The Dowry Bride (5 page)

“Of course I’m sure! Do you think I made the whole thing up?” Her heart sank even lower. He couldn’t even bring himself to believe her. Why would he bother to help her?

“But…killing in cold blood? My aunt and my cousin?”

She nearly punched him in the stomach for the look of disbelief on his face. “Do you think I imagined Suresh in the woodshed, preparing the wooden bed and pouring kerosene over it? Their talk about how Amma would explain my death—that I was supposedly picking up wood and the lantern tipped over and set me on fire?” A sob caught in her throat, making her voice come out raspy. “How dare you think I fabricated it, Kiran!” Angry tears came rolling down her cheeks and she brushed them away. “What else does burning Megha and finding a new wife with a big dowry for Suresh mean, damn it?”

Comprehension slowly replaced the shock on Kiran’s face. “Dear God! I didn’t think that horrid woman would sink to…murder!” He pulled the mobile phone out of his pocket. “That’s it! I’m calling the police superintendent right now.”

“No!” Megha yelled. “Y-you can’t do that! It will be Amma’s word against mine.”

“But you can easily explain what happened, Megha. We’re talking premeditated murder here, for God’s sake!”

“Who will the police believe—your aunt or me? She’s a very clever woman, a pillar of the community who can lie with a straight face. All I know is what I saw and heard; I have no proof of any kind.”

Kiran studied Megha thoughtfully for a second, then thrust the phone back into his pocket. “You’re probably right. Come here.” His thick, black brows settled in a scowl before he gently disengaged her hands from behind her back and held one of them in his own. He reached inside his pocket with his other hand to pull out his keys. “Let’s discuss this.” Unlocking the door to his flat, he ushered her inside.

With some reluctance she went in. At this point, what did she have to lose? Foolishly she had come here expecting the impossible. Within the hour she’d be shipped back to Amma’s house of horrors. And from there straight to hell, unless…she could…still jump off that balcony? Going up the stairs to the roof of the building would improve her chances of quick death. Anything would be better than perishing in a fire.

They stood in a small entrance hall. Megha’s anxious eyes fell on the interior of the flat. A night light glowed in the drawing room and she could see the outlines of a modern, comfortable-looking sofa, two matching chairs, and an oblong wood-and-glass coffee table.

Kiran shut the door behind them, pocketed the keys, and led her to the sofa. He turned on a floor lamp, flooding the seating area with light. She looked at the expensive upholstery and hesitated. “I better not sit. My sari is very dirty and I…uh…well, your sofa will be ruined.”

“Sit down, Megha,” he said firmly. So she did, conscious of the dirt on her clothes and wondered if she smelled as bad as she looked. Heaven knew what kind of filth from the streets and the private properties she’d traveled through had attached itself to her sari. When she trembled he sat down beside her and patted her arm. “Calm down, Megha.”

She shifted away from him. “I must smell awful, Kiran.”

“You don’t. You probably feel that way because you’ve been walking through some rough neighborhoods to get here.” He must have seen how she sat warily on the edge of the couch or perhaps noticed the apprehension in her eyes because he said, “Relax, Megha, and sit comfortably. You’re safe here and you don’t have to go back.”

“You won’t let them kill me?” Despite his smooth assurances Megha was still suspicious.

He nodded and smiled a little, offering her a glimmer of encouragement. “I promise. I knew they were planning something. I heard them discussing it earlier. When you and my cousins were playing cards in the kitchen I was in the master bedroom at your house. I was pretending to read the newspaper while the rest of the men went for their forced walk.” He stopped then, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts.

“I had a hunch Amma was up to something. She made it sound harmless enough while she discussed it with my mother and my aunt, but this defies reality.” He still seemed dismayed. “I didn’t think it was this bad. I thought it involved packing you off to your parents and then getting Suresh to divorce you. I even heard Amma mention big words like breach of contract and infertility.”

“I thought she might have been considering divorce, too,” said Megha, “especially after I disobeyed her and helped our Muslim neighbors.”

“Although I should have—” As he stopped in mid-sentence Megha’s head bobbed up instantly, her eyes posing a mute question. Kiran raked a thoughtful hand through his hair. “Damn, I should have guessed!”

