The Chessboard Mystery



Throughout his career as a detective, Detective Inspector Rezaul Karim had seen many horrible deaths, but what he observed at Zamindar Pratap Ray's residence in Barisal was unimaginable. Chess enthusiast Pratap Ray was discovered dead on his outdoor chessboard with his corpse twisted into the shape of a chess board.

Rezaul Karim found a group of distressed staff gathered around the dead when he arrived at the mansion. He inquired "What happened here?" in an effort to better understand the circumstances.

One of the staff members moved forward. "We have no idea, sir. When dusk was approaching, Mr. Ray was alone playing chess, and there was no sign of his coming home. We went to hunt for him there and discovered him on the chessboard. When we got close to him, we saw he was already dead. Following that, we called the police.

Rezaul Karim nodded, planning to speak with each of the housekeepers later. He was informed that a party was held the previous evening. He then walked over to the chessboard and looked at the pieces. The way they were arranged was strange, and it didn't seem to make sense.

A woman wearing a long, flowing gown entered while he was looking at the chessboard. She attended the gathering as a guest.Her voice was filled with excitement as she stated, "I heard there was a murder."

Rezaul Karim gave her a wary look. Who could you be, then?

She replied, "I'm Nisha," and extended her hand.

Rezaul Karim gave it a shake. Nisha, what brings you here?

"I was at the party last night," she said. I observed Mr. Ray playing chess on this particular board.

Rezaul Karim ducked his notebook and nodded. "Are you able to provide me with any other information? Have you noticed anything suspicious?

Shaking her head, Nisha. "No, everybody was decked up like a piece of chess. Who was who was difficult to distinguish.

Rezaul Karim noted that in his notes and carried on with his inquiry. He spoke with all of the servants, but none of them appeared to know anything about what had taken place. He got a call from the coroner just as he was ready to leave the estate.

"Rezaul, you must return. I've discovered it.

Rezaul Karim hastened to the coroner's tent after returning to the estate. The coroner was inside, using a magnifying glass to examine the body. The question "What did you find?" asked Rezaul Karim.

The coroner directed attention to a tiny puncture hole on Jaminder Pratap Ray's neck and stated, "Look at this."

Rezaul Karim cast a scowl. The question "What is it?"

About the size of a needle, it is a little puncture wound. And it wasn't the reason for the death. Mr. Ray was choked to death.

Rezaul Karim's brain was spinning. So they smothered him after injecting him with a paralyzing substance that prevented him from moving or speaking.

"It's possible," the coroner said.

Rezaul Karim thanked the coroner and left the tent. He had a feeling that this was going to be a complicated case. As he was leaving the estate, he saw Nisha again.

"Anything new, Detective?" she asked.

Rezaul Karim looked at her, wondering if she knew more than she was letting on. "Not yet. But I'll find out who did this."

Nisha smiled. "I hope so. I wouldn't want to be the next victim."

Rezaul Karim watched as Nisha walked away, her long flowing gown swishing behind her. He made a mental note to investigate her further.

Over the next few days, Rezaul Karim interviewed everyone who had been at the party. He found out that Nisha was someone who was popular for organising big, fancy gatherings. He also discovered that Zamindar Pratap Ray had been in debt and had recently sold off a large portion of his estate to pay off his creditors.

As Rezaul Karim pieced together the information, he began to suspect that the murder was not a random act. It seemed to be planned, and there were too many coincidences for it to be anything else.

One evening, as he was going over his notes, he received a call from Nisha. "Detective, I think I know who did it."

"Who?" Rezaul Karim asked.

"Zamindar Pratap Ray's ex-wife. She was at the party, and she was wearing a black and white mask. I saw her leaving the estate just before I did."

Rezaul Karim felt a shiver run down his spine. It all made sense now. The ex-wife had motive and opportunity. She had also been wearing a black and white mask, just like the chess pieces on the board.

Rezaul Karim raced to the ex-wife's house and found her packing her bags. "You're under arrest," he said, as he handcuffed her.

As he was taking her away, she turned to him and said, "I did it for the money. He refused to give me anything in the divorce settlement, and I couldn't stand to see him living the high life while I struggled to make ends meet."

Rezaul Karim shook his head in disgust. "You killed a man for money. You played a twisted game of chess, and you lost."

The ex-wife said nothing as Rezaul Karim led her away. Justice had been served, but it was a small comfort in the face of such a heinous crime. Rezaul Karim knew that he would never forget this case, and he would always be haunted by the twisted game of chess that had led to Jaminder Pratap Ray's death.

In the coming weeks, Rezaul Karim submitted his findings to the court. The ex-wife's motive was clear: she had been cut out of Jaminder Pratap Ray's will and stood to gain a lot from his death. The puncture wound on his neck had been made with a syringe, which contained a powerful sedative. The killer had waited until Jaminder was unconscious and then suffocated him with a pillow.

The ex-wife was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Rezaul Karim received a commendation for his work on the case, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that he had been played. The killer had used the game of chess to taunt him, and he couldn't help but feel like he had been a pawn in their game.

He made a promise to himself to never let anyone use him like that again. As he packed up his belongings and left the police station, he knew that he would always be haunted by the memory of the chessboard and the twisted mind that had used it to commit murder.