The Guru is Dead – Part 2
Moonlight streamed into Arjun’s room as he pondered over the warning note. Whoever sent it was watching him closely. With his instincts on high alert, Arjun decided to hold a secret meeting with Dr. Kapoor, who had remained an impartial observer so far.
They met in a discreet corner of the retreat, shadows concealing them. Arjun quickly handed Dr. Kapoor the note, who examined it with interest.
“Paper and ink seem similar to the ones used by the attendees,” Dr. Kapoor wrote in response. “However, the handwriting is deliberately changed.”
Arjun nodded, realizing that uncovering the killer’s identity wouldn’t be straightforward. They needed a new strategy.
“I’ll conduct an informal autopsy on Rajan. There might be clues the initial check missed,” Dr. Kapoor suggested, scribbling down his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Arjun planned to engage the attendees, hoping to catch someone off guard.
The next day, during breakfast, Arjun initiated an impromptu art therapy session, thinking that subconscious doodles might reveal hidden tensions or clues. Each attendee was provided a canvas and a set of paints.
Arjun watched them closely. Ms. Anaya painted a serene mountain landscape, perhaps mimicking the view outside. Mr. Bhatt illustrated an abstract pattern of musical notes and colorful swirls. Ms. Lata, the writer, portrayed a lone figure standing at a crossroads, while Mr. Gupta painted a bird trapped in a cage.
The imagery was open to interpretation, but Arjun felt that Gupta’s painting was the most revealing. Did it signify Rajan’s vision restricting him, or did it indicate his own guilt or confinement?
As the day ended, Dr. Kapoor approached Arjun with his findings. The note read, “Rajan’s body had traces of a rare Himalayan flower extract, which is lethal in concentrated doses. Only a local would know of its deadly properties.”
The list of suspects narrowed. While the attendees were mostly from urban areas, Mr. Gupta had lived in the Himalayas for years.
Determined to confront Gupta, Arjun visited his office. However, instead of Gupta, he found a distraught maid cleaning up shattered glass. Handing her a notepad, he inquired about the incident.
Tears welled in her eyes as she wrote, “Mr. Gupta and another staff member had a loud argument. I couldn’t understand everything, but I heard them mention ‘debts’ and ‘promises’.”
Before Arjun could probe further, a scream pierced the silent retreat. Rushing towards the source, he found attendees gathered around the gazebo, where the lifeless body of Mr. Gupta dangled from a beam, an apparent suicide.
However, Arjun wasn’t convinced. The timing was too convenient. He now believed that Rajan’s vision for the retreat expansion had led to financial disputes, betrayals, and now, two deaths. The silent retreat was a cacophony of unsaid words and buried truths.
Retreating to his room, he found another note: “Two down. Leave while you still can.”
Arjun clenched his fists. He was now not just hunting a killer but also racing against time to prevent another murder.
The sun hadn’t yet begun its ascent when Arjun called for an emergency gathering. The retreat’s peaceful ambiance was now marred with the weight of two deaths, casting a palpable unease among the attendees.
Positioned at the front, Arjun displayed the threatening note for everyone to see. He watched their reactions closely. Ms. Anaya’s face went a shade paler, Ms. Lata clutched her notepad protectively, and Mr. Bhatt, usually so aloof, looked genuinely shocked.
Arjun decided on a direct approach. “This murderer believes they can intimidate us with silence and threats. But we will not be silenced.” He wrote and presented on the board.
The attendees scribbled responses almost simultaneously.
Mr. Bhatt: “I’ve decided to leave. This isn’t the peace I sought.”
Ms. Lata: “I want to help. There must be something I’ve seen or heard.”
Ms. Anaya: “This is horrifying. First Rajan, now Gupta. Who’s next?”
Arjun acknowledged their responses but his attention was on the retreat’s staff. He approached an elderly gardener, Mr. Ram, who had been working there for years.
Handing him the notepad, Arjun inquired about any unusual events or past secrets of the retreat. Ram hesitated for a moment, then began writing with a trembling hand.
“Twenty years ago, there was a land dispute. This retreat was to be sold to developers but a group of locals, including a younger Gupta, protested. A compromise was reached, but not without bitterness. Rumor has it that there’s still buried anger among the old-timers.”
Arjun felt a piece of the puzzle slotting into place. If Gupta was involved in the land dispute and Rajan’s new expansion plans were reigniting old tensions, could a grudge from the past be the motive?
His thoughts were interrupted by Ms. Lata, who beckoned him towards a secluded spot. Handing him a journal, she whispered, “This belonged to Rajan. I found it while we were roommates during the retreat.”
The diary detailed Rajan’s aspirations, personal reflections, and more intriguingly, a series of meetings with an anonymous investor keen on the retreat’s expansion. Rajan’s last entry was particularly chilling: “Someone from my past has returned. I fear they know my secret.”
What secret? Arjun pondered.
His thoughts were disrupted by another scream. Racing to its source, he found Mr. Bhatt’s room ransacked. And while Mr. Bhatt was shaken, he was very much alive. On his bed was another message: “The detective can’t protect everyone.”
Nightfall at the retreat now bore an ominous air. With a murderer lurking, Arjun knew he had to act quickly. He decided to set a trap.
Summoning everyone, he made a bold announcement on the board: “Tonight, we gather at the meditation hall. I believe the killer will strike again. And I will be ready.”
As attendees dispersed with a mix of dread and anticipation, Arjun prepared, hoping to lure the killer into revealing themselves. Tonight, the silent retreat’s secrets would echo loudly.
To be continued… in Part 3
