Murder at Crescent Point

by G. S. Dutt

  ‘No! I can’t do this,’ said Nikki. ‘I won’t impersonate a dead person. And why didn’t you just ask me instead of forcing me into the car?’

  Mohan Lal was now imploring, ‘Please, don’t be so harsh. This is a humanitarian cause. Ma has already suffered a lot. We told her that we will bring her granddaughter to meet her. You would never have come if three strange men approached you just like that!’

  ‘You have no right to tell your mother lies. I cannot do this.’

  ‘Please see her condition yourself and then decide.’

  ‘Where are you taking me?’

  ‘We are going to Shyamabad where Ma lives. We will reach there by the evening.’

  Nikki couldn’t believe this weird turn of events.

  They reached the outskirts of a town at sunset. Instead of going into the town the car turned into a small lonely road. After driving for some time, the car entered a gate. Nikki saw an old and dilapidated house. They all got out of the car. A somewhat elderly man came out of the house and greeted them. Mohan Lal said to Nikki, ‘He is the attendant here. Please go upstairs with him to your room. After you freshen up, come down and see the old lady.’

  The attendant said politely, ‘This way, Miss,’ and escorted her to the first floor through rickety wooden stairs. Nikki saw a door at the other end of the landing. The attendant opened the door and said, ‘You must be tired. I will bring you a cup of tea.’

  He went out closing the door from outside. Nikki looked around. There was nothing in the room except a bed and a small stool on which a glass of water had been kept. The ceiling of the room was very high. There were no windows but only two ventilators. Another door opened into the room. Nikki went in. It was a bathroom with a dilapidated bathtub and a wash basin with rusted taps. Apparently this place had not been inhabited for quite some time. The attendant soon returned with a cup of tea.

  After half an hour, Mohan Lal came to Nikki’s room. He said, ‘Please come down with me, Ma is anxious to see you.’

  Nikki said, ‘I will come but I am not going to tell her that I am her granddaughter.’

  Mohan Lal begged, ‘Please come in just for five minutes.’

  Nikki went with him. Mohan Lal took her to a corner room on the ground floor. The room was poorly lit. An old lady with dishevelled grey hair was lying on a bed. A chair was placed near the bed. Mohan Lal gestured towards the chair and said, ‘Please sit.’ He himself remained standing nearby. Nikki looked at the woman. Her face was haggard and sickly. She appeared to be in great agony. The woman turned towards Nikki. Her eyes were full of tears. She extended her arms towards Nikki. There was a strange pathos in her eyes. Nikki involuntarily extended her own arms towards her. The woman grabbed her and hugged her. She did not release her for a long time. Nikki’s face was getting drenched with her tears. After sometime Nikki released herself from the arms of the old lady and sat back on the chair. She was strangely moved by the affection of the woman who was now intently gazing at Nikki. After a while, the woman looked towards Mohan Lal and made a gesture asking who this girl was. Mohan Lal took out the letter of Asha Sayal which she had written to Jyoti asking her to meet her at Crescent Point and held it in front of the woman so that she could read it. She read it and again made a questioning gesture towards Nikki.

  Mohan Lal said, ‘She wants to know whether you are Asha’s daughter.’

  Nikki looked at the woman. Her eyes were watching her with great expectation. She was now making repeated gestures and looking more and more miserable. Mohan Lal gave a piece of paper and a pen to Nikki and said, ‘Please just write on it that you are Asha’s daughter.’

  Nikki hesitated. Mohan Lal implored, ‘Please do this. It is a matter of life and death for her.’ Nikki looked at the woman then picked up the pen and wrote, ‘I am the daughter of Asha Sayal.’ The woman looked very happy. She again looked questioningly at Nikki. Mohan Lal said, ‘She wants to know your name. Please write down “Jyoti” here.’ He showed a place at the bottom of the paper on which she had written. Nikki again hesitated but looking at the mounting anxiety of the old woman, wrote down “Jyoti” and held the paper before her. The expression of the old woman suddenly changed. She became calm. Happiness oozed out of her eyes. Mohan Lal said, ‘Let us allow her to rest now. Please go back to your room.’

