Must Read: Paradox Of Abel - Season 1 - Episode 43

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Paradox Of Abel - Season 1 - Episode 43

The deceased Jamal Malik, who had journeyed to that undiscovered country from whose borne no traveller returns, was considered a rich man but his burial was uneventful; although his death had spread like forest fire all across the states of the nation that mourners poured in like sands in an hourglass. December twenty-seventh had been set aside for his interment. The Maliks had strongly insisted that the detective and his supposed sidekick were never to make any investigation on this day, as inquiries might stir some hornets’ nests which might lead into another reason not to put the deceased under the dust. Lot agreed to this request albeit begrudgingly but insisted to be present at the interment, alongside Daniel Famous, and that in the course of the investigations after burial, if anything which required another cross-examination of the body sufficed, the corpse would certainly be exhumed. The family members acquiesced to this, trusting so much that exhumation was unlikely.



The second corpse, however, whose identity was yet fully confirmed, still occupied a particular section of the cold comfort of a mosque – a breathless sleeper in a mortuary. The name Abel Malik were the only words of the landpersons whom Daniel had questioned earlier before today, and no other person had stepped forward to confirm that the corpse was truly a Malik – this was one of Lot’s utmost priorities; finding out the identity of this bearded corpse. The doctor had extracted the bullet lodged in his skull, but the gun wasn’t found yet. The whole of the house where the corpse was found had been turned inside out in the search for the weapon but without success. The only thing of consequence that was found in one of the rooms was the photograph of a dark-skinned lady with a charming smile. The picture was confirmed by the elderly couple to be the wife of the deceased.
The burial of Jamal Malik went on as planned. Four black limousines were driven down the street in honour of his personality. The long vehicles were supposed to bear the family members as they made their ways to the local cemetery, but it was only Hannah who occupied just one of these vehicles; the rest of the family preferred walking behind the first limo which was the hearse. Although rich the Maliks were, they still had to hire limos for Jamal’s burial. Besides, Jamal was considered by his children to be stingy with his money during his lifetimes, David – the eldest son – found no reason to buy four expensive cars just because ethics demanded that the rich deceased should be buried in a grand fashion. Already, the price of the casket they purchased was enough to cause most financial houses to go bankrupt.


The price alone was enough to had one more aircraft to the Maliks’ airline company – Zabmus Airways.
Everyone was dressed in the usual black attires associated with burials. Black was donned right from the family members to the well-wishers and down to the trumpeters who continued blowing eulogies and swaying to their music as if this was not a burial but a birthday, where they instead ought to be singing songs relatively with either suras or canticles of lachrymose outpourings. Even some of the well-wishers could be seen singing alongside the merry trumpeters. The subsequent procession to the cemetery was so lengthy that some people had to park a mile away and trek.
Lot and Daniel followed this procession without much interest. In fact, Lot was disgusted at the prospect of witnessing yet another full body to be immersed in the earth, and with time nature would take its toll; the body would begin to rot, the priceless casket would shatter and insects would feast on the remains. Lot had sworn never to be buried like this, he’d rather give himself up for cremation than having whatever species of crawling insects fattening up on his body. He looked at his own protruded belly and shuddered. Never! No worm or millipede or cockroach or whatever will ever feast on me!
As they followed behind the family who followed the first limousine, Lot thought it was kind of silly the family had to hire a hearse to carry Jamal kilometres down the city in the first place. He felt that they could rather have put wheels under the expensive coffin, like they have on suitcases and travelling bags, and that would have worked just as well. He later felt that it wasn’t his headache, the Maliks had more than enough money to throw about senselessly like a pair of drunken sailors. He looked at Daniel who was walking quietly beside him. The young policeman he’d encountered three years earlier had turned out more mature and quite full of grace and humility. He’d come here simply because of Daniel. When the footballer had called him that early morning he’d rejoiced at hearing the young man’s voice after three years. He’d terminated the call on the basis that no payment for his service was arranged beforehand, but he’d been worried thereafter that Daniel might probably have landed himself in some amount of burdensome ventures. Even now, currently, Lot wasn’t very sure if Daniel hadn’t caused the trouble already, or wouldn’t later on in the course of the investigation. One thing was quite certain though, Daniel would always be a great help to him in the investigation – he’d proved it before and he would prove it; he was quite sure about that. This had already been justified when Daniel broke the Shakespearean quote. Yes, Daniel was a total klutz at investigations but he was a way better sidekick. If working on this case for free was because of Daniel, then it was worth it, Lot decided without regret whatsoever.




Lot had never investigated any case for free before, but he made an exception because it was his beloved Daniel who requested his service. As a rule, Lot had always made sure that his payments were fully made before venturing into any investigation. And his money, he admitted, was a whooping sum. He’d never investigated the poor, and he never hoped to. This rule he’d just broken, however, was going to be his first and last. He’d broken this one only because he felt a sense of responsibility over Daniel. He knew that the young man’s father was deceased, and Lot loved him so much that he considered Daniel the son he never had.