Prologue

A Work of Fiction

The Enigmatic Case Of Mary L Lupin

It was 5 'o clock in the morning. The sky was dark. I alighted my flight and collected my luggage. As I stepped outside the airport on the platform, I felt the gentle cold weather of Bangalore. I felt the nostalgia after being away for six months. The freshness in Bangalore in the early morning is like the fresh air one can breathe in Japan. I held three huge suitcases looking for a taxi. I couldn't find one. There was a special taxi stand where taxies are available twenty-four hours. It was on the south end of the airport, right on the opposite side I was in. I walked all the way to that taxi stand, put my luggage in and set out to Washi Nagar, my residence. Washi Nagar is one of the prime areas to live in. Five years ago, me and my wife put all our hard-earned money and bought us a house.

Kaira Joshi, my wife was a neurologist. She worked in Maxum Hospital, which is one of the best in the world. She was busy most of the time. So, she wouldn't miss an opportunity to get a good sleep. She was tall, tanned skin, brown hairs, and brown eyes. She was the prettiest girl in the college, so pretty that even professors would miss her if she'd take a day off. It was by accident that an arts student and a science student in a huge institution met each other. Long story short, I had feelings for her but couldn't confess for a long time. Apparently, she felt the same way for me as well.

I'm an investigative journalist. For four years I had worked at Indian Express. It was high time that I change my job. My bosses started pressurising me with more work. But my expectations of better revenue remained a fantasy. All they did was sweatshop me for the service I gave. Especially the divisional head I. M. Ladwa. He was one of the kind of managers who come from small places but end up big. Though he was successful, he behaved like a dick Infront of his staff. We call him Lawda(In Hindi lawda means penis). He is my boss. A real pain in the ass.

Six months ago, I received an offer from the Gujarat governor, Mr. Alok Mishra. He was stuck in a scandal. He was convicted with murder of his personal assistant and for a scam of Rs. 250 crores from an operational local community bank. Though there wasn't any clear evidence against him, he was convicted and not given bail. I helped him get in touch with my close friend who was a lawyer, Advocate Nagesh Reddy. Moreover, I helped him by collecting facts for the prosecutor. Ultimately, he was acquitted of all the fake allegations on him. From then on, he says he is indebted to me. As to return the favour, he gave me a free six months training from one of the most talented martial artists in the country. It was imperative as I've been in life-or-death situations before.

Just an hour later, it started raining. Lite showers. I got out of the taxi, picked my luggage from the deck, and stood in front of the gate. I could feel my home sickness gradually fading away, and a feeling of worm nostalgia taking its place. The gate was plane white, huge with archaic designs. I twisted the knob of the gate and pushed the gate inwards. There was an aisle surrounded by a garden. It seemed like as if I was making my way into a mansion. The garden was circumscribed by beautiful plants which bore flowers, mosaic colours. the grass was recently mowed. It was doble storied house with three considerably large rooms upstairs and two massive rooms at the ground floor. The hall was big enough to fit a massive room and an ordinary room together. There were three balconies upstairs and a backyard, where we planted trees and plants. I walked through the driveway to the house and hit the bell. I stood there waiting for her. I could hear the footsteps approaching the door. The bolt was unhooked, the door knob twisted and the door gradually opened. I saw Kaira standing in front of me. Her hairs were wet like she just got out of the shower. Her tanned skin, brown eyes, soft butter skin, red soft lips, and her rose fragrance. She gave me a tight hug, like a war hero returning home.

We were like that for almost a minute and a half. Then she took my luggage and went inside. I put my shoes outside and went inside. The fragrance of the house fused with her rose fragrance penetrated my lungs. I freshened up and had a quick hot shower. At nine thirty on a Sunday morning, I sat on the sofa, sipping hot tea. I turned on the T.V and started scrolling through the channels. There was just nothing to watch. I felt disinterested in entertainment, which I was very fond of before. Kaira came into the hall with her cup of tea and sat beside me, on the other end of the sofa.

'How was your training?' she asked

'Very tiring. You wouldn't believe, I used to sleep for not a second more than eight hours.' I said 'I made many new friends, got in shape and most importantly, I missed you.'

She giggled at that and slightly blushed. It made me proud.

'I missed you too.' she said 'I've a surprise for you tonight.'

She got up, went to the bedroom, and brought a printed paper.

'What's this?' I asked

'Take a look' she said

'"Taj Hotel"'. Before I could read any further, she took it away.

'It's our date Rey. And there's another one' she said

'What is it?' I spoke

'If I tell you, it won't be a surprise, would it?' she said

'Yeah sure.' I replied.

Our conversation went on. I shared all my experiences and she kept listening. She put on a contagious smile that I had missed.

An hour later, I heard a thud on the balcony door. It was the newspaper. He was two hours late. Afterall it was Sunday.

I opened the newspaper and began reading. The first page is always filled with rubbish political news or some political turmoil. I never read it. No one does. The fourth and fifth page is specially dedicated to crime and death. It's obviously negative. While I was scanning through pages I came across a headline.

'"The Lupin Case Closed: V.P Chadha. The murder of Ms. Mary. L. Lupin witnesses no progress, despite the state police probing.

"We have been investigating this case. But we have found no credible evidence to ascertain this is a murder. We believe it is a suicide." Said Chadha, the superintendent police inspector of Bangalore.

"We have decided to close this case… the high court had ordered a probing in this case and we did that." Commissioner Praveen said to a question."'

The name 'Lupin' rang a bell. Four years ago, when I newly joined The Indian Express. It was a big opportunity to interview her. Mary headed a political party-Dhangzu Minority Democratic front (DMDF). I was the only one to agree for the interview because no one had interest in interviewing a small weed in a jungle. I did and that sort of got me a hike in revenue. Frankly I admired her for the work she did. Her party consisted of converted Christians who were the cadre of her party. They helped their community's upliftment. Many believed that they were trying to forcibly convert people to Christians. Some point out her connections with NGOs for illegal funds. She was even tried before the high court, but nothing came of it. I helped her get on to the mainstream politics by giving her an opportunity to come on a national television.

But her sudden death shook me. I browsed on the internet and the results were staggering. She was mysteriously murdered two weeks before. Her death was later pronounced as a suicide. Just then, Kaira came into the hall, where I was seated on the sofa.

'Did you hear about Mary's death?' I asked

'Yes,' she said 'it was all over the news. She also visited my hospital a few times.'

'Why?'

'I've no idea. I did not see her. She was admitted in a duplex ward for a few days. Her details were very confidential.'

'Well, that makes things even weird.'

Four hours later I had lunch. The taste that brought me another stroke of nostalgia. I ate stomach full, like a wild predator when it finds its prey. Next, I immediately went to bed to get an evening nap to relieve myself from travel fatigue.