Arsenic in the
Post by Ruskin Bond is a murder mystery covered in the book Death Under the
Deodars. This story dates back to 1920s – it is narrated by Miss Ripley-Bean.
When this story actually took place that time she was a young girl of twenty.
Well, now she is a seventy year old spinster living in one of the rooms of the
hotel Royal in Mussoorie. The story is narrated in the company of Nandu, the
hotel owner, Lobo, the pianist, the princess of Harshil, and Ruskin Bond.
Mrs. Doreen
Smith is a voluptuous married woman in her thirties. She lives in Meerut with
his husband, Mr. Clarence Smith, and an eleven year old school-going daughter.
She is bored of her life – she leads a sedentary lifestyle and her husband is
not much of fun to her in bed. She is looking for some extra in life.
Soon, she
comes in contact with a tall and dark and handsome man, Monty Summers. They get
along together quite soon and secretly make love whenever they get chance.
Monty Summers is married and lives in Agra. So, he often comes to Meerut on
official duty and in the afternoon he comes to Doreen’s home. At times, Doreen
visits him at his hotel place. The more they meet, the more they feel like
doing it.
They are so
excited by their love-making episodes that they hatched a plan to meet
permanently, without caring a bit about their families. Monty Summers posted
arsenic in an envelope to Doreen, along with it instructions on how to use it
for killing Mr. Smith tactfully. Love is blind, so does lust.
Doreen and
Monty succeed in giving a slow death to Mr. Smith. Soon, out of nowhere, in
Agra a few men enter Monty’s house and kills his wife. His wife identifies one
killer and screams out his name so aloud that her daughter who is sleeping in
the next room hears that clearly. At the time of crime, Monty is not at home.
He is out of town. When he comes back he handles the case to the police. Upon
asking their daughter about the crime, she reveals one of the killers that her
mother was screaming aloud. That man was a painter at Monty’s house. Police
picks him up, he confesses Monty’s name in the murder.
Monty is
arrested. From the deep investigation, it also comes out that he and Doreen
killed Mr. Smith. Monty is hanged in Allahabad and Doreen is sent to jail for
life imprisonment. Doreen is pregnant with Monty’s child. The baby is born, but
she dies. What happens to the daughters of Monty and Mr. Smith remains a
mystery – where did they go and how.
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