The cryptic letter

 As she turned the car into the driveway, she found an envelope projecting from the mail box,  She found her name Menaka Rajadurai written clearly with proper address in long hand. It was a printed envelope with the address of a building, Shoba Villa, on the bottom left and from a city about 150 miles away. Wondering from whom this could be, she pulled the white sheet from inside.

"Dear Menaka,

Your presence is urgently required at 4pm tomorrow at Shoba Villa adjacent to the popular stores ‘Rajas’ at the main bus stand. You will realize the extreme necessity of your visit when you come. You will not feel sorry for having come. Please do not fail to come.

Chelladurai”

Menaka was wondering who the writer could be, for what purpose and why this cryptic letter. She missed her granny now. She always had an answer for all her doubts and questions. She passed away three months ago. It was her granny who brought her up ever since Menaka’s mother Shobana passed away when Menaka was hardly five years. The relationship between her dad and granny soured when he married someone else within three months of her mom's demise. There was some heated exchange of words and he stopped coming and even got in touch with his daughter. There was no contact thereafter and his whereabouts were not even known.

Menaka was brought up single handedly by her wealthy granny in great comfort. After her Master's degree, she is working as a mid-level officer in a bank. Her granny's only grouse was that though 27 years, Menaka had not found the right man for herself. The old woman wanted her well settled in life before her end. But that was not happening.

Menaka was now alone with a reliable maid working from granny’s days and her thoughts went back to her dad when she saw the letter. There is a hazy memory of a tall man from the photograph of her mom and dad taken soon after their wedding. She could never see the picture again. She suspected her granny must have hidden it away. On only one occasion, her dad had come to her school and asked her teacher's permission to take her out for one hour. That was refused as he had come without her guardian's approval. He gave her a silver locket with Jesus’ picture and said he loved her a lot. Menaka said she missed him too and wanted him to come frequently. Granny was furious when she heard about it and she did not know what had happened but he stopped visiting her thereafter.

She reached the indicated house by 3.45 pm. It was a very large bungalow with a number of cars parked all over the driveway. There was curiously an ambulance too. She saw there were lot of people looking grim in the long verandah and the adjacent hall. She saw some of them go around the wooden box kept at one side of the hall placing wreaths. She was in panic as fear enveloped her whether it could be her dear dad. Tears flowed from her eyes and his last visit at the school came to her mind. She started sobbing standing on the verandah when many turned towards her. Was it for seeing her dad for the last time, Chelladurai had called her, she wondered? Summoning courage she started moving towards the hall, when she felt an arm touch her shoulder. She turned to see a well-dressed person in his late fifties looking at her with concern.

“Menaka, I assume. I was waiting for you in my office. When you did not turn up, I thought you might have strayed here. Come with me" he said

She followed him meekly to a large drawing room. “I can understand you are in shock and confusion. I am sorry to break the news that your dear dad passed away last night.”

"Oh, no, it cannot be,” she shrieked and started crying. Recovering composure in a while, she asked, “How did it happen? Was he ailing?”

"I have no idea. But he was found dead on his bed early in the morning. He usually gets up very early. Probably he died in sleep. He was suffering from sleep Apnea since a few years,” he said

“May I know who you are? Are you related to my dad? How did you know my address?” she asked.

“Sorry, I should have properly introduced myself. I am Chelladurai, his close confidant and his junior partner. You can call me Uncle. After he lost his second wife, he requested me to reside with him. I assist him in managing the household and his business activities. though I keep myself in low profile. He had a great trust in me and confided all his personal details, how he greatly loved you but had to keep away because of your granny,” he explained.

She looked around the large hall and saw on the wall two photographs, one of which was of her mother and the other possibly stepmother. She was silent, lost in the thoughts of her mom.

He broke the silence saying,” I am sure you recognize your mom; I will take you to the hall in a while after you freshen yourself. Do you love your dad so much? You have hardly seen him except once when very young. Do you remember the occasion when a silver locket was given by him?" he asked.

“How do you know” she asked. I have it always in my hand bag. Yes, I love him deeply no matter what my granny felt about him. He is my daddy and no one can take that away from me."

“Come on. Let us go to the hall. Be brave and do not buckle under pressure. There will be many of his friends and customers there,” he advised as he led her.

