The Trial Begins

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'Why did you do that Nisha? You knew that I was abstaining from milk. Yet you added milk to my food?' Sulabha asked. Her voice choked and tears welled up in her eyes.

'No Di, I didn't.' Nisha replied.

'Whoever did it, I shall never forgive him.'

'Your culprit is standing in front of you Sulabha. You can punish me the way you want.' Vinay said as he emerged out of the room.

Sulabha caught hold of his collars with both her hands and screamed 'Vinay.' For a moment, both Vinay and Nisha thought that she would strangle him to death, but soon her grip over his collars loosened and she rested her head on his chest and cried.

'I know Vinay. But...' She struggled with words but her overwhelming emotions prevented her from speaking.

Vinay stroked her back and said, 'Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Relax.' What a person needs most, particularly when he has erred is forgivance and acceptance from his near and dear ones.

After sometime Sulabha composed herself and said, 'Vinay I am the culprit, not you. I have hidden many things from you. In fact I have manipulated you on more times than one.' Saying this she began to weep again.

'Vinay you always wanted to buy a house at the foothills of Himalayas. But it was me who ensured that you didn't find the right house. I manipulated you into by this house. I … I...'

Before she could complete her sentence, the police arrived in the bungalow.

'You are under arrest Mrs. Sulabha.' They said, and before Vinay and Nisha could speak anything, the lady constable escorted Sulabha into the police van and the vehicle disappeared behind the tall trees.

***

'What are the charges?' Vinay asked their lawyer Niti Mohan.

'Murder.' He said.

'Murder?' Vinay said in disbelief and added, 'but to my knowledge she hasn't murdered anyone.'

'But the charges say so - murder and then destruction of evidence.'

'Who was the victim?' Nisha asked.

'The victim was Abhaya, Ram Madhvani's daughter.'

'What?' Vinay almost jumped from his seat.

'The other co-accused is Satish. He is absconding. Unless, he is apprehended, the chances of Sulabha getting bail are very slim.'

'This is all beyond my comprehension. I fail to understand anything.'

'You read these papers you will understand everything.' Niti said.

But Vinay moved his eyes away. He couldn't believe that the woman with whom he had lived for all these years was a murderer. She was strict, a disciplinarian, but not a murderer for sure.

Nisha took the papers from him and read ravenously. With every line that she read the expressions on her face changed.

***

'Vinay whatever has happened, has happened. We cannot change that. We will do our best to seek release of Sulabha. But you remember what Niti has said, the chances of her being released are very slim, until Satish is found out.'

'It is that bastard who has trapped my Sulabha into all this and absconded. If I meet him again I am going to kill him for sure.'

'You are not going to anything of that sort. For that would go against Sulabha. Our primary concern now is Sulabha and not Satish.'

'Poor Sulabha. She couldn't even sleep when there was change in place. She couldn't even sleep in the most exotic hotels, how would she sleep on the cold, infested floor.' Vinay broke down.

'Vinay I know how much you loved Sulabha. I wish she had understood your love for her.'

'She always loved me.'

'No Vinay. She loved Satish more. In fact she bought this house only because Satish suggested her to buy it.'

'He tricked her into it.'

'You know Sulabha. Is she so gullible? Is it so easy to trick her?'

'If she loved Satish, then why did she marry me?'

'She loved Satish, and then something happened. She didn't want to have any contact with Satish and then she married you.'

'Then how did he come back into his life?'

'Facebook. The first thing that people do on facebook is to search for their exes. Then they stalk them clandestinely, and mostly they get in touch again, for harmless friendship. Milk once transformed into curd, cannot revert back to its form as milk. Similarly, romantic lovers cannot remain just friends after break up. The emotions that pretend to have settled down, stir up again. That creates all the problems.'

'You mean to say Sulabha and Satish were reunited on facebook?'

'Yes. You were contemplating relocating to India at that time. One of the reasons why Sulabha supported your decision was Satish.'

Vinay was speechless. Nisha continued, 'Satish suggested this house, nestled in the lap of nature, he knew you would like it.'

'Sulabha made me buy this house so that she could be near to Satish?'

'Both yes and no.'

'How is that possible?'

'No, because unlike the way you think, there was no any romantic angle involved. Yes, because she felt bad because Satish was suffering.'

***

Vinay met Sulabha again after a month when she was produced in the court. She was looking pale and dark circles had formed under her eyes. Satish was still absconding and according to some reports, he had left India, which meant freedom was a distant dream for Sulabha. When she was being taken away, she screamed, 'Vinay, I was just helping a friend. I have not killed Abhaya. In fact I didn't even know that Satish was Ram's son. Get me out of this Vinay. I am innocent.'

Vinay's eyes were filled with tears. He wanted to release her wife as soon as possible. He couldn't bear her plight. But the dots were still missing. Satish was Ram's son. He and Sulabha were accused of killing Ram's daughter. So was that the girl Satish's sister. Probably not. For he never remembered mentioning his sister. So why had he murdered her? Was it for money, for succession? And what had Sulabha to do with her murder? Did Sulabha know Ram Madhvani? Vinay's head was buzzing with questions and only questions. Did Sulabha hold any answers to these questions? Probably she did. Vinay decided to seek an appointment to meet Sulabha in the jail. 
To be continued...
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