The Siya Rajput Crime Thrillers Books 1-3 (Where Are They Now / Finding Her / The Bones Are Calling)

by UD Yasha

  ‘Do you have a photo of this woman?’

  I showed it to him on my phone. ‘She’s not in the best shape,’ I said.

  ‘I haven’t seen her before,’ Shrinivas said after a spell of silence. ‘Why don’t you do one thing? Send me the names and pictures of these people. I will ask my colleagues.’

  ‘I don’t want to spray around this information,’ I said.

  ‘I understand,’ he said and paused. ‘I want to help you in whatever way I can.’

  ‘The bribe might not have been related to cases in May. It could have been about something that happened in the following or preceding months. Can you share the cases you and dad worked on that year till August?’

  ‘Sure, I’ll email you the scanned copies.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll be in touch,’ I said and rose to leave. ‘You know where to find me in case you remember something.’

  ‘In that case, I’ll be calling you first thing. Please take care, Siya,’ Shrinivas said.

  I walked back to my car and started driving back, a thought struck me. As much as I had hoped to get something from Shrinivas, I knew there was a high chance that he would not be able to add much value. I still decided to go through the cases dad worked on that year. But I wondered about the usefulness of that. Unless it was a glaring case of corruption, it was hard to track it down by just looking at the paperwork. And if all the people involved were careful, they would make sure to leave no paper trail behind.

  That’s when a thought occurred to me. There are two kinds of proof. The first is material evidence. Stuff like money trail, murder weapon and forensic data like fingerprints and DNA among other things. The second kind of proof involves people. Eye-witnesses and people who were a part of the crime. Generally speaking, the second type was harder to prove. How could the court be sure that someone was not lying?

  In this case, I had no material evidence. There was not even any sign that any kind of material evidence existed. But if what happened in the morning with me and the triple homicide were linked, then I was staring at four deaths. All possibly linked to one crime. If that was the case, someone was trying their best to keep that crime a secret.

  My phone started ringing on the dashboard. A cursory glance told me it was Dr. Rastogi. I answered the call.

  ‘Siya, I have some information for you,’ he said and cleared his throat. ‘I analysed the blood on your clothes. It matches Jane Doe’s blood.’

  ‘Thanks doctor,’ I said.

  As I drove home, my head began thudding, like it had every time I tried to remember how the hell a woman had bled out on me and I didn’t have a clue about it.

  Twenty minutes later, the guy in the leather jacket dialled a number that connected him to a secure line with another person he called the Viper.

  ‘I’ve got information,’ the guy said.

  ‘What’s happening?’ the Viper said.

  ‘Senior Inspector Kapil Rathod just paid the CID’s forensics unit a visit.’

  Silence.

  ‘They’re getting closer,’ the guy said in an urgent tone.

  ‘Don’t do anything right now.’

  The guy was feeling frustrated. He could act now and make sure nothing happened. But his boss was always more patient than he should have been. He didn’t realize that the deeper the situation went, it became harder to eliminate targets. The guy found it ironic that the man they called the Viper was not ready to kill at first chance. What the guy didn’t realize then was that the Viper waited and waited and then slashed his mark.

  ‘But they’ll find out soon,’ the guy said, trying to hide the frustration in his voice.

  ‘I don’t like your tone.’

  Silence.

  The Viper paused to let his words sink in. He said after a spell, ‘They’re still a long way away from finding the truth. We’ll make sure they don't get there.’ The Viper didn’t wait for the guy to respond and hung up.

  The coolness in his boss’ voice sent chills down the guy’s back. For now, he watched Rathod head to a tapri outside the CID building and drink his fifth cup of coffee.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I got back home at half past two. My headache had eased by then. I saw Radha and Rahul were in the garage. I went to them.

  ‘Maa’s sleeping,’ Radha said, realizing what I was worrying about even before I asked her. ‘Rathod just sent across all the documents he has got on Malhar and Niyati Jathar. It includes their bank statements, list of assets, patient information and personal notes.’

