by Vish Dhamija
'Did she say where in Greece?'
'I am not sure, but from her conversations in the last week I gathered that it was on the coast, as she mentioned the beach a few times.' Andy was quick to demonstrate his sharpness.
'Did you meet her Greek boyfriend?'
'No.'
'Did anyone you know?'
'Paul has surely met him. In fact, he was the one who introduced Serena to this Greek guy. He lived below Nikos' penthouse in the same building.'
'Could I see Paul, please?'
'He's out of town and will only be back after the weekend.'
'Okay. Could I have Serena's UK address please?'
'Yes.'
Andy called up Human Resources who were very pleased to oblige. 'Thanks for all the help. I shall see you again on Monday, then.'
'Bye, Kabir. If you need any help, give me a call please.'
'Sure. But please don't tell Paul about me. I will drop in on Monday to see him as Serena's friend.'
'Don't worry about that.'
Kabir got little sleep on the flight and was exhausted by the time he left Canary Wharf at four. He walked back to his studio, picking up a sandwich on the way as he had no intention to venture out in the wet and cold again. Sleep eluded him for a long time. He was happy, for some strange, unknown reason that Paul was away. Serena would remain presumed innocent for another four days, at least, in his mind.
He woke up, feeling fresh, at nine in the morning. The jet lag and the alcohol had gone from his system. He looked out at the cold February morning from his window and a chill ran down his spine. He had an hour before his first — and only — appointment of the day with Nick, the estate agent, who had arranged the rented apartment for Serena. He had a shower, got into his faded blue jeans with the white button-down shirt that had become his attire since he had stopped wearing the uniform for this assignment. Given the weather in London, a navy blazer and a coat were added. Since the estate agent was also in the same area Kabir decided to walk, picking up a coffee on the way.
'The apartment has been rented to another family only three days ago,' Nick told Kabir.
'I can understand that. Did she leave any forwarding address for her mail? Or any bank details in Greece?'
'No. She had planned to move in advance, so we refunded the deposit to her UK account.'
Kabir had checked the bank account through Andy already. Almost all the money had been withdrawn from the account except a few hundred pounds, and she had not bothered to close it. It would have been juvenile to expect people as razor-sharp as the ones he was dealing with to withdraw cash or use UK debit or credit cards anywhere near their new home. 'Was there any post for her after she left the apartment?'
'There were her monthly bank and credit card statements and some utility bills which were passed on to the owner of the property,' Nick said. 'Let me speak to the current residents to check if it's okay for us visit the apartment.'
'No harm in trying.' Kabir wasn't prepared to give up even a disappointing opportunity like this.
What if there was some post that came in after the agent had collected the bills?
'Good news,' Nick said, putting the receiver down on the cradle. 'The new tenants haven't moved into the apartment, and they are happy for us to visit the place in the afternoon.'
'That's a good start. Thank you for arranging this, Nick.'
'It's always a pleasure to help the law.'
Serena's erstwhile apartment was a furnished one and she had left it in good order. She had hardly stayed in it after May last year, except infrequently visiting to collect her post and bills, or sometimes with Nikos for a nightcap. Nikos's penthouse was a better place to party and spend time in. There was nothing in the apartment that provided Kabir with any clues. As confirmed by Nick the post had already been at the estate agent's office, and nothing had been delivered after that.
She wouldn't have painted her forwarding address on the walls, I suppose. Kabir laughed at himself.
Kabir spent the weekend in his guest apartment eating microwavable packed food he had picked up from the nearby ASDA. There was little he could do until Paul returned from his vacation since, according to Andy, Paul was the only guy who knew Nikos.
***
Kabir was mindful of the time constraint he was working under. He was only a little distance from the bank, but didn't want be the first thing Paul had to attend to after his holiday. He was in Canary Wharf at four and met with Andy again.
'Hello, Kabir. How was your weekend?' Andy asked.
'Fine, thank you. How about you? Did you do anything exciting?'
'With two growing kids, there's hardly any time for something exciting.' Andy laughed it off.
'Is Paul in today?' Kabir came to the point directly.
'Oh, yes. Let me take you to his office.' Andy got up and the two of them walked down the corridor to Paul's office.
'Paul… this is Mr Kabir Singh — he's the old friend of Serena I told you about,' Andy made the introduction.
'Hello, Paul.' Kabir walked in behind Andy.
'Hello,' Paul said, gesturing for both of them to sit.
'I've got a meeting in ten minutes, so I'll leave both of you. Kabir, if you need anything else, please drop by my office.' Andy apologised and left.
'Thanks, Andy.'
'How may I help you?' Paul asked Kabir.
'I was looking for Serena.'
'How do you know Serena?'
'We went to business school together, but lost touch after that.'
'Oh… you know she got married last month?'
