Page Title

Synopsis

Early evening in a small colonial town a drunken man is arrested for breaking a shop window of the town's most respected shop owner (Willy). PC Toby goads his smelly captive to the Police Station full of pride at his catch. Inspector Bowie is unimpressed. He has more pressing matters on his hands - a wealthy tea planter (Mr. Morgan) has been murdered about the same time. Mr. Morgan who was shot in his library was a popular man with apparently no enemies. His wife died three years ago leaving him a daughter, now married and a contumacious son (Eddy) on the brink of marriage to a model (Miss Aston) eight years elder and partner of a prosperous Advertising Agency.

The shop owner, Willy (a former down-and-out pedlar, who has surreptitiously amassed a fortune by chicanery) has since three years expressed a paranoid desire to purchase the Shopping Complex in the heart of town belonging to the Morgans. Mr. Morgan showed no interest therein. Since two months Mr. Morgan has been receiving anonymous telephone threats.

Inspector Bowie, an ambivalent Eurasian of English paternity, renowned for his dare-devil courage sets out to solve the crime together with his native sergeant (Barry) grappling with a desire to grasp metaphors and oxymorons. They interrogate Willy, searching for a link between him and the drunk. The discrepancy between the time of Morgan's murder and the arrest of the drunk poses confusing doubts.

An Australian, (Mr. Gray) an inveterate raconteur and a close friend of Mr. Morgan finds retirement in Ceylon by no serendipity, where he has a good life on a meager sterling pension. Bowie gets involved with him and is enchanted by his travels and anecdotes. He inadvertently drops some useful pointers.

In a sub-plot: Vanderwert's (a rival planter) only son had been kidnapped fifteen years ago (aged 12) and presumed dead. He haggled with the kidnappers paying out only a part of the ransom, for which he received a part of the boy's ear. He however believes that his son is still alive and would return some day. His wife, a passionate entertainer and a charming hostess was poisoned six years ago and his cook was found guilty. Bowie ferrets out some hazy clues as to the innocence of the cook. A good priest and a long-standing friend of the Vanderwert family testifies to the integrity of Mr. Vanderwert.

Miss Aston's shady machinations coupled with Eddy's mendacity make them suspects as well. Eddy has expensive tastes; sports-cars, designer clothes, eating out in high class restaurants. They spend weekends on the estate hunting. Bowie hears of Eddy's bisexual leanings and catches him unawares with his catamite - the son of a district attorney. His fiancée hears of Eddy's bisexual leanings and leaves him. Inspector Bowie per chance sees them again re-united and having a rollicking time.

A murder attempt is perpetrated on the drunk, who gets shot in the shoulder and lives.

Vanderwert's legal adviser washes his hands of all transactions with him. He realises that he has been a sycophant and a pettifogger for too long and been used as a cat's paw by Vanderwert.

Suspects are the drunk for no apparent motive, Willy with an obsession to purchase the Shopping Complex, Eddy longing for a high-flying life in the tourist business, Miss Aston's greed for full ownership of her Agency and Vanderwert with his interest to acquire the Morgan estate. Speculative suspicions about Vanderwert's son who disappeared fifteen years ago are rekindled. He is known to be alive. He phones his father after fifteen years and arouses tormenting fears in his father by recalling the incidents that followed the kidnapping and his ensuing suffering.

In the end X is found guilty of the murder of Mr. Morgan. In desperation he/she tries to shoot Inspector Bowie and himself/herself. The plan misfires. The sergeant arrests X and he/she is goaded along.

***

This story is a thriller from the British Colonial era. The stubborn remnants of Colonialism still remain romantically. The locals long to have their colonial rulers and their old prosperity back.. Political freedom to them is not anymore a callow pride, and a yearning desire for economic stabilization and a rule of law and order still lingers.

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Excerpt from Chapter 14.

………… That evening at half past eleven Vanderwert's phone rings. Waking up and still in a comatose state of mind he answers it. The caller says, "I am Michael, your son." He is shocked and shaken to hear his son's voice after fifteen years silence. He gets sceptical wondering whether it's a hoax by some impersonator. He tests the caller in the process of the conversation….

"Where have you been Michael all these six years?"

"Not six years dad, but fifteen."

"Did the kidnappers give you a part of the ransom of the £10,000 I paid them?"

"It wasn't £10,000 dad, but £6,000. Had you paid them the full £20,000, they would have released me."

Nobody except himself and the kidnappers knew that only £6,000 was paid out. He was now convinced that his son was still alive.

"I was heart broken to hear of mummy's death. The cook who poisoned her got 15 years, but I don't think that's enough dad, I have come to know of a Nigerian student in Oxford whose grandfather is a renowned sorcerer and I have him to perform the highest voodoo incantations to avenge my mother's murderer. Maybe one day we could see this fructify…"

The turbulent emission from across the ocean ceased, paralysing Vanderwert. He feebly walked down the stairs, went to the drinks cabinet and fetched a bottle of whisky and made his surreptitious entry into the kitchen. He locked himself inside in deep thought and cogitated on the voodoo incantations…

Synopsis of chapters

The setting - An oriental Marketplace

Mr. Morgan ate a solitary dinner that evening and retired to his study. He reflected on the death of his wife three years ago while assuming his postprandial relaxation by reading the rest of the morning's newspaper. He then reviewed the architectural plans of his wife's Shopping Complex which was resumed eight months ago after a two year suspension.

The following morning he received another of those anonymous phone calls, threatening him to abandon the building project or face the consequences.

It was a festal Friday evening. The local inhabitants had gathered at their centre of civilization - the market place, full of activity and merriment. The market women with their wide assortment of fruit and vegetables bawling out in shrill tones competitively. The bloody butchers splashed with fresh blood work with chopper, saw and sword-like knives. Dried fish stalls vend their French equivalent of foie gras cumbersomely prepared. Fortune-tellers, snake-charmers and hucksters contribute to the liveliness of the market place. The Eastern ritual enhanced with coconut-spirits and other liquor continue.

A drunken man smashes the window of the town's most respected shop owner as the church bells clanged unpunctually, several minutes after six. PC Toby ambles along and arrests the drunk who is escorted to the Police Station.

The bell-ringer arrives to the scene in gay spirits trying to steal the limelight with his hieratical connection under the influence of the mundane spirits.

That and more happened during the ephemeral span of twilight.