  ‘Great,’ I said. ‘I didn’t get anything from Shrinivas. I think we’re looking at a crime that was completely off the record, especially if dad got a bribe for it.’

  Rahul said, ‘You look exhausted. You need to take a nap.’

  My eyes were feeling heavy. I had barely got four hours of sleep at night. I gauged the situation. Radha and Rahul were fully capable of sifting through heaps of information that Rathod had sent across. I could help them, or I could sleep for an hour and get some much-needed rest. Even the doctor who had conducted the CT scan had told me to rest.

  ‘That’s a good idea. I think I’ll sleep for a bit. Wake me up in an hour,’ I said and went upstairs. Shadow had curled up at the foot of bed, enjoying his afternoon siesta.

  I closed the curtains and snuggled into my comforter. As I closed my eyes, the scenes from Stan Mills started playing in my mind. How could I not remember what had happened? What had I seen that was so shocking? Was it dad? But if he was there, then how had I ended up unconscious. And who had put Jane Doe in my car? My head began hurting again. I rummaged in my purse for the painkiller the doctor had given me. I gulped it down with water and lay back on the bed, my eyes wide open and heart thudding against my ribs. If only I could remember what had happened.

  I was facing a roadblock in the investigation. I had two more people to speak to who knew dad. But with the way my conversation with Shrinivas had gone, I was starting to not feel too upbeat about it. I picked up my phone to message Rathod.

  Just then, it vibrated in my hand. It was a message from Rathod.

  I spoke to Vikram Badami. He doesn’t know the four people involved. Neither did he recognize John and Jane Doe.

  My phone buzzed again. It was another message from Rathod.

  We are circulating their pictures in my criminal informants’ network. Let’s see if there’s a hit.

  I sighed. Another dead end. I checked the time. It was close to three. Kedar Sathe, the facial reconstruction expert, would probably just be getting free now. I hoped he could give us a face. There was a high chance that Jane Doe was the one to have called me in the morning. Knowing her identity would definitely give us new leads.

  I felt hopeful.

  With that thought in mind, my eyes closed and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

  I woke up again with a start, all sweaty. There was no nightmare this time. Just a restless nap. I checked the time. Twenty minutes past three. It hit me that I thought I had overslept and wasted valuable time, and that’s why I woke up in a panic.

  I tried to close my eyes, but the thoughts flew in and out. I realized that sleep was a luxury I could not have then. I sat up on my bed and closed my eyes to meditate. My therapist had suggested I start meditating while I was still recovering from the Kunal Shastri episode. It had been life-changing. I had gotten into the habit of starting and ending my day with it. Only when the stress was too high, I would seek the calm in the middle of the day.

  After just ten minutes of practice, I felt more in control. And I had a new plan. But I had to confirm something else first.

  I called up the clinic where we had got my CT scan done. The lady across the line told me the results were ready and they hadn’t gotten around to emailing them to me yet. As soon as I got off the line with her, my phone chimed. A copy of it would have also gone to Dr. Rastogi.

  I dialled his number and asked him to check the results. He called me back in five minutes and said, ‘The repor
t looks good, Siya. You’re clear of any major brain injury.’

  I punched the air and let out a sigh of relief, realizing only then that a part of me was worried about the results showing something serious.

  ‘Seeing this result, I’m positive that your memory loss was induced by stress or trauma,’ Dr. Rastogi said.

  I thanked him. That’s all I needed to take the next step. I was dreading it but it was required. My finger hovered over the name of my therapist. Komal Raheja. She had been a massive help when I was at rock bottom after the Kunal Shastri incident. I was afraid because talking to Komal meant getting emotionally exhausted. Could I afford that right now? But at the same time, the conversation with her could help me remember what happened in the morning. Because of all the dead ends I was hitting, I tapped her number to make the call.

  Chapter Eighteen

  After taking an hour’s nap at his house, Rathod got back to a packed CID office. The triple homicide had gotten everyone busy.

