The Adventures of a Dumb Detective and his Wily Mate.

Untitled Part 8

Chapter 8

Time jump : 20th July, 1951. A decade has passed by..

At Chowringhee Police Station;

Sameer glanced up from the paperwork on his desk to look at the intruder and scowled at him.

He let out an impatient breath and said, 'Rudra!!! Get your own damn office for heaven's sake! I'm fed up of looking at your sour face.'

His friend looked back at him with a bored expression and putting his feet up on the desk, got more comfortable.

Sameer stared at the dirty shoes for a second and gave up.

He leaned back and said, 'win the case, did you?'

Rudra gave a half smile and replied, 'obviously. It was a done deal. The stupid ass, strangulated her and dressed it as a suicide-hanging! There was damage to the hyoid but no stretching or fracture of the neck or backbone, no rope burns and to top it all, he had defensive wounds on his face! It was child's play, shredding that flimsy defense. Give me something harder next time.'

'Her parents must have been ecstatic, right?' Sameer asked with a smile. 

Rudra was looking out of the window at the crowd outside the police station. There were a bunch of very well-dressed people standing outside.

Wealthy Bengalis, quite obviously. He watched them walking back and forth for a while, vaguely interested.

He didn't respond right away and Sameer thought that he didn't hear what he said.

He repeated, 'So, what did her parents say? Thank you? Did they shower you with Gold or what?'

Now, Rudra turned back and responded. 'What do you expect from the heartbroken parents of a child? They just lost their daughter, in the hands of the man who they'd entrusted her to. They had chosen him carefully. They had matched their horoscopes, had gone through his background, checked his education, paid the humongous dowry they'd demanded -'

He stared out of the window and continued talking in a low undertone, as if tired to the bone of talking endlessly. 'They did everything they could as her parents to guarantee her happiness with him. And look how it all ended? The man they trusted to love and look after their child, killed her in cold blood. They are devasted. So, no. They didn't thank me. I didn't ask for any thanks. They didn't cover me in gold. I refused any payment. Putting the noose around the necks of bastards like these is my civic duty. I don't want to profit from it.'

Rudra heaved a sigh after his lengthy rant and subsided. Sameer gave him a rueful look and shook his head.

Rudra turned to the constable who's just entered the room and said, ' Nokul, may I have a cup of tea? Oii, Sameer, want a cup?' He plonked some small change in front of the guy hovering behind him with a huge file.

'And also, a couple of square cakes, there's enough there for you too.' He added nodding at the pile of coins.

Nokul placed the file in front on Sameer, took the money and said, 'ok, dada.'

Sameer turned to his friend and glared. 'Stupid fucker! Who gave you the right to order my constable around? I'm telling you, rent a space and make a proper fucking office, hire an assistant and order HIS ratty bum around.'

Rudra glanced at his friend's face and looked down at his fingers. ' Not until I find him. I can't focus on a proper practice until I've found him.'

Sameer let out a long-suffering groan and said, 'it's been 10 years!! He's fine! He's probably happily married, or not, but busy with his own life. He doesn't remember you, my friend! He probably won't recognize or even want you in his life at all! Forget about that stupid promise! He doesn't even remember your existence!'