Story so far
4 accidents. 4 towns. One similar modus operandi. Believed to be carried out by a vengeful Yakshi. Inspector Meenakshi closes the case, ruling it an accident.
*****
PART-2
A sinister snigger drifted through the darkness. Raghavan followed the black tresses flowing in the air, desperate for answers. Trapped in a maze where reality was getting lost seamlessly into a delusion. The malicious triumph of catching prey glistened in her green eyes.
“PRATIKARAM*!” The Yakshi screamed, scrambling towards him. His body jolted up.
Inspector Meenakshi’s revelation had shattered the logical boundaries of his senses.
Ellam nimmittam* DSP Raghavan Nair thought!
The voice message!
And Yakshi’s kopam*!
Some mysteries cannot be left on the edge of fate. They need to be explored. Explored till the skeletons pop out of the coffin.
Raghavan’s gaze was glued to the hospital clock. Finally, Deepak revived from the coma.
It’d been a month since his old friend contacted him out of the blue. And had met with an accident that very day.
He remembered the voice in his voicemail. “Da, are you in Ottapalam? I need to tell you something about the four accident cases. Call me back!”
After Raghavan transferred to Ottapalam, he never missed a day visiting Deepak. He was waiting anxiously for him to open his eyes…
He touched Deepak’s forehead. He never expected to meet his old friend in this condition.
“That case! I only had doubts. The daily dose of the same news left my head spinning. I recollected how that guy kept on asking about Madhuram and its effect. The dosage!” Deepak said.
“Madhuram??” Raghavan raised his brow.
“Madhuram is a plant herb. It is given to terminally ill animals for euthanasia in a very low dosage. I met this guy three and a half years ago. His father’s untimely death had taken a toll on his mental health. My Ayurvedic herbs worked well on him. He was a bright guy, so I asked him to work for me. He handled animal euthanasia cases.”
“How does this herb work on humans?” Raghavan interrupted.
“He asked me the same question, a week before the first murder.” Raghavan sensed uncertainty on Deepak’s face.
He smirked.
This herb could never have been detected through a toxicology test or post-mortem. And that’s why the results were inconclusive.
Raghavan recollected the day when his manipulation led to Meenakshi’s confession. Meenakshi believed that a Yakshi was behind this horror. Raghavan dismantled her fallacy with sheer logic. The only redeeming act she did was to preserve the liver tissue for toxicology.
“I would appreciate it if you prove me wrong, sir!” Meenakshi’s words reverberated in his mind.
Deepak owned an Ayurvedashala. Through him, Raghavan could easily get permission to conduct the test to detect madhuram in the preserved liver tissue.
A quantum leap or a perpetual conundrum. Or a spectral maze of mystery created by the unreal Yakshi.
“Deepak, we need to do this test!” Raghavan said.
Permission was taken. Within two weeks, the results were out.
It was madhuram!
A search operation was launched to find the missing guy. Deepak had his adhar card details. A familiar name and an unfamiliar link popped up. Sethu Venugopalan Menon. S/O Venugopalan Menon, the Karyasthan. And now Raghavan could finally connect the remaining dots. From the neighbours, Raghavan got to know about Sethu’s mother’s demise.
Sethu never intended to escape. He was found on the premises of his old house. Not a single ray of guilt touched him.
“I was chosen by the Devi. The public humiliation broke my father’s spirit. He vanished into the labyrinth of insanity, knocking on the door of death for the ultimate relief. Yakshi’s kopam, they declared. Yakshi was the chosen protector; she could never kill an innocent.” Sethu exploded, banging on the table.
“Why did you wait for three years?” Raghavan asked with curiosity.
“It wasn’t intentional. My blood boiled when I saw those four vicious faces. They stood in the same place where they had betrayed Achan. The temple premises.” Sethu gritted his teeth.
“The news of discovering the abharnam had brought those greedy, vile men there. The old wounds were ripped open. Those sleepless nights when amma ran to call Deepak sir to calm my mind. I ran on the roads calling Achan’s name. Three years of loss and shame. Yet their lives remained untouched. And I painfully yearned for normalcy. I ensured they paid the same price in the same way.” Sethu’s eyes smouldered with rage.
“You befriended them as an insurance agent. I found the papers in their bags. I know you spiked their food. How?” Raghavan questioned.
“In excess dosage, Madhuram invoked acute derangement and delusion. It derailed the victim’s mind for a few minutes. I met them for lunch to discuss the policy and, unbeknownst to them, spiked their food. They ended up losing their sanity and lives.” Sethu smiled insanely.
“The police failed to investigate the case then; how could they now? Those four men had asked Achan’s help to carry out the heist. When he denied, they framed him by planting Devi’s ruby locket in our house. My innocent Achan was declared guilty without trial. Now his soul is at peace,” Sethu laughed, fighting the tears.
The room erupted in applause. Yet, beneath Raghavan’s smile lingered a quiet ache for the young man.
Sethu’s path was born of injustice. Yet, it led him to become the unwitting instrument of its reckoning.
Yakshi’s footsteps.
Devi’s righteousness.
Ellam Nimmittam.
Was justice served? It all depends on whose lens you are looking through.
897 words excluding the Glossary.
Glossary
Kopam- anger
Nimmittam- reason
Ellam nimmittam- It’s all predestined
Abharnam- jewellery
Achan- father
Pratikaram – revenge
Madhuram – Madhuram is a fictional herb. And the test mentioned to detect it is part of the imagination, not real.
Image from Unsplash