With mixed feelings of sadness and confusion, she looked at the dead person in the long box from head to foot several times trying to recollect in vain the face of her dad she had seen at school two decades back. Many of those present there commiserated with her telling her their connections with him and sharing some anecdotes of his good nature.

It was then a posse of police constables entered and ordered the ambulance men to carry the box with the body to certain hospital.

The inspector who had accompanied the constables apologized to the assembled people for carrying the body for post mortem as a regular procedure when someone in good health died mysteriously. You can disperse and will hear from the household members in due course. We have some routine work to do here.

After the people left, the Inspector and Menaka retired to the living room along with Chelladurai. The inspector turned abruptly to Menaka and asked her,” Who are you? How are you related to the person who has passed away? What are you and where do you live? Tell me truthfully.”

“Surely, I will tell you all. I am the dead man’s only daughter by his first wife. In the meantime, please tell me why police are involved and whether there are any suspicious circumstances around his death,” she asked.

“Yes, very much. I shall take you into confidence after I have heard you.”

 I am Menaka and I work in XYZ bank as a senior executive. I live in the adjacent town and was with my grandmother till three months back when she passed away. My mother passed away when I was about five years and my dad married someone else within months and left us. The relations between him and grandma were strained. I did not meet my father till he came one day to the school to see me and take me out for one hour. The school refused permission and he gave me a silver locket with Jesus’ picture. That was the last I saw him,” and paused.

“Interesting, please proceed,” prompted the inspector.

She explained,” I got this cryptic letter from Chelladurai uncle and came hurriedly hoping to hear some news about my dad. It was then he told me to my great shock the dead man is my dad. He said that my dad was his close friend and junior partner and residing with him at his request after his wife passed away. He offered me a box of some jewels of my stepmother. It is with him”

“Did he say anything more about the dead man?”

“He mentioned that my dad was suffering from sleep apnea and passed away in his sleep last night He mentioned that my dad trusted him much and confided all personal and business details including about me.”

When the uncle interrupted to say something, the inspector gave him a hard slap asking him to keep quiet and directed the constables to take him away and hold him securely.

The inspector turned to her and said,” Let me clarify matters. I learn this fellow Chelladurai who about a year back inveigled himself to your dad is an evil man. We are checking his antecedents. I do not know about his being a junior partner and am having it checked. He started living here ostensibly to assist him in the chores at home and possibly the store but had an ulterior motive. I learn your trusting dad while grieving the demise of his second wife permitted him to stay with him and was even naïve to reveal to him about his past and all details about you, your wealthy grandma and even his visit to your school etc.”

“My God, I now get the hang of it. How did my dad die? Was it in his sleep as the uncle said?” she asked.

“Brace yourself, Menaka, to hear the bad news. I got an anonymous call early this morning from a public booth informing that your father’s death was not natural but was poisoned by someone living with him. He also revealed how this evil man had ferreted out all personal and business information from your guileless and trusting dad. The wily man’s intention is perhaps to befriend you and rob you of the wealth your father and grandmother left behind. I have already sent the samples of blood for tests and the results are awaited. I have got the funeral arrangements postponed and sent the body for post mortem. I am also taking this man into custody for suspected murder of your dad,” said the inspector softly.

When asked who the informant could be, the inspector said, “We know him and he is honest and reliable. He has been with your dad for decades and works as his Man Friday in the house. He had strong reservations about the credibility of Chelladurai and even broached about it to your dad. Unfortunately, your dad did not heed the caution and reprimanded his servant,” and added after a pause “I learn a hotel room has been booked for you. You can safely stay there.  We will finalize the matter in a couple of days. Contact me on this number in the card in case of need.”

When he stood up and patted her, a sub inspector entered the room and handed over a paper. He glanced at it and said, “Menaka, my worst fears are confirmed. He has been poisoned with a heavy dosage of sleeping tablet in his post prandial drink. We had through the informant secured the glass and the bottle of drink in our possession. There were no visitors from last evening till morning according to security. I am very sorry for you. Do you have any friend or relative in this city to be with you?”

“None, I can manage myself and wish to be left alone in the hotel,” and started crying inconsolably.