Enigma : A Tale Of Mystery - Finale

Hello Buddies,

Today we bring you the final installment of the series. Hope you all enjoyed reading the story. Do give us your feedback.  Happy Reading!

Read--> Chapter 10Chapter 11
At Leela's Residence

Meera and Jennifer sat facing Leela, who was sitting opposite in the couch. Meera cleared her throat and before she could utter anything, Jennifer spoke out, ‘She knows that you aren’t blind, Leela.’

Meera was taken aback by this. She continued to stare at them while she heard Leela speaking, ‘ah! I knew it back then when that snake tried to crawl into my house. Damn.’
She turned to Leela and looked into her eyes. Leela smiled, ‘What are you looking at, Meera?’
‘She is looking at your eyes, Leela. And still trying to figure out what is happening here,’ said Jennifer.
Meera landed in a totally confused state. She couldn’t believe what was happening with her at that moment. Everything around her appeared to be fake. All she heard and saw were now seemed to be mere true lies. She couldn’t figure out who’s innocent and who’s the culprit nor if at all were these really happening. She wanted to hear nothing but the truth, only the truth.
Jennifer looked at Meera, ‘You really want to know what exactly happened, don’t you?’

* * *

Flashback
It was a sunny afternoon when Leela met a nice lady, who frequently visited the same center for the yoga therapy for her young son who had the same retinal problem like hers that caused a temporary blindness. Being a single parent, raising a son with his sudden illness and pressure from her work place, that lady was in need of a good friend with whom she could talk freely out of her heart and mind. That’s when Leela walked into her life. As Leela was fond of children, she became quite attached with that little boy. As weeks passed by, the two ladies got acquainted. They became real good friends and known well enough to share their personal.
One day, Leela was feeling extremely happy to get back her vision. Six months of rigorous yoga therapy gave back her lost sight and she wanted badly to share it with her husband first. She was waiting for Ravi’s arrival from the hospital. It was around 7 at night when she saw her husband’s car nearing the house. She rushed out to confront him but she hold back as she saw someone else getting out of the car along with Ravi.
She was a young woman and Leela witnessed Ravikissing her after they got out of the car. The lady then noticed Leela standing outside staring at them. She then stepped away from Ravibut he pulled her back close and whispered in her ears, ‘Ssh, don’t panic. She can’t see us. She is blind.’ Leela could easily sense what he was whispering to her and stood there heartbroken. Meanwhile Raviasked Arianna to wait at the woods and then he walked to Leela.
‘Why are you waiting here?’
Ravi hugged Leela and pecked on her cheeks. He also signaled Arianna to walk faster to the woods and Leela noticed the same. She felt disgusting and did not speak a word. *How could he do this to me? How could he pretend to be nicer while stabbing behind my back?* She couldn’t withstand that betrayal of her loving husband. Her heart was heavy and her eyes were filled with anger. She was in a rage to kill him that very moment for cheating her, but she couldn’t do so as she loved him.

* * *

She did not reveal anything about her vision to him. Instead she decided to continue to stay blind to him and to the rest of the world. She kept the truth to herself not letting anyone know about it, except her best friend, Jennifer. She went to the Yoga Center the next day as per her schedule. There she met Jennifer and explained her situation. Jennifer was her well-wisher and the only person whom she could rely on now.
She hugged and consoled Leela as she burst out with tears and in anger. She could not withstand that heartbreak experienced by Leela after all she knew how it would feel. It reminded of her past when her husband left her for another woman. So she wanted to help her and teach him a lesson. Hence she came up with a perfect murder plan.
‘What? Murder?’ Leela was shocked when she heard her speaking of her plan.
Jennifer tightened her grip, ‘Don’t panic. I will take care of it. Somebody has to teach a lesson to such perverts.’
‘What if we get caught?’ Leela asked in a shivering voice.
‘Let us make the plan such that we kill them both and at the same time stay away from getting caught. For that we have to leave no evidence that would trace back to us. But first we should get rid of your maid.’ said Jennifer.
‘About the maid, I can send her away when the time is right. But how can we do that without tracing back to us? Is it possible?’

Jennifer lost in her own thoughts thinking of how to make it possible. That’s when she came to know through her department about an agricultural engineer, carrying a toxic pesticide, entered the village. She was curious to know about the pesticide and why it was only legally allowed for use. She found some staggering truth about the chemical. When exposed for a short time it could damage the entire nervous system of human beings leaving them dead in seconds.

