The Cosmic Clues Read Online Free PDF Page A

wouldn't do to overlook the odd chance that Satish did really have enemies that Ajay Patkar knows nothing about! Someone may have wished to settle an old score! This case is not as straight as it looks, Jatin. We have to examine beyond the surface and we'll have to do a great deal of scratching of the top to get to the bottom of the matter!”
    Jatin's eyes shone with anticipation. “Are we going over to Patkar's house with a magnifying glass? We'll need it, and I've done a lot of reading up on forensics and—”
    “Hey, hold it! I'm sure you've done your homework but I'd rather work with my brains and horoscopes than magnifying glasses. Besides, the police surely have covered that ground!” Sonia chipped in quickly, before her eager colleague could expound on his novel-earned pages of knowledge.
    “Oh!” His face fell.
    Sonia almost felt sorry for Jatin. She'd better handle him well, or she would lose her best and only assistant. “But there's something else that you can do,” she added.
    “Right!” He whipped out his pad again and the smile was back on his face.
    “Listen carefully. I'd like you to go to Satish's ad agency and make some discreet inquiries. Speak to his associates; find out about his office life, friends, enemies if any, relations with everyone. If they're reluctant to talk, tell them you're authorized to question people. Visit his house, meet his neighbors, have a chat with them.”
    “Right, Boss.”
    “And Jatin—while you're out, see that you buy a lovely, soft cushion for Nidhi!”
    “For
whom
?”
    “Nidhi—the cat.
Nidhi
means wealth and our Nidhi is here to stay. She's earned her home in this office!”
    “Right, Boss!” Jatin grinned appreciatively.
    The ceiling fan groaned and creaked. Sonia glanced up and smiled. “And yes, find an electrician and see that that fan is in top condition today!”
    Jatin stared at the fan, bewildered, and shrugged.

Koregaon Park, where Patkar lived, was on the other end of Pune, and Sonia drove slowly through the heavy traffic. Her secondhand Maruti van hiccupped over bone-shaking speed-breakers. Hot air through the windows fanned her already flushed and perspiring face. At a traffic signal, she swept a cotton hanky across her forehead, as she waited for the red signal to change to green. A carrier truck, with a huge slogan printed on its back—
Love Thy Mother
—blocked her route. An auto on her right displayed a lingerie ad and Sonia couldn't help grinning. Anything for a little extra money. The signal turned green and immediately cars honked impatiently. Cyclists and two-wheelers cut recklessly through her path. Considering the manner in which the busses and the rash two-wheelers raced at high speed, you'd think that the Pune roads were empty. Instead, the roads pulsated with life, not only with vehicles criss-crossing dangerously, but also two- and four-legged animals lazing casually on the streets. Sonia sighed. Heat or no heat, with every passing day, the traffic was getting unbearable.
    Finally, she drove into Koregaon Park—a residential area for the upper crust of society, which also housed one of the major attractions of Pune, the Osho Commune—the international meditation centre of Osho Rajneesh. Sonia observed the Westerners—the followers of Osho Rajneesh—couples strolling about arm-in-arm, attired in long maroon robes—the dress code of the Commune. Vendors lined the street, selling colorful silk scarves, short kurtas, and an array of white and maroon robes. Sonia had always found the Commune fascinating. One day she hoped to study what lay behind its walls. But right now, she had to concentrate on her first major case in hand!
    The Patkar house was a grand, two-storey affair, off the main street. Sonia drove past two police Constables, deep in discussion, outside the bungalow. The well-maintained lawn was a treat to the eyes, as she led her van down the drive. She had just pulled up her vehicle and taken a swig from the