The Cosmic Clues (34 page)

Mohnish nodded, astonishment written all over his face. “Hello?” he spoke into the mobile.

“Mohnish! Thank God I caught you. I thought, with the phone ringing for so long . . .”

“Rani, what is it?”

“Mohnish, can you please come here? I'm so frightened!” Rani's voice was quavering.

“Of course I can, but what's the matter? Are you okay?”

“I will be, the moment you arrive. I . . . I can't stand this anymore, this fear, this stalker . . .”

“Don't worry. I'll be right there!”

“I think he's at the door, Mohnish, I heard him . . . I don't know what I'll do. . . .”

“Rani, keep the door locked and don't do anything rash!”

“Mohnish . . . I feel so alone. . . . He's knocking . . . someone's at the door. . . .”

“Don't open it! Call out to the Constables standing outside, they'll help you! And I'm on my way! Rani, remember I care for you, you're a good friend of mine, so don't worry. I'll be there in a jiffy!” Mohnish switched off the mobile. “She's terrified!”

“I know,” Sonia told him. “Jatin, get the mobile. While we're on the way to Rani's, give Inspector Divekar a call and ask him to fetch a Doctor, we may need one. Come on, let's go!”

“What's happening! How did you know it would be Rani on the line?” Mohnish asked as the three hastened to the van.

“I'll explain everything later. First, we have to reach her house, and fast. She's in grave danger!” Sonia's serious tone brooked no further questions.

They hopped into the van and Mohnish speeded out of town. Jatin made quick calls on the mobile. The winter night was dark and foggy but Mohnish maneuvered the vehicle skillfully through the traffic and mist. Silence reigned as the mounting tension of the moment seemed to grip all three of them.

“I hope she's okay!” Mohnish muttered under his breath. “If only she weren't living so far out!”

“I know. Just pray that she's safe,” Sonia responded, her voice grim.

Time crawled and the road seemed endless. Jatin glanced repeatedly at his watch and then at his boss. She seemed remarkably collected, and yet concern clouded her face. The mobile trilled melodiously into the silence, startling them. Mohnish snatched the handset.

“Rani?”

“I think . . . he's in the house. . . . What do I do?” Her whisper was barely audible.

“Rani, I'm just round the corner, be brave! Did you call out to the Constables on guard outside? Call them!” Mohnish spoke urgently into the phone. “Rani! What was that?”

“I don't know, I think he broke a window. . . .”

The phone went dead.

“My God!”

“What's wrong?” Sonia asked, alarmed.

“He's in the house!” Mohnish put his foot on the accelerator.

The van turned into the Eucalyptus-lined road and sped toward the Gosavi house. The cottage was enveloped in a veil of mist. The moon shone eerily over it, casting a hazy blue glow.

The van screeched to a halt by the footpath. Mohnish rushed out and was about to push the gate open, when Sonia pressed a restraining hand on his arm. “Wait, Mohnish.”

She beckoned to the two Constables on duty, who had moved towards them.

“Did she call out to you for help?” she asked them.

“No, Ma'am. Is there a problem?” The Constable looked concerned.

Sonia nodded, then turned to the impatient Mohnish. “Listen, Mohnish. Only
you
will go up to the front door and ask Rani to open it. Don't let her know that all of us are with you. It's important!”

“But why?” Mohnish cried impatiently. “This is no time for games, Sonia!”

“I'm aware of that,” Sonia retorted gravely. “Just do as I say if you care for her and want her unharmed!”

Mohnish took one look at her flushed face, then nodded. He strode up to the front door and rang the bell. “Rani? It's me, Mohnish!”

Silence.

“Rani?” Mohnish's voice held an urgency.
“Rani!”

“Is that you, Mohnish?” a faint voice asked from behind the door.

“Yes, I'm here! Open the door!”

“I . . . I can't! He's here!”

“What! Open the door!”

A splintering of glass echoed through the night.

“Rani!” Mohnish yelled, panic coursing through his veins.

He banged on the door, and suddenly it moved. He pushed it open and ran inside. Rani was standing with her back to the window. Her hand held a shard of glass.

“I've been waiting for you, Mohnish. Oh, for so long! Why didn't you come earlier?”

“Drop that glass! You'll cut yourself!”

“Yes, I will, but only then will you come to me and take me in your arms, you'll care for me, you'll love me . . .” she whispered.

Mohnish froze at her words.
What was she talking about?

“You will love me, won't you?” she asked, her eyes wild and her hair streaming behind her. She looked like a beautiful apparition in a white sari.

Mohnish stared at her, hesitation outstripping his panic. A voice spoke into his head. Sonia's voice.
Say yes! Say you care for her!

“Yes . . . of course, I will. Rani, you're my friend and I . . . I care for you. Drop that glass and come to me.” Mohnish struggled to keep his voice level.

Rani smiled, a chill, ghostly smile. “I knew that this was the only way. . . .”

A sudden sound from the broken window made Rani whirl around. In a flash, a figure had swept forward from the door and knocked the glass out of Rani's hand. Another figure rushed ahead and grasped her hands. Someone turned on the lights. Rani twisted around and stared at the faces surrounding her. Sonia, Jatin, Inspector Divekar, the Constables, and a man in a white coat. And Mohnish, standing stunned beside the door. Her sight dimmed and she crumpled in a faint into the arms of the Inspector.

“This is what is often called the Munchausen syndrome,” Sonia explained.

“Boss, I'm so confused that I still can't make head nor tail of this affair,” Jatin admitted, handing out the cups of
chai
to Mohnish and Inspector Divekar.

Mohnish accepted the cup absently, his expression still incredulous. He shook his head, as if attempting to clear the muddle it was flooded with.

“I just don't understand. I mean, what's the point?” he asked, bewildered.

