For the first time in many years, I crossed my fingers and tried to remember a prayer grandma had taught me as a child. ‘Ma Durga is the supreme power, my child,’ she had told me during Durga Pooja celebrations a lifetime ago. ‘She represents the feminine divinity, the strength of a woman to right wrongs and stand up for her loved ones. Like her, you are also very strong. Remember that always, when you feel claustrophobic with fear. Remember that She lives in you and She will give you Her strength. You only have to believe. Chant with me, Nalini...’
I had forgotten the chant. But I believed. I believed with every cell in my body, and I prayed for Chirag’s well-being.
Five o’clock. Would Candy Floss be awake? I did not have her number, but I had Piyush’s phone. I prayed one last time and then picked up his phone to make the call. I searched for her number and found it in the recent calls register, directly below Chirag. He had called her at 12:00 a.m. Anger rushed through my veins and tore at my heart.
Minutes before he placed the call he had banged on my door, and when I didn’t oblige he had called her! I felt cheated. He had jumped from my arms into hers, the bastard!
I dialled directly from his cell. She answered on the third ring. ‘Good morning, honey. Thank you for the birthday gift,’ she gushed into the receiver. ‘It arrived sharp at twelve just as your call ended. I opened it after cutting the cake. We all missed you and Chirag.’
So it was her birthday. I had forgotten. No wonder Piyush had called her at midnight—forever the dutiful husband! I felt better. He hadn’t ditched me.
‘Pakhi, it’s Nalini,’ I croaked into the receiver before she said or did something that would embarrass both of us.
‘Nalini?’ she repeated, confused. ‘Is everything all right? Is Piyush okay?’ she continued after a short pause.
‘I am calling about Chirag,’ I told her calmly. Time for an Oscar-winning performance, I reminded myself. I could not toss my real feelings into this conversation, I knew.
‘Chirag?’ she panicked. ‘What has happened to him?’
‘Nothing, nothing yet. Are you sitting down, Pakhi?’
‘Nothing yet? What do you mean?’
‘Pakhi...’ I waited for her to confirm that she was sitting down. The poor girl’s birthday was ruined. I did not want her to fall and hurt herself as well. I could do without her father breathing down my neck because of both his children.
‘I am sitting,’ she confirmed demurely. Trust Candy Floss! Even during a crisis, she could be all dainty and serene.
‘Chirag is not in his room. We have launched a search operation and we are looking everywhere for him.’
‘Oh, is that all? Maybe he heard a new bird cry or something and went to investigate. He does that, you know. He must be nearby. Did Piyush frighten you and ask you to make this call?’
‘No, Pakhi, it’s not like that. Matters are more serious than that.’
‘Don’t worry, Nalini. He will be fine. Once he got into a fight with his governess and ran away. We looked everywhere but could not find him. Finally after two hours he came back because he was hungry.’ I could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke.
‘Pakhi, this time, he may be hurt.’
‘Why do you think that?’
‘His room, his bathroom... is all streaked with blood.’
‘Oh my God!’
‘We have been searching for him since 3:30 this morning. He may have lost too much blood by now.’ I didn’t mention that he might have been attacked. Other than the blood, we had no evidence that someone had attacked him.
‘Oh, Chirag!’ Candy Floss’s voice was a deathly squeak.
‘Search parties are out. I will let you know as soon as we find him. I thought I should inform you.’
‘Thank you for calling. Please find him soon,’ she said and cut the call.
‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ I checked to see who had spoken. Bhandari! He really was a birdbrain.
‘That is not the difficult part. The next call I receive will be the difficult one.’
Sure enough, the phone buzzed two minutes later. The screen displayed the smiling face of Bharat Desai. I answered on the first ring. ‘Sir, Nalini Bose here.’
‘Are you the lady who called my daughter a few minutes ago?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘This is Piyush’s number.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Where is Piyush?’
‘We don’t know exactly. He was not in his room when we went in.’
‘I am asking about Piyush, not Chirag.’
