Into The Shadows

by Aayush Borulkar

  “Oh, Mr. Shekhawat, so you are back already. I thought you would be taking some more time with your son, but never mind, take a seat,” said inspector Imran comforting himself on the chair.

  Mr. Shekhawat entered the room and sat on a chair and said, “Could we cut to the chase now.”

  “Yes, sure. Why not. As you say,” said the inspector taking out a piece of paper from a file.

  “So the preliminary reports reveal some exciting findings. Firstly, the female’s face was decimated to an extent where identifying the dead was not possible. All we know is her age, which might be roughly between 20-24. And secondly, we have found a few hair strands in the finger nails,” informed the inspector.

  “Does this suggest a possibility of a tussle between the murderer and the deceased?” interrupted Mr. Shekhawat.

  “Yes, that could be a possibility. But we will be sending the samples to the forensics for further confirmation” said the inspector. “We can expect the results by tomorrow,” he added.

  “OH! So I guess you will need the DNA samples of everyone present last night, to compare with the DNA of the hair found in the finger nails. So I will just round everyone up, and then we could start with the procedure and get this over with as quickly as possible,” said Mr.Shekhawat, with a sense of urgency.

  “Right, but we can do that. You don’t need to do it, sir,” said the puzzled inspector.

  “And I will ensure that the DNA results are back, latest by tomorrow morning,’ said Mr. Shekhawat shaking the inspector’s hand.

  Hence everyone who had attended that house party was rounded up within 2 hours, and then the forensics team took everybody’s oral swab samples. Everyone voluntarily gave their samples except Nishant, who started arguing with the person taking his sample. He questioned why this was necessary and wanted some sort of guarantee that his DNA would not be wrongly used. He was taken aside by inspector Imran, and when they came back, the inspector handed over the container to the forensics team containing Nishant’s swab sample.

  A father-son relation is a very complex one. Mainly because the father is trying to secure the future of his son and the son is craving to better the present with his father. Hence, they both are trying to fix their relationship with their tools of expectations and hope. The father sees all the flaws that he once had and expects his son to get rid of them. On the other hand, the son hopes that his father accepts him with all his flaws and help him progress.

  Had Mr. Shekhawat expected too much of his son or had Abhimanyu hoped more than he should have. Such thoughts were going on in Mr. Shekhawat’s mind in a loop, as he sat on his leather chair in his room, staring into infinity, sipping on his whiskey.

  These thoughts were broken with a loud knock on the door.

  “Yes, come in,” he said.

  “Sir, the forensic reports have come in,” said inspector Imran, entering the room.

  “Oh great! What time is it though?” asked Mr. Shekhawat, getting up from his chair.

  “It’s 10am sir” replied the inspector. “It seems you still have that influence over the department sir” he added.

  Nobody could sleep that night as even the single thought of what had happened the night before was enough to run chills down everyone’s spine. The hours passed slowly and steadily, and with every passing hour, the hysteria in the house had also started growing. The sun was up and gleaming from the sky now, as it was coming closer to mid-day. Everyone had begun to look at each other with suspicion. All of the six friends were sitting terrified in the hall, with tension leaking from everyone’s faces. No one had the energy to say even a word, as the anxiety in the air had not let anyone sleep.

  “I need to get some coffee," said Vibha breaking the silence. "Anyone want some?”

  “Yes, sure. I’ll join you,” said Ishaan getting up and finding his way through the crowd.

  “Do you think they will find out about the things we are trying to keep safe?” asked Ishaan.

  “Shhhh. Ishaan! What did we all decide? To forget about it right? You just can’t come up with such a question now,” whispered Vibha alarmingly.

  “Okay, I won’t. I was just concerned about it. Hence I just couldn’t keep it inside anymore,” said Ishaan timidly.

  “Yeah, it is okay. Just do not spill it out there,” said Vibha giving Ishaan his coffee mug, and then both left the kitchen to join the others.

