Murder in Motel Mount

Chapter 8 - "Accidental tryst..."

"Good! Thank God for the first time you listened to me. Now, behave normally for the coming days. Perform, roam around, talk to the people but don't talk anything about Aliya. She was past and let it remain as a bygone. The police shouldn't whiff that there was anything unnatural in the past few days of your life."

Cabir warns as he and Manik leave the premises of the Hotel Mount. A few minutes ago, the police shifted Aliya's dead body to Tinchuley police station. They have interrogated almost every staff of the Hotel Mount and after being satisfied, left the place. Manik's expression is impassive. But his eyes are glinting with moisture.

"I should have opened the door, Cabir. I should have made her understand once more. I never thought that Aliya would commit suicide. It could have been avoided, Cabir. It could have been."

Manik's voice is laced with guilt and remorse. Cabir grabs him by his forearms and makes him turn. His eyes have determination.

"Manik, it's not your fault. You made her understand zillion times. None of us anticipated that she could take this drastic step. She was obsessed with you and that was not your fault. So, stop blaming yourself and move on. Life has so many experiences that shake us to the core but life doesn't stop. By the way, I know the police have already contacted RR or maybe they visited his place for routine enquiry because Aliya was staying there."

Cabir pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath to continue,

"Do you want to go there? It's a shock for them too."

Manik nods in positive. Cabir pulls him by his elbow and insists,

"Then let's go."

Manik doesn't move and denies,

"No....you go home. Take a shower and have some food. I know you are tired. You even came over here without having breakfast. I will be back in the afternoon. We have our performance too and as per your advice, I have to look as natural and fresh as I usually am."

He gives a pale smile. Cabir keeps on looking at him for a moment and then shrugs to agree. Both part away in a diverged point of the hilly road. Manik hires a Toto.

"Raychaudhury cottage."

He commands.

............................................

Nandini stealthily comes out of the hotel room. Navya is resting. She shouldn't know where she is going. It's been an hour since they returned from the Tinchuley police station. Police didn't hand over the body to them before post-mortem. Navya wanted Nandini to inform Shravan and Dhruv about this immediately. Though it is obvious Nandini has asked for some time. The main reason behind this she doesn't want her father to feel the pain in the same way she felt. It was like a bolt out of blue for her. When she reached the police station, she still had hope that the body would be some other person's. Aliya can be whimsical, indiscreet and sometimes silly but she can't harm herself like this. Her Di used to love herself and no one can take her life who loves to live. Nandini bites her lower lip to control her tears. He thrusts her hands inside the pocket and heads to the Toto stand. From the police station, she came to know that Aliya stayed in Raychaudhury cottage. Her all belongings are still there. Though the police need to search them to investigate the case Nandini wants to see it. But at first, she needs to meet Rudra Raychaudhury and his wife. She needs to know what was exactly Aliya's behaviour before she left for Hotel Mount. She even requested the police not to inform her father retired ACP Shravan Murthy from their side. She wants to call her dad by herself and that is after some preliminary investigation.