HAVELI
Muffled voices welcomed her back into consciousness. And it was too much.
Her vision got a hold of sense and she could see the entire household had accumulated there, which was funny because not much of them cared enough to come to her for personal interference when she was alive rather than greet her in her court.
The two wives were crying; the two husbands were immensely tensed. The two head helpers, including Tai Ji, had their heads ducked in silent sobs.
One of the two husbands, or say brothers - Amma Ji's - if technicalities are being talked, the Eldest, Dayanand Thakur took notice of Phulwa and nudged the immediate younger brother to him, Naveen Thakur and said, "She's awake." He rushed to her, his eyes all watery, and helped her to her feet.
"Phulwa, how...err, do you know anything about this? How did Raman come into the house? Did you help him?" He was so calm while talking to her.
Dayanand, considered all his soft edges that went all the way back to his teenage years, had discovered like ten new soft aspects. He would be calm and composed in any situation and that would get him through it. Like this one right now, he was shorthand accusing Phulwa of helping a killer get into the haveli and still didn't make it sound like he was.
"No bhaiya ji," she was immediately accompanied by Tai ji who saw her shaking, "I had no idea about it." Phulwa said through her sobs.
"I know," Rupa Thakur, Naveen's wife said through her smudged mascara. "I have known this for a while. Last I saw this Baniya's larvae lurking by the haveli corridors was a month ago. When I stopped him to ask what he was doing here, Amma Ji appeared in the back and said she had called him on a business. And I...I believed her," and twenty-six years old Rupa broke further into tears, maybe this time washing her entire mascara off.
"Nobody gets a word out about this," Naveen Thakur turned towards the households, living ones, and squinted at them with a warning, "DO you understand? No one should know about this. Not unless you want the entire village to fall into chaos."
"Inspector Vikram should be here any minute, I'll shut him up about it, however much he asks for!" Daya agreed to his younger brother. Glad their sister died, at least they agreed on something.
Upon the inspector's arrival, with two constables by his side, the household was further dissolved into their further grieving scenario or whatever chores the maintenance of haveli needed. The two wives left into their respective rooms, supposedly; the servants into their work areas and Phulwa moved to follow them until she was stopped.
"Hey, girl, stop!" Of course, the inspector had to show some interest. "Isn't she Amma Ji's personnel?" The thick mustached Inspector turned to Daya.
"Yes." Daya answered, in most indifferent way possible.
"I'll need her to stay and come with me to the station. The interrogation has to start somewhere. Why not start with Amma Ji's closest confidante!" The inspector balanced his stick in between his palms, giving a look, eventually, to the constables who were working on taking pictures of Amma Ji's lifeless glory and taking down the boy who took her there.
"Yes, about that," Naveen Thakur walked up to stand beside his brother, "We think that this news should not leave this haveli premise for now. We'll announce this when the time is right. Whatever interrogation you have to conduct, conduct from here. I don't think you have that much force or much valor to hold this village together when they fall into chaos upon her death's news."
"You're right. As much as she meant to me, I think this would be for good to contain this news. But I will conduct a phantom interrogation. I'm not letting those Baniya's walk free if they have anything to do with this. Amma Ji was my god, and I will go to any extent to uncover her death. A simple Baniya's boy would have no business killing her, unless someone prompted him into it."
"I don't think any lords or leaders would want her dead, I mean they worshiped her, the entire village worshiped her -
"Not the Hindu Sabhya folks, those goons always thought she was an obstacle," Naveen cut Daya's speech. Daya paused to look at him in contemplation and then resumed.
"- the Hindu Sabhya Sangh is a powerless gang of goons. They couldn't even raid a colony without getting busted if their life depended on it," this left a faint frown on Naveen's face. Daya continued, "As I was saying, the whole village worshiped her, the Russian mafias still come to get her blessings before conducting any business. What I'm trying to say is this has to be either very massive or very minuscule, nothing in between."
Phulwa wondered if one more objection from Naveen would break the brothers into a fight here. But she again prayed nothing to happen till she had had her alone time of grieving for Amma Ji. Sitting there, looking at them three talk all the prospects of Amma Ji's murder, a sudden realisation hit her - that she was now an orphan. Literally an orphan. There was no one who would take her side no matter what now. They could charge her for Amma Ji's murder and no one would come to her defence.
She blurted out on some of their talks while she thought but got to attention just in time when Inspector said, "Let's not jump to any conclusions. I think you should call your younger brother home too, what was his name? Uh....?" While Vikram scrounged his brain for Amma Ji's youngest brother's name, Naveen interjected, "Sameer. I have already contacted him. He should be here by tomorrow evening."
"And did you contact Uncle Ghanshyam? I think family needs to know," Daya said to Naveen.
"What did we just talk about? If we start telling our relatives, the news would hit the town before we even offer fire to her pyre," there was a palpable annoyance on Naveen's face. "Besides, if you want someone called, call them yourself."
Daya did not care for that. He offered his nonchalance, the best of his games and moved on to talk to the Inspector when Inspector excused Phulwa to leave, asking her to be available later-not specifically when-for the interrogation.
***