Talvade saw no reason to withhold the details. Sharing them might even help him gather more information from his surroundings—and, admittedly, it refreshed his own memory about the case.
"Well, the deceased is Jaggu Shet—a prominent merchant in Anandnagar and the surrounding areas. He was well-known for his charity work in this town."
Typical of merchants, Haran thought skeptically. All of them are famous for charity—just a way to get free publicity for their businesses. But he held his tongue and let Talvade continue.
"Last week, Jaggu Shet attended a family function—a pooja, to be exact—where he suffered a heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital and, by God's grace, survived. He'd been recuperating until yesterday. The doctor had completed all preliminary checkups and said he could be discharged tomorrow. His wife—"
"Well, the first wife is dead, and that's the second wife, right?" Haran interrupted, gesturing toward the woman standing rigidly by the deathbed.
Talvade's eyes narrowed. "You claimed you knew nothing about this case, yet you're aware of this detail? That makes me suspicious of you…"
Haran shrugged. "It's obvious—the man's old, the woman's beautiful. A tired old cliché, isn't it? Every story has this plot hole… Don't tell me you suspect me just for noticing."
Talvade hesitated, then conceded, slightly embarrassed. "No, nothing like that… Now that you mention it, I suppose it is common knowledge."
Dismissing his doubts, he continued, "At around 2:00 AM, Jaggu Shet was asleep, heavily medicated from the day before. The lights went out, and according to his wife, there was a sudden noise. When the power returned, she was in the corner, and a knife had been plunged into his heart. We've got a clear case of murder, but most of the suspicion falls on her."
"Did forensics check for fingerprints?" Haran asked.
"None were found on the knife handle—it had been wiped clean. As for the rest of the room, fingerprints are everywhere. Jaggu Shet had a constant stream of visitors, even doctors. Right now, the wife is the prime suspect…"
This was a typical case where the wife is the obvious suspect—huge inheritance, the second wife… Now, if disgruntled sons were introduced, it'd perfectly fit the plot hole, Haran mused.