Ring for Murder by Ajith Ram

Author:Ajith Ram
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, detective, crime, murder, thriller, action, adventure, horror, romance, historical, ghost, india
Publisher: AJITH RAM
Published: 2018-06-02T00:00:00+00:00

MISSING IN ACTION

Since none of the other ground floor rooms were open yet, Malcolm Priestly decided to conduct the first interview in the main meeting room itself. Nirad Shah was the first to arrive at the club. A short, thin man, he cut a sympathetic figure in front of the investigators. Just over five feet tall, the club manager seemed to almost disappear into the dark velvet cushion of his tall chair.

Prem Singh had difficulty believing that the man in front of him could have planned Colonel Hammond’s murder. But then he reminded himself that when it came to crime, the improbable was sometimes the norm.

“According to Inspector Atkins’s report,” Priestly said, beginning the interview, “you heard the bell ring and then found John Harrison standing over the body of Colonel Hammond. Where were you when you heard the sound of the bell? ”

“In the main dining room sir. I was preparing to talk to all the cooks about the preparations for the evening dinner.”

“Were the cooks already in the room?”

“No. I was still preparing the final list for the dinner menu.”

“Doesn’t the master chef decide the dinner menu?”

“Sometimes we get special requests from our members. We try our best to accommodate those as well. I take down those requests personally every day.”

“Did you hear the gunshot after the bell?”

Nirad Shah hesitated for a couple of seconds. “To be honest sir, I heard several gunshots.” He pointed to his right and in the direction of the rear garden. “The dining room is over there. I could hear all the gunshots from the duck shoot.”

“But did you hear any shots from the front garden or the veranda?”

“No sir. All gunshots were from the rear garden.”

“Why did you come into this room? Was there anything unusual about a member ringing the bell?”

“It’s very unusual. No one does it. That’s why I came to see who was ringing it.”

“Indeed? I’m told the bell is rung to call the members during lunch time. Who does it then?”

“I do sir. I ring it every day at exactly twelve noon. In fact, that’s what surprised me. Lunch was already over for the day.”

“So the club members never use the bell to call someone else?”

“Never. Also, there was something strange about it that day.....”

Everyone waited patiently for Nirad Shah to continue. He seemed to be deliberating something. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “It rang just once,” the manager finally explained. “Why would the colonel do that?”

“How many times do you ring during lunch time?” Prem Singh asked without looking up from his notebook.

“At least ten times. It’s a big building and there’s a lot of ground. If you want it heard properly everywhere, it has to be rung several times.”

Priestly suddenly turned around in his chair to look at the golden bell directly behind him. He then looked up at the ceiling for several seconds and then moved his eyes downwards. Without an explanation, he jumped up from the chair and walked over to the bell. Going down on his knees he peered up the inside of the bell.

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