Jennifer lost in her own thoughts thinking of how to make it possible. That’s
when she came to know through her department about an agricultural engineer,
carrying a toxic pesticide, entered the village. She was curious to know about
the pesticide and why it was only legally allowed for use. She found some
staggering truth about the chemical. When exposed for a short time it could
damage the entire nervous system of human beings leaving them dead in seconds.
Jennifer then realized Meera’s trip was a short one. So before she leaves the town she needed
to get the right moment to execute her plan, that too before her snoopy assistant
Ayesha returns back from her week long holiday.
For almost a week, she
followed the agricultural engineer, Meera. She studied about her completely.
She noted everything – when she wakes up, where she goes, what she does, and
whom she meets. She made sure that she knew each and every move of hers. She
found out from the Police records that Meera stored the toxic material at her
lab inside her house in a most protective way. She even managed to gather the
details of the Code to enter into her lab. She gave all the details to Leela.
That day Leela was watching Meera's house from her window. Once Meera drove
away, Leela sneaked in and stole few grams of the pesticide and a sample
sprayer from the lab. Now they were all set to execute their plan.
* * *
The
wind blew heavily that night. With darkness engulfing the area, Jennifer,
wearing a mask and gloves, hid in the woods without getting noticed by anyone. Ravi arrived early and he brought Arianna along with him as expected.
Getting off from the car, he asked her to wait at the woods while he walked
into the house. Jennifer saw Arianna entering the woods. She hid behind a tree
and was waiting for her to get closer. As she walked closer to the tree,
Jennifer confronted her. Arianna was shocked to see someone at that hour and
before she could yell, Jennifer closed her mouth and wrapped her arms around
her neck tightly. She then twisted her neck and strangled her to death. Arianna
spluttered and coughed as she couldn’t fight back. She then fell on the ground
motionless. Removing her mask, she took a deep breath and sat there next to the
dead body, waiting for Ravi.
At home, Ravi walked to the door and opened it. The
wailing sound of the wind made him to raise his tone against Leela, ‘I’m not convinced and
I’m least concerned with what you have decided. We are going tomorrow. I have
kept your dress on the bed. I’ll be back from the hospital by morning and I
want you to be ready by the time I arrive. I don’t want to hear any excuses.’
After
he shut the door behind, Leela got up and slightly moved the curtain. She saw him walking in the direction of the woods lighting
a smoke. Jennifer watched his entire move from where she was hiding along with Arianna’s dead body. Leela followed him into the woods.
Jennifer wore her face mask again and took the diluted Methyl Parathion from
her pocket ready to spray at him.
When
he came closer, Jennifer tried to hit him with a heavy twig from behind but he managed to get away from the attack as he stumbled on the ground. Without wasting a moment, she then sprayed the chemical generously on his face. Leela halted where she was standing and did not move until she saw him
fell down. Ravi tried to get up and
that's when he saw Leela standing there behind him. ‘Leel...?’ Before realizing what
was going on, he began to lose his consciousness. He fainted in the
next few seconds. After few minutes, Leela and Jennifer went near and confirmed
his death.
Leela
helped Jennifer in moving the dead bodies. They carried Arianna’s lifeless body
and threw it in the lake while leaving Ravi’s
dead body behind the bushes.
They
both quickly walked back to Leela’s house before anybody noticed them. Leela
acted exactly the way as she was instructed while Jennifer hid in the garden
and pulled off the plug from the car tyre. Before entering the house, Leela
slammed the door harder in turn producing a loud thud that woke Meera up from
sleep. Leaving the door unlocked, she rushed inside removing her gloves and
kept hidden in her cupboard. She then sat in the corner of the room wiping away
her sweat. Everything went as per their plan.
There
was a power cut due to the bad weather and that helped them both to
carry out their plan with ease. Later she heard a voice, ‘Hello, anybody
there?’ She knew it was Meera and she managed to bear that frightened look on
her face even though she was trembling inside. She then saw her stepping inside
the house. Meera walked to her and asked, ‘Is everything okay, Leela?’ Meera could sense something not so right, the moment she looked at her
pale face under the flash light. With a fixed gaze, Leela lifted her right hand
and pointed to the window that lay in front of her.
Meera
glanced through that window and found a pair of eyes staring back at her.
* * *
‘I’m
sure that you’re stunned with what you’ve just heard. But too bad it is such a
story that you never going to prove’, said Jennifer after she narrated the
whole incident.