She stared at him. “Guessed what?”

“Several weeks ago, I found some literature on bride-burning in Amma’s bag,” Kiran said.

“Amma’s bag!”

“She forgot her shopping bag at my parents’ house and I was asked to return it to her. Curiosity made me look in the bag. It had all kinds of articles on national and regional statistics and about how no arrests are ever made because of lack of evidence and how the police usually look the other way when offered substantial bribes. It even had information on the unique ways people dispose of the bodies so no one can guess what happened to the brides who disappear mysteriously.”

“You didn’t think it was strange that Amma was reading such bizarre things?”

“It was very puzzling, but I didn’t understand the purpose at the time, so I dismissed it from my mind. The articles were printouts from the Internet.”

Megha frowned. “But there’s no computer at home.”

“She probably went to a cyber café or some such place to do her research. I should have suspected something then, but I didn’t put two and two together, never thought my aunt could be that evil.” His expression was bitter. “Even a little while ago, I thought of every possible thing that could have happened to you, but I never wanted to believe my aunt and cousin could have tried to kill you. I guess I was wrong.”

At hearing his chilling words Megha shivered once again. “We were both wrong.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t rescue you from them earlier, Megha.”

Something in Kiran’s expression let loose the emotions within her. Despite her efforts to rein them in, she couldn’t help bursting into tears. Kiran offered her a handkerchief then sat quietly, letting her cry as long as she wanted. All he did was pat her hand occasionally and say, “I’m sorry.” When the sobs finally turned to mere sniffles, he looked at her. “You must be exhausted and hungry. Would you like something to drink or eat?”

She shook her head. How could he think about food at a time like this? Didn’t he understand the gravity of her situation? “I would have been dead by now, Kiran. They were going to tie me down to a bed of wood and burn me to death.” The dread in her voice had lessened after the weeping fit, she realized. Now it sounded hollow, devoid of emotion, her gaze dispassionate, as if she were looking on the scene of her own execution and yet completely removed from it, like watching it happen to a stranger.

Though hovering on the brink of a furious outburst, Kiran kept his rage under control. Megha needed him, needed his strength and sympathy. She had come here looking for protection and support. Giving in to the urge to go on a ferocious tirade against his aunt and cousin would do nothing to dispel Megha’s fears and misery. So he held his own emotions tightly restrained.

As he pictured the gruesome scene in his mind, Kiran shuddered inwardly. Thousands of young brides perished each year in India because of dowry, or the lack of it—heartlessly killed—some crushed to death, some thrown out of high buildings, others strangled or poisoned, many burned like so much refuse. How could one human being do that to another? In this day and age, in a middle-class, educated family no less? How could his aunt and cousin dream of doing that to a sweet, innocent daughter of the house? And all that, for money. How sickening!

Well, he wouldn’t let those monsters succeed. Never! He glanced at Megha, suddenly feeling possessive and custodial of her. “Shh, try not to think about it.”

She raised her gaze to him, her exquisite eyes still damp and rimmed with red. “Kiran, why are you being so supportive of me?”

Kiran asked himself the same question. Though he knew the answer, of course—he was in love with her. Was this a good time to be honest about that with Megha? Probably not. She was too distraught and fragile to handle that kind of confession from him at the moment. On the other hand, he couldn’t altogether lie to her either. “Because I care…you’re family, Megha,” he said finally, making it sound harmless without being dishonest.

“But I’m the outsider. The Ramnaths are your family.”

“That’s not the issue here. This is a matter of life and death—your life. In fact, I was hoping Amma was planning on getting Suresh to divorce you.”

“You were?” She stared at him as if he’d suddenly grown an extra pair of ears. “Why would you want to see your cousin divorced?”

“Because I…uh…realized you were being mistreated in that house.”

Her expression looked uncertain. “How did you guess that?”

Kiran chided himself privately for his outburst. It had only served to make her suspicious of him. But part of the truth had slipped out and there was nothing he could do to take it back. At least he’d had enough sense not to confess his deeper, more personal feelings for her. It was time for some damage control. “It didn’t take much to guess, Megha,” he said. “I’ve watched you wither away under Amma’s thumb and Suresh’s weakness.”

