Mandodari fails.

****

Things had become clearer than the day itself, but Maya needed to go through it all one last time, play the events in sequence and watch what it had to offer her. She sat in Aadi Babu's room, her eyes scanning the collection of Catherine's books while her mind analysed the mystery that surrounded this woman.

"Was Death on the Nile a favourite of Catherine?" she suddenly asked.

"She used to speak about the false stars after reading the book. She was a quick reader."

False stars... Maya had probably been following them initially. Fortunately her eyes opened before it was too late.

"It was during her last days. It-it hurts me to even think those were her last." Aadi Babu grimaced. "But at that time she was reading They Came to Baghdad. I don't have the courage to touch that book. It reminds me of her absence."

Aadi Babu got up and left the room to go downstairs for tea. Maya did calculations in her mind.

There wasn't sufficient proof against Aadi Babu, Nathu and Anandi. Even if one of them was Lucifer and the other two knew about it, she could not know. Based on what information she had gathered, they were out of suspicion. From the very beginning Anandi had been protective of Maya and had even mentioned not wearing Catherine's clothes, lest she might take her place. The words didn't make sense to Maya until later.

She had seen this family's emotions and the love they harboured for Catherine, the pang they still felt.

"They are safe. They aren't the culprits."

Then came the slum dwellers, particularly Lalita. They were more likely to be victims than the victor. Even if people did commit great crimes in fear, Lalita and the rest were out of suspicion.

Then came Rahul, and his boss Sundar Babu.

"Rahul is just a pawn in Sundar's game. He, being the son of a family of good repute, could not risk declaring his attraction towards Sahiba, the daughter of a veshya, publicly. It was best to send her letters and roses through a man who was related to her by blood, and the money too. Maybe Sundar Babu asked Anandi to give Sahiba the money through Lalita after me and Rahul had a clash, which also pushed Lalita to be protective of this affair since she smelled there was true love."

And what about Sundar's creepy stalking tendencies?

"I think some men do become weird. He couldn't go meet her openly and neither do I think Sahiba will give in so smoothly. Only option left, stalk. And that was a bad move."

The first day Maya had read the letter penned down for Sahiba, she felt it was from an unrequited love. The bouquet of roses did confuse her, though she didn't understand why would he leave such a prominent clue. The fact that the dead women wore a wreath of roses didn't go well to save Sundar. Maya thus thought he was trying to trap her in the honey of amour and then kill her. And his stalking tendencies too posed a threat.

"But Sahiba cleared so many doubts. The first day we conversed properly she wasn't ready to tell me the name of the man who wrote her the letters, neither show them to me. She was acutely aware of who was doing the deed. And the next day we met, she showed a completely new and complex side of herself, something that makes me wonder if she is really as innocent as I think. She has seen a lot in life. She could quickly find out who was pursuing her."

But she also hinted she knew the murderer. And this wasn't fitting in the puzzle until later.

"Sundar Babu, on close inspection, has enough reason to keep his love life a secret. It did land him in a tight position, but there's not much clue about him. What if he's trying to win Sahiba? Is that enough to call him the murderer? No. It is just a signal that indicates something fishy is going on. He didn't have a connection to Catherine or Radha, the previous victims, unlike his brother."

Then, Maya considered Manas and Shekhar. Manas knew who was doing the killings and was afraid of revealing what he knew, confirming that he was being threatened. Shekhar, on the other hand, seemed to be more on the side of Lucifer and abhorred Maya.

"'Libellous stories paint your head priest in a negative light. I pray you will be able to save him. After all, this is what fairytales constitute of'– that's what he had told me. Fairy tale... of a bad boy being transformed by a princess, of beauty falling for the beast and saving him from the clutches of the devil."

It made sense to Maya. At that point the doubt was planted in her mind, but she had refused to accept it.

Then, day after day, more such points came up.

"Let's go chronologically– the first thing was the rumours of his bad luck. It very well could have been someone trying to frame him falsely, yet there is no smoke without fire."

Maya poured some water in a glass and gulped down in one go.

"Next came his association with Radha. It does look like guilt from outside. Then came his way of speaking, his words and behaviour. Often his eyes spoke something different from his lips. Often he seemed to be hiding secrets. His smile– the most delusional and confusing feature. His mere simplicity was the worst distraction."

But Maya wasn't fooled. She suspected him not only of telling lies, but also having homoeopathic medicine– that is, ipecac syrup– to induce fake vomiting, just like he had done on the day Radha's body was discovered.

"He is a liar. He has been dishonest not once but twice. I don't know what happened in the city, but he just made a dumb out of me in the temple! The policemen had never wanted to break the temple. It was Hrishav who wasn't going to let them search."

