Read Part 1 - here
Read Part 2 - here
Read Part 3 - here
Read Part 4 - here
Read Part 5 - here
Read Part 6 - here
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The concoction of multitudinous activities most of which Khar had let embed in forgotten sands of ancient times, accumulated into a sprightly atmosphere that is mostly unique to schools.
A steady chatter of conversations, excited shrieks from playgrounds, peals of laughter from a floor above, and a steady mumbling sound that hummed like an undertone to these noises flowed continuously, which didn’t seem to come from any apparent direction.
Schools, so many years past seemed like an alien territory, a place he didn’t belong, a place that wasn’t meant to witness the horrors of murder.
It was sacrosanct. A safe place for learning and fun, where children got away from life to learn about life, and yet it had been stained by the sick perversion of human folly.
Judging by the sea of faces that glanced at them Pavil guessed their arrival at YC International school just happened to be during the lunch break and felt uncomfortable by the questioning glimpses that ever so slightly and often not subtly stole themselves in their direction.
They were heading towards the principal’s office for a more detailed round of questioning and Pavil wondered how many children he saw on their way were aware of the incident from the day before?
What were their thoughts? what did they think could have happened?
The principal’s office was what Khar had expected and remembered from those times centuries ago.
Perhaps as a principal one develops similar habits and peculiarities, congruent to their jobs falling in similar patterns to foster common routines and quirks even.
He had this memory of an off-white globe that always sat on the desk in the principal’s office, a pile of files in the cabinets behind, a not so comfortable couch somewhere on the side and a few chairs facing the principal.
The cognizant surge of recollection that seemed to birth out of nowhere from the strange yet similar odour that came from characteristic mingled smells of school stationery, tea, afternoon, somewhat old furniture and teachers was to Khar a startling jolt of accidental amazement. An emotion, or was it a feeling he didn’t much ascribe to, nor experience often.
The principal’s office at YC International school felt comparable to the one Khar had just remembered from the recesses of his memory.
There was a globe, albeit a blue coloured one, that sat dustily on Mr Savik’s table, while the man himself seemed to be engaged in an animated conversation with Khar guessed was probably a math teacher.
On seeing Khar and Pavil, Mr Savik politely excused himself and gestured them to sit.
Mr Savik had aged considerably in the past two days and Pavil found himself feeling sorry for the elderly man.
Almost every news channel was alive with the sensational story of a thirteen-year-old found dead in the boy’s bathroom of YC International school, and the the strain of meeting press, answering their queries and being targeted as the man generally responsible for the entire school’s going on had taken a toll on the man’s bearing.
A genially benevolent man, Mr Savik had one of those dignified faces that was easy to respect though he somewhat lacked the bearings of a strict principal.
Having never married, he led one of those uncomplicated lives that travelled in a straight line.
Pavil straightened in his chair as the principal came towards them
‘Mr Savik there is some new information regarding this case that we’d like to talk to you about’ Pavil flipped some pages of his small notebook.
‘Are students allowed to bring phones to school’ Pavil began by asking in a flat voice.
Mr Savik folded his hands on the table and sat looking expressionless. His face was drawn and he managed a smile. ‘They’re allowed’ he said ‘but as long as they don’t use it during class’ he exhaled a deep breath ‘Are you any closer to finding the killer?’
‘We are doing what we can, sir’ Pavil spoke calmly.
‘Do you know of any seniors who bullied Majid?’ Pavil continued.
The principal drew in a breath and slowly massaged his forehead with his fingers. ‘Hmm.. yes. There have been two occasions, though disciplinary action was taken and the students have since then ceased’
‘What kind of occasions?’ Pavil asked
Mr Savik seemed to have closed his eyes then said ‘two months prior they were caught smoking and forcing junior students to smoke in the old building’s laboratory’ he pointed outside the window towards what Pavil assumed was the older part of the school. ‘Majid was among the junior students’ and a few weeks after that incident they got into a scuffle on the sports ground after school. Roughing some juniors. A complaint was lodged by a parent of one of the children they got into a fight with, after which they were suspended for a week, and such incidents have since stopped’
Pavil brooded over this last statement ‘this scuffle that happened, was Majid one of them?’
