Calming The Storm🌌 (#wattys2019)√

46. Conundrum

"The key to solving every puzzle is finding the missing piece. And to find the missing piece is what the challenge is all about."

-Elegiac_Damsel
__________
4th November

Indrayan's pov:

I sent in the samples of medicines that we recovered from the pharmacy for testing just as Anya had said, with the help of the police. The samples were sent in yesterday, I am expecting the reports tonight.
Meanwhile, I mailed Sampurnaa the details of the blackmailer. She tallied it with the details of the political rallies and campaigns held and then narrowed the list down to three people, the Health Minister, Mr. Ramlal Tripathi, the Colonel who helped Anya and Ibrahim and the Prime Minister.

It can't be the Prime Minister in any way because he doesn't even have his personal mobile phone taking into consideration the fact that he has meetings abroad. The media also reported this months ago that the Prime Minister calls only from the secure line at home when it comes to talking to family.
The presence of the colonel there is justified since he is already involved in this... But does he have a secure line even at home?
I guess the two of us would have to continue scrounging for more proof.

....

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
Mr. Md. Ibrahim Siddiqui is not going to be here again today because he is still in the hospital.
I reached the court at 9.30. Sampurnaa had reached before me and the two of us were the only ones there apart from a few media representatives.

"Good morning!" I greeted her.
She wished me back and then we both began walking towards the courtroom.

"I need to talk to you." she told me.
I nodded and the two of us walked inside the empty courtroom.

"Tell me. You came to know anything?" I asked her.

"Before that... I would just ask you to call upon that woman from Palghar today. Mrs. Arpita Karune. You remember Anya said that she knew the Minister too. I think we... I mean you need to ask her about that once." she told me

"I will. Tell me what you wanted to say now!"

She took a deep breath.
"I told you right that I had bought a strip of contraceptive pills that night because I couldn't think of any other medicine. I checked the contents of the medicine yesterday. It contained,  Acetaminophen that causes liver damage and even cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil, busulphan, and methotrexate which causes infertility in females. What surprised me even more was the fact that the composition was written openly and not hidden."

"You did not take a single pill right?" I asked her anxiously

She shook her head and then asked me skeptically, "Why would I take contraceptives anyways?"

I looked at her and I knew that she was suspecting that I was accusing her of infedility.
"I have a sister you know. I know that contraceptives are taken by women for several reasons like cycle regulation and not just birth control. I am neither suspecting you nor am I accusing you. I was simply asking you because I was concerned." I told her annoyed at her stupid query and equally stupid assumption.
I walked away and neither of us tried to reconcile.
...

The hearing began and I called upon Mrs. Arpita Karune to the witness box.
She had again requested to be questioned in Marathi. Fortunately, I knew how to converse in the language and it wasn't much of a challenge to me. There was an interpreter though, who would translate her statement for the benefit of the justice and the others present at the court.

Once she was sworn in, I asked her the first question,
"Ms. Siddiqui gave a statement in the court that she met the Minister through you. I would like to ask you how you knew him and why did you hide the fact that you knew him?"