Eternal Return: Ch 9-16 summary; 26/July/2015; pg 101 - Page 56

just found this and i have no words to describe how i feel pls pls update soon

hi sookie

Is it possible that the killer himself/herself was a victim of child abuse & identifies with the children? Thats why after killing the parents kills the children as if setting them free or putting them to sleep? Singing lullabies indicates so. Update soon.

Chapter 20:

"The last time we spoke, you told me it was all about the parents. What did you mean by that?" Geet asked Dr. Vandana who looks suddenly interested in the session. Dr. Vandana is as interested in therapy as a child at dentist's. Geet manages to keep the therapy entertaining and lets her patient lead the meeting and is happy to sit in sidelines. Dr. Vandana went into catatonic state of fear and guilt when she found herself lucid for moments before another breakdown happened. Geet wasn't always notified immediately as she wasn't a resident at the facility. But she did visit the very next morning to check her patient's state.

"You are talking about the parent-child homicide, yeah?" Dr. Vandana, for her state of mind, had an excellent memory of the conversations she had with Geet.

Geet nodded. "I saw dad's notes on it and studied the case files. I got nothing." She said, frustrated.

"Your father got called in after the second case. The gap between first and second case was almost a month, and Venkat was running blank. We interviewed the neighbors, the colleagues of dead parents and friends of children - nothing. We didn't find anything we could use. You found your father's notes?" She asked.

Geet sighed. "His notes with respect to this case are all pretty vague. There are some typed out statements of victims' surviving family and neighbors. But nothing stands out. Do you remember anything from the that were interviews conducted by my father or you?"

Dr. Vandana looked thoughtful. "I don't remember much, sorry. However I do remember that it was about parents because that's the first thing your father theorized. When we interviewed the neighbors we found that the child had some issue with the parent. The second victim set was a step-mother and son. Unfortunately it was the cliched step-son abuse that was known to almost everyone in the locality. But the first victim set however didn't fit the pattern. If there was some sort of abuse, we couldn't figure out."

"The first victim set was also mother and son, isn't it?" Geet asked.

Dr. Vandana sighed. "I was glad I wasn't called in. It was the worst crime scene I've ever seen and I have been a part lot of them." Geet looked at her patient sharply. She said "been a part of" instead of "been in". She wondered if it was an unconscious Freudian slip.

"Weren't the crime scenes consistent with the level of mutilation and extent of damage on the victims?" Geet asked.

Dr. Vandana shook her head. "Forensic photography wasn't really advanced back then. There were issues with exposure, lighting and camera angle. If you see the photos, they don't really tell you the whole story the way forensic photography has evolved to what it is today. Trust me when I say this Geet - the first crime scene was worse than second. Even coroner vouched for that."

"I thought the killings got worse and the killer got sloppy or too close to home and that's why he stopped." Geet wondered.

Dr. Vandana shrugged. "Or it could be the other way around. The first kill was closest to home and that's why it had more...gore in it when compared to other three."

"That would make sense. The first victim could be the trigger that started it all. The killer may even know the first set of victims. And if that's the case then-" Geet stopped. Dr. Vandana's words managed to finally register. "Wait. Three more?" She asked, surprised.

Dr. Vandana nodded. "There were four cases in total Geet. I thought you know that already?"

Geet hadn't recovered from her surprise yet. "No, Dr. Vandana. We found only three cases from the past."

Dr. Vandana looked at the three set of crime scenes and nodded. "Yes, you have the first three cases here. The fourth and the final one is missing. You may not have uncovered it because the police weren't sure if it was a part of this set, you know?"

"Why is that?" Geet asked.

"Because the child survived. Your father insisted that the case was similar to the first three murders and that the killer's ritual was halted because of some reason because the child survived and the parent didn't. The police that it was a bad case of robbery turned to homicide when the mother tried to fight away the robbers. But the extent of violence said otherwise. Also the incident took place within ten days of the third murder which was shorter cooling off period when compared to the intervals between the murders before. Maybe that's why the police today couldn't stitch them together." She shrugged.

"I didn't find any notes on that. Was there a reason why dad didn't document his thoughts on it?" Geet knew it was unlikely. Her father liked to document every thought that came to his head when he worked on a case. He could put together an entire profile based on all the observations he had done and the analysis he performed on each case independently. Also noting things was great way to organize thoughts. She dutifully followed same procedure and it provided her with some excellent insights.

"I don't know Geet. Maybe you should look at all his notes again as he may have agreed with the police later on and placed it elsewhere. It is possible your father saw something in crime scene and then thought it wasn't part of the parent-child killing murders." Dr. Vandana explained.

"I will ask Maan to find it Dr. Vandana, thanks. Did you make any notes on these murders?" Geet continued her original line of questions.

"I made some but they weren't extensive because I was still new at this gig. I did interview the family of first victims because we believed that the killer knew the family and he probably had a child of his own who was lost to another parent."

Geet bristled at that. "Couldn't it be a woman?" She asked. "I mean it would be easier for a woman to get into a house and get things done. It may not be difficult to overcome a man but if you hold child as a hostage - not all that impossible."

"You are basing that hypothesis on the lullaby that was heard at one of the victims' house, yeah?" The older woman asked. Geet nodded. "It could have been a man too you know? Someone who has taken the role of a mother in the family."

