House Number 24
House Number 24
#housenumber24episode11
#Housenumber24episode11
#Housenumber24episodefinalepisode
#housenumber24episodefinalepisode
Links for earlier episode: #housenumber24episode1, #Housenumber24episode1, #housenumber24episode2
#Housenumber24episode2, #housenumber24episode3
#Housenumber24episode3, #housenumber24episode4
#Housenumber24episode4, #housenumber24episode5
#Housenumber24episode5, #housenumber24episode6
#Housenumber24episode6, #housenumber24episode7
#Housenumber24episode7, #housenumber24episode8
#Housenumber24episode8, #housenumber24episode9
#Housenumber24episode9, #housenumber24episode10, #Housenumber24episode10,
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#rhituparnachakraborty
Author: Rhituparna Chakraborty
#Disclaimer: This is an original work of fiction with no relation to any person/organism living or dead. Every episode, every character is a work of imagination. Any resemblance to any person, organism, place, character or situation is purely coincidental. There is no intention to hurt or rebuke anyone or any profession through this work. This story/episode cannot be copied, published or reproduced without the permission of the author RhituparnaChakraborty.
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Mushtaque called his team and said, ‘I need Shaaheen, Reema and Rohit to accompany me. Siddharth and Nisha will keep a strict eye in the hospital.’
Saying that, Mushtaque, with his team, went to Latika’s home. The house was pitch dark. It seemed people inside were fast asleep. Mushtaque did not expect that. Latika was dead in the hospital and people at home were fast asleep, did not seem right. Mushtaque knocked at the door and waited for couple of minutes. No one answered the door. Mushataque asked Shaaheen and Rohit to guard the back door of the tiny house, while he and Reema waited for someone to answer the door. Mushtaque now banged the door loudly. He heard footsteps. Someone answered the door. It was Hiru. He was groggy with sleep.
Mushtaque looked at him and said, ‘Seems we disturbed you.’ Hiru yawned and said rubbing his eyes, ‘Who comes at this hour? Come later.’ Mushtaque went closer to Hiru and SMACKKKK!, Mushtaque slapped Hiru so tight that Hiru woke up wide awake and for a moment the ground beneath him seemed moving as if it was an earthquake. Shaheen and Rohit came and Rohit knew what he had to do. He immediately handcuffed Hiru. Mushtaque told Rohit, ‘Take him to the police station. Shaahen and Reema will need to come with me. We will need to go and bring some ladies to the police station as well, for interrogation.’
Mushtaque then called Abhay , ‘Where are you guys….’ Abhay said, ‘ On our way …..will be reaching Revati soon, Sir…..’
After that Mushtaque called Naina. Naina was a female officer in his team. Mushtaque gave her all the details and asked her to to bring the receptionist from the hospital, to the police station.
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Preeti’s phone rang. Every time her phone rang, Preeti’s heart would skip a beat. She read the name. It was from Mushtaque. She answered the call:
Preeti: H…Hello…
Mushtaque: Reach the police station with Geeta and Rahul. I am sending a vehicle right away.
Preeti: All….all okay?
Mushtaque: Well, all will be okay today. Sorry to disturb little Geeta , but we would need her.
Preeti: That’s fine. We are coming.
Mushtaque and his team then reached Sunita’s home. Sunita was alarmed to see Police at her door step. Meanwhile, Mushtaque had sent sent Shaaheen to bring Mrs. Suhasini to Sunita’s home. When Mrs. Suhasini arrived, Mushtaque told Mrs. Suhasini and Sunita, ‘Well, I know this is not the right time to ask someone to come with us to the police station, but with the spate of deaths happening, we would need your help and cooperation.’
Mrs. Suhasini gasped, ‘Whose death?’ Mushtaque looked at Sunita and said, ‘You would know, isn’t it?’ Sunita looked at Mushtaque shocked and said, ‘H…how would I know?’Mushtaque said, ‘I would request you and Mrs. Suhasini to come with us to the police station and then everyone would know what is happening.’
Ravi, the garbage collector and Suman the cleaning lady were all brought to the police station.
