloud.
Sid stared at Sahil’s house. Disha’s silhouette was visible in the window.
“How is Disha handling it? And is Sahil’s brother here? He was supposed to
be in Goa today, I think.”
“Disha is handling it well, given the situation. Much better than most
women, I think. No crying or wailing. As for Ajit, Dilip hasn’t been able to
contact him yet. He’s out with his friends.”
Was it really a heart attack? How did they know? But what else could it
be? There weren’t any signs of distress on the body. The house appeared as
it always did—no signs of struggle or forced entry.
Sid held her hand and squeezed it. “It’s not a crime scene, Aarya.”
Aarya let out a long breath. She wouldn’t get involved. She was but a
guest here, and as Sid said, this was not a crime scene.
Or was it?

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 2
Let’s Do It
The time went by slowly. They drove to Palolem Beach in their rented
car and, after a quick and silent dinner at one of the beach-side restaurants,
sat by the ocean for some more time before heading back.
The conversation veered to Sahil and Disha.
“I feel sorry for Disha,” Sid said, looking far into the black ocean.
Dev spread out his legs so that his feet touched some waves that came
far back. “I’m glad she’s able to handle it well. I know many women would
go crazy in her situation. But she’s always so quiet. You never know what’s
going on in that head of hers. Sahil, on the other hand, wore his heart on his
sleeve. Quite different, the two of them, isn’t it?”
“I met him during my early morning runs every day,” Aarya said,
staring up into the sky. “In fact, this morning, we ran together for almost
thirty minutes. He was sweating and huffing, but no more than me. I’m no
doctor; if someone had told me the future this morning, I’d never have
believed he would suffer a heart attack this same evening.”
“But he did eat very unhealthy food,” Sid replied, shaking his head. “I
know he didn’t cook more than one or two meals a week at home. He
always ate outside. And we know how unhealthy that is. Look at me. I think
I’ve gained a few kgs in just a week.”
“We all have, dear Sid. We all have,” Dev commented, rolling his palms
on his flat and muscular abdomen. Dev was athletic, and with his six-pack
abs and mountainous biceps, he could put any man to shame.
“Not you,” Sid said, looking at Dev with a twang of jealousy quite
unmistakable in his eyes. His time at the hospital after his close shave with
death had taken a toll on his otherwise fit physique.
Aarya noticed Sid’s discomfort. She knew health and a fit body had
always been a priority for Sid, just like it was for her. “You’ll return to your
former muscular self in no time, Sid.” She gave him a friendly pat on the
shoulder.
“Anyway,” Sid continued, “It’s sad that a man like Sahil had to die so
young. It gives me the chills.”
Dev nodded. “Yes, makes us realise how vulnerable we all are, that
death can come at any instant. But death is natural. It shouldn’t give us
chills. Water, now that’s what gives us chills, isn’t it, Sid?” Dev eyed Sid
with a playful smirk.
Sid stood up, trembling a little. “Can we leave now?” he scowled,
brushing the sand off almost onto Dev’s face. Before the others could reply,
he was already returning to the parking area.
Aarya knew Sid was still not in a great mental state, especially around
water. She jumped up and glared at Dev, who was taken aback by Sid’s
sudden departure. “You don’t know what Sid has gone through. He is more
of a man - brave and fearless - than most I’ve known. So don’t go around
judging people and passing comments when you don’t know their history.”
She hissed and began following Sid in giant strides.
“Hey, hey. Don’t get angry. I was joking, given that he never goes into
the water. I didn’t mean to upset anyone. I’m sorry.” Dev ran over to catch
up with her and held her hand. Despite her anger, Aarya felt the strength in
his grip and held on a second longer before pulling away.
“Apologise to Sid, not me,” she snapped. Without a second’s delay, Dev
ran ahead to Sid. She stood rooted in her place for some time, knowing that
part of her anger was directed at Dev, but part of it was at herself. She
didn’t like the feeling that his presence evoked in her. In her line of work,
there was no place for relationships, but Dev was chipping away at her
carefully constructed defences and edging his way into her life.
By the time Aarya reached the parking area, both men were leaning
against the car and chatting as if nothing had ever happened.
“Dev will be working on a project in Delhi. That’ll give us a chance to
continue our friendship,” Sid said, giving Aarya a side glance and a quick
wink.
Aarya turned to Dev and gave him a questioning look. He’d told her he
worked in Bangalore as part of the strategy team of a real estate company.
“Yeah, my company is launching a luxury villa project along the
Dwarka Expressway. They’ve been asking me to go, but I wasn’t sure about
moving from Bangalore. The wonderful weather and blue skies, you know.
But I think, now, I might have a reason to make the move.” He looked at
Aarya with a mischievous smile.
She couldn’t stand his gaze and looked away. There was a fuzzy
sensation in her heart, and her lips moved involuntarily into a smile. In an
instant, she nipped it and brought back a frown. “Your wish,” she said,
trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “Delhi can be quite harsh. It’s not
a city for everybody.”
She opened the car door and entered the back seat, away from the glare
of the lights in the parking lot, hoping neither Sid nor Dev had noticed her
smile.
Dev drove them back, and the two men made themselves comfortable in
the front seats while Aarya tried to calm her heart behind them.
“I’m thinking, Sid, that we can work together. I saw your company’s
products earlier today; they seem state-of-the-art. We could use your
security solutions in our project.”
“That’d be great, but don’t expect a discount.” The two men laughed
easily, comfortable in each other’s presence. “But on a serious note, if you
can send me some preliminary details, I can get my team to work out a few
solutions for you by the time you move to Delhi.” Aarya smiled. Always
the businessman, Sid never let go of an opportunity once he sensed it.
“So, are you thinking of moving to Delhi or travelling for a few days a
week?” Aarya asked.
“This is a big project for us, and we’ll soon launch more. As far as I can
see, if I agree, I’ll be moving to Delhi for the foreseeable future.” Dev
glanced at the rear-view mirror, catching Aarya’s eyes. “I’m glad I’ve got
some friends there now. Plus, I’ll be closer to my parents. Perhaps we can
travel to Nainital together on long weekends.” He gave her a disarming
smile.
Sid chuckled, and Aarya smacked him on the head.
“What happened?” Dev asked, turning into the narrow muddy path
which led them to the Mariana Resort.
“Aarya doesn’t visit her parents very often. Too busy with work. There
are no weekends or holidays with her. You’ll learn when you come to Delhi.
If you want to spend time with her, you help her with her cases. That’s what
I do, at least. Not everybody can do it.”
As soon as Aarya stepped out of the car, Baloo, a stray black dog who
lived on the beach, greeted her. Sahil gave Baloo food and had trained him
to be friendly with the guests staying at the resort. Disha, on the other hand,
always avoided Baloo.
“Was Bytes open?” she asked, petting Baloo and scratching him under
the ears while he wagged his tail like a fan.
 Sid nodded, and Dev looked at her with disbelief. “The restaurant? You
hungry again?”
She grinned. “Not for me, you idiot. For Baloo. With Sahil gone, I’m
not sure if anyone has given him anything to eat. You guys go along. I’ll be
with you in a minute,” she said.
“I’ll come with you.”
“Same here. I don’t like the idea of going into the resort alone,” Sid
said, and the three of them walked back to Bytes.
It was a small restaurant right at the corner of the street from where they
had to turn inside into the muddy path to reach the resort. They had never
eaten or ordered food from here because of the unfavourable reviews from
previous guests. Sahil maintained a small recommendation register where
guests reviewed the services near the resort—the boat rides, restaurants,
water sports, and bike or car rentals. It was pretty helpful for people to
decide on which service to use. They had rented their car from a service
listed there.
The lights were on. It was late, and the restaurant was empty. Aarya
walked in and inspected the dining area. It was empty; the floors looked
scrubbed and clean, and so did the tables. There was a clanking sound of
utensils coming from the kitchen. She peeked in through the door. A young
man was cleaning the kitchen floor.
“Restaurant is closed, ma’am,” he said when he spied Aarya.
“I know. Any chicken or egg left? I need it for a hungry dog. I’ll pay
you.” Baloo stood beside Aarya, wagging his tail, his ears lowered and
moving back, his eyes large and pleading, the way only dogs’ eyes can
look.
“Is that Baloo? Okay, let me see. But don’t tell Simon. Not sure he’ll
like it.” Simon Lobo was the owner of Bytes. The man took some chicken
from the fridge, fried it in the still-hot pan and gave it to Aarya. She handed
him some money and walked back, whistling softly to signal Baloo to
follow her.
“She really has a soft heart; just pretends to be rough, isn’t she? Don’t
think anyone else would’ve given this dog a second thought,” observed
Dev, following behind.
“She loves dogs, man. More than humans.”
Aarya fed Baloo outside her room and gave him water. It was around
midnight when Baloo settled himself outside Aarya’s cottage. The lights in
Sahil’s house were still on. There was only one car outside the home. That
meant Sahil’s brother, Ajit, had still not come.
They all retired to their rooms with heavy hearts. The eerie silence and
sadness that hung heavy on the air bludgeoned their spirits with every
passing minute.
#
The following day, despite turning in late and fitful sleep, Aarya went
for a long run. Even with the discomfort of the sweat pouring down her
entire body, she continued her exercise. She wanted to tire herself out, strain
her muscles and get the blood flowing and her heart pumping—the one
sure-shot way for her to feel better. She longed for the punching bag she
hung in her living room. It was the perfect way to calm herself, think
clearly, and remove anxiety. Punching was meditative for her.
As she jogged back, wiping the sweat off her face, she saw Dev and Sid
standing outside her room, waiting for her.
“There she is,” Dev gushed, waving his hands frantically as she
approached them.
“What happened?” Aarya asked, her gaze oscillating between Dev’s
excited face and Sid’s uncomfortable one.
Dev interjected before Sid could reply. “You, madam, might have a
murder case on your hands.”
“Murder? Who’s murder?” Aarya said, hoping the excitement was not
too evident in her voice.
“Sahil’s,” whispered Sid.
Aarya sat down on the chair outside her room, still catching her breath.
“Will you both try to be a little clear?” She took the bottle of water that Dev
handed to her and began gulping it down.
Dev sat down next to her and burst out. “Ajit, Sahil’s brother, arrived
some time ago. Sid and I were sitting on the beach when we heard him
arguing with Disha. Loudly. I walked closer to the house to hear what they
were saying. Ajit insisted they get a post-mortem done because he didn’t
believe it was a heart attack. No one in their family has ever had any heart
ailments. Disha was not okay with it.”
Aarya turned to Sid. “You heard it too?”
“And the girl of my dreams doesn’t believe me,” muttered Dev while
Aarya ignored his comment and turned her face to Sid.
 Sid nodded. “I did. Ajit suspects foul play and has already called the
police and the hospital to get an autopsy done.”
“I think you should look into it,” Dev said, leaning toward Aarya.
“I think we should keep away. We both are on vacation, Aarya. Our
return tickets are booked for tomorrow. If required, we can take a flight
today itself. Why get involved here?”
Aarya looked at them, her mind divided. She wanted to investigate.
Every pore in her body was itching to take up the opportunity, but she
understood Sid wasn’t ready yet. She had to support that. With a sigh, she
let go of her desire.
“I agree with Sid. I’m not here as an investigator. We’re guests. Perhaps
we should leave today.” Out of sight, out of mind. Nothing would pull her
to the case if she weren’t in Goa.
Sid smiled. The relief was clear on his face. But Aarya’s mind was
already running. Ajit’s claims matched hers. Why was Disha so much
against having the autopsy? Wasn’t it she who had first suggested that it
was a heart attack?
She felt Sid’s hand on her shoulder. “What are you thinking? Already on
the case?”
Aarya laughed. “No. As I said, we’re guests. Let me see if we can get
some flight tickets to go back tonight.”
As she stood up to enter her room, she saw a tall, hefty man with a
round face walking toward them. One look at him, and she knew he was
Sahil’s brother, Ajit. He had the same long nose, broad forehead, and square
jaw. Both were tall, but while Sahil was slim, Ajit had a slight paunch,
which he tried his best to hide. He had straight black hair, which he wore
longer than most men, and a thick French beard.
“Are you Ms Aarya Sarkar, the private investigator?” he said in a nasal
tone.
“Yes.”
“I’m Ajit Sawant, Sahil’s brother. I’d like to hire your services to
investigate the root cause of my brother’s death.”
Aarya shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mr Ajit. But we’re thinking of
leaving tonight.”
“Dev, here, told me you’re a good PI. I just researched you and saw that
you’ve solved a few interesting cases. Please. Don’t refuse to help me. I’ll
pay you whatever you want. I need to know how my brother died.”
 Aarya wanted to know as well. But her word to Sid was more important
than any case. She pursed her lips as she prepped herself to say a final no.
Before she could open her mouth, a soft voice answered. “She’ll do it.”
Sid came forward, held her hand, and looked at her. “I know you want to.
It’s okay if it’s me you’re worried about.”
Aarya nodded and turned to Ajit. “I can’t promise you anything yet. We
need to return to Delhi tomorrow. But do tell me more, and I’ll see if I can
help you.” She wanted an out in case she felt Sid wasn’t comfortable.
Just then, Dilip walked over to them.
Ajit ignored his presence and continued. “I’ll be forever indebted to you
for your help. I’m sure it’s not a heart attack, Aarya. It’s murder.”
“Who would want to murder a man like Sahil? He didn’t have any
enemies. It’s just your untrustworthiness of humanity, Ajit,” interjected
Dilip.
“Perhaps his business partner would want to harm him?” Ajit retorted,
squinting his eyes and staring at Dilip. “I work with these Self-Help Groups
in the villages. In one of them, there was this shopkeeper. His partner
framed him for theft and got him arrested. No one had proof to help the
poor man, but everyone knew it was his partner’s doing.”
“How much lower will you stoop, man?” snapped Dilip. “I was more a
brother to him than you ever were, and just stop with your village stories.”
“They aren’t stories. They’re true. And if you’re clean, then let Ms
Aarya investigate. Why’re you scared?”
“I’m not scared of anything or anyone, least of all you. Let her
investigate if she wants, even if there is nothing to investigate. I think it’s a
waste of time, that’s all.”
“Please, both of you, calm down,” Aarya intervened. “We need to think
about it and discuss it before we promise you whether we’ll work on it.”
She turned to Sid and motioned him to follow her inside the room.
Dev also followed them inside and shut the door.
“Sid, if you aren’t comfortable, I’ll not take it up.”
“Sid can return to Delhi. I’m here to help you with the case,” Dev said.
“Please, let me help. I’ve heard stories about the Mira case and The
Crimson Party case. I so want to be part of this.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Sid spoke up. “It’s true. I’m not thrilled
about it. I’m not too comfortable yet, but don’t you always say that facing
our fears head-on is the only way to become fearless? Well, that’s what I’ll
do.” He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Let’s do it.”
“Yes,” Dev shouted and hugged Sid. “I’m super stoked about this. I’m
so glad I came here.”
“We’ll do it,” Aarya announced, opening the door where Ajit and Dilip
were waiting. “Once we sign the contract, I’ll need to talk to all the people
here who knew Sahil.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 3
Meeting with Disha–Round 1
After a quick breakfast, Ajit and Aarya completed the contract
formalities, and Aarya started by interviewing Disha, Sahil’s wife. Sid and
Dev accompanied her to Sahil’s cottage.
Disha opened the door, led them to the sitting area, and motioned for
them to sit. Aarya sat on the sofa beside her, and Sid sat opposite them.
She was a young woman in her early thirties with a face much smaller
compared to her body. Her brown eyes were red and puffed. She was
wearing a white shalwar-kameez. The kajal in her eyes was a little smeared,
and her shoulder-length black hair, streaked with brown that comes from
using henna, looked uncombed.
The room, in contrast, looked bright, with the light streaming inside
from the parted curtains of the large window overlooking the ocean.
Dev walked over to the window. “Beautiful. It’s no wonder Sahil left
the busy streets of Bangalore to settle here. Anyone would. I definitely
wouldn’t mind it.”
Disha gave him a slanted look from her seat on the sofa. “It’s fine for
vacationing and for a few weeks, but not everyone can live away from
friends and family, in a remote place, surrounded by new people every day.
Some of us like routines, the regular job and the same neighbours.” Her
voice was soft, almost a whisper.
Even in her mildly dishevelled state, she looked graceful and poised.
Aarya marvelled at her composure in handling such a shock. “I hear you.
I’m sure I cannot settle here. Even though I love this place, it’s good only
for a short duration,” Aarya said, nodding in agreement. “Are Sahil’s
parents coming here?”
Disha shook her head. “His mother is quite old and lives in Mumbai.
Once the post-mortem is done, which Ajit has insisted upon, we’ll go to
her.”
“She must be in quite a state. Hope someone is with her,” Sid said,
remembering the agony on his mother’s face when he hadn’t been well.
Disha sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Ajit will handle that. So,
what do you want to know? I still can’t fathom why Ajit wants you
involved.”
 “Well, he’s Sahil’s brother, and given that Sahil’s family has no history
of heart ailments, it’s understandable that he wants to explore all options.
Perhaps it’ll just help him find peace.”
Disha nodded. “Perhaps. But Sahil’s cholesterol was high. Over 270.
And he had been eating a lot of fried food. I’d been telling him to stop, but
he never listened. And now, he’s gone.” Her shoulders drooped, and her
eyes welled up.
Aarya put her arms around Disha. “It’s no one’s fault.” She let Disha
take a few deep breaths and then continued. “Were you married for long?”
“Five years. We were so happy together.”
“Not really together,” muttered Dev from the window.
Aarya shot him a disapproving glance, and Dev blushed at his blunder
and turned to face the ocean again. Disha poured herself a glass of water
from a bottle on the coffee table. “You’re right. I should’ve been here with
him.” She took a few sips, followed by some deep breaths.
Aarya studied her reactions. “Were you both planning to settle here?
How have you been managing these past two years? Must’ve been
difficult.”
“Difficult! Of course, it’s been difficult—for me. Sahil stayed here and
couldn’t travel because, on all vacation days, he was required to be here
with the guests. On the other days, he was busy marketing, improving the
rooms, getting deals for the supplies, and all the rest. It was me, always me,
who had to drive down or fly as often as I could to meet him.” Her voice
remained calm and soft. The tone and pitch never wavering.
She paused, collecting herself, then continued in the same even tone.
“But I came. For him. For us. I used to drive after work on Friday and leave
on Sunday afternoon. I work at IISc, Chemistry Department, as an Assistant
Professor. We’ve started some distance learning courses, and I signed up for
those so that I could schedule my classes in such a way that I could
sometimes spend an entire week here taking online classes.”
“But yesterday was a Saturday. Why didn’t you stay another day?”
She nodded and drank some more water. “I’ve been beating myself for
that. I have a seminar tomorrow. Of course, now someone else will handle
it. I left early to prepare for it. If only I’d stayed.”
Dev continued looking out the window while Sid sat motionless on the
sofa.
“Can you take me through your day yesterday?” Aarya asked.
 Disha nodded, looking at the floor, her hands on her lap, her uneasiness
evident only by the occasional twiddling of her fingers.
“I woke up at 6:30. Sahil returned from his morning run. I went for a
swim in the ocean, perhaps for half an hour. Then I made some breakfast,
bread and omelettes, and we ate together. I’ve been here for the past week
and wanted to return to Bangalore before dinner. So, I packed my stuff and
visited the market to get some groceries for Sahil. After I returned, I
prepared lunch for him so he would eat at least one more healthy meal, and
then I drove off.”
“You didn’t have lunch?”
“No. I took some bananas to eat on the way. I don’t like to eat too much
before I drive.” She paused and looked up, her gaze moving between Aarya
and Sid. “I returned when Dilip called me. Drove like a maniac on my way
back.”
“Was there any person with a tiff with Sahil? Anyone who wanted to
harm him?”
Disha shook her head. “Not that I know. He was well-liked by all. I
don’t think he had it in him to fight anyone.”
“No one he had a disagreement with? Or anyone who had issues with
him—personal or professional?”
“None that I can think of. Unless…”
Sid bent forward. “Unless?” he prodded.
“Unless you count Simon.”
“Simon?” Aarya and Sid asked together.
“Simon Lobo. He owns Bytes, the restaurant round the corner, just as
you turn into the muddy path.”
Dev moved from his post by the window and stood behind the sofa.
“That’s where we got food for Baloo last night.”
Disha looked at him with her large brown eyes and long lashes.
“Baloo?”
“The black stray,” Dev explained.
“Ah. Sahil had a thing for that dog. He even used to bring it inside the
house.” She shuddered a little. “Me, I don’t like animals up close.”
“So what about Simon Lobo?” Aarya asked, bringing the discussion
back on track. She worried she might end up saying things she regretted if
Disha shared more about her hatred for dogs and animals.
 “Well, you know Sahil keeps that register here—where guests give
reviews? Bytes had bad reviews. So Sahil didn’t recommend that restaurant
to any of the guests. Neither did he use it to order food for any of the parties
they hosted here.”
“That led to problems between the two?” Aarya questioned.
“Well, Simon had a problem. I don’t know the details since I don’t get
into it much, but I know that some time back, Simon had screamed at Sahil
and uttered some abusive words, too.”
Aarya nodded. “What about others? Could there be anyone else?”
“I’m not aware of any problems with others. As far as I know, everyone
here—Dilip, Asha, Ajit, the fishermen, the guests—all liked him.” She
scoffed. “I think even my parents like him more than they like me. He was
the type who’d go to great lengths to make people happy.”
Aarya nodded. She had experienced it first-hand. Sid hadn’t been
feeling well on their second day at the resort. His stomach was giving him
problems. When Aarya had told Sahil, asking him to recommend some
restaurant that would cook special food for him, he had told her not to
worry and had cooked some khichdi for Sid himself.
Dev turned around. “I agree. When I was coming here from the airport,
my taxi conked out, and I couldn’t get another one. I called Sahil, hoping he
would help arrange some alternative if he knew someone and the like. I was
so surprised to see him drive over to pick me up from the roadside, where I
was stranded. No one does that. No one. He was one of a kind.”
He walked over to Disha and sat beside her on the arm of the sofa.
“What about your relationship with him? Were they strained, given that it’s
been a difficult and strenuous time for you?” His voice was soft and
understanding.
Disha sniffed and pursed her lips. “We were good,” she said at last.
“We’ve seen better times, but it was fine.”
During her questioning, Aarya preferred people who were a little more
forthcoming. Disha was the opposite. She spoke little and gave as little
information as possible.
“Were you planning to move here or continue this long distance?”
Aarya probed further.
“I wasn’t planning to move here.”
Aarya bit her lips. “Can you elaborate a little? Please.”
 “I didn’t want to leave my job at IISc to move here. My work keeps me
busy and happy, and he was busy here. It’s tiring to come here so often, but
it’s a beautiful place. We used to watch the sunset, swim, and lie on the
beach at night. It made it all seem worth it. Plus, Sahil was happy here.”
“Did this affect your relationship versus how it was before Sahil moved
to Goa?”
She talked about their life in Bangalore before Sahil moved to Goa, then
repeated her anger and guilt at not being there for him the previous day.
A knock on the door, and Asha, Dilip’s daughter, came in to check on
Disha. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she seemed a mere shadow of her
usual vivacious self. She was carrying a plate of fruits for Disha.
Aarya, knowing that Disha would clamp up even more in anyone else’s
presence, took her leave.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 4
Meeting with Ajit–Round 1
“Well, that was intense, though she’s handling herself like a pro,” Dev
said as they walked out of the cottage.
Sid nodded. “Yeah, for a woman who has lost her husband, she appears
quite calm and composed.”
“Not all women show their grief by crying and wailing. She is a quiet
woman by nature, more introvertish. It’s not that she doesn’t feel the pain or
the grief; she doesn’t show it to strangers,” Aarya snapped, remembering
the multiple times she had been called cold and ruthless simply because she
didn’t shed tears. “I can’t understand why people think women need to cry,
and if they don’t, there is something wrong with them.”
“Hey. No one said that. It was just an observation,” Dev said
defensively. “Who do we meet next?”
“Are you sure you wanna do this instead of enjoying Goa? Sid and I can
handle this. We’ll understand if you wanna back off.”
“But this is what I’m enjoying. Not just being with you, which is great,
but the entire questioning and interrogation. I’ve heard about your work,
and it’s amazing to see it first-hand.”
“Heard? Who told you about it?”
“Um. No one. I mean, I read about it.”
Aarya locked eyes with him. “Out with it. Now.”
“I wasn’t supposed to tell you this.” Dev hung his head, and his cheeks
turned a soft shade of red. “Your brother told me.”
“My brother? You’ve met him?”
“Yes,” replied Dev with a sheepish grin, his cheeks getting redder by the
minute. “Please don’t tell him I spilled the beans. I wasn’t supposed to tell
you.”
“Why couldn’t you tell me? How do you even know him?”
“Through your parents. I’m sorry, Aarya. I would’ve told you if they
hadn’t specifically advised me not to.”
Aarya shook her head in disbelief. She made a note to talk to her parents
that evening. And her brother! Telling Dev to hide the fact that they’ve met.
How stupid could her family get? Impossible.
“Who do we meet now? Oh, there’s Ajit,” Sid spoke up, not enjoying
the weird tension between the two.
 “Yes, let’s. Brothers are no good. I’d like to know what angle he has in
all of this,” muttered Aarya, walking to the cottage where Ajit was staying.
She turned back to face Dev for a moment. “You, Sir, can stay out of it.”
Dev shook his head adamantly. “I’m not. It’s not my fault, and I’m not
letting go now.”
Aarya rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Ajit. He was pacing on
the small balcony outside his room when Aarya approached him.
“Any luck yet?” he asked as he saw them.
“We’re not magicians,” Aarya spat out, taking out her anger for her
brother on Ajit. “It’s barely been a few hours since you told us. Anyway, we
met Disha. And since you’re also linked to the deceased, we’d like to
interview you as well.”
“Me! Why? If I had done anything, I wouldn’t ask you to look into it,
would I?”
“Perhaps that was the twisted reasoning why you asked us to look into it
in the first place.”
Ajit observed the three of them on the stairs, the perplexity clear in his
expression, questioning what had caused the drastic shift in the detective’s
conduct. Dev stood behind Aarya and Sid, looking at the ground, lost in his
own thoughts.
Sid stepped up from behind Aarya. “Ajit, this is standard practice. We
question everyone involved. It doesn’t mean you’re a suspect. It’s primarily
for information.”
“It also doesn’t mean you are not a suspect,” Aarya interjected.
Sid shook his head and stared at Aarya. She pursed her lips. She could
not let her personal emotions and thoughts colour the investigation. This
was not the time or place to lose her temper. Taking a few deep breaths, she
walked inside Ajit’s room, motioning for him to follow.
“Well, as Sid said, these are routine questions. I want to understand
Sahil as a person before I can figure out who would want to harm him.” Her
tone was back to being calm and emotionless.
Ajit nodded and plopped down his heavy frame on the bed while Aarya
and Sid took the two chairs in the room. Dev sat down next to Ajit, looking
down and not meeting Aarya’s gaze.
“I understand. What would you like to know?”
“How would you describe Sahil?”
 Ajit thought for a moment, scratching his beard. “Sahil was a dear man,
and I’m not saying this because I’m his brother. He was the life of every
party, great with people, and had many friends, quite unlike me. He set an
example for me of what I should be like. What I could be like. I believe it
was his social skills that made him a perfect fit for managing this resort.
People loved him.”
Sid nodded. “That’s true. He had a way of making everyone feel
comfortable and at ease. He went out of his way to make everyone’s stay
comfortable.”
“Exactly. He was always kind and helpful, even when we were kids. He
was the Head Boy of the school, Head of the Cultural Committee in his
college, was good at academics and great at dancing—the man all women
loved, and all men envied, yet admired.”
Ajit rubbed his hands together for a few moments and bit his lips. “Ma
must be heartbroken.”
“Is there someone with her? Where is she?”
“She’s in Mumbai with her sister. After our father’s death two years
ago, she goes to her sister’s place whenever I travel.”
“You travel often?”
Ajit nodded. “I have a small business. I work with the Self-Help Groups
in villages in Maharashtra, Goa and parts of Karnataka and supply authentic
homemade jams and pickles to stores. We’re exploring canned fish as well.
Let’s see how that goes. So yeah, I travel to the various warehouses,
villages and client locations.”
“Does Disha get along well with your mother?”
“Um. Well, their relationship is complex. Ma never approved of Sahil’s
marriage to Disha, which shows in their conversations, even today. I don’t
think they interact any more than is required. Occasional calls during
festivals etc., you know.”
Aarya nodded. That explained Disha’s reaction when she spoke about
her mother-in-law. “Why do you think Sahil’s death wasn’t because of
natural causes? Was there anyone who would want to harm Sahil? You have
anything in mind?”
Ajit looked at Aarya, still rubbing his fingers. “I’m not sure anymore.
Perhaps he did die of some natural cause. I just don’t believe it was a heart
attack. Even if Disha says otherwise, Sahil did care for his health, but she
found problems with anything he did, especially about his stay in Goa.
Don’t take this otherwise. I like Disha. We get along well. It was probably
because she didn’t like him staying here.”
“Did the two have problems?”
“Yes, it seemed like it for the past some months. That is one reason I
came down this weekend. I would have asked Sahil today when Disha
wouldn’t be here. He didn’t tell me the details, but I knew something was
bothering him. I’m his brother, after all. It’s my duty to find out if anything
is ailing him and try to fix it if possible.”
Dev finally looked up and put his hand on Ajit’s shoulder. “You’re right.
A brother will always look out for his sibling.” He turned to look at Aarya,
but she ignored his comment.
She was not ready to forgive her brother, not yet.
“How was your relationship with Sahil?”
“We were brothers. Though he was only two years older, he always
looked out for me, especially when we were kids. He set high standards,
and I’ve tried to live up to them. He still thinks… I mean, he always
thought of himself as the one who needed to protect and guide, never
needing help, never showing fear. Our father was the one who he went to
for guidance, and after his death, I tried my best to be there for him. There
was a man like that I knew in a village. The entire village thought he was
strong and happy, and content. But one day, he snapped.” Ajit shook his
head and looked at Aarya, his nasal tone becoming more pronounced with
his anxiety.
“What do you mean?” She probed.
“Sahil never opened up about his problems easily. That’s why I came
down here this time, to talk to him face to face and extract what was ailing
him. In this village, the Panchayat head told me that if only someone had
taken time to find out more about this man, he would be sound of mind.”
He nodded as if he had spoken the greatest truth ever.
“Did Sahil say or do something which showed something was troubling
him? Did you both speak often?”
Ajit squirmed a little. “No. Not really,” he stammered. “We didn’t speak
frequently. Difficult to get common time, you know. But he spoke to Ma.
She felt something wasn’t right and insisted I talk to him at the earliest. She
is just like the woman who heads this Self-Help Group….”
Aarya nodded but blanked out as he went on about the woman from the
village. It was pretty apparent that if anyone knew what was troubling
Sahil, it was his mother, not Ajit. “What was your day like yesterday?” she
said, stopping him mid-sentence into his rambling.
“I woke up late because I’d reached here late on Friday night. In the
morning, I met Sahil for a few minutes. Disha was inside her room and
didn’t even come out. Sahil also seemed agitated. Perhaps they’d fought. I
told him I’d talk to him the next day. Then I left to meet my friends. My
phone battery must have got discharged, so I saw Dilip’s messages only late
into the night, and I rushed back after that.”
“Where were you throughout the day?”
“I was in North Goa, Baga Beach. Some of my friends came over for
the weekend, and we were all together. I was with them the entire day, and
then a friend of a friend threw a party at night. We went there and came
back late. Then we chatted for a few hours. Only when I retired to my room
and charged my phone did I see Dilip’s message and rushed back.”
“You were at the beach throughout the day! Isn’t it too hot nowadays to
be out in the afternoon?” Dev asked. “It’s not the pleasant Goa weather
now, with the summer almost upon us. And you don’t look that tanned as
well.”
Ajit turned his head to look at Dev. “No, of course not. We would be
burnt by now. One of my friends has a villa near the beach, and we were
drinking, chatting, and eating there.”
“You were in the house, yet you didn’t charge your phone before night?
I’m sure you all must be really enjoying yourselves not to be aware of it,”
Dev continued.
Aarya looked at Dev, impressed at his line of questioning, and her anger
abated by a small margin.
“What do you have to say to that, Ajit?” she asked.
“Well, I was drunk, and we were all college friends. You know how
rowdy it gets with that set of people when you meet after a long time. So
yes, I wasn’t aware of it till late at night. We didn’t even check our phones
or watch the television. We were just chatting and having fun. Reliving the
old days.”
“If you say so,” replied Aarya, standing up from the chair. “Thanks for
your time. I believe the body has been sent for an autopsy. By when do you
expect the report to be released?”
“Probably by tonight. One of the board members of the hospital was my
father’s friend. He’ll get his best and trusted people to work on it.”
 “Let me know when it comes. I’ll speak to the others and get a better
sense till then, so we’re prepared for the investigation in case the report
shows unnatural death.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 5
Meeting with Dilip-Round 1
As they exited Ajit’s room, Aarya saw Dilip lurking around. He was a
short, thin man with wavy black hair, greying at the edges. He was wearing
his usual baggy grey pants and a loose off-white shirt, a size bigger than
needed.
“So, you’re investigating his death? You think it’s murder?” he asked,
raising his eyebrows when he saw Aarya staring at him.
“We’re merely trying to understand Sahil better. We don’t know how he
died. Hopefully, the post-mortem report will throw some light.”
Dilip nodded and rubbed the mole on his left cheek. “I think Ajit is just
making a fuss out of nothing. But that’s my opinion. Whatever you do,
please do it discreetly. I don’t want this in the press or in social media.”
“You said Sahil was like your brother. And now, you’re worried more
about your business than finding the truth about his death?” Dev was
clearly indignant. “Some double standards you have.”
Aarya looked at him from the corner of her eyes, smiling inwardly at his
efforts to return to her good books.
“We’ll see, Dilip. I can guarantee that the three of us won’t talk to the
press or post on social media. I can’t answer for the rest.”
Dev smiled when he heard “three of us”. He nodded his head
vigorously. “You heard her,” he said. “We won’t do it.”
“We’d like to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure. Please come over to my house, and we can talk there.” Dilip led
the three of them to his house, just behind the row of cottages overlooking
the ocean. They walked through the courtyard and saw Baloo sitting by the
door. He wagged his tail as Aarya approached the door. Aarya petted him
and followed the others inside. She wanted to talk to her parents, but it
could wait.
The living room was tastefully decorated in bright colours. It exuded a
sense of warmth with wooden sofas covered with plush beige and
handwoven red cushions, vases with fresh flowers, clay artefacts and some
photographs on a shelf beside the door and on a mantlepiece next to the
kitchen. They all sat down on the sofas.
“You have a beautiful house,” Dev commented.
 Dilip looked around. “This is all Asha. She has a good sense of design,
or so Sahil always said. Asha,” Dilip called out to his daughter. “Get some
kokum juice for our guests.” Then turned to Aarya. “So, what do you want
to talk about?”
Aarya asked him about his opinion of Sahil, which was largely similar
to Ajit’s.
“He was like a brother to me. Because of him, we have this house and
live comfortably.” Asha entered the room with a tray and handed each of
them a glass of the red tangy kokum juice. “He taught me about business,
about monetising my assets, or so he called it. I’d never realised this land
could be so beneficial. My entire extended family is grateful to him.”
Aarya raised her brows. “Your family jointly owns this?”
Dilip nodded and shifted in his seat. “Kind of. This and some parts of
the village down south, beyond the rocky cliff, where we get our fish.
Earlier, we had our huts here and brought the nets on this beach, but when
Sahil suggested we build this resort, we built homes for the rest of the
family a little further down. It doesn’t have a proper beach, but good
enough for boats to come in.”
“Interesting,” Aarya said, standing up, walking toward the shelf, and
looking at the photos. “These are the new homes?” There were a few
pictures of newly constructed homes and many people. Aarya recognised
Dilip, Asha and Sahil in the group.
“Yes. That’s my family.”
“What was your professional arrangement with him? How did you two
start working together?” Sid asked, always interested in the business aspect
of things, as Aarya looked at the photos and the other artefacts.
Sahil had been vacationing in Goa three years ago. He would run every
morning from Palolem Beach, where he was staying, to this small beach
where Dilip lived with his extended family.
“I was just another fisherman. I caught fish and tried selling it in the
local market or restaurants. Some days were good, others not so much.
Sahil loved this tiny beach. When I told him the land belonged to my
family, he said he wanted to buy a part of it and make a house here. I didn’t
want to sell our land.”
He smiled with nostalgia.
“On his last day, he suggested we build a resort here. As soon as he
mentioned it, something clicked in my brain. I could picture the resort as he
described what we could do here. He left, but we remained in touch. Then,
a couple of months later, he returned with a friend of his—an architect. He
said he would help me build the resort, even help in running it. In exchange,
I would build a cottage for him. He would stay here free of cost, and the
rest of the money he would earn as a percentage of the revenue the resort
earned.”
“I agreed. He assisted me in acquiring the loan and hired the architect to
design the cottages, including our homes. He made a website, advertised on
various sites, and did many things beyond my understanding. This is the
second year of its operation, and we’re already making profits. We planned
to open a restaurant this year before the busy autumn and winter season.
We’re constructing more rooms. I don’t know how I’ll manage now, with
him gone.”
He pursed his lips, shook his head, and drank some juice.
Aarya turned around from the shelf and saw Asha hiding behind the
curtains, her red, swollen eyes looking at her. She had probably spent the
night crying. It must be difficult for this family to process not just the death
of a friend but also wonder how to take their fledgling business forward.
Aarya gave her a nod of understanding before going back to the sofa and
picking up her glass of kokum juice.
“Did Sahil like it here?” Dev asked. “I mean, with Disha not being here
with him. Didn’t it lead to bitterness or rancour?”
Dilip scoffed. “You didn’t know Sahil at all if you think he could feel
rancour. Disha visited him often, sometimes working from here for a week.
Earlier, she used to fly here, but now she usually drives down. Probably
gives her more flexibility. I didn’t get involved in their personal life. Sahil
didn’t talk much about it, and I respected that. But I think he had a good
relationship with Disha. They both fought at times, but all couples do. In
fact, sometimes fights and arguments bring us closer.”
Dev looked at Aarya and smiled. “I hope that’s true,” he whispered,
gulping down the remaining juice from his glass.
“What about the restaurant owner, Simon Lobo? Was there some kind
of discord between the two?” Aarya asked, ignoring Dev’s smiling face.
“Simon has been having some problems lately. Since his chef left him
some months ago, he has been having problems with the quality of his food.
Several guests complained. Sahil was always honest in his opinions to all
our guests. He used to recommend Bytes, Simon’s restaurant, earlier, but
after the bad reviews, he stopped doing it. It obviously affected Simon’s
business. They had some argument about it a couple of weeks ago.”
“What type of a person is he? Simon. He’s lived here long?”
“He has been here for many years now. We used to go fishing together,
almost like friends. Then, when tourists started coming down south, he
opened a restaurant with his friend. The friend was the chef—the one who
left. His business started doing well once we, the K Tree resort and the
nearby homestays, opened up.”
“Does he hold grudges? Can he be dangerous?” Sid asked, leaning
forward.
“You mean, do I think he could’ve killed Sahil? I’ve never thought of
him like that. Hell, I’ve never thought about anyone like that.” His pitch
increased with every word he spoke, and lines deepened on his forehead.
“More importantly, Sahil was not a man anyone would like to hurt, leave
alone kill.”
“We’re sorry,” Aarya said in a soft voice. “We know it’s a difficult time
for you, so let’s wrap up fast. What was your day like yesterday?”
“I went down to the village like every morning to help my brother bring
in the nets and the fish. We do it a little further down so that the stench of
fish doesn’t disturb the guests here. After I returned, I checked on all the
guests.”
The trio nodded. Dilip did that every morning without fail, a quick visit
around the cottages to see whether anyone had any problems, whether they
needed a refill of their drinking water supplies or a change of linen or
anything else.
“The generator was giving a problem. I took a look but couldn’t figure
out what was wrong, so I phoned the repair guy.” He closed his eyes as if
trying to remember the previous day.
“Ah yes, I chatted with Asha here after that until the afternoon.
Following that, I called the driver to take the Russian lady, Ms Natasha, to
the airport. He was ill. She wanted to reach the airport early, but I couldn’t
get another driver, so I drove her myself. I returned in the evening.”
He paused, and his face turned a shade ashen. He rubbed his forehead
with his fingers, then his mole. “I went to check on Sahil,” he continued in
a softer tone. “I wanted to ask him how much he paid the generator repair
man. He never bargained, and I wanted to cross-check. That was when I
saw him on the floor, by the dining table.” Dilip’s voice trembled, and he
took a sip of juice.
The room was utterly silent, broken only by the occasional sniffs from
behind the curtain. Dilip let out a long sigh. “He was a likeable person, very
helpful, energetic. Some guests who visited us when we first opened
returned this year because of him. He had a way of making friends and
making everyone feel important and cared for.” He paused, and his gaze
slowly travelled to all three faces. “We are simple folks here. Ignorant even.
No idea about business and marketing and all the rest of it. Sahil taught us.
He was even guiding Asha on some courses, etc. I still haven’t processed
fully that he’s not with us anymore.”
There was a ruffle, and Aarya saw Asha run inside with loud sobs.
“She seems to be deeply upset by Sahil’s death. Were they close?” she
asked.
“Yes, we both were close to him. He was like family. My wife died two
years ago, around the same time as Sahil’s father. The three of us mourned
our loved ones together, especially Asha and Sahil, who both lost a parent.”
“I’m sorry,” Aarya said, lowering her head. This was not the first time
she was interrogating a person close to the deceased, but the experience did
not make the task any easier. Their grief affected her, though she retained a
hard exterior. She turned her head to look at Sid; as expected, his eyes had
welled up. Dev was looking at her from the corner of his eyes while patting
Dilip’s shoulder.
“How did you realise it was a heart attack?” Dev asked, almost in a
whisper.
Dilip turned his head to look at Dev and thought for a few moments. “I
don’t know. I ran to Sahil. His body was already getting cold. I checked his
pulse, though I knew he was no longer with us. Honestly, I panicked. I
didn’t know what to do. I called up Ajit, but his phone was switched off.
Then I called up Disha. I think it was she who told me it must be a heart
attack, and I guess I just accepted it. I had heard them fighting about his
cholesterol some days back, so it seemed the obvious conclusion. Plus,
there were no signs of injury of any kind, no blood. What else could it be?”
“True. True,” Aarya said, deep in thought. “The autopsy report will tell
us more. Well, thanks for your time. We’ll get going.”
“Stay for lunch,” Dilip said. “Asha can prepare something.”
 “No. I’ll have lunch at Bytes before a quick chat with Simon.” She
looked at the other two. You care to join, or do you want to have lunch
elsewhere?”
“Bytes it is,” Dev said, standing up, and Sid followed.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 6
Meeting with Simon Lobo-Round 1
Aarya told the other two to order the food while she placed a call to her
parents.
“Hey, I’m sorry. Again.” Dev hung his head, fidgeted with his fingers
and stood in front of Aarya with slumped shoulders.
“It’s not you I’m angry at. Go ahead. I’ll join you,” Aarya said, patting
him on the back and taking out the phone.
Aarya turned to Sid and nodded. He held Dev by his arm and pulled him
away. “Come on. Let’s order some food.”
Aarya dialled her mother’s number. Dev had told her that their parents
knew each other. Nainital was a small town where everyone knew everyone
else, so it hadn’t surprised Aarya. That her parents had asked her brother to
meet Dev before he came to Goa seemed ridiculous. All this was staged.
They had manipulated her and made poor Dev a scapegoat in the process.
She didn’t like it.
“So, why didn’t you tell me?” she growled as soon as her mother picked
up the phone.
“Aru? How are you doing? Enjoying Goa?”
“Answer me.”
“Well, we both are good, too. Not that you asked.”
“Mummy, please. Don’t stall.”
“So, Dev told you? I should never have agreed with your father and
kept it from you.”
It was her mother’s old tactic—to blame things on her father’s head,
even when they both had decided something.
“So, how do you even know him? And why did Bhai meet up with him?
And worse, why tell Dev to keep it from me? It’s stupid beyond anything I
can imagine.”
“Um. Well. That’s all he told you?”
Aarya was silent for a moment. The understanding crept inside her, not
wanting to be understood.
“Oh no,” she said, shaking her head. “Have you started looking out for
boys for my marriage? Tell me it’s not true.”
“Well, you can’t blame us. You said Sid is not the one. And as far as we
can see, there is no one else. As parents, we have to find someone. Your
brother met him and finds him decent. What do you think of him?”
“He’s nice,” Aarya said and paused. “Why am I even talking about this?
I was thinking we met serendipitously. I didn’t know it was all orchestrated
by you. Your silly game has spoiled it all.”
“Nothing was orchestrated. We thought you’d meet him in Delhi. His
parents had said he might travel there for work. But then, he planned to go
to Goa, and so did you. If this is not serendipity, I don’t know what is. But
we couldn’t let him meet you with none of us having met him, could we?
So we had your brother meet him to see if he was worthy of your time.
That’s all.”
They continued their banter for some more time. Aarya knew her
parents had only her best interests at heart, and being Indian, they thought it
their responsibility to find a match for their children like any other parents.
But she was still angry. She didn’t like being conned, least of all by her own
family. But she also felt a warm feeling that her brother wanted to first
check if Dev was ‘worthy’. It was irritating and stupid but cute nonetheless.
“I won’t do this again, I promise. Let it go now. Tell me about your trip.
And yes, how’s Sid doing?” her mother asked.
“He’s fine. No panic attacks since we’ve come here. He still doesn’t go
into the water, but the doctor had said that’s to be expected.”
“And you? How are you? You, too, have been through a lot.”
“Me? I’m fine.”
“You’re a fighter. Always have been. Always remember your Papa, and
I are very proud of you.”
She disconnected the call, warning her mother not to pull such pranks
again, and walked over to Bytes.
She seated herself next to Sid. Dev stared at her with a questioning look.
She smiled, and he visibly relaxed.
“I hope the food is not too bad,” whispered Sid.
Aarya nodded. “I’m famished. I think I’ll like anything right now.”
“It smells decent,” Dev added, sniffing. “Ah, I think that’s for us.”
A server came over to their table and set down the chicken tikka, goan
fish curry and rice in front of them.
Aarya took a lungful of air and savoured the aroma. “You’re right. It
smells good, at least.” She swallowed the saliva that made its way into her
mouth as the waiter served their food.
 They dug in straight away. Halfway through their meal, Sid broke the
silence. “Not bad,” he said.
Dev chimed in, agreeing and reflecting on his previous experience.
“This is much better than the meal I had on my first day here, which was
too spicy with no flavour. But this. This is good. As a self-proclaimed
connoisseur of food, I wouldn’t rate it bad.”
Aarya glanced up from her plate, tempted to challenge Dev’s
assessment, but held back, snorting and resuming her meal. She couldn’t
help but wonder whether her increasing friendship with Dev was all part of
her parents’ plan or whether she genuinely liked him.
They were almost done when a plump man with tattooed arms lumbered
to their table. The trio looked up in unison, and the man grinned like a
Cheshire cat, his face becoming a full circle. He bent down a little and
joined his hands into a Namaste. “Hi, I’m Simon Lobo. Are you enjoying
your meal?”
Sid answered without hesitation. “It’s delicious. The fish curry, in
particular.”
“I love the chicken,” Dev added, eyeing the last bite of chicken on his
plate with affection.
Simon turned his head to Aarya, who met his gaze head-on. “Could we
talk to you in private? It’s regarding Sahil.”
Simon straightened, his forehead furrowed as he regarded Aarya’s
unswerving gaze. Aarya took out her card from her purse and laid it on the
table. Simon studied it before nodding. “Okay. Okay. Once you’ve finished
your meal, meet me outside. I don’t have an office, so a private
conversation is best had outside.”
As they settled their bill, they saw Simon walking out the door,
beckoning them to follow. The restaurant was situated atop a rocky cliff,
facing the street leading to the beach and resorts. A pathway behind it led to
the village where Dilip’s extended family now resided. They walked to the
ocean side, navigating the rocks until they found a flat stone where the four
of them could stand comfortably.
“I don’t want my customers listening about any death nearby. Not good
for business, y’know. What d’ya wanna talk about? I believe you’re staying
at Dilip’s resort. I’ve seen you all on the beach at times,” Simon prattled,
his words almost overlapping each other. He stood looking at them, resting
on the side of the rock, bending his head. He wore a cap covering what
looked like a balding head.
Aarya nodded. “Yes, we’re staying there. I’m also a private detective.
Ajit, Sahil’s brother, thinks the cause of Sahil’s death is not natural.”
Simon’s eyes opened wide. He bent forward and spoke in a hushed,
conspiratorial voice. “You mean Sahil was murdered? Oh, man! That’s
some news now. I called up Dilip earlier today and said—Yo, Dilip. I’m
sorry. And Dilip says to me. I’m sorry too, man. Sahil was a good person.
But he says nothing about a murder to me. Now that makes me wonder….”
“We don’t know for sure,” Aarya broke in, interrupting his speech. “For
now, we just want to understand Sahil and his relationships with everyone
around here.”
Simon nodded. “Well, I wasn’t close to Sahil. He was a good man,
polite most of the time. And he was an excellent businessman, I’d say.
Dilip’s resort has been doing the best among all the resorts nearby, and from
what I understand, it’s the most expensive as well. It was all thanks to Sahil.
In fact, some months back, I says to Dilip—You got a good catch in that
manager of yours. He nodded and says to me—Yes, Simon, I’m lucky to
have met Sahil. I’d still be catching fish if not for him.”
“What about your business?” Sid asked. “How is that doing?”
“It’s doing fine, by God’s grace. Never better.”
“We heard you had some issues with Sahil because he didn’t
recommend your restaurant to his guests. Is that true?” Dev piped in.
Simon turned to face him. He paused for a few moments. “I have
enough customers as it is, without worrying about every resort. In fact, I got
so many customers, I don’t know how to cater to them.”
“So you’re saying you didn’t have any fight with Sahil?” Aarya probed.
“Look, ma’am,” Simon said, straightening up and looking Aarya in the
eyes. “I don’t fight with people, and neither did Sahil. God bless his soul.
Who told you this anyway? Dilip? That man can tell all the stories he
wants.”
The trio said nothing, and Simon continued. “Must have been him. If
anyone had problems with Sahil, it was Dilip. Always pretending to be a
simpleton. But he didn’t give Sahil his due, that man. But of course, he is
