A MURDER AND A MYSTERY

CHAPTER 2: THE CRIME SCENE

Two police officers reached the scene of the crime a few hours after the crime was reported. The residents had waited patiently for their arrival. Sebastian slept, tired and exhausted. The dead body lay exactly where it was dropped by the ghost-wife of Sebastian. The stench was unbearable now, but Sebastian was oblivious. There was no one else in his apartment and the door was wide open.

The committee members met the police officers at the foyer. Mr Gore presented the case, or what was known of it, in a brief manner. The senior officer wanted to know the background of the concerned resident, Mr Sebastian.

Sebastian's' parents had bought this flat many years ago. His father ran a motor workshop and had made enough money to afford the flat. Sebastian, the only child, was a normal person who did not bother much about the outside world. The residents knew little about him; before the family shifted here, he was married to a girl with some terminal illness and she had died soon thereafter. His parents too died shortly, leaving everything to Sebastian. Sebastian did not pursue his father's business, which fell into the hands of his uncle. Sebastian retained the flat and the money and other assets that his father and wife  had left behind.

Sebastian seemed to have lost interest in life after what happened. He hardly spoke to anyone and remained in his apartment all the time. No one went there. He took a walk daily in the afternoon.

Mr Gore then narrated the extraordinary manner in which Sebastian had discovered the body and how his dead and departed wife had led him to it. No one in the building knew the dead woman. None had seen her coming or going at any time. Sebastian, to their knowledge and belief, was not a womanizer nor did he drink. Beyond this, Mr Gore had nothing to say.

The police officers went up to the scene of the crime and had a close look at the dead woman. Sebastian was asleep and the door was open, so they just walked in. The officers made a few calls and proceeded to inspect the house. It was big and shabby, they observed. Apparently, the owner did not do much to maintain even basic hygiene.

There were dust and litter all over the place. He lived like a pig, thought the police officials. The senior officer remarked that this murder case was going to take time to be unraveled. The remains clearly indicated that it was murder with a sharp instrument like a knife. The time of the murder will only be known after forensic tests, but the stage of decomposition clearly showed that the murder happened days ago. The odor, change in pallor and the bloating was all indicative that the body was in the second stage of decomposition. It was putrefying.

The police officers wondered about the man who was asleep amidst all this stench and squalor. It appeared that he was the least bothered that the body of a woman whom he did not know had been discovered in his flat. For normal people, this much was enough to take away their sleep and peace. But Sebastian slept soundly, he was not even aware that there were people in his flat. This meant that they were about to deal with an extraordinary man. The senior officer almost felt sorry that Sebastian had to be woken up from his deep sleep.

Sebastian did not spring up in fright when woken up. He did not seem alarmed or surprised at the police officers. He had almost forgotten about the dead body, and the presence of police reminded him of what he had found earlier in the day.

The senior officer spoke to Sebastian gently, in Marathi.

" Sorry Sir, I cannot speak Marathi". Said Sebastian apologetically.

The officer nodded and muttered to his colleague: " These buggers are born and brought up in Mumbai and yet they do not know the language."

His colleague laughed and said: " These are leftovers of the British Empire."

" Ok, then, let us also polish our English. We hardly get any opportunity."

" Sir, can you tell us how you found the body?"