FF:Murder Mystery-'The Hidden Cat';Ch6;Pg:14;8/9 - Page 5

Little Villa Community is of a attractive village. Highly residential area. Butcher, baker, grocer, quite a good antique shop - two teashops around it. A beautiful tourist spot too.

It was a normal Sunday in Little Villa community. People are involved in their routine activities of their household. The main doors are flooded with different newspaper editions including the local paper with the happenings in and around the community. Each and every member of the house has the habit of reading the newspaper in the morning with the break fast.

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Vasist's Place

Mrs. Aarti Vasist sipping her coffee after break fast and finished reading headlines of the 2 news papers, finally picked the local edition and started reading the news louder and blabbering about the local people's advertisements.

Her son Mr. Anmol Vasist is mostly interested in political and business news.

Mrs. Aarti in a flow was reading all the headlines and shocked to see one column:

"A Marriage announcement, no, a murder... what?... Well, I never... Anmol listen to this... A murder is announced and will take place on Sunday i.e today at the Little Villa at 7.00 P.M. Friends please accept this as the only intimation. What an extraordinary thing Anmol!"

"What's that?" after Anmol read the paper, "but what does it mean?" Mrs. Aarti asked with lively curiosity. Anmol rubbed his nose doubtfully.

"Some sort of party, I suppose. The Murder Game - that kind of thing."

"Oh," said Mrs. Aarti doubtfully. "It seems a very odd way of doing it. Just sticking it in the advertisements like that. It's not the work of Miss. Pia who always seems to me such a sensible woman."

"I think it's the work of the young people in her Villa."

"It's very short notice. Today. Do you think we're just supposed to go?"

"It says 'Friends, please accept this, the only intimation?'" her son pointed out.

"Well, I think these new ways of giving invitations are very tiresome," said Mrs. Aarti decidedly.

"All right Mom, you needn't go."

"No," agreed Mrs. Aarti. There was a pause.

"Anmol, what happens at a Murder Game?"

"I don't know, exactly... somebody's the victim and somebody else is a detective - and then they turn the lights out and somebody taps you on the shoulder and then you scream and lie down and sham dead."

"It sounds quite exciting."

"Probably a beastly bore. I'm not going."

"Nonsense, Anmol" said Mrs. Aarti. "I'm going and you're coming with me. That's settled."

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Varma's Place

"Raj," said Mrs. Supriya to her husband, "listen to this."

Mr. Suraj paid no attention, because he was already impatient over an article in The Times. "Trouble with these fellows is," he said, "that none of them knows the first thing about India! Not the first thing!"

"I know, dear, I know" she said.

"If they did, they wouldn't write such nonsense."

"Yes, I know. Raj, do listen. A murder is announced ..." She paused triumphantly after reading. Mr. Suraj looked at her indulgently but without much interest. "Murder Game," he said.

"That's all it is. Mind you," he unbent a little, "it can be very good fun if it's well done. But it needs good organizing by someone who knows it very well. One person's the murderer, nobody knows who. Lights out. Murderer chooses his victim. The victim has to count twenty before he screams. Then the person who's chosen to be the detective takes charge. Questions everybody, where they were, what they were doing, tries to trip the real fellow up. Yes, it's a good game if the detective knows something about police work."

"Like you, Raj. You have interest in all those."

He smiled "Yes, Priya," he said. "I dare say I could give them a hint or two."

"Miss Pia ought to have asked you to help her."

"Oh, well, she's got that young one's staying with her. I expect this is his idea."

"I suppose it is an invitation, Raj?"

"Funny kind of invitation, I can tell you one thing. They can count me out."

"I think you really ought to go - just to help poor Miss Pia out. I'm sure she's counting on you to make the thing a success. I mean, you know so much about police work and procedure. The whole thing will fall flat if you don't go and help to make it a success. After all, one must be neighborly." she put her head on one side and opened her eyes very wide.

"Of course, if you put it like that, dear..." he looked on his wife caressing her.

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Kaur's Place

"Di?"

"What is it, Suha?"

"Where are you?"

"In the study."

"Oh."