known to make friends only to use them.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Forget I said anything.”
 “You’ve known Dilip for many years. You think he could go so far as to
harm someone?” Sid asked.
“People change, dear Sir. And money is an evil mistress. She can
transform the best of us into monsters. I’ve known Dilip for many years. I
want to marry his cousin, Leena. He tell you that? But who has a problem?
My friend Dilip. He tells me, Simon, earn some money first, then ask for
her hand. Who is he to object if the girl agrees? You tell me?” The three
remained silent, so he continued. “Anyway, I better get going now. My staff
gets lazy if I’m not standing on their heads.”
“One last question. Can you take us through your day on Saturday? Did
you meet Sahil yesterday?”
Simon’s gaze hopped between the three of them. “I didn’t see him. I
was at the restaurant all day, working my ass off, getting these people to do
their work for which I pay them. In the evening, I went to the fishermen’s
village to buy fish and then returned to the restaurant. Sometime later,
Jason, one of my staff, comes running in. I ask—Jason what’s the problem.
And he says to me—Yo Simon, you didn’t hear? Bea told me Sahil died. I
look at him, and I ask—Bea, that Frenchwoman? He nods and says Bea was
returning from the market when Dilip told her, and off she ran again
without stopping for a minute.”
“You didn’t see Sahil all day?”
Simon shook his head. “I better be going now.” He started climbing up
the rocks, then spun back. “If you don’t trust me, you can ask Dilip’s
daughter. I saw her on my way back from the village in the evening. She
was arguing with Sahil’s brother, and I thought, could she be in trouble?
Never liked that man. Not friendly like Sahil. So I waited a minute or two,
waved to her and asked if she was okay. She nodded and gave me a thumbs
up.” He turned his back to them and started his climb again. He reached the
top. “I’d never harm Sahil. I liked him, and there was nothin’ for me to gain
by his death.”
The sun was shining strong and bright on the beach. Aarya, Sid, and
Dev climbed back up and strolled to the resort. Baloo ran over and began
sniffing Aarya’s feet, wagging his tail.
The resort looked empty and creepy. With his presence almost
everywhere and loud greetings to all the guests and anyone who ventured
nearby, Sahil had always made it look lively. They spied Bea standing on
the balcony outside her cottage. She waved at them. Sid waved back. “Well,
it’s hot outside, and Bea is leaving tonight. I think I’ll chat a little with her
before she departs,” he winked. “I’ll also ask her if she told Simon’s staff
about Sahil’s death.”
As Sid strutted to Bea, Dev laughed. “Some friend you have there,
Aarya. No pretty lady escapes his charm. I wonder how you’re immune to
it.”
Aarya grunted. “He’s a friend. No point in spoiling a good thing, is
there? Thankfully, both of us are clear on that.”
Aarya sat down under a large canopy on the beach. Sahil used to put
some chairs out under the umbrellas each morning, but with him gone, there
was nothing, so she sat on the sand. Baloo made himself comfortable and
curled up by her side. “I’ll stay out for some more time. I want to be alone
for a while. You can rest if you like,” she said, stroking Baloo’s back as the
dog closed his eyes, peaceful and content.
Gazing at the horizon, she felt the gentle breeze tousling her hair. She
rested her other hand on the soft sand, listening to Dev’s fading footsteps.
She heard Sid and Bea’s laughter and smiled, relieved to see Sid returning
to his usual self, bit by bit, after the trauma he had suffered because of her.
Aarya called her brother, who apologised for not telling her about Dev.
They chatted for some time, steering clear from discussing how she felt
about Dev.
Her brother was two years older than her and had always been
protective of her, though she had been the one quick with the punches.
More often than not, he had made the elders understand and see her point of
view of why she fought with someone or punched another one. Often, it
was the bullies she picked up fights with to teach them a lesson. And he
was always there to support her, even when no one else did. She hated to
admit it, but sometimes she was jealous of him. His calm demeanour,
intelligence, and ability to use his anger productively. She wished she had
some of it in her.
The sun made its way to the west, and the scorching afternoon melted
into a pleasant evening.
She heard Dev’s approaching footsteps, and as she turned around, she
noticed two cold beer bottles in his hands. He offered one to her, which she
gladly accepted, and he sat beside her. As if on cue, Baloo chased a crab
that peeped out from under the sand. Dev put his hand beside hers, his
fingers barely touching hers. “I wanted to talk to you about earlier.”
 “About what?”
“My meeting your brother. I know you were upset.”
She grunted again and turned her head, staring at the gentle waves as
they crashed on the sand. “I like to know the truth. Hiding information is
almost as bad as lying.”
Dev thought for a while. “But sometimes, we withhold information if
we think it’s better for the people we care about. It might not be right, but
the intentions aren’t wrong.”
Aarya continued staring at the waves. She could feel Dev’s eyes on her.
“Our parents have been in touch for a few weeks now. I had planned to
come to Goa, and when your mother learned that you’re also planning to
come here, she thought we could meet, but she was adamant that I get
‘verified’ by your brother before that. I guess she wanted to be sure I was
okay.”
He paused and moved his hands ever so slightly to cradle one of her
fingers. Aarya felt the touch but didn’t pull back.
“Go on,” she said.
“I’d asked them for your number. I didn’t want to come here without
knowing you at all. They, however, said I would get your number only if
you gave it to me.” He smiled. “They are very protective of you. You’re
lucky to have such a caring family.”
Aarya smiled and nodded. “But that doesn’t mean they do such
underhand things. They could’ve told me.”
“They thought you’d start hating me before we even met if you knew it
was a potential marriage proposal. You apparently oppose anything to do
with marriage as of now.”
Aarya laughed despite herself. “They said that to you? And you still
came?”
Dev looked down at the sand. “Your brother told me. He’s a pleasant
fellow. We got along well. He said I shouldn’t be telling you all this. But
here I am, breaking his trust and baring my soul. And I don’t know if I
should tell him I’ve told you.”
He paused. “Look, I really like you. I don’t want to get in the middle of
your family. I’d just like a chance to get to know each other. That’s all.
Don’t let my stupidity take that away from us. As for marriage, even I’m
not very keen as of now. Perhaps after a few years. But I hope we can still
be friends.”
 Aarya sighed. She knew her family got all worked up where she was
involved. They were keen to find a match for her. But this could work out.
Since Dev was also not keen on marriage, it would also give her the time
she needed. Plus, she could tolerate him. She actually liked him as a friend
and felt comfortable and at ease in his presence.
Turning her head, she found Dev staring at her; his fingers still curled
around hers on the sand. “What do you say?” he asked.
Aarya smiled and nodded a little, taking a long swig from the bottle
next to her. “We have work to do.” She pulled back her hand and turned her
head at the sound of approaching footsteps. “Sid,” she said. “What is it?”
“I just met the Inspector while he was talking to Disha. The forensic
report is out. You will not believe what it says!”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 7
Forensic Report
Aarya and Dev followed Sid to Dilip’s house. A police inspector sat
opposite Dilip and Ajit in the living room. The other guests, Bea, Deep and
Kiara, had pulled up some chairs. They all wore solemn expressions, far
from the vacation mood they had all been in a day before. Aarya noticed
Asha at her usual spot behind the curtain, with just half of her face visible.
Aarya looked at her and nodded, and she lurched to hide behind the drapes.
“Inspector Ribeiro, this is Ms Aarya Sarkar, the private investigator Mr
Sid told you about, and this is Mr Dev, her friend and a guest at our resort,”
Dilip said as a way of introduction.
They all sat down and looked at the inspector, waiting for him to give
the details.
“Where is Disha?” Dilip asked. “Does she know?”
“I’ve already spoken to Mrs Disha. She is at her house, a little in
shock,” the inspector said. He looked around at all the faces staring at him
and continued in a matter-of-fact tone. “Well, the doctor’s report states that
the cause of death was not natural. Mr Sahil’s death was caused by cyanide
poisoning. The poison was most likely ingested through the mouth, as in he
probably ate it mixed with food, which led to cerebral hypoxia leading to
his death.”
There was a loud gasp from the inner room. Aarya saw Asha’s ashen
face, her eyes wide open, almost popping out of their sockets, and her hands
over her mouth. She scurried inside when she saw everyone turn towards
her.
Ajit shook his head. “I knew it wasn’t a heart attack. I knew it.”
Ribeiro gave him a stern look. “You seem to know quite a bit about his
death, it seems.”
Ajit slunk down in his seat against the inspector’s glare.
“That can’t be,” said Dilip, his palms covering his open mouth. “I know
Ajit has been saying it isn’t a natural death, and I know Ms Aarya has been
asking questions, but I never once thought it could be true. Are you sure,
Ribeiro? You think some others need to check it out?”
“It’s true, Dilip. They found traces of daal, rice, and some chicken in his
stomach. The daal and rice, I understand, were cooked by his wife, and the
chicken was from some restaurant. So either it was the wife or the
restaurant people who killed him. It’s a straightforward case.” He turned to
Aarya. “I don’t think there is a need for a private detective here.”
Aarya opened her mouth to speak, but the inspector turned away, not
waiting for her answer and continued, “I request all of you to be available
for statements. You may all leave now.”
Sid and Dev followed the other guests as Aarya went to Ribeiro.
“Inspector, I think you should get the remains of the food checked for traces
of cyanide. I’d told them not to throw anything from the house, and the
remains of the food items are still in the house.”
“I know how to carry out my investigation, madam. Please do not tell
me how to run things here,” Ribeiro snapped.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just want to help if I can,” Aarya said, taken
aback by the snarky tone.
“Thank you, but we can manage. Our team is quite competent and does
not need private detectives to solve our cases for us.” The sarcasm in his
voice was evident, and his eyes spoke volumes of the words he wanted to
use but didn’t for the sake of civility.
Aarya bit her lower lip. She knew it was not the time to convince the
man of her intentions.
Dev and Sid had gone off to their rooms. Aarya messaged Ajit to send
his friend food samples to check for cyanide traces. She wasn’t sure
whether the traces could be tested if they waited longer. Ajit replied with a
thumbs up.
It was almost dark outside. The sun had set, and the traces of orange had
made way for a dark purple in the sky. Aarya strolled barefoot on the sand,
carrying her slippers in one hand while waves crashed against her feet.
Baloo, her furry companion, scampered alongside her, occasionally darting
to chase crabs before returning to her side.
“Who could’ve done it, Baloo?” she whispered. “With cyanide, no
less.”
The conversations with everyone during the day played on in her mind.
Disha, with her stoic behaviour and calm demeanour. Could anyone be
so composed after their spouse’s death?
Ajit, with his story of being with his friends, though Simon said he saw
him with Asha. Which of them was lying?
Dilip, who discovered the body and was more concerned with nothing
being out on social media than about finding the truth.
 Simon, with his garrulous nature and a history of a fight with Sahil, who
thought Dilip could harm people for money and could turn on his friends.
The one thing they all agreed on was that Sahil was a good man with no
enemies. But there they were wrong. At least one of them hated him enough
to kill him, and that too with cyanide. Cyanide! From where does one even
get cyanide?
The trilling sound of her phone broke her reverie. She dropped her
slippers on the ground and took out her phone from her pocket—a message.
“I heard you have a murder case on your hands. Good. You can sharpen
the saw. My eyes are always on you. Waiting for your return to Delhi to play
a game.—Z.”
Z? This person had sent her a couple of messages before she came to
Goa. How did he know about her whereabouts and her plans? Who was he?
What did he want with her?
She looked at the message again, her brows furrowed. The number
wasn’t the same as the last time. Could it be a prank? Must be.
Just then, her screen lit up again, and a smile came to her lips. Dev. He
wasn’t that bad.
“I’m out on the beach. Will be back in a minute,” she said as she swiped
upward to take the call.
“I was about to call you for dinner, but it seems you already have that
covered. Come on in. Sid and I are waiting.”
“What do you mean?” she said, picking up pace.
“There is a packet outside your room. Looks like food. I assumed you
ordered dinner for all of us.”
“Don’t touch it. I haven’t ordered anything.” Aarya raced back to her
room, up the beach.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 8
Dev: Putting on my A-Game
After meeting with Ribeiro, Dev walked back toward the cottages with
Sid and Bea.
Sid held Bea’s hand as she crooned on about how scared she was. “I
want to talk to Inspector Ribeiro,” she said, stopping in her tracks. “Ce n’est
pas bien. I need to know if I can leave. I have a flight tomorrow very early
morning. Will need to leave in some hours.”
“It’ll be okay. You were out most of the day yesterday, and Jason saw
you come in and leave immediately in the evening. Even the day before,
you were out with us the whole day. I don’t think it should be a problem,”
Sid assured her and turned to Dev to back him up.
Dev nodded. “I agree. You don’t need to worry. Tu vas bien.”
Sid raised his eyebrows at his attempt at French. “Duolingo!” he said,
smiling. He knew a few sentences in French and Spanish. He needed them
sometimes in his work.
His phone trilled. He pulled it out, intending to cancel the call. He
wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. But one glance at the screen, and he
knew this was a call he couldn’t ignore. He excused himself, returned to his
room, and shut the door for good measure.
“Yes, Z,” he said as he received the call.
“What took you so long?” It was the same hoarse voice, raspy and
breathy to hear, almost ominous. Dev wondered if he would meet Z
sometime. Till now, he had only communicated by phone.
“Sorry. I was with Aarya’s friend and had to move to a safe distance.”
“Hmph. How’s it going? Natasha told me you’ve befriended her.”
Dev was silent for a moment, trying to steady his breath. “Natasha
works for you? Why didn’t you tell me? You sent her to spy on me?” he
replied with barely controlled frustration.
“Not to spy, you fool. She was there for some other work, so I told her
to update me on your progress as well. Does Aarya trust you yet?”
“I think so. But your idea of involving the parents and brother wasn’t
good. She was quite upset and angry about it. I somehow salvaged the
situation. But it might have backfired.” Just as the words escaped his
mouth, Dev regretted it. It wasn’t his place to speak to Z like this. It could
be dangerous.
 Dev heard a disappointed sigh from the other end. “You learn nothing.
I’ve been monitoring her for around a year now. I know her better than
anyone else. Tell me, how many friends does she have?”
“I don’t know. Sid, of course. I’ve heard her speak of Inspector Patil and
a few of her friends from college.”
“Exactly. Not many. And almost no new ones since she started working
as an investigator. You know why?” There was disappointment and disgust
in the tone as he spoke slowly as if explaining a new concept to a child.
Dev was silent.
“Because she doesn’t trust. Do you know she vetted Sid soon after they
met? I won’t be surprised if she knows more about his family’s history than
Sid himself. And Patil. Even though he is in the police, she did a
background check on him.”
“What does this have to do with your getting the parents involved? It
just proves she is independent and cautious, a good investigator.”
“Ugh. You really are stupid. Up your game, Dev, if you want to get into
a relationship with her. She believes strongly in her family. That gives her a
sound foundation. Getting you in touch through her parents and brother
removes the mistrust. She just has to like you enough to befriend you and
not worry about your past, since she doesn’t need to check your past. You
come vetted by her family.” He droned on with a loud, breathing sound.
Dev had to strain to catch every word.
“Oh,” said Dev, understanding now. “Brilliant. Because even though
we’ve taken great care to create my past, she could’ve found some cracks.”
“At last, you understand. I thought you were smart. That’s why I chose
you for this. Don’t fail me by showing her this stupid side of yours.”
“She considers me a friend, at least. I’m trying to wiggle my way closer
to her. In fact, there has been a murder here, and I’m trying to help her out.
If I can give some good insights, she’ll respect and trust me faster.”
“Good thinking. Let me know if you need some help or suggestions.”
Dev gave him a brief about what they knew so far.
“Keep your eyes sharp. Remember, Aarya is not like other girls. She’s
strong and independent and would like a partner who respects her and is as
strong and independent as her. So treat her like an equal. Holding doors
open and pulling chairs will not impress her. Intelligence, strength and
agility will.” Z paused, and only the sound of his heavy breathing was
audible. “And she’s a dog person. Remember that. Thankfully, so are you.”
 “I’ll do my best.”
“Let’s hope, for your sake, that your best is enough. You can’t afford to
fail.” There was silence as Dev took in the meaning of what would happen
if he were to fail. “Everything is set for your return to Delhi. Don’t get
attached to her, but of course, that has never been a problem for you.”
Z disconnected the call, and Dev slumped on the bed. He had to put on
his A-game. He washed his face and went out.
“Where’s Bea?” he asked Sid, who was walking back from Bea’s
cottage.
“Packing. Ribeiro said he’ll check a few places for her alibi and let her
go. Apparently, she works with the UN, and Ribeiro doesn’t want to ruffle
feathers.”
“Interesting.” Dev walked over to Sid, wondering whether Bea also
knew Z. He wasn’t sure of anyone anymore. “Dinner?”
Sid nodded, and Dev marched up to Aarya’s door. “Seems like Aarya
has dinner covered,” he said, looking at a brown paper packet lying outside
her door.
He peeped inside through her window, but the room was empty. He
picked up the food packet and called her as Sid lowered himself onto the
chair on Aarya’s balcony.
“Don’t touch it,” she almost screamed when he told her about the food.
She hadn’t ordered it.
He tossed the packet back on the floor. Shit! Why did he touch it? This
was not how he would create a good impression on her. She would think
him a fool, a novice.
Z’s voice rang in his ear again as Aarya came running up to them.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 9
Gift of Food
Aarya saw Dev standing outside her room with a brown packet lying
by the door. She put on her gloves and took the package inside.
“Have you touched it?”
Dev nodded, a look of consternation on his face. “I thought you’d
ordered it. Sorry. I’d already picked it up when I called you.”
Dev and Sid followed her into the room as she placed the bag on the
table.
“No other guest has ordered anything. Bea is packing and plans to grab
something later. Natasha’s room is still vacant. Kiara and Deep left for Baga
Beach to meet some friends straight after meeting Ribeiro and plan to return
late at night, if at all. As for Ajit and Disha, Dilip has invited them to dinner
at his home. Ajit told me when I took Bea to meet the Inspector,” Sid said,
looking at Aarya and Dev. “That leaves just us, and none of us ordered it.”
There was no logo or branding on the packet. Aarya cut it open. There
was a large bowl of chicken biryani inside. She lifted it and placed it on the
table.
“That looks yum,” Dev exclaimed. “Perhaps Dilip or Ajit sent this for
you as a thank you for helping with the investigation. What’s that in your
hand?”
Aarya was examining a small bottle she had fished from the packet.
“Cyanide, if the label is to be believed. And there’s more,” she said,
taking a piece of paper from the packet.
“What does it say?” Sid and Dev questioned simultaneously.
Aarya handed it over to them.
“LEAVE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.”
The letters were cut from a glossy paper, most likely a magazine, and
pasted on the page. Even though the size of the letters varied, the font was
identical, showing that they were all cut from the same magazine.
Sid’s face was grave as he examined the paper. “We should call the
police and get these things checked for fingerprints and DNA.”
Aarya agreed, placing the note next to the bowl, bottle and empty brown
package. She felt this case was about to get much more dangerous, and she
had to stay one step ahead of the killer. But how? For now, she was chasing
far behind.
 Dev phoned Dilip and asked him to call Inspector Ribeiro. Dilip came
huffing into the room. “Ribeiro will be back shortly. He hasn’t gone far
yet.” He looked at the bowl and paper on the table.
“Don’t touch them,” Aarya advised as Dilip extended his hand to look
at them.
“Who sent this?” he asked, looking at the three grave faces in the room,
his eyes wide open, almost ready to pop out of their sockets.
Aarya shrugged. Sid plopped down on the bed, holding his head. Dev
walked over to Dilip, grabbed him by his shoulders and led him to a chair.
“No one was here. Aarya was down on the beach. I was in my room, and
Sid was with Bea. We saw the packet lying outside the door when we came
to call Aarya for dinner,” he said when Dilip had taken a seat.
“What does it all mean? Is it a threat?”
“It sure looks like it,” Sid replied in a strung-up tone.
“What’s happening in this resort?” Dilip’s forehead was a range of
mountains. “I’ll understand if you all want to leave. As Ribeiro suggested,
I’ve also cancelled the other bookings and arranged for the guests in other
places. Thankfully, this is not the peak season, and rooms are available in
other resorts.” He shook his head. “This is terrible. Most terrible indeed.”
“Do you recognise this packaging or the bowl of food?” Aarya
enquired. “It doesn’t have any name or logo.”
Dilip folded his arms to make sure he didn’t touch anything and
scrutinized the brown packet and bowl.
“Many shopkeepers use the outer package. They come a dime a dozen,
and you can get them anywhere. However, I haven’t seen it used by any
restaurant for food delivery. This bowl, however...”
“You recognise it, don’t you,” Dev remarked, jumping up to him. “Tell
us who it is.”
“I can’t be sure, but a few restaurants use such bowls.” He paused and
continued in almost a whisper. “Including Bytes.”
There was silence around the room after Dilip made his observation.
“But it could be someone else, too. Other restaurants, some as close as
Palolem, also use it, who deliver food here,” he added quickly.
As they waited for the police to arrive, Aarya was lost in thought.
Someone clearly wanted them to stop their investigation, but who? It was
someone who knew she was working on the case and also where she was
staying. Simon, of course, knew both. As did other people in the resort. One
thing was clear. The killer was someone in or around the resort.
“Do you know from where Sahil had ordered chicken? Wasn’t there a
similar bowl in his house, too?”
Dilip nodded. “It was similar. You think it was Simon? But he thinks
Sahil died of a heart attack. Plus, he doesn’t even know you’re working on
the case.” He looked at the three people, and his eyes grew wide as saucers.
“He knew, didn’t he?”
Aarya didn’t like the turn the investigation had taken. It had not even
started yet, and she was being threatened. She looked at Sid’s rattled
expressions and the heaving of his chest as he tried to control the onset of a
panic attack. She and Dev exchanged glances. Dev took the cue and led Sid
outside to the beach, and Dilip trailed after them, muttering something
under his breath.
Aarya remained in the room, staring at the food, the bottle, and the note
in front of her. All she had wanted was a holiday with her friend, but
murder seemed to follow her. She knew she couldn’t back down now, not
with a killer on the loose. But she also knew they needed to be careful,
watch their backs and trust no one.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 10
Are You Leaving?
The following morning, Aarya woke up with a mild headache. Her
sleep had been fitful, and she had dreamt of Sid being poisoned while she
watched as a helpless bystander. She knew the source of these dreams. In
her last case, not that long ago, Sid had almost died, and she blamed herself
for it. This vacation was supposed to be a way for them to move past it, not
get embroiled in another murder case, especially when Sid was with her.
Ribeiro had returned later the previous night and carried away the
package, assuring them to have his fingerprint expert work on it first thing
in the morning. As she got out of bed, she wondered if it was Simon who
had threatened her. That would mean that he had probably killed Sahil as
well.
She freshened up and changed `for her morning run. She missed Sahil,
whom she used to meet during her runs on the otherwise quiet and lonely
morning beach. The darkness was slowly ebbing, and the sky was turning
into shades of blue with traces of orange. The morning breeze felt pleasant
as it brushed on her skin, and the feeling of doom and gloom that she had
felt on waking up was slowly giving way to hope, her optimism increasing
with every step she took.
It wasn’t long before her mind began racing, and the gears of her
thoughts started turning again. Who could have access to cyanide? She
made it a point to research it. She thought of all the people in the resort.
Wasn’t Disha part of the IISc Chemistry department? She stopped, sat down
on a rock, and took out her phone.
Nothing on the IISc website that would tell her about the projects the
personnel were working on. She opened her LinkedIn. Voila! One of her
classmates from High School, Shruti, was a research associate in IISc. She
was in the Physics department but could probably find out about Disha.
They hadn’t been in touch for years, but desperate times called for
desperate measures. She sent her a message requesting her to tell her some
details about the projects Disha was working on.
As she jogged back to the resort, she spotted Dev on the beach. Baloo
was running to him with a stick in his mouth. Dev offered the dog a treat,
and he dropped the stick at his feet. Dev quickly picked it up and threw it
with all his strength.
 Aarya smiled despite herself. She loved dogs and intrinsically liked
other dog lovers. Dev saw her, waved, and walked over to her. “Slept well?”
Aarya shook her head. “Not really. What about you?”
“Couldn’t get much shut-eye. First time I’m in the middle of murder,
suspects, and possible threats. I’m uber-pumped. But,” he looked at her
close-set black eyes that twinkled in the morning sun. “But it’s dangerous. I
don’t want you getting into any trouble.” He held her hands. “Don’t get me
wrong. I know you can handle it. Your brother and Sid have told me stories
of your fights and everything, but I still can’t help but worry, just a little.”
He squinted his eyes, tilted his head, and gazed at her.
It surprised Aarya that she didn’t feel anger at his concern. She usually
felt her blood boil when anyone told her that her work was dangerous. With
Dev, however, she felt he understood her work but just wanted her to be
careful. She actually enjoyed his concern for her. As she realised this, a
sense of panic began growing inside her. This was not how she was
supposed to feel. Dev was just a friend. Her brows furrowed, and she bit her
lips into a straight line.
“And now you’re upset,” he sighed. “Me and my big mouth. This was
another thing your brother had told me I shouldn’t do. Tell you that
something you’re doing is dangerous.” He held her hand tighter. “But I
can’t help it, Aarya. I was, and still am, a little shaken by last night’s threat.
We need to be careful and smart about things. I don’t think we should trust
anyone but ourselves in and around this resort.”
Aarya nodded, feeling the warmth of his hand on hers.
“So, what d’ya think?” Dev asked after some time. “Could it’ve been
Simon Lobo? Dilip did say that the food bowl could be from his restaurant.
Plus, we know he had hiccups with Sahil and was aware that you’re staying
here.”
“I’ve been thinking the same. It’s possible,” she said, staring at the
horizon.
“But you’re not sure?”
Aarya shook her head. “Proof and data. That’s what I believe in. As of
now, it’s mere conjecture. Someone else could as easily have ordered food
from Bytes or from some other restaurant and put the packet here. Don’t
you think?”
Dev nodded. “That’s a possibility. Sure. So, what now?”
“We need to speak to Simon again.”
 They sat in silence, with only the sound of the waves, as the sky became
brighter and the sun’s rays shone on the waves, making them sparkle and
glow.
Dev stroked Aarya’s hand with his thumb. “What about Sid?” he asked
after some time, turning to face her. “He looked pretty shaken last night.”
“I want to keep him away from this. I’ll see if he can leave for Delhi
today or tomorrow. He’s been through a lot recently.”
They heard some movement behind them, and both spun back their
heads.
“Talk about the devil,” Dev said, smiling.
Aarya pulled back her hand from Dev’s grip and smiled at Sid. “We
were just talking about you.”
“I heard. I’m not going back without you, Aarya. I’m fine. Rattled, yes.
But fine. You don’t need to handle me with kid gloves, you know.”
Aarya stood up, brushed the sand from her track pants and stepped over
to Sid. “Hey, you know it’s not that. I don’t think you should be in the midst
of a murder case right now. That’s what your doctor also said. Remember!
And you’d do the same for me if our places were reversed.”
Sid nodded. “I would, but would you listen?” He eyed her sharply.
“Doctors say what they need to say. I know I’m fine. As long as I don’t need
to go into the water, I’ll be fine. So, what’s our next step? Talk to Simon?”
Aarya smiled and nodded. “But you need to back off the minute you’re
not comfortable. Can you promise me that?”
“Of course. Look, I’m not suicidal or anything. And unlike you,
murders don’t excite me. So, yes. I can promise you I’ll back off if I’m not
comfortable. Now come on, you both. Good food has come knocking on our
door; Breakfast is laid in our rooms by the shore; Dilip has sent breakfast,
don’t put up a fight. I believe he’s trying to make up for our experience last
night.”
“Hey, that almost rhymes,” Dev said, standing up and patting Sid on the
back. “Do we have a budding poet in our midst?”
Aarya rolled her eyes. “Don’t encourage him, Dev. He’s quite bad, as it
is.”
“She thinks I’m bad, and she’s always so mad; You need a soft heart, to
appreciate poetry or art; Her heart is made of stone; Beware, Dev, or you’ll
be left to moan.”
 Aarya lifted her hand to punch Sid as he laughed and ran ahead. She
followed him, chuckling, to their rooms.
Dilip and Asha were setting up the plates with toasted bread and
omelettes in Sid’s room as they entered.
“It smells great, but you didn’t need to do this,” Aarya said, sniffing in
the smell of warm food.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Asha was preparing breakfast for Ajit and Disha and
for us. Three more omelettes are no trouble.”
The three sat down to eat. “It’s delicious,” Sid said, turning to Asha,
who was standing just outside the door, peering in through the half-open
door. Even at this hour, she was wearing her floral dress and had a neat high
bun in place. She gave a smile and went down to the beach.
“So, what are your plans now?” Dilip asked from the small stool by the
window where he sat. “We understand if you want to leave. I don’t want
any trouble for any of my guests. I’ve already moved Mr Deep and his wife
to K Resort. After Sahil’s death and the threat last night, I feel this is not a
very safe place for you all. In any case, you were planning to leave today,
right?”
Aarya turned her gaze up from her plate and surveyed Dilip’s face, who
looked away as soon as he saw her eyes turn to him. “I think we’ll stay on
for a couple of more days. What say, guys?” She glanced at Sid and Dev,
who sat on either side of her.
They both nodded, their mouths full.
“As you please,” Dilip said, standing up and walking to the door. “But I
want you to note that my suggestion is that you should leave. With
everything that’s happening, I don’t want any other mishap here.”
As he stepped out of the door, they heard Ajit’s voice from the beach.
“Breakfast already started? Without us?”
Aarya heard Asha running off to her house. “She will prepare for you
and Disha now. Is Disha awake? Ah, there she is. We weren’t sure if you
were awake or not,” and Dilip followed Asha to the house.
Ajit was outside the door, peeping in. “May I come in, if you all don’t
mind?”
“Please. Make yourself comfortable,” Aarya said. “We’re almost done.”
Disha stood on the porch outside with her hands crossed in front of her
chest, her back to the room, gazing at the ocean.
 “I heard about last night,” Ajit said, sitting on the side of the bed, right
by the table. “Who do you think could’ve sent it?”
Aarya shrugged. “Don’t know. Probably the one who killed Sahil.”
“But why?” whispered Ajit. “To scare you?”
“What else,” Dev intervened. “It was a threat. It doesn’t take a rocket
scientist to figure out it was meant to scare.”
“So, what’re you all doing?” Ajit bent forward, his eyes swinging
between the three faces, and he continued in a hushed voice. “I don’t want
anyone getting in trouble ‘coz of me. But I’d appreciate if you’d stay and
help with the case.”
Aarya nodded as she picked up her coffee mug and took a sip. “We’re
fine,” she said, then a little loudly, “Disha, why don’t you join us?”
Disha had come in closer to the door, and even though she faced the
ocean, Aarya knew her ears were focused inside. She almost jumped up
when she heard Aarya’s voice. She spun around and stepped inside but
remained standing just by the door, her head bent. There was a lost
expression on her face.
“Are you both going to Mumbai?” Dev asked. “For the rites, etc.,” he
mumbled.
Ajit shook his head. “Not yet.”
Disha shot a glance up at them. “We can’t,” she hissed. “That fool of an
inspector thinks I might have something to do with this just because Sahil
had some food cooked by me in his stomach. I can’t believe such nonsense
that you police people spew out.” Her eyes were red, possibly because of
poor sleep. “I don’t trust your lot.”
“We aren’t the police,” Aarya said, smiling. She stood up and walked to
Disha. “We’ll simply try to find the truth, whether or not people like it.
With no hidden agenda.” She paused as she stood within inches of the
bereaved woman. “It’s difficult to trust if someone lies to your face, isn’t
it?”
The two women stared at each other for a few moments before Disha
turned around and strode to her house.
“She’s very stressed out. She puts up a calm exterior, but I know she is
distressed. Please don’t mind her.” Ajit mumbled as he ran after Disha.
Aarya saw Disha enter her house and shut the door in Ajit’s face, who
quietly turned to go to his own room near the cottage.
 “Dilip certainly wants us out of here,” Sid’s voice came from behind her
shoulder.
“Um. Maybe he doesn’t want the truth revealed,” Dev replied from his
seat. “He seemed quite pally with Ribeiro. Perhaps they are in cahoots.”
Aarya stared into the ocean, looking at the waves and the beach that
spread out in front of her. “Truth is not like prints on sand that can be wiped
out by a wave of the ocean. It’s like a strong rock that stands the tests of
time and the ravages of nature.” Her phone rang. She glanced at it, smiled,
and turned around to look at her friends.
“Message from Simon. About time, I think. He seems to want to talk to
us.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 11
Meeting with Simon-Round 2
The sun had already started feeling hot on the skin as they walked
along the narrow path from their resort to Bytes.
“You should’ve asked him to come over to one of our rooms,” Dev
grumbled. “It feels I’m being cooked, slowly and steadily. Just add some
spices, and that’s it. Ready to be served.”
Sid looked at him wistfully, and Aarya said, “Oh no, I know that look.
Dev, your encouragement has given this poet wings.”
“To toil in the sun, is a privilege, not a curse. For it, we’re grateful; no
grudges should we nurse. These cases, these killings; these murders and
these musings; If you like them not, and cannot make your peace, in wrong
company you are, for we will not cease.”
“Hey, man. I think it’s damn good. Isn’t it Aarya?”
Aarya rolled her eyes. “Seriously! You think? What’s wrong with you?”
Sid smiled from ear to ear and slapped Dev on the shoulder. “In you,
I’ve found a brother. You are like no other… Oops, that’s genuinely bad. I’ll
stop now before you guys tell me to.”
They had reached Bytes, which was too quiet at this time of the
morning. Simon was sitting on a chair inside his restaurant. Even though it
wasn’t yet time for the restaurant to be open for business, there was none of
the usual activity and noise of the kitchen staff and delivery boys. Even
Jason, the young man who had given food for Baloo that night, was
nowhere to be seen.
Simon stood up when he saw them. “Thanks for coming,” he said. Deep
lines adorned his forehead, and he seemed to have aged years in the last one
day.
“No problem,” Aarya said as they all sat down around a table. “So, what
did you want to talk about?”
Simon gave a side glance at Dev and Sid and raised his eyebrows.
“We’re a team. Whatever you can tell me, you can divulge to them as
well,” Aarya said, sensing his discomfort and trying to put him at ease.
Dev’s smile widened even as he tried to control it. Aarya kicked him
under the table, and his smile vanished. The three sat there, waiting for
Simon to speak, and then the words started flowing like an uncontrolled
waterfall.
 “So I woke up in the morning and was busy with my usual routine, you
know. And my phone rings. I say to myself, who could it be this early? And
then I see it’s a friend of mine who works in the police. I was, of course,
surprised. We don’t talk that often. We meet at parties and sometimes in
church, but not really….”
“What did he say?” Sid interrupted.
“Yea, Yea. So he was just whispering over the phone, and he says to me
—Yo man Lobo, Ribeiro has it in for you. He plans to arrest you.” Simon’s
voice trembled a little, and his eyes showed traces of fear, surfacing despite
his efforts to suppress the emotion. “So, I say to him, how can he do that? I
done no wrong.”
Aarya looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
“So my man tells me Ribeiro thinks the food Sahil ate came from my
restaurant. He thinks I poisoned Sahil.”
Aarya bit her lip. “And?”
“What and ma’am. I did nothing.” Simon’s voice rose. “It’s Dilip, I’m
telling you. He’s the one responsible and trying to pin it on me.”
Aarya raised her brows. “What has Dilip got to do with this?”
“He’s the one who told Ribeiro the chicken came from my restaurant.
He’s the one behind all this.”
“You’d mentioned last time Dilip didn’t give Sahil his due. What did
you mean by it?”
Simon removed his cap and rubbed his bald head with his palm. “If you
must know, this happened two, maybe three weeks ago. Asha had gone to
Karwar to spend the weekend with her grandparents. Very nice people, her
grandparents. I’ve met them many times and always find them–.”
Aarya looked at him and raised her eyebrows.
“Sorry. Sorry. I’m going off track. As I said, Asha had gone, and on
such nights, Dilip usually comes here, and we drink together after the
restaurant closes.”
He paused and glanced at the three faces staring at him.
“Dilip had had quite a bit to drink. So, I say to him, Yo Dilip, you’ve
had enough. Go home and sleep now. And Dilip says to me, Simon, you’re
my brother. I don’t know who to share this with, but I’m having problems
with Sahil. My entire resort, my business, and Asha’s future could be in
trouble. Honestly, I got a little psyched out when he said these things. Now
me, I like Asha. A nice young woman, she is. Pretty too. A lot of young
men after her–.”
“Problems? What kind of problems? Tell us about that,” Aarya
interrupted his monologue as he digressed again.
Simon looked down. “Yea. Yea. So problems. Dilip tells me that Sahil
was scouting for land in the nearby regions.”
“Land? For what?”
“He says Sahil wanted to build his own resort. I was shocked, so I asked
him if they’d had a fight or somethin’. And Dilip says no. He even tried to
give him a higher share of profits to get him to stay, but Sahil wasn’t
agreeing. ‘Greedy traitor.’ That’s what Dilip called him. He was angry and
frustrated. It was natural, I think. I mean, Sahil did most of the advertising
and talking to clients. Dilip didn’t know shit about business earlier. He says
to me—Simon, I think my resort will be doomed if Sahil opens one
somewhere around. He’ll take all clients with him. Dilip was shit scared, I
tell you. And angry.”
“Understandably,” muttered Dev. “No one likes competition.”
Simon nodded. “Exactly. He says to me—Sahil will ruin me if he goes
ahead with the plan.”
“So you think Dilip killed Sahil?” Sid asked point-blank as the three
friends gazed fixedly at Simon.
He closed his eyes, rested his head on the back of the chair, and sighed.
“Look, I don’t know. I just know that he had a problem with Sahil, and now
he goes around telling the Inspector that I sent him the poisoned food.”
Aarya leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table. “Did you?”
“No! At least not poisoned food.” Simon almost shrieked, opening his
eyes and sitting up ramrod straight.
“But you, too, had a problem with Sahil, isn’t it?”
“I did. Notice the past tense. Sahil stopped recommending my restaurant
to the guests. Some wrote bad reviews as well. Now, I’m ashamed to say
that I tried to bribe Sahil to stop doing that and to serve my food in the
resort. This was a few days after my drunken conversation with Dilip. I
thought if he opened another resort and used my services for food, it would
be good for my business, you know.”
“Did Sahil agree?”
Simon shook his head. “On the contrary, he was angry. I’ve never seen
him lose his cool, but that day, when he thought I was trying to buy him off,
he got all bent out of shape, that man. Never seen him like that.”
Dev snorted. “You know that a fight with the murdered man doesn’t put
you in a good light.”
Simon ignored the comment and went on. “I was angry too, but the next
day, Sahil came to me and says he was sorry for shouting at me. Good man,
that Sahil. So I also say I’m sorry. He says to me, Simon, old boy, your food
isn’t good. Try a new chef, and if I like the food, I’ll give Bytes another
chance.” He paused and wiped his eyes with his arm. “He was a good man,
Sahil.”
Dev stretched his arm, picked up a bottle of water from a nearby table,
and handed it to Simon. After a few sips, Simon continued, “What could I
say? I was happy as a clam. So I say okay, I’ll do it. I brought in a few chefs
for trial until I found the right one. I loved the food. The customers drooled
over it, and I sent some for Sahil.”
“The chicken?”
“I sent him some grilled fish on Friday. He loved it. Then he asked me
to prepare a fried chicken dish and told me to send it after his wife left for
Bangalore. His wife, Disha, hates it when he eats fried food from
restaurants, you see. In the beginning, before my partner left me, she had
given him and me a piece of her mind. She says to us, when you make food
for Sahil, you better make it healthy, or don’t send him at all. But you know,
Sahil eats one meal of only salad. He cared for his health, but Disha didn’t
understand. I think she never forgave him for moving here. Poor woman. If
I were in her place, I wouldn’t, too.”
“So, the chicken.” Aarya brought him back. “You confirm it was from
your restaurant?”
Fear returned in Simon’s eyes. “It was, but it wasn’t poisoned. I tasted it
before I gave it to him. And I’m still alive. You did like the food yesterday,
didn’t you? I’ve actually gone ahead and hired the chef full-time. You might
see some changes–.”
“Did you send the food through someone?”
“No. I saw Disha’s car leave, and I called him. He says to me, Simon,
I’m checking the generator, and I’ll pick it up once my work’s done. That’s
what he did. He picked it up from here.”
“Why did you lie to us earlier?” Aarya said. “How can I trust that
you’re telling the truth now?”
 “I’m sorry about that. I lied because I was scared. Scared that if, indeed,
Sahil died of poisoning, the police would blame me. And now, it’s
happening. So I need help.”
There was a pause, a silence broken only by the sound of waves
crashing on the rocks behind.
“By any chance, did you send some food to Aarya last night?” Dev
asked. “Or deliver food to anyone at the resort?”
Simon looked confused. “Last night?”
Dev nodded.
Simon shook his head. “No. Nothing last night. There were two
deliveries to K Resort, both fish curry and rice. Nothing to Mariana. Why?”
“Some food was delivered to my door,” Aarya cut in, unwilling to
divulge any more information than required. She looked him straight in the
eyes. “What do you expect from us? Why are you telling us all this? You
should tell it to the police.”
“Ribeiro won’t listen. He just needs to close his case quickly. Dilip has
already filled his head against me. That’s what my man tells me. What I
want, Aarya madam.” Simon turned his gaze to all of them, one by one. “I
want to hire your services.”
“I don’t understand. We’re already working on the case.”
“No. Not like this. You work for me. You prove I’m innocent. That’s
what I want. I’ll pay you whatever you ask. I’ll arrange the money if I don’t
have it. Don’t worry about that part.”
Aarya shook her head. “That’s not how I work.”
“Gimme a number. I’ll make it worth your while. This morning, I read
all about your cases—the Mira case and The Crimson Party case. You’re
good at this, and I want you on my side.”
“Look, Simon. I appreciate your confidence in my capabilities and I’m
flattered, but I work only to find the truth. I can’t guarantee that I’ll prove
you innocent. If you’re innocent, as you say, you don’t need to hire me. I’m
already working on the case.”
“But Ribeiro will arrest me.” Simon’s pitch increased to almost a shriek.
“You can’t let that happen.”
“I doubt it. I don’t think there is enough evidence to arrest you. He
might take you in for questioning. My suggestion, have a lawyer handy. He
can’t arrest you with what he has so far,” Aarya said, standing up. “As for
the truth, I will find that out.”
 “So, you won’t help me?” came Simon’s tremulous voice from behind.
“Mr Dev, please help me out here.”
Simon held Dev’s arm, a pleading look in his eyes.
“Look, man, we are helping you. Why don’t you understand that? If
you’re innocent, we’ll prove that when we find the culprit. Get a hold of
yourself. Do as she says. Call up a lawyer for advice.”
Simon slumped back in a chair as they walked out of the restaurant.
Dev caught up to Aarya. “Hey, thanks for saying that we’re a team. I’ll
help with all I can. Deputy Dev reporting for duty,” he said, saluting Aarya.
Aarya smiled and flicked him on his head. “So, tell me, Deputy Dev,
what do you think of what Simon told us?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. His behaviour and demeanour don’t give out
the vibes of a killer. But…”
“But?”
“But he said he wants you to prove him innocent.”
Aarya nodded and turned her head to Sid, and raised her eyebrows.
“We know from our experiences, murderers don’t ‘look’ like killers.
The way he was trying to malign Dilip and get you on his side, in his own
words, doesn’t really make me trust him. Plus, he lied to us earlier. There’s
no guarantee that he isn’t lying now.”
Aarya nodded. “You’re both right. He did lie to us earlier about his
business doing well and his not having a fight with Sahil. So we can’t
believe what he has told us now. But we should, however, verify it.”
As they walked the short distance to the resort, Aarya spied Dilip
talking with Ribeiro in hushed tones. They were standing beside Ribeiro’s
car, their backs to them, just off the track that led to the resort. Aarya
signalled Dev and Sid to continue ahead while she slipped closer to the car,
hiding behind a nearby tree.
“I can’t send her off in any official capacity. If she messes up, it’s not on
me,” Ribeiro said.
“Ok. Let me see what I can do about her. But the chicken in Sahil’s
house was from Bytes; I’m sure of that. Jason told me Simon planned to
send it to Sahil after Disha left. And Disha made the rest of the food. Just
close it up quickly, man. I owe you one, big time, for this.”
“Let me put that Simon behind bars. I never liked that fellow anyway.”
Ribeiro got into his car. What were the two men plotting? Who was the
‘her’ they were talking about? Was it Aarya?
OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 12
Meeting with Dilip-Round 2
Dev and Sid called out to Aarya as she walked past their rooms. “Take
a break. Enjoy the air conditioning for some time.”
Aarya wanted to meet Dilip and confront him, but her body was feeling
drained out from being out in the heat for a long time. She entered the cool,
pleasant room, and Dev held a beer for her.
“Thanks, but I’ll stick with some juice at this time of the day,” she said
and picked up a bottle of juice from the small fridge in the room.
“I love Goa, with its cheap and good alcohol. Half the charm of this
place is alcohol, and we haven’t even tried Feni yet. I can handle the heat if
I get a cold beer bottle at the prices we get here,” Dev said, reclining on the
bed and gulping down a few sips from his bottle.
Aarya smiled and gulped down half the bottle and sighed in relief. “This
is good. Unfortunately, we are on a case and don’t have the luxury of sitting
and drinking for long.” She briefed them about the conversation she had
overheard between Dilip and Ribeiro.
“I hope Simon contacted some lawyer. Ribeiro really has it in for him,”
Sid said, standing up. “Come on, let’s meet Dilip. He isn’t a simpleton for
sure.”
They all gulped down the rest of their drinks and headed out to Dilip’s
house. The beach was quiet. Not a bird flew in the air; no crabs ran on the
sand. The sand only reflected the sun’s harsh rays as it grew warmer by the
minute. There weren’t even any boats out today.
“Sid, get access to Sahil’s computer and phone. See if what Simon has
said is true or not. There must be some communication with real estate
agents in there.”
Sid nodded and went to find Disha or Ajit while Dev and Aarya turned
toward Dilip’s house.
Baloo emerged from some shadows and began following them. Aarya’s
face lit up as she saw the dog. She petted him as he sat right by the door of
Dilip’s house.
“Ah. Good that you both are here.” Dilip said, looking out from the
window. “I was about to call you.”
Dev and Aarya exchanged glances as they pushed open the door and
showed themselves in.
 “I just got off the phone with a friend of mine. He’s a travel agent, a
very good one. He says he can arrange flight tickets to Delhi and Bangalore
today itself. If required, he can also arrange a stay at this five-star hotel on
Candolim Beach for a few days at discounted rates.”
“What for?” Aarya asked, knowing full well what Dilip was hinting at,
but wanting him to state it in words.
Dilip hesitated a little and pretended to look at something on his phone.
“For you all, you know,” he muttered. “I think you should leave. The police
were saying I might need to close the resort for a few days. With only the
three of you staying here right now, I thought I’d manage that and arrange
somewhere for you all to stay.”
“That’s considerate of you,” Aarya said in a sharp tone. “Especially
since we’ve already discussed it earlier today. I think till we get the official
notice, we’ll stay here.”
“Mind you, I might be powerless to arrange the accommodation or
travel tickets again at short notice.”
“Don’t worry, Dilip. You care about us too much. We’ll manage. I’m
sure, with the summer being right at the corner, the tourists have, in any
case, reduced. We’ll find some rooms whenever required. I hope our staying
here is not a problem for you, is it?”
“Me? Of course not.” Dilip stammered. “For all I care, you can stay
here for another month.”
Aarya smiled and took her seat on the sofa beside Dev. The room felt
humid, hot and stuffy, with just a fan providing some mild relief.
“No AC, is there?” Dev asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Dilip shook his head. “We have ACs only in the bedrooms.”
No wonder Dilip wore such loose clothing. It was perfect for this
weather, unlike the jeans and regular T-shirt that Aarya wore.
“Well, let’s make it quick. We spoke to Simon some time ago.”
Dilip gave her a blank stare. No emotions.
“Did you have any trouble with Sahil?”
“Simon! That snake. Talking of trouble with Sahil!” Dilip exclaimed.
“He shouldn’t be one to talk.”
“His chef problem was resolved, but yours wasn’t. Isn’t that true?”
Dilip turned his head away and started looking out the window.
“Wasn’t Sahil planning to buy a property and open his own resort? If I
look into his communication records, won’t I find this information to be
true?” Aarya probed. “It’s best if I hear it from you. This information is not
too difficult to corroborate. Sid must have already found it by now.”
Dilip bit his lip and rubbed the mole on his cheek.
Dev stood up, the muscles in his arm twitching. “Speak up, man. Or I
have other ways to extract the information,” he screamed.
Aarya smiled. This was her thing. She was the one ready to punch and
kick to get the answers. She looked at Dev with an appreciative glance. He
was a man after her own heart.
“Now, Dilip, tell us the truth,” she said, standing beside Dev, shaking
her fist in front of his face.
There was a quick gasp from behind the curtain, and Aarya knew it
must be Asha.
“All right. There’s no need to get so aggressive,” Dilip said, looking up
at the two angry faces. “I have nothing to hide. Why don’t you both take a
seat? I don’t feel comfortable having you two standing almost on my head.”
Aarya and Dev sat down. Dilip let out an enormous sigh. “What you
said is right. Sahil was indeed scouting for some properties to open his
resort. I was angry at the beginning. I thought he had taken advantage of
me, that he was a traitor.” He shook his head and continued. “I offered him
more money, a higher share of profit, but he was adamant. I was angry, but
not enough to kill.”
He turned his head to the bedroom door. “Asha, here, made me see
sense. I realised what I already knew in my heart. That Sahil had only
helped me, and I had no right to stop him from progressing. So, I told him
I’d respect his decision, whether to stay or leave.”
“Did he finalise anything?”
Dilip nodded. “On Friday night, he came to me. He wanted to run future
resorts as partners. He demanded a much higher percentage share, 60%! I
disagreed. I said we could discuss it, but I was happy that he wanted to
continue working together. Honestly, even with a 40% or 45% share, I’d be
making much more money than I ever did before.”
He looked at Aarya and Dev. “So, tell me. Was there any reason for me
to harm him? No. He was to be my partner for a successful life and a
comfortable future for Asha.”
Aarya raised her eyebrows. “That could as well be a mere story. He tells
you the new plan on Friday and Saturday he’s dead.”
 “You don’t believe me? Ask Asha. She was standing right there, behind
the curtain, the whole time. She must’ve heard it all.”
All of a sudden, Dev furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Dilip with
squinted eyes. “And you say you didn’t see Sahil on Saturday? You only
spoke to him over the phone about the generator and then saw his body
when you returned in the evening. Is that right?”
Dilip stared at Dev. “Yes. Why?” he asked in a guarded tone.
“Nothing. Just that I saw someone who looked like you talking to Sahil
after Disha left. Right behind Sahil’s house. It didn’t look like a pleasant
discussion.”
Aarya turned to look at Dev. How did he know? And why hadn’t he
brought this up earlier?