  As the duo came back into the hall with their coffee mugs, the inspector walked in through the entrance, his shoe making a deep hollow sound.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, the reports have come in, and we might be able to solve the case now, and finally we could all go home, and some of you might even end up in jail,” said the inspector as he entered the hall swinging the file in his hand.

  What do you mean by ‘some of us might end up in jail’?” questioned Kaajal. “Are you implying that the murderer is one of us?”

  “Unfortunately, yes! We have a murderer amongst us,” exclaimed the inspector.

  Everybody was taken aback in bewilderment. And soon, the voices of people murmuring to each other filled the room.

  “Alright, then let’s get on with this and finish it off,” sighed the inspector. “Where is the housekeeper and his son?” asked the inspector sitting on a chair

  “Oh, he must be around. I will call him,” said Abhimanyu.

  “Ram Lal! Ram Lal!” yelled Abhimanyu.

  Ram Lal came running into the room, followed by his son running behind him.

  “Okay, now that we have all the people needed in the room, let’s start with the end,” said the inspector getting up from the chair.

  “We all know that we had found strands of hair in the finger nails of the deceased. Hence we collected the DNA samples and tried matching it with the DNA found in the nails and Viola! There was a match!” exclaimed the inspector.

  And with that line a dead silence swept across the room as the all of them stood aghast.

  “Okay, then let’s come straight to the point,” said the inspector and went up to Ram Lal, pressing the wound on his left hand which was covered by his cloth, he said, “How is the wound healing Ram Lal"?

  Chapter 5

  There was dead silence. The blades of the fan made the only noise in the living room. There was no stir in the air, and just then there was a gush of hot air from the open door. Everyone stood in silence, and a pale-faced Ram Lal looked at the inspector, and was trying to speak, but his dry mouth failed him every time he tried.

  “Tho kaise lagi ye chot,” asked the inspector, but a deafening silence ensued.

  “Vo kaach ka bowl tut gaya tha aur use uthate samay chot lag gayi” replied Ram Lal mumbling nervously.

  “Oh achaa. Aisa hua hai. Sahi baath hai,” said the inspector walking towards the door and then suddenly ordered his officers, “Arrest Him!”

  This sudden and shocking development had bowled everyone over. Nobody could believe what they were witnessing right now. Ram Lal was being held by two officers and taken away. His 18-year-old son was crying and running behind him, trying to push the officers. But his small hands and feeble strength could not match his strong will power to rescue his father. So now there he lay on the floor, sobbing and yelling at the top of his voice.

  Nobody was moving, they just stood there like statues because they could not digest the fact that a puny man like Ram Lal, who seemed as harmless as they came, could commit such a gruesome crime. Vibha just couldn’t take the pressure, and lost her balance, sitting on the sofa with a thud, holding her head in her hands sobbing. Abhimanyu’s father could not believe that Ram Lal, his trusted housekeeper, could do something like that. It was all feeling like the worst nightmare, and everyone thought somebody would come and pinch them or burst them out of this horrifying bubble. But this was not to be.

  Ram Lal’s son was still lying on the ground, sobbing. So Abhimanyu went to pick him up. But as soon as Abhimanyu picked him up, he pushed away Abhimanyu and ran to the door sobbing.
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  “Let him go. It’s going to be extremely hard for him to accept the reality, but he will come around,” said Mr. Shekhawat, consoling him.

  The sirens and the shouting had gathered a crowd outside, because nothing stays under wraps for long in a small town like Bardez. So the people from around had crowded near the gate now. Even the media vehicles were approaching, and this “dreadful night” was about to become public, and no more remain a secret.

  “Suna hai unke naukar ne hi khoon kiya hai?” said a person in the crowd.

  “Ha suna tho hai. Lekin kya pata isne hi kiya hai ya nahi. In bade logo ka kya bharosa case dabane ke liye kuch bhi kar sakte hai” answered another person in the crowd.

  Ram Lal’s son had caught up with his father again, and now he was also pleading with the inspector to release his father. But all his efforts were in vain as somebody pushed him every time he tried to get through to his father. Now an utterly helpless son just in the heat of the moment pushed one of the officers and pulled the gun from his waist. And now, finally, for the first time, the 18 year-old was able to grab the attention he was pleading for. All the eyes were now on him as he pointed that gun at the inspector.