Approaching her sister "Just listen - what can it mean? A murder is announced..." She paused, breathless, as she finished reading, "what do you think it means?"

"Means a drink, anyway," said Miss Sunidhi.

"You think it's a sort of invitation?"

"Common Suha, grow up dear. It's just a joke."

"But we'll find out what it means when we get there," with a childish face, she insisted her elder sister to go there.

Sunidhi never want to see her little sister disappointed and finally she agreed to go there.

Suhasi was excited about it.

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Vaatsalya's Place

"Oh, that's really ridiculous!" said Mrs. Sanskriti across the breakfast table to her husband Mr. Supreet, "there's going to be a murder at Miss Pia's."

"A murder?" said her husband, slightly surprised. "When?"

"This evening at 7:00."

"Oh, bad luck, darling, you've got your preparations for confirmation then. It is a shame. And you do love murders!" he said.

"What a very extraordinary announcement. Isn't it?" he said happily.

"Don't make fun of me now," she said. "You wouldn't think that Miss Pia cared about murders and games, would you? I suppose it's the young one put her up to it. Anyway, I'll go and tell you all about it" she said.

"I don't really like games that happen in the dark though. They frighten me, and I do hope I shall not have to be the one who's murdered. If someone suddenly puts a hand on my shoulder and whispers, 'You're dead,' I know my heart will give such a big bump that perhaps it really might kill me! Do you think that's likely Kriti?"

"No, Preet. I think you're going to live to be an old, old man ' with me." She said.

"And die on the same day and be buried in the same grave. That would be lovely." He replied.

Both had some lovely talks and eye lock which was disturbed by their lovely kid of 4yrs.

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In Little Villa's Place

At Little Villa, Miss Pia, a woman in her later 50's, the owner of the house, sat at the head of the table. She always wears a necklace of large pearls. Her distant niece, Pranavi was busy with her novel. Prateek was checking up on the crossword in The Times. Mrs. Bharti Bhattacharya (Bunny) was giving her attention whole-heartedly to the local paper.

Prateek muttered: "Adherent - not adhesive - that's where I went wrong."

Bunny loudly said "Pia - Pia - have you seen this? Whatever can it mean?"

"What's the matter, Bunny?"

"The most extraordinary advertisement. It says Little Villa distinctly. But what does it mean?"

"If you'd let me see, Bunny dear - " Mrs. Bharti obediently surrendered the paper into Miss Pia's hand, pointing to the item.

Miss Pia read it. Her eyebrows went up. She threw a quick glance round the table. Then she read the advertisement out loud.

"A murder is announced..."

Then she said sharply: "Prateek, is this your idea?" Her eyes fixed on the handsome devil-may-care face of the young man at the other end of the table. Prateek instantly said "No, indeed, Aunt Pia. Why should I know anything about it?"

Miss Pia said grimly "I thought it might be your idea of a joke."

"A joke? Nothing of the kind."

"And you, Pranavi?"

Pranavi, looking bored, said: "Of course not."

Mrs. Bharti murmured: "Do you think Mrs. Scindia -" and looked at them.

"Oh, I don't think our Sameera would try and be funny," said Prateek.

"She's a serious girl."

"But why?" Bunny exclaimed. "What's the point of it? It seems a very stupid sort of joke. And in very bad taste."

"What does it mean?" Miss Pia said slowly, "I suppose - it's some silly sort of joke. Don't work up yourself over it. Bunny, it's just somebody's idea of humour, but I wish I knew whose."

"It says today," pointed out Mrs. Bharti. "Today at 7:00 p.m. What do you think is going to happen?"

"Death!" said Prateek. "Delicious Death."

"Be quiet, Prateek," said Miss Pia as Bunny gave a little yelp.

"I only meant the special breakfast that Maya makes," said Prateek apologetically. "You know we always call it Delicious Death."

Miss Pia smiled a little absentmindedly and before Bunny could say anything, her friend cut across the words with reassuring cheerfulness.

"I know one thing that will happen at 7:00," she said dryly. "We'll have half the village up here with curiosity. I'd better make sure we've' got some thing for them in the house."

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