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 13
Meeting with Asha-Round 1
Aarya looked at the two men staring at each other. She was about to
say something when Asha came running out from behind the curtains.
“Tell them the truth, Aanu. Or else I will,” she said before turning to
Dev and Aarya. “They did have an argument.”
“You don’t need to do this, Asha,” said Dilip.
“I do, Aanu. They argued over Disha. Aanu wanted to help sort things
out between them. Sahil didn’t like it and became angry. He almost yelled.
That was what he must have seen,” Asha said, gesturing toward Dev.
Aarya turned to Dilip with raised eyebrows. “Why would you hide it? I
don’t see any reason for you to lie about it.”
Dilip bent his head low. “I… I don’t know. I didn’t want to be the last
person to see Sahil alive and then the first person to see him dead. How
would it look for me? I… I’m sorry. But I swear, I didn’t poison him. He
was like family.” He lifted his head and looked at Aarya. “My dream of a
prosperous future is dead with him. Why would I do that? I wouldn’t.
Never.”
They all sat in silence for some time, Asha sitting beside Dilip and
holding his hand.
“Can we have a word with Asha alone, if you don’t mind?” Aarya broke
the silence.
Dilip nodded and stepped outside the house.
Aarya looked at the young woman in front of her, her black eyes red and
swollen, her hair tied up in a bun, her fingers playing with the pleats of her
floral dress, and her bare feet barely touching the floor.
“How are you holding up, Asha?” Aarya asked in a soothing tone.
Asha looked at her, and large silent tears started flowing down her
cheeks and landed on her dress, leaving wet spots that gradually expanded.
Dev stood up and fetched a glass of water from the kitchen.
“Here,” he said, handing it over to her.
She took a few sips. “I’ll be fine. I just need time,” she said with a
quivering voice.
“You were close to Sahil?”
“We all were,” she drawled, trying to control her trembling voice. “Sahil
was a good man, the best I’ve ever known. After Aanu, he was the one I
trusted most in this place.” She paused as another tear escaped her eyes, and
she took a few more sips of water. “He helped me and guided me. We were
also looking at some courses I could take on marketing and finance to help
with Aanu’s business.”
She looked up at the ceiling, lines of grief etched in every pore of her
visage. The mild waves of air from the spinning fan above blew a few
strands of hair that had somehow escaped the bun over her face. She
sniffed, pushed back the rebellious strands behind her ear, and turned her
gaze to Aarya.
“I understand,” Aarya said tenderly, moving closer to her. “I can see this
conversation is difficult for you, but it’s important.”
Asha nodded. “I’ll do all I can to find Sahil’s killer. What do you want
to know? How can I help you?”
“How was Sahil’s relationship with your father?”
“Aanu liked Sahil. The feeling was mutual, I believe. They sometimes
argued about the resort’s functioning and the prices we should quote for
rooms and facilities to be given. But it was all in good spirit.”
She paused and looked down. “This time, however, Aanu was furious
with Sahil. He felt as if his own brother had betrayed him. I tried to calm
him down and made him see what Sahil had already done for him. For us.
Then I also talked to Sahil and tried to make him understand why it would
be better for him to partner with Aanu instead of the two of them becoming
competitors. Poor man, he was already so stressed. Finally, they both
understood, and on Friday night, they agreed to negotiate and discuss the
possibilities. But it was for nothing.”
Tears started streaming down her face.
Aarya pressed her shoulder gently. “You said he was already stressed?
Why?”
Asha turned her head to look at Aarya’s face. “Because of Disha, of
course.”
“Disha?” Dev exclaimed. He wasn’t expecting that. “Because she
wanted him to have healthier eating habits? Doesn’t make sense.”
Asha scoffed. “All a farce.”
Aarya and Dev exchanged glances, and Asha continued. “She cared
little for Sahil. If she did, she would have moved here. In fact, I think Sahil
stayed in Goa because he wasn’t too happy with her.”
 “That’s a new angle,” murmured Dev while Aarya looked at Asha,
nodding and prodding her to go on.
“Whatever be the reason then, but Sahil wasn’t too happy now. He
wanted a divorce. I guess that’s why Disha stayed on for an entire week this
time. To get him to change his mind.”
“Did he? Change his mind, I mean.”
“I don’t think so. Perhaps that’s why she….”
“She what? You think Disha poisoned Sahil?” Dev couldn’t control
voicing out his thoughts, and Aarya glared at him. As far as possible, she
never put words in the mouth of the people she was questioning.
Asha shut her mouth and pursed her lips. She shrugged her shoulders
and turned her gaze away. “I don’t know,” she said. “But she had a reason,
and she cooked that food for him.”
“Reason other than divorce?” Aarya probed.
Asha stood up. “It is for all to see how calm she is after her husband’s
death as if it doesn’t affect her at all.” She paused for a moment and bit her
lip. “Anyway, I shouldn’t say things which I’m not sure of. I don’t know
anything else, Aarya.” She walked over to the window with her back to
Aarya and Dev.
“Just one last question, Asha.”
Without turning, Asha nodded. “Go on.”
“Did you meet Ajit on Saturday evening?”
Asha spun her head around; her face contorted with anguish and anger.
The hesitation was clear on her face.
“It’s important,” Aarya pressed.
Asha let out a deep sigh. “Yes. He accosted me on the lane behind Bytes
restaurant while I was returning from the village.”
Aarya walked over to Asha. “What did he want?” By Asha’s
expressions, she knew it wasn’t a friendly meeting, and anger started rising
in Aarya’s head. “Tell me,” she said through gritted teeth.
“He… he was asking me out. To go to this party with him and his
friends. I said no. He was sloshed. He pinned me to the rock and started
saying all kinds of things.”
“The creep,” muttered Aarya.
“Thankfully, Simon came along. Ajit backed off for a moment, and I ran
away.”
 Aarya’s face was red with anger, her hands folded into fists, her lips set
in a straight line. Without another word, she stomped out of the room.
If there was one thing she hated, it was men who didn’t respect a
woman’s choice, drunk or otherwise. Ajit needed to be taught a lesson.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 14
The Attack
Aarya stormed out of Dilip’s house and strode to Ajit’s room. She
banged on the door. Dev ran after her, and so did Asha.
“He’s not here. Inspector Ribeiro was also looking for him. Disha told
the Inspector that he’d gone to the village.” Asha said, panic rising in her
voice, seeing Aarya’s anger. “It’s okay. Please don’t hurt him on my
behalf.”
“Such people need to be taught a lesson, Asha. We should not tolerate
them quietly.”
Asha nodded.
Aarya turned to Dev. “I’m going to the village. It’s hot outside. You can
stay in the room if you like.”
Asha had run off to her house, and Dilip stood staring at them from the
doorway. Sid was nowhere to be seen. He was probably in Disha’s house
trying to access information.
“I’ll tag along if you don’t mind,” Dev said, following her with long
strides.
They walked along the lane behind Bytes. Lush, green trees lined the
pathway, which saved them from the sun’s scorching rays burning into their
skin.
“What is it?” Dev asked. “I know something’s bothering you. Out with
it.”
Aarya looked at him and raised her eyebrows. Her gaze lingered on his
face for a few moments. “Why didn’t you tell me you saw Dilip and Sahil
talking on Saturday? You never mentioned it earlier when Dilip told us he
didn’t meet Sahil that day at all. Why?”
“I wasn’t sure. It was like throwing a stone in the dark. I saw Sahil
speaking to ‘someone’ that day. I couldn’t see the other person.”
Aarya scoffed. “And suddenly today you knew? That’s convenient.”
“Don’t you trust me, Aarya? Please stop treating me like one of your
suspects. Or am I one? I need to know where I stand with you.”
Aarya bit her lip. She had been asking that question to herself as well—
where they both stood. She looked at him with her close-set black eyes,
twirling her hair on her fingers.
 “Sorry. I didn’t mean to insinuate anything. I do trust you, Dev. You
should know that by now. I’m not good at displaying my feelings, positive
feelings at least. Anger or frustration, I have a variety of ways to show
them. But showing how much I care, that’s a challenge.”
Dev smiled and held her hand. “I got my answer. That’s all I need. Your
trust.”
“So, did you just blindly accuse Dilip, and it hit the mark?”
“Um. Not really. That day, on Saturday, I saw the other man’s shirt
sleeve. I didn’t even know I’d noticed it. But today, when I saw Dilip
wearing the same yellow shirt, something kicked in my brain. I remembered
the image of the hand that held Sahil by the shoulder, wearing that same
ugly yellow colour. So, it was an intelligent guess, not a completely blind
one.”
They reached the village, but there was no sign of Ajit. “Where is that
man?” Aarya hissed.
It was a small village with only a few houses. Most of them seemed to
be new. No one was to be seen. Finally, an old man shuffled out of his home
and lit up a bidi.
With a swift movement, Aarya searched for Ajit’s photo from his social
media and strode over to the old man. She folded her hands. “Namaste,
uncle. Have you seen this person here?” she asked, showing him the
photograph.
He nodded and inhaled a lungful of his bidi. He had a fit of cough as he
breathed out the smoke.
Aarya held her breath. Cigarette or bidi smoke was one thing she
couldn’t stand.
“Do you know where he is?” she asked, stepping back and taking a
lungful of air.
“He came here to buy fish, but the police came and took him.”
“Police?”
The old man nodded and sat on the sand, unaffected by the heat of the
sun. “He is Sahil’s brother. The one who died, you know. At Dilip’s resort.”
“You know Dilip?”
The old man looked at her as if she was out of her mind. “Of course.
We’re all family. He got these houses built for us some months ago. Nice
ones they are.”
 Aarya nodded and stepped further back, unable to take in any more of
the smoke. The old man went on about how they’d moved out of their tiny
houses on the beach where the resort now stands and into these nice, strong
ones.
“Never had I thought that me, a small fisherman, would get to live in
such luxury. All thanks to Dilip and, of course, Sahil. Poor man.”
She thanked the man and turned around, with Dev following her. With
Ajit gone, there was no point in staying here further.
The houses receded from view as they advanced towards the serene
tree-lined lane. Aarya tensed up as she detected a rustling sound emanating
from her left side and became completely alert.
“What happened?” Dev asked, looking around. “What was that sound? I
don’t think there are animals here.”
Aarya put a finger on her lips and walked to the side of the road. With
no warning, a man jumped upon her from the tree above. She fell face down
and rolled to one side. Dev rushed to help, but two other assailants
intercepted him.
Aarya scanned her surroundings. The man was standing merely a foot
from her under the tree. There was a fallen branch right behind him. Dev
was on the ground in the middle of the muddy lane, pushed by the two men
who were marching toward him.
The three attackers had brown bandanas tied around their faces, making
only their eyes and foreheads visible. One of them, the one who had
attacked her, had thick eyebrows and shoulder-length straight hair, dyed a
bright red. He was laughing, as were the other two.
She had to move. Turning to her left, she tried to get up, only to be
kicked by the man. She coughed. The man laughed harder.
She heard a “No” shout from Dev as she doubled over in pain. Her
assailant bent down. “Still want to stay on in Goa?” he said, lifting her face
with his hands and staring down at her.
Anger boiled in Aarya’s veins. With lightning speed, she held the scruff
of his neck and pulled him down. Using the momentum of his falling body,
she sprung herself up. She jumped toward the fallen branch and picked it up
with a swoop of her hand.
“Look out,” came Dev’s voice, and she swung the branch around her,
hitting one man right on the head. He fell down, his head bleeding.
 With the attackers now busy with Aarya, Dev was back on his feet. The
man with long hair was slowly standing up, his eyes boring into Aarya, his
muscles twitching. Aarya stuck the branch to the ground and, using it, lifted
herself up and kicked the man on the head with both her legs, throwing him
back on the muddy road. The branch buckled and broke as Aarya landed on
the ground.
From the corner of her eyes, Aarya saw Dev keeping one of the men
busy. He could fight. She smiled, then turned her attention to her red-haired
punk, squirming on the ground, trying to get his bearings. She jumped up,
bent her right leg and aimed the knee right at his chest. He turned, but not
enough. The knee caught his hand, and there was the scrunching sound of a
broken bone.
He cried in pain. There was a sound of someone running on leaves. The
man who was hit by the branch had come back to his senses and, seeing
their leader defeated, ran away. Aarya sat on the man’s chest and
pummelled his face. Blood flowed from his nose and mouth, making a
small puddle on the dirt.
“Just two of you now. Who sent you?” Aarya asked. “You tell me now,
or you’ll soon be looking out for a new set of teeth.”
The man smiled, his teeth blood red. He spat out the blood and tried to
wriggle away.
“Aarya!” Dev’s voice seemed choked.
She turned. The other man had Dev pinned to a tree, strangling him with
his bare hands. Aarya dashed over and kicked him on the side of his
stomach. He stumbled and let go of Dev. As Dev stood coughing, she was
about to punch the man again when they heard footsteps.
Aarya looked up, ready to take on more people. But it was Ribeiro.
“Ms Aarya, what are you doing? I’ve been looking for you,” he said.
“Why are you beating these people?”
“They attacked us,” Aarya said, trying to wriggle free from the two
policemen who held her as the assaulter scampered off. “You should be
holding them, you fools.”
“Mind your tongue, Madam,” came Ribeiro’s menacing and sharp reply.
“I saw who was hurting and hitting whom.”
In a flash, Dev jumped on Aarya, bringing her and the two policemen to
the ground. A whistling sound followed, and as Aarya looked up, a dagger
stuck to the tree right before her. She turned and saw the long red-haired
man scampering off unsteadily amidst the trees.
“I could’ve got them to answer,” she hissed through gritted teeth. She
stood up and stared at Ribeiro. “What do you want?” she snapped.
“I need you both for questioning. We’re interrogating everyone who
was staying at the resort that evening. Everyone is a suspect, including
you.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 15
I Can Do This All Day
Aarya and Dev followed Ribeiro and his team back to the resort. She
was livid that the untimely arrival of the police had resulted in her attackers
escaping without answering her questions.
“Make it quick,” Aarya barked, stepping up to Ribeiro, who was leading
the group. “Perhaps you can start now.”
Ribeiro grunted. “I’ll ask you when I’ll ask you. I wanna see your stupid
face when you answer to make sure you or your buddy here are not lying.”
They reached their rooms in silence. Aarya saw Sid talking to a police
officer in his room. She opened the door to her cottage and led the Inspector
inside. She sat down on one chair, tossing the other in Ribeiro’s direction.
Dev stood by the door with one other police officer standing next to him.
She leaned forward and opened her eyes wide dramatically. “You can
look at me all you want now and ask your questions.” Her tone barely
hiding her frustration and rage.
Ribeiro lowered himself into the chair. “What were you doing out
there?”
“Taking a walk,” Aarya replied smugly.
“You don’t want to mess with me. I can do this all day if you like. If you
want to be left alone, you better answer me. Now,” he paused for effect.
“What were you doing in that lane?”
Aarya wondered if she should make another snarky comment. She
didn’t like Ribeiro. But on second thoughts, he was the police. And he was
right that she could get rid of him if she answered his questions.
“We went to look for Ajit,” she said in a resigned tone.
“That’s better, isn’t it? Easy. Now, obviously, you didn’t find Ajit
because we have whisked him and Disha off to my station.” He chuckled.
“Why were you attacking those men? They weren’t Ajit, didn’t look like
him as well. Why try to hurt them?”
Aarya shook her head in anger and indignation. “I wasn’t attacking
them. They attacked us, and we were just defending ourselves.”
“It didn’t look like it, given their condition when we came on the scene.
If not for us, you could’ve severely hurt them.”
“If not for you, I’d have gleaned the information about who sent them.
And be a step closer to finding the actual murderer. Instead, here I am.” She
flailed her arms in exasperation. “Trying to answer questions that don’t
mean shit.”
“Mind your language, Ms Aarya Sarkar. This is not Delhi, where the
police will tolerate and neglect your indiscretions.”
“I apologise on her behalf,” Dev said, stepping in between the two of
them. He held Aarya’s shoulder and pressed it. “Keep calm,” he whispered,
sitting on the bed beside her chair. He turned to the Inspector. “Those men
attacked us. The man was about to kill me, and if not for Aarya, he would
have succeeded.” He pointed to the red marks on his neck.
Ribeiro stared at the marks and nodded.
“Plus, you saw one of them throw a knife at her. It happened right in
front of you. You can’t deny that, can you?” Dev continued.
Aarya drank some water to cool herself. She could see Dev’s reasoning
having an impact on Ribeiro.
“Well, I’ll let this skirmish be and not take you both in for disturbing
peace.”
Aarya opened her mouth to tell him he couldn’t take them in legally, but
she felt Dev’s hand on her shoulder again.
“Thank you,” Dev said in an obsequious tone, eyeing her to keep quiet.
“Well, where were you on Saturday?” Ribeiro asked.
“I went for a run in the morning, as per my usual routine. I met Sahil.
He seemed fine. We spoke for a couple of minutes, and he told me about the
campfire he had planned that night. We, that is Dev, Sid and me, went out
for breakfast. After that, Dev left to do some work, and Sid and I went to
the Naval Aviation Museum. We all met for lunch again and then took a
boat to the butterfly beach from where we returned only late in the
evening.”
“I assume you have proof.”
“We can show you payment receipts for the restaurants and museum. As
for the boat, you can ask Fernandes whose boat we took. I’m sure you can
find him on Palolem Beach.”
Ribeiro turned to one of his officers, who nodded. “Mr Siddharth’s
version matches hers.”
“What about you, Mr Dev? What did you do from breakfast till lunch?”
“I had to buy some stuff. So I’d gone to Chaudi market, then to this
liquor store off the highway. I replenished our stock of beer, which was
getting low. Then I returned to the resort for a couple of minutes to keep all
the stuff in the room before heading out.”
“Did you see Sahil or anyone else when you came back?”
Dev nodded his head. “I saw Sahil talking to Dilip. I was here for
maybe 5 minutes.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Ribeiro stared at Dev.
“You can ask the taxi driver. Aarya and Sid had taken the rental car with
them, so I called a taxi. The driver can tell you all my movements till he
dropped me off at the restaurant for lunch.”
“Take the driver’s details,” Ribeiro told one of his men.
“In any case,” Aarya spoke up. “Sahil was alive till then. The forensic
report says he died later in the afternoon.”
Ribeiro snorted. “I know you all didn’t kill him. But we do our job
thoroughly, unlike some private eyes.”
“I’m sure you already know who’s the killer,” mumbled Aarya.
“As a matter of fact, I do. And he would have confessed today. But you
know what happened?” He stared at Aarya. “Some meddlesome person
advised him to lawyer up, impeding and delaying the natural course of
justice.”
“You mean Simon? You don’t have shit against him. Perhaps he did it.
Perhaps he didn’t. I don’t know. But torturing him till he confesses isn’t
what I would call being ‘thorough’. What do you say, Dev?” Aarya asked, a
smirk on her face.
Dev bent his head and mumbled something that no one could hear.
Aarya and Ribeiro stared at each other for a few more moments, sparks of
rage emanating from both their eyes.
“Till we have the culprit, you may be called upon for further
questioning. Be available,” he spat out.
Just then, they heard a loud scream from outside.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 16
Liars Everywhere
Ribeiro bolted out, followed by his men with Aarya and Dev on their
heels. The sound had come from Sahil’s cottage.
Who could it be? Aarya remembered Ribeiro telling her he had taken
Disha and Ajit to the station for their statements and interrogation.
The front door was wide open. As they all barged inside, Aarya saw
Asha, dressed in her usual floral dress, with her hair tied in her usual high
bun, standing by the sofa. She was trembling a little, and her face was pale
as if she had seen a ghost.
“I… I heard Sahil’s voice,” she stammered as she sunk into the sofa, her
face turning from pale to crimson.
Aarya got her a glass of water and sat down beside her. “Take a deep
breath and tell me what happened.”
Ribeiro had taken a seat opposite the two women. “What do you mean,
you heard Sahil?” he barked.
Asha looked up, the light line of kajal making her eyes look bigger than
normal. “I came to pick up some papers. The contractor for the new rooms
that we’re building had called Aanu, and the details were with Sahil. I
picked the papers, and then… I heard… I’m sorry. It’s probably my
nerves.” She gave an embarrassed laugh. “It can’t be Sahil, now. Can it?”
Dev and one of Ribeiro’s men were examining the bedroom. “Nothing,”
said the police officer.
Ribeiro shook his head. “You need rest,” he said. Then fixed his
glowering gaze at Aarya. “And you don’t mess with my work,” he hissed
and stomped out of the house.
Asha was still strung up and twiddling her fingers.
“What did you hear?” Aarya asked her, holding her gently by the
shoulders.
“It was the song, Love you Zindagi. In Sahil’s voice. It was one of his
favourite songs, and he sang it so often, especially when he was alone.”
“Are you sure that’s what you heard?”
Asha was a little confused. “I think so. Perhaps I need rest. I think I’m
just hearing things.”
She drank more water from the glass and turned her face to look at
Aarya, then Dev, who stood by the door. The police officers had all
followed Ribeiro out.
“What happened to both of you? Are you okay?” she asked, staring at
their dirt and blood-covered faces.
“You should have seen the others. They had it worse,” Aarya replied,
smiling. “Any idea if Ribeiro has taken Simon to the station?”
Asha nodded again. “Sometime before you all came in. Do you think
he’s the killer?”
Aarya shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll see. No proof against him,
though.”
Asha sighed. “Are you going to stay on? Aanu was saying you’ll have
to leave now.”
“No one makes me do things I don’t want. If I leave, it’ll be because I
want to or because I have solved the case. Not because some Inspector or
some other person wants me to.”
“I admire your guts and courage. I wish I had a fraction of that,” Asha
said meekly, standing up and walking to the door holding the papers and a
tray with a plate, bowl, and a bottle of salt. “I’ll drop this in the house and
get some antiseptic cream and bandages for you.”
It was late afternoon. Aarya walked back to her room and washed her
face. The bruises were superficial. Nothing to worry about. Sid and Asha
entered, with Asha holding a first aid kit and Sid carrying packets of food.
“You all haven’t had lunch? I could’ve brought some from home,” Asha
remarked.
Aarya thanked her for the medicines while Sid laid out the food on the
table.
“You need some help with the bandages?” Asha asked.
Aarya shook her head. “The bruises aren’t bad. We’ll manage. Thank
you,” she said, ushering the woman out. “You stop worrying about others.
Go home and rest.”
All three dug into the food as soon as Asha was out of the door. And
within minutes, the boxes were empty.
“I’m sleepy. Fighting tires me out,” Dev said, yawning.
“Your reflexes are good. Not amateurish. Where did you learn to fight
like that?” Aarya asked.
“I’ve learnt bits and pieces of everything—karate, kickboxing, boxing,
even tried jiu-jitsu once. Jack of all trades, that’s me.”
 Sid made himself comfortable in one chair and spread his feet onto the
bed in front. “So, tell me. What happened? How did you manage to pick up
a fight in Goa, of all places?”
“Hey, I didn’t ask for it. So don’t give me that look,” Aarya said
defensively. “You can ask Dev. The men attacked us first, and before we
could find out the reason, Ribeiro butted in, and they skedaddled off.”
She told Sid about their meeting with Asha and Dilip, their trip to the
village and the interview with Ribeiro.
“Ribeiro’s man asked me similar questions about where we were and all
the rest. I guess since our versions matched, he must’ve believed it.”
“What about you?” Dev asked with another enormous yawn. “What
were you up to while we were working? They had already taken Disha to
the police station. Ajit had gone to the village and then, presumably, to the
station. So you couldn’t have checked up the details of Sahil’s plans.”
Sid smiled. “He doesn’t know, does he?” he asked, winking at Aarya.
“Know what?”
“Nothing is safe with Sid around, Dev. You should know that. You
know his business? He deals with security solutions.”
Dev gave them a confused look. “So? Did his company design the
solutions for this resort?”
“No. But I’m a good salesperson, and I like to demonstrate the
weakness in my competitor’s products by picking the locks of my would-be
customers.”
Dev’s eyes grew wide, and he let out a low whistle. “Sweet! Can you
pick locks? Would you teach me?”
“It took Aarya a year to accept that it’s important and that she should
learn. It has helped us in many of our previous cases. I’m impressed that
you’ve reached it in just a week.”
Dev turned to Aarya. “You know too?”
Aarya nodded. “Not as well as Sid. I don’t practice enough, but I can
manage. So, you found anything?”
“I went inside Disha’s house. I couldn’t find his laptop and phone. The
police had already taken them. The policeman who was questioning me told
me about it. He was quite friendly. I think he’s Simon’s friend. Poor guy, he
was quite flustered that he couldn’t do much to help Simon because that
would mean going against Ribeiro.”
 “He should try to find the truth rather than helping one or framing the
other,” Aarya scoffed. “Did you find anything useful in Disha’s house?”
Sid nodded. “There were some papers in Sahil’s drawer with hand-
drawn shapes of land parcels with dimensions and some rates written in
them.”
“So we know for sure that Sahil was looking at other land parcels. With
all these people lying to us through their teeth, it’s important to figure out
what’s true and what’s not.”
“How do you know they’ve all been lying?” Sid asked.
“Simple. Their statements contradict with others.” She paused and sat
down on the bed. Dev glided down next to her, his fingers just touching
hers.
“Let’s start with Disha. She said she and Sahil were happy in their
marriage. But they are planning to get a divorce.”
Sid opened his eyes wide. “Divorce?”
Aarya nodded. “Then comes Ajit. We already know his lie. He said he
left early on Saturday to meet his friends and returned only after Dilip’s
call. But he came back and was talking, forcibly mind you, with Asha.”
“Oh yeah, Simon said something like that.”
“So did Asha when we spoke to her earlier today. Then Simon. Again,
he lied he had no problem with Sahil, but he did.”
“You’re right, Aarya,” Dev interjected. “All of them have lied. Dilip
first said that he loved Sahil as his own brother but had been calling him a
traitor behind his back. And also, about meeting him in the afternoon,
probably the last person to see him alive.”
Aarya nodded. “So, you see. None of them has been truthful, and all of
them had some issue or the other with Sahil.”
“But the question is, who had issues big enough to kill?” Sid pondered.
They sat in silence for some time. “The men who attacked us,” Aarya
broke the silence. “The one with the bushy eyebrows and red hair seemed
familiar, though I can’t for the life of me remember where I saw him.”
“There was nothing we could see except their eyes and hair. And I think
I would’ve remembered those long hair if I’d seen them.” Dev shook his
head. “Nah, I don’t think I’ve come across them anywhere.”
“What about Asha? What do you think she just heard? It couldn’t be
Sahil’s ghost, right?” Sid said, a little shiver running down his body. “I’m
just kidding,” he added with a sheepish grin.
 Aarya looked at the ceiling, lost in thought. “I don’t know. Perhaps it
was just wishful hearing. She was, it seems, very close to Sahil, and his
death has affected her deeply.”
Suddenly, Aarya’s phone glowed. She picked it up. “A message from
Ajit.” She paused as she read the message. “It’s the food test report.”
“Was it Disha’s food that had the poison?” Dev asked, peeping over her
shoulder.
She shook her head. “No. None of the two samples had any traces of
cyanide!”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 17
Dev: She Chose Me!
Dev was satisfied with his progress with Aarya. He had seen the
genuine appreciation in her eyes after their fight with the hooligans and was
glad for the opportunity to show her he could fight and fight well. He was
thankful for his training, which had come in handy today. Now, he had to
show her he had brains as well, not just brawn.
They had been discussing the next course of action. Aarya felt it might
be good to pay Sahil’s mother a visit to understand Sahil and Ajit. Perhaps
Sahil had shared something with her regarding his problems with Disha or
Ajit.
Evening was drawing in, and they had moved their discussion to the
beach, with the waves lapping on their feet. He looked at the waves and the
sun making its journey to the west, the birds flying over the water, trying to
dive and catch prey. Baloo had, as usual, come and curled up beside Aarya.
Dev glanced at Baloo’s face, and the dog wagged his tail. He was a cute
dog. If this was in Bangalore, he could’ve adopted him. But this was no
time to think about dogs. He had to come up with some insight. That there
was no cyanide in both the food items made the deductions more complex.
If only –
An idea struck him, and he smiled as he pulled out his phone and typed
in.
“Z: Where can one get cyanide? Need it quickly.”
Within minutes, he got the reply:
“Why do you need cyanide?”
“I mean info on where a regular person can get the poison.”
“Be clear. Labs or, more likely, a jeweller.” There was a link below it.
Dev skimmed through the article and looked up from his phone. Aarya
was looking at him with a strange expression. “What are you smiling
about?” she asked.
“Well, I’ve been wondering, who could have access to cyanide to
poison Sahil? Obviously, you can’t get cyanide just off the shelves of a
supermarket.”
Aarya nodded. “Good that you reminded me. I’ve been meaning to
research a little on this.”
 “No need, my dear, for your deputy has done this job for you.” He
smiled and looked at her face. There it was again, the appreciation and the
respect. “I just cross-checked something I remembered reading about some
years ago. Regular people can get cyanide either from a laboratory or,” he
paused for effect and looked at both Aarya and Sid, “you can get it from a
jeweller’s store.”
“Jeweller?” Aarya asked. “Interesting. Lab, I thought about. Disha
could have access to it, and I’ve asked someone to send me the details. But
jeweller. That opens up new possibilities.”
“Yep. Jewellers use potassium cyanide to clean jewellery, etc.”
“Ah, yes,” Sid said. “I remember there was a case in Kerala about
cyanide poisoning some years ago.”
“Now we need to see who all visited a jeweller recently,” Aarya said.
Dev’s eyes opened up wide. He remembered something he had told no
one since he hadn’t thought it important… until now.
“What is it?” Aarya probed, bending forward, her warm breath so close
to his face.
“Remember Disha had told us she had gone to buy some groceries on
Saturday?”
Aarya nodded. “I saw the bags in their house. I even checked the
receipt. She was telling the truth. The receipt was from Saturday.”
“She did, but that was not all she did in the market. She also went to a
jeweller.”
“What!” both Aarya and Sid exclaimed in unison.
“I was in the market that day and had to go to the jeweller’s store. That
was when I saw her leaving. I don’t think she noticed me. She was carrying
these grocery bags and was wearing cat-eye sunglasses. She seemed to be in
a hurry.”
“Are you sure it was her?”
“Of course.”
Silence reigned for some time as the three of them chewed on this
information. The horizon had turned a deep crimson, and the clouds seemed
on fire. The birds were catching their last prey of the day before retiring for
the night and the waves were becoming larger, stronger and coming much
higher onto the beach now, almost to the place where they all sat.
“But Dev, what were you doing in the jeweller’s store?” Sid asked,
moving further back from the waves. He continued in a teasing tone. “I
hope you weren’t looking for a ring.”
Dev looked at him and turned a deep red while Aarya shook her head at
Sid.
“It’s okay if you were, but I think it’s too early for buying rings and
proposing. But you know that best.” He guffawed at his friends’
embarrassment.
Aarya pulled her fingers away from Dev and stared into the horizon.
Dev could see her trying to suppress a smile. She did like him.
“As a matter of fact, I was looking for a ring,” Dev said.
“What!” Aarya and Sid shrieked together again.
“You guys have gotta stop yelling into my ears. The ring was for my
mother, you buffoons,” he laughed. “It’s her birthday next week, and I
wanted to buy something cool and classy for her, but I didn’t find any.”
“We’ll need to return to the shop,” Aarya said, the seriousness returning
to her voice. “Perhaps Dev and I can go to the jeweller, and Sid can fly to
Mumbai to visit Sahil’s mother. What say?”
Dev kept a straight face and looked at Sid, but internally, he jumped
with joy. She had chosen him to stay with her. Of course, it could be
because he knew the shop and had a reason to visit the jeweller again, but
so what? She had chosen him.
Sid nodded and patted Baloo, who was lying down between Aarya and
him. “Sure. I can take the early morning flight and return tomorrow night.
Let’s hope tonight passes with no surprises or shocks.”
“I agree,” Dev said. “I’ve had enough for some time.” He had expected
this to be a simple getting-to-know vacation, not an experience where he
had to fight, be questioned by the police, and be threatened by unknown
people. All he wanted now was a good night’s sleep with no action.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 18
Time to Die
After dinner at a nearby shack, they returned to their rooms. Disha and
Ajit were back from the police station but had made it clear that they
weren’t in any mood for discussion. Aarya understood. So many hours at
the station were enough for anyone to feel like pulling their hair out.
Aarya switched on the air conditioner and stretched her legs on the bed
to relax when she heard a scratching sound from outside. Baloo was sitting
in front of the door, hoping to be let in. She gave the dog some biscuits and
some chicken pieces she had specially brought for him from the shack. With
Sahil gone, no one was really ensuring that the dog get his meals on time.
Baloo gobbled it all up and curled up under the table while Aarya
thought about the case. Everyone had some motive or the other, but none
seemed strong enough to kill. She racked her brain, trying to understand
how the poison got inside Sahil’s system if both the food items had no
traces of it. There was no other food that the forensic report showed in his
stomach as well. So, he obviously ate nothing else.
She checked her LinkedIn messages. Shruti, her friend from IISc, had
replied.
“It was difficult to find out whether Disha has projects dealing with
poisonous substances without really telling anyone the reason for such
enquiry. Anyway, I found out what you wanted. I had to go on a lunch with
an insufferable person for that. You owe me a big one for this, Aarya. The
only toxic substance that Disha uses in her experiments is Carbon
Monoxide gas. Nothing else. I hope it helps.—Shruti.”
That was a dead end. But Disha could still have got it from some
colleague or even from the jeweller. Aarya did not know how labs stored
such chemicals, but she was certain that if you knew the right people, you
could get your hands on some.
After some minutes of useless rumination, she took a stroll on the beach
and clear her head. She sat outside to find out if social media would give
her anything. She was getting a mild headache and thought the cool breeze
outside would help her. Baloo looked up as she went out, cocked an ear, but
stayed inside.
“I’ll be back soon,” she whispered to the dog, who wagged his tail
sluggishly in reply.
 She ran along the beach on the soft sand. Running always helped her
think. So did punching, but she didn’t have her punching bag here. She
really missed it now.
She sat down on a rock at some distance and pulled out her phone. Sahil
had predominantly focused his social media on the resort for the past two
years.
Disha was almost non-existent in all social media, except for the annual
‘Thanks for the birthday wishes’ post. Her accounts were mostly inactive.
She was tagged in a few photographs from the IISc campus—dealing with
conferences, talks and the like.
Dilip seemed not to have any social media accounts. Aarya wondered
how it was possible for him to run a tourism business with no presence on
the web. But then, Sahil handled that part for him.
Asha, however, was super active on Instagram. She had a good
following and posted a few times each day. Most of her posts were similar,
headshots with a background of the ocean, draped in floral dresses, with a
neat high bun and light make-up. It was the different sky and different
shades of dress which showed that they were not the same photograph.
Some were with Dilip, or Sahil, or some others, who seemed to be her
friends or cousins.
Simon had created his social media accounts two years ago. He posted
once daily, at 9 am. His posts followed a pattern. Each week, there were two
close-up photos of the food, two posts of reviews, one personal picture and
two of his restaurant from various angles. She guessed Sahil had helped him
out, and he followed it to the T.
There was not much overlap in these people’s online lives. Aarya was a
tad disappointed. Social media usually gave her a lot of input and insights
into people’s lives. But here, it was either nonexistent or a façade for the
benefit of others.
She stared into the ocean, the water reflecting the moonlight
shimmering under the night sky. The waves lashed on the rocks, trying to
touch the hitherto untouched shores, slowly but steadily climbing further up
with each wave. She marvelled at the persistence of the ocean, doing it each
day, at the mercy of the moon, yet never giving up.
She thought of Dev and began browsing through his social media. He
was not very active, but had occasional photographs of outings with friends,
some with his family, and a few from his company retreats. There were no
political posts, no commentary on world events, and nothing which showed
his personal tastes or preferences. She shook her head. What was she
doing? She had to focus on the case.
She stood up and turned to go back to the resort. The lights were still on
in Disha’s house. She tiptoed to the window and peeped inside. Disha, Asha
and Ajit were sitting in the room, chatting in a sombre mood. Seeing Asha
and Ajit together reminded her of what Asha had told her about Ajit trying
to coerce her to go to the party with him. Aarya’s fists clenched, aching to
make contact with Ajit’s gut and teach him a lesson.
“Is your AC working?” Dilip’s voice came from behind her.
Aarya almost jumped. She didn’t want to explain what she was doing
peeping through the window. She turned around, ready with some random
explanation, but there was no cause for worry because Dilip had addressed
his question to Sid and Dev, who were strolling on the beach. Why was
everyone awake at this hour tonight?
“No. There seems to be some problem,” Dev replied to him.
Aarya dashed into the shadows and emerged on the far side of the
beach, pretending to return from her run now. Ajit, Disha and Asha were
also out on the beach now.
“What happened?” she asked. “Why are you all outside?”
“The air conditioners aren’t working,” Ajit replied.
Asha and Disha turned to look at her.
“Spend the whole evening in the police station and come back to this
uncomfortable house,” Disha muttered.
“Were you running at this hour? Was it because your AC was also not
working?” Asha asked.
“Mine was fine when I left.”
Dev eagerly stepped forward. “Awesome! Let’s all sit in her room till it
resolves. It’s impossible to sleep in this heat and humidity. Any idea what
the problem is, Dilip?”
“I’ve been trying to call the technician, but he’s not available. Let me
see if I can figure out what’s wrong,” he said and walked to the back side of
the rooms with Asha following him.
Aarya went to her room and unlocked the door. The air-conditioning
was definitely working in her room, and a whiff of cool air greeted her.
Baloo was still lying there. Suddenly, with a clicking noise, the air
conditioner stopped, and the blinking lights on the machine went out.
 “Aw shucks. Gone in this room too, now,” Dev grumbled, loud enough
for all to hear.
The others groaned behind Aarya, but Baloo captured her attention. She
stared at him. He was weirdly unmoving, not greeting her, not wagging his
tail, not even cocking his ears. She knew something was wrong.
She ran to the dog and knelt down beside him. A loud shriek escaped
her lips.
“What happened?” Dev asked as he and Sid ran inside the room.
“Baloo!” Aarya said, taking in deep breaths. “Baloo’s dead.”
Sid sat down next to Aarya. “How could it be?”
Aarya was staring at the dog’s lifeless body. Her eyes brimmed with
tears, daring to escape any moment. She had seen her share of dead bodies,
threats, and fights. They were common in her line of work, but the death of
an innocent animal, an animal that she had come to love, was difficult for
her to digest. The killer had just made the investigation personal. There was
no way in hell that she would let the person go scot-free.
With another click, the air conditioning started working again.
“I found the problem,” came Dilip’s excited voice in a few moments as
he approached the group of people around Aarya’s room. “The connections
with the power source were switched off. I’ve switched–.” Dilip looked at
Ajit and Disha’s grave faces. “What happened here? I was just gone a few
minutes.” He peeped inside and saw Aarya and Sid sitting beside Baloo’s
body, with Dev standing near the table.
“Is he…? What happened? How could it ...?” he stammered, sinking
into a chair.
“I’ll find out,” growled Aarya, wiping her eyes with a swift stroke of
her arm. Her eyes glowed with a feral intensity, radiating anger and
anguish. “I’ll find out the truth. The criminal will not escape,” she hissed
through gritted teeth, staring at all the others one by one. She had the look
of an injured animal, one who would go to any lengths to get what it wants.
“Let’s go,” Disha whispered to Ajit after a few moments, and they left
with Ajit telling Disha about some dog in one village he worked with.
Dev held Aarya by the shoulders and sat down on the floor beside her.
Dilip was finally getting his bearings back. He looked around for Asha,
who stood by the door, her eyes wide open, shocked to the core, as a river
of tears flowed down her cheeks.
 “Asha,” Dilip said, breaking her trance-like state. She looked at her
father, her eyes expressionless, like a zombie’s. “Go home. You need to
rest. I’ll take care of this,” he said. Then, turning to Aarya, he continued,
“I’ll bury him behind the resort, under the trees. May his soul rest in peace.
He will be happier with Sahil now.”
Aarya shook her head. “I need to get to the bottom of this,” she said.
The gears in her brain were moving again after the initial shock. “It has to
do something with the air conditioning. Only this room’s AC was working.
How? Someone must have wanted to harm me. Kill me. Poor Baloo just
happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“AC? How can that have anything to do with it? Plus, your room’s
switch was also off. I just turned all of them on myself.”
“You did, did you? I have only your word to prove it. My room’s AC
was working when I entered, stopped a few seconds later and then came
back on.” Aarya snapped, walking out of the room. Dev followed her
outside.
Dilip and Sid lifted Baloo’s body and started walking to the backside of
the resort. Aarya was examining the AC switches. They were right by the
generator.
“Aanu made these switches here so we could switch off the ACs if some
guests leave it on when they’re not in the rooms. It saves electricity,” came
Asha’s voice from behind.
Aarya turned around. Tears stung her eyes, and she wiped them off
before they could venture out. There was no place for tears right now.
“Maybe you should rest for now,” Asha said. “Maybe we all should if
we can.”
Aarya nodded. “Go home, Asha. Tell the others to stay inside as well.
You too, Dev. It’s been a long day. I’ll just look around a little more.”
Asha stood by the wall, and Dev walked ahead and was examining
something behind Aarya’s room.
“What’s this?” he exclaimed.
Aarya dashed to him with Asha on her heels. There were two cylinders
thrown into the corner. She switched on her phone’s flashlight to examine
them.
“Carbon monoxide!” she whispered. There was a small pipe on the
nozzle of one cylinder. “Someone probably attached this to the AC vents in
my room. That’s why I felt a headache before I went out. If I’d slept, I’d be
dead, like Baloo.”
“What! This is going too far, Aarya.” Dev’s voice was strained with a
tinge of fear. “First the threat, now an actual attempt on your life. You won’t
always be this lucky.”
Aarya ignored him and looked around, trying to find footprints or any
clues about who had been there. “Get some gloves from my room and take
the cylinders inside. I want to get them checked for fingerprints.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” came Asha’s voice. They turned around to see the
cylinders in her hands. “I thought I’ll remove them from here because you
said they’re dangerous. I didn’t know you wanted to check for prints. I was
only trying to help.”
“Don’t worry.” Aarya let out a deep sigh. It was tough being surrounded
by amateurs. “Just leave them. We’ll discount for your prints and see if
there are any others.”
“If it was a killer, don’t you think he would have used gloves and left no
prints?” Dev asked.
“Perhaps. We’ll see. Dev, please get the gloves before others also mess
it all up.” Why didn’t people just follow instructions? It would be so much
simpler to do it all by oneself.
Ajit and Disha were coming in from the front of the resort, while Sid
and Dilip were returning after burying Baloo.
“What happened?” Sid enquired.
Aarya told them what she and Dev had found. Disha gasped and stood
leaning against the room, her head raised to the skies. Dilip shook his head
and slumped against a tree while Asha went to him and sat down next to
him, tears streaming down her face. Besides Sahil, Asha was the one person
who had paid some attention to the dog. Ajit stood rooted to his place, his
mouth open in shock.
Sid walked over to Aarya. “This is all too dangerous for comfort now,
Aarya. I think we should back out of this.”
Aarya could feel his pulse quickening as he held her hand. His breath
came in quick gasps. She could sense the fear and the past trauma work
their way into his brain and sinews. She couldn’t do that to him.
“Let’s talk about it tomorrow morning. For now, rest.”
She stole a glance at Disha. She was still standing there, expressionless.
What was going on in her head? Was she upset her plans failed? Hadn’t
Shruti, her friend from IISc, told her that the one toxic substance that Disha
dealt with was Carbon Monoxide?

