WHO KILLED ME: The Strangest Whodunnit

by Irfan Khan

  “Why did you meet Shaktidev”?

  “He is an old friend. He used to visit my factory and help with some matters.”

  “What kind of matters”? Madhav was close to pinning down Shiv.

  “I used to handle the labour problems and Shaktidev knew the union leaders. He would arbitrate when a dispute was unresolved”

  “So, he was your muscleman who came to rough up workers when you needed that, right”?

  Hemlata looked aghast. Reema was now in full concentration. I wanted a cola on ice.

  By now Shiv was perspiring “No, he would just negotiate on our behalf.”

  Madhav brought out the final weapon “You were aware that Shaktidev had many criminal cases against him including murder?

  Hemlata gasped and sat down. Reema looked pale and shook her head in disbelief. I felt a chill as I digested the fact that Shiv was hobnobbing with a murderer on the day, he threatened me. Even Shiv looked rattled.

  The last resort left for Shiv was to lie “I don’t know about his criminal background. I was visiting just to chat for old times’ sake.”

  Now that he had established the connection Madhav “Fair enough. Old friends are the best. But tell me this, when I spoke with you on the first day, why didn’t you mention the big fight you had with Nikhil at his office? A day before he was murdered.” This was the knock-out punch for which Madhav had built the whole story.

  Reema looked surprised beyond belief. This was a revelation for her. Hemlata started to look angry with Shiv and would have shouted at him if Madhav wasn’t there.

  Shiv was now on a slippery slope “We argued about some family matter and I thought it was not serious enough to mention.”

  “You threatened him - but in your opinion, it was not serious? And then you meet a gangster on the day of the murder and in your opinion, Mr. Khosla it is not serious.” Madhav was tightening his grip.

  Madhav was visibly angry. I was enjoying the discomfort that Shiv was displaying. His face was red and his eyes bulging. I thought he needed some medicine for his blood pressure. Madhav suddenly turned to Reema. He is allowing Shiv to calm down.

  “Reema, I can understand that this is a hard time and believe me, I hate to trouble you guys at such a time. But if you don’t mind, I have a few questions for you too.” That was a polite question but Madhav would have continued even if Reema said she minded.

  Reema gathered her composure and said “No… no… you please ask me what you want to know. You are trying to help us know what exactly happened.”

  Madhav looked at her hard and waited for her to look at him “Right. So, help me understand who Karan is”?

  Since I was expecting this question, my eyes were already on Reema and I moved closer to her, close enough to hear her gasp. Reema’s face went pale as she tried to regain her composure. The most interesting reactions came from Shiv and Hemlata. They looked shocked and glanced at Reema.

  Reema started stuttering “He is a friend.” I could hear her heart pounding.

  Madhav continued and added sarcasm “Good friend? Then he must have known Nikhil too”?

  Her parents were perplexed with Reema’s reply. I knew that this is the point where she will start lying. Reema proved me right.

  She hesitated a bit then made up her mind and lied “Yes... they were friends too.”

  Reema inhaled sharply, as if short of breath. I wish Madhav would look at the Fitbit on her wrist and he would see an abnormally high pulse.

  “Oh, good… but you did not mention him, when I asked about the friend's list”?

  Reema tried the classic deflection “It must have slipped my mind.”

  Madhav tried to sound understanding “Happens to the best of us. Can you give me his details, phone number, address and pictures”?

  Reema reached for her mobile and acted like she was searching. Her discomfort did not escape Madhav’s attention. But like I said, he played it cool

  Reema made a few sounds of disappointment “I don't have his number as he called Nikhil more often and he does not stay in this town.”

  This was Reema’s second mistake. She should know that the police have many ways to get this information. Madhav was not asking for the information because he didn’t know where to get it but this was a litmus test question. How one answers, is their degree of their complicity. I was enjoying the conversation and Reema’s lack of alertness.

  Madhav prodded her “You seem uncomfortable with my questions. Do you want me to come later”?

  Reema took a deep breath. “You are not asking me routine questions. Your tone is suggesting that I am involved.”

  I give her some points. She has hit back with a good retort.

  Madhav, the seasoned player he was, saw that she was going to resist now that he has stepped on her toes “I apologise for being a little harsh but now I will have to be more blatant.” Madhav took a long pause and walked to the couch and sat down where everyone could see and hear him clearly “We have some information about you having an illicit affair with Karan.”

  There it was, all out in the open. Madhav seemed gentle but he could also be brutal. Hemlata held her head in her hands and Shiv was angry and confused. Their daughter has kept things from them. Reema let it all go; she did not hide her anger anymore and screamed.

  “How dare you… Inspector Madhav, do you realize what you are saying... after what has happened with me? Shame on you”!

  The voice boomed in the house with dramatic effect. Madhav was not impressed as he knew this was the mechanism of the guilty.

  Shiv got emboldened by Reema’s outburst “You can’t go around accusing people without any proof. Just because you can’t find the killer you are making us the scapegoats.” This was funny. Shiv was trying to dismiss his involvement under the din.

