Courtesy by Sunday Island
Another dead man under the bridge - three in three months. Inspector Mendis got out of the police jeep dabbing his forehead with his handkerchief and cursing softly. He stood on the bridge in the drizzling rain, his inspector’s cap pulled down tightly and the cold soaking through his khaki uniform. He hated the highlands with its ever present mist and drizzle, ideal for tea growing and a refuge for leeches. He sighed; all he wanted was his old posting in the warm and sultry lowlands and not this. His subordinates, two of them, stood on either side of him shivering in their khaki shorts, the cold eating through their knee high woollen stockings and worn boots.They looked down the steep, wet slope leading from the bridge to the swamp below where the dead man lay. A cowherd who had gone down there in the morning to cut grass, found the corpse and raced to the small police station to inform them. So now they were here to inspect the body and report on the cause of death to headquarters in Nuwara Eliya.
Read more"We have to go down this bloody precipice again," said Inspector Mendis taking the first step down the slope. His subordinates, Constables Perera and Fernando, followed him treading on the enormous population of leeches who thrived there.
Perera was a pale young fellow with an annoyingly high voice. "I hate leeches," he squealed running down the incline as fast as his spindly legs would carry him.
"Shut up," growled Fernando who was burly, dark and always irritated.
Now they saw the dead body lying face downwards in the marshy ground.
"Same position as the last two," said Inspector Mendis in a puzzled tone.
"Looks like murder," said Fernando, a silly grin on his face.
"Rubbish," countered Mendis knowing that Fernando was right. But how was he going to explain three unsolved murders in three months? "There must be another explanation."
Perera said nothing, just stood there shivering and looking miserable.
The dead man was young, not more than 30-years old. He was wearing a blue shirt tucked into his white sarong. Inspector Mendis pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his face and putting the handkerchief back bent over the dead man. He saw the ugly marks round the man’s neck; he had been strangled just like the other two men.
"Does anyone know who this fellow is?" asked Mendis.
"No, Sir," answered Perera and Fernando in chorus.
"A stranger just like the other two", mused Mendis.
A jeep now roared up the road and screeched to a halt on the bridge. The door opened and a distinguished looking man got out. The district doctor Kanagasabai, slim, tall and elegantly dressed in a white suit; giving the impression of just returning from the royal box in Ascot. He quickly made his way down the ugly slope the stethoscope dangling round his neck and greeted the Policemen.
"Another death," he commented. "Today we are here, tomorrow we are there. That’s life."
He now bent down and putting the stethoscope to the man’s back listened for a few seconds. Then he turned the body over, unbuttoned the shirt and placing the stethoscope on the man’s chest listened for awhile.
"He is dead," pronounced the doctor solemnly.
The others nodded. There was no question about it.
The drizzle was now getting stronger and the ground was a sea of moving leeches.
"Lets go," said Mendis," no use wasting time here. Perera, you stay here till the ambulance comes to take the body to the mortuary."
"Can I wait on the road?" begged Perera, "I hate leeches and the ambulance may take forever to come. Nobody will steal the body."
Mendis nodded assent and they all walked up to the road.
So leaving poor Perera shivering in the rain the others drove away. A very thoughtful Mendis sat next to the driver. ``How am I going to explain another death to headquarters?’’ He knew that if he did not solve the mystery he would never get the transfer to the low country he may have to stay here for the rest of his working life.
Wet and unhappy Mendis walked into his dreary office as the telephone rang,
"Mendis here."
"Mendis, this is Chief Inspector Jayakody. I hear that another dead body was found under the bridge, do you know what is happening?"
"Yes Sir, No Sir, "stammered Mendis.
"Yes or no?"
"I don’t know, Sir."
"Well get moving, Mendis, or there is going to be big trouble" Jayakody said hanging up.
Mendis sat at his desk furiously dabbing his forehead with his handkerchief and wondering why fate was so unkind to him. Then he got up wearily, locked his office, barked at Fernando who was slurping tea in the next room to keep an eye on things, got into the jeep and ordered the driver to take him to his bungalow.
The bungalow, which was very small, was about one mile away from the police station. The little garden in front was lush, green and overgrown and dripping with rain. The driver halted the jeep just outside the garden gate Mendis eased himself out, sloshed up the driveway unlocked the front door and walked in. He changed his clothes and wearing a sarong and old pullover sat at the kitchen table resting his head on his hands hoping for inspiration. A few moments later he jumped up. He knew what he had to do; he had to see Lakshmi the crystal ball reader. This must be done very cautiously no one absolutely no one should find out. The rain had stopped and whistling softly Mendis got dressed in a dry uniform and went back to the office. He was annoyed to find that Fernando had left the office leaving the shivering and wet Perera in charge.
"Where is Fernando?" he asked.
"He left," answered Perera.