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 19
Meeting with Ajit-Round 2
After ensuring everyone had gone to their respective rooms and the
cylinders were secure in a corner of her room, Aarya shut her door to the
outside world and sank down into her bed, the lump in her throat rising with
every passing second. Away from the gaze of other people, she let the tears
flow down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, and Baloo’s image swam before
her eyes.
She could see his lifeless body, his unseeing eyes, the image so vivid
that she had to open her eyes to escape it. The feeling of guilt slowly rose
despite her reasoning mind advising her against it. If she hadn’t given the
poor dog food, he would be outside, not in her room, sleeping to his death.
She missed Simba, Sid’s pet German Shepherd, who loved her almost as
much as Sid and longed for his company and his unconditional love.
She heard the ocean waves falling against the rocks from the open
window of her room. With each splash, they seemed to berate her for
causing an innocent being’s death. She wanted to close her window and
shut out all sounds as if it would shut out all feelings too, but Dev and Sid
had insisted that she not sleep in a closed room. Who knew? The killer
might try something again.
Aarya knew they would make no other attempt tonight. She had dealt
with enough criminals to know that. Yet sleep eluded her. She tossed and
turned on the bed. Her brain told her that her body needed the rest if she
wanted to be productive the next day, but the pain in her heart kept her
awake. She reprimanded herself for her feelings, which prevented her from
doing logical things. She knew she hadn’t killed Baloo, yet the guilt crept
into her heart.
Every time she tried to think of the case and who could have put in the
cylinders or removed them, her mind flew over to Baloo, his antics when he
was alive, and his body lying on the floor when she found him.
“That’s why attachment to anything or any person is not good,” she
hissed to herself. “All it brings is pain, misery and suffering, reducing your
productivity and logical thinking and endangering their lives.” She thought
of Dev. “No attachments,” she muttered to herself.
Sometime during the night, in between her musings and pain, she slept.
 She woke up at her usual time. As per their previous plan, Sid had to
leave for the airport to go to Mumbai to meet Sahil’s mother. But things had
changed since then. She would ask him to return to Delhi. But she would
stay put till she had solved the case.
She checked Sid’s room. Locked. She called him.
“I’m on my way to the airport. I’d messaged Sahil’s mother that I’d
meet her. Also, I know you won’t leave till you find out who killed your
dear Baloo. So, I’ll do all I can. You take care.”
Sid was a good friend. She smiled a sad smile as she put on her running
gear. Her body felt tired, and her head hurt, but she was not one to give up
her daily exercise. If anything, she knew it would at least make her feel
better. As she ran, she planned her next course of action. Ribeiro would
send someone to collect the cylinders and run a fingerprint analysis. She
had to meet the jeweller Disha had visited. Could she have got the poison
and poured it into Sahil’s food? Perhaps they had a fight, and on the spur of
the moment, she did it. She definitely had access to the poisonous gas and
could have gotten the cyanide as well. But this was not a spur-of-the-
moment crime.
She spied Ajit sitting on a rock by the ocean, and it brought forth the
anger in her again. She marched to him and stood right in front of him, her
hands folded, eyes staring down at the man.
Ajit looked up and sat up straight, tucking in his paunch. “Hey, Aarya.
Did you get some sleep?”
Looking at his red eyes, it was quite clear that he had slept little last
night.
Aarya shook her head. “But that doesn’t matter. Tell me why you lied to
me?”
Ajit squinted his eyes and stared at Aarya’s face, fear creeping up on his
visage. “What lies?” he stammered.
Aarya bent down, almost breathing into his face. She grasped him by
his shoulder. “Don’t act smart. You were here on Saturday evening. Isn’t
that right?”
After a few seconds of trying to stare into Aarya’s face, Ajit looked
away and nodded.
“You met Asha?”
He nodded again, and Aarya’s fingers clenched themselves into a fist.
She had to get the answers before she beat him. She had to control.
 “You want to tell me about it and why you lied?”
“Look, I’m sorry I lied. But I didn’t think it mattered since I didn’t
come to the resort, nor did I meet Sahil after I left in the morning. Not a
moment goes by when I don’t wish I had come and met him as well.
Perhaps he would’ve been alive. Perhaps–” Ajit took out a handkerchief
and blew his nose.
“I’m sorry,” he said after a pause, gaining some semblance of control
over his voice. “My friends and I had planned to go to a party. I came back
to invite Asha to be my date. I saw her sitting alone behind Bytes and went
to her.”
Aarya’s face grew red as her anger burnt inside her.
“You tried to force her to talk to you, right? You harassed her to go with
you?” she hissed.
Ajit turned to face her. “What? Of course not. I asked her nicely. She
refused. I’ve had a crush on her ever since I saw her. She has the face and
temperament that can make any man crazy, I think. Her voice, her beautiful
eyes, the way she ties her hair in a bun, the way she walks….”
“Enough. I get it.”
“But between Sahil and me, she would always choose Sahil.”
“Sahil! Did he also have a crush on her?”
Ajit sneered. “Hah. No, I don’t think so. Despite their problems, he still
loved Disha. We all love most what we can’t have.”
“What do you mean?”
Ajit shook his head and closed his eyes. “I just meant that everyone
prefers Sahil over me. After meeting and knowing Sahil, Asha would never
fall for me. That’s all.”
“Why did you lie?”
“I already told you I didn’t think it mattered. Plus,” he paused, let out a
deep sigh, and continued in his nasal voice. “I didn’t want anyone to know I
asked Asha out and got rejected by her. It would be embarrassing for me
and also for her. I’m sure Dilip wouldn’t approve of it as well. There was
enough on everyone’s plate, and I didn’t want to add any more to their
troubles.”
Aarya felt he was telling the truth. Perhaps Asha felt uncomfortable
with the way he accosted her, but his intentions were not to harass the
woman. She nodded, unclenched her fists and sat down beside him.
“Were you and Sahil close?”
 Ajit turned his face to look at her. “Not as close as I’d like. I wish I’d
been a better brother to him and spent more time together. But we always
think we’ll do it later. That there’s still time… till there isn’t, and then we’re
left with only regrets.”
Aarya patted him on the shoulder.
“He was always so full of life. I never imagined he would leave us so
soon. Here, he’d sent Ma and me this recording.” He opened an audio file.
It was Sahil singing, “Love you Zindagi,” the song Asha had heard in
Sahil’s voice the previous day!
Had someone played the recording? But there was no one in the house
then. The officers had already taken Disha and Ajit to the police station.
“Did he send it to anyone else?” she asked.
“He’d made it his ringtone,” Ajit smiled. “He liked to hear himself
every time his phone rang. Knowing Sahil, he could’ve shared the song
with everyone he knew or no one. Who knows?”
Aarya understood Ajit didn’t know his brother too well. “What did
Ribeiro want from you and Disha yesterday? He’d taken Sahil’s phone as
well, right?”
Ajit nodded. “He picked up his laptop and phone and took them to the
station. He asked us the usual questions. I think he believes either Simon or
Disha is the culprit.” He paused, staring into the horizon. “I think it’s
probably Simon. He knew your room and could have accessed the AC vents
last night. This old lady in one village told me a story once about how a
man poisoned all marriage attendees because of a small spiff.” He paused,
then turned to look at Aarya. “You know what, I think you should back off
from this case now, Aarya.”
“Why?”
“It’s too dangerous. I withdraw my earlier request to you. The police are
zeroing in on the culprit, and Ribeiro seems more than capable of handling
it. I don’t want you or your friends to get in trouble. If it’s a matter of
money, I will pay you whatever is due. But please leave this case alone.
That’s what’s best for you.”
“Why don’t you let me decide what’s best for me?”
“Your wish,” Ajit shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t tell me later that I
didn’t warn you. For your own safety, please leave us all alone.”
“Is that a threat?” Aarya asked, taken aback by the turn the conversation
had taken.
 “Take it as you please,” Ajit stood up and walked back to his room
while Aarya sat there, staring after him, wondering what could have caused
the change in his tone and demeanour. Was his concern for her genuine?
Did last night’s incident affect him so much? Or was there something else
that had perturbed him?
She needed all the facts she could get, but Ribeiro had taken away two
major sources of information. She remembered her conversation with Sid
the previous evening about the police officer, who was Simon’s friend.
Perhaps he could help get that data.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 20
Meeting with the Jeweller
“I need to meet the jeweller before I question Disha again,” Aarya said,
her mouth half-full of masala dosa.
Dev had insisted they eat at some restaurant. “After last night, I can’t
trust anyone here, in this resort. And I don’t want to die of cyanide or any
other poisoning.” And so they had driven off to a nearby restaurant in their
rented car.
“I can take you to the jeweller. I don’t remember the name of the shop,
but I vaguely remember the location where I saw Disha. Chaudi market is
not big, so I’m sure I can find the place once I’m there. And maybe this
time, you can help me choose the gift for my mom as well.” Dev smiled,
giving Aarya a slanted glance.
“I’m no good at buying jewellery. But I appreciate the offer to show me
the shop. Sid keeps buying things for his girlfriends. He could’ve been of
more help to you,” Aarya replied in a formal tone devoid of friendliness and
familiarity. No attachments, she reminded herself.
“Yeah, sure. Whatever,” replied Dev, shaking his head and staring at his
plate.
Aarya knew her abrupt remark had hurt Dev, but better to be hurt now
than later. Attachments only lead to trouble and heartache. She couldn’t let
herself get attached to anyone. Not in her line of work. It was better to keep
such people at a distance, people you could care about.
She took a deep breath and continued to stare at her plate till she felt
Dev’s hand on hers.
“I understand you’re troubled. I’m not blind. You cared for Baloo. Just
know that I’m here for you if you need someone to talk about it.”
Despite herself, Aarya smiled and began eating the rest of her breakfast.
Chaudi Bazaar was a small market with no supermarkets or malls.
Small independent stores selling groceries, fruits and vegetables, flowers,
and utensils lined the streets on either side. They parked their car by the
side of the road and walked the remaining distance on foot.
“This is it,” Dev said as they reached a jewellery store. It was a small
shop with one man sitting behind the counter. Behind him, heavy necklaces,
earrings, and bracelets glittered on shelves with glass doors. The countertop
was also made of glass, and thinner chains, rings, and bangles were visible
from the top.
“How can I help you?” the man behind the counter smiled and said,
looking at Aarya.
“Are you the owner? I need to talk to the person in charge regarding an
investigation.” Aarya slid her card on the counter toward the man.
He picked it up, raised his eyebrows to look at Aarya, and gulped. With
both his hands in his pockets, he moved his eyes from Aarya to her friend
and back. “I’m sorry. I’m not the owner. You may please leave if you’re not
interested in jewellery.”
Aarya banged her palms on the counter and glared at him. “Don’t make
it more difficult than it needs to be. Where. Is. Your. Boss?”
The man wiped the sweat from his forehead. “He’s not here,” he said in
a trembling voice. “And I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Did I say that?” Aarya hissed, her right hand clenching into a fist.
She was about to raise her fist when she felt Dev’s hand holding her.
“Look, man. She needs to talk to the owner about Ms Disha, who is your
customer. And as for an interest in jewellery, I need to buy something for
my mother, perhaps a ring or bangles. Why don’t you show me some
designs while she discusses the investigation matter with your boss?”
The man loosened his tense shoulders and relaxed his forehead. He took
out his other hand from his pocket as well and walked over to a tiny door on
the far side of the shop, and opened it by a few inches.
“Sir, Ms Aarya Sarkar wants to talk to you,” he said, reading her name
from the card and handing it over to the older man who emerged from
behind the door. “She says she’s an investigator.”
Aarya turned to face the man. He wore his white hair long to cover the
increasing baldness of his head. His spectacles hung from his neck with a
long, golden chain. He spread out his lips and gave Aarya a wrinkled smile.
“Come,” he said. “Unfortunately, I have space for just one person. We
rarely entertain guests here.” He looked apologetically at Dev.
“Don’t mind me,” Dev said, waving his hand and putting the old man at
ease. “I have to find a gift for my mother. This is as good a time as any to
do that.”
Aarya went behind the counter and through the tiny door into a small
cubicle. There was a large almirah that filled up half the room, leaving just
enough space for a compact table with two chairs. She took her seat.
 “How can I help you? Ms Aarya, right?” he said, closing the door
behind him and sitting opposite Aarya.
Aarya nodded. “Do you remember this woman?” she asked, showing
Disha’s photograph from her phone.
The man examined it and nodded. “She had come here some days back.
Saturday, if my memory serves me right.”
“Can you tell me the purpose of her visit?”
“She had given some bangles to be made. I’d told her it would take a
minimum of ten days, but she came within a week to check again. That’s
all. Why do you ask?”
“Do you keep potassium cyanide in here?” Aarya interrogated, ignoring
his question.
The man scoffed. “Of course not. We sell jewellery. Potassium cyanide
is not something anyone can get, you know. You need to have a license
issued by the Goldsmith’s Association to buy it. I don’t want to get into
that. I get my jewellery made by others. My customers come for my
designs, which are unique.”
Aarya nodded her head. “How long have you been staying in this area?”
“All my life. When no tourists came so far down South, and we were
just a small village.”
“So, you must be knowing all the people who used to live here, then? I
come from a small town myself, and we all seem to know everyone else in
the town.” Aarya smiled.
“Ah, those were the times. I miss it all, even though business is much
better now, but still. Life was much simpler then.”
“Do you know Dilip, the owner of Mariana Resort?”
“Dilip?” the old man repeated. “Dilip Amonkar?”
Aarya nodded.
“Yes, I do. In fact, we have a very good common friend, Karekar. He is
a goldsmith. That’s how I know him. Karekar also stays in Karwar, where
Dilip’s parents stay. Their kids went to the same school and all. They are
good friends, and Karekar introduced me to him. A good man, from what I
remember. I hear he’s doing well for himself. Unfortunately, his manager
died recently.”
He paused and looked at Aarya. “This lady whose photo you showed
me. Isn’t she the manager’s wife?” His eyes grew wide, and he leaned
forward. “No way. Was Sahil murdered? I heard he died of a heart attack,”
he whispered.
Aarya said nothing.
“How come there is nothing in the newspapers about it if it is murder?
Did his wife do it?”
Aarya shook her head. “Please, Sir, don’t get ahead of yourself. We
don’t know much yet. This is mere information gathering.”
“Of course. Of course. He was a good man, this manager. Very polite.
So is his wife, from my few interactions with her. Doesn’t talk much but has
a good eye for designs. Graceful, beautiful, and not too garish. Anyway, let
me know if you need my help for anything.”
“Can you send me Mr Karekar’s contact details?”
“Karekar? Why?”
“Please. It might be useful. Also, I’d request you not to mention this
visit to anyone—Dilip or Karekar or anyone else.”
The man nodded. “Sure. Sure,” he said, taking out his phone and
showing Aarya Karekar’s number.
Aarya noted it down and also noted the address of Karekar’s shop in
Karwar.
“Is that your assistant outside?” she asked, standing up to leave.
“That? No. He’s my nephew. Usually, my son handles the shop, but he’s
travelling, so my nephew came over to help me out. One lazy fellow he is.
But he’s family, right? You gotta help them out. My son will be back
tomorrow, and then he can decide if he wants to keep him on or not.”
Aarya bit her lips. “You might want to check his pockets before he
leaves. There seems to be a very shiny ring, more shiny than genuine gold,
on your display outside.”
She walked out. Dev was paying for a set of bangles that he had bought
for his mother.
“Beautiful design,” Aarya said with a slight upturn of her lips when he
showed her.
Behind them, they could hear the old man accosting his nephew loud
enough for all to hear. Dev turned around to look at the commotion and
asked her if she was in any way responsible for what was happening.
Aarya nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. Disha did not get the
cyanide from this shop. But another possibility had opened up. Dilip, too,
knew a goldsmith. And goldsmith would have a license for potassium
cyanide.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 21
Meeting with Disha-Round 2
On their way back, Aarya called Sid and briefed him and Dev on her
conversation with the jeweller.
“We’ll need to visit Mr Karekar,” she said. “A phone call might not be
enough. But before that, I need to talk to Disha. I want to know what
Ribeiro asked her yesterday and perhaps understand her work better.”
As they neared the resort, they saw Simon sitting on the rock behind his
restaurant. Aarya got out while Dev parked the car.
Simon looked up as she walked to him and nodded, giving her a brief
smile.
“How’re you holding up?” Aarya asked.
“What d’ya think? Ribeiro is convinced I’m the culprit. He so much as
says to me, Yo Lobo, you better confess. Disha, of course, didn’t help. She
tells me, yesterday, in Ribeiro’s presence. Simon, she says, why did you
poison Sahil? Me? I say to her. I did nothing to hurt the man. She scoffs,
that woman, with her calm, straight face, as if I was lying.”
“What do you think of Disha? Have you met her often?”
“Yea. I talk to her when she comes down from Bangalore. I always
thought we got along well. Not that we spoke much to each other, but we
talked a little, which was more than what she did with most people around
here. She’s very different from Sahil. But as to what I think of her.” He
paused, trying to frame his thoughts. “She’s okay. Doesn’t talk much. But I
guess between us, that was fine, given that I sometimes tend to talk a lot.”
“Sometimes?”
“Okay, okay. Often I tend to talk a lot. And Disha, she was a good
listener. So it worked.”
Aarya nodded. “You’ve engaged a lawyer?”
“Yea. Yea, I have. Small-time man he is. I dunno when Ribeiro might
scare him, and all I’ll see will be his fat back scurrying away. Not a good
time for me, for sure,” he grimaced.
Aarya could never find the right thing to say when people ranted in
front of her, and years of saying the wrong things had made her learn to
keep quiet at such times.
Simon turned to her, his face contorted by pain and fear. “I’d no reason
to kill Sahil, but no one believes me. Please, Aarya, you gotta help me out.
Ribeiro told me. He says, Lobo, I’ll get an arrest warrant for you by
tomorrow morning. He’s taken half-statements by my staff and spun them
into yarns to fit his version.”
“I’ll try my best to find the truth, Simon.”
“Y’know what I think? I think ‘twas Dilip, or maybe even Disha. My
girl, Leena, she told me Disha’s a chemistry teacher in this high-flying
college with access to all kinds of poisons and the rest. Why couldn’t she
have done it? Or maybe ‘twas someone from his past, from before he came
to Goa? How are we to know what enemies Sahil had? But I never did
anything.”
He held Aarya’s hand. “Please,” he pleaded. “I know how Ribeiro
works. He’ll get a warrant and take me in tomorrow morning, that man.”
Aarya stood up. “Then we have no time to waste.”
She went straight to Disha’s house. On her way through Ajit’s open
window, she glimpsed Dev talking to Ajit. Ajit’s back was to the window,
and she gestured to Dev that she was going to meet Disha. Then a thought
struck her, and she messaged Dev: “Ask him about Sahil’s will. How much
was his wealth, and who gets it?”
She could hear the sounds of utensils and cupboard doors banging as
she rapped loudly on Disha’s door.
“Come in,” said Disha. “The door’s open.”
“Searching for something?” Aarya asked, looking at a frazzled Disha as
she stepped inside.
Disha turned. “Oh, it’s you. I thought it was Asha. Please sit down. I
was just looking for my salt bottle. It’s a mixture of salt and some spices to
flavour my meals.”
“How are you feeling today?”
“Fine. Keeping myself busy with inconsequential things, like looking
for a bottle of salt. Doing anything, for that matter, to keep me thinking
about Sahil.” The signs of poor or no sleep showed through the dark circles
under her eyes. The colour of henna had faded on some strands of hair, and
traces of silver hair peeked through.
“Please, sit down,” she said, beckoning Aarya to the sofa.
“I don’t want to extend this conversation more than required. I know it’s
painful for you. So, I’ll keep it direct and not beat about the bush. Okay?”
Disha nodded.
 “Why did you lie to us and say that you and Sahil were happily
married? You were having problems, weren’t you?”
Disha regarded Aarya and nodded slowly. “We were. I didn’t think
bringing all that up when he was no more made sense. I obviously thought
he died of a heart attack and had no idea that Simon had poisoned him.”
“Why do you say Simon poisoned him?”
“Principle of elimination! I know I didn’t do it. So that leaves only
Simon. And we all know that he and Sahil fought some time ago.”
“But Simon says they’d sorted it out. Didn’t Sahil talk to you about it?”
Disha opened her mouth to speak, then shut it again. She shook her
head, looked down, and said in a whisper. “I didn’t feel like talking to him
about the work here. This resort work here was what was causing the
problems between us. He never had time, and we grew apart.”
“Was that why he asked you for a divorce?” Aarya probed.
Disha’s eyes shot up. “He? Asking me for a divorce? Who told you
that? Poor Sahil. No. He still thought we could make it work. But I couldn’t
do it anymore. I couldn’t travel every couple of weeks. My work was
suffering, and so was my health. In fact,” she said, her voice going down to
a whisper. “I wanted to finalise the divorce formalities this time, which is
why I stayed so long.”
“And did you?”
She shook her head. “Sahil wasn’t ready yet. I think he saw my
perspective but thought he could make it work somehow. He was trying to
convince me to join him here. He wanted to open a new resort and wanted
me to be his partner in that.”
“What did you tell him?”
She paused, looked at Aarya, and then turned her gaze towards the
ocean. “Look, Aarya. I loved him, but I’m a practical woman. I could see
Sahil desperately trying to find solutions. A part of me wanted to believe
we could still find a solution. But it wasn’t possible without one of us
sacrificing our careers. I love my work and didn’t want to be part of this
resort business. And Sahil. He loved it here. At his insistence, we decided to
give it some more time. But unfortunately, it ended before that.”
Aarya felt sorry for the woman. She stood up and walked over to the
window. It was a beautiful view. No wonder Sahil didn’t want to leave this
place. She continued to stare outside at the waves glinting in the sunlight.
 “What about Sahil’s wealth? Who gets it now?” Aarya asked, turning
her back to the window and looking straight at Disha.
Disha regarded her quietly. “I don’t think he made any will or anything.
Not to my knowledge. But there is nothing much that he had in terms of
assets. A house in Bangalore that we both own and for which I have been
paying the bank EMIs. Some small amounts invested in mutual funds. He
put most of his savings here, not that he had much saved.”
“What about insurance?”
“He didn’t have term insurance, and for medical insurance, he was
covered earlier by his company and now, as my spouse, through my
institute. I don’t think money could be a reason for anyone to murder him.”
“Regarding your work, your projects involve Carbon Monoxide, isn’t
it?”
Disha stiffened and nodded. “Yes. How do you know? Did Asha tell
you?”
“Asha?”
“I’d told her about my projects. Did she tell you I worked with the gas?”
Aarya shook her head. She wondered at the mistrust all these people had
of each other. But that was the trait of most humans, turning on each other
to save their skins. That was what a lot of interrogators exploited to make
members of a gang turn on each other.
Disha was still looking at her, so she quelled her anxiety. “No. I’m a
detective, remember? I have ways of finding out information. Do you know
how the cylinders could have got here last night?”
“How would I know, Aarya? I work in Bangalore, and we have a
department that procures all chemicals for us. I don’t go around buying
these things, nor do I carry them. Are you trying to insinuate anything?”
Aarya shook her head. “No. I’m not. I wanted to understand if you
knew how the cylinder could have got here.”
Disha shrugged. “No idea.”
There was a silence where both the women stared at each other. Aarya
tried to decipher what was going on in Disha’s head and how she could
extract more information from her.
“What do you think of Ajit?”
Disha relaxed a little at the change of discussion. “Ajit? He is a nice,
fun-loving man. Not as social or energetic as Sahil, but he has a circle of
very close friends. He’d die for them. A very close-knit group they are.”
 “How is your relationship with him?”
“We get along fine. Not very close, but I like him, and we help each
other out if possible. I helped his friend’s sister get a job through my
network. And he helps me out when he can, especially regarding Sahil’s
mom. Or other things as well, like this week, when I told him I was buying
some bangles from the local jeweller, he told me I could get a discount on
making charges if I bought from his friend.”
Aarya turned around and clapped her eyes on Disha. “His friend’s a
jeweller?”
Disha nodded. “He has a big shop somewhere in Andheri, Mumbai. But
I’d already paid part amount to this person in Chaudi Market.”
That was interesting.
“You know the details of his friend?”
Disha shook her head. “I didn’t ask since there was no need for it.
Why?”
“Nothing.” Aarya continued after a brief pause. “What about Asha?”
“Asha and Ajit? I think Ajit has had a crush on that girl ever since he
saw her. But Asha is….”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know her very well. I don’t think she likes Ajit the way he likes
her.”
“You think Ajit would misbehave with her?”
“No!” Disha said in an emphatic voice. “Ajit’s a proper gentleman. He
might try to persuade her but won’t misbehave. Unless someone takes his
persuasion as misbehaviour.”
Something caught Aarya’s eye, and she walked over to the small shelf
by the wall behind the sofa. There was a stack of magazines. She picked up
one. “Would you mind if I borrow this?”
Disha nodded absent-mindedly. “Sure. If you don’t mind my asking, are
you getting anywhere with your investigation? Ribeiro thinks it’s Simon or
me.”
“What did he discuss with you yesterday?”
“He tried to scare me into saying I put the poison in the food. Tried to
put words into my mouth. But part of the food I cooked was still in the
pans, and the tests for them had come out negative. So I don’t think he had
a valid case.” She looked up at Aarya, who was flicking through the pages
of the other magazines.
 “That’s what he did the whole afternoon?”
Disha nodded and said in a composed voice. “Pressure tactics, I think.”
Aarya looked up from the magazine. “What do you really think? You’ve
spoken to Simon a few times, I gather. Do you peg the man as a murderer?”
Disha let out a sigh. “I don’t know what to think. Simon talks a lot, too
much for my liking. But I wouldn’t have thought he could kill anyone,
especially not Sahil. I can’t imagine anyone hating Sahil enough to kill him.
I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like him or has anything bad to say
about him.”
“Thanks for your time, Disha. You’ve been most helpful.” Aarya said,
walking to the door with a smile and one magazine in her hand. She had the
first real clue in her hand.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 22
What’s the Motive?
Aarya walked back to her room. Dev was waiting outside, leaning on
the wall and staring at the ocean. A smile lit up his face when he saw her.
“I found out about the will and something more,” he blurted as soon as
she was near enough. “A clue, I think.” He beamed as Aarya unlocked her
door, and they went inside.
She glanced at the rug beneath the table where Baloo lay last night, and
a chill ran down her spine. She shook it off and turned to Dev. “Same here.
But you go first.”
“First, about the will. There weren’t too many assets that Sahil had. He
had invested a large part of his money in the resort. He and Disha have a
house in Bangalore in both their names, and both have jointly paid for it.
That will go to Disha. Some amount of cash, though nothing significant.”
Aarya nodded. “Disha told me the same. Doesn’t seem like a motive for
murder. What else?”
“It’s not just Dilip who has a jeweller friend,” Dev whispered.
“Sorry to rain on your parade, but I know Ajit also has a jeweller
friend.”
“What? How? Not fair,” Dev stamped his feet.
Aarya smiled at Dev’s exaggerated disappointment. “Disha told me.”
Dev slumped into a chair and pouted. “And I thought I had extracted
some new information.” He flicked a piece of paper on the table.
“What’s this?”
“The shop address and phone number of Ajit’s friend, Pawas. He stays
in Andheri. Has his shop there as well. But you probably know that, too.”
“Hey, that’s awesome,” Aarya picked up the visiting card from the
table. “I was wondering how I’ll ask Ajit for this information. Good work.”
Dev raised his eyes, his pout gradually transforming into a smile.
“Thanks. I told him I wanted to buy my mom’s birthday gift. Ajit was only
too happy to help. He said I could call his friend for designs. I could even
pick it up from their Bangalore branch. Apparently, Pawas was also in Goa
for these guys’ weekend party. He’s returned to Mumbai now. Otherwise,
we could’ve met him.”
“No issues. I’m sure Sid can meet two people while he’s in Mumbai.
From what I remember, Sahil’s mom is also in Andheri.” Aarya placed a
quick call to Sid and asked him to meet up with Pawas as well.
“What was your clue? You said you had one as well.”
Aarya waved the magazine she had got from Disha.
“I didn’t know you were interested in reading these women’s
magazines,” Dev said, peeking at the magazine.
Aarya jerked her head up and stared at Dev, giving him a slant smile.
“You think I brought it here to read? Looks like you still don’t know me.”
She picked up some papers from the table and sat on the bed, placing
the magazine beside her. Flipping through the papers, she found the one she
was looking for.
“That’s the threat you received, isn’t it?”
Aarya nodded. “Notice something?” she asked, holding the note before
her.
Dev stared at it for some time; then, a gasp escaped his lips. “The paper.
The letters that have been cut and pasted. They have the same tint and
texture as the magazine. Even the font is the same.”
Aarya nodded and gave him an appreciative glance. That was a quick
observation. He seemed more intelligent than the average man. “Exactly,”
she said. “I’ll bet my money that one of these magazines was used in that
threat note.”
“So you think it was Disha?”
Aarya shrugged. “Can’t say for sure. I did pick up the magazine from
her home. I know she had access to carbon monoxide, though how she got
it here is a mystery. She could potentially have access to cyanide.” She
pursed her lips.
“What I’m unable to ascertain in this case is a clear motive. Disha said
she wanted a divorce, but Sahil was trying to make it work. Given the type
of man Sahil is, I don’t think she would kill him for not divorcing. I don’t
think he would create that much fuss if he knew for sure that she wanted to
separate.” She paused and shook her head. “I understand why someone is
trying to threaten or scare me off. The motive for that is clear. But, to kill
Sahil. I still can’t find a strong enough motive for anyone to kill him. Are
we missing something? Is someone still lying about something or hiding
it?”
“Or maybe someone killed him over a small thing. You see it every day
in the news,” Dev said. “People are killing each other over even smaller
things than these, and here it was money, business, perhaps a free life. What
bigger motivators are there?”
Aarya nodded. Her gut told her she was missing something. This was
not a crime of sudden anger. It was pre-planned. More importantly, killing
is usually the last resort for people. Why would they kill Sahil if they had
an easier way to sort out their problems and issues? Unless one of them was
lying through their teeth.
“So, what’s the next step now?” Dev asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“I need to meet Dilip’s jeweller friend, Karekar, while Sid meets with
Pawas, and I also need to find out about the carbon monoxide cylinders.”
Dev nodded. “Sure, madam. Whatever you say. Let’s go.”
Aarya hesitated. “I’d rather do it myself. I don’t want anyone to get into
any mess because of my work.”
“Everyone needs help, Aarya. You can’t do it all alone.” Dev held her
by the shoulders. “I’m coming with you, like it or not. It’s up to you to use
my help or treat me as a burden.”
Aarya could see that he was serious and wouldn’t back off. It would be
so much simpler if she hated him. She could just have punched him and
locked him in his room. But she didn’t hate him. She let out a deep breath.
“Okay,” she said after a pause and shrugged off his arms from her
shoulders. “You can visit Karekar. Meanwhile, I’ll try to find out about the
gas source.”
“Are you sure you’ll be fine?” Dev asked, his forehead scrunched up
with worry.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, people are trying to kill you. Shouldn’t we be together?”
Aarya stood up, ignoring Dev, and walked out. She had to do the risky
part alone. She couldn’t let anyone endanger their lives for her.
“So, you won’t listen to reason if it comes to your own safety? Is that
it?” he yelled from behind.
Aarya turned her head. “Finally, you understand at least some part of
my behaviour.” She walked to him and flicked him on the head. “Don’t
worry. We’ll meet here in the evening. You must find out if Karekar has
access to potassium cyanide and whether Dilip asked about it.”
“As if he’ll tell me.” Dev sneered.
“That’s the art. Ask in a roundabout way. Flatter, threaten, do whatever
needs to be done, but get the information. I’m trusting you with it.”
 “Yes, ma’am. You can take the car. I’ll see if I can borrow Ajit’s. Will
you be driving around much?”
“I don’t know. I’ll first be asking about the suppliers. Don’t worry about
me. You take the rental car. I’ll manage with a taxi if I need one. I don’t like
the idea of taking help from a suspect if we can avoid it.”
Dev looked into her black eyes. “Please, Aarya. Take care. I have a bad
feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something’s not right.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 23
Sid: Mumbai Visit
Sid had taken the early morning flight to Mumbai. The previous night’s
incident had jolted him almost to the point of having a panic attack. The
memories of The Crimson Party case played on in his mind. He wanted to
call it quits. He would have if the decision rested on him.
But he knew, beyond doubt, that now, more than ever, Aarya wouldn’t
let go. With Baloo dead, he knew she must be blaming herself. She
wouldn’t rest. She wouldn’t give up till she had the killer. He couldn’t let
her do it alone, not with people threatening and trying to kill her. The best
course of action, he realised, was to help her. Help her find the killer as fast
as possible and get the hell away from this place.
She had messaged him to get details from Sahil’s laptop and phone from
the police officer–Simon’s friend. He had his number, but it was too early to
call him.
He called up his mother from the airport. He’d told her they were
staying on for a few more days in Goa, but she did not know why.
“To Mumbai?” she asked. “Why?”
He gave her a brief about Sahil’s death, leaving out the bit about the
attempt on Aarya’s life.
“Hmm. Aarya somehow always ends up in places where she’s needed.
But, Siddu, are you okay with it? Hadn’t the doctor told you to stay away
from such things?”
“I’m fine, Mom. It’s helping me. Facing my problems and fears head-
on. That’s what both you and Aarya always say.”
“And what about that new friend of yours? Dev? How is he? Has Aarya
managed to scare him off yet?”
“Naah. He’s going strong. I have a feeling that Aarya likes him.”
“Um. Really?” His mother continued in a soft voice. “I spoke to Aarya’s
mother some days ago. She told me about him. He seems to come from a
nice, simple family. They left Nainital when he was in school and stayed in
Mumbai and Bangalore for many years. Moved back only a year ago or so.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” Sid snapped.
“No reason. Just wanted to see your reaction. Why don’t you talk to
her?”
“Talk to whom?”
 “Aarya, of course.”
“There’s nothing to tell her, Mom. Anyway, boarding has started. I
better leave now.”
Throughout the short flight, he thought of what his mom had said. Was
there anything to tell Aarya? He was attracted to her initially, but she had
made it amply clear that there was no place in her life for any relationship
other than friendship. He wondered if that was changing now with Dev.
A stab of jealousy pierced through his heart. He shook his head. Dev
was also just a friend. He took liberties. Sure. He flirted a little. Yes. But did
Aarya think of him as someone more than a friend? He couldn’t be certain.
He had teased her to gauge what she felt from her reactions. Sometimes it
seemed she liked him, and other times she reacted as if she didn’t. Even if
she did like him, shouldn’t he be happy for her? Why complicate things?
He was in the taxi after the plane landed in Mumbai, on his way to
Sahil’s mother’s house when Aarya’s name popped up on his screen. He
picked it up, a smile on his face. The smile disappeared as he realised he
was on speaker and Dev was with her, helping her with her investigation
while he was out here, just checking in on the mother. She briefed him
about their visit to the jeweller. He listened half-heartedly.
Sahil’s mother and her sister lived in a small apartment in Andheri. It
was close to the western line, therefore, prime property, but it was tiny. He
wondered why they didn’t move to Delhi and live in more spacious houses
instead.
The living room, where the women escorted him, was a small space
with a two-seater sofa and two armchairs. It was small, but it was homely.
Sahil’s mom sat on the chair and motioned for him to sit on the couch. Her
sister disappeared into a room, leaving them to talk in peace.
“Ajit told me you might visit. What is it you’d like to know?” Her hair
was all silver, tied in a small bun at the nape, her face wrinkled and sad. But
Sid imagined she must look pretty even now when she smiled. She sat
down with her back straight, draped in a crisp beige-coloured saree with her
hands on her lap.
Sid took out his phone. “Thank you for having me, Mrs Sawant. I know
this is difficult for you. But it needs to be done for the investigation. Is it
okay to record our conversation for future reference, for my friends and me
only, if you don’t mind?”
 Mrs Sawant nodded, and Sid switched on the recorder and placed the
phone on the table.
“What can you tell me about Sahil? I believe he spoke to you every day.
Was he troubled about something? Did he tell you about anyone who could
have wished him harm?”
She looked at Sid, her eyes welling up with tears, daring to escape. With
a quick movement, she dabbed her eyes with the loose end of her saree. Sid
didn’t need Aarya to figure out she was a proud woman who didn’t like to
show weakness in front of strangers. Aarya would have loved her.
Trying to calm her voice, she told him about Sahil. Most things he
already knew–his friendly and social behaviour, how almost everyone liked
him and the rest. Sahil never mentioned anyone trying to harm him.
“Did he ever mention Simon Lobo?” Sid wanted to understand the
detail in which Sahil spoke to his mom. Did he even tell her about his
problems, or did he want to keep that part of his life away from her?
“Simon! Yes. That man spewed a lot of nonsense on him some time ago.
All because his chef didn’t know how to cook. Sahil was upset. I actually
told him to help Simon instead of getting upset. I think they had resolved
their issues.”
Sid nodded. Sahil did tell her everything. Her response reminded him a
little of his mother. Always trying to help their children, even when they
were all grown up.
“What about Disha?”
She stiffened as she heard the name.
“Were the two having any problems?” Sid probed further.
Mrs. Sawant stared at the floor for a few moments before nodding
slowly. “They did. Honestly, I never thought they made a good pair, but
Sahil loved Disha. So eventually, I made my peace with his decision. But
she,” she shook her head in disappointment. “She couldn’t switch cities for
him and couldn’t make any adjustments to his desires. She wanted to get a
divorce, that one.” The old woman turned her wrinkled, grief-stricken face
to Sid. “Good riddance, I told Sahil. But it devastated him. He’d do
anything to keep her. The woman confused him.”
Her voice trailed off, and she sniffed. She walked over to the kitchen
and brought two glasses of water. She placed one in front of Sid and took a
few sips from the other before sitting down again.
 Sid waited patiently for her to get a hold of herself. “I spoke to him on
Saturday after Disha left for Bangalore. On one side, he wanted to open
another resort. On the other, he was considering returning to Bangalore, to
his old job, if that meant staying with Disha.”
“Really?” Sid exclaimed. “Did Disha know this?”
“I’m not sure. Perhaps he told her. That’s why I sent Ajit to Goa—to
talk sense into him.”
“Ajit knew Sahil was planning to move to Bangalore?”
The woman scoffed. “No. I wouldn’t tell him that. What if he sided with
Disha? I just told him to find out what Sahil was thinking and to help him
with his second resort project, if possible. I told him Sahil was upset
because of his relationship with Disha.”
There was a pause for some time. “What did Sahil tell you about the
others in the resort—Dilip, his daughter, Simon, and anyone else? Have you
ever met them?”
“Never met them, but I feel I know them all. I knew more about Sahil
and his life than I do about Ajit, even though I stay with him when he’s not
travelling.” She gave Sid a sketch of Dilip, Asha, Simon, and some of
Dilip’s relatives from whom they had constructed new houses. Sahil had
been close to Dilip and Asha, especially after his father’s demise.
Sid asked her if he had discussed his moving away plans with them.
“I don’t think so. Dilip wouldn’t let him go if he did. Sahil handled the
entire marketing, customer relations and part of operations. Sahil was happy
there.” She let out a deep sigh.
“Anyone you can think of, from Goa or elsewhere, who would want to
harm Sahil?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know a single person who hated him.
People loved him or liked him or liked him a little less. No one hated my
Sahil. Now, Ajit, that is a person who can make enemies. Disha, of course,
can make enemies with her sullen nature. But not my Sahil. I don’t know
who could have done such a thing to him. May the person rot in hell.”
Her sister emerged from the bedroom and shuffled to Sid. She bent her
already bent frame and said to him, “Perhaps that’s enough. I don’t think
she knows anything that can help you further.”
Sid picked up his phone, stopped the recorder, and thanked the two
women. Just looking at their grieving faces pinched his heart.
 “We’ll try our best to bring Sahil’s killer to justice,” he said as he
stepped out of the house.
He had some time to kill before his flight back. He went to a nearby
café and called up Simon’s police officer friend.
“It’s a lot of data. How can I send you everything?” the man asked.
Sid sighed. How was he even in the police force? “Not everything, Sir.
Just files pertaining to his agreements related to the Mariana Resort or any
new land. And as for his phone details, please send me his call records for
the past few weeks at least. I think it would help us find the truth. This is
the best way for you to help Simon.”
He disconnected the phone, hoping to get some valuable files. He
sipped his coffee and pondered over his conversation with Mrs Sawant. It
was clear Sahil was the apple of her eye, and Ajit was the son who didn’t
measure up to his older brother’s standards. Could Ajit be so jealous as to
kill his own brother? It wasn’t unheard of. Since ancient times, jealousy has
been a critical motive for killings, plunderings and murders.
The trilling of his phone brought an end to his ruminations. Aarya.
He picked it up, his lips curling into a smile. It was a quick call where
she asked him to visit Pawas, a friend of Ajit’s—a jeweller. He looked at
the address she had messaged. It wasn’t far from his location. He paid for
his coffee and took a taxi to the store.
It was a medium-sized store with bright, almost blinding, white lights
inside. One saleswoman, dressed in an elegant green saree, walked over to
him, her hands folded in a namaste.
“Can I help you, Sir?” she asked, a smile plastered over her bright red
lips.
“Hi. How are you doing this afternoon?” Sid asked her.
The woman was taken aback. Not many customers asked her how she
was doing. She smiled. “I’m doing good. What about you, Sir?”
“Ah, now I feel better. Thank you for asking, ma’am,” he said with a
wink and a smile, his head bent sideways and giving her his ‘look.’ It
worked because he noticed the slight blush on her already pinkish cheeks.
“Is Mr Pawas here? I wanted to meet him. His friend, Ajit Sawant, told me
to look him up when I was in Mumbai.”
“Let me check,” she said, smiling, taking the card that Sid offered her
and gesturing for him to sit.
She returned a few minutes later and beckoned him to follow her.
 “I was hoping he was busy so I could get some more time with you,”
Sid said as they walked to the extreme back side of the store. “Next time,
maybe.”
The woman smiled coyly and opened a door for him. “Mr Sidhartha,”
she announced as Sid walked in.
It was a small office with a table stacked with files and a bespectacled
young man sitting behind it. There was a large safe behind the man and
another small one to his left.
The man stood up as Sid entered, and the woman closed the door,
leaving them alone.
“I just checked with Ajit. He says he never told you about me. What he
did tell me was that you’re part of a team looking into Sahil’s murder.
Really sad, that bit. Ajit is quite shaken.” He shook his head, removed his
rimless specs, and placed them on the table. “How can I help you, Mr
Sidhartha?”
“Please call me Sid. Well, since you know I’m here for an investigation,
let me come straight to the point. Do you deal with potassium cyanide?”
Pawas nodded and continued to look at Sid.
“Did you at any point in time give it to someone, say Ajit, or anyone
else, in the recent past?”
Pawas shook his head; his eyes grew large. “Of course not. That’d be
illegal. Ajit is a good friend, but I won’t risk my business for him. Plus,
why would he, or anyone, need potassium cyanide?” He scoffed. “To kill
mice?” He paused. “That could be true. In some villages Ajit works in,
rodents are a big menace.”
He looked at Sid’s questioning expression. “But no. He never asked me,
and I never gave him or anyone else. We maintain a detailed record of all
our usage. You can examine them if you like. You won’t find any
discrepancies. Hasn’t been any since we started the business. We’re
cautious that way. We don’t want our license cancelled.”
“Sure. Thanks. If you’d be kind enough to send over the details to us,
it’d be great. So, you and Ajit have been friends for long?”
A smile lit up Pawas’s face. “Since we were in grade 1, and we started
going to the same school. He is the oldest and the closest friend I have. He
can’t stick to anything for long, but he’s been doing fine with this Self-Help
Group business. I’m glad he’s finally found something that interests him.”
“What about Sahil? You knew him?”
 “Of course. I am an only child, so Sahil acted like my elder brother,
too.” He smiled wistfully. “Sometimes his goody behaviour became
unbearable, but overall it was nice having him in my life. I’ll miss him.”
“What do you mean?” Sid asked. It was the first time someone had
given a remotely negative view of Sahil.
“Well, Sahil wanted us, Ajit and me, that is, to be these ideal kids,
especially Ajit. He would take him on a guilt trip every time he did the
smallest of mischiefs. Poor Ajit.” He looked up at the ceiling, staring into
nothingness. “I could at least choose not to listen to him, but not Ajit.
Sometimes I think Ajit became a little insecure and lacking in confidence
because of the constant comparison that the teachers, even parents and
almost everyone did. Sahil did this; why can’t you? Sahil got 98%; why did
you get only 95%? They failed to see him as an individual with different
strengths.”
He let out a sigh and turned his head to look at Sid. “Look, I’m sorry. I
don’t want to talk ill about the dead. And I liked Sahil, I really did. Most of
the time. But I always felt that he was too harsh on Ajit, and because of him
being the way he was, good at everything, teacher’s pet and all, it was a
tough childhood for Ajit.”
“Did Ajit resent Sahil?”
Pawas thought for a moment. “Not resent. That’s too strong a word. He
liked him less at times. But that was when we were kids. Now, I don’t think
they talk that often or even meet that often. Ajit tried to get closer to him
after their father’s demise, but they both got busy with their work.” Pawas
looked up at the ceiling. “I think more than any other feeling, Ajit respected
Sahil. Despite the occasional bouts of jealousy, he wanted to emulate his
brother. He resented his mom a little, but not Sahil.”
They talked for some more time, and Sid explained the security
solutions his company had for such stores and understood the type of
solutions that Pawas had seen and desired.
Sid looked at the wall clock. Time had moved quite fast. He’d have to
leave now if he were to reach the airport in time for his flight back.
He thanked Pawas and took his leave, requesting him to send the
potassium cyanide details. Could Pawas be helping his friend get rid of his
overbearing brother? On the face, it didn’t look like it. But they both were
close friends for decades. Perhaps the jealousy became too strong for Ajit to
bear any more. Perhaps his resentment for his mom made him destroy the
source of that resentment.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 24
Take the Boat
Aarya asked Dev to drop her near the Chaudi market on his way to
Karwar. That’s where she thought she would start her enquiry about the
cylinders. No one used carbon monoxide cylinders in the area, and neither
did they sell them. After asking around in a few places, she learned from an
older man about a supplier, Joshua Pinto, who sold chemicals to small
businesses and laboratories.
“I don’t have his office address, warehouse, or whatever, but I know
where he lives. His father used to be my friend,” the old man said.
“Can you tell me where he lives?”
“Just off the coast. It will be a few hours’ drive and not a pleasant one.
Where are you putting up?”
Aarya told him.
“Ah, lucky for you. You can take the boat. Save you a lot of time. Any
of the boatmen can take you there. Just tell them you want to visit Pinto.
His father makes good Feni, the best around here, so I’m sure they all know
him.” He guffawed. “If you do go there, bring some Feni for me, will you?”
he winked.
Aarya smiled. “Will do. Thanks for your help.”
She took a taxi back to the resort and got off near Bytes. Walking
toward the beach, she noticed Asha talking to Simon inside the empty
restaurant. When she spotted Aarya, she waved and came out.
“Simon is quite upset. Ribeiro is apparently getting the arrest warrant
ready as we speak,” she said. Her brows were furrowed and her muscles
tense, and she seemed to have aged a few years in the last couple of days.
“Would you mind talking to him and calming him down?”
“I wish I could, but I’m in a hurry. I need a boat. Any idea where I can
get one?”
“Yeah, sure. Come with me. But why do you need a boat?” Asha started
walking straight down the muddy path behind the restaurant toward the
village.
“We all wanted to try Feni, and we heard Pinto has the best one in the
area. So, I thought I’d get some,” Aarya replied, following Asha.
“Good choice.”
 They reached the village. Aarya wondered if the three men who had
attacked her and Dev were around. Asha walked toward the ocean, where a
man was sitting beside a boat tied to a post. Asha spoke something in
Konkani, pointing to Aarya. Pinto was what Aarya understood. The man
shook his head, took out a bidi and lighted it. Puffing out smoke, he replied
in Konkani, repeatedly shaking his head.
“He says he has important work in some time and can’t leave,” Asha
told Aarya as she walked back. “I could’ve taken you, but I don’t want to
leave Aanu and the resort with all these things happening. I’m sorry, Aarya.
Perhaps I can ask someone to bring some Feni for you and your friends if
you like. Or maybe you can go tomorrow.”
“No, thanks. I’ll find some other boat,” Aarya said as she started
walking back to the resort. She needed to find an alternative fast.
“There’s an extra boat we have,” Asha said after a pause, catching up to
her. “Disha uses it sometimes. It’s small, but it can take you there. That is, if
you are okay going on your own. As for the route, I can tell you how to get
there. Just stay close to the coastline, and you’ll reach there.”
Aarya smiled and turned to face the younger woman. “Thanks, Asha.
You’re a saviour. That’ll be perfect. I’m certain I can manage on my own.
We returned from butterfly beach, and with all the boat riding this past
week, I think I’ll be just fine.”
They reached Disha’s house. “Aarya wants to borrow your boat,” Asha
told Disha. “She wants to get some Feni from Pinto.”
“Pinto?” Disha asked, furrowing her brows. “Why? Isn’t it late to go
there?”
Asha shrugged her shoulders. “Ask her. I just told her I could get her the
boat if she wanted. Is it okay with you if she borrows it?”
“Sure. Be my guest.”
Asha made her way to the back of the cottage, into a tiny shed just as
Ajit emerged from inside the house. “I can tell you other places to get Feni.
Why go to Pinto’s, that too, by boat?”
Aarya pursed her lips. Any explanation would be useless, and she very
well couldn’t tell the truth. She could hear Asha’s voice calling out to some
workers who were busy with the construction of the new building, to help
her drag the boat down to the water.
Ajit turned to Aarya. “It’s not too safe there. Perhaps you should avoid
this trip. Do you want me to come along?”
 Aarya smiled. “I’ll manage. Don’t worry.” Going on a boat with a
suspect was the last thing she wanted to do.
He walked over to her and almost whispered into her ear. “Pawas told
me about Sid’s visit to his shop. Am I really a suspect? Makes me wonder
at your competence level.”
Aarya turned her head and breathed into his face. “I don’t care what you
think. I’m just doing my job and doing it thoroughly. That means not
removing people from my suspect list until hard facts tell me otherwise.”
The boat was ready. Aarya strode over to Asha and thanked her.
“Any help with the directions you can give?” she asked, her heart
thumping with nervousness. This seemed outrageous, even by her
standards. But it had to be done. And if no boatmen were available to take
her, then she’d go alone.
Asha gave her the directions and fed the location on her map, and Aarya
stepped into the boat. It was a sleek boat with a bright red hull. Her heart
raced as she switched on the engine. It would be her first time alone on a
boat, going to a place she had never been. She took a deep breath and left
the shore.
She was glad for Asha’s detailed directions and instructions for places
to avoid or be careful around. The waves gently lapped at the sides of the
boat, and the sun, drifting to the west, shone in her eyes and glinted on the
waves. After around forty minutes, which to Aarya seemed like hours, she
saw the pink and blue house. She had managed to navigate to the right
place. She sighed in relief and docked and secured the boat just as
Fernandes had taught her before walking the short distance to Pinto’s house.
There were only a couple of other houses in the vicinity. Aarya
knocked, wondering what she would say once she met Joshua.
The door opened, and the distinct smell of Feni hit Aarya. A man,
probably in his sixties, stood in front of her. His silvery hair shone in the
evening sun, and he greeted Aarya with a big smile.
“Yes?” he asked her.
“Hi Mr Pinto. I’m Aarya Sarkar. Is Joshua in?”
“Joshua will be back from his work soon. Are you his friend? Haven’t
seen you before. Come on in.”
Aarya entered a small, well lit room. Mr Pinto led her to some wooden
chairs with red and blue cushions. “Would you like some Feni or some
coffee?”
 Aarya smiled. “I have to ride back on my boat. So coffee would be
good. I’d like to buy some Feni and take it with me if possible. I’ve heard
rave reviews about it.”
Pinto chortled as he went to the kitchen adjoining the room and started
brewing some coffee. “Ah yes, I do it the traditional way. Coconut Feni.
Many people come here for it or ask me to send it to them. Long shelf life it
has, so you can keep it for long if you like.”
From the kitchen, he continued to tell Aarya about the process of
making the drink, extracting the juice, keeping it in earthen pots, and
fermenting it. He came back with two cups of coffee. “You must drink Feni
out of coconut shells. That’s the right way to drink it. Are you sure you still
want coffee?” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
“As much as I’m tempted to try out the harder drink, I think I’ll go with
coffee for now,” Aarya said, smiling. She liked this man.
“So, how do you know Joshua?”
“I don’t really know him. I wanted to ask about his work. I believe he
supplies chemicals and gases to laboratories and small businesses.”
Mr Pinto nodded and waited for Aarya to go on.
“I wanted to ask him if he sold a particular cylinder of gas to anyone
around here.”
Mr Pinto nodded and looked at his watch. The evening was upon them.
“He should be here any minute now. He remembers all his clients, though
they are mostly institutions, you know.”
They sat in silence for some time, listening to the waves crashing in on
the shore. The old man shuffled outside the door, waiting for his son to
return. He pulled out his phone and dialled a number. “He isn’t picking up.
I’m sorry. Probably driving,” he said after a few minutes. “I assume you
aren’t from around here. Where have you put up?”
“Mariana Resort.”
“Ah. Dilip’s resort? Beautiful place. I was sorry to hear about Sahil.
Good man, he was.”
“Do you know Dilip?”
“Of course. We all know each other around here—all of us who have
lived here for enough number of years.” He guffawed. “Joshua is very fond
of both Dilip and Asha. When the kids were younger, Dilip would drop
Asha on his way to the ocean. He used to go fishing. Joshua and Asha
would play right here, on the beach, all day.”
 “I thought they lived in Karwar earlier. Didn’t Asha go to school there?”
Aarya said, as she remembered what the jeweller had told her.
“They did, after Dilip’s marriage. His wife was from Karwar and
wanted to stay close to her parents. Dilip used to work there. Then the
company he worked for shut down for good, and they all moved here. Must
have been when Asha was in middle school. Joshua was one of her first
friends here. Dilip’s wife was wonderful, too. Used to cook the best Goan
fish curry I’ve ever had. Ah,” he sighed. “Good times they were.”
“I’m sure. Dilip is a man of many traits, is he not?” Aarya said, walking
over to Mr Pinto and standing against the wall, looking at him.
“You hit the nail on the head. He works hard, believes in getting his
hands dirty and not delegating everything. I always believed he’d be
successful in whatever he did. Plus, he has an eye for talent. He got the best
fishermen to go with him earlier. Then he got hold of Sahil to take care of
his resort business.” He paused and looked at Aarya. “A very passionate
man who’ll ensure he gets whatever he sets his mind to. A trait he has
passed on to Asha as well. I’m sure she will also do well in life. A lovely
young woman, that one.”
“What about Simon? You know him well?”
“Not too well. He talks so much that it’s always a one-sided
conversation with him,” Pinto chortled. “I wonder how Leena gets anything
across to him.”
“Leena is his fiancé, right?”
“She’s Dilip’s eldest niece. Simon wants to marry her. A good, simple
woman; works in this private college. I forget the name. She isn’t too happy
with her job. She asked Joshua if he could get her into another institute.” He
looked at Aarya. “My Joshua knows a fair bit of people in colleges and
factories where he supplies chemicals, you know.”
“Leena also works with chemicals?”
Pinto laughed hard. “No. No. She’s in the admin. But every department
needs admin people. Joshua had also told her to talk to Sahil’s wife about a
job. It seems she works in a big institute in Bangalore. I wonder if she did.
Would be good for Leena, but not so much for Simon.”
The sun was almost on the horizon; if you looked at it, you could
practically see it going down behind the ocean, leaving a fiery colour in the
sky, a promise of another beautiful day.
 She checked her phone and saw that Sid had sent a message. “Boarding
my flight. Met Pawas. He says he didn’t give potassium cyanide to anyone.
He’ll be sending us details from his software for verification. I believe him.
See you soon.” She checked the time of the message. Too late. He must be
about to land in Goa by now.
“It’s getting late. You should head back before it’s dark. The waters can
be unsafe if you aren’t used to them. Joshua is probably stuck somewhere.
Shall I tell him to call you once he’s back?”
Aarya nodded. She had been having precisely the same thoughts. She
didn’t fancy being alone in the ocean in the dark. For that matter, she didn’t
enjoy being anywhere alone in the dark.
Mr Pinto went inside and came back with a large bag. “Here’s your
Feni. Mix it with soda or lemon juice and drink it as an accompaniment to
fried fish. You’ll experience heaven on earth, trust me.”
Aarya smiled, thanked the old man, and walked back to her boat.
Thankfully, the boat lights were working, but she felt uneasy in the pit of
her stomach as she pushed off the shore. Was the dark making her feel edgy
and uncomfortable on the boat, or was it a premonition of something bad to
come?