Jennifer then realized Meera’s trip was a short one. So before she leaves the town she needed to get the right moment to execute her plan, that too before her snoopy assistant Ayesha returns back from her week long holiday.

For almost a week, she followed the agricultural engineer, Meera. She studied about her completely. She noted everything – when she wakes up, where she goes, what she does, and whom she meets. She made sure that she knew each and every move of hers. She found out from the Police records that Meera stored the toxic material at her lab inside her house in a most protective way. She even managed to gather the details of the Code to enter into her lab. She gave all the details to Leela. 

That day Leela was watching Meera's house from her window. Once Meera drove away, Leela sneaked in and stole few grams of the pesticide and a sample sprayer from the lab. Now they were all set to execute their plan.

* * *

The wind blew heavily that night. With darkness engulfing the area, Jennifer, wearing a mask and gloves, hid in the woods without getting noticed by anyone. Ravi arrived early and he brought Arianna along with him as expected. Getting off from the car, he asked her to wait at the woods while he walked into the house. Jennifer saw Arianna entering the woods. She hid behind a tree and was waiting for her to get closer. As she walked closer to the tree, Jennifer confronted her. Arianna was shocked to see someone at that hour and before she could yell, Jennifer closed her mouth and wrapped her arms around her neck tightly. She then twisted her neck and strangled her to death. Arianna spluttered and coughed as she couldn’t fight back. She then fell on the ground motionless. Removing her mask, she took a deep breath and sat there next to the dead body, waiting for Ravi.
At home, Ravi walked to the door and opened it. The wailing sound of the wind made him to raise his tone against Leela, ‘I’m not convinced and I’m least concerned with what you have decided. We are going tomorrow. I have kept your dress on the bed. I’ll be back from the hospital by morning and I want you to be ready by the time I arrive. I don’t want to hear any excuses.’
After he shut the door behind, Leela got up and slightly moved the curtain. She saw him walking in the direction of the woods lighting a smoke. Jennifer watched his entire move from where she was hiding along with Arianna’s dead body. Leela followed him into the woods. Jennifer wore her face mask again and took the diluted Methyl Parathion from her pocket ready to spray at him.
When he came closer, Jennifer tried to hit him with a heavy twig from behind but he managed to get away from the attack as he stumbled on the ground. Without wasting a moment, she thensprayed the chemical generously on his face. Leela halted where she was standing and did not move until she saw him fell down. Ravi tried to get up and that's when he saw Leela standing there behind him. ‘Leel...?’ Before realizing what was going on, he began to lose his consciousness. He fainted in the next few seconds. After few minutes, Leela and Jennifer went near and confirmed his death.
Leela helped Jennifer in moving the dead bodies. They carried Arianna’s lifeless body and threw it in the lake while leaving Ravi’s dead body behind the bushes.
They both quickly walked back to Leela’s house before anybody noticed them. Leela acted exactly the way as she was instructed while Jennifer hid in the garden and pulled off the plug from the car tire. Before entering the house, Leela slammed the door harder in turn producing a loud thud that woke Meera up from sleep. Leaving the door unlocked, she rushed inside removing her gloves and kept hidden in her cupboard. She then sat in the corner of the room wiping away her sweat. Everything went as per their plan.
There was a power cut due to the bad weather and that helped them both to carry out their plan with ease. Later she heard a voice, ‘Hello, anybody there?’ She knew it was Meera and she managed to bear that frightened look on her face even though she was trembling inside. She then saw her stepping inside the house. Meera walked to her and asked, ‘Is everything okay, Leela?’  Meera could sense something not so right, the moment she looked at her pale face under the flash light. With a fixed gaze, Leela lifted her right hand and pointed to the window that lay in front of her.
Meera glanced through that window and found a pair of eyes staring back at her.

