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That there are knives specially meant for bread was not nearly as surprising as the sharpness its serrated edges exhibited.
Pavil never had any reason to slice bread since he didn’t buy anything other than pre-sliced bread and his skills in the kitchen were elementary at best, but a knife the size of a saw with blades like shark teeth would ever be an essential item in the kitchen for slicing bread was a concept wholly new to him and worrisome to boot, now that he knew Nehar had something similar in her kitchen.
‘You think this could be the murder weapon?’
Khar didn’t reply and Pavil felt the pit of his stomach churn uneasily. Maybe she just needed a bread knife she bought at a bad time. It’s all about timing, isn’t it? and she came much later after Majid had been murdered or did she arrive early? Now there were questions swirling in his head that only Nehar knew answers to, or maybe this knife.
Khar had probably thought the same because Pavil found himself trailing behind the unsympathetic senior officer, who seemed to nurse a grudge against the beautiful Nehar, but then again wouldn’t Pavil have done the same?
They halted in front of a disregardful white door that looked like it had not seen paint in several years, not least because it was situated in the non-glamorous senior faculty department of a prestigious medical school and hospital.
Dr Chattur was seated inside a chamber that smelled like formaldehyde and boredom. He immediately brightened on seeing Khar.
‘What a surprise’ he excitedly exclaimed. Had Khar been the chummy kinds they would probably have greeted in a hug, but seeing that he had icicles ingrained inside of him they cordially smiled and Khar immediately came to the point.
‘You think this could be a murder weapon?’
Dr Chattur blinked a moment before realizing what Khar was talking about. ‘The child’s murder case?’ he broodingly asked.
Pavil was still looking around the small room that they’d found Dr Chattur in. It was unfurnished except a stretcher like bed in one corner, a large table with a computer from the early civilizations and other medical paraphernalia which made him avert his eyes, because he realized he’d never been keen on visiting hospitals or other places that were redolent with chemical smells that reminded him of that time from the morgue.
So this is what this doctor does on days when he’s not dissecting bodies.
Dr Chattur was examining the bread knife.
‘This is astounding.’ He remarked and smiled at Khar. ‘I can’t say for sure, but I’ll have to consult my notes and photographs of the victims to make any inferences.’ His eyes lit up as he said these words.
Khar looked at him questioningly.
‘Oh, I won’t take long, in fact, it’d be interesting. I was just about getting bored here. Will you have all the postmortem reports and photographs sent to me? I think this would make for some interesting experiment’
‘You’ll have them by the afternoon’ Pavil hated the insensitivity in Khar’s voice. What exactly was he getting at? Nehar couldn’t have been the one if that’s what he was thinking, but they were fresh out of suspects and there was no point groping in the dark.
‘The only thing established so far from my jaunt to that hotel is that Jumaid had checked in during the afternoon like he mentioned and there was someone resembling Veda’s appearance during his checkout.’ Pavil spoke while decanting fresh tea from a flask into his cup.
Khar didn’t look up from his table. He’d busied himself with paperwork just moments after they’d arrived, but Pavil knew he’d been listening.
‘But we also know that he’d had gone out to Wok Fusion, which couldn’t be corroborated by the elderly proprietor and met Nehar, but we know it to be true. So he must have come back after that in order to check out at six’ Pavil concluded. ‘Their story more or less checks out. Veda and Jumaid’s.’
Khar was scratching at his temples and looking directly at Pavil. ‘Well, what do you think?’ Pavil enthusiastically asked.
Khar stood up still looking straight at what Pavil thought was his face, but in fact, he’d been looking right behind him. ‘Please come in’ Khar spoke in his usual deep resonating unemotional voice.
‘Huh, what?’ Pavil was puzzled and looked back to see Meina Wasim standing at the door.
She looked better than the last time they’d seen her. Her face looked to have been hastily made up, but the colour had returned to her sallow cheeks and her eyes had lost a bit of their deathly dullness.
Her shaking voice was the only give away that she still mourned the loss of her only son.
She tried stretching her lips which Pavil thought were meant to denote a smile, but quickly gave up on that and silently sat on a chair opposite saying nothing.
Pavil felt a bit embarrassed by her presence. They still had no answers for this grieving mother and he wished he could tell her something to comfort her.
‘I..I’ she began to speak but said nothing for a long while.
Khar noted her hesitance and gestured Pavil to offer her some tea, which she immediately accepted. She looked ill-dressed for such a cold season. A shabby sweater that didn’t look like it had the capacity to ward off any idea of chill was loosely draped around her shoulders and her nails looked haphazardly chewed.
‘I am leaving Jumaid’ she finally said after a long pause and looked almost relieved like it were a confession.
Khar nodded by blinking his eyes and Pavil found his eyebrows knitting again.
‘It had been too long, us fooling each other, or maybe it was just me, misleading myself. The only reason that kept us together now lies under the earth, in my heart and I don’t see why I need torture myself with Jumaid anymore. I find it repulsing to see him day after day.’
Pavil wanted to say something consoling but Khar’s unmoving face kept him from doing that, moreover, he didn’t think it would be appropriate, and what could he even say?
‘I thought I could find some peace in living with him, maybe we could be a normal couple, whatever that is, but ever since it happened, that man hasn’t once had a word to say to me. He’s hardly ever at the house, and he makes no pretence that my presence in the house bothers me. He’s passively tormenting me and I can’t take it anymore because you see..uh..I..hate him, and that house. It’s driving me mad. Sometimes I feel maybe I am going insane. Odd things keep happening there.’
‘Like what?’ Khar asked plainly.
‘Nothing serious. He entertains his business friends till late at night when he’s home. He’s suddenly become so busy with his work. The business has never been so good he said. Things randomly disappear and appear again.’
‘What things?’
‘Uh..nothing important..uh, except our car was suddenly missing for two weeks. He said his friend had borrowed it. But it’s back now, and other things. My bedsheets, my pillows, my scarves, and other things..Oh, I can’t remember. My life is fast disappearing too.’ she began laughing hysterically.
‘Mrs Wasim, are you sure you’re okay?’ Khar asked gently.
‘Oh, you think I’m mad?’
‘No, I don’t, but you do need some rest’
‘Oh, its alright. I’ve rested enough. Jumaid thinks I’ve lost my mind because he just doesn’t seem to care that our..’ Meina blinked rapidly and lowered her head to her knees.
When she looked up her face had reddened with pain and she looked embarrassed ‘I..I have to tell you something. I wasn’t honest with you last time. I’d told you that maid had left in the afternoon and come back at about four.’ She pressed her lips together, looking away from the policemen. ‘He’d actually left sometime in noon and came back late in the evening.’
‘How late?’ Pavil asked.
‘Sometime around nine’ Meina Wasim’s voice was hurtful. ‘He’s having an affair with Nehar and he probably was with her that day’ she said holding back her tears.
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