  Madhav waited for venting to stop and then served another blow. He turned to Shiv “We have received an email which gives us many details.” Now he turned to Reema “Do you want me reveal to you all that now”? Reema sat stoically still fuming “Please calm down and tell me the truth.”

  This was a police interrogation strategy. It mostly worked because one didn’t know if it was a bluff. Reema gambled and called the bluff “I demand to see those emails. How do I know if they even exist”?

  “We cannot do that. We cannot reveal our source. It may scare the source away.”

  Reema sensed a little edge and pushed a little more “This is absurd. I have to get a legal opinion about this.”

  Madhav had no intention to go any further “I will give you a day, either you tell me what the hell is this affair with Karan or I will be forced to detain you for questioning.”

  No sooner Madhav left the house, Reema collapsed on the couch. I could see the gears in her head cranking as Pandora's box is wide open and vermin are crawling all around. Shiv and Hemlata try to strike up a conversation but Reema shut them up and goes to her room. For me, this was a fruitful day where I felt elated with their misery.

  . . .

  Infidelity

  Infidelity in any relationship is very painful to bear.

  It is common for people to assume that infidelity is only of the sexual kind. When you probe a little deeper it goes beyond sex. The hurt is more because of broken trust. The pain we feel, when we discover infidelity, comes from the piercing shards of broken trust. Two people who are in a lifelong bond are supposed to support and be there for each other. This trust can be broken by an emotional relationship with someone other than your partner or sometimes it's simply the lack of support from your partner.

  We don’t pay as much attention to the infidelity which is ‘lack of support’ or lack of ‘empathy’ from the person who is your partner for life. We two are ‘one’ becomes we two are ‘one – one’. Common goals for common good turns into ‘my goal for my life’. Great as an entrepreneur spirit but sucks as a partnership spirit.

  With Reema, I broke down because of the blatant denial and defiance in the face of revelation
.

  I knew that the moment she is alone, Reema would reach out for her phone, so I kept hovering around in the bedroom. This is a panic situation and she will have to do some firefighting. She opened the wardrobe and pulled out her trinket box where she kept some junk jewels. This was interesting. I went right behind her shoulder. She rummaged around and pulled out a basic mobile phone, the kind you use only to make calls. This was the secret phone she used for her secret activities. Now I understood why she was so confident in replying to Madhav. She knew the police would not trace any call records on her regular phone.

  She went to the recent calls section of the phone and there was just one number listed there, multiple times. She dialed the number. The phone at the other end started ringing as she walked to the window, maybe for fresh air. In the silence of the night, I could hear a man answering the phone with “are you okay”?

  Reema was almost screaming in a whisper “Everything is falling apart. Somebody knows about us, Karan.”

  Karan was quick to gather the situation “Calm down Ree. Tell me what happened”?

  “Inspector Madhav was here. He has got an email from someone about us.”

  This must have rattled Karan “That’s impossible. But… okay… don’t panic, just deny it. They can’t have any proof. Someone is just shooting in the dark.”

  Reema was not going to be molly coddled by him “he says there are details. I am very scared. This is not good. Now the suspicion will be on us. Oh my god”!

  Karan tried to reason with Reema “You are overthinking all this. Even if they get suspicious, so what. We are innocent, why should we worry.”

  “Karan… I know I am innocent. Swear on me and tell me you are not involved. Do that, just now, bloody hell, do it.” This was bound to happen. Now they are turning against each other.

  Karan did not take an affront to the insinuation “Hey, don’t even think about it. I swear I have nothing to do with this. Please believe me. Okay now tell me exactly what you told him.”

  Reema bursts into sobbing and sits down on the floor. I was slightly confused. Was she crying because of me dying or she getting caught or Karan getting involved? Whichever way you look at it, this was delicious.

  As the two of them started coordinating their lies, I smiled to myself, of course, they will say that they are innocent, because actually, they are innocent. But even I was innocent, why did they do this with me?

  . . .

  The Other Man

  Day 6

  Karan had a very basic office in Sugaoni. He was a trader of fruits and needed just a logistic support team. Insp. Madhav walked into the office to meet Karan, I was not very far behind. Karan was expecting Madhav and had calmed his nerves by smoking up some weed.

  Madhav shook hands with Karan “Thanks Karan, for meetings at such short notice.”

  “No problem Sir, I am curious to know what brings you here? Can I offer you something to drink?”

  Madhav was in a mischievous mood “Oh, Reema did not brief you about this”? Karan’s expression was priceless. He looked like he was slapped by a monkey. I wish that monkey should have been me.

  This is called a googly ball of police. The ball is released to gauge the reaction of the batsman and the response time to deflect the ball. Karan could not conceal the flicker of surprise. Madhav simply continued,

  “What is your relationship with Reema? Mrs. Reema Nikhil Kumar.”

  Karan put on his best casual voice “We are friends… all of us… even Nikhil and me... we are good friends.”

  Madhav smiled, so Reema has briefed him. Madhav was walking around the cabin and picking up random things. Then for his next question Madhav went to the desk and faced Karan.

  Madhav stared straight in Karan’s eyes “tell me. Where were you on the day Nikhil got murdered? Around 3 in the afternoon.”