  ‘Great timing, Rathod,’ ACP Shukla said the moment Rathod stepped in. ‘The crime scene analysts are just going to start their brief.’

  Rathod went to the coffee machine to get another cup. But then he turned around. It wasn’t even four in the afternoon and he had had enough coffee for the next two days. He drank a glass of water instead.

  He followed the rest of his team into the conference room. Six police officers were inside. Someone nudged Rathod’s left shoulder. He turned. It was Bhalerao, extending a hand that held a coffee cup.

  ‘It’s okay, you can have another one’ Bhalerao said with a grin on his face. ‘It’s just one of those days.’

  Rathod shook his head but could not stop himself from laughing as he took the coffee.

  A man whom Rathod knew as Mohit Marathe stepped forward. He was a new addition to the CID team in Pune and this was only his second case. He specialized in analyzing crime scenes. ACP Shukla stood next to him. Shukla had got Marathe from the Nagpur branch.

  ‘Here’s what we know,’ Marathe said in a robust voice that suited his buffy figure. ‘We went through the locks but found no evidence of them being tampered with. So, it’s extremely likely that the Jathar couple knew the killer. The CCTV footage is not conclusive. There are many dark spots and even the usual footage is grainy in low light.’

  Rathod said, ‘What about the CCTV at the gate of the complex? Even if the killer knew the couple, he or she would have been recorded by those cameras.’

  ‘Yes, I was coming to that. We are going through the recordings of all cars and two-wheelers that have entered and exited the complex post ten in the night. The security guards are helping us out with identifying the known vehicles. The cameras at the gates are in a good position to record number plates too. We are hopeful we get something useful from them.’

  ‘What about the crime scene itself?’ ACP Shukla said.

  ‘Dr. Sonia will be the better person to tell you. She’s going through all the samples we collected. But I can tell you one thing. We found some DNA samples that don't belong to any of the three victims. We also ran it through our system but didn’t get any hits.’

  ‘So, not a known criminal,’ Shukla said.

  ‘Check if it belongs to their house help first,’ Rathod said, realizing that it could be a futile search if it turned out to be of the people who frequented their house.

  ‘Talk to them and their neighbours to find out who all regularly came to their house,’ Shukla said. ‘Then get their DNA samples. No need to waste time to secure warrants. If they have nothing to hide, they will mostly give it voluntarily. If it’s a match, then check their alibi for last night and today morning.’

  ‘On it, sir,’ Marathe said.

  ‘What type of gun was used?’ Rathod said.

  ‘The bullets were 9mms. We are suspecting that it was a standard issue Pistol Auto 9mm. They are common so we cannot narrow in on the killer using that. There’s a new technique where we can lift partial fingerprints off bullets. It’s tricky and the conditions need to be in your favour to get a reading. Dr. Sonia is testing it out.’

  ‘How close are we to knowing the identity of John Doe?’ Shukla said.

  That was Bhalerao’s job. He stepped forward and said, ‘We are circulating his sketch and picture amongst all the garages in the neighbourhood. No hits so far but we’ve just been able to cover half of them in such a short time. My officers are still out checking. At the same time, we are showing John Doe’s photo to doctors who perform surgeries on low-income groups if they have operated on him for his kidney.’

  ‘I’ll try to see if we can get a warrant to know for sure,’ Shukla said, but there was a resignation in his voice because even he knew that no judge would sign off that warrant.

  ‘Can we tell how recent the surgery is?’ Rathod said. ‘That will narrow our time frame.;

  ‘Dr. Sonia is working on it. But she’s swarmed with work for now so she’s going to take some more time.’

  ‘Yeah, she told me she is going through the rest of the evidence

  Rathod said, ‘What if the man didn’t get the grease from his work? He was hiding next to the seat in Niyati Jathar’s car. He could have very well gotten in from there. All sorts of things can be found on car mats.’

  Marathe’s phone started ringing. He looked around the room and then at Shukla, slightly embarrassed. ‘It’s my guy who’s checking the CCTV footage,’ Marathe said and answered the call. He made acknowledging grunts and then said, ‘Good work,’ before hanging up.’