  “Beta vo mujhe dedo!” said the inspector stopping abruptly. “Give that to me son, you need to talk about something? We can do that, but first handover that gun to me,” the inspector continued trying to calm the boy down.

  “Baba ne kuch nahi kiya hai!!” yelled the boy, tears gushing down his cheeks. “I know my father. He won’t do anything of this sorts,” he shouted.

  The inspector was amazed by the courage of the 18 years-old boy. But then, within seconds, the teenager was on the ground pinned by the officers who had attacked him from behind, and now the gun was back where it belonged. Now there he lay, struggling to move as the officers held him tight. The inspector broke out from the moment and then started walking towards the van.

  “Take the boy with you guys as well,” instructed the inspector while he stood there as the van left with Ram Lal in it.

  The air in the house was still troubled. Most of the people, who had been summoned for the samples, had already left. But the ones that stayed were petrified as what they had witnessed in the past 24 hours was unprecedented. None of them were ready for this, and everybody was in a state of utter shock.

  Abhimanyu wanted some fresh air, so he left the room and went into the veranda. As he moved out into the veranda, he heard someone mumbling something. So he went towards the pool, and there stood his father and the inspector whispering something. He tried to get a little closer to hear what they were discussing, but he was unable to. Moments later, he saw his father shaking hands with the inspector, and he could not believe his eyes. As his father left the inspector’s company, Abhimanyu trotted backward so that he could escape his father’s eye. He then followed his father into the house and up the stairs into his bedroom.

  “What was that!?” exclaimed Abhimanyu closing the door behind him.

  “What?” asked his father.

  “That thing you were discussing with the inspector downstairs. I heard you guys mumbling something, and you even shook hands with him. What is the matter Dad!?” asked a confused Abhimanyu.

  “Son, such cases are bad for business. I have already told you this, don’t make me repeat myself” said Mr. Shekhawat holding Abhminayu by the shoulders.

  “But that does not mean you have to crack a deal with hi…”.

  As Abhimanyu was about to complete his sentence, his father loosened his grip and threw a plastic packet on the adjacent table containing white powdery substance in it.

  “They found this in a flower pot and many more such packets in different places all around the villa. They found it in all the flower pots, behind the television, near the fire, and many more places. This was the thing you guys were trying to hide right? And the very reason that Nishant was so hesitant to give his sample,” said Mr. Shekhawat in a cold voice. “You do understand that possession of cocaine is a crime, right? If you feel you are old enough to consume it. Then I assume, you are old enough to understand that too. So what were these packets doing in my house!” yelled Mr. Shekhawat getting a little riled up.

  Abhimanyu stood there stupefied, not a single muscle moving. He stood there just looking at that packet, stunned. At last, the secret was out and not in a manner he expected it to spill over.

  “You do understand that if this leaks out, then not only yours, but even my reputation would be at stake. And my reputation is the dearest thing to me. So I was down there trying to save both of our lives! Understand?” said Mr. Shekhawat.

  “If this case would have gone any longer, then it would have attracted the attention of the media, and the news of this illegal activity would have leaked out. That inspector wanted a closed case, and I wanted this case closed, so it was a win-win situation for both us,” he added in his hoarse voice.

  “But they did find DNA traces on the body that matched with Ram Lal’s, right?” asked Abhimanyu curiously.

  “Yes they did, but it is not sufficient,” interrupted Mr. Shekhawat. “It is enough evidence for an arrest but not for conviction. But now that they have Ram Lal, and they will get whatever they want out of him and get a confession from him. So now this case is closed, and let’s get back to business”.

  “Who is the actual killer, then?” asked Abhimanyu.

  “It might be him, or it might not be him. But we don’t need to worry about that,” sighed Mr. Shekhawat, and then he patted on Abhimanyu’s shoulders and went towards the door and said, “This is the rule of the jungle Abhimanyu, the inferior species has to give way to the superior species so that the circle of life continues.”