Meera
got up with a smile on her face. ‘I really didn’t see this coming. Interesting,
isn’t it? Leela and Jennifer; both of you being the answers for everything
behind this mystery. But what happens when both of you gets caught? I mean, you
both could share the same prison cell. You could even sit there and plot a plan
to murder me.’ She then looked at Jennifer and said, ‘but this time, make sure
that you leave no clues. Because your perfect murder plan is not that perfect,
Jenny’
Jennifer
and Leela sat looking at each other as both of them were confused about what
Meera was talking. Suddenly the door broke open and Ayesha entered inside
holding a gun in her hand.
Jennifer
was surprised, ‘What are you doing here, Ayesha?’
‘I
have heard everything Jenny. Now don’t pretend. Good that you made your own
confession. You made my job easier.’
Jennifer
smirked at her. ‘You are a smart ass Ayesha. Trying to help your buddy huh?
Tsk. Tsk. but too bad you have no proof for this’
Ayesha
grinned back at her and said, ‘Whatever you talked in here has been recorded
with the microphone I gave to Meera just before you brought her here all by
yourself.’
The
scene where Ayesha assured Meera holding her hands flashed before Jennifer’s
eyes.
* * *
A few minutes
ago
Ayesha, who was seeing the
interrogation between Jennifer and Meera from the other room, grinned in relief
as she finally found out the missing piece in her puzzle. She dialed a number,
‘Hello Commissioner...’
‘Hey kid, what’s going on?
I haven’t heard from you for days. How are you?’ asked the Police Commissioner.
‘I’m good, Sir. I need your
help,’ said Ayesha.
‘I’m all ears.’
‘I’m in the middle of a
murder investigation and I think I am just this close to crack the case.’
‘Which case are you talking
about?’
‘Dr.Ravi and Arianna’s
murder case. I think our Detective Jennifer has arrested the wrong person.’
‘But she had all the
evidence to prove it right.’
‘That’s true, but I have
collected some other information which is quite important to this case without
her knowledge.’
‘Uh.. What are you saying?’
‘Yes, sir. From the beginning,
I sensed something wrong with Jennifer herself. I need your authority to go
ahead with my plans.’
‘You mean Jennifer is the
one behind the murder?’
‘Possibly, but I need a
solid proof to confirm it. Perhaps her confession. And for that I need your
cooperation.’
After getting a nod from
the Police Commissioner, Ayesha walked to her friend and held her hands and
assured her, ‘This is just a usual procedure. I will take care of it. Don’t
worry. I trust you.’ Meera found something in her hand. It looked like a
wireless voice transmitter. Meera gazed at Ayesha thoughtfully and nodded.
After they left the
station, Ayesha immediately assembled a team of 4 members and a minivan, few
meters away from Leela’s house. Ayesha sat there inside the van hearing
everything that was happening at Leela’s house through the voice transmitter.
The team was recording the conversation and was relaying it to the Commissioner
through live feed. After Jennifer’s confession, Ayesha stepped out of the van,
alerting the backup team and entered into the house.
* * *
Ayesha
now pointing her gun straight at Jennifer’s face and said, ‘The moment you both
pretended to be strangers, I sensed there’s something not right, Jenny. Perhaps
you were not aware that I once noticed a picture of you and your son with Leela
framed in your living room. And to sum it up, I also inquired the Yoga
therapist and confirmed that Leela’s vision has improved.’
Ayesha
released Meera’s handcuff. Meera then handed over the voice transmitter to her
and then turned to Jennifer and Leela, ‘I’m sure that you’re now stunned with
what you are seeing, aren’t you?’
‘I’m
gonna kill you’ Jennifer hissed as she pushed Meera aside and tried to grab her
gun from the holder.
‘Don’t
you dare move,’ Ayesha lifted her gun.
Jennifer
tried to run out of the house. Ayesha pulled the trigger and injured her knee.
She was down with a bleeding wound and could barely move. Leela was sitting
unmoved not knowing what to do.
The
cops rushed in and handcuffed both Jennifer and Leela, and escorted them to the
vehicle. Ayesha then walked to Meera, who was pushed down on the floor, and
gave her a hand.
‘Are
you hurt?’ asked Ayesha.
‘A
little, but I can manage,’ smiled Meera as she got up.
They
both stood there watching as the police van faded off from the street as the
sun rose above spreading its early morning rays giving them a fresh start.
‘You
are free to fly to Mauritius now.’
Ayesha winked and hugged Meera. ‘Enjoy your work alongside a holiday with your
Valentine.’
‘Thanks
but if not you, the case wouldn’t have cracked this soon.’ Meera then looked at
the empty street and said plainly, ‘I never expected this from Leela. But still
I pity her...’
The End
* * *