  All eyes were on Marathe. His phone buzzed in his hand. ‘Sixteen cars, which didn’t belong to any of the residents, exited the residential complex between ten and three at night. We’ll start checking their registrations now.’

  ‘Also check when these cars entered. Check all, but give priority to those that entered post six in the evening,’ Shukla said.

  Marathe nodded and then left the conference room.

  Shukla turned to his team and said, ‘Double down on the effort to identify John Doe. Knowing who he was might tell us what he was doing at the crime scene, which might give us clarity on the killer’s motive and identity.’ He pointed at two junior officers and said, ‘Shantam and Mathew, go to all government hospitals in a ten-kilometre radius and ask the admin staff, doctors and nurses, if they have seen John Doe around.’ He faced two other junior officers. ‘Abhijeet and Sneha, I want to know everything there is to know about the kind of people the Jathars were. What they believed in, if they had wronged anyone, if they were in debt and who their closest friends and family were.’ Eventually Shukla turned to Rathod and Bhalerao. ‘You two are better at extracting information out of people than anyone in this office. Speak to Abhijeet and Sneha and follow up on the people they speak to. Coordinate with Dr. Sonia about anything she finds out.’

  ‘Yes sir,’ Bhalerao said and saw the ACP walk away.

  Rathod wondered if he could tell Bhalerao about the incidents from the morning. He decided he would, if they were able to find a connection between the two. Till then, he needed to pursue them as two separate cases.

  Rathod’s phone buzzed in his pants. It was Dr. Rastogi.

  I have found gunshot residue on Jane Doe’s right hand. Please send your Medical Examiner to conduct an autopsy.

  Rathod went to the basement to see Sonia. She was busy in the lab and motioned him to wait out and give her five minutes. She took fifteen.

  ‘I was conducting the autopsy on the bodies,’ Sonia said when they got to her office.

  ‘Did you find anything useful?’ Rathod said.

  ‘Not very much apart from retrieving the bullets. I’ll perform a ballistics test on them to see if they were used for any prior crime.’

  ‘I was just told that Jane Doe has gunshot residue on her hand,’ Rathod said. ‘The doctor wants you to conduct an autopsy.’

  Sonia narrowed her eyes. ‘Do you really think the two crimes are connected?’

  ‘There’s a chance. Even if they ar
en’t, knowing who that woman is can save lives.’

  ‘I’ll head to that doctor’s clinic once I’m done going through the samples here,’ Sonia said.

  That was good enough for Rathod. Even though Sonia had agreed to help him earlier, he knew she was not comfortable with it. He just needed her to cooperate with him for a little longer.

  ‘Thanks,’ Rathod said and went back to his office.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Komal asked me to meet her at seven thirty in the evening as her schedule was packed before that. That’s why I spent a part of the late afternoon with Radha and Rahul, going through the papers that Rathod has given us. I also shared the data from the cases that Shrinivas had given me.

  We took only one break to drink tea at four-thirty. Maa was starting to wonder what was happening with us as we had a lot of work suddenly that we needed to do together. So, we split the papers amongst us and started looking at them in separate rooms.

  I was in the garage. The sun was starting to wane down, and its rays slanted in through the window to my right. I rubbed my eyes and went inside to wash my face. I returned to the garage after a while and shifted my focus to dad’s diary. Maybe it had something in it that I could use because of all the new information.

  After seeing his name in Mule’s register, I had checked if there was an entry on 23rd May 2003, the day dad had taken a bribe. I looked at the case papers and then compared them to his diary notes.

  I started noticing a trend. In January and February of 2003, dad was enthusiastic about going to work. The same was true for all months before that. Dad had only got positive things to say about his work. But something changed in March 2003. The entries became less frequent, which was probably nothing. However, that wasn’t the only difference. From March, he didn’t describe work in the same enthusiastic way. In fact, from April he stopped mentioning work altogether. He wrote more about all of us, of how much he valued his family. I had never noticed this when I had read his diary before.