Which means, there is something in the temple. Perhaps... as my dream goes... behind the idol of Kalika.

"The dream and the spirits showed me light, even though there are parts to it which still remain a mystery. Yet look, enough times I have been electrified and charmed in the presence of Hrishav. Who knows, it might be because of some paranormal association! Truth is stranger than fiction."

And the Vessel of Knowledge, Lucifer.

"One could think Sundar to be the Vessel of Knowledge because of his extensive education and exposure to various subjects. But has he been called knowledgeable by the people? No. Perception is not that. Popular opinion calls Hrishav as the best priest in the periphery of all the nearby towns. No one can surpass him in the knowledge of scriptures and tantra. That is the traditional outlook. That is what Devipuram declares. So yes, he is..." Maya pursed her lips. She was afraid of pronouncing it. "He is the Vessel of Knowledge. But... is Lucifer just a name to signify the devil that he is? Or am I missing something?"

She didn't want to be guided by false stars anymore. Satan could have been a better choice of word, or even the simple Devil, but Catherine Chose Lucifer. Catherine named the murderer Lucifer–

"Wait, what was Aadi Babu saying regarding the last book she had read?"

What was the name... what was the name...

"They Came to Baghdad! Yes, that was it."

Maya had read the book long before. It was a spy fiction and not a murder mystery like many of Christie's books.

"Could there be a clue in here? I never–"

Wait.

Lucifer, isn't it?

Maya jumped up from the bed and searched through the books. Some of the volumes loitered on the ground as she threw them in a haste. The bookshelf became a mess. Where is it? Where is it?

Finally, she found it. The precious They Came to Baghdad was now in her hands.

It all made sense now, like a sudden lightning epiphany hitting her head and turning all doubts to ashes, filling the vacant pits of the unsolved case with the dust of the ones already fallen.

"Catherine was Victoria, and Hrishav is the charming simpleton Edward. No malice, no crookedness... only love. But when you cut the layers, yes, he is Lucifer. He is the Lucifer, the man behind everything!"

Catherine must have been affected by the book on a deep level. She associated herself with the heroine. Alas, unlike Victoria, she couldn't survive. She lost it. But she left a major clue here.

"I won't be Victoria anymore. I will be Anna Scheele."

But, why didn't Catherine just take Hrishav's name? Oh well, she wouldn't have had enough proof. Or maybe she still had some love for him, being the Vessel of Love herself. Or maybe she knew the extent of Lucifer's powers...

"I think I should see if she left something inside this book. I just pray..."

She flipped through the pages, expecting nothing yet keeping up hopes.

And like a will of Kalika, a piece of paper fell from the book to the feet of Maya. With quivering hands she took it up. Her throat felt dry, her lips glued together in anticipation of what was to come. She swallowed, not wanting to open it but also wishing to know.

"Kalika, save me. Save us. Save Devipuram."

She opened the note and read–

"When you read this, I will probably not be a mortal anymore. I have probably been dead for a long time. Internally, I have been so for days."

It was a beautiful cursive handwriting.

"I came to know the depth of his powers. He isn't a human, no he isn't. He was once. Not anymore. Now, he is the puppet of the Devil. Puppet of what he calls Raktabeej, the nemesis of Kalika."

Maya groaned. Yes, her guts had sniffed what was missing and what could have happened.

"I need to read this. This is the ultimate clue."

"But... but I have one last hope. I know his past. I know what all made him a villain. It makes me ashamed to accept that I love him and wish to take one last chance...what if he really redeems? He might kill me in anger or become mad, but guilt can make him reconsider his ways. He needs love and love is all I can give

I know I am the next prey. I will not risk the lives of the villagers, and thus go alone to the temple. Believe me, I am reminding myself all day long that this isn't a mistake. Papa wants to send me to Calcutta but I know he will find a way to get me. He will unleash his powers. And Papa's bunny will never push him in danger! Better, I die a failure. Let Papa live...

So, in case he doesn't change his ways and kills me, I hope he makes it painless... he can't be so bad, can he be? Hrishav was also a human once... maybe if I try, I will make him human again.

I am mad, I know. But Mandodari loved Ravana despite all his crimes. It's a sin... a grave sin... a sweet sin. Once love conquers, reason flees.

If I return, I will burn this note and allow Hrishav to begin a new life. In case I don't, I will hope that someone will find this clue. And if you do, please don't love Hrishav. Don't become me.

If I die a painful death, give him the same. End him. Save Devipuram.

With love,
Catherine."