  Nikki got up and the attendant took her to her room. She was completely shaken by this extraordinary experience. As soon as Nikki entered the room the man closed the door behind her. Nikki was bewildered but exhausted and almost immediately fell into a deep but troubled sleep.

  — CHAPTER ELEVEN —

  Tables are Turned

  The next morning Nikki woke up with a start. Yesterday’s bizarre events came back to her in a rush. She leapt out of bed and went straight to the door. She tried to open it but could not. In panic, she banged the door. After some time the attendant came and opened the door. He said harshly, ‘Why are you banging the door?’

  ‘Why did you lock the door?’

  The man laughed derisively and said, ‘So that you do not run away.’ He said this in a manner which Nikki did not like.

  ‘You were very polite yesterday. Why are you talking like this to me?’ The man replied, ‘Because yesterday we needed you. Today we have no use of you.’

  Nikki said, ‘What are you saying. Let me go down and talk to Mohan Lal.’ The man said, ‘There’s no one in the house except you and me.’

  ‘What about the old sick lady?’ asked Nikki.

  ‘Ha, ha, ha!’ the man laughed and said, ‘Mohan Lal was always a good actor but that woman my god, she is a born actress!’

  Nikki was baffled, ‘I don’t understand what you are saying. What is going on? Can I come down and see for myself.’

  ‘As you wish,’ said the man sarcastically and led the way to the ground floor.

  Nikki went to the corner room where she had met the old lady the previous evening. There was no one there. Even the bed had been removed. Nikki turned and asked, ‘Where is the old lady?’

  The man said, ‘She vanished last evening…the moment you went upstairs.’

  ‘Vanished!’ exclaimed Nikki, ‘Where could she go? She was so sick!’

  The man chuckled, ‘That is why I said she is a born actress.’

  Nikki cried out, ‘I am very confused. Where is Mohan Lal?’

  The man laughed again, ‘By now he would be in Somabad in the Apex Bank.’

  ‘When did he go to Somabad?’

  ‘Same time as the old lady vanished.’

  ‘Why are you talking in riddles? Why don’t you tell me what happened? I must be your daughter’s age.’

  The man now looked irritated. ‘My daughter would not have done such a foolish thing. She would not have written and signed a statement that she was the daughter of Asha Sayal.’

  Suddenly an awful realisation dawned on Nikki. ‘So I have been tricked?’

  The man gave an ugly laugh. ‘Exactly what we wanted! Look girl, we all belong to Somabad. We live around the Bus Stand Road. We knew that Asha Sayal was staying in the lodge for a long time. We read the news about her murder in Sangalina Hills. When you came to the lodge and told Prasad that you were her niece, we became suspicious. A girl like you does not stay in such a lousy place. So we kept a watch on you. When you went to the bank yesterday morning we became alert. Mohan Lal knows some people in the bank. He went to the bank and was told that a girl who says she is the daughter of Asha Sayal, had come and made some silly queries about her account. Feroz Khan told us that Asha Sayal had a daughter by the name Jyoti. According to the newspaper report, she had also been found murdered with Asha. This made us more suspicious. The search conducted by Abdul in your room turned out to be a gold mine. He got hold of the bank statement showing an amount of 10 lakhs in the name of Asha Sayal. The letter written by Asha to her daughter Jyoti gave us an idea. We hired this place and also that theatre actress. The rest is all thanks to you.’ The man continued, ‘You perhaps did not noti
ce that you had written about your being the daughter of Asha Sayal on the upper portion of the page but Mohan Lal made you sign the name “Jyoti” at the bottom of the page.’

  ‘What difference does that make?’ asked Nikki.

  The man said, ‘In the blank space he will write “Received 10 lakhs” and get the money from the bank.’

  ‘The bank people are not that naïve! They will not give money just like that!’

  The man gave another crooked smile. ‘Yesterday when Mohan and Abdul brought you here, one of our men was sent to Sangalina Hills to collect the death certificate of Asha Sayal. Mohal Lal would have got the death certificate by now. With your letter and the death certificate he can put a claim on your behalf.’