‘I am speaking about Piyush Gokhle, sir. He was not in his room when we went in.’
‘Why were you in his room in the first place?’
‘He did not open the door when the duty manager, one of my colleagues, and I tried to inform him about Chirag. He did not answer his mobile or landline. We were concerned and opened the room with the master key.’
‘You did not tell my daughter this?’
‘No, sir. I did not wish to worry her.’
‘It’s not your choice to make. He is her husband.’
‘Yes, sir. ‘
‘So Piyush is also missing.’
‘We are not sure if he has gone in search of Chirag or...’
‘Or?’
‘Or he might have had too much to drink last night and may be sleeping somewhere.’
‘Do you know to whom you are speaking?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Then it will serve you well to remember that Piyush Gokhle, my son-in-law, is not a lowly drunkard. He is not in the habit of getting stoned and lying wasted in public places or gutters or wherever it is that you are implying.’
‘I am sorry, sir.’
‘I wonder how you got a job in his company and how you won your way to this trip. You are not smart. In which department are you?’
‘I am in HR.’
‘You are the Nalini Bose Chirag keeps praising?’
‘I am Nalini Bose.’
‘Hell...’ he swore. ‘So, why do you think Piyush may be out looking for Chirag?’
‘Piyush had called Chirag at 2:30 a.m. That was his last call before he stepped out.’
‘How did you find out Chirag was missing?’
‘One of my colleagues, Cyrus Daruwala, found his bathroom and balcony smeared in blood, so he came to me.’
‘Cyrus... board member Kailash’s friend?’
‘Yes.’ So, the father-in-law knew Cyrus. No wonder he was all over this mess. He could do some serious impressing now.
‘I know him. Is he nearby? Can I speak to him?’
I handed Cy the phone. He took it, looking very important and full of himself. I was glad to have the old man off my back, even if it was a temporary reprieve. The nerve of the weasel to tell me to my face that I wasn’t intelligent! Damn Piyush. I had to deal with all this crap because of him.
A few minutes later, Piyush’s phone rang again. Candy Floss was calling. Another undesirable conversation to endure! Both father and daughter were likely to hound me until they found Chirag.
‘Nalini, Piyush is missing?’ Candy Floss breathed urgently into the phone.
I spoke firmly. ‘Piyush can take good care of himself, don’t you think?’
‘You will inform me when he returns.’
‘Better than that, I will make sure he calls you right away.’
‘Thank you, Nalini.’
‘You take care!’ I told her, cutting the call. How much longer would I have to babysit his wife and tolerate his father-in-law? I was ready to kill someone.
◆◆◆
After that, Piyush’s mobile kept ringing off the hook for an hour—the police commissioner, Bharat Desai, Candy Floss, an upstart member of the Legislative Assembly—I lost count of people pouring their political ambitions down my throat. Answering all of them, repeating the same explanations, stomaching insulting comments—my plight was akin to a measly punching bag hung in a fairground. Everyone passing b
y took a swing.
By 6:00 a.m., four policemen looking important and self-assured arrived from Malwan. Four of them! How they planned to form a search party with their large strength escaped me. Had I been giving Bhandari a hard time for this unbeatable force? I felt disgusted. To top matters, none of them went looking for Chirag. They decided it was better to coordinate with the team already there.
When I heard this, I almost threw my empty coffee cup at them. I launched into a tirade. The inspector left the room with his team, saying he did not need advice on how to do his job from some hot-headed bitch who couldn’t tell the difference between a policeman and a security guard. He had a sinister face, but I was a fearless Bong and had enough firepower left to crucify him. I would have taken matters further but Alisha drew me aside.
‘They are bad people,’ she whispered in a worried tone. ‘They will remember and take revenge when you cannot help yourself. Never mess with them, Nalini. Trust me, I know,’ she said, nodding her head to remind me that she did.
I chided myself and resolved to keep my cool until the crisis ended. Just then the door opened and Bhandari rushed in.
‘They found him!’
‘Chirag?’ I asked wearily.
‘Yes.’
