Lurking shadows finale

Read part 9 - here 

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Liyah, Liyah’ Mita screamed.

She was trying to snatch the photograph from the policeman’s hand. 

‘What are you doing?’ the shorter man tried to hold her back.

‘I..I..she’s dead. Liyah is dead. he killed her.’

‘Miss, miss. Please, calm down’ The taller policeman tried calming her down but the woman they saw, as skeletal and dead as she looked now seemed possessed. ‘Look , look’ she screamed, running to her couch and pointing at the darkening handprint on the wall. ‘Look at this’ 

The policeman saw a dirty wall that had a dark spot which seemed to have been scraped with something hard. Its plaster was falling out and grey cement spots peeked through. ‘Look’ she screamed again. ‘This is Liyah’s handprint. she..’ Mita paused and looked around, the thick gust of decayed wind sat on her shoulder. ‘look, she is here’ Mita pointed towards her head.

‘Miss’ the policeman raised his voice out of concern. ‘Miss, please listen.’ he walked towards her, trying to assuage her sudden discomposure. 

‘we had come to tell you as a general piece of information regarding uh, the previous tenant seeing how we had been here to question you. We thought you should know that miss Liyah is absolutely fine. She contacted and met us last evening. Seems like she had a fight with her parents and wanted to sever all contact with them, and so she didn’t inform them about the move, leading them to file a missing person’s report.’ He waited to let this bit sink in. 

Mita looked puzzled. ‘But, Anek?’ 

‘If your.. er, boyfriend is harassing you we can help.’ the taller of the two men stepped forward and helped her sit on the couch. 

‘we can file a complaint. You can come with us to the police station.’ he continued.

A small meow made itself audible. Pink had entered Mita’s house seeing the door open. He walked around, ignoring the two strange men and gently rubbed his shoulder on Mita’s leg.

She was screaming. ‘he..he saw her. He talks to Liyah. he’s on it.’ Mita had curled into a ball.

‘is this your cat?’ the shorter policeman asked pocketing the photograph.

‘No..it’s Anek’s’ Mita’s reply came muffled.

She saw a tall man picking up the cat. He must be really brave to just scoop the demonic animal in his arms. 

How long had it been?

Mita didn’t know. 

There was silence. No one was in the house. The rains smattered their hearts against her weeping window and Mita slept.

Anek was staring at the small passport-sized picture of a very sickly looking woman. 

He adjusted his spectacles and found a thin wave of recollection with a faint dank odour sweeping him.

‘I wouldn’t say I know her. I just occasionally greet her in the mornings. She often stands by the kitchen window which opens to the staircase and it doesn’t seem decent to just ignore someone, especially a neighbour.’ Anek concluded thoughtfully.

The policemen didn’t look convinced. They hmmed and nodded without any reassurances. 

‘why?’ Anek asked worriedly. ‘Is she alright? is this about her?’

‘what about your cat?’

‘what about my cat?’ Anek was confused.

‘Does your cat often visit that woman’s house?’

‘Pink?’ Anek asked, not looking too surprised. ‘Pink is friends with almost everyone around. He is such a spoilt little thing and very friendly. He visits everyone’s house hoping for treats. I didn’t know she was among his friends as well’ Anek mused.

‘So you don’t know the woman who lives downstairs?’ The taller man asked.

‘I don’t know her as such. Like I said, we just greet each other formally.’ Anek sounded annoyed.

The shorter policeman suddenly conjured a crumbled old picture that was impossibly stained and faded. 

‘how about now?’ he asked tersely.

Anek peered into the photograph. ‘This is Liyah’ he said confused.

‘You know her?’ 

‘yes, we used to be good friends. well, when this picture was taken we were high school sweethearts but things changed and we were relegated to being friendly acquaintances.' 

‘Did you know she lived in the same house which is now occupied by this woman?’ The taller man asked pointing at Mita’s passport photo.

‘I did, but Liyah had moved out by the time I moved here. I don’t understand what’s the problem?’ Anek appeared clueless.

‘When exactly did you move here?’

‘Just last month. why?’ Anek stressed his question looking absolutely bewildered.

‘Can you please look at this picture again.’ The policeman near thrust the ink-stained photo in Anek’s face ‘Please try to focus on the person standing on the extreme right of this photo.’ 

Anek stared at the face of a girl with short hair, wearing an oversized school sweater, almost trying to hide her face behind the other two stained faces that were in the photograph besides Liyah and himself.

He pursed his lips at the sad memory of this person. ‘yes I know her. Poor thing. Her mother was our English teacher who had died of a sudden illness. This girl’ Anek shook his head, trying to remember her name ‘she stopped coming to school and last I heard she was admitted in a home for the mentally ill.’ Anek looked at the photo. ‘Her name. Well..we never spoke much. I don’t remember her name.’

He suddenly looked up at the policemen with a startling realization.

‘is she? I mean, is that, is that her? the woman from downstairs?’

‘Her name is Mita’ the taller policeman replied pocketing the photograph. ‘she moved in about the same time as you in the same apartment as Liyah’ he replied with a long drawn exhale.

Pink was scratching on the doormat. He wanted to be let in.