Chapter 29

A thick shaft of light from Jayaram’s torch brightened the trench. Jayaram searched through every corners of the trench dug for erecting pillars.

Baskar, who was couple of feet away browsing through the surroundings asked, “Jayaram!!! Anything useful?”

Jayaram, without looking at him answered, “I don’t see anything inside. However, I can smell an odor from inside”

“Odor?”

“Ya!! A kind of.. Medicine or something”

A constable who accompanied Baskar replied, “I too can smell it sir”

 “It is somewhat closer to the aroma produced when rains fall on dry soil. Shall I get inside to check?”

“Can you?”

“Yes I can…”

The constable searched around to find a wooden ladder. He pointed that and said, “The ladder will help to go down into the trench”

“Ok.. But a couple of things before you do… The odor may be more when you go deeper. Use your hanky to mask your nose and mouth. If at all you feel any trouble in breathing, return..”

“Sure sir”

The constable lifted the wooden ladder and placed it inside the trench. As advised, he tied the hanky covering his nose and mouth. Holding the torch in one hand, the constable began to climb down into the trench with the help of the ladder.

As the constable climbed down, the chemical odor pierced through the shielding hanky into his nose. However he continued as he was able to breathe normally. He landed at the end of the trench and with the help of the torch, searched through every corners.

The constable located a cloth in the middle of the trench. It was blue and seemed to be a part of the salwar. He tried to grab it and as he did, the cloth torn apart.

The constable raised his head and shouted, “Sir?”

“Yes.. I’m still here”

 “There is a piece of cloth and it seems to be a top of a salwar. When I tried to grab it, it is getting tore into multiple pieces..”

“Any signs of dead body inside?”

“None sir… The mud inside is damp and..” and he paused.

“And?”

“This damp mud is a bit different than the usual”

“Different??? Like what?”

 “The mud is not in its usual nature…It is a bit thin like a powder..”

Inspector Baskar who was listening to the conversation next to Jayaram, turned to him.

“Jayaram!! I think we have to crack this abnormal condition. There seems to be some mystery behind it”

“That’s right sir.. We can call the forensic folks to check. They will be able to confirm us the usage of chemicals”

“Ok… Ask the constable to climb back from the trench and call the forensic folks immediately”

“Sure sir”

Location – Doctor Saravana’s Clinic and Hospital

Sabari and Ananya were seated in the row chair put up near the Intensive care unit. They looked tired due to a long and sleepless night.

Ananya turned to Sabari and said, “Sabari?”

“Uhmm?”

“Its been half an hour since that doctor asked us to wait. We didn’t hear back after he entered the ICU”

“I’m wondering the same. Shall I go and check the receptionist?”

“Let us wait for few more minutes”

“All we need to know is whether security Thangaraj is back to conscious”

Just when Sabari finished his sentence, a nurse came out of the ICU.

“Sir!!! The duty doctor wanted to talk to you…. He will be in bed number 12.  “

Sabari and Ananya entered the ICU and in few seconds reached the cot number 12. Thangaraj was made to lie on an inclined bed and was breathing with the help of a ventilator. The duty doctor was standing in the right.

Ananya was the first one to talk.

“Doctor!!! How is he?”

The doctor took a deep breath and replied, “Sorry to say this.. While I was speaking to you over the phone, the conscious was back and he tried to speak. But went back to coma soon. We did a brain scan and the report says that a few cerebellum cells are damaged. So…”

“So?”

“We cant definitely say when he will come back to conscious. Fortunately, his other body functions are normal. I will consult the chief doctor tomorrow once he is here and will decide on further treatment.”

The doctor’s statement gave Sabari a sense of relief, but he did not express. He asked, “Will it be of any help, if we wait for some more time. We can try to talk to him if there is a chance of his conscious to return.”

“Not really. I don’t think that there is a chance of recovering without any treatment. Thangaraj needs almost a week’s of treatment. And we cannot confirm whether that would work for sure. So, I don’t want you to wait and waste your time here. You can go home and take rest. I will hand over the details to the next duty doctor, who will be here shortly. You can meet the Chief Doctor at 10 AM in the morning. I have already updated him enough.”

The nurse who was waiting next to them waited until the doctor finished talking. She turned to Sabari.

“Sir?”

Sabari looked at her and responded.

“Yes?”

“Who is Vasudharini?”