On The Trail Of Mariam's Death

Top cop Mr Raveendran announced in the press meeting that Mariam's case stands closed. Police has investigated her death and determined it to be a suicide. The case was hot and hogged head lines for many days in Kerala media. There was an angle of sexual harassment involving a scion of a big politician. Fact that Mariam was a journalist, single and beautiful added to the voyeurism. The media had reported that Mariam was hot on a sexual harassment case. The case allegedly involved an actor and a politician with a girl. 

At her home Susamma, Mariam's mother was watching the press conference live. She fell unconscious when she heard that the case got closed. 

Sankaran, Open speak media reporter had been following the case. He has been in touch with Susamma since Mariam's death. Impressed with Susamma's life story he had been putting together a report. 

Susamma had told him Mariam had gone visiting the church on an evening and never returned. She had filed a police complaint. Twenty-hours later Mariam's body got discovered beneath the bridge. The bridge got built over back waters and cut short the travel time by at least an hour. The press report informed that Mariam was the first death reported in the vicinity of the bridge. 

Susamma lost her husband in a hit and run accident. The perpetrator was never tracked. It was those time pre-dating CCTVs. Susamma brought up Mariam all by herself. She worked as a teacher in a primary school. She also undertook embroidery and tailoring to supplement her income. 

"It was tough times in my life" Susamma had told Sankaran in one of her conversation. She added "being single, men solicited me. Not only at school, in the neighbourhood, in the market place men preyed on me." She wiped her tears. 

"When Mariam came of age men started eyeing her too. I was earning enough to make ends meet. I didn't have to depend on anyone. I got money from insurance upon my husband's death. And luckily the house was an ancestral property of my husband.

Loneliness and insecurity was a daily issue. I enrolled in a Kalari school and later got Mariam too admitted. Learning Kalari gave me confidence as I got trained. Mariam picked up Kalari well and developed the confidence to go about in life." 

In another meeting Susamma recalled "Mariam always wore her ring and bangles. But these were missing when the body got found.That bastard SI is hiding something. I don't like the way he looks at me."

Sankaran followed it up by a visit to the police station to meet the SI handling the case. SI Suresh knew from his experience that reporters meant trouble. He had learnt to handle them with kid glove. 

Suresh said" it is true that we didn't find the ring and the bangle. we organised a search party beneath the bridge. It was futile."

"What about forensics report?" asked Sankaran.

Suresh exclaimed "ah! there is no juicy part in the death. There was no evidence of any sexual angle in Mariam's death." 

Sankaram looked embarassed and protested " I didn't have any such thing in mind. My interest was about the cause of death."

Sankaran continued " was there nothing on the CCTV at the church?"

Suresh replied " there was some men who seemed to look as if following her. When my men interviewed them they discovered they didn't even know Mariam by face."

Sankaran interjected " According to Susamma there were some markings on her face? what was that about? "

Suresh continued "forensics stated the markings had happened few days before Mariam's death. They couldn't determine what had caused it. It was difficult to imagine that marks had anything to do with her death. 

When Sankaran took leave Suresh said "you can meet with Muthukumar, the forensics head. He can confirm what I told you. By the way, her phone too got lost for good."

Sankaran knew of a criminal lawyer Antony whom he had met with in another case. He called upon him. 

Antony said "there isn't much of a case here. Can Susamma prove that Mariam was wearing the bangle and the ring?

As forensics had reported there seemed to be no violence inflicted on the body."

He asked " have you spoken with Mariam's friends? May be they can provide some information unknown to Susamma. Every mother would like to believe that her daughter was above board." 

Susamma provided the contact number of Jayanthi who was a friend of Mariam. Jayanthi had studied with Mariam in the same college and considered as her best friend. 

Over a cup of coffee Jayanthi said" as far as I know there is no love life in Mariam's life. She doesn't take to men because of them behaving like predators in the past. She looked to be in some stressful situation. I have asked her about it. Mariam would say when the time comes she would tell."

Sankaran asked " was there anything about the sexual harassment case she was pursuing?"

"I don't know. She would talk about Priyamvatha sometimes. She was the victim in that case." 

After a pause Jayanthi suggested "may be you should meet Priya. She is undergoing some therapy at the Catholic Women's Clinic." She then gave the address of the clinic to Sankaran. 

At the clinic the head sister listened to Sankaran's persuasive pitch. she agreed to let him meet Priya but in her presence. She had warned him that Priya had sunk deeper in her depression upon hearing Mariam's death. The sister would give a cue if needed and he should stop then. 

When Priya came into the room with a book in her hand. Ushered in by another sister in the clinic, she looked a picture of distress. The head sister whispered to her " Sankaran here is close to Mariam's family. He is trying to understand if there is more to Mariam's death. You can talk to him."

Priya started sobbing and then she stopped. Sankaran felt her distress too. Then she wiped her tears and looked at Sankaran and raised her eye brows. The sister nodded at Sanakaran.

Sankaran asked " did Mariam say anything to you that was distressing her?"

Priya "no. She looked troubled though. I saw my own distress in her." 

"She held my hands and caressed it. I felt she was trying to tell me something. But she couldn't." 

We spent time in silence. When she was leaving she handed over this book to me."

She gave the book to Sankaran. He flipped the pages in the book and didn't find any note in it. But he noticed some pencil markings. He also observed that book belonged to the clinic. He wondered if the pencil markings were that of Mariam. He asked Priya if he could borrow the book for a few days. Sister singalled to Priya who then nodded too. 

That night lying on the bed Sankaran started with the first of the markings. 

As he turned the pages a story emerged. The book itself was a memoir by a woman named Dakshayini. He made a mental note of wanting to ask sister about the author. After one hour of reading the markings he summarised what he had learnt. 

For the author, her world of edifice had come down crumbling. The author had learnt the bitter truth that her father wasn't the hero she had thought him to be but a criminal. 

The revelation coming that too from a sexual tormentor was the last nail on the coffin. The author had confessed she was being blackmailed by the man who was wanting sexual liaison. He had threatened to expose the truth in the media if she doesn't jump on the bed with him. 

She describes how the distress she felt had turned her into a mental case. And how she had taken asylum in a therapeutic clinic. 

In one instance the tormentor was telling the author that her father's death was no accident. But a cold blooded murder, an act of retribution for his betrayal. 

How she could she break the news with her mother. Her mother couldn't bear such a truth. How if at all she could believe what the tormentor was telling the truth? Yet a seed of doubt has been sown in her innocent mind. 

Sankaran wondered if there was a parallel between Dakshayini's story and Mariam's. Why had Mariam marked these paragraphs?There was no way to confirm anything now. Its all a conjecture now.

Next day morning he rushed to the clinic and asked the sister about Dakshayini. The sister said "she was being treated in the clinic and she wrote the book when she was getting better. The writing of the book must have been a catharsis for Dakshsayini."

Where is she now? asked Sankaran.

Her reply left him stunned. 

That was when the phone rang and it was Susamma who summoned him to come home at once. Susamma couldn't but share her excitement. Central Home minister was coming to town. Her politician friend had arranged a brief audience with the minister. She wanted to draft a letter about Mariam's case and could Sankaran help her with it?

Sankaran wondered how could he tell her the truth! That like Dakshayini, Mariam too committed suicide.