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“As soon as we find her body. My team is preparing the warrant application as we speak, and we should have the warrant within a few hours. The premise is that her best friend reported her missing, and on interrogation, the husband confessed to being party to her murder.”
Commissioner Dhaliwal was a man of his word. By the next morning, word spread around Trikhera that cops had turned up at Goel House with a search warrant, and they had dug up the whole backyard to find Sheela Singh’s body.
When we got back from the police station after recording Diya’s statement, Isha was waiting for us in the courtyard, and she looked worried.
“Are you okay, babe?”
“I am,” said Diya, but she wasn’t.
“Don’t you need to make the dessert for lunch? Dadi Sa is going to be on your case until you prove to her that you can cook,” said Isha with a grimace.
“About that… is there any way I can order the dessert and say I made it? If my mother couldn’t teach me to cook in thirty years, I don’t think I can learn how to do it in one afternoon.”
“If you get caught ordering the dessert instead of cooking it, Dadi Sa will go up in smoke,” gasped Isha.
Diya whimpered in distress and I gave Isha a pointed look. She was quick on the uptake and smiled slowly.
“We do have a chef in residence who can teach you how to make something step by step,” she said, with a grin.
“But my mother warned me that the cooks would be banned from the kitchen while I was cooking to make sure they didn’t help me,” wailed Diya. “This is a test for the new bride, and your grandmother is a very strict examiner.”
“Don’t worry, babe. You have a secret weapon.”
“What weapon?” asked Diya doubtfully.
“Your husband! Dheer is an excellent cook and I’m sure he will help you make something simple but delicious.”
Diya turned to me suspiciously.
“Seriously? When did you learn to cook?”
“Nine years is a long time, Diya. I’ve learnt many new skills since we last met.”
Her lips tightened at the reminder of the time we spent apart, and I wondered why I was needling her.
“But why would you help me?”
“Because we’re a team, whether you like it or not. I’m always going to support you.”
Ramsingh appeared in the doorway.
“The Rani Ma has asked the Maharani to step into the kitchen, Hukum.”
“This is it,” squealed Isha. “I can’t wait to see what you cook.”
“Only see?” Diya asked drily.
“Dude, I’ve seen you burn Maggi. So let’s not make too many plans,” she teased, as we headed downstairs.
I veered towards the door that led to the garden, and Diya grabbed my arm.
“Where are you going? I need you to help me,” she hissed.
“I’ll join you in a bit,” I promised.
I took the long way around and entered the huge bawarchi-khaana through the side door. Diya was alone in there, and she looked frantic as she stared at the big vessels on the counter. Our kitchen was huge, with one section devoted to the vegetarian food that was cooked on holy days. I put a finger on my lips and led Diya to that section. There was a big window above the kitchen counter that opened onto the herb garden.
“I’ll stand on the other side of the window in case Dadi Sa decides to check on you. She takes this sort of thing very seriously and will no doubt be looking for a reason to complain about you.”