"A man reduced to the role of a mother; that would explain the contradiction in personality. The nurturing nature for children and the violence depicted on parent for their failure. That would mean the person worked in some sort of care facility where he would have access to both parents and children. He would have seen their interactions first hand to choose them as his victims."

"That's possible Geet. But this killer has been dormant for twenty five years. We profiled the man to be somewhere between thirties and forties and now he would be in his sixties. That's just too old to pull off something so organized." Dr. Vandana seemed elated.

"It also doesn't explain why he was dormant in the first place and if its really him who is killing all these people, then there must be something about Bhagats that triggered the whole thing." Geet mused. She shook her head and looked at Vandana. "What are the possibilities that the killer now is somehow related to the older killer? Can they be different?"

Dr. Vandana looked thoughtful for several moments. "It's more plausible than any other theories. Maybe it is indeed a team that's working together but only that the younger child is represented by a much older man. If you adjust your profile for the second person being a younger man, probably your age, then it would fit all your scenarios. An older man collapses near your house and his son comes running begging for help. Chances are - you would."

"Maybe but not entirely. Relying on this scenario is too dangerous because the victims who are chosen are IT. They aren't random choices but are specifically needed to fulfill the goal he has." Geet argued.

Dr, Vandana smiled. "You are really good at this Geet. It's like watching your father killing every argument I thought was solid." She chuckled at a memory that played in her mind. "I guess you are right about that. Entering the house had to be a done deal which means the parent or the child knows them."

"But there is nothing that connects the victims - be it parents or the children," Geet breathed out.

Vandana smiled again. "No. They are connected by the killer. Both the parents are stay at home parent and that's the main thing that's common between all the killings. In both old and new cases, the dead parent is the stay at home parent. The earlier killings had mother and son duo because two decades ago there were very, very few stay at home dads. It isn't so uncommon now."

"Okay, I don't get it. I mean I know all this but I don't know what you are driving at." Geet threw up her hands.

Dr. Vandana raised an eyebrow at that. "The killer is getting to know about the family through this stay at home parent. How would these stay at home parent would meet stranger and be comfortable in their presence if they don't socialize outside their friends' circle or without a friend present?"

It took Geet several minutes to figure it out. "Another parent." Something cold settled in her stomach. "The killer knows both the victims and they let him in because they recognized him from their earlier interactions." Geet started to pace. "He has already found his next victims." Dr. Vandana nodded.

"Thanks so much for doing this with me Dr. Vandana. You are truly marvelous." Geet said sincerely to the older woman.

Dr. Vandana's replying smile was blinding. "There you go Geet. Something for you." She said taking out a drawing from the book in front of her and handed to Geet.

"What's this?" Geet asked, looking at the drawing.

"Its drawing of this place I used to go when I needed to think. I don't remember where it is but I remember feeling being at peace when I sat underneath the tree. The temple behind this tree is abandoned and there were rarely any people there."

"Thank you for this Dr. Vandana." Geet swallowed. Vandana was pretty good artist and it was the first in several months she had dared to pick up pencil and sketched something. Geet didn't know the drawing was a memory that she had suppressed or a distant memory that her mind was clinging on to for some peace and quiet. Whatever be the case, it was an important development that she couldn't ignore.

*****

"Are you sure this is it, Geet?" Maan asked sitting next to her and throwing her a can of soda. Mid afternoon sun shone brightly and the foliage of the Banyan tree offered them a nice shade. Three men were digging the ground nearby and Geet sat on a large stone bench at the foot of the tree.

"I could be wrong Maan. I have been wrong this last seven times and I could be wrong again. But I don't think so." She handed the sketch. "This is the first time Dr. Vandana has sketched something tangible. Her previous drawings were all landscapes and not-famous tourist destinations. This place is personal to her. She said she used to come here whenever she needed to think."

Maan shrugged. "Its quite isolated from the main street and there are hardly any people here given how there isn't anything out here. Its forgotten part of locality with abandoned temple and unoccupied land surrounding it. It may not be a perfect place but it is quite accessible. No one can notice car parked inside this premises. People will think the driver is simply lost if they were to cross this area. And since the street isn't used much, even that possibility is lessened."

Geet nodded. "That's what I thought. If she came regularly here to think, she would still have access to the...victims if they were buried here. She doesn't know where she has buried them but she knows that this area is very important to her for maintaining her peace of mind."

"For the sake of the families of victims, I hope you are right Geet." Maan replied. A moment later he added, "Did you talk to her about the case?"

Geet sighed. "You will have to go through the case from that period again Maan. Apparently there was a fourth case which my father and Vandana initially believed was part of the series of killings but police ruled it out otherwise."

"Why not?" Maan asked, curios.

"Because the child survived." Geet said. "Here," she said handing him a USB. "Today's session recording. Listen to it and find out if Vandana is right."

Maan nodded stiffly.

"Geet-"

"We found something." One of the man digging around the tree shouted. Maan and Geet sprang to their feet and ran quickly.

"Is that what I think it is?" Maan asked, crouching down.

"Make the call." Geet said collapsing on her feet.

They had found one of Dr. Vandana's victims.

Is Maan the child that survived in the fouth case or you wouldnt make it that easy?

Waiting eagerly to read further

what abt maans dad is he the one

hey this is very interesting.. once i started readign so many Qs and predictions starts cming in my mand.. good job dear.. hope u will update soon and regularly...😃