A House on Fire

I was returning home from a restaurant at night. I stopped in front of a huge house. Lots of shouting voices were coming out of it. And in a minute the house was on fire. I quickly ran to the nearest telephone box and rang the police and the firefighters. I wanted to go inside the house but the gate was locked and there was no way from which I could climb it. I saw a slight movement near a tree inside the house which I thought to be the pet dog, so I ignored it. When I had just given up climbing the gate I saw a man running towards me. When he was only a few paces away I recognized him at once. He was the famous hero of the film ‘The dark lord’ and was awarded a very precious watch which had no copy in the world.

‘What has happened’ he asked me out of breathe. It seemed that he had to run quite a long distance.
‘I was just passing when it happened’ I said.
‘It’s very terrible. Very terrible’ he said taking out a handkerchief and hiding his face. May be he was weeping but I saw a glimpse of panic before he hid his face.
‘Did you know who lived in the house’ I asked.
‘It's my friend's house’ he said through the handkerchief.
‘Can you tell any reason of the accident’ I asked.
At this he looked at me perplexed ‘who’re you’
‘I’m detective Sundus’
He was startled at hearing my name.
‘Yo- you’re the famous detective’
I nodded ‘and you’re famous-’

But rest of our conversation was cut due to the arrival of the police and firefighters.
Many news correspondents came after half an hour. As I was the only one to have seen what had exactly happened every one was trying to interview me.
‘Give me a way. Move aside please’ the police inspector Martin was trying to make his way to reach me. As he succeeded in reaching me he took me to his car to go to the police station. Not to charge or question me about the incident but to get some information.
‘You were present there when the house had caught the fire?’ asked Martin as we were heading to the police station. Martin was one of the people whom I fully trusted. In most cases he used to be the first one to reach the place of the incident. I also had good relations with other police inspectors but he was my best.

‘Yes, right in front of the gate’ I answered.
‘Why do you think it happened?’
‘I don’t know. It could be an accident or a crime. Before the fire I was heard cries of people from inside’
‘What do you think? Was it an accident or a plot?’
‘I can’t tell you before I see the place and investigate’
We reached police station in about quarter of an hour where he offered me a cup of tea.
‘What were you doing there with Henry Watson?’ he asked.
‘I wasn’t with him. He arrived after the accident. And there was panic on his face. May be because it was his friend's house’

‘Was it the house of his friend?’ he asked in surprise and I nodded.
‘Then that’s why he was in panic. Its not an unusual thing?’ he asked in surprise.
‘He could have plotted it’
‘What?’
‘It’s just a suggestion. I have concluded from my two years experience as a detective that every weird thing can happen’
After some time when the area was fully secured by the police we went back to examine the house.
‘It’s a huge house. They must be very rich’ said Martin as we got off the car.
‘We didn’t come here to talk about their wealth’

‘Ok, but look at their house. Its like a castle and half of it is burnt’
We went in through the gate which was now open.
‘A few of the servants who ran through the back door are inside’ said the policeman standing beside the gate.
‘Very good. Thanks for the informing’ said Martin.
‘They’ll be able to tell us the whole story’ he said confidently.
‘The fire started from the second floor. But they were in the first storey. So they can not tell what happened upstairs’
To be continued.