  Karan feigned trying to recollect. But he was a bad actor. He had been warned by Reema and he had rehearsed everything.

  Karan replied “I was at the meeting with the Sugaoni Orchard Owners’ Association’s office.”

  “Do you own orchards? How often do you come down here”? Madhav strolled to the window facing the street.

  “I don’t own orchards. I am a fruit trader and purchase the harvest in wholesale. I come here twice a week and sometimes stay back for a day or two.”

  Madhav shot the first arrow “Did Nikhil come to meet you on the day of his murder”?

  Karan replied confidently “No… Not at all. We did not meet.”

  Madhav looked at him quizzically and then out of the window “Then how do you explain his car parked downstairs.”

  Karan is stunned and rushes to the window and looks down at the police team working on Nikhil's car. Madhav strolled away from the window.

  Now Karan was stuttering “I don’t know anything about this. I never met Nikhil on that day, at all.”

  Madhav handed him a glass of water “When was the last time you met Reema”?

  Even with all the briefing from Reema Karan was flustered. All his confidence was draining away “We met some weeks ago at a party, Nikhil was also there.”

  Madhav showed as if he was getting convinced “Have you ever met Reema alone, like when Nikhil was not there”?

  Karan was confused. This was something he forgot to check with Reema “I don’t think that ever happened.”

  Madhav gave Karan a mock surprise face “Can two people have an affair without meeting each other”?

  Karan tried to look completely blank but his fluttering eyes gave away his nervousness “I don’t understand what you mean.”

  Madhav stated as a matter of fact “We have information that you two were having an illicit affair behind Nikhil’s back.”

  Now it was Karan’s turn to fake outrage “Sir, that is a serious allegation. How can you say that”?

  Madhav saw the pattern and gave his threat “Either you confess and tell us the truth or we will take you in custody and interrogate you both.”

  Karan had decided that if things got sticky, then he will use this card “It is better if I ask my lawyer to speak for me.”

  Madhav knew this would happen “Okay, I get that. Karan, you must not leave town without my permission. Have a good day.”

  . . .

  I couldn’t bear to be in the same room as Karan. If I had the power, I could have strangled him there and then. After Madhav left, Karan rushed to the window and stayed there till he saw Madhav leave in his police jeep. Then he called Reema,

  Karan hollered unmindful of the staff outside his office “Why the hell did you give my number to the inspector”?

  Reema shot back “I did not give him your number. Did he call you”?

  Karan was almost screaming “He called and came to my office.”

  This was so precious. Totally worth it. Seeing these two love birds, so scared.

  “What did he ask you”?

  “They found Nikhil’s car below my office. Fuck. How did that get here”?

  Reema was stunned “How did Nikhil’s car reach there? This is absurd.”

  Karan scoffed “Forget absurd, I have been told not to leave the town without his permission. Do you realise, this is almost like a house arrest? My business will be ruined.”

  Reema lost her cool and shouted back “Oh yeah, make this about you. Do you even care what is happening to me? You have no idea and don’t even want to guess. My husband is dead and I am looking like a suspect and I didn't even do anything.”

  Karan was taken aback and replied in a milder tone “Alright, alright… Sorry Ree, you are right, there is someone who knows about us and is trying to frame us. We need to figure out who that could be. Maybe that is the killer”?

  Reema finished the call and realised that Hemlata and Shiv were standing there. She signals them to sit. Shiv plonks on the sofa but Hemlata remains standing.

  Hemlata broke the silence. “Whatever the hell is going on here is very disturbing for me. You both are being quest
ioned by the police and there are secrets that I am hearing from a third person. Why was I kept in the dark? Do I belong to this family? Do I know you people at all”?

  Shiv also chipped in “What is this we are hearing about Karan”?

  Hemlata knew very well, Shiv’s trick of hiding behind Reema’s issue “You just shut up! Don’t try to be a saint and question her. First, you answer, why did you threaten Nikhil and meet those goondas”?

  Reema had no intention of getting into a post mortem “Ma, please calm down, don’t get worked up. I will explain everything. I had no idea dad went to his office and did all that. (She turns to Shiv) Why the hell did you do that? Now the whole office is a witness and you are the prime suspect. Oh god, Dad, did you have anything to do with Nikhil’s murder”?

  This surely got Shiv’s goat. He erupted in a rage “Are you both out of your mind? How can you ask me a question like that”?

  Hemlata shot back “Because you always hated him and never left a chance to berate him. It seems possible. You went to meet a murderer.”

  Shiv calmed down and spoke in a reassuring tone “That is not related to this. Whatever was my problem with Nikhil it was just superficial. I didn’t hate him enough to kill him. I have never hated anyone to that extent ever.”

  Reema tried to reason with him “We can believe you but what about the police! They are trying to put circumstances together that points towards you.”

  Now, Shiv acquired a sarcastic tone “I think you should be more worried about your situation.”

  Hemlata seemed convinced with Shiv’s explanation, she too turned to Reema “tell us about this Karan fiasco. Since when did you guys get back together”?

  Reema remained silent. She was trying to frame a defensive reply which would make her look like the victim.