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At the police station, Mushtaque first gulped down a glass of water and looked at all the people brought there. He then said, ‘I had come to Revati to find out about an elderly couple, whom Geeta saw in the guest bedroom of their house. Now, with whatever enquiry I conducted, no one saw the elderly couple except Geeta. Latika was working at Preeti’s home and so was Sarju. No one saw the elderly couple. However, Mrs. Suhasini knows that House Number 24 has some negative vibes. I found ash in one of the window panes, there was even a plastic snake scaring Preeti in the kitchen. Amidst all this, Sarju and Latika died. And Latika’s husband Hiru was fast asleep as if nothing happened. Latika was eventually out of danger. I was about to go see her when I heard a shriek in house number 24. I went to see what had happened and found that it was only a plastic snake. And that’s when someone killed Latika in the hospital. Everything cannot be a co-incidence, can it be?’ Everyone was quiet. Mushtaque went to Sunita and asked, ‘Can it be a co-incidence Mrs.Sunita?’ Sunita looked at Mushtaque puzzled and said, ‘Why are you asking me this?’ Mushtaque went to the receptionist of the hospital who was standing at the corner, and asked, ‘What’s the name of the relative of Latika, who had come to see her just before she died?’ The receptionist replied, ‘Sunita.’ Sunita looked at the recptionist dumbfounded and said, ‘I never came to the hospital.’ The receptionist looked at Sunita confused and said, ‘I did not say “you” came to the hospital. I said, “Sunita” came to the hospital.’ Mushtaque looked at Sunita and said, ‘Yes, someone signed the register in your name.’ Sunita gasped and said, ‘Why would anyone do it?’ Mushtaque smiled and said, ‘To ensure everything was hidden, right from bank records to murder mysteries, to all the black money scams and so on….’ Everyone listened aghast. Mushtaque then asked the receptionist, ‘Can you tell us who signed the register in Sunita’s name?’ The receptionist pointed out to a person and said, ‘There she is….’ The person was none other than Mrs. Suhasini. Mrs. Suhasini was stunned. She began shivering.
Mushtaque went to Mrs. Suhasini and said, ‘I had received a call from the hospital saying Latika was out of danger, just when I had stepped out of your house. Isn’t it Ma’am?’ Suhasini froze. Mushtaque then said, ‘And you have people working for you to ensure no one knows your dirty secret, isn’t it?’ Suhasini said shivering, ‘I….I did nothing. You are framing me.’ Mushtaque smiled and said, ‘You mean to say the ghost stories, negative vibes stories, are all real?’ Suhasini replied, ‘Y…yes, ask everyone who stayed in House number 24. They all felt those vibes?’ Mushtaque said, ‘Why would there be any vibes? There is nothing…’
Mrs. Suhasini: No, that house is haunted….
Mushtaque: You are fibbing….
Mrs.Suhasini: No, I am not. There are negative vibes there.
Mushtaque: No, there is nothing in there. You are cooking up stories.
Mrs. Suhasini(losing her temper): There could be something in there and those could be some negative breeze too……
Mushtaque said, ‘Yes, Mrs. Suhasini, please continue. What do you mean by negative breeze? ….Please tell us the story….or do you want me to narrate the story or the elderly bank manager and his wife Rajesh Mukherjee and Sumana Mukherjee?
Suhasini knew the story she had tried to hide for ages will now come to light and there were evidences all over. Mushtaque was no ordinary cop. Mushtaque said, ‘So, Mrs. Suhasini…..it has been years since Mr. Rajesh Mukherjee and Mrs. Sumana Mukherjee vanished mysteriously. And no one found them. Rajesh Mukherjee and Sumana Mukherjee were senior bank officers. Weren’t they?
Mushtaque then went to his desk, got some papers, read the papers and said, ‘There are questions pertaining to loans worth lakhs of rupees sanctioned by them. And it was you who was in touch with Mrs. and Mr. Mukherjee through out. Isn’t it?’ Suhasini was at a loss of words. Mushtaque then took out the picture of the elderly couple Geeta had drawn in school and showed that to Mrs. Suhasini and asked, ‘Do you recognize this couple? This sketch was drawn by Geeta. She has seen this couple, aka Mrs. and Mr. Mukherjee in the guest bedroom.’ Suhasini replied, ‘This is garbage. This girl Geeta is mad. How can she see them?’