“How? You were only a visitor.”

“I’m not blind. I noticed the way Amma treated you and how Suresh never lifted a finger to defend you. Despite the smile on your face at all times, you’ve lost weight and there are dark shadows around your eyes—you weren’t like this when you first got married. I could tell you were unhappy with the Ramnaths. I came to the conclusion that divorce would be your only way out of there.”

“Hmm.” She continued to look skeptical.

“You could have done a hell of a lot better than having Suresh for a husband. I can’t imagine why your father turned you over to him.”

“I think the Ramnaths lied to my parents about a lot of things. My father was told Suresh earned a high salary and the family was cultured and well-off.”

“Is there no end to Amma’s deceit?” Kiran groaned. “I’m convinced you should get a divorce, Megha. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

She turned to him again, her expression hopeless. “But you can’t really help me all that much, Kiran. Suresh and Amma can force me back. You won’t be able to stop them.”

“I won’t let them harm you, Megha,” he assured her. “I went there to save you tonight. After I returned home from dinner at your house earlier, I just couldn’t relax. At first I tried to tell myself that my imagination was running wild. Since I thought it was divorce that Amma was planning, I decided I’d let it take its course, because it would be the best thing for everyone, especially you. But then, those printouts I had seen in her bag kept bothering me. The possibilities were ghastly. I couldn’t let them come true, so I came to look for you.”

“Even if it meant antagonizing your family?” When Kiran nodded, she said, “But I still don’t understand. You’re one of them, Kiran.”

“Being one of them doesn’t mean I support them in everything. I happen to believe in things like decency and integrity, you know.”

“Oh.” Megha looked away, apparently not quite convinced.

“Listen, Megha, I just thought of something. Part of my future plans is to quit my job and move to Mumbai to take over my father’s branch office. I’ve already purchased a flat there in preparation for my move. Maybe you can stay in the flat for a while?”

“I can’t stay—”

“You’ll be safe there. Mumbai’s a huge city and it’s easy to remain anonymous there. When the police give up their hunt, Suresh and Amma will file for divorce on grounds of desertion. They’re desperate to find Suresh another wife. I believe they’ll welcome this opportunity.”

She shook her head, still looking troubled. “You can’t do this. What about your parents?”

“In time we’ll let them know—when things settle down—when your divorce is under way.”

“No, Kiran. The idea of a runaway wife, their nephew’s wife, seeking shelter in your home will destroy them. Divorce in itself is enough to upset them.”

Kiran snorted with typical male indifference to convention. “This is the twenty-first century, Megha. Look around you. Divorce is not all that rare these days.”

A wry smile touched the edge of Megha’s mouth. “That may be true, but the injured party’s cousin sheltering the offending party is unheard of. You and I still live in Palgaum. We were born in an orthodox Brahmin caste and culture mired in a swamp that goes back a thousand years. The world goes around, but our traditions remain static. Don’t you see that? Besides, it’s not my divorce I’m worried about. It’s
your
reputation that concerns me more.”

“You have a way with words, you know that?” Kiran said, trying to help ease her anguish. “I’ve noticed it—the way you express yourself is so colorful, interesting. And you can quote poetry learned in high school as if you read it only hours ago.”

“That’s what my English professor often told me.” Her answering smile was wistful. “I’ve always loved writing and reading.”

“I’m not surprised. Some day you’ll have to show me what you write. But right now you need to get some rest. You’ve had a traumatic night.”

He noticed the doubts cloud her face once again and realized all this was too much for her to absorb at present. She was still in shock. After some rest she would be able to think rationally. Tomorrow he’d explain his plans to her in detail and then she’d see some sense, recognize the logic in his thinking.

But first she needed to get cleaned up. She was clearly embarrassed about her appearance. He noticed how she was trying to hide the dirt on her sari and tuck her hands and feet out of sight. And those scratches on her arms and face combined with her heartbreaking tears were tempting him to rush over to Amma’s house and strangle the fat old bitch with his bare hands. He had never been particularly fond of his aunt, but now he detested her. He wasn’t a violent man by nature, nor was he vindictive, but if Amma and Suresh had succeeded in their evil plans for Megha, he would have made sure those two paid the price for the rest of their lives.