Sharmila Kantha has lived in cities as diverse as Kathmandu and Washington DC, Beijing and Bonn. But New Delhi is her birthplace and home. She is presently living in Hong Kong with her husband and son. Just the Facts, Madamji is her first full-length work.
Just the facts, Madamji
The facts: Mrs. Mehrotra, elderly widow of a retired senior bureaucrat who had accumulated wealth far beyond his means, had been found murdered. The late Mr. Mehrotra's nephew, married to my new client, and Mrs. Mehrotra's two nieces were now in the running for the booty. But Mrs. Kumar was the only one looking for the old woman's will, convinced it was all hers.
"You don't want me to find the murderer of your aunt-in-law?" Me – a PI with vast investigative experience.
"Murderer-shurderer! That is nothing to do with us. The police are looking for her servant. She is murdering her with her accomplice and running away with jewellery and Rs. 10,000 in cash." I decided now that I finally had a case, I could take a week off from work. The Bank Manager wouldn't be too happy, but hell, I was entitled to a few days of rest after slogging every day 10.30 to 4.30 in the hot dingy branch office. It was summer, so most of the time there was no electricity and nobody worked anyway. So...
