The wasted souls (Completed)

Chapter 6

Now he was ready to interrogate Ramnath armed with all information and proof in his hand. But still, he knew the likes of Rasiklal, who though a miser, would try to save his only son if anything went against him. So, when they were formally summoned, both father and son presented themselves with all the fanfare at the police station. Acharya, with a firm resolution, requested that his muscled men stay outside the cabin, and only the duo enter. Not intimated with his show of strength, Rasiklal agreed to the request.

"While I talk with your son, I request that you remain silent, Rasiklalji or I will have to ask you to leave the cabin," Acharya strictly instructed, and the father placated his nervous son with eye contact and a nod of the head.

"Ramnath, do you know the person in the picture?" Acharya placed the same picture before him, which on seeing before he had fainted. His gaze just touched the picture and bounced away, "Let me tell you, there is no reason for you fear if you are not at wrong, so please tell the truth," Acharya assured him.

Ramnath only nodded his head in the affirmative.

"How do you know her?"

"In...college," that was the first time he had heard the gruff voice that did not match the personality.

"How long did you know her?"

"Two...years,"

"Were you in a relationship with her?" at that question, there was an interruption from Rasiklal.

"That was all just a rumor, sir," Acharya gave him a look that stopped any further explanations and protests. The boy was getting restless and had begun to sweat.

"Ramnath, I asked you a question,"

"For a brief period,"

"Why did you end it?"

"I...I came back home...after father disapproved of our relationship," he shuttered a little and threw a side glance at his father, who was eyeing him with disdain.

"Did you meet her any time after that?"

"No...no,"

"I gather that you had no inkling that she was pregnant with your child then," at this remark, his dark brown eyes widened with horror and stared unblinking at Acharya.

"Pregnant...?" his heart rolled on his tongue, and he looked at his father, who did not quite meet his eyes this time, "No...I didn't know,"  he answered turning back to look at Acharya.

"Did you know that her father had come to meet you with the news, but was thrown out, and threatened with dire consequences if he tried to contact you or spread rumors, by Rasiklalji?"

"No, no," he looked now at his father with scorn.

"She had come to the Haveli 20 days back with your child. Did you then meet her?"

"What!!" with renewed anger, he gazed upon his father, "Did she come here with my child, father?" But there was no attempt on the father's part to answer that question. The stone of the man just sat there without saying anything. Even Acharya, who had paused his questioning, was surprised at the cold-hearted father.

"Ramnath, Ramnath!" Acharya had to call back the stunned son away from his father's deceptive nature that left him in a shocking trance. After having realized that his life was a lie, he let out a sigh and turned away from his father.

"Ramnath, your child was found abandoned in the bin outside the railway station...along with its..." Acharya paused and looked at the broken man sitting in front of him. And now his broken heart was going be cut to pieces by him. The man raised his eyes to meet Acharya's gaze, with a questioning look, "Along with its mother's severed head," now the blood flowed from his heart as tears, and he sobbed like a child into his hands. His father sat like a morbid stone without any reaction and only a faraway look.

"Rasiklalji, what do you have to say now?"

"Nothing," he said after a few minutes of silence, "You say that woman had come there, but I did not meet her, so what can I tell you?"

"Whom did she meet there then? Didn't anyone inform you about her visit?"

"No, no one informed me about her visit, and who told you that she had come there?"

"Your gatekeeper,"

"For god's sake, inspector, he is an aged man. He made a mistake for sure,"

"You may be right, but there are people who had seen her near the Haveli."

"But, did anyone see her come in?"

Acharya had nothing to say to that.

"Ok, sir, both of you can leave, but please see to it that you do not go out of the area for a few days until the investigation has wrapped up," Rasiklal only nodded knowingly and rose from his seat and moved towards his son who sat there like a statue. Rasiklal pulled at his arm, but he flinched rather disapprovingly at his father's touch and got up on his own, with a sort of strange disdain in his features.

Now for the next action in line, Acharya readied his papers to be sent to the magistrate for approval.

He was in astonished awe of the father, who had just been there, as to how he could manipulate his son's life by destroying the love of his life. Don't parents think good for their children and always asked them what they wanted as a child? Then why, as a grown-up, they are denied that chance? Why make decisions for that adult child?

Then there was another father who was so down in his own grief that even the news of his love child failed to revive him up from his grief. It was so pathetic that now the child's faith hung in balance for no fault of it.

The next day armed with a search warrant Acharya reached the Haveli to dig out any clue to indicate the presence of the woman in the Haveli or maybe was harmed. His search yielded nothing but Rasiklal's wrath.