Short story:

The conspiracy

by A.F. Dawood

Erik Bela paced up and down the spacious verandah of his house, ruminating the cause of his wife's remarkable change of attitude towards him. Within the last 10 years of his married life, he has never faced this sort of indifferent and callous attitude from her. He was wealthy and a landed proprietor and had provided her with all the comforts in life; yet her reciprocal attitude to him was not all that complacent. He racked his brains to know why this change had cropped up recently. He surmised that her changed temperament may be because their marriage had not brought forth an issue.

"Merina, I thought of buying a new house and to sell this." One day Erik told his wife. "What for?" Questioned his wife.

"This house is big enough. Have we got children?"

I've money, that's why I decided to buy a better house."

"It's no use, don't waste your money. "Merina replied non-chalantly.

"Then let me buy a car, I've money to spend."

"No use, why do you want to have a false show?"

"Don't talk like that way, Merina. If I buy a car with my money, it's not a false show. Recently you've changed your attitude to wards me." Erik remarked in a bitter mood.

Marriage

"Look here Erik, what we want now is not a car or a house, but a baby after our marriage. Now how many years after our marriage?"

"Not having a baby isn't my fault; because of this we shouldn't miss the good things in our life."

With the efflux of time, the estranged feeling between the two grew in intensity, so much so that the couple slept in the night in separate rooms, though Erik tried to quell the friction between them.

As a result day by day worry tortured his mind. One day Merina was not at home. Erik was sprawled on the settee with the newspapers, half reading and half daydreaming, when the tinkle of a cycle bell pierced his ears. It was the postman; he returned a letter to the sender as the address could not be traced.

The sender was Merina and the letter was addressed to Susil Batcho, written in Merina's own handwriting. Erik was overcome with excitement. He slowly opened the envelope without damaging it.

When he read the letter, he got the shock of his life. "Darling Batcho we're having a beautiful friendship for nearly an year. Now I agree with you, it's useless living with my husband. I can't go for a divorce so soon. In that case I won't be getting any of his properties. You tell me an idea how to get his property, by good or bad means. You're a lawyer and you can advise me. In your last letter you advised me to introduce a drug to his tea cup. I did exactly what you told me.

At that time he felt a little sleepy and complained of giddiness. You've to tell me something efficacious to put him to sleep for two or three hours in the night. Then we can ransack the wardrobe, get the deed and write a testament to the effect that he has donated the property to me and get it signed by him, when he is groggy and senseless.

I've recorded your telephone numbers in my diary. I'll give you a call in two days. Bye till then. Merina Bela.

Mood

Erik was in a belligerent mood; he came to know that his wife was a traitress and Batcho was her paramour; but he suppressed his anger and acted calmly. He opened the wardrobe, ransacked everywhere and fished out her diary in which she had noted down Batcho's telephone numbers.

He also retrieved three letters from Batcho and in all these letters he advised Merina to got the property deeds transferred in her name by fraudulent means; he has advised her to anyhow get the deed in her possession and then to write the testament in her favour, and thereafter get Erik's signature and that he would help her.

Now Erik knew that he had got caught to a terrible snare and that his life was at risk. The first thing he did was to note down he numbers and registration dates of all the deeds and then deposited them in the bank for security but one which remained in the wardrobe for he wanted to trap the conspirators.

He also did not want to divulge the fact that he knew his wife's illicit connection with her paramour Batcho. He completely feigned ignorance.

Merina returned home as late as eight in the night, when Erik was browsing through a book in his room. Since they had been sleeping separately, they talked to each other only when it was absolutely necessary.

She washed herself, partook of the meals brought from outside and retired to her room.

It was 9.30 in the night when the telephone tinkled. Erik rushed to the telephone and it was a call for Merina. He tapped her door and said. "There's a call for you."

She rushed to the telephone in her nightie and talked a few words while throwing a glance at Erik who was then seated on the settee; then she cut off the line. "Erik, you've finished with your dinner?" she asked. "Yes, Merina, what about you?" "I had mine. I've brought you some sweets and cake from a birthday house. Today I attended my best friend's birthday." "More than that Merina, I need a cup of tea. If you can make it."

"All right, I'll bring you a delicious cup of tea." She rushed to the kitchen. Erik liked this once in a way chat with her because it gave him an opportunity to get his bedtime cup of tea prepared by her, whenever he wanted it. This gave her the opportunity to introduce drugs to his cup of tea; Erik did not drink the tea; he emptied it in his bedroom sink.

Bedroom

A week later Merina tapped Erik's bedroom door. It was nine in the night. "I'm going to bed now, shall I bring you a cup of tea?" "If you can, I don't mind." She was so happy that she got a chance to do she had been advised to do by Batcho. Erik took the cup of tea, giving the impression that he relished the tea, but emptied the cup of tea in the sink after closing the bedroom door.

After some time he kept the bedroom door ajar and pretended to be sleep. Soon he was snoring, giving the impression that the drug has affected on him effectively. A few minutes later Marina peeped into the bedroom and saw him fast asleep and snoring. She rushed to the phone and dialled her paramour.

"Batcho, the fellow is fast asleep; he's snoring like hell. Come quickly, there's no time to waste." Then she hung up. Merina and Batcho prowled into the room. Erik overheard the conversation between them. Marina desperately searched for the deeds but got only one.

"Batcho, the deeds are not here. I don't know where this fellow has kept them. Only one is available."

All right, take that one. Merina, what's this deed?" "This is the estate deed, about 15 acres in extent."

"We can write in this deed, the property is donated to you." Batcho said.

"Then he must sign, no Batcho?" Erik still feigned the act of sleeping.

He was sleeping like a log, snoring like the growling of an animal and seemingly oblivious to the surrounding. "Yes, yes, he must sign." "What if the fellow doesn't sign?" Questioned Merina.

"Then you've to give him what you've given today, then he will sign; he will sign because he's senseless. I've to write the testament that he has donated this property to you."

"Then Batcho, you take the deed to your Mt. Lavinia office. Tomorrow come here with the deed to do the other work." "And Merina, you'll have to take care of his cup of tea."

On the following morning Erik Bela acted fast. He was at Batcho's office with a police officer.

There's a complaint against you that you've brought his deed by force," said the police officer. He denied the allegation. "Erik Bela wanted to donate his estate to his wife." "When was it?"

"Yesterday, and I was in his house for this purpose."

"Do you know Marina Madushi Bela?" Batcho was getting excited.

"Yes, she is Erik Bela's wife."

"Do you have any intimate connection with her?"

"Not at all," said batcho and mopped the perspiration from his face. "Has Merina written letters to you?"

"No, no, not at all," was Batcho's emphatic reply. The police officer said that there is evidence to prove that Batcho and Merina have an intimate connection and that they conspired to get Erik's deeds. "That is rubbish, prove it if you can, officer"

"Mr Batcho I've evidence to prove. I'm sorry to say you're guilty of a conspiracy."

"Prove it if you can, officer," shouted Batcho.

Then the police officer produced the letters written by Batcho to Merina. "Here they're. Now what have you got to say?"

Names are fictitious