"I can see that," growled Mendis, "where did he go?"
"I don’t know," stammered Perera, "he said he had some important business."
Lately it seemed to Mendis that Fernando had some important business and that always in the late afternoon.
"Go home and change your clothes. Did everything work alright with the ambulance?"
"Yes, Sir," answered Perera leaving hastily in case Mendis changed his mind.
Mendis sat down at his desk and spent the rest of the afternoon shuffling papers and wiping his face with his handkerchief and wondering where Fernando was and what he was up to. Dusk was falling and Mendis was about to leave the office when Fernando walked in looking dishevelled and out of breath.
"Where the devil have you been?" bellowed Mendis.
"Making inquiries about the dead man," he hesitated to say the murdered man.
"What did you find out?" inquired Mendis.
"Sir, he was not from this area. No one knows him he was a complete stranger just like the other two," answered Fernando.
"Of course," said Mendis "a stranger like the other two tried to take a short cut in the dark not knowing how treacherous that slope is and fell down and died."
"But Sir, what about the marks round the throat?" asked Fernando.
"We can ignore those," hissed Mendis.
"But the headquarters will want an explanation," responded Fernando.
"I will work something out so just hold your mouth. Stay in till 8 p.m. to make up for the afternoon you went gallivanting," Mendis said wishing Fernando goodnight and walked out.
The night was moonless and forlorn when Mendis left his house wearing a rainproof coat over his uniform. With the help of a small flashlight he walked the dark and lonely path leading to the little village in the valley. Half an later he stood in front of a little thatched house, its one window and door now barred and shut. Through a crack in the wooden window he saw a little sliver of light and knew that Lakshmi was still up.
Fumbling under his raincoat Inspector Mendis pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his face then carefully putting the handkerchief back he knocked on the door.
"Who is there?" asked a woman, her voice strong and fearless.
"Inspector Mendis," answered Mendis. "It is very urgent can I come in?"
The door opened and an Amazon of a woman stood there holding an axe in her hand. She recognised Mendis and let him in and signalled him to a rickety old chair standing next to a small table on which a kerosene oil lamp was sputtering. There was another chair and the woman sat down lightly for someone of her height and weight.
Without much ado she uncovered an object which was lying on the table. Mendis gasped. It was a crystal ball, the size of a football and it now gleamed and shone and filled the room with a warm golden light.
"It is a good night for reading," said Lakshmi in her powerful voice.
"What do you see" whispered Mendis his face covered with sweat and forgetting to pull out his handkerchief.
"You are in trouble but I see a solution in the form of a dark and burly man in a police uniform."
"Fernando," gasped Mendis, "But how can he help me?"
"I see him walking stealthily in the late afternoon to a little hut at the edge of the village. Someone opens the door and the man goes in and the door is closed. Now I don’t see anything. Hanumann (the monkey God) who leads the way for me is very playful as you know and now he is swinging from the Jacaranda tree in front of the hut and won’t open the door for me: "Lakshmi looked hard, her coal black eyes large and glittering and covered the crystal ball.
Mendis blinked, trying to get used to the darkness after the light of the crystal ball.
"I know the hut with the Jacaranda tree. It is Punchi Banda’s house and the man going in is Fernando. I don’t understand," said Mendis.
"Well, why don’t you follow him next time and see what he is up to; you know how unpredictable Punchi Banda is so be careful." Saying this Lakshmi got up indicating that the session was over. Mendis got up pulled out a few notes from his pocket and placing on the table made for the door.
The next day at lunchtime Mendis said he had an urgent case to attend to and left the office. He asked to be driven to a barren plot close to the village. He got off there and told the driver to go home for lunch and come back in two hours. The driver took off happily and went home to a delicious meal of rice and curry which his loving wife always made for him. Mendis quickly covered the short distance to the hut with the Jacaranda tree in front and hid himself in a clump of bushes in good view of the hut. It was a dry and hot afternoon and all the irritating creatures of the tropics, like insects and flies were reposing so Mendis did not have to slap himself all the time. Within ten minutes he saw Fernando walk up to the hut, the door opened and Fernando went in and the door shut behind him. Soon the afternoon stillness was broken by loud moans and silly laughter. ‘Fools rush in’ thought Mendis.
Crouching there in the bushes Mendis saw in his minds eye the big bosomed, sexy Kamala walking to the stream to wash clothes and take a bath. She wore a very tight short blouse with a wide décolleté showing her full and ripe breasts to their best advantage. Her cloth worn at hip level hugged her shapely buttocks. She approached the stream where other girls were bathing and washing their clothes and taking her bathing cloth from her wash wound it round herself and undressed. She placed the clothes on the grass and waded into the stream. Standing knee deep in the water she slowly loosened her hair and taking a deep breath submerged herself in the water. She stood up an Aphrodite with her wet cloth clinging to her curvy figure. Every man in the village had dreamed of her then one fine day she eloped with Punch Banda, a rascal who had served time for manslaughter. Theirs was a passionate marriage and Punchi Banda was a loving but jealous husband. She was never allowed to leave the house without him and nobody dared to visit her unless he was there. Kamala started to pine und wither under her confinement, and the fool Fernando had trod where wise men fear to go. The moans and laughter subsided and Mendis came out of his hiding place and walked up to the hut and placed himself facing its entrance. Soon the door opened and a dishevelled Fernando walked out and faced Mendis who stood there an impassive expression on his face.
