Prey on the Prowl - A Crime Novel

Even as Detective Dhruva was enamored of Kavya, whom he rescues from her kidnapper, Radha, an alleged murderess on the run, gatecrashes into his life.

But when Kavya too joins him after her man was poisoned there ensues the tussle of a love triangle, which gets unraveled in a poignant end, but not before a series of murders.

So, then who could have poisoned Ranjit the realtor, Shakeel the Inspector, Pravar the criminal and Natya his accomplice?

Well the needle of suspicion tilted towards Pravar that was till he perished with his mate, but then who was the one? 

Could it be Radha under the scanner for her role in the death of her husband Madhu and his mistress Mala, Pravar's sister?

Or was it Ranjit's spouse Kavya, who owing to Stockholm Syndrome, takes to Pravar her kidnapper.

As these deaths by poisoning puzzle Dhruva, Radha avers that Kavya had the motive and the means to kill her spouse, her paramour and his wife besides the cop.

However, reckoning that when the ill-motives of the natural suspects to commit a murder are an open secret, someone with a hidden agenda might be tempted to use that as a camouflage for his subterfuge, Dhruva begins to look around for the culprit.

 This free ebook, in multiple formats, is in the public domain in umpteen ebook sites.

Chapter 1, Prey on the Prowl 

That June evening, the crimson sun gave in to the dark monsoon clouds to let them end its long summer reign over the Deccan skies.  What  with  the  thickening  clouds thundering  in triumph,  Detective  Dhruva  woke up  from  his  siesta, and by  the  time he moved into the portico of his palatial bungalow at 9, Castle Hills, the skies had opened up to shower its sprawling lawns. It was as if the eagerness of the rainfall matched the longing of the parched soil to receive its fertile mate in an aroma of embrace, and in the ensuing echoes of that seasonal union, the roots of the garden plants devoured every raindrop,  that  is,  even  as  their  leaves  shed  the  overburden  to  accommodate  the new arrivals. 

In   that   setting,   as   Dhruva,   impelled   by   all   that,   stood   engrossed,   Raju,   the housekeeper, fetched him a plateful of hot pakodas, which, facing the spatter, he began to  savor,  and  before  he  had  finished  with  the  snack,  Raju  returned  with  a  mug  of steaming  Darjeeling  tea  for him. Soon, as  the  refreshed  sun  resurged  to warm  up  the leaves,  even  as  the  satiated  roots  let  the  bounty  go  down  the  drain;  done  with  the beverage, the detective picked up the sachet of lanka pogaku to roll a cigar, and then as he reached for the cigar lighter, the rainbow, in its resplendent colors, unfolded in the misty skies. However, when he began puffing away at the exotic cigar, as if dispelled by its strong scent, the dissipated clouds began disappearing from the horizon. 

Having  savored  the  cigar  to  the  last  puff,  as  he  stubbed  the  butt  and  stepped  out onto the lush  green wet lawn, Dicey,  the Alsatian, followed him, as if to leave its own footprints  on  the  damp  canvas  in  its  master’s  tracks.  Then,  even  as  the  rainy  clouds began regrouping in the skies, he covered the garden to caress every croton and coleus as he  would his pet. But when it portended downpour, Raju led Dicey into the portico and the detective headed towards the study to pick up the half-read Crimes Digest of the month....