A Party to Murder

  

“Keep everyone separate,” Shokie said on the phone at seven in the morning, “get their position and company…throughout the night.”

“They are not forthcoming about what was going on,” Anu said.

“That’s to be expected with such parties but they might offer what they observed till the murders,” Shokie said.

Shokie was given the double murder case around half past five that morning, as soon as it was reported. Along with the case came the caution: wrap it up fast and discreetly. Shokie had immediately sent Anu to take charge at the crime scene which was an hour’s drive from the horrific landslide site with more than fifty dead where Shokie, Anu and the rest of the team had been since the previous afternoon.

“I should be there before nine. Some jokers…politicians are fooling around here and delaying the handover.” Shokie ended the call with, “Anu...keep your report brief.”

The first time Anu received that advice, she had bristled.

“The final report can be a Ramayana. Till that stage of a case, I prefer Hemingway’s style,” Shokie told her that first time, returning Anu’s thick meticulously detailed report without even looking at it.

“I have not read either,” Anu retorted.

“Me neither,” Shokie replied.

I asked for it, Anu thought. That was true. When she was promoted as sub-inspector, she had broken a personal rule and asked her father, a retired superintendent of police, for a professional favour. Her father had clammed up, scowled but finally agreed to her request. He took her to the house of a senior officer in the department, a person Anu called Uncle since childhood but not then.

“I want to work with Inspector Shokie,” Anu requested.

“Why?” the senior officer asked.

“She is my role model.”

The two men looked at each other. The senior officer laughed loudly. Her father continued to scowl.

“Excuse me,” the senior officer sobered up. He smiled at the sullen Anu, “Long back, in a departmental interview, someone asked Shokie who her role model was. Guess her answer.”

Anu shook her head, bit her lower lip. “Her mother?”

“Well, that’s what we told her to say from then on. Her reply had been: no one,” the senior officer reminisced, rather fondly.

“What else can we expect from her?” Anu’s father added.

“But, you two got along,” the senior said. Anu’s father’s scowl got worse.

Anu knew that Shokie had reported to her father at some stage but that remained a topic her father avoided.

“Ok, I will put you with her,” the senior officer told Anu. Then added, “Just do not forget what law, order and justice means.”

Later that night, during dinner, Anu asked her father what the senior had meant by that.

“Since you are going to work with Shokie, let me tell you the first thing you
will learn from her: figure it out yourself,” her father replied with smug satisfaction.

Apart from the advice on report writing, Anu did not receive any other advice from Shokie. She did not receive any praise either, even though she thought her “triple-effort” deserved it. They did not socialize outside office hours and they did not share personal details. Once when Anu requested permission to attend a workshop on female empowerment in modern workplace, Shokie refused. Do your work, Anu was told. She was allowed to attend other programs though. At a course on cybersecurity and advanced weapons, she met Antony who used to work with Shokie. Antony too refused to say much about his former boss, even though his admiration was clearly evident. All that he divulged to Anu was, rather wistfully, “Don’t feel bad when she or you move to other teams, when you are erased from her contact list, without a word, without a farewell, after working together for years.”

When she was told to take charge at the scene of the crime, Anu was determined to put in another “triple-effort” to solve the case on her own; not to enter her boss’s good books if there was one, but to prove to herself she could be as good as Shokie. After eighteen hours at the landslide site, she was tired, hungry and grimy. The adrenalin rush alone kept her on her feet.

She was at her meticulous best at the crime scene. She secured the site, took notes and photos of the scene, never relying solely on the experts in her profession. She isolated the partygoers and personally interviewed them, the main suspects.

Around quarter to nine, Shokie arrived at the resort.

It is a lovely resort at the top of a hill, private, nearly a kilometre from the gate. The nearest neighbours and shops are at the foothill. The resort has a main building with office and kitchen, and a dozen cottages of various sizes. The resort is owned by a politician and an actor, with a driver and an accountant the benami owners. The police knew about the rave parties and other social events that took place there. They were discouraged from taking a closer look.   

Six cottages are to the left lower edge of the hill. The remaining six, where the incidents of the night happened, are to the right. The cottages are widely separated, only a few even visible from each other. The cottages have two exits, a front door and one at the back along with a veranda. There is a pathway on that side of the resort that leads to a charming hilltop gazebo.

Shokie surveyed the scene from a distance. Anu briefed her about the night’s events.

