When Radha went back to college… (Part VIII)

I penned this story, When Radha went back to college… (Part VIII), as a Guru Dakshina to all my teachers and professors, some years ago.

When Radha went back to college… (Part VIII)

Next day, Radha was in the library. She had no other alternative than to behave like a student and study something she had already studied before. That’s the only camouflage she had. Shekhar found her there. In whispers, they decided that they would go to the garden. Radha returned the book, she was referring to, at the counter and they left the reading room.

Shekhar took her to a secluded corner of the vast garden.

“Radha, I want to ask you something,” Shekhar asked, fumbling in his pockets.

“Ok, ask.”

Shekhar drew out his mobile and showed her a page containing one of her recent articles on the website of ‘The True Story’, where she was working!

Radha was stunned! Her disguise was gone. She had been caught. There was no point in denying and wasting time in an argument.

“So?” she asked defiantly.

“Radha, it’s ok. I am your fan. I am originally from Mumbai. My parents still live there. I had the suspicion when you did not fall for our ragging. I brought the red rose as a test. You did not act like a typical teenager. Your voice and tone were mature. When you asked us about the murder discreetly, I thought I had to confirm it and asked Dad to send me a copy of the latest issue with an article by you.”

“Now, what will you do?” Again, there was a challenge in her eyes.

“Radha, I only want to help you with the case. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you anything in return. You taught me that there can be only friendship between a fan and an idol, no more, no less”

“Then tell me, what’s going on here?”

“Everything started about 15 days after this year’s first term began. First, there were rumors that this complex was built on a Christian graveyard! When nobody really bothered about it, some students started drug-peddling on campus. Then, there was a murder, for which Shalini Ma’am’s husband was arrested.”

“Who was murdered?”

“Sonia. She was one of our group and had gotten into drugs.”

“How did Shalini Ma’am’s husband get into this thing?”

“I’ll have to tell you the whole story. When Uncle started investigating drug peddling on the campus, he got friendly with us. We were helping him out. That day, he was with me all morning. Sonia had found out something and wanted to share it with him. She had called him in the isolated storeroom in the old building of the campus that we students never used. I had a very important lecture to attend, so we parted ways near the staircase of the main building. Then, I don’t know what happened. The next day, Shalini Ma’am was absent and the college was agog with the news of the murder.”

“Shekhar, do you think Uncle could have killed Sonia?”

“How could he? He had told me he was going to meet Sonia. I don’t think he is stupid enough to do that if he intended to kill her,” Shekhar protested. “Later, the post-mortem report said that Sonia was already dead even before we had parted ways near the staircase.”

“How did you know the exact time?” Radha asked.

“I had a class at 11.00 and I left him about 5 minutes prior. I had checked my watch at that time. The post-mortem report said that Sonia had died earlier in the morning, around 6!”

To be continued…