* * * 

EPILOGUE
‘I’m sure that you’re stunned with what you’ve just heard. But too bad it is such a story that you never going to prove’, said Jennifer after she narrated the whole incident.
Meera got up with a smile on her face. ‘I really didn’t see this coming. Interesting, isn’t it? Leela and Jennifer; both of you being the answers for everything behind this mystery. But what happens when both of you gets caught? I mean, you both could share the same prison cell. You could even sit there and plot a plan to murder me.’ She then looked at Jennifer and said, ‘but this time, make sure that you leave no clues. Because your perfect murder plan is not that perfect, Jenny’
Jennifer and Leela sat looking at each other as both of them were confused about what Meera was talking. Suddenly the door broke open and Ayesha entered inside holding a gun in her hand.
Jennifer was surprised, ‘What are you doing here, Ayesha?’
‘I have heard everything Jenny. Now don’t pretend. Good that you made your own confession. You made my job easier.’
Jennifer smirked at her. ‘You are a smart ass Ayesha. Trying to help your buddy huh? Tsk. Tsk. but too bad you have no proof for this’
Ayesha grinned back at her and said, ‘Whatever you talked in here has been recorded with the microphone I gave to Meera just before you brought her here all by yourself.’
The scene where Ayesha assured Meera holding her hands flashed before Jennifer’s eyes.

* * *

A few minutes ago
Ayesha, who was seeing the interrogation between Jennifer and Meera from the other room, grinned in relief as she finally found out the missing piece in her puzzle. She dialed a number, ‘Hello Commissioner...’
‘Hey kid, what’s going on? I haven’t heard from you for days. How are you?’ asked the Police Commissioner.
‘I’m good, Sir. I need your help,’ said Ayesha.
‘I’m all ears.’
‘I’m in the middle of a murder investigation and I think I am just this close to crack the case.’
‘Which case are you talking about?’
‘Dr.Ravi and Arianna’s murder case. I think our Detective Jennifer has arrested the wrong person.’
‘But she had all the evidence to prove it right.’
‘That’s true, but I have collected some other information which is quite important to this case without her knowledge.’
‘Uh.. What are you saying?’
‘Yes, sir. From the beginning, I sensed something wrong with Jennifer herself. I need your authority to go ahead with my plans.’
‘You mean Jennifer is the one behind the murder?’
‘Possibly, but I need a solid proof to confirm it. Perhaps her confession. And for that I need your cooperation.’
After getting a nod from the Police Commissioner, Ayesha walked to her friend and held her hands and assured her, ‘This is just a usual procedure. I will take care of it. Don’t worry. I trust you.’ Meera found something in her hand. It looked like a wireless voice transmitter. Meera gazed at Ayesha thoughtfully and nodded.
After they left the station, Ayesha immediately assembled a team of 4 members and a minivan, few meters away from Leela’s house. Ayesha sat there inside the van hearing everything that was happening at Leela’s house through the voice transmitter. The team was recording the conversation and was relaying it to the Commissioner through live feed. After Jennifer’s confession, Ayesha stepped out of the van, alerting the backup team and entered into the house.

 * * *
Ayesha now pointing her gun straight at Jennifer’s face and said, ‘The moment you both pretended to be strangers, I sensed there’s something not right, Jenny. Perhaps you were not aware that I once noticed a picture of you and your son with Leela framed in your living room. And to sum it up, I also inquired the Yoga therapist and confirmed that Leela’s vision has improved.’
Ayesha released Meera’s handcuff. Meera then handed over the voice transmitter to her and then turned to Jennifer and Leela, ‘I’m sure that you’re now stunned with what you are seeing, aren’t you?’
‘I’m gonna kill you’ Jennifer hissed as she pushed Meera aside and tried to grab her gun from the holder.
‘Don’t you dare move,’ Ayesha lifted her gun.
Jennifer tried to run out of the house. Ayesha pulled the trigger and injured her knee. She was down with a bleeding wound and could barely move. Leela was sitting unmoved not knowing what to do.
The cops rushed in and handcuffed both Jennifer and Leela, and escorted them to the vehicle. Ayesha then walked to Meera, who was pushed down on the floor, and gave her a hand.
‘Are you hurt?’ asked Ayesha.
‘A little, but I can manage,’ smiled Meera as she got up.
They both stood there watching as the police van faded off from the street as the sun rose above spreading its early morning rays giving them a fresh start.
‘You are free to fly to Mauritius now.’ Ayesha winked and hugged Meera. ‘Enjoy your work alongside a holiday with your Valentine.’
‘Thanks but if not you, the case wouldn’t have cracked this soon.’ Meera then looked at the empty street and said plainly, ‘I never expected this from Leela. But still I pity her...’
The End
* * *