  Having said this, he left the room leaving behind a stunned Abhimanyu.

  Back at the Sethi’s….

  “I think that’s enough for tonight” interrupted Malini. “The kids seem sleepy and the story is surely taking unwanted dark turns” she added walking towards the kids.

  “But maa this is so cool!!” said Sania excited.

  “Yeah sure but we have to tuck you in and you can play with your friends in your room. Papa will finish the story some other day” said Malini signalling all the kids to get up.

  “Okay… Come on guys” said Sania with a sense of ennui.

  “But we two are still here and the story seems fine to us, please continue Arnav. It’s been so long since we heard one of your stories” said Rishikesh as the kids and Malini left the room.

  “Yeah sure” replied Arnav looking at Malini who gave him a dissatisfied look.

  Chapter 6

  The stool made a loud, screeching noise as it was pulled on the dry tiles. Water was incessantly dripping from a crack in the ceiling into a bucket kept under it just for that purpose. The 4X4 cell was engulfed by darkness with only a small circular hole in the brick wall, as an inlet for sunlight. In the middle of the cell, a skinny man wearing a musty uniform, torn on the sleeves, sat on a stool with his head drooping, murmuring something continuously. As he looked up, his eyes were blood shot, and were so fierce as if they could pierce right into one’s soul. He put his tongue out and took out a blade that was resting on his tongue. Blood gushed out of his mouth as he took that blade out.

  The man slowly started murmuring something. Gradually that murmuring was converted into a high pitched laughter. He sat on the stool, holding the blade and laughing. His laughter was getting louder with every passing second. Finally, came a point, when his mouth was wide open and his blood shot eyes were wide enough, that they could pop out. At that moment he slashed his wrist open with the blade and started laughing and shouting fanatically.

  “Ram Lal!” yelled a man waking up in the dead of the night, sweat trickling down his fat cheeks. There he sat on his bed wide-eyed as if he had seen the worst of the nightmares. It was 3:45 am in the clock. He felt his throat choking. He reached out for the water in the jug on the table adjacent to his bed and poured it in the glass but it could barely f
ill the glass. So he got out of the bed and walked lazily towards the kitchen. There was dead silence in the house as even the ticking of the clock could be heard prominently. Suddenly he felt his phone in his pocket and could not resist calling up someone.

  “Nishant, it happened again tonight. Same cell and the same man,” he said.

  “It’s four in the morning and it’s been 20 years since that incident Ishaan. What’s wrong?” asked Nishant in a drowsy voice on the phone.

  “Nothing is wrong. It’s just that I had that dream again,” said Ishaan. “But it’s okay, never mind. You should go back to sleep, and so should I”.

  “Yes, we probably should,” answered Nishant.

  Ishaan just flung the phone on the table and trotted back to his bedroom with the filled jug.

  A few Kilometers away...

  “Anuja! Anuja! Where is the breakfast!? We have a client meeting in the next 30 minutes,” yelled a man in formals, walking hastily towards the kitchen.

  “Coming Abhimanyu! Give me five minutes,” said Anuja trying to fit in her earrings.

  “And the breakfast is in the pan, and please fill the tiffin. Rama tai hasn’t come in for work today. It’s her nephew’s baby shower. So self-service today!” yelled back Anuja.

  “I don’t know what this ruckus is all about. It’s like I am the parent in the house,” sighed a teenage girl serving herself.

  “Yeah, sure, Akansha. Thanks for the taunt, though,” said Abhimanyu filling the tiffin with the scrambled eggs. “And don’t you have school today? Why on earth are you still in your pyjamas?”

  “Dad, today I have taken an official sick leave, and I have already discussed the details with mom, so ciao,” said Akansha leaving the kitchen and a surprised Abhimanyu behind.

  “Okay, correct hain,” said Abhimanyu.

  “I am ready now, Abhimanyu let’s go! We are getting late,” said Anuja hurriedly.