“There are two dead. One a male 50 or so, the other a female in her early twenties. Preliminary estimates suggest he was murdered in his sleep, throat cut from ear to ear, between 2 am and 4 am, no defensive wounds. The young lady consumed poisoned between 4 am and 6 am.”

“13 people, including the dead, arrived late evening to party. Eight in the age group 30 to 50 and five college kids in the early twenties. I have prepared a worksheet of their known positions during the night. Included observations and known relationship too.”

“Of these six cottages on the right, two were used for partying. Party Room 1 is a large cottage with hall which can accommodate 20 or so, and with four bedrooms. Party Room 2 is a cottage with two bedrooms. The older lot had four cottages for themselves but they were mostly partying with various groups the whole night.”

“They had dinner together in the main building from 8 pm to 10 pm. Then, split up in various groups.”

“The dead man remained in his cottage throughout the night. From 10 to midnight, he was with his wife and a young lady. He must have had other company later but no one is admitting to that.”

“His cottage is the exclusive one near the top. The front door is visible from Party Room 2. There is a path from the back porch to the hilltop gazebo.”

“It rained heavily between 4 am and 6 am. If there were any footprints leading to the cottage, they are all gone.”

Shokie nodded. Anu continued.

“The cottages on the left side of the resort were vacant last night. The eleven suspects are in various rooms. We are using one cottage as control room.”

“The staff here is minimal. Two shifts. One front desk person in the office and three in the kitchen, they do the housekeeping too. We have not allowed the night shift people to leave. The day shift is keeping the kitchen open.”

“Has everyone had breakfast?” Shokie asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Can you tell someone to get me a flask of coffee and some toast and jam?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

They walked to the cottage that was set up as control room. Shokie went to the balcony, sat on a reclining chair.

“What a view! We better make use of such resort facilities when we can,” she said. She closed her eyes.

Anu waited till the coffee and toast arrived. She watched her senior put 4 heaps of sugar in the mug of coffee.

“Ma’am, I have e-mailed the worksheet to you. I have noted known position, company and their observations…too few of those.”

“Hmmm…”

“With regard to the 13, the eight older ones seem to be successful professionals, two of them married couples, and the five college…”

“Anu,” Shokie interrupted, “fill me in on those details later.”

“11 main suspects,” Anu remarked.

“12, right?” Shokie asked.

“Yes, 12 if one assumes the dead lady killed the man and then took her own life with poison.”

“Take any dozen. Four will lie. Four will tell the truth. Four will remain silent. Some truths will be lies. Some lies will be truths. The honest ones need not be good,” Shokie mumbled that like a nursery rhyme, half asleep.

“Ma’am?” Anu said after a while.

“Hmmm?”

“Where do you want to start, ma’am?”

“Me? I am going to make use of this holiday. You know what to do. And, Anu…wrap it up fast and discreetly.” Shokie smiled, leaned back, her eyes half-closed, sipped coffee, had toast with liberal amount of jam.

“Ma’am, I have taken blood tests of all. They are all walking pharmacies after what went on last night,” Anu said.

“Keep it,” Shokie said, “that will be part of the discreet.”

Anu left to resume her investigations.

Shokie reached for her laptop and studied the worksheet Anu had prepared. She made notes on the same.

 

xxx

 

20:00-22:00: Dinner together.

22:00-24:00: Dead man (M1) in own cottage with wife (F2) and young lady (F11). Three men and three women in Party Room 1. Two men and two women in Party Room 2. One observation during that period: 30-year-old man (M7) in Party Room 2 saw the twenty-year-olds with them, man (M9) and woman (F10), slip a bottle of expensive wine into a backpack. 40-year-old woman (F4) in the same cottage did not see that.

00:00-03:00: Dead man (M1) is with unknown company or killer in own cottage. Four men and four women in Party Room 1, mostly together during session, though no one can vouch for another. In Party Room 2, thirty-year-old man (M7) was replaced by thirty-year-old woman (F8). Observations: Two men (M5 and M6) going to Party Room 1 think they saw a man and a woman (M9 and F10) go to the room of dead man (M1), carrying a backpack. But, the group in Party Room 2 (F4, F8, M9 and F10) say they were together. The older women (F4 and F8) admit they could have slept a bit. Party Room 2 has the best view of M1’s front door. But, none of them saw anyone enter M1’s cottage.

Shokie nodded appreciatively at a note Anu made with regard to that: Why didn’t the dog bark?

