Must Read: Paradox Of Abel - Season 1 - Episode 36

7 years ago

Must Read: Paradox Of Abel - Season 1 - Episode 36

Doctor Bantu continued staring at Lot with total fascination, as if the gumshoe was a world-renowned movie star. Or rather like the kind of concentration you give at seeing for the first time the likes of Ojukwu, Mandela, Obama, Hitler and Archimedes.
“How did you hear about Mr. Malik’s death?” Bantu asked Lot.
“I’m asking the questions around here, not the other way round. Except if you’ve taken it upon yourself to investigate this case single-handedly. Then I wouldn’t have to linger here any longer.”
“Oh no, I’m sorry. I can’t do that, I wouldn’t know what steps to take. The significance of the bent blade of grass, the broken point of a pencil, the crack of the mirror, a strand of hair, a square peg in a triangular hole — would appear meaningless to me.”
“The detective work is more than going around on all fours to search for evidence and soiling your designer pair of trousers in the process. The detective work involves the study of how the criminal’s mind works and finding out truth through deductive reasoning.” Lot stopped and said, “I shouldn’t be telling you all these.”
“All what you said were Greek to me.”
“I thought as much. Anyway, I learnt that you’ve checked on the corpse, is that right?”
“That’s right, sir.” Bantu was visibly older than Lot but he didn’t seem to realize that. If he did, he didn’t acknowledge it.
“Apart from being a doctor, who are you to the deceased?”
“I’m just his doctor, nothing else.”
“Use one word to describe Mr. Malik.”
The doctor thought hard before finally replying, “Promiscuous.”
“Really?”
“I wonder how his wife kept up with him.

The man always followed anything wearing a bra when he was alive.” He raised his hands, saying, “I know, I know, it is wrong to speak ill of the dead. And I know you don’t like it.”
“As far as I’m concerned, the dead are the innocent, no matter how grave their crimes could have been before their deaths.”
“Mr. Jamal Malik slept with five of my nurses, even the married ones. He was just a pathological skirt-chaser. He was always being treated for social diseases.”
“The man had an adventurous life,” Lot nodded, “I hope you had nothing against him for his actions.”
“No, nothing,” replied Bantu, “I’ve just never seen anyone with a libido that matched his. He could have a platoon of illegitimate children at the other side of the blanket.”
“If he did, I hope they showed up,” Lot commented, “Did Mr. Malik have any enemy when he was alive?”
The doctor suddenly laughed. “Any enemies?” he sputtered, “Any? Sir, he had more enemies than Tuface has fans. You’ve got to get in line to hate him. Most of his foes belonged in the feminine class.”
“What is your report about the deceased’s death? I should like to hear your own medical story before I continue my inquisition among the family members.” He turned to Daniel, “While Doctor Bantu is telling me about the murder, would you mind drawing me a rough plan of the house? One can’t wander about so big a place as this and still understand the arrangement of quarters.”
Doctor Bantu reached into a folder and came up with a document which he now placed on the large table. He was looking in the text of the document as he spoke:
“The deceased died from a close stab from a very sharp knife. I think the murderer brought the knife mainly to do the deed. It is a knife with serrated blade and a distinctive triangular chip in the handle. The absence of serious bleeding along the deep wound indicated that death occurred very rapidly following infliction of the injury. No defensive injuries were present. I give the cause of death as a stab wound to the spine.”
“What kind of knife is it exactly? A kitchen knife?”
“A boning knife. The killer must have known a lot about knives. This knife is not the kind you find at common stores where kitchen utensils are sold. It could easily have been a product of the Peruvians.”
“The Peruvians?” Lot repeated the statement. It was a statement which needed explaining.
“The Peruvians make blades so sharp that some people can’t even feel the initial incision when they are cut. Most kitchen knives are known to be produced by the Germans, and it is plain that this particular isn’t meant for domestic uses.”

Daniel was listening to the two men with rapt attention.
“This weapon used on the victim,” Bantu continued, “is of a thin-pointed blade about 12centimetres long. The blade, especially the top, is very sharp. Other boning knives possess blades which angle upward, but the one we are talking about is straight. The choice of the killer’s weapon flexibility and angle option is somewhat personal.”
“You mean to tell me the killer used a knife carved for murder?” Lot asked. “I know of only two knives used particularly for that; a marine k-bar and a hunting knife, both without serrations.”
“Many knives, almost all knives can be used to commit murder. There are skinning knives, military knives, ceremonial knives, and four hundred and twenty-three different kinds of knives.”
Daniel intruded in the conversation, “I don’t know about boning knives, but I know about chef’s knives, decorating knives, vegetable peelers, butcher trimming, filleting knives, carving knives and paring knives.”
“The doctor looked at him for a moment and said, “Thanks for nothing.” Like most prophets, Daniel was fated to be ignored.

The doctor turned to Lot, “The kind of knife the murderer used on the victim can as well be used for separating meat and disconnecting tissues from bones during butchering and trimming. The tip of the knife can do most of the task because it’s quite sharply pointed.”
“You know a lot about knives.” Lot observed.
Doctor Bantu smiled, he obviously saw that he had caught his audience and it was clear from his mannerism and pauses that he enjoyed telling a story. He was greatly mollified at regarding himself a person of such magnanimous importance in such a s£nsat!onal case, but he had a flair for description and vivid pantomime.
“Not quite,” he tried to show modesty, “I’m just lucky to know a little bit about this particular kind of knife. My cousin was stabbed with this particular kind of knife fourteen years ago. He was a lecturer; we were told that he was stabbed by one of his students, but the murderer was never caught.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“If I had known you at the time, the criminal would have probably been caught.”
“Probably. Now, kindly tell me everything you know about the weapon.”
The doctor shrugged, “I’ve already said all I know, except that boning knives are generally held reversed in the hand and extreme care must be taken to keep the knife pointed away from your body. It is not the kind of knife you use on frozen food or partially frozen meat as force generally requires to be applied and a slip may result in serious injury or even death.”
“You mean to say it is a dangerous weapon even to its handler?”
“To a careless handler, yes. It could be harmful to the attacker wielding it.”
“Do you have any close estimate of the time of death?”
“I think the death occurred between midnight and 2a.m. that’s judging by body temperature and the extent of rigor. I may be able to narrow it down after autopsy but it’s quite likely. Estimating the time of death is always a tricky business. I can only smell out the moment of death through the degree of coldness of that night, which can inadvertently speed up rigor mortis.”
There was a curious expression on Lot’s face; not contemptuous, not humorous, not bored, but a mixture of the three. He said, “Thanks a lot, Doctor Bantu, you’ve been more helpful than enough. Thanks a lot.”
“I’ll be leaving for the morgue to make an official report which would be attached to the autopsy note. Are you sure you won’t be needing me anymore?”
“We won’t be for now.”
“Then I suppose I can leave you two to go on with your investigations,” he stood up and added, “I have absolute fate in you about solving this murder, Detective Lot.” He frowned and added, “But if you want to know what the deceased had in the stomach before his death you’ll have to wait until—”
“Don’t be flippant, doctor. You may leave now.”
The doctor walked out of the room cowered.