2.
I hastily opened the door in panic and quickly stepped outside. But as soon as I saw the scene outside, I was shocked. The siren I had heard inside was indeed from a police car, and the car was parked right in our porch. Three police officers had entered the house with determination. As soon as they saw me, one of the officers immediately blocked the doorway as if I would try to escape upon seeing the police and he had to stop me somehow. But I was more bewildered than anything, wondering what was happening.
It was from this officer that I learned that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of my brother, who had recently returned from abroad, and that he had apparently fled with his entire family as soon as he got wind of the police's approach. He hadn't even had time to inform me of the situation or to warn me about what was coming.
I somehow managed to convince the police that I knew nothing about my brother's actions or whereabouts and that I had just arrived here as a guest today. They warned me sternly that if I received any information about my brother and his family, I was to inform the police immediately. I was also threatened that if I tried to help them or escape myself, I would be considered complicit in their crime. Yet, I still didn’t know what my brother’s crime was, when and where he had committed it, or where they all were now.
I had been feeling trapped in some kind of mess since the morning and was regretting coming here. And now I was also really hungry. After the police left, I quickly locked the main door from inside and headed to the kitchen. Obviously, since the dining table was set, there must have been some food prepared in the kitchen. But when I got there, I found signs that the food had been packed and brought in from outside. The food was there, and some items had been taken out and placed in the oven to be heated.
I quickly rummaged through the food packets, took some out onto a plate for myself, and sat down at the dining table to eat. I had just started eating when the doorbell rang. I opened the door and was stunned to see my sister-in-law and her two children standing there. As soon as she saw me, she said, "Oh, you’ve already freshened up, brother? Come on, let’s serve the food now." She spoke so calmly as if nothing had happened.
In a slightly stern voice, I asked, "Where is my brother?" My sister-in-law glanced at the plate in my hand and said, "He’s inside, probably in the bathroom taking a shower." I was shocked to see that my brother was indeed coming out from inside, drying his hair with a wet towel.
"Oh, brother! You were here? So why didn’t you come out when the police arrived?" I asked.
"Police? What police? What are you talking about? Why would the police come here?" My brother looked puzzled.
Now it was my turn to be surprised. My sister-in-law said, "Brother, the children were playing outside in the bungalow’s lawn, and I was sitting nearby. What police are you talking about, and where?"
The children started laughing too. "Uncle, were you watching some TV show in the washroom?" my nephew asked.
I was left completely dumbfounded.
"No, no, how can there be such confusion? I'm not a child that I would say something out of ignorance." I now shouted loudly, "No, tell me the truth, what is all this? You all had gone somewhere, no one was here, it was pin-drop silence, and only the police had come inside. I searched for you myself with the police, but none of you were here. I don't know where you all suddenly appeared from and are now making a fool out of me. Tell me the truth about what’s going on, or else I'll call the police right now and bring them back. I have their number." Saying this, I screamed in desperation.
My sister-in-law and the kids looked at me innocently. My brother came over and grabbed me by the shoulder as if I was having an epileptic seizure. He started dragging me towards the bedroom, trying to lay me down.
I was so shocked that I actually lay down. My sister-in-law hurriedly brought a glass of water, and my brother tried to get me to drink it.
I was genuinely thirsty because I had just finished eating. I quickly grabbed the glass with both hands and drank the water like a child, then lay down.
I really started to feel sleepy. My brother turned on the AC, covered me with a sheet, and left the room.
I don't remember how long I slept.
Everyone had seen me eating, so they didn't wake me up for dinner. They must have all eaten and then gone to their rooms to sleep.
Around 5 in the evening, my sister-in-law entered the room with a tray of tea and a plate of hot fritters.
The smell of paneer fritters had already awakened my senses, and I was trying to sit up, but as soon as my sister-in-law asked, I collapsed again - "How are you feeling now, brother?"
"Oh, my dear sister-in-law, I swear on you, there's nothing wrong with my health. I'm telling the truth, the police came to the house, and none of you were home." I said, taking the cup of tea from her hand.
But my sister-in-law replied with the same firmness, "How can I believe that, brother? We were sitting outside in the lawn, the kids were playing, and there's no way for the police to come. And the biggest question is, why would they come?"
I felt like I was going to faint, or I was going to go mad.
I was about to say something again when my brother walked in. He pulled a chair close and sat down, picking up a fritter from the plate, and said casually, "Come on, the poor kids have been waiting for so long to chat with their uncle, but uncle seems to be busy investigating like some spy."
"I’ll bring your tea here as well," said my sister-in-law, heading inside.
I remained puzzled. What was going on? All these people were sitting here calmly, saying that they were at home the whole time, and wondering how and from where the police could have come. But I had seen the police arrive here with my own eyes and even saw them questioning me. How could there possibly be any misunderstanding?
I thought to myself that I would remain silent and accept what these people were saying, but I would continue my investigation and uncover the truth behind this mystery.
After having tea with my brother and sister-in-law, I called out to the two children. In no time, they both joined us, and we all got engrossed in conversation. My nephew started telling me stories from his school. Seeing that my mood had changed, my niece brought out her drawing file and began showing me her new paintings. Gradually, observing everyone's behavior, my tone also began to change. I thought that perhaps what had happened was just a coincidence and that there wasn’t anything more to it.
In the evening, the children convinced their father to take us out to eat. My sister-in-law said, "In the morning, we didn't even get a chance to sit and eat together due to all the commotion. Let's go somewhere nice to eat now."
The children were happy to hear this. My sister-in-law said to me, "You should get ready too, Bhaiya. But don't take so long freshening up that the poor kids get tired of waiting and end up playing cricket outside!"
I felt embarrassed.