03:00-05:00: Dead man (M1) is with unknown company or killer in own cottage. Two men (M5 and M6) retire to their cottage during that period. The remaining ten were in Party Room 1. Fluid situation with no one really sure who was or was not there, and with no track of time. Observations: The two men (M5 and M6), on their way back from party, once again saw the young couple (M9 and F10) go to M1’s front door. Female F4 says she saw female F13 leave M1’s room. She is not sure when. Rains.

Anu wondered: Did M5 and M6 see M9 and F10 go to M1 twice?

05:00-06:00: Wife (F2) finds man (M1) dead. She waits with man (M3) and lady (F8) in M3’s room. Woman (F4) and man (M7) were together at hilltop gazebo. Two men (M5 and M6) remain in their room. The five college kids are in Party Room 1. One of them, a lady (F13) is found dead. Observations: An expensive bottle of wine is found next to F13.

Anu had also noted: There could have been a flurry of activity behind all that. Man (M3) reported both crimes to the person in office who reported it to police without delay.

 

xxx

 

Shokie poured coffee, heaped more sugar. She looked at the worksheet once again.

“To find the needle in the haystack, put the hay on fire and wash away the ash,” that line in a children’s mystery novel crossed her mind.

She scribbled in a pocket book:

·       Bottle of wine (M9 & F10 to ??? to F13)

·       ??? = M1?

·       Party Room 2---nothing seen at M1’s cottage? Why?

·       F13 & M1---F4 saw---how?

She tried various scenarios.

·       M9 & F10 & F13?

She scowled. “Too many villains ganging up? Unlikely.”

Twice she got up from her seat. Once she even reached the cottage front door.

“Let the kid find out,” she muttered and returned to her position on the balcony. She forced herself to relax.

She took out the pocket book once more. She did not like the conclusions she had reached. This time, she wrote in careful longhand. She always found that to be therapeutic in such moments.

·       M9 & F10 took the stolen bottle of expensive wine to M1, after lacing it with poison. Were they told to come later? Was M1 expecting another? They used the front entrance of M1’s cottage each time. Nothing to hide or not trying to hide? Deep emotions—rage?

·       F13 was with M1. How else could she get that bottle of wine? Did she use the back route to enter and exit M1’s cottage? That could explain why no one in Party Room 2 saw her enter. If she took the bottle of wine, she would definitely take the back route. Then, how did F4 see her? Not on her way to Party Room 1. She was in no position to see F13 on that route. Or, was F4 around the back of M1’s cottage?

·       After F13 left M1’s cottage, F4 must have entered and killed M1. Check the rear part of M1’s cottage, the gazebo and area around for evidence.

·       M9 & F10 must have turned up at M1’s cottage again a little later and found M1 dead. They must have gone there to make sure M1 drinks from the bottle of wine or to retrieve it.

·       F13 took the bottle of wine from M1’s room. She must have had it later, on her own. And, died.

Shokie could guess many reasons as to why M9, F10 and F4 would want to kill M1. She could not think of one reason why F13 had to die.

She scowled, closed her eyes and waited for Anu.

 

xxx

 

Anu turned up around mid-afternoon. She was flush with excitement. Shokie told her to sit down. A constable brought a flask of fresh coffee and a plate of vada. Shokie served the coffee and told her junior to have that and vada.

Then, Anu briefed her about the investigation and her findings.

“Ma’am, the young couple, M9 and F10 in my notes, have confessed. They are actually brother and sister. It seems M1 destroyed their parents. They stole the bottle of wine, poisoned it and hoped to kill M1 with that. Their plans went for a toss. They would not have felt a bit of guilt if they had killed M1 but the death of F13, by chance, is going to haunt them.”

“The other proved to be tricky and a bit of serendipity helped. I found two sets of footprints at the hilltop gazebo, made by the same footwear and same person. One wet and one dry. Someone had been there before and after the rains. It was a lady’s footprint and it turned to be that of F4. She must have gone later with a man to remove old footprints and place new. A bit too clever for her own good. We searched the area around. She made another mistake. She thought it was a steep drop from the gazebo. She did not know that there’s a ledge beneath. If she had thrown with more force, it would have been anywhere. She must have casually dropped the bloody knife wrapped in cloth thinking it would reach the river below and be gone forever. She had not even bothered to wipe her fingerprints off that knife. Maybe, she wanted to be caught. She has not confessed. She has not said a word. But, Ma’am…that M1 was a nasty man.”

“Great work,” Shokie said.

Shokie leaned back in her chair, staring without expression at the beautiful view. Anu too leaned back, with the look of a serious person trying hard not to blush.