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 25
A Dark Night
The sky had turned a deep shade of purple, and the waves were
becoming choppy and harsh. As Aarya see-sawed on the boat, making her
way back to the resort, her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of all the
people connected to Sahil. She still couldn’t fathom why someone would
want to kill him. And if the food had tested negative, how did the poison get
in his stomach? It had to be something he’d eaten. The ringing of her phone
jolted her out of her musings. Dev.
“Hey. Are you back? I’m about to reach the resort.”
“Should be back soon. I’ll meet you there. How was your visit?”
“Karekar said he hadn’t met Dilip for around a month now, so he
couldn’t possibly give him cyanide or anything else. He got quite angry
when I broached the topic as if I’d insulted him and I was pointing fingers
at him. I’ll brief you when we meet. What about you? Any luck?”
“Not much, but I’m getting some Feni for all of us.”
“Ah, that’s my girl,” Dev said, smacking his lips. “Where are you?
There seems to be a lot of wind.”
“On a boat. I’ll see you soon.” She didn’t want to give explanations.
The waves were rougher now, and the ocean didn’t seem as calm and
pleasant as it did during the day. The tame sea had transformed into a
savage, merciless monster and the boat repeatedly rose in waves and
slammed down, only to rise again. Aarya’s stomach turned over with the
continuous movement of the small boat.
Darkness was spreading, and she hoped to reach the shore fast. The
light from the boat wasn’t enough to comfort her. She checked her phone
for the location. The resort still seemed far away; worse, her battery was
getting dangerously low.
Just then, to her utter consternation, she felt a wetness around her feet.
She bent down to check what she had already guessed. Her worst nightmare
was coming true. Water was entering the boat. She switched on her phone
flashlight and frantically searched the boat for any tools she could use.
She spotted a tiny cabin at the front of the boat. Unclasping it with
trembling hands, she found a flashlight, a rope, a towel, a bottle of water
and fluorescent tape inside. She scoured the small boat. There had to be a
lifejacket somewhere. Wasn’t it mandatory? Finally, she gave up. No
lifejacket. What could she do? She grabbed the water bottle and gulped it
down, then used the empty bottle to bail out the seawater, which was
steadily streaming inside.
She could now see the lights of the shore in the distance. If only she
could make it closer. That’s what she should try. Trying to remember what
the fishermen had taught her and Sid on their first day on the boat, she tried
to increase the boat’s speed.
The boat zoomed forward, but before Aarya could even feel the hope
rise inside her, it crashed. The engine sputtered for a few seconds, and with
a loud sound which seemed to echo in the darkness around, it stopped.
She stood in a daze, conscious of herself only through the throbbing of
her heart, beating in her chest like a deafening drum. Even in the warm
evening air, she felt a sharp cold clawing through her body and spreading its
frigidness through her limbs.
“You’re a fighter,” her mother’s voice rang in her ears. This would not
do. She shook her head and her hands, forcing them to action, and picked
up the bottle again. With renewed vigour, she began bailing out the water.
She could almost feel the boat sinking lower with every passing minute.
There had to be some other solution. This wasn’t working.
She pulled out her phone to call Sid or Dilip. Dead! Using the flashlight
had probably drained the battery. She cursed the phone, the battery, the
dark, everything.
Once she had vented out her anger, her brain started whirring again. She
had to leave the boat before it capsized. With every passing minute, it went
further down. But with no lifejacket, could she risk jumping into the ocean?
She scanned the horizon in all directions. Was there a boat in the
distance? A faint light seemed to move toward the shore. She screamed
“Help” at the top of her lungs and waved her hands. She waved the
flashlight, but the boat did not change its direction.
Her boat, on the other hand, was almost underwater. There was no time
now. She tied the rope around her waist and stuck the fluorescent tape on
her clothes, arms, and legs. Hopefully, someone could spot the tape if the
boat came near her. She tied the flashlight to her head using the towel from
the cabin and dived into the ocean, hoping against hope that she was not
jumping to her death.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 26
Dev: I Have To Go
Dev reached the resort a little after Aarya discovered her boat had a
leak. He checked the beach. Aarya wasn’t there. She wasn’t in her room as
well. It was dark by now. He tried her number. Switched off. He sat down
outside his cottage to wait for her return.
He had called up Z on his way back after talking to Aarya. For a
change, he had not berated him. That, in itself, was a sign that he was
pleased. He sat there, imagining himself as Z’s confidant, his right hand:
power, money, and resources—all at his beck and call. He wondered what Z
looked like. Few people had met the man face to face.
Sid’s call broke his reverie. “Hi. Is Aarya with you? Her phone is
switched off.”
“No. But I spoke to her a while ago. You back in Goa?”
“Yeah. I’ll be at the resort in ten minutes. Any idea where she had
gone?”
“She’s in a boat and bringing us feni.”
“Boat? Who’s with her? Why aren’t you both together?”
“We had to split up. I went to Karwar, and she checked for the carbon
monoxide supplier. I’m not sure who’s with her. Let me find out.”
Sid let out a sigh of exasperation. “It’s already dark. That’s the one thing
that creeps her out and makes her lose her senses. I hope the boat has
enough lighting. Anyway, keep me updated.”
Dev spied Asha on the beach. She might know who had taken Aarya on
a boat.
He sprinted to her and asked her about Aarya.
“There was no boatman available, so she went alone in Disha’s boat.”
“The tiny red one?”
Asha nodded. “Don’t worry, the boat is good. And Pinto uncle and
Joshua are very hospitable. For all you know, they might have convinced
her to stay in their guest room. It has quite a breath-taking view.”
Asha turned and walked away while Dev strained his eyes to look
farther into the ocean. He knew Aarya was on her way back. There was
nothing except black waves he could see. But again, it was a small boat.
Perhaps she had found some clue and was following up. He sat down on the
sand, waiting to welcome Aarya. The cool evening breeze felt wonderful,
and he closed his eyes. He wished Aarya was with him, with her no-
nonsense attitude, her energy, and her excitement at experiencing new
things. She was fun to be with. His smile disappeared as he remembered Z,
and with a loud sigh, he opened his eyes.
Thankfully, the sound of a vehicle stopping at the parking lot behind the
resort stopped him from thinking about his confused state of mind. He
looked in that direction and saw Sid walking toward him.
“Is she back?” he asked, standing with his back to the ocean and staring
at Dev.
Dev shook his head. “She’s gone to Pinto’s in Disha’s boat. I spoke to
her a while back. She should be here any minute now.”
Sid nodded and relaxed a little. “Any luck in Karwar?”
“What we already knew. Karekar is Dilip’s friend. Says he didn’t give
anyone cyanide. His son and Asha went to the same school. Family friends,
I guess.”
Sid was staring toward the cottages behind Dev, a broad smile on his
lips. On instinct, Dev turned his head. “Talk about the devil,” he whispered,
smiling, as he spotted Asha waving at them.
Sid waved back.
“She’s nice,” Dev said, giving Sid a slanting glance.
“Yeah. Not like Aarya, but I agree, she’s nice in a delicate kind of way.”
“I got a feeling that Karekar’s son has a crush on her. Be careful. Don’t
get your heart broken.” Dev patted Sid on the back.
“My heart is safe. It’s you who needs to be careful, man. Aarya is too
focused on her work to have time for anything else. Trust me. I know.
Anyway, I think I better go now and talk to the lady.” Sid strutted toward
Asha, who was now sitting on the beach with her flowery dress spread out
on the sand, a picturesque silhouette against the moonlight.
Dev chuckled as he saw Sid and Asha sitting on the beach. Seeing them
together, his heart ached for Aarya. He chided himself yet again for his
feelings. The dusk had melted into the night, and the ocean was becoming
fiercer with every passing minute. He looked at his watch. She should’ve
been back by now.
Just then, Dilip walked over to him. “Asha told me Aarya has taken the
boat to Pinto’s. Is she back?”
Dev shook his head, deep lines of worry forming on his forehead. He
stood up and walked with Dilip toward the ocean.
 “Should’ve come back by now. In fact, she shouldn’t have gone alone,
without a local,” Dilip said, shaking his head. “Tourists!”
“You don’t think she could be in trouble, do you?”
Dilip shrugged his shoulders. “I hope not. But waves can be
unpredictable at night. The ocean is fierce, and she doesn’t know it as we
do. What was so important that she had to go there so urgently?”
Asha’s voice came from behind. “She wanted Feni.”
“Feni! Did she go there for Feni? I wouldn’t peg her for such a fool.”
“That’s what she said, at least,” said Disha as she stepped out of her
house and walked towards them. “I think it must be something else.”
Dev’s eyes followed Dilip, who was pacing around the beach, his eyes
focused on the horizon. Finally, unable to control his anxiety, he said, “I’m
a little worried. Perhaps we should check.”
Sid stood up and stepped over to Dev and Dilip. “Aarya has faced worse
things. Only the dark is a problem. If there is light in the boat, she must be
fine.” Even though he said the words, the tone conveyed his apprehension.
“Isn’t it?” His gaze travelled from one face to another, seeking confirmation
but receiving none.
Dev looked down. “I should never have agreed to split up.” His concern
for Aarya was now also mixed with fear for himself. Would Z be happy if
something were to happen to Aarya? Or would it piss him off? He had
planned so much in Delhi. He couldn’t imagine what Z would do to him if
he didn’t want Aarya hurt.
“Both of you, stop worrying so much,” Asha said, holding Sid’s hand
and staring at Dev. Her floral dress blew in the light wind. “She’s taken
Disha’s boat, and it’s a good one. Plus, as I told you, she might stay over at
Joshua’s house. Call her and see.”
“Her phone is switched off,” Dev said. “And I know she’s not staying
there. When I spoke to her, she was on her way back.”
“What?” Asha said, looking at the waves, her brows scrunching
together. “I’ve been out there on this same route later than this and managed
it well enough. And Aarya, she’s far stronger and more courageous than
me.”
Asha’s words did little to pacify and calm Dev and Sid.
“Is there a boat we can take?” Sid asked Asha.
She exchanged glances with Dilip, who nodded, and she ran toward her
house. “A friend can probably help,” Dilip said to Dev and Sid.
 Dev looked anxiously at the ocean. “Is that a boat I see?” he said with a
tinge of relief and excitement, staring in the direction, hoping to see Aarya’s
silhouette.
“That’s a fishing boat. Not Disha’s,” Dilip said, squinting his eyes and
staring into the ocean. He shook his head and whispered to himself. “Hope
she’s fine. There is a patch with rocks in between. She shouldn’t have gone
there by herself.”
As the other boat came closer, it was clear it was not Aarya’s.
“All my fault,” Dev hissed. “Where is this friend of yours?”
Dilip walked toward the cliff, on top of which stood Bytes. “There he
is,” he said. On the far side of the beach stood Simon, with a boat. “Come
on.”
Dilip went ahead to meet Simon. Dev stood rooted to his spot,
undecided. Simon! Finally, he shook himself out of his stupor. It didn’t
matter whose boat it was. He turned to Sid. “I’ll go with Dilip and Simon. I
think one of us should stay here, in case she returns. You let us know if she
is back before us.”
Dev knew Sid wouldn’t be comfortable on the boat. Sid had told him
about his experience before coming to Goa, and it would take him some
time to get used to being surrounded by water again. Heck. He probably
wouldn’t even be comfortable on a beach if it was him. Aarya had helped
him. “Saved me,” is what Sid had said. “At the risk of her own life.” A
twinge of jealousy ran through Dev. Would she risk her life for him?
Dilip’s voice calling him brought him back, and he jogged to Simon’s
boat.
“Thanks for coming over at this hour, Simon.”
“Of course, man. When Dilip told me Aarya could be in trouble, I say to
myself—Simon, you gotta help find her. She’s the one to help prove you’re
innocent. So, man, it’s no trouble if you ask me.”
As soon as he boarded it, the engine sputtered to life. The fishing boat
they had seen was coming towards them.
Dilip waved to the fishermen. “Hey, you saw a small boat with a red
hull?”
One of them nodded. “That’s why we came here. Thought I’d seen it
here once. Awful shape it was in. Broken into pieces. Probably hit the
rocks. We saw a few pieces far out. We didn’t see any person, though. Who
was on board?”
For the first time in years, Dev closed his eyes and prayed.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 27
Just Keep Swimming
The waves were powerful, and the howling wind didn’t seem so
pleasant in the ocean. Aarya knew swimming in the sea differed greatly
from swimming in a pool. The salty water helped her remain afloat with
minimal strength when she became tired but also stung her eyes and
controlling her direction against the waves was strenuous. After a few easy
strokes, she went ahead full steam again. The shore remained far away as
she swam, a distant destination almost unattainable to her ever-growing
tired body.
Her limbs ached, mutinying against her will to keep going, and every
stroke was proving more difficult than the last, sapping away her energy.
Fear and trepidation seeped into her very pores as the realisation dawned on
her she might not make it to the shore. Panic stealthily began taking hold of
her heart. She looked around. No boat in sight. The ocean that had seemed
so welcoming and beautiful in the evening now looked dark, ominous, and
threatening.
Her heart was pulsing so loud that she felt all the ocean animals could
locate her fear-ridden body. She could not panic. Panic meant certain death.
She forced herself to calm down and reassess the situation. She looked
around. The flashlight wasn’t strong enough to throw light very far off.
There was only water as far as she could see. She breathed a lungful of air
and went underwater, closing her eyes and focusing her senses.
What was that sound somewhere to her left? Was it the sound of waves
crashing? She couldn’t be sure, but it was enough to give her renewed
strength. It was her best bet. Waves crashing would mean land. She only
hoped to reach it before her exhausted limbs mutinied against her.
She swam to her left, putting her last energy reserve in her strokes. But
no land came in sight, no lights she could see. No silhouette of trees or
houses showing solid ground. Her arms ached, and all she could do was try
to stay afloat for at least a while longer. The waves were relentless, and she
struggled to keep her head above water. Was this to be the day she would
die? She felt tiny and vulnerable in front of the vast ocean. She would have
preferred a bullet to the head rather than drowning, but we can’t choose
how we die.
 An enormous wave that threw her almost flaccid body some meters
ahead interrupted her morbid thoughts. She closed her eyes, letting the
ocean do its work and carry her tired body wherever it pleased. Her focus
was now on not drowning and reserving whatever little energy she still had.
She heard the splashing and crashing of waves as they grew in ferocity.
Crashing! That’s what she had heard. Loud and clear this time. Land
must be near. She opened her eyes and looked around. It was not the shore,
but in the distance, against the light of her flashlight and the moon, she
could see the silhouette of a rock. With renewed vigour, she forced her
limbs towards the rock. It was so close, yet so far.
She could see it now, not large, but big enough for her. But her limbs
had had enough. She couldn’t move them anymore, couldn’t force them.
She lifted her head and looked at the silhouette of the rock that stood like a
beacon of hope, but that distance seemed too far for her body, which now
had become just a bag of bones and flesh. In consternation, she tried to
move her feet, but there was no strength in the movement to propel her
forward.
Her eyelids seemed heavy because of exhaustion, and it was an effort to
keep them open. Even in her enervated state, she smiled as she remembered
Tom from the Tom and Jerry cartoons and hoped she could keep her eyes
open with sticks. But Tom was a fighter, and so was Jerry. They never gave
up and kept trying to the end. So would she.
“You’re a fighter,” came her mom’s voice again. She pursed her lips.
She would fight the entire ocean if she had to.
She removed the rope from her waist, tied one end to her waist and the
other in a loop, and threw it at the rock. It missed the mark. Suddenly,
another wave threw her debilitated body. A spasm of pain coursed through
her frame. What had her head hit? She wondered as darkness engulfed her.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 28
Dev: I Feel it in My Bones
Dev scanned the surrounding ocean. Apart from the beach slowly
distancing itself from the boat, he could only see the steady rise and fall of
the dark ocean waves.
“Yo Dilip, you think ‘twas Disha’s boat that the men saw?” Simon
asked, steering the boat in the direction the men had given.
Dilip shrugged his shoulders. “I hope not.”
“Seriously, man. These waters can be quite dangerous if you don’t know
them well. Remember Pinto’s uncle? Pinto told me about him. He says,
Simon, the ocean can be fickle. My uncle learned that the hard way. He
thought he could command the waves, but….”
“Can we focus on finding Aarya?” Dev interrupted sharply. Stories of
Pinto’s uncle weren’t helping.
They rode on in silence. “We must be close. This is where the men said
they’d seen the boat.”
Dev scoured the ocean around. The black water gleamed where the
moonlight hit the waves, looking menacing. Their flashlights flickered in
the dark as if fearing to reveal what lay ahead.
“Yo, look!” came Simon’s voice.
Dev’s heart thumped inside his chest.
“I can see something red.”
They rode in that direction. It was a broken wooden piece painted a
bright red. Dilip stared at it. He turned to face Dev, his brows furrowed.
“Looks like a piece of Disha’s boat. The boat must have hit some rock.”
“We have to keep looking,” Dev said. The panic in his voice rose with
every syllable.
They continued their search for any other traces of the boat. Of Aarya.
“Aarya,” Dev yelled. With each passing minute, fear clawed its way
deeper into his heart. How could anyone survive these waves?
The waves lashed around their boat, tossing it from side to side.
“Perhaps we should go back,” whispered Dilip.
Dev bit his lip and shook his head. “If it takes me all night, I’ll keep
looking. I’m not giving up on her.”
He called up Sid.
“Did you find her?” came Sid’s voice.
 So she hadn’t reached the shore as well. “Not yet. What do you think
she’d do if her boat capsized?”
Sid paused for a moment. “She’d swim toward the shore. She wouldn’t
just give up.”
Dev turned to Simon, his muscles tensed, brows furrowed and lips set in
a straight line. He would find her. “Which way would be the nearest shore
from here? We should search in that direction.”
Simon steered the boat. “I’ll do it, man, but….”
“No buts. Just do it. She’s alive. I feel it in my bones.”
Dilip had taken a seat next to Simon, his head bowed.
“Look, man, we can’t stay out all night. It’s not safe. Tell him, Dilip.
What if we, too, die looking for her?”
Dev shot him an angry glare. “She. Is. Alive.”
“Simon’s right, Dev. We’ll search for another fifteen-twenty minutes.
But then we should go back. If she’s alive, we’ll find her within that time.
An untrained swimmer cannot go very far in these waves. You need to be
reasonable.”
Minutes passed—no sign of the remaining boat or Aarya. Simon
glanced at his watch and exchanged a glance with Dilip.
Dev noticed the exchange from the corner of his eyes. He knew they
were right. He couldn’t endanger their lives. Suddenly, his eyes caught
something shiny, reflecting the light from his flashlight. Renewed hope
surged through his veins.
“That way,” he pointed to Simon. “Fast.”
Simon obeyed without a word. Dilip stood up. “What could it be? That
shiny thing.”
“Looks like fluorescent tape,” Dev said, squinting his eyes. “A lot of it.
Stuck over something. Or someone.”
The silhouette of the small rock became visible as they went near. “It’s a
rock. Aarya must have found her way to the rock. It must be her. It has to
be.”
“It does look like a human,” Simon said. “But this is too far from where
we saw the boat log and where the fishermen had seen the boat as well. It’s
unlikely she could have swum all this distance.”
“If anyone can do it, it’s her.” Z did not have such a high opinion of any
random person. Aarya was not your usual woman.
 The figure was perched precariously on the edge of the jagged rock, feet
still in the water, the upper half lying motionless.
“It’s not moving,” Dilip mumbled.
Dev stood at the boat’s helm, staring at the figure, willing it to move. To
show that the person was alive. There was no doubt now that it was a
human body. The limbs with fluorescent tape pasted on the clothes became
visible in the light that fell on the rock from the moon. Dev’s heart was
beating faster, unable to take the uncertainty any more.
The boat bounced violently on the waves, splashing water all over Dev.
His eyes stung as the salty water hit his face with full force. Finally, the
boat was almost by the rock.
Dev stared at the figure sprawled on the rock. It was Aarya, no doubt.
“Aarya,” he screamed. Why didn’t she move? Was she asleep? Or was it
something worse?