  Nikki asked, ‘Would they not want to see the person who has actually signed the claim?’

  He replied, ‘The name in your school ID has already been altered. Mohan Lal is going to say that you are sick and can’t come. Don’t forget, only day before yesterday you told the bank clerk that you are the daughter of Asha Sayal. He has only to see your photograph and certify that the person in the photograph is the daughter of the account holder. Moreover, with Mohan Lal’s connections at the bank, he will be satisfied with these documents. In fact the procedure was suggested by the bank itself.’

  Nikki felt sick, ‘This is such a huge fraud! That means you are also behind the killing of Asha Sayal and her daughter.’

  The man said with force, ‘Wait a minute! We have nothing to do with the murders. We read about her death in the newspaper. We became interested because she lived in Evergreen Hotel and some of us, particularly Feroz Khan, knew her.’

  Nikki asked, ‘Is Feroz Khan also one of you?’

  ‘No,’ replied the man. ‘He is fond of drinking and when he gets drunk he tells us all the information about transit passengers who stay in the lodge.’

  Nikki asked, ‘Then why did he get Jyoti’s photograph for her in such a clandestine manner?’

  ‘Feroz Khan is a softie. He said her story touched his heart.’

  Nikki’s mind was racing. She could not believe such an unfortunate turn of events.

  Then the man ordered rudely, ‘Go back to your room. I will bring food for you there.’

  Nikki said, ‘Now that your purpose is served, why do you want me to remain here?’

  ‘You cannot go anywhere. When Mohan Lal returns he will decide what to do with you.’

  Nikki kept quiet and went to her room. The man followed her and locked the door from outside.

  Nikki felt numb. The sinister disclosure made by the man left her humiliated and repulsed. She felt cheated by these people who had played on her sentiments. But when she thought deeply about the whole episode, another point emerged quite clearly. These people were thugs who had got the scent of big money and gone after it. They did not appear to have had anything to do with the murders. There was no reason to disbelieve what the man had told her. Moreover, from their appearance and behaviour they would not have had the means to pay such a big sum of money to Asha Sayal. If they were not the murderers, then who killed Jyoti and Asha Sayal?

  Her own situation made Nikki very nervous. Mohan Lal would probably take a couple of days to get the money from the bank and stash it safely somewhere. What would happen when he returns? They may not be killers but they will not risk the money by letting her free. She must flee. But how?

  Nikki took another look at the room. It appeared impossible to get out from there. She went to the bathroom. It had a window above the wash basin. Further up the window was a ventilator. A horizontal iron rod held the glass pane with wooden frame in the ventilator. She brought the stool from the room and looked through the window. It opened at the back of the house. She put her arms out of the window first to the left and then to the right. Her fingers touched a pipe which was probably coming from the roof to drain the rain water. The window was barred by iron rods. She would have to try the ventilator. But it was too high. From the stool she jumped to the skirting of the window and stood up holding the opening of the ventilator. She shook the iron rod of the ventilator vigorously. After a lot of effort, it started rotating and soon the rod gave away and came down crashing on the floor along with the glass pane. The pieces of broken glass were scattered on the floor of the bathroom. She carefully climbed down and swept the glass splinters to one corner. Her heart was pounding. Hopefully the old man hadn’t heard anything. She went back to the room taking the stool with her and lay on the bed. After sometime the man came with her breakfast. He kept it on the stool and went out without saying a word. Nikki heard the click of the lock.

  After breakfast, Nikki again went into the bathroom and looked at the now gaping hole of the ventilator. Escaping through the hole would surely be suicidal, she thought. The pipe coming from the roof was a good two feet away on the right. Climbing up the ventilator itself will be a problem and it would be impossible to clasp the pipe outside from that distance. She had to think of some other way. She came back to the room. The next imposing question facing her was the time of escape. Daytime was ruled out and night was too dangerous. She decided to make a bid early in the morning the next day.

  She opened her handbag. Her decision to spread her money proved useful. Even when Abdul had ransacked her belongings, the money in the pockets of her jeans was intact.

