Detective Antony was at it again. The underworld don, popularly called Moriarty, was known to be disguised as a teacher in the TASIF engineering college, from information provided by the secret service. 2 students died there, in the presence of 2 staff members, separately. Dr. Hill K M , Phd (mathematics) and Dr.KK, Phd (electronics) were the suspects.
Dr. Hill K M, Phd (mathematics) (NIT), adjusted his spectacles, the gleam in his eyes blocked by the reflection of the tube light from his lenses. "What happened? Here's what happened, Antony. The student, Akash P.N. , came to me in private to ask a question on numerical solutions. I ended up asking him to solve x-cos x=0. By the time he reached x15, he collapsed and died out of exhaustion. It wasn't my fault. We were alone, so no one saw. Now no more questions".
Antony proceeded to the digital electronics lab, the den of Dr. KK, PhD (IIT-K), whose real name was rarely uttered. Dr. KK sat gazing into the empty lab, like an 8 year old watching Inception. "Detective", he said. "It wasn't me. Renjith.P. had not completed one lab experiment, so he came to do it in the lunch break. It was just me and him. The careless boy operated on the digital trainer with the voltage on. He got a shock, which passed internally through his body, affecting his vital organs on the left side. I couldn't save him on time. So you see, it wasn't me. Also, I notice you're not wearing shoes, so get out before I shock you to death."
Antony left, thinking about what they had said. Suddenly, he started grinning. He realized who the alter ego of Moriarty was.
Antony called for a meeting of all the head faculty members above the principal's office, but no one showed up. So he started speaking through the college announcement mic. "I have realized who Moriarty is. Do not panic when I say this, but Dr KK (Phd) of the electronics department is the underworld don and will kill you if you go anywhere near him. The police are here to arrest him. I repeat..."
The last thing Antony could remember was the stare that Dr.KK (Phd) gave him. A stare that could make Bin Laden defuse his own bomb. The stare of an innocent man, that apparently, an underworld don could fake.
"How did you solve it, Antony?" The principal, Dr Mech phd (Phd), who looked more like a sapient construction worker, wanted to know. "It's simple. A digital trainer can only produce 5 to 12 volts in DC. That couldn't shock a baby. Dr.KK (Phd) should've known better than to try to trick me with that. I studied electronics, after all.
The sun was setting. TASIF wasn't empty though, because students had special class. Antony stayed, however, thinking of the stare Dr.KK (Phd) gave him. Something bugged him. Why would Dr. KK come up with such a lame excuse? He had a freaking Phd in electronics. Something didn't make sense. He started walking around the college, just for fun.
He soon reached the class of Dr Hill KM (Phd). He looked inside. The students were doing numerical solutions. Some were working, some drinking, some sleeping. "As I said", Dr Hill KM (Phd) announced. "You need to solve all the equations with an accuracy of 2 decimal places. Write everything clearly, with the date and question number, or I'll kill you.
The next day Antony visited the state prison, the cell of Dr KK (Phd). KK stood up immediately, with tears in his eyes. "I'm not angry at you. I just want you to know that I wasn't lying. The shock was real, Antony. The shock was real."
"I know, KK. I have suspicions now. But I'll need evidence. I guarantee you that if you're innocent, I'll set you free"
Antony proceeded to TASIF, to the mathematics department. Dr Hill KM (Phd) was absent. He questioned Mr. Chinoy, who sat next to him. "Did Dr. Hill only teach Akash P.N's class?"
"No."
"Was the other class he taught, Renjith's?"
"It was".
"Did you ever teach Renjith?"
"I did. Renjith was a good student. He always sat in the first bench."
Antony gazed down at Mr. Chinoy's polished shoes. They looked good. He also noticed a bottle on the floor next to them. "Don't mind the bottle, detective. That's Dr. Hill's. Although he just keeps it on the floor all the time, and it's always filled with water." "Ok that's enough, Chinoy. Stop acting smart."
Antony took the bottle along with him and walked down the hall, flooded with an unnecessary number of CCTV cameras. He entered the digital lab, and noticed that there was no camera. He exclaimed to the peon passing by "Brilliant! I'll need to take a look at some video footage. Also, take this bottle to Dr. Kajilesh (Phd) (Chemistry). He works for me."
The next day, all the TASIF doors were locked. The students and teachers stood outside, with smiles on their faces. Antony addressed them. "Let me get straight to it. I was wrong. I have proof that Dr. Hill KM (Phd) is Moriarty."
"He told his students to solve equations with an accuracy of 2 decimal places, but to solve x-cos x=0 with that accuracy, you dont have to solve till x15. I spent the whole night yesterday trying. Also, I noticed Dr Hill KM entering the digital lab, but couldn't see anything cause there were no cameras in there. So, I checked the digital trainers on the first bench, where Renjith used to sit. All the internal resistances were removed, causing the supply to be transferred directly to the inputs. 12 volts DC didn't shock Renjith. 230V, 50 hz AC did.
We also analyzed the bottle of Dr.Hill, which he apparently never drank from and found traces of ploroform, a lethal drug. Dr Hill asked Akash P.N. to solve with an accuracy of 4 decimal places, and offered him the poisoned water when he got tired. He is the underworld don. The police will take it from here.
The last memories of Antony that day were of KK smiling at him when he was released from his jail cell.
Author Notes: This story is a satire about my college, and is not meant to be taken seriously.
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India • 27 years old