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 29
Sid: For the Love of Feni
Sid saw Dev ride off in search of Aarya. He wished he could’ve gone
too. But given his fear that continued to surface, he couldn’t take the risk. A
panic attack when you’re supposed to have your wits around would help no
one.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. She must be fine.” Asha
said in a soft, comforting tone, but her furrowed forehead gloomy eyes said
otherwise.
Sid smiled despite his tensions and nodded. “Yeah. She has to be. If
anyone can survive it, it’s Aarya.” He had to be strong. He had to believe
that she was fine.
They sat on the balcony outside his room, staring into the ocean. Ajit
and Disha walked over and stood by the stairs.
“Why did she go out all alone for Feni? For the love of Feni? I could’ve
brought some for her from someplace else,” Ajit said, shaking his head.
“You’re a fool to believe she went there for Feni,” Disha mumbled.
“But that’s what she said, didn’t she?” Ajit asked, looking at Asha.
Asha nodded her head, stood up, and went over to Ajit. “I know you
blame yourself for it. But you told her to leave the case and go. So,
whatever happens, is not on you or anyone else.”
Sid slapped his hands on the chair. “She’s fine,” he almost yelled, as if
yelling would make it come true.
Ajit looked at Sid, then at Asha. “Sorry,” he said. “I can’t help blaming
myself for what’s happening. I shouldn’t have asked Aarya to investigate.”
Sid shook his head and breathed deeply. “It’s not your fault.” He turned
to Disha. “Do you know why she went there, to Pinto’s or wherever she
went?”
Disha continued staring at the ocean waves for a few minutes but didn’t
reply.
Sid’s phone rang. Dev. Had he found her? He swiped up to take the call;
the others came closer to him to hear the news.
“Did you find her?” he asked. He listened to Dev’s reply and shook his
head at the others. No sign of Aarya. With her boat capsized, would she be
able to swim to safety? Just thinking of being surrounded by the menacing,
dark waves sent shivers down his spine.
 He turned to Asha. She was still standing next to Ajit. “How far would
the nearest shore be from where the fishermen saw the boat?”
Asha bit her lip. “Quite far,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry, Sid. It must be
difficult for you, Aarya being such a close friend. Something sinister seems
to be happening in this resort.” She shivered. “One tragedy after another.”
“Aarya’s fine. I know it.”
No one replied to his statement. Sid was thankful for the silence. He
couldn’t imagine Aarya being dead. Drowned. And he sitting here, in the
resort’s safety. Not having the courage to face his demons to go looking for
his friend. Sending that Dev instead. No wonder she preferred Dev. Anyone
would, while he was just the distraction, the one to flirt and have a good
time with. Even Asha preferred Ajit to him, he thought, as he saw the duo
walk away.
Disha was also strolling along the beach, away from the lights of the
cottage. Sid jogged up to her. “How’re you holding up?” he asked once he’d
caught up to her.
She gave him a questioning glance.
“I mean. After Sahil’s death and the questioning by the police. I know it
must be difficult.”
She nodded, looking down at the sand, reflecting the dim yellow light
from the cottage rooms. “I’m managing,” she said after a few moments. “I
just want to go away from here. Never come back to this place.”
“I understand the feeling.”
“You know, I’m glad Leena didn’t join IISc. Seeing her there every day
would be a reminder of this terrible time.”
“Leena? Simon’s girlfriend? She was joining IISc?”
She shook her head and stopped walking, staring toward the horizon.
“She wanted to, but I never submitted her resume.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Sahil told me not to. I didn’t question. It was nothing for me, anyway.
It was an admin job. Given her experience at the college, she had a fair
chance.” She shrugged her shoulders and let out a sigh. “I think Simon told
him not to. Simon wants to marry Leena, and we know long distance
doesn’t work.” She scoffed and gently shook her head.
They stood there in silence for a few minutes.
“If it means anything, I hope Aarya’s okay. I know she means a lot to
you.”
 “You were about to say something earlier. You have a hunch why she
went to Pinto’s?”
“Well, Joshua, Pinto’s son, is in the business of supplying chemicals and
such. She probably thinks he supplied the carbon monoxide.”
Sid’s mouth opened in understanding. It made sense. And Disha had
guessed it. Had she done something to cause the boat to capsize? It was her
boat, after all.
His phone screen lit up before he could think of something to ask—a
message from Dev.
“Coming back. Get a doctor ready.”
Doctor? Had they found Aarya? Who was hurt? Aarya or one of these
men? He wanted to call Dev but knew it would waste precious time. He had
to be ready with the proper medical help for when they came.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 30
So Many Pieces
Sunlight streamed in through the sheer curtains of the hospital room as
Aarya opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the brightness all around. The
soft hum of the medical equipment provided a soothing lullaby-like effect
on her. She closed her eyes again.
She vaguely remembered lying in the middle of the ocean. Some voices.
Someone carrying her. The memories weren’t clear. She strained herself to
remember more but was missing the details of how she arrived here.
She tried to move her limbs and turn her body. It ached a little, but there
didn’t seem to be any significant damage, no broken bones or such. There
were a few small bandages on her arms.
The room was eerily quiet, apart from the background hum and the
occasional beep of the monitor—no sound of waves or even the wind.
There was a television on the wall opposite, which was on mute. There was
a small table by her bed with medicines, a bottle of water and a glass. It was
a sparsely furnished room, with only a chair near the bed and a small two-
seater beige-coloured sofa by the wall.
A nurse peeped inside, and seeing Aarya awake, walked in. “Good
morning. How are you feeling today?” She smiled and looked down at her
in a matronly way.
Aarya tried to get up, but her head ached. She slumped down again.
“I’m fine,” she muttered. “Who brought me here?”
“You don’t remember? But of course, you don’t. You were in and out of
consciousness throughout.” She paused as she picked up some tablets from
the table near Aarya’s bed and put them on a small plate. “Your friends
brought you in. They were here throughout the night. They’ve just gone
down for some tea, I think.”
There was the sound of hurrying footsteps outside. Dev and Sid rushed
inside. “Ah, she’s awake. What timing! The only time we leave you, you
decide to wake up.” Dev said, smiling from ear to ear.
Sid stood by the door, the relief clear on his face. “How’re you feeling?”
“Good. I believe I can go on a boat ride again.”
“Please don’t do that,” said the nurse, helping her to sit up, propping the
pillows behind her and handing her the plate with a few tablets and a glass
of water.
 “Our girl is smart, our girl is brave; But what a shock to us she gave;
When she disappeared into the ocean, She threw our lives in commotion;
We’re just happy she’s here…” Sid stopped, trying to think of the following
line.
“Our private detective, Aarya dear,” completed Dev, holding Aarya’s
hand. “Thank God you’re okay. When I saw you lying on that rock,” he
shivered, reliving that moment. “I was scared, more than I’ve ever been in
my life. Thank God you used that towel to tie the flashlight around your
head along with the multiple layers of tape. It saved your head from direct
impact.”
Aarya looked at the pills. “What’s this for? I feel fine.”
“Just precautionary. You were out in the ocean and got scratches, etc. So
just to ensure there are no infections. Your tests are all normal. I’ll let the
doctor know that you’re awake.” The nurse walked out.
Aarya turned to Dev and Sid. “So, what did you guys find out?”
“Really? You want to work on the case right now?” Dev said, his eyes
open wide.
Sid smiled. “That’s Aarya for you.” He briefed her about his visit to
Sahil’s mother and then to Pawas.
Aarya nodded and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on the words.
She always preferred meeting people herself. There was so much more you
could understand by their tone and body language than the words they
spoke.
“Has Pawas sent you the details?”
“Yeah. He sent it during the night. I haven’t studied it yet.”
“Um. I doubt you’ll find anything, but do check to be on the safe side.
And what about the other information?”
“He said he’ll send it this morning. I should get it anytime now. I sent
him a reminder half an hour ago.”
“What other information?” Dev asked.
Aarya smiled. “Simon’s friend in the police. If there’s anything
worthwhile, we’ll know soon enough.”
“You know, I have another theory. What if it’s not murder but suicide?”
Dev said, his gaze travelling from Aarya’s face to Sid’s. “I mean, no one
seems to have a reason to kill him. There was no poison in the food stuck to
the bowl Simon had sent, nor in the pan that Disha had cooked it in.
Perhaps Sahil was lovelorn. He couldn’t bear divorcing Disha and called it
quits.”
Aarya thought for a while. Was it possible? Then she shook her head.
“Sahil was still trying to get Disha back. Plus, he didn’t seem suicidal. We
all met him. He was planning the campfire party, looking for land for a new
resort. Even his mother, though she thought he was worried, didn’t think he
was suicidal. She would have mentioned it otherwise.”
“I agree,” Sid said. “Sahil loved life. He’d fight for Disha and for
anything he wanted. He wouldn’t give up. And he showed no signs of
depression or anything.”
“Yeah, it was just a thought,” Dev muttered, a little embarrassed by his
thought process.
Aarya smiled. “But we need to look at all plausible options. And that’s
one, though improbable. We need to think of different theories. So, how
was your visit to Karwar?”
“Uneventful. I met Karekar. As far as I could see, he seemed to be a
simple man who almost baulked at the idea of me suggesting that he had
given cyanide to anyone. He and Dilip go way back. They’re family
friends.”
“Yeah, it seems all these people around are family friends. Even Pinto.”
The nurse came in with a tray of breakfast for Aarya. “The doctor has
been called for an emergency. He’ll come and see you soon.” She glanced
at the others. “Both of you can eat something at the canteen if you like.”
As she closed the door behind her, Dev continued. “Yeah, but this was a
little different.” He had a naughty smile on his face as he patted Sid on the
back. “I think Karekar’s son is enamoured by Asha. Perhaps it’s a deeper
relationship between the families. I’m sorry, Sid.”
Sid shrugged off Dev’s hand. “Nothing to be sorry about. I think
everyone’s enamoured by Asha. You should have seen Ajit yesterday after
you left. As for me, she’s not my type.”
“Of course she’s not,” Dev said, giving Aarya a wink. “Grapes are
sour.”
Sid slapped him on the back, laughing. Aarya smiled and ate her
breakfast, her mind occupied elsewhere. There were so many pieces of the
puzzle, but they didn’t seem to form any coherent picture. What was
missing?
 The pinging of Sid’s phone brought her back from her thoughts and
stopped the banter between the two men.
Sid looked up from his phone, his face serious now. “Simon’s friend has
sent the documents. Also,” he paused and read the message on his phone
again. “But that’s not possible,” he mumbled, his eyes open wide.
“What happened?” Aarya asked. “Ribeiro is on his way to arrest Simon,
is it?”
Sid looked up; his mouth still open. “Ribeiro was on his way to arrest
Simon. But looks like there was no need for it.” He looked at the two faces
staring at him. “Simon is on his way to the station himself. He is ready to
confess to Sahil’s murder!”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 31
It Doesn’t Make Sense
“It doesn’t make sense. Why would Simon confess?” Aarya muttered
under her breath, keeping her empty breakfast tray on the side table. She
turned her head to look at her friends. “Anything happened with Simon last
night?”
“Nothing to my knowledge,” Dev said, thinking hard. “He seemed his
usual self when we were on the boat, looking for you. In fact, he even said
you’re the one to help prove his innocence.”
“Then why? Why? What happened between then and now?” Aarya
stared at the ceiling, thinking. “I need to speak with him before he reaches
the station. Ribeiro will not let me talk to him later.”
She dialled Simon’s number.
“Yo, Aarya,” he said, but his usual enthusiasm was missing. “I’m sorry
about everything.”
“Why are you doing this, Simon?”
“What? Confessing to a crime I committed? Can’t take the guilt to my
grave now, can I? Thought it’ll be better for everyone.”
“Where are you right now? Can I talk to you before you turn yourself
in?”
“Sure girl. I was about to leave my room. You at the hospital? I can
come over on my way to the station. Be there in an hour.”
As Aarya disconnected the call, she turned to Sid. “I need to look at
those documents, Sid.”
“What documents?” came a loud, merry sound from the door and a
bespectacled man entered the room, followed by the nurse. He held a file in
his hands. “Ms Aarya?” he said, reading the name from the file. “How are
you doing this morning?”
Aarya smiled, infected by his energy and good mood. “I’m doing good,
doctor.”
The doctor smiled and glanced through her reports. “They all seem
fine.” He walked over to her and examined her head. “Thankfully, just a
minor bruise. It could’ve been pretty bad, but the scan shows everything’s
clear.”
“Does that mean I can leave?”
 “I don’t see any reason to keep you.” He turned to Sid and Dev. “Ensure
that she doesn’t go out on such escapades again, will you? And let her rest.”
He patted Dev on the back, waved to Aarya and left the room, off to
meet his next patient, with the nurse following close behind.
“Well, at least one piece of good news,” Aarya said, coming out from
under the covers. “Let’s leave this place. We got work to do.”
“I’ll complete the formalities. It might take about an hour,” said Dev.
Aarya sat back on the bed. “Ugh. Yeah. Meanwhile, we’ll go through
those files.”
“If Simon has confessed, are we still working on the case? Doesn’t it
mean that it’s resolved?” Dev asked.
“Perhaps it does. But my gut tells me the case is not yet solved.”
Dev nodded and walked away while Sid downloaded the files on his
phone and handed the device over to Aarya, and sat down on the bed next
to her.
Aarya pored over the files, one by one. She started with the agreements
between Sahil and Dilip. They seemed in order, the key parameters exactly
as Dilip had told them. She also found the revised agreement for the new
resort. The terms for this, while still under discussion, were what Dilip had
already informed her. She went through each line, wondering if there was
some clause somewhere that could lead Dilip to kill his partner. Nothing.
Why was he trying to hide these documents? Why didn’t he want her to get
her hands on them? There must be something.
Her eyes were exhausted when her phone rang. It was her mother.
Before she could swipe up, Sid said, a little apologetically, “I forgot to
tell you. She’d called last night. Your phone was unreachable. So I had to
tell her the truth.”
Aarya received the call and rubbed her tired eyes.
“How are you, Aru?” The anxiety in her mother’s voice was clear. She
could hear her father mumbling something from behind.
“I’m fine. Just some scratches, that’s all.”
“What did the doctor say? Sid told me you’re in the hospital. You want
me to ask your brother to fly over to Goa?”
“No. Don’t bother him. The doctor just came. He said I’m good to
leave. Don’t worry, Mummy. I’m fine. It was just a minor thing.”
“Why do you have to get involved in cases, even on your holiday? I
cannot understand you. Poor Sid, barely recovered after your previous case
and you throw him into this one. And Dev! What will that poor fellow
think?”
“Look, if he can’t handle this, then it’s better that he flies out of my life.
It’s better for him to get a full picture of what being my friend entails.”
“Ah, so he is a friend at least,” teased her mother. “Good. Sid told me he
was the one who saved you.”
“Stop it, Mummy. Please.” Aarya’s face was going crimson.
Her mother laughed a little. “But I’m glad you’re not alone and have
people in your life who can look out for you and have your back.”
There was a momentary pause. Aarya didn’t know how to respond. She
was the one running away from attachments and relationships, but if not for
those same things, she would probably be dead.
Her mother finally broke the silence. “So, tell me, how is the case
going? When are you returning to Gurgaon? We both want to come and
meet you.”
“Let’s see. It’s a little complicated. Someone has confessed, but I don’t
understand why. And I can’t find anyone with a strong enough motive to
kill the victim.”
“Hmm. Maybe it was an accident; that’s why you can’t find a reason for
anyone to murder him. Perhaps his murder was unintentional. Anyway, if
someone has confessed, I think you should back off. Come back to
Gurgaon, beta. I hate to see you always surrounded by trouble.”
“Yeah. Talk about trouble. Dev is back. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
Dev entered the room with Simon in his tow.
“How’re you doin’, Aarya?” Simon asked with a forced smile on his
face.
“Fine. About to leave. I believe formalities are finished.”
Dev nodded and sat down on a small sofa by the wall, beckoning Simon
to take a seat beside him. Once they were seated, Aarya fixed her gaze on
Simon’s face. “Why?”
He lowered his gaze. “Told ya. Can’t live with that guilt.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Simon. Is Ribeiro forcing you? Tell me the
truth. Perhaps I can help.”
Simon shook his head. “Ribeiro isn’t forcin’ me. I’m doin’ it of my own
free will. But thanks for your help ‘nyways.”
“What about Leena? Think of her at least,” Aarya said, climbing down
the bed and walking over to the sofa.
 “I am thinkin’ of her. But you all should back off now. You’ve had
enough trouble as it is. And I’m guilty as the devil.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Believe it or not. Choice is yours. Sahil was harming my restaurant. I
had a fight with him. Everyone knows that. Couldn’t control my anger.
Poisoned him. Simple as that.”
Aarya’s gaze pierced through Simon’s face as he shrugged and pushed
himself into an upright position. “Where did you get hold of the cyanide?”
she probed.
“I… I bought it from that shop,” he stammered. “I’m already late. Gotta
go, as can you all, back to your cities. I just came over to say thank you and
to tell you I’m sorry.” He shuffled to the door and exited without turning
back.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 32
Funny you Should Ask
“What do you think?” Sid asked Aarya as they made their way out of
the hospital. “It didn’t look as if Simon was telling the whole truth. He
didn’t even have an idea how he got hold of the poison.”
Aarya nodded and followed Sid and Dev into the car.
“Anyone up for a coffee?” Dev asked, getting into the driver’s seat. Sid
nodded. “Aarya?”
“Sure. Whatever,” Aarya said, seating herself in the passenger seat,
deep in thought.
She took Sid’s phone and began going through the other documents that
Simon’s police friend had sent. They had nothing to do with Sahil. They
were mostly land documents. She opened them and began reading. Her eyes
grew wide, and she let out a low whistle.
“What happened?” Dev and Sid asked.
“It seems Dilip isn’t the simpleton we thought he was. He’s not quite
honest.”
The documents stated his cousins were transferring the land to him in
exchange for a house. As far as Aarya remembered from her visit to the
village where his family lived in the newly built houses, they still thought
the land was theirs as well. That’s what Sahil had also told them, that the
land belonged to Dilip and his family. So had Dilip inserted this clause
without notifying others and got his family to sign it? Could it be possible?
“No one is foolish enough to sign such a document without reading,”
Sid scoffed.
Dev looked at Aarya through the rear-view mirror. “It’s possible. I know
of people in our own town who have done such things. A lot of them don’t
think their own family will cheat them, and they take things at face value
without reading the small clauses. The way Aarya read it, the agreement
was for constructing houses, and this seemed to be just a clause in it. I think
Dilip duped them and took advantage of their trust.”
Aarya was deep in thought. “Perhaps that’s the reason he didn’t want us
to look at these files. Perhaps Sahil had found out and wanted to tell his
family the truth. And he killed him to stop that from happening. That could
be a powerful motive.”
 They reached the café, and Sid and Dev ordered coffee and sandwiches
while Aarya went with a glass of juice. She was still churning the
information in her head. Something about it didn’t seem right.
“We should confront Dilip,” Dev said, his mouth full of sandwich. “He
seems to have the strongest motive. What say?”
Aarya shook her head. “The more I think about it, the more I’m
convinced that Sahil didn’t know about Dilip cheating his family. If that
were the case, why would he be discussing a partnership in the next resort
with Dilip? That was, after all, their last conversation. We have proof of that
as well—their chat messages and the email that they sent. As per the
records sent by Simon’s friend, these documents were in a folder on Sahil’s
laptop, with emails dated two years ago.”
“That must have been the time that they started the resort. You may be
right, Aarya,” agreed Sid. “It’s unlikely Sahil looked at those documents
again. Even if he did, and he found out the truth, he wouldn’t still do
business with Dilip for the next resort, at least not if he had any problems
with it or he intended to tell Dilip’s family about it.”
“Simon’s friend has sent the phone call record details as well, right?”
“Yeah, here they are. Past four weeks,” Sid said, handing over his phone
to Aarya.
Aarya studied the list. The last few calls were to or from the guests at
the resort, some to Dilip, and a few on Saturday to a local number, probably
the generator technician. Something was off about this. She regarded the list
again and cross-checked a few numbers from her phone. It surprised her to
see no calls to Disha, his mother, or even Ajit. But she knew he spoke to his
mother almost every day, and even if he wouldn’t call Ajit that often, he
would at least call Disha.
They were silent for some time, sipping their drinks, each lost in their
own thoughts. Aarya couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something
important right before her eyes she wasn’t able to see.
She remembered what her mother had said. Could it be that Sahil’s
murder was unintended? But it seemed too well-planned to be an accident.
Her phone lit up. Unknown number. She wanted to decline it but, on
second thought, took the call.
“Hi. Aarya Sarkar? This is Joshua Pinto. You wanted to meet me
yesterday evening?”
 “Joshua?” Aarya said, and Dev and Sid sat up straight, attentive. “Yes.
I’m a private detective. I understand you supply chemicals, including
carbon monoxide cylinders. Did you supply any cylinders to anyone near
the Mariana Resort anytime in the last week?”
“Carbon Monoxide cylinders? Funny, you should ask. I did.”
Aarya wasn’t expecting this. His choice of words also struck her as
strange.
Sid mouthed, “Dilip! I’m sure.”
“Who was it? And why did you say it was ‘funny’?”
“Funny because it seemed a far-fetched request. They have much larger
suppliers closer to them, and it made little sense to try it from here. But who
was I to question it if there was even the slightest chance of getting my foot
in the door of IISc?”
“IISc? It was Disha who asked you for the cylinders?”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 33
This is Frying my Brain
The three sat there, shocked for some time, unable to understand the
turn their investigation was taking. Joshua had sent a screenshot of the
email that Disha had sent him, asking for samples of Carbon Monoxide
cylinders that she needed for her project.
“I know for a fact that Disha uses the gas for her project. That part at
least is true,” Aarya leaned forward on the table and whispered. She didn’t
want anyone to hear their conversation.
“But there is no reason for her to take a sample herself all the way from
here to Bangalore. That seems plain stupid. And Disha is anything but
stupid,” Dev whispered back.
“So it was not for her project but for Aarya,” Sid continued. “I think we
should tell Ribeiro about this before he files the documents about Simon’s
confession.”
“All these things are not adding up,” Aarya said, half to herself. “Come
on. Let’s go back to our rooms. I need some place to think.”
It was a short drive to their resort, albeit a very quiet one, with each of
them, lost in their thoughts. Aarya was busy browsing on her phone. She
checked Disha’s profile on LinkedIn and the institute’s website and made
some notes.
She checked Joshua’s company details and his social media. Nothing
much there. He was not too active on social media, and his company
website was primarily a listing of all the products that he supplied and
testimonials from some of his clients. All his clients were from Goa or from
Karnataka districts bordering Goa, mostly within a radius of a maximum of
200 km.
They went straight to Aarya’s room. Dev sat down on the chair while
Sid made himself comfortable on the bed. Aarya stood by the window,
looking at the gentle waves in the hot sun. It was eerily quiet, with no
guests in the resort and Dilip, Asha, Disha and Ajit probably being indoors.
There was not even Baloo running around. She missed Baloo, and anger
rose inside her again.
She turned around to face her friends. Both looked up anxiously.
“Okay. Let’s go through each of these people one by one. What do we
know? We know Dilip was conning his family. We can’t be certain whether
Sahil knew about it. What we know is that Sahil and Dilip were planning to
open another resort together. We also know that Sahil was the one doing all
the marketing and customer relations.”
Dev nodded. “His friend, Karekar, the jeweller, says he didn’t hand over
any cyanide to him. Apparently, they haven’t met for a long time. Dilip
hasn’t gone to Karwar for months now, and Karekar hasn’t come here.”
“Didn’t Dilip go to pick up or drop Asha when she went to visit her
grandparents?”
Dev shook his head. “She must’ve gone alone. It’s not too far.”
“But Dilip was the one who didn’t want us involved in the beginning,”
Sid pipped in. “He was probably the last one to see Sahil alive. He has also
been insisting time and again that we leave. And you heard him, Aarya,
talking to Ribeiro about us not finding things.”
Aarya nodded. “True. Then there is his daughter, Asha.”
“Poor girl,” Sid said. “She seemed to be more pained by Sahil’s death
than anyone, even more than Disha. Perhaps she was close to Sahil, and
Disha didn’t like it. Or even Ajit didn’t like it. Ajit is obviously enamoured
by her.”
Dev leaned forward in the chair and smiled a little. “That’s true.
Karekar’s son also seemed to be quite fond of her, to put it mildly. She has
some effect on people. But who did she like? Sahil?”
Aarya looked at her friends. “Possibly. I remember Ajit saying we all
like what we can’t get or something to that effect. The way he said it, it
seemed as if he was referring to Asha’s liking for Sahil. That also explains
why his death has had such an impact on her. Perhaps Ajit didn’t like her
getting close to Sahil.”
“Perhaps Disha found out. Maybe that’s why she poisoned Sahil’s food.
She could have access to cyanide. And we know she asked Joshua for the
cylinders. It seems quite obvious now that you think of it,” Sid declared, his
hands behind his head and back resting on the back of the bed.
“Not to forget the magazines that we found in her house, the ones from
which the threatening note was probably cut. None of the others here read
those magazines,” Dev added.
“You’re right. But you forget that Sahil was the one who didn’t want to
divorce Disha. Disha wanted to separate,” Aarya said.
“Could be Ajit as well. When I met Sahil’s mom and Pawas, I realised
that Ajit was jealous of his brother. Maybe when he found out that the
woman he loves prefers his brother, it was the last straw. He could’ve killed
him in anger.”
“Then why would he ask me to investigate? Disha and Dilip had
anyway said it was a heart attack. There was no need for any investigation.
He could have just let it all slide.”
Dev stood up, slamming his feet. “And then there is Simon, who, for
some reason, wants to confess to this crime. This is frying my brain.”
Aarya closed her eyes. The sound of waves had a soothing, meditative
influence as she tried to make sense of all the facts she had. She missed her
punching bag. A bout of punching exercises always cleared her brain.
She opened her eyes when Sid spoke up. He was studying the file on his
phone. “Do you think Sahil himself lied to us that he spoke to his mother
every day?”
“Unlikely. There was no reason for him to do that.”
“Then where are the numbers? Could Ribeiro have altered the files?”
Aarya shook her head. “I think he had two phones. One for business and
one for personal. That’s why no family numbers are on that list.”
“Where is that phone? I remember Ribeiro’s man saying they are taking
one laptop and one phone. He said it right before he started questioning
me,” said Sid.
“I have a good idea of where it is,” Aarya said, remembering the song
Asha had heard in Disha’s house. After a moment’s pause, she continued.
“We also have our attackers to consider. I’ve seen those eyes somewhere,
though I can’t remember where. That red-coloured hair and such bushy
eyebrows are not that common.”
“Perhaps some photograph?” suggested Sid.
Aarya quickly opened her phone and began skimming through the
social media posts of Sahil. Nothing. Suddenly, she stopped. Could it be?
She stared at the photograph in front of her. It was those same eyes, the
same bushy eyebrows, only black hair. She handed over the phone to Dev.
“Could this be him?”
Dev studied the picture while Sid glanced at it from the sides.
“Possibly. He could have gotten his hair coloured recently. Eyes and
physique look similar.”
“I’ve seen this man,” Sid said slowly, taking the phone from Dev’s
hand.
“Where?” Dev and Aarya shouted in tandem.
 “There’s a photograph in Dilip’s room, toward the kitchen. He has a
streak of blue hair in that photograph, but I’m ready to bet it’s the same
face. I asked Dilip about him. He is Dilip’s brother’s son. Lives in the
village.”
Aarya nodded excitedly. With Sid’s prompt, she remembered seeing that
photograph in Dilip’s home. That was her attacker, no doubt about it.
“Wow. Are all your cases like this?” Dev asked Aarya, flailing his arms.
“Everyone seemingly has a good relationship with the victim. Dilip,
outwardly a simple man, has cheated his entire family. His nephew attacked
us, and he has made it quite clear that we should leave the case. But he and
his daughter both shared an intimate relationship with Sahil. Sahil’s wife
bought Carbon Monoxide cylinders to kill you. Ajit, a jealous brother who,
after the first few days, has also tried to send us off. Simon, the man who
has confessed but increasingly seems innocent. I really—”
A knock on the door broke Dev’s monologue. It was Jason, the young
man who worked at Bytes.
“You have to save Simon,” he said as soon as Aarya opened the door.
Aarya looked empathetically at him. The poor man must be without a
job, with Simon deciding to confess.
“It’s not about me,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. “I know who
killed Sahil.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 34
Small Price for Love
“Come in and tell me what you know.” Aarya led Jason inside the
room and shut the door.
“It’s Leena. She was the one who killed Sahil.”
“Leena!”
Jason nodded, and his eyes oscillated between the three friends, who
were staring at him with rapt attention. “Yes. I heard it myself.”
Jason lowered himself onto the chair, and Aarya sat down on the table
next to him, her legs dangling in the air. She leaned forward. “Where and
when did you hear? You heard Leena say it?”
“You know, Simon allows me to sleep in the restaurant’s kitchen. But
last night, I couldn’t sleep. I was watching some videos on my phone when
Asha came shouting for Simon, and he left on the boat. I didn’t know what
was happening, so I stayed awake in case anyone needed more help. Then
when Simon returned, I asked him, wondering why he went out into the
ocean that late. He never does that, saying it’s too dangerous.”
His gaze turned to Aarya. “He said he had to. He said you were his hope
for keeping out of prison.”
Sid slapped his palm on the bed. “I knew it. Something obviously
happened to make him confess.”
Aarya gave him a quick glance, and he shut up. She didn’t like
betraying her thought process to outsiders until she was certain.
“Go on,” she said, turning back to Jason.
“I went back to the kitchen and Simon to his room. That was when I
heard footsteps. I peeped through the kitchen window. The person had gone
inside Simon’s room. I couldn’t see who she was. They were speaking in
whispers. In a few moments, I heard Simon shriek: Leena! Why would she
do it? The other person shushed him. The next thing I know is that Simon
wants to confess. He is doing it to protect Leena. She’s the one who did it.”
“Did you see the person who visited Simon?”
Jason shook his head. “Could’ve been Leena.”
“You heard the voice?”
“Not really. It was just Simon’s voice that was clear.”
“Then how do you know the person was a ‘she’?” Aarya probed.
 Jason shrugged. “I don’t know why I said that. Maybe I just assumed.
But I remember Simon’s words clearly.”
“Did you confront him when he told you he was confessing?”
“I did. He said it’s a small price for love.”
“Love!” Sid scoffed. “That’s foolishness, not love.”
“Thanks, Jason,” Aarya said, climbing down from the table and patting
Jason’s shoulder. “You’ve been a great help, more than you realise.”
Jason left the room, and Dev turned to Sid. “Don’t mock what Simon
did. Many people do strange things in love. It’s the most powerful of
emotions. It can make them defy orders, work against common sense, even
take a road leading to self-destruction.”
Aarya looked at him with raised eyebrows. “You seem to know a lot
about this.” She smiled and tried to gauge what his words meant. “Have you
ever done any of this for love?”
Dev shook his head and let out a laugh. “Hah. No. Not me. But I know
people who do. Perhaps Simon is one of those.”
Aarya reflected on his words. She felt she had all the pieces, and she
needed some quiet time to put them in place and see the full picture.
“I’m going for a walk. You guys stay here. I should be back in a couple
of hours, max,” she said and stepped out of the room. The sun felt hot on
her skin. She walked along the tree-lined route toward the village. It would
give her quietness and a respite from the direct sun rays.
There were too many pieces and too many people. What connected
them all? What brought it all together? Who had the motive and access to
do all the things that happened in the past few days? Could Leena have
done it? No better way to know than to confront her. She lived in the
village.
Who was the person who went to Simon last night? It couldn’t have
been Leena if Jason’s account had been correct. He wouldn’t have said,
“Leena! Why would she do it?” So it was definitely some other person,
most likely a woman. Even if Jason didn’t remember, something that he
noticed made him think of the visitor as a woman. It could be the voice, the
dress, or the perfume. His subconscious mind noticed something that he
doesn’t remember now. That happened to many witnesses.
Her phone rang. It was Shruti, her friend from IISc.
“Hey, I believe you wanted info on Disha for some case. Is that true?”
“Yes. Why?”
 “Then there is something you should know. I was in the cafeteria today.
And this person comes and sits with a few of his friends at the table behind
mine. He started talking about Disha, and that’s when I got interested. He
said her husband died, and that it’s probably murder. And then I put two and
two together and understood that’s what you must be involved in.”
Aarya didn’t reply, so she went on. “I’m not sure if this is useful for
you. Perhaps you already know it.”
“Tell me. No information is small.”
“It seems Disha is seeing this man for the past couple of months.”
“What?”
“Yes, at least that’s what he said to his friends. He said he was in
Singapore this past week, and Disha had gone to Goa to convince her
husband for a divorce. He seemed upset that the murder will now make her
wait for probably a year before they can think of marrying.”
“Thanks, Shruti. This is helpful. Can you check one last thing for me?
Just verify something I’m sending you,” Aarya said, disconnecting. She was
already in the village and didn’t want to discuss the case here on the phone.
Disha! Seeing someone else. That’s why she wanted a divorce. Could
she have killed Sahil because he didn’t agree? There was a lot of evidence
pointing in her direction.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 35
The Stage is Set
The visit to Leena was a short one. Aarya found her sitting on her
porch, a symbol of grief and despondency. She stood up when she saw
Aarya.
“Simon thought you’d help him,” she said, tears flowing down her
cheeks. “Why did you let him go?”
“Did he tell you anything?”
Leena pulled out her phone and showed Aarya a message from Simon.
“I’ll always protect you and take care of you.”
“This is what he sent me this morning. I saw this only some time ago. I
tried calling him, but he didn’t pick up. That was when I called up Asha to
see where he was, and she told me he’d gone to the station and confessed to
the murder of their manager.” She sniffed and then blew her nose. Aarya
patted her on the back. She turned to face Aarya. “What do you think he
meant by that?”
They spoke for some more time. Aarya asked her if she knew Sahil and
what she thought of him, Disha, and Ajit. She didn’t know them too well,
only through what Asha and Simon told her about them since she had rarely
had one-to-one conversations with any of them. She had applied for an
admin position at IISc. For that, too, she had sent her resume through Dilip.
She had planned to talk to Disha if she was shortlisted, but since she never
heard from the institute, she never called her up.
“Any reason Simon would think you would harm Sahil?”
Leena looked up, her eyes as large as saucers, and her mouth fell open.
“You believe Simon thinks I did it? Why?” She paused for some moments.
“The only thing I remember is after Simon’s argument with Sahil, I’d told
him I felt like bashing him up. I, of course, said it only to cheer Simon.”
She looked at Aarya, fear on her face. “I didn’t do anything. And neither
did Simon.”
Aarya nodded. “Perhaps. Why don’t you let Simon know this? It might
just save his life.”
“I’ll call him again. If not him, I’ll call someone at the station. If I still
can’t get through, I’ll go to the station myself. I won’t let Simon suffer
because of some stupid misunderstanding.”
 Aarya soon left her, strolling back toward the resort. The one thing that
she still didn’t understand was how the cyanide was administered. She was
certain the answer to this would make other pieces fall into place.
She thought back on everything from the beginning. They knew Sahil
ate the poison with the food. But the remaining food from Bytes didn’t have
any traces. Neither did the daal or rice left over in the pans. How did the
poison get into his system? The forensic report showed no other food in his
stomach. And then it struck her! The image of Disha looking for her salt
and spice mixture came before her eyes. He had probably added something
to augment the flavour of his food. That’s why there were no traces of
poison in the remaining food.
The pieces were falling into place. It was right there in front of her, and
she had not seen it. She called up Sid.
“Call Ribeiro and tell him I know the actual killer. Get everyone in one
room in around half an hour. Don’t tell anyone anything yet. I have to find
one more thing before I come over.”
She placed a call to Inspector Patil, a close friend from the Gurgaon
police. They worked together in many cases and helped each other
whenever they could.
“Patil, I need your help. And I need it fast.” As she walked along the
road, she explained what she needed from him.
The stage was set. The puzzle was taking shape in front of her eyes, and
the last piece from Patil would make it complete.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 36
The Unravelling
Aarya strolled along the path and sat down under a tree. The breeze
brushed past her face, ruffling her hair. The clouds had come over and
covered the harsh rays of the sun. Despite the time of day, it felt strangely
quiet and pleasant.
Her phone lit up. It was her friend, Shruti, from IISc, with the answer to
the question Aarya had asked her. Aarya read the message and smiled. “Just
as I expected,” she muttered, replying a thank you to her friend.
Minutes passed. It was almost thirty minutes since she’d called Sid, but
there was no response from Patil. She stood up and began walking the
remaining distance to the resort.
Her phone trilled, and she picked it up in one ring. Sid.
“Everyone’s gathering in Dilip’s house. Ribeiro and Simon are also
almost here. Apparently, before they could file it, Simon went back on his
word and didn’t confess. Not sure of the reason.”
Aarya smiled. “I know why. Anyway, I’m almost there myself.”
A few minutes later, she peeped in through the window of Dilip’s house.
Dilip, Ajit and Disha were sitting on the sofa. Ajit was telling some
story about his village work. Dilip was nodding, half listening to him, his
eyes darting around the room. Disha was quiet, staring at the floor. Sid and
Dev had each pulled up a chair. Dev was messaging someone while Sid’s
eyes were moving from one to the other person in the room. Asha stood by
the door to the bedroom, rolling her dress around her fingers, a jar of red
kokum juice on the mantel by her side.
As Aarya stepped in, Ajit’s voice trailed off, and silence reigned
supreme. There were a few chairs placed along the wall, and Dilip
motioned for her to take one.
She shook her head and stood by the main door, from where she could
see all of them.
“I believe you’re wondering why I’ve called you all here.”
Dilip and Ajit nodded while Disha kept staring at the floor.
“You have all lied to me, either about your relationship with Sahil or
about your whereabouts on the day of the murder.”
Ajit spoke up. “Hey, I already told you. I didn’t lie. I just omitted it
because it had no bearing on Sahil’s death. Yes, I was here that evening, but
you know I didn’t come to the resort.”
Dilip stood up. “So did I. I met Sahil, but he was alive and well when I
met him. And I wasn’t the one who gave him the food that poisoned him.
Plus, Simon has confessed, hasn’t he? Why are you still after all this? Why
can’t you just leave now? The case is closed.”
Aarya nodded. “If it makes you happy, I plan to leave this evening. But
the case is not yet closed. Perhaps you’re not aware, but Simon didn’t
confess.” She looked outside. “See, there he comes with your friend,
Inspector Ribeiro.”
The Inspector and Simon walked in.
“What is all this?” Ribeiro growled. “Mr Sidharth said you know who
killed Sahil. It better not be a waste of my time.”
“I do. And it’s someone in this room.”
All the ones present looked here and there, averting the others’ eyes.
“Now, as I was saying, you’ve all lied. But as my friend told me some
days ago, we sometimes withhold information if it’s better for people we
care about, but intentions are not always bad. Some of your intentions were
pure, others not so much. Let me start with Ajit.”
Ajit shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and Aarya continued. “He didn’t
love Sahil as much as he said. In fact, he was jealous of him and had always
been since childhood. Sahil was the one who did well, was the life of any
party, was even the better of the two sons and more liked, even by their
mother. He probably hated that she knew more about Sahil than about him,
even though he was the one who stayed with her and took care of her.”
Ajit jumped up. “So what!” he barked. “What you say is true, but that
doesn’t mean I killed him. I was jealous of him. True. But I didn’t hate him,
not enough to kill. He was still my brother.”
Aarya nodded. “Then Dilip. He said he was more of a brother to Sahil
than Ajit. Now that’s possible, but he also called Sahil a traitor because he
wanted to open a resort himself.” Aarya walked over to Dilip and stared
down at him. “Tell me, Dilip. Did Sahil know you cheated your own family
of this land? Did he know about your conniving nature?”
Dilip turned his gaze to Ribeiro, then back to Aarya. “How do you
know that?” he asked. “I didn’t cheat anyone. Who gave them houses,
modern ones with all facilities? I give them all the money they need. I take
care of them.”
 “But you took their ownership of land. You give them what you want,
not what they deserve.”
“What is she saying, Aanu?” came Asha’s voice from behind them.
Dilip lowered his head. “My family is better off. Because of me. And
Sahil. And no, he didn’t know any of that. There was no need for him to
know.”
“Lies. Lies. Everywhere.”
Asha slumped on the floor, resting her back on the wall. “That can’t be
true. Aanu! Tell her she’s lying,” she whispered, but Dilip’s downcast look
was enough to tell her the truth.
“I’m sorry you had to hear it like this, Asha,” said Aarya. “I know how
deeply Sahil’s death has affected you. More than anyone here.”
Tears began welling up in Asha’s eyes. “You were in love with him,
weren’t you? He was the one you wanted, you revered. Ajit couldn’t
compare to him, nor the other men who courted you. As Ajit said to me
once, we all like what we can’t have.”
Aarya turned to face Simon. “We all know Simon had a fight with Sahil,
which he tried to, quite unsuccessfully, hide from us. But why did he want
to confess?” She looked around at the confused faces around her. “Because
someone told him it was Leena who killed Sahil, and he wanted to protect
the love of his life.”
“Leena!” Dilip exclaimed and looked up. “Did Leena do it? That’s
impossible.”
Aarya shook her head. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll come to
that. Now, Disha.” Disha looked up from the floor. “You lied about your
relationship with Sahil, telling us you were happy, while in reality, you
wanted a divorce. You are, in fact, seeing someone else for the past couple
of months at least.” Ajit gasped and turned to look at Disha.
“Really!” he said. “Did Sahil know?”
Disha shook her head, and Asha looked at her with a hatred Aarya had
never yet seen on her face. “How could you cheat on a man like Sahil?” she
hissed.
Disha turned her head to the ceiling. “It doesn’t matter now, does it?”
“No. It doesn’t. You hid Sahil’s personal phone so that the police
wouldn’t know about your divorce discussions. It was the ringtone of this
phone that Asha heard that day at your home.”
 Aarya paused and walked over to Disha. “Things don’t look good for
you, Disha. Everything points in your direction. It was your boat that I took,
without a life jacket, mind you, and with less fuel. You’d told me, however,
that it had enough fuel.”
“But it had. I didn’t lie. I used that boat some days ago, and it had
enough fuel. As for the life jacket, I’ve never removed it from the cabin,”
Disha whispered.
Aarya continued as if the woman hadn’t spoken. “The threat I received
was cut from your magazines. Even the carbon monoxide cylinders that
killed poor innocent Baloo were ordered from your email id.”
Disha pushed her frame up from the chair while everyone stared at her,
unable to believe what they heard. “What are you implying, Aarya? I
wanted to divorce Sahil, but I still cared about him. I would never, never
kill him. If that’s where your investigation has led, you’re as foolish as this
Inspector here.”
Ribeiro bristled and opened his mouth to say something, but Aarya
spoke before that. “But everything points to you, doesn’t it?” She paused.
“Love is the most powerful emotion. It makes us do things we could never
imagine ourselves capable of.”
Disha stared at her with fiery eyes. “Anger, too, is a powerful emotion,
Aarya. Don’t test me by spewing such lies.”
Aarya’s phone trilled. She pulled out her phone and read the message
from Patil. Then she looked up.
“This case genuinely confused me. No one seemed to have a strong
enough motive to kill. Something my mother said pointed me in the right
direction. Sahil’s death was an accident.”
“What!” almost everybody in the room shrieked.
“Yes.” Aarya’s gaze moved around the room. “The intended victim was
not Sahil. It was Disha.”
“What!” reverberated through the room again.
“What’re you saying? Me? Who would want to kill me?”
“Someone who wanted you out of the way. Someone who was in love
with Sahil herself.”
Aarya walked toward the bedroom. She lifted Asha up. “Isn’t it, Asha?
I’m impressed by how you tried to cover your tracks after your failed
attempt, which led to the death of the person you loved.”
Tears streamed down Asha’s face.
 “That’s a lie,” shouted Dilip. “You just said that the threat came from
Disha. She ordered the gas cylinders.”
“Asha stole a magazine from the house and used it in the threat note. As
for the cylinders, Disha had told her about her experiments. That’s how she
knew about the gas. She couldn’t get access to Disha’s phone, so Asha just
created a new email id, disha_iisc. I know Disha doesn’t use that email id,
but Joshua didn’t. And when Asha spoke to Joshua later that day, she
confirmed to him it was Disha who had requested the gas.”
Aarya turned to Ribeiro. “I’m sure your analysis of the cylinders
showed only Asha’s fingerprints. She smartly held the cylinders when we
found them. She must not have had time to wipe her prints off. So she did
the next best thing. Openly include her prints on them.”
As Ribeiro nodded, Dilip slumped down and rested his head in his
hands.
Aarya continued, “You were the one who removed the life jacket from
the boat and threw away the fuel. Perhaps you had intended the boat
accident for Disha, but she didn’t use the boat in the last few days. You
were the one who called upon your cousins to beat us up. Yes, I know they
were your cousins.”
Aarya walked over to the photograph of Dilip and Asha with the
attackers and helped it up.
“What’s interesting is that she used one of her admirers to get her the
poison that she would use to kill her nemesis.” Aarya paused. “Karekar’s
son. He slipped you the cyanide when you went to visit your grandparents a
couple of weeks ago, didn’t he?”
“I don’t know what you’re saying,” Asha sobbed.
“There’s no point lying. He has confessed to the police about giving you
the cyanide. I have just received an intimation from my friend about that.”
Aarya stared at the young woman in front of her, her hair still neatly tied in
a high bun and her fingers still playing with her dress.
“The one thing that I couldn’t understand until some time ago was from
what did Sahil ingest the poison. That was when I remembered Disha
searching for her salt box some time back. I also remembered you taking a
bottle of salt in the tray along with papers etc, that day when you were at
Disha’s house. You put the poison in the salt box that Disha always used.
You, of course, couldn’t guess that Sahil would use it before Disha. The
intended victim was Disha, who you hoped would use the salt and die. But
when your plan failed, and you unintentionally killed the man you loved
instead, you began trying to frame Disha.”
“You piece of shit,” mumbled Disha.
“I believe in hard facts. There were so many clues that pointed to Disha.
But the high number was a clue in itself. I know Disha is a smart woman.
That’s a fact. She could make one error, but not so many. And Asha
probably realised that. So what did she do? She sent me off to Pinto’s on a
boat she knew I wouldn’t be able to return in, and that same night, she lied
to Simon to get him to confess.”
Simon snarled angrily from the other side of the room. “I never
expected this from you, Asha.”
Aarya walked over to Asha and glared at her. “You killed Sahil and
Baloo and would have killed me if I wasn’t lucky enough to have some
good friends around.”
Asha looked up, her eyes a fiery red, a malevolent expression on her
face, a far cry from the innocent face she usually had. “You!” she screamed,
staring at Disha with fuming eyes. “It’s because of you. I lost Sahil, and
then I lost Baloo. I loved them both, but they died at my hands because of
you.” She slumped down and began sobbing uncontrollably.
“I didn’t want to kill either of them. As for you,” she looked up at
Aarya. “I just wanted to scare you. Disha had told me Carbon Monoxide
was toxic. I just thought it causes you to faint. I didn’t know it kills. Even
your boat. I removed one-third of the fuel, enough to take you one way. I
thought you’d be stranded with Joshua and Pinto Uncle and would be
forced to stay there, and before you returned the next morning, Simon
would have confessed.” She sniffed, tears streaming down her face. “I
didn’t think you’d start on your way back without checking the fuel. If
Joshua had been there, he would’ve noticed for sure. I didn’t want to kill
anyone. Only Disha. That too, because Sahil was in so much pain because
of her. He was even toying with the idea of returning to Bangalore. Leaving
all this. Leaving me. And for what? For her! The one who didn’t give a rat’s
ass about him?” She gave a vicious look to Disha.
Disha’s eyes welled up. It was the first time since Sahil’s death that
anyone had seen her cry. “Why Asha? I never thought ill of you. I was
divorcing Sahil. You knew it. Then why?”
“Because he didn’t want to divorce you. He told me that himself, saying
he’d do whatever it takes. He said he loved you and would never let you go
while you both were alive. I had to change that, didn’t I?”
Ajit’s face had gone red with anger. “You monster!” he shouted. “I
loved you. Sahil cared for you. And this is what you did. And you tried to
poison my head that it was Disha who had done it and that for the sake of
Sahil’s memory, I should ask Aarya and her friends to go back and stop the
investigation. How dare you!” He jumped toward Asha, who was by now
sobbing, her head buried in her hands.
Ribeiro got into motion. He told Dev and Sid to hold back Ajit. Dilip
was too stunned to utter anything. He just stared at Asha with disbelief.
Simon shook his head and spat on the ground as Ribeiro whisked Asha
away.