Mushtaque: Why not?
Suhasini said with rage: HOW CAN SOMEONE SEE DEAD PEOPLE?
Everyone gasped. There was pindrop silence.
Mushtaque said softly, ‘We had information that this elderly couple was missing. We never knew they were dead.’
Suhasini knew she cannot escape now. She sat on the floor with her hands clasped on her head and began mumbling . She said, ‘I try to keep people away from house number 24. I tell them that there are spirits there. And that’s enough to make them move out of that house. I had planned to do the same to Preeti and her family. But, I was shocked when Geeta actually saw spirits of Mrs. and Mr. Mukherjee. It’s impossible. I always ensure Sarju, Latika, Hiru, Ravi, Suman, they all know what’s happening in house number 24 and in the neighbourhood and inform everything to me. When Preeti’s family moved to house number 24, I thought, I will scare them by talking about spirits and they will move out of the house. But Sarju and Latika told me that Geeta actually saw an old couple in the guest room. I could not have been more scared. That was the room where I had killed those oldies and had buried them in the backyard later. They had sanctioned my loans but when they came to know that I was in an illegal business, they tried to act smart. So I had to kill them. I did not want anyone to find any clue in house number 24. But that dumb Sarju and Latika began blackmailing me and hence I had to silence them.’
Mushtaque said, ‘Amazing! And you thought, you will escape scotfree?’ Suhasini said, ‘I had stopped all the earlier investigations some way or the other. But you are smart. And all of this happened because of this stupid girl Geeta. I have no clue how she saw the old dead couple?’
Mushtaque said, ‘Well, first tell me, why did you put ash in the window sills and then that plastic snake in the kitchen….’ Suhasini said, that snake would take some of your time and then I could go to the hospital to finish Latika. And ash and other mumbo jumbo stuff, I thought, would make Preeti and her family leave house number 24.
Mushtaque said, ‘Well, when I had found clues regarding tires and trucks and bank records, I knew it was you. Now, you will come with us and help us retrieve the remains of the elderly Mukherjee couple from the backyard of house number 24………….
Mrs. Suhasini looked at Geeta and said, ‘All because of you, you pesky girl. But, how did you see dead people?’
Geeta looked at Mushtaque and giggled.
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Mrs. Suhasini was arrested and all the evidences were collected. Those will be presented to the court for further proceedings. The mysterious disappearance of Mr. Rajesh and Mrs. Sumana Mukherjee was in news some years ago. But eventually the case went quiet. It would not have come to light had Geeta not seen them in the guest bedroom of house number 24.
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Mushtaque picked his backpack and was about to leave, when Preeti said, ‘Thank you so much for everything.’ Mushtaque patted Preeti’s head and said, ‘Anything for my hilsa fish buddy.’ Preeti said with moist eyes, ‘It has been years since my Rajesh Uncle and Suman Aunty were missing. No one helped us. That’s when I thought, only you can help us. I am grateful to Rahul who fought with the concerned teams like crazy to get himself tranferred to Revati. ’ Rahul shook hands with Mushtaque and said, ‘ Mushtaque….thank you is too little a word for this……’ Mushtaque smiled and said, ‘All I did was my duty. But, the best part was, you guys put up all the acts so well. Right from being scared, worried, and what not….’ Mushtaque then went to lil Geeta, carried her and said, ‘And this lil cop acted so perfectly as if she had indeed seen spirits.’ Everyone laughed. Mushtaque then continued, ‘Also Kudos to your drawing talent, Geeta. You actually sketched the exact copy of the picture of Mrs. and Mr. Mukherjee by seeing one of their old pictures. Good job sweety. And the best part was, when Geeta talked about seeing me earlier and the newspaper episode hahahahah…..all of this helped in sending messages to Mrs. Suhasini. After all, there was always some informer around house number 24, be it Latika, Sarju, Hiru, Ravi or Suman or any of her employees. Good job all of you!’
Everyone had a good laugh and Mushtaque resumed his journey home.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………Mushtaque was now eager to reach home and spend time with his beautiful family, but little did he know that a new case awaits him.
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