Fernando froze and stared as if turned to stone. Mendis said nothing just indicated to Fernando to follow him and walked to the spot where the jeep was waiting.
They got in wordlessly. Now Mendis spoke,
"I hope that you don’t mind coming home with me I have to discuss something with you."
"No problem Sir," responded Fernando.
The driver dropped them off at Mendis’ house. Mendis unlocked the door and they walked in.
Mendis politely asked Fernando to be seated at the kitchen table brought out a bottle of arrack and poured each of them a drink and took his place opposite Fernando.
"You are a bloody fool messing around with Punchi Banda’s wife, if he finds out you will be a dead man," reprimanded Mendis.
"He won’t find out. He is in Hatton working on a bridge construction project and I am very careful, Sir how did you find out?" asked Fernando.
"That is a secret and I will also keep your affair a secret but my silence has its price," said Mendis.
"I will do whatever you want but please don’t betray me," pleaded Fernando.
"Well I have a request. You know those unsolved murders…… " Mendis got up walked over to Fernando and talked softly in a confidential whisper.
Fernando shook his head and seemed to protest but finally nodded agreement.
Mendis pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his face then putting the handkerchief back lifted his glass and they both drank.
Two hours later Fernando left the house looking shaken. The Inspector sank into a chair a shot of arrack in his hand and a look of contentment on his face.
A few weeks later Mendis opened the door to his office when a man came running in all distraught and confused.
"What is the matter with you?" asked Mendis
"Aiyo;" wailed the man, "the bridge is haunted, I saw the ghost of Bodilima. She was the one who killed those three men, aiyo, aiyo"
"Now calm down, what did you see?" Mendis soothingly.
"Sir last evening I was forced to go over the bridge, you know no one goes over that bridge after dark. But my wife was very sick and I went to get some medicine from Dr. Kanagasabai. Then I saw her. A huge dark woman, she came running down the slope holding a bundle in her hands. I have never seen this woman before and I wondered why she was out so late." The man stopped for breath.
"Continue," said Mendis.
"She came up to me and I noticed that her sari had come undone and was falling, she held the bundle towards me.Her arms were dark and hairy, and said in a voice that did not sound like a woman’s:
"Can you hold my baby while I tie my sari." I did not take the baby because I know that this is an old trick used by Bodilima. The moment a man takes the baby she springs at his throat and strangles him to death. It was she that killed the three men."
"Everyone knows the story of Bodilima, apparently the poor woman died giving birth, she died with a curse on her lips. She cursed all men and swore to take revenge on them;
But do you believe this story?" asked Mendis.
"What are you asking Inspector I saw her with my own eyes and I heard her voice," the man said his tone annoyed.
"We will record you statement," said Mendis and called out "Fernando, come here, this man had a strange experience last night. Take him to your office and record his statement."
"Yes Sir," said Fernando his silly grin wider than ever.
Soon after this an English planter driving over the bridge in the late evening reported that a burly dark woman standing on the bridge thrust a bundle in his direction and shouted "Stop, stop" in a strangely coarse voice. He did not stop, accelerated and sped off.
Mendis sent a short telegram to Headquarters.
"Mystery murders solved. Murderer is the dead woman Bodilima. Abundant proof to confirm this both from uneducated native and educated English planter, both of whom barely escaped being murdered. Mendis."
Chief Inspector Jayakody read the telegram and sighed. That fool Mendis had found a solution and Jayakody who had enough unsolved cases in the district was glad to mark these three murders as solved. He called for the file and wrote in big red letters, "CASE CLOSED; the three men were murdered by a ghost."
That evening Fernando and Mendis were enjoying a drink in Mendis’ bungalow.
"That was very clever of you to play the role of a woman, Fernando. Now people will be even more scared of Bodilima picturing her as a big dark woman with a manly voice."
Fernando grinned his silly grin, "I am more creative than most people take me for," he bragged.
"How long is Punchi Banda going to be away on the construction site in Hatton?" asked Mendis.
"For a few weeks; I heard, he is tired of being away so long from Kamala. You know he has been home only on weekends for the past three months," informed Fernando.
"Lucky you, just one more favour, Fernando, can I replace you next Wednesday.....you know what I mean," said Mendis with a lecherous wink.