OceanofPDF.com
 Chapter 37
Dev: The Comfortable Silence
After the excitement at Dilip’s home, Ribeiro whisked Asha away.
Dilip stared at everything around him, unable to comprehend what was
happening, a vacant expression on his face. Aarya accompanied Disha and
Ajit to Sahil’s cottage.
Simon had gone off, presumably to meet Leena and put her at ease. Sid
had retired to his room to book flight tickets for himself and Aarya.
Dev waited for Aarya as she came out of the cottage.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey yourself,” he said and held her hand. “That was some good work.
I’d never have thought Asha was the one behind all this.”
“When the obvious makes no sense, accept what does, even if it seems
unlikely. Facts have to fit together because, in this world, facts are the only
things that don’t lie.”
They walked together along the beach. It was early evening, and even
with the clouds, it felt hot. Oblivious to the heat and humidity, the two
continued to walk by the water, the waves lapping on their feet.
Aarya stopped and looked up at him. “Thank you, Dev. Thanks for
saving my life and having my back. I owe you a big one.”
Dev waved his hand. “That’s nothing. I’d do it again, multiple times
over.”
His phone rang. He pulled it out. Z. His first instinct was to pick it up.
But on second thought, this moment would be lost. Love is definitely a
powerful emotion, making you do things you wouldn’t do under normal
circumstances. He cut the call.
“You aren’t taking the call?” Aarya asked.
Dev shook his head. “Later. Right now, this is all I want to do.” He held
her hand tighter, and they continued their walk.
Minutes passed. Silence had never felt so comfortable.
Sid’s voice broke the bubble. “I have to interrupt you, ‘coz I have some
information new; Our tickets I have booked, so it can’t be now overlooked;
We should leave in thirty minutes, that’s the last limit.”
“Thanks,” Aarya replied.
“That’s it? You didn’t mock my stupid poetry attempt. Things are
getting serious. Both of you seem mysterious. It breaks my heart to say this,
but I’m happy nonetheless. I wish you both joy, but for now, you must bid
goodbye.”
Aarya rolled her eyes as Dev laughed and slapped Sid on the back.
“You’re good, Sid.”
Sid walked back, and Dev turned to face Aarya. “You know he likes
you, right?”
“Yes. As a friend,” Aarya smiled. “Same as you. Well, I better get
packing now. You’re also leaving tonight?”
Dev nodded. “But I’ll be in Delhi soon, within the week, I guess. I’d
love to be involved in more of your cases. Friend.” He laughed as he said
the last word.
“I’ll be waiting for you. It’ll be good to see you again.”
Aarya disengaged her hand and walked toward her room. Dev stared
behind her when his phone rang again. He pursed his lips as he saw the
caller.
“Yes, Z,” he said, swiping it up.
“Why didn’t you pick up or call back?” came the raspy voice, breathing
hard into the phone.
“I was a little busy. Tell me.”
“She’s returning tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. I’m glad you could help her in this case and that she trusts you.
Get ready to have some fun now.”
Dev bit his lips and remained silent. Why wasn’t he feeling excited
about Z’s plan, like he should be?
“What happened?” came the voice from the other end. “I hope we both
are on the same page regarding the detective.”
Dev let out a silent sigh. “Of course. I was just imagining the look on
her face when your plan starts rolling out.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Books In This Series
Aarya Sarkar Series
Aarya Sarkar is no ordinary young woman. She is a badass detective, a
fearless fighter, a karate champion, a bully of bullies. A dog lover to her
core and with a sense of justice and fairness imbued in her veins, she sets
out on her journey to become a private detective in Delhi. She is a short-
tempered woman, quick to pack a punch. With her friend, Sid, she braves
the criminals and their nefarious schemes, always in search of the truth.
The Spiral of Deception
In this gripping thriller mystery, the stakes are high as Aarya, a private
detective, races against time to unravel the dark secrets surrounding her
friend's disappearance. With a body burnt beyond recognition and a world
where ruthless killers are lurking around every corner, Aarya must draw
upon her unique blend of skills - from krav-maga to strong logical thinking
- to crack the case.

