The Cosmic Clues Read Online Free PDF

water bottle she made it mandatory to carry with her, when Ajay Patkar strode towards her, with a hospitable smile. If he noticed how flushed and sweaty she looked, he was tactful not to mention it.
    “I'm glad you could make it so quick. Would you like anything? Something to drink before we begin?”
    “No, let's get started.”
    “Fine! Where would you like to start?”
    “The guest room, I believe.”
    He nodded and indicated the way. A quaint red brick path led to the back of the house, past a small rock fountain, which had a wonderful cooling effect. Sonia paused, pretending to observe the house, and allowed the fountain to transfer its cool moisture. Then, feeling refreshed and composed, she followed Patkar to the guest room. They stopped at a door and Patkar unlatched it.
    “There are two entrances to this room,” he explained. “One from inside the house and the other from the garden, in case any of my guests need the privacy.”
    A faint odour, mingled with the scent of an air freshener, whiffed into Sonia's nose, as they stepped inside. She sniffed it.
    “The stench must have been pretty bad,” she observed.
    “Yes, it was awful. Yamuna Maushi hunted out a dead mouse the next day, from under the bed.”
    “Do you usually find mice around here?”
    “No. Yamuna Maushi and our gardener make absolutely certain of that. You know, placing poison balls to get rid of the mice, for the monthly housecleaning, that kind of thing.”
    “And this was not the housecleaning time of the month? I mean, maybe one of the servants had placed poison balls to get rid of the rodents.”
    “Not that I know of. But you could ask Maushi later.”
    Sonia moved quietly round the room, her keen eye observing the smallest detail. A bed, a cupboard, a table and chair were the sole occupants of the space. The cupboard was empty. She opened the bathroom door and her eyes swept over the clean toilet. A cupboard in the corner of the bathroom caught her attention and she moved towards it. She opened it and frowned. An odd collection of articles lined the shelf. An ink bottle with some liquid in it, a piece of cloth, and a tiny glass stick. She picked up the bottle and read the label on it. “Cashewnut Juice.” Strange, and yet she sensed something familiar about it all. Something she ought to know.
    “Is this room secluded from the rest of the house?” she asked, closing the toilet door behind her.
    Patkar was leaning against the bedpost, waiting patiently for her, and he straightened at once. “That's right. I told you, it was to serve a dual purpose. Freedom of movement and privacy. Where to next?”
    “Your room, please.”
    This time, they took the inner door, which led down a corridor into the main hall. The entire décor of the house was ornate, and each room they passed was populated with a large collection of valuable antiques. Brass statues of Lord Krishna in different positions, blackened with age, stood on display in the grand hall. Patkar explained as they climbed the stairs and reached the landing that his father had been an avid collector of old statues.
    “My mother and I have rooms in this wing and Mahesh Uncle and Naresh have rooms on the other side,” he explained. “This is my bedroom here.”
    The room where Satish had breathed his last was beautifully done up, with money poured with a free hand into its decorations. Lush blue carpet, thick embroidered curtains, a wall-to-wall wardrobe, and a sprawling bookshelf lined with gold-gilded volumes of books. Apparently, Ajay was a much-loved son.
    “I shudder to come in here. It's too soon to sleep in this bed,” he said in a low voice.
    “I can understand,” Sonia agreed sympathetically. “It must've been an awful experience to find your best friend lying dead in your very own bed!”
    She approached the window and glanced down. No ivy or pipeline ran along the outside wall. It would be difficult for a stranger to climb up that way. Her gaze skimmed over the