“What is the Munchausen syndrome?” Inspector Divekar asked, quite sensibly.

“It's a disorder wherein a person pretends or imagines being sick or ill so as to gain attention. Sometimes such people create stalkers and even inflict injuries upon themselves to gain sympathy. In this case, Rani was so much in love with Mohnish and wanted his attention, love, and caring so intensely that she created this whole affair of the stalker and the attacks. Because somewhere at the back of her mind, she was convinced that he would love her only if she presented this sorry picture of herself. And it was working. Mohnish was getting more and more concerned and involved with her,” Sonia explained, flashing him a quick look. “Often this rare condition can be a result of neglect in childhood. Or if the person has undergone a childhood trauma. In Rani's case, her experience with Bhajimama left a big scar. Her need for love and caring simply could not be satiated by Sanjay, so she turned to Mohnish.”

“But if this disorder is such a rare occurrence in people, how did you guess that Rani was suffering from it?” Mohnish demanded.

“First, Rani's horoscope. Mars and Uranus in the fifth house with Virgo clearly indicated that something terrible had happened in Rani's childhood—an injustice—something in relation to a man. If that was not all, Venus, the Sun, and Mercury in the eighth house were aspected by Saturn and Mars. It was a very strange combination of planets. Such a person is eccentric and a liar and can do anything to herself—it is usually interpreted as a suicidal tendency, but I read it as a self-traumatizing, self-destructive behavior. Besides, the Lord of Virgo of the fifth house was in the eighth house, which meant that her mental health was also questionable. Initially, I was puzzled, uncertain whether to work along my theory. After all, it's not every day that you find people inflicting wounds on themselves to create sympathy. But I was also unwilling to forgo the idea without testing it. I was in a dilemma. I couldn't just get up and voice my suspicions. It had to be illustrated with proof. To say that someone was suffering from the Munchausen syndrome and was inflicting wounds on herself could destroy a person for life. I realized that I had to be careful and sensitive to the whole issue!

“I also found it extremely odd that not once did Rani of her own volition come to me. Neither did she go to the police, which, given her claim, would've been the obvious solution.

“It was when I searched Sanjay's mobile for Rani's number that I realized there was no sign of the number of calls she claimed she'd been making to him. Also, I made a printout on Rani's computer at her house and discovered that the two notes she'd got were printed on the same printer. Which set me thinking. If Rani
deliberately
wished to fool us all—for example, if she wished to frame Sanjay or was angling for the property—she would certainly use more cunning. She wouldn't use the computer in the house or fling Sanjay's sweater out in the garden. Which meant that she had a shortsighted goal—Mohnish. And that she wasn't really equipped mentally to chalk out an elaborate plan. Which set me right back on my original conclusions, that Rani was dicing with death. It didn't take me long to figure out what really was happening after that, or to recognize my theory as a fact.”

“It's unbelievable, isn't it?” Inspector Divekar sounded amazed. “Such a beautiful and sane woman, deliberately hurting herself . . .”

“A victim of loneliness. And a desperate craving for love.”

“But is she going to get well?” Mohnish asked.

“She's at the right place, in the hospital. But whether she shall ever be totally cured of this disorder is something only the Doctors can tell,” Sonia replied gravely.

“But why didn't you tell me? A hint or something?” he asked, frowning deeply.

“For the simple reason that you would've found it hard to believe me. You were completely taken in by her, and had I said this whole business is made up, you would've thought me crazy. And secondly, it was paramount that you sound absolutely genuine and concerned every time she called you. Even the slightest suspicion on her part of your doubt would have most definitely resulted in something terrible happening to Rani. To reconvince you, she would've gone to any length, even damaging herself permanently. It was a risk I couldn't take. I had to leave you in the dark regarding her real condition.”

Mohnish nodded. “And here I was, wondering what kind of games you were playing! When the games were actually being played by Rani! She really had me utterly fooled!”

“Sometimes pain is the only secret you want to share, but it's the one thing you cannot pass on. You can neither live nor experience the pain of others, nor can you share it,” Sonia reflected.

Mohnish sighed. “Sonia, I'm sorry—”

“Oh please!” Sonia brushed off the apology. “You were going crazy with anxiety, I could see that.”

“But I ought to have trusted you.”

“You will the next time, when your emotions are not as clouded as they were in this case,” she assured, with a faint smile.

“Hey, hold it! Rani is a friend and
only
a friend. Please don't overtax your brain with romantic notions!” Mohnish warned, the dimple on his cheek showing up.

“Well, let's hope that she recovers from her illness and starts over again.” Inspector Divekar finished off his
chai
and stood up. “Sonia, good work.”

“I wish I could say so, too. I can't help feeling kind of incomplete about it all. And I'm truly sorry that I can't help Rani, in the real sense,” Sonia said wistfully. She did not add that she was grateful to Vedic Astrology for providing different dimensions to a study, even the complex workings of the human mind. It was her one solace in the entire case.

“It's now the Doctor's job to help her not yours,
beti.
Anyway, call me if you need anything!” Inspector Divekar strode out of the office.

Sonia gazed after his receding back. Jatin discreetly exited from the room. Mohnish regarded Sonia with a compassionate smile.

“Thank you, Sonia,” he said quietly.

“Thank me? For what?” She felt foolish. Her momentary jealousy over the sick Rani seemed like a crime now. How petty and stupid of her to begrudge the lonely woman her treasured meetings with Mohnish!

“For finding the right place for her—the hospital. At least she'll get the treatment she deserves and not be thrown into jail for hatching a plot of her own death.”

Sonia's throat constricted with sudden unshed tears. “Poor Rani!”

Mohnish swiftly moved forward and held Sonia's hand comfortingly.