As she delves deeper into the twisted minds of her adversaries, Aarya
begins to question whether she has what it takes to outsmart them. With the
clock ticking down, every step she takes brings her closer to the truth - but
also closer to danger.

Aarya has only five days to uncover the truth. The game is afoot. The die
has been rolled and there are no rules. Will Aarya and Sid find their faceless
adversary and foil the plans that have been set in motion long before they
even began playing?
The Crimson Party
A gripping thriller murder mystery!

A murder. An invisible killer. A burnt out detective.

It’s a game of brain and brawn, and the killer has made the first move.

As Aarya, the Private Investigator, tries to peel off the layers, she realises
this case is more than what meets the eyes. While the police believe they
have identified the criminal, Aarya continues to dig deeper. The further
down she goes, the web around her and her best friend, Sid, gets tighter,
leading them to mortal danger.

Her nemesis will go to any lengths to hide the truth. Will Aarya be ready to
pay the price for it?

Will she be able to outwit and overpower her enemies and rip apart the
intricately crafted mesh of deceit and treachery?

Read The Crimson Party to find out what happens when you don’t give up
on your friends even when everyone else around you does.

OceanofPDF.com
 Books By This Author
HUES: Shades of Love
This is a short story collection.

"Love has many faces, and Ranjana Joshi paints them with the colors of
family and friendship, loss and hope, evoking in every story the uniqueness
of the great struggles and gifts in life." – Lisa Schantl, editor-in-chief at Tint
Journal

Love is the biggest motivator in the world, the most powerful of all
emotions. The love for a person, for family, money, work. It is what drives
us, what gives us a purpose in life.

Falling in love or out of love.

The love of a mother or that of a daughter.
The love that was lost or the one that was found.
Be it passionate or in affection bound.
The adoration, the fondness, the zeal and warmness.
The one that we mess or the one we embrace.
Love is all around us, in various shades it surrounds us.

These poignant stories will make you fall in love, make you laugh and cry.
They will make you sympathise, empathise, sometimes love and sometimes
even hate. It’s an emotional ride through incidents we have experienced,
heard, shared or seen – the stories of the various Shades of Love.
The Tales Next Door
The Tales Next Door is a set of ten power-packed stories depicting
various slices of Indian life. A girl who believes she has committed a
murder, a taxi driver in love with his passenger, JD trying to prove a murder
in his small town, Adi facing perilous dangers due to his father’s gift to
him, a strange friendship between an old woman living in a village and a
street dog, Kabir’s meeting in Connaught Place with the woman he believes
is his soulmate, a week of lockdown in the life of Neha and Rohan who are
on the brink of divorce, Sita’s experience as she becomes a world-famous
artist. These stories will take you through an emotional ride that you will
enjoy even long after reading them. You will come to love the characters
and Shiva, JD, John, Ria, Sita, Kabir, Tia are all waiting for you to open the
door and take a peek into their lives.

OceanofPDF.com
 About The Author
Ranjana Joshi
Ranjana Joshi is the author of the Aarya series, a mystery thriller with a
strong female protagonist as a detective. The Spiral of Deception, The
Crimson Party and Murder in Goa are part of this series. She has also
published two short story collections - HUES: Shades of Love and The
Tales Next Door.

Born amidst the picturesque Himalayas in the quaint town of Nainital, she
spent a blissful childhood among the mountains. The people she has met
and the places she has visited find their place in her stories.

She holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Computer Science and an

MBA degree from IIM Indore, one of the prestigious institutions in India.
She spent over a decade working in the corporate sector as a finance,
strategy and planning professional before deciding to pursue her dream of
being an author.

She has a blog, www.intelligentparent.com, where she shares her parenting

experience as a mother of a young boy and as a professional who has
worked for many years in the education sector.

To find out updates about her upcoming books, or the back stories of her
characters, you can check out her website: www.ranjanajoshi.com.

OceanofPDF.com