Mr Savik’s haggard face seemed to wince ‘yes’ he said.
Khar touched the globe with his index finger and looked at the principal looking deadpan. ‘How many senior students are we talking about?’
Mr Savik slowly uttered ‘are they under suspicion?’
‘These are just routine inquiries based on some information’ Pavil smiled a reassuring smile ‘Nothing alarming. We just want to be sure and eliminate any chances of wrongful suspicions before moving any further’
Mr Savik blinked and picked up his phone asking for two senior boys to be sent to his office.
As bullies go, the two gangly boys with ample pimples looked far from your quintessential every day bullies.
They looked like kids starting their rebellious phase and showed their ignorance and hate for all that’s authority by wearing their shirts untucked and hair in a mess.
‘These gentleman from the police wold like to ask you a few questions, boys’ Mr Savik brought out his benevolent streak of affable academician and the so called senior bullies did a rather ungainly paling.
‘er..sir..eh..we didn’t do anything’ the pimplier of the two blurted out. His pale face now growing a shade deathlier.
Pavil had suddenly been to enjoy this spectacle of the very afraid kids and he turned to them putting on a straight if a little angry face and said ‘why don’t you tell us exactly what you two didn’t do’
‘Uh..we..we don’t know anything.’ the lesser pimply kid spoke defensively for both of them, slowly tucking in his shirt looking at Mr Savik.
Pavil turned to Khar and warily the two bullies followed his gaze to rest on Khar’s stolid visage and whatever little was left of them came undone in a rush.
The rest few minutes were spent in a haphazardly worded cloud of incoherent dialogue. Each senior describing the events of Sunday in gibberish until Pavil had to hold up his hand. He stared at the more pimplier of the two and said ‘You tell me’
‘we..we’ he began ‘uhh, we were done with rehearsals and went to the bathroom to change when Majid and Tejan also entered. Uh..they had cigarettes and they didn’t know we were in the bathroom stall and they began smoking’
Pavil held up his hand once again ‘what was the time?’
The other bully looking at the confusion of his friend chimed in ‘sir..uh..mr, we got done with the rehearsals at three in afternoon and went to our classrooms to collect our clothes, to change from our costumes..uh..we got talking to some umm. friends..umm girls.. and then went to the bathroom to change’ he went silent, then spoke again ‘it must have been around half past three’
‘Ok’ Pavil spoke finally getting some semblance of the sequence of events ‘then what?’
‘Sir, uh,’ stammered the pimplier bully ‘they were smoking in the bathroom and got scared to see us. We..er..’ he looked at his friend
‘Go on, children’ Mr Savik said calmly ‘what’s done is done. Tell these gentlemen what happened in exact details’
‘Yes sir’ one of the senior gulped ‘we started pushing Majid around and took his cigarettes, but then Tejan intervened and we didn’t want anything getting out of hand’ he looked down at his shoes, embarrassed.
‘After that’ the other one continued ‘we left. We gave the half packet of cigarettes to the watchman’
‘Did you smoke the cigarettes too?’ Pavil quietly asked
‘No..no..uh..no sir’ they immediately replied looking at Mr Savik.
Pavil discreetly gestured to Mr Savik and he asked the seniors to go back to their classes ‘These gentleman will get in touch with you again, if they have any further questions.. and’ he added sternly ‘you will not discuss this with your classmates’
Rendered mute with fear and shame, the two bullies shook their heads, eyes cast downwards, they slowly shuffled out of the principal office, almost inaudibly.
An hour later the policeman left Mr Savik’s office. Pavil was ferociously scribbling in his notebook, some inferences he drew from the last few questions regarding Majid and Tejan; he flipped back to the first few pages of his notes and asked Khar ‘why would anyone kill a thirteen year old?’
Khar seemed to be brooding over his steering wheel ‘We find the motive, we find the killer’ he replied tersely.
‘Ok’ Pavil stared outside the car ‘you think those bullies didn’t smoke those cigarettes they confiscated from Majid? You think they lied in front of their principal?’ he wondered aloud.
‘That, or maybe they didn’t want to smoke women’s cigarettes’ Khar said.
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