Two hours later, my brother was driving us all quickly on the highway. I was sitting in the front while the children were sitting in the back, crowding around their mother. A little further along the highway, my brother turned the car toward a beautiful resort. The place was bathed in light and looked stunning.
People were sitting around tables, enjoying their meals in different settings, but it wasn't too crowded. As soon as my brother parked the car, we found a quiet, secluded spot and headed there. The atmosphere was beautiful and elegant. The melodious music playing in the background made the environment even more enchanting.
Suddenly, I saw two of my brother's friends emerging from a nearby gallery and coming towards us. My brother eagerly stepped forward to shake hands with them. They also greeted my sister-in-law. My brother was probably about to introduce me to them when I was startled to see them up close.
These were the same police officers who had come to our house in the afternoon looking for my brother. I recognized them immediately.
Before my brother could say anything by way of introduction, I blurted out, "I know them; I've met them before."
My brother looked at me in surprise.
With great warmth, I folded my hands towards both of them. But what was this? They both looked at me in surprise.
My brother gave me a strange look, then said, "You must have seen someone else. They don't seem to recognize you. Where would you have met them? They are both my friends."
For a moment, I was flustered, but then I firmly said to both of them, "Oh, don't you remember? Yesterday when you came to our house in the afternoon, I was the only one there. The three of us together searched for my brother!"
They laughed and said, "What are you talking about? Your brother has been inviting us over for so long, but our duty is such that we never get the time. We haven't been to his house since he returned from abroad. We only meet outside."
Now, my nephew, irritated, jumped in, "Oh uncle, what's wrong with you? You're bringing up that boring topic again. What's gotten into you?"
I felt angry and shocked inside. This is too much, they are all conspiring to prove me wrong, while these two were at my house for almost twenty minutes, talking with me.
I was about to open my mouth to say something else when my sister-in-law's voice came, "Relax, brother. What's wrong with you?"
My brother's daughter also chimed in, "Are we going to sit down and order food now, or are we still on some secret mission here?"
Everyone burst out laughing.
When I saw even the children mocking me, I felt deeply humiliated, but I kept quiet, waiting for the right moment to speak.
We found a large table and sat down. My brother's friends, those two police officers, greeted everyone with a wave and left.
Now my sister-in-law and the kids, excited by the sight of rabbits and ducks roaming the distant lawn, headed that way.
As soon as they left, my brother asked me, "Would you like some whiskey?"
I said, "If you wish, let's have some. I'll check the brand and place the order," and I headed towards the bar.
My brother got lost in the playful antics of his wife and children from a distance.
As soon as I reached the bar counter, I met those two police officers again.
"Oh, were you coming here? We could have come together!" one of them said.
Now the other gentleman said to me, "Yes, now that you mention it, I do remember that we have met somewhere."
I replied enthusiastically, "Yes, see, this is what I was saying, you came to the house and searched my brother."
They laughed again and said, "No, no sir, we didn't come to your house, your brother is our friend. But yes, it does seem like we've met before. It must have been at some other house."
"You must be joking. I've only been in this city for two days, and this is my first time here. Apart from the house, I haven't been anywhere else."
Seeing my irritated demeanor, the two quickly left. As they walked away, they said, "Sorry, it must have been a misunderstanding. We haven't met before."
I grabbed the whiskey and headed back to my brother's table. But internally, my confusion was only growing. I was thinking that whatever this is—a conspiracy, a prank, a joke—I will uncover the truth!
After coming home at night, it took me a while to fall asleep. Everyone's mood had improved after a while, and we had a good time talking. The children also shared stories from their foreign school.
When I went to my room to sleep, my head felt slightly heavy. The burden of the confusion in my mind had lightened somewhat, the confusion that had overwhelmed me because no one at home believed me. But the sting of the humiliation, which arose from being proven a liar in front of everyone, still remained.
I lay down, leaving the door slightly ajar. I began thinking that I wouldn't stay here much longer and, if possible, would leave tomorrow itself by catching a train. I also decided that I would return here in a couple of days, fully prepared to thoroughly investigate the entire sequence of events. I was now trying to devise a more effective method for my investigation through my imagination.
I don't remember how long it took me to fall asleep.
The next morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a tea tray being brought in through the door, and I sat up with a start. My surprise wasn't ordinary but rather extraordinary, because the one bringing in the tea tray wasn't my sister-in-law or the other woman who worked there, but my wife herself.
What was this? How was she here? When did she arrive? And why did she come?
- Oh, so that was the matter. Worried about yesterday's events, my brother must have called home. Not only that, but he must have told my wife that something had happened to me and that I was behaving strangely.
To prevent my wife from getting scared after hearing all this, my brother had sent his driver with a car to bring her here by the afternoon. The driver had arrived with my wife early this morning, and now she was here, offering me tea.
This is too much. My brother is something else. To cover up his own wrongdoing, he pretended that I had fallen ill? Let him continue his cleverness. I won't give up. I will expose them for what they really are—that they fled from abroad after some scam, with the police on their trail, and that they are trying all sorts of tricks to evade them. They are trying to discredit what I witnessed with my own eyes, and now they have even convinced my wife to side with them. Both the sisters-in-law and the children are all bent on believing that I'm the one who is unwell.
With patience, I only asked my wife, "At least you could have spoken to me once before coming here."
- "What are you saying? Brother was so worried when he called me, and the driver had already arrived to pick me up. Should I have doubted him and asked him to let me talk to you first? Everyone there, including Mom and the kids, got anxious. They insisted on coming along, but I somehow managed to leave them behind. If I had brought the kids along, Mom would have been left alone."
Without saying anything, I quickly got up, went to the washroom, and washed my face quickly so that the tea wouldn't get cold.