‘Alive?’
‘Yes, yes, he is alive.’
I sank deep into the chair and heaved a huge sigh of relief. Cheers broke out and celebratory claps echoed across the room.
‘Somebody get the ambulance ready,’ I called above the din. I was smiling. I had survived the ordeal. Relief seeped through me and I shut my eyes to soak it in.
Chapter 6
The air ambulance was on standby. The team escorting Chirag had informed us that he was in deep shock but appeared to be all right. He had come out of hiding on his own, was on his feet, and the bleeding seemed to have stopped. There was no sign of any attacker.
Chirag had agreed to return with them when they showed him their employee IDs and promised him food. That sounded like him. He was an absolute foodie. This update had been half an hour ago. Everyone was on edge waiting for him. I had informed Candy Floss that her brother was on his way back and that initial reports suggested he was well. Those of us who had seen the sickening room believed that parts of the report were inaccurate. How could someone lose that much blood and be all right?
At last, they came into sight. Two frail men dressed in the resort’s security uniform and behind them Chirag, all seventy-five kilos of his five-foot-four frame, walking. Except for his mud-splattered face and clothes, he was his usual self. The doctor examined Chirag while he sat on a couch in the main reception and muddied it beyond repair. After that, the doctor spoke to us while Chirag ate.
‘He is fine,’ he told us.
‘We noticed,’ I replied.
‘But how can that be? He lost so much blood,’ Bhandari voiced our confusion.
‘It’s impossible for anyone to lose that much blood and be alert for this long,’ the doctor replied.
‘You are saying the blood we saw wasn’t his?’ I asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Is it human blood?’ I asked the police, dreading what it meant if their answer was yes.
‘Only after our lab runs tests can we confirm that,’ the inspector replied. ‘The samples left the island by boat a few minutes ago. We will know in a few hours.’
‘Great, by then the bleeding person will only be dead,’ I retorted, my anger erupting once again. His incompetence made me furious.
‘Piyush could be that person,’ Stanley reminded us, stating the obvious.
‘If he was anywhere around, someone would have found him by now,’ Bhandari added.
‘Not if he is still out cold,’ I replied.
‘It’s 8:00 a.m., Nalini,’ Manav pointed out. ‘On a regular day, he would be at work by this time. Booze has never stopped him. Besides, they have scanned every square foot of the island in the past few hours. If he were here, they would have found him.’
‘What if he was in the swamp? They only found Chirag because he came out of hiding.’ I wanted to avoid Manav’s line of thought. It was inconvenient. ‘Have the divers found anything?’ I asked Bhandari.
‘Not yet, but they are on the job.’
I nodded and looked at Chirag. ‘Let’s find out whose blood it is and what happened,’ I said with determination.
Locking away all my doubts and fears, I strode to the couch with every intention of stamping my authority on the situation and bringing some clarity to the mess. When I reached Chirag, I smiled and sat down beside him. He gave me a silly grin while his eyes sparkled with mischief.
‘I can see everything,’ he whispered, leaning close to me, his face gleaming with a naughty smile.
What the heck was he talking about? Oh God, give me the strength to deal with this joker without messing things up, I prayed. ‘Really?’
‘Yes, so can the others.’
‘Others too, huh!’
‘Hehe, your robe is loose and your nightie has slipped, Nalini. I can see everything!’ he laughed.
Looking down at my chest, I realised he was right. My robe was loose and my tee had slipped off my shoulder to reveal a lacy bra underneath. I turned red. Trust him to embarrass me in front of everyone and knock me out of my rhythm. I quickly fixed my clothes while he continued to laugh.
‘It’s okay now!’ he said when I looked up again. He smiled approvingly, and I managed a smile in return. Around me, I heard some obvious chuckles and sighs of regret.
‘The chef should teach our cook to make sambar like that. Our cook always gets it wrong. His dhokla and chutney are great, though. Oh, and he makes the most amazing laddoos. Do you think the chef can make laddoos? Can I get one, or two or three, please?’
