‘When are you going to stop avoiding each other in public?’ Nikki asked.
‘At the moment we’re avoiding each other in private as well,’ Sheena said.
‘Why? Why happened?’
Sheena twisted the keys in the ignition. The engine purred and a tune floated from the radio. ‘We started becoming quite physical with each other.’
‘And?’
‘It’s all happening too quickly. My husband courted me for months before we even held hands. With Rahul, I went from kissing on the cheek to the most intimate level within two dates.’
‘I’m sure things are fast-paced now because you’re passionate about each other and it’s new. Besides, you’re not inexperienced any more. You can’t compare a romance at this stage in your life to your first marriage fourteen years ago.’
‘I know that,’ Sheena said. ‘But I miss the thrill, the build-up.’
‘You should try discussing it with Rahul.’
‘Discussions won’t work. I can tell you these things but I can’t talk to him about it.’
‘Try it.’
Sheena sighed. ‘I told him last night that we need some distance. He’s managed to stay out of my way all morning. I don’t want to cross paths with him now or he’ll think it’s some silly game, like I’m playing hard to get.’
Sheena suddenly gasped and ducked. Her movement startled Nikki. ‘He’s coming this way,’ Sheena hissed. Rahul was indeed advancing on the car. All of a sudden, Sheena became very busy. She fiddled with the radio tuner and leaned over Nikki to open the glove box and search through a mess of old parking tickets. Rahul knocked on the window.
Sheena rolled down the window. ‘Oh, hello,’ she said breezily.
‘Hi,’ Rahul said. ‘Is everything okay?’
‘Hmm? Oh yes,’ Sheena said. ‘We’re in the middle of a conversation, so if you don’t mind excusing us …’
‘Sure. I noticed your car parked here but the lights were on, so I was checking to see if there was anyone inside. I was afraid your battery would die.’
‘Thank you,’ Sheena said. ‘We’re fine here.’ The high colour in Sheena’s cheeks indicated that she was anything but fine.
‘Okay,’ Rahul said. They watched him walk away and when he entered the bank, Sheena let out a huff of air. ‘Do you think I did a good job playing cool? I don’t know. He’s thrown me off now.’ She flapped her hands at her cheeks. ‘Now I’m going to be late returning to work because I can’t walk in there, all flushed like this.’
‘I shouldn’t have taken up so much of your time,’ Nikki said, glancing at the clock on Sheena’s dashboard. ‘I’m not sure what I was expecting, marching into the bank and thinking we’d just chat over the counter about it.’
Sheena continued fanning herself. It looked as if she were waving away Nikki’s apology. ‘You weren’t expecting a complicated story. Nobody does. If a girl is killed, it’s unimaginable that her loved ones would have a hand in it. People don’t consider it unless they know what goes on in this community.’
‘I thought I was well aware,’ Nikki mused. ‘When Tarampal told me about Maya’s suicide, I was shocked but then I remembered that honour was a big deal in this community. I didn’t think there was more to it …’
Here Nikki’s voice trailed off. Maya’s suicide. Out loud in this small space, the words were jarring. A dreadful question began to form in her mind. Clearly, Sheena noticed. She abruptly stopped fussing over her face and dropped her hands to her lap. In the heavy silence that followed, Nikki summoned the courage to ask her question.
‘Did Maya really commit suicide?’
Sheena’s reply was unexpectedly swift. ‘Do you think she’d do something like that?’
‘I didn’t know her,’ Nikki said.
The impatience in Sheena’s sigh was noticeable. ‘Come on, Nikki. A modern girl leaving a note confessing to her “sins” and “ruining the family’s honour?” Maya was too Westernized to have such concerns.’
Tarampal had not mentioned a note. Her version of events had made the incident sound more spontaneous – Jaggi’s threats of divorce sending Maya into an immediate panic. ‘Who wrote the suicide note then?’ Nikki asked.
‘Probably the person who killed her.’
‘You’re not suggesting …’ Nikki felt her legs growing cold from the shock. ‘Jaggi? Because of the affair?’
‘If there was an affair, but who knows?’ Sheena said. ‘Jaggi was the jealous sort. Tarampal didn’t help things by spying on Maya and assuming that every smile she gave a man meant that she was sleeping with him. She meddled in their marriage.’
‘There was no police investigation? How is that possible?’
Sheena shrugged. ‘I know that Kulwinder tried talking to the police once, but they didn’t believe there was any evidence of foul play.’
‘So they just closed the case?’ Nikki asked.
‘There were testimonies – some of Jaggi’s friends’ wives reported that Maya had been considering suicide for a while. They made it sound like they were really tight – a social club of wives – but I can tell you that Maya hardly spoke to them. She had friends of her own.’
‘And where were they?’ Nikki demanded. ‘Why didn’t they come forward?’
‘Fear, I guess,’ Sheena said. ‘Everybody’s too afraid to fight for Maya. The risks are too high and nobody knows for sure if anything suspicious really happened. Even Kulwinder avoids the police now. I see her taking the long route from the market sometimes so she won’t have to pass the station. Somebody probably warned her not to rock the boat.’
A chill passed through Nikki. She had brazenly entered the home where a murder may have taken place – a planned one. ‘Tarampal wasn’t there when it happened, was she?’
‘No. I remember seeing her at a temple programme that night. But Kulwinder has never forgiven her. Tarampal told the police that Maya had threatened to burn down the whole house the night before her death.’ Sheena rolled her eyes. ‘If Maya ever said such a thing, I’m sure it was taken out of context. Tarampal’s testimony made Maya sound like an agonized wife from a Hindi movie.’
Unstable, Tarampal had repeated. ‘And it made the suicide seem more plausible.’
‘Yes,’ Sheena said. ‘Tarampal’s loyalties are with that boy one hundred per cent.’
The son Tarampal always wanted. Nikki shook her head. ‘This is so …’
‘Twisted? Messed up?’ Sheena offered. ‘Now you see why I warned you about prying? It’s dangerous.’
Nikki understood but she still didn’t want to back away. ‘What about the note? Was it in Maya’s handwriting?’
‘It must have been close enough. The police were convinced it was a suicide note. They told Kulwinder the words were smudged, like Maya had been crying.’
‘A good detail,’ Nikki said drily. ‘Sounds like they were eager to latch onto any scrap of evidence that suggested suicide. No messy investigations, no can of worms to open.’ Poor Kulwinder.