  The next day, as dawn was breaking, Nikki went with her bedsheet, handbag and a stool to the bathroom.

  She bolted the bathroom door from within. She then tied one end of the bedsheet with the iron rods of the window. Standing on the stool, she threw the other end out of the ventilator hole. She picked up her handbag and threw it as well. Then standing on the skirting of the window she got hold of the gaping hole of the ventilator and heaved herself up. Nikki took a deep breath. Her hands were shaking. ‘Come on! This is no time to be afraid!’ Nikki boosted herself. After a great deal of effort she got a foothold in the opening. She caught hold of the bedsheet, twisted her body and went clear out of the gap hoping that it will not give way. She looked down. The ground was still far away. The question of jumping from that height did not arise. She started swinging with the bedsheet and reached close to the pipe, holding it with one hand. She stayed put there. Then with a swift move, she left the bedsheet and grasped the pipe with both hands. It was a dangerous manoeuvre; a slight misjudgement would have thrown her to the ground. Perhaps because of her determination to get out or perhaps she was just plain lucky, she thought to herself. It was not difficult to slide down to the ground now.

  She picked up her bag and ran out of the gate. It was still a little hazy outside. The narrow road was deserted. But she did not take the risk of walking on the road. Instead, she chose the dirty path going parallel to the road which passed through trees and green foliage. On the main road she took a turn towards the town which, according to the milestone, was two kilometres away. There was hardly any traffic on the road at that time in the morning. She quickened her pace and made it to the town in less than twenty minutes. A passer-by directed her to the bus stop. She took the first bus leaving for Somabad at seven in the morning. She thought that the man usually came with breakfast around nine by which time she should be well on her way to Somabad.

  The bus reached Somabad late in the afternoon and soon Nikki was on her way to Jyoti’s house—hungry, tired; with lots of doubts driving her crazy.

  — CHAPTER TWELVE —

  Hidden Facts

  Nikki reached the Taneja Mansion (as the house was called) in the evening. Mrs Taneja was in the living room watching a television programme. She saw Nikki and said, ‘Hello, dear.’ Then looking at her face she seemed shocked, ‘Why, you look haggard! What is the matter?’

  ‘I took a road trip with my friend. It was very exhausting.’

  Mrs Taneja frowned looking a little disbelieving. ‘It is almost dinner time. Why don’t you freshen up and join us for the meal.’

  ‘Aunty, can I have dinner in my room? I am very tired and want to
sleep early,’ said Nikki.

  ‘No problem. I will ask Savitri to take your dinner to your room.’

  ‘Thanks Aunty,’ said Nikki.

  Nikki took a shower and changed. Trembling, she sat down on the bed and started thinking about the nightmarish experience she had been through in the last two days. She was lucky, for the Tanejas thought she was with friends! Not only had the last couple of days been an emotionally traumatic experience, she had also lost all the evidence: Asha Sayal’s letter, her bank statement, Jyoti’s photograph, Feroz’s pencil sketch and even the contact details given by Inspector Rajan. Everything. And she had unwittingly got herself implicated in an impersonation case. What to do now?

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Savitri, the maid, had brought her dinner. Nikki got up and asked her to keep the tray on the table. As she was turning to go, Nikki asked, ‘Savitri, could you please sit down. I want to talk to you.’ When Savitri sat down, Nikki asked, ‘How long have you been working here?’

  Savitri said, ‘Oh, a long time, ever since baby was born.’

  ‘Baby?’ asked Nikki.

  ‘I always called Jyoti “baby” even after she became a big girl like you.’

  ‘You must be close to her?’

  ‘I practically brought her up. Madam was always busy with her parties or social service work. Baby used to spend most of her time with me. I really loved her. Even now I often feel that she will enter the house and greet me with a smiling face.’ Savitri started crying.

  Nikki held her hand and said, ‘I can understand your feelings. She was a very lovable person.’

  When Savitri composed herself, Nikki asked, ‘Can you tell me whether in the recent past you had seen Aunty meeting any stranger in this house?’