‘I am sure he will make a few for you,’ I replied with the smile plastered firmly on my face.
‘Great, I also like cake. The chocolate one I had yesterday was superb, but I prefer strawberry. I want a strawberry cake with chocolate ice cream and fruit salad. Mangoes... can he make mango jelly?’
Realising that this list could go on forever, I interrupted him. ‘Chirag, we will get something more for you to eat, but in the meantime will you please help me?’
‘I will help you. Do you want some breakfast too?’ he offered, beaming.
Trust him to make everything about food. Exasperated, I continued, ‘Sure, we will eat, but I want help with something else.’
‘Something else?’ he echoed, looking pensive. ‘What is it? Did someone scold you?’
This was rich! Only your dad and a dozen other nobodies, I wanted to say. I bit my tongue and shook my head. ‘No, nobody scolded me. But I... we were worried for you.’
‘Really!’
‘Yes, we looked everywhere for you last night, but you had disappeared! Thank God these security people found you. You know that the marshes aren’t safe, don’t you?’
‘The swamp where I was?’ He looked amazed.
‘Yes, there are snakes, insects, and lots of dangerous creatures like that.’
‘I am not afraid of snakes and insects!’ he declared.
‘We worried that some animal ate you!’
‘Ha ha, Nalini. Don’t you know animals don’t eat men; men eat animals.’ He laughed at his own joke.
‘Can I ask you something?’ I said, taking advantage of his good mood.
‘Yes, you wanted my help. I forgot. Sorry. Tell me.’
‘Why did you go there?’
‘I don’t want to speak about it.’
‘I thought you wanted laddoos.’
‘I do.’
‘So please help me, and I will help you get some.’
‘My father will get me as many as I want. You go help yourself.’
Like father, like son, I fumed. ‘Please, Chirag.’
‘I was running away.’
‘Why, did somebody attack you?’
‘Of course not. I was running away from my brother-in-law,’ he replied,
shocking all of us.
‘Why?’
‘Because he wanted to steal from me!’
‘What!!’
‘You heard me. He wanted to steal. Wait until I tell daddy.’
‘Piyush called you last night?’
‘Yes, I was sleeping, and he called.’
‘What did he say?’
‘He said he was coming to steal my watch from me before it was too late.’
‘Your watch? You are not wearing one.’
‘I was. But now it’s safe. He cannot steal it.’
‘It is safe?’
‘Nalini, you are so slow. I hid it, silly, so he would not steal it from me. It’s mine. I will not give it to him.’
‘Maybe you misunderstood. What were his exact words?’
‘He called me and said, “Chiru, that watch I gave you this evening, I want it back. You don’t need it. I will get you another.” And I told him I would not give it back. It was mine, and I wanted it. He insisted, so I ran away.’
What was I to make of this explanation?
‘Where have you hidden the watch?’ Devyani interjected. I glared at her. Why was she poking her nose into this?
‘He gave it to me, and I refuse to return it,’ Chirag shouted.
‘It’s okay, Chirag. You need not return it. Why is there blood in your room?’ I asked.
‘Is there blood in my room? Whose blood? Can I see it? Show me.’
I gave up. He knew nothing. ‘How did you go to the swamp?’ I asked.
‘I got out of my room and went through that corridor,’ he said, pointing in the general direction of the fire escape.
‘Where is your phone?’
‘Here,’ he said, producing it.
‘Why did you switch it off?’
‘He kept calling! I didn’t want him to find me.’
‘Okay, please turn it on, and call Pakhi and your dad. I will arrange for laddoos. All right?’
‘Okay!’
I left in a hurry, my mind reeling. The blood had not been Chirag’s, and no one had attacked him, so possibly it was Piyush’s. Why would he call in the middle of the night about a watch that he had himself gifted Chirag? He had been sober enough to wish his wife a happy birthday. I tried to remember him during our quarrel. Had he been too drunk? Had he jumped off the cliff? Why hadn’t he called me? Had he called me and had I not heard? Was he even alive?
The Murder Suspect Page 5