'I know… to a Greek guy…'
'A Greek millionaire.' Paul couldn't resist adding the qualifier. 'Would you care for a coffee?'
'That would be lovely.'
'I don't have any meetings now, so let's go to the café.' Paul pulled out his wallet from the top drawer on his desk.
They picked their drinks and sat in the café. Given the time of day, there weren't many people around.
'Thanks for the coffee. I want to be honest with you. Although I did attend business school with Serena that is not the reason I am looking for her. I work for the Indian Police and am currently investigating an old case that has been reopened due to an even older one. I am hoping Serena could fill in some gaps,' Kabir explained.
Paul's casual demeanour suddenly changed, and he inadvertently became more attentive. He obviously gauged this wasn't a friendly search, and for someone to come looking for facts from another part of the world spelt something significant. 'I'll do anything I can to help you.' He recomposed himself.
'How well did you know Serena and Nikos?' Kabir pulled out the name of the Greek millionaire who Kim and, then, Andy had mentioned a few times.
'Serena and I started as co-workers. She came to me because someone told her that I lived in the area where she was looking for an apartment when she moved here from India. She found one, and she was nice enough to take me out for a drink to thank me, hence we became friends. We occasionally had coffee together in this very café during office hours, and even met outside the office for a drink or a film. I invited her to a party at my place where she met Nikos for the first time,' Paul narrated.
'Do you know where she is now?'
'She moved to Greece before the wedding. As a friend, I expected she would leave her contact details, but she didn't. Maybe, she'll drop me a line or a card after she's finished honeymooning on the yacht,' Paul said with a smirk, but he was visibly disappointed that Serena hadn't bothered to keep in touch.
'And how did you meet Nikos?'
'He lived in the penthouse above my apartment. In fact he moved in February last year. He used to play loud music at odd hours, so I had to knock on his door once, to tell him to stop. He was very apologetic, and when he met me the next time invited me over to his place for a drink. That's how we got to know each other.'
'Anything more you can tell me about this Nikos guy?'
'The guy was extremely suave a
nd sophisticated. He had an unrivalled selection of antiques, artefacts and a classic sports car. He came from a Greek shipping family, but he had branched out to become an antique dealer.'
Nothing was ever unassuming about you Raaj, Kabir cerebrated.
'So why did you invite them, together, for a party?' Kabir was without uniform, but his policing instincts made him question everything.
'When Serena came to know that there was a bachelor staying above my apartment who was, also, a millionaire, she wanted to be introduced to him, so I planned a party with her, Nikos and a few of my other friends.'
'Do you have any pictures of Nikos?'
'No.' Paul shook his head.
Kabir pulled out Raaj's passport, turned the pages and put his picture in front of Paul.
'That's Nikos.' Paul still, did not cry Eureka. 'Where did you get that from?'
The eventuality Kabir had dreaded to discover was, foreseeably, inevitable now. Serena had been as much a part of the scam as Raaj and would, therefore, have to face the consequences.
Raaj being the force that he was, would have convinced Serena to be part of the dreadful crime, he finally admitted to himself.
'I'll explain. What time do you get off work?'
'I normally leave after six.' Paul looked at his watch; it was already half past five.
'Is the penthouse above you vacant now?'
'Oh yes. It is so horrendously expensive, only millionaires can afford the rent,' Paul said.
'Who has the keys?'
'Most likely they'd be with the estate agent. I saw the "Penthouse for Rent" sign when I left the building in the morning, so we can call them. But I'm sure there's nothing in there. He would have definitely taken all the beautiful antiques and…' Paul trailed off.
'Do you have the estate agent's number?' Kabir was on a different track and displayed no interest in Nikos's antiques.
'I can give them a call, but they would have closed for the day. You can most probably see the place tomorrow morning. But how do you have Nikos's passport?' Paul asked again.
'Let me have the honour of taking you out for a drink after work today,' Kabir said.
'That would be great. Let's go down, I need to shut off my computer and then we can go somewhere.'
'I should say thanks to Andy in the meanwhile and then wait for you in the main reception area,' Kabir said.
'Okay.'
***
Paul took Kabir to Slug and Lettuce. 'This is where Serena and I had a drink a few times after work,' he told Kabir, as they entered the pub.
'Nice place.'
Fortunately it being a Monday, the place wasn't crammed with people as it normally was towards the end of the week. It was full, but not crowded. They could walk to the bar and pick up drinks without losing thirty minutes.
'Tell me now. What's the whole case about? How do you have Nikos's passport?' Paul was — hardly surprisingly — getting curious now.
What if Paul was still in touch with Serena and Nikos and forewarned them about the whole thing? But with Nikos actually being Raaj, it was highly unlikely, Kabir reflected.
'I know it will hurt you, but there isn't an easy way of putting it. They made judicious use of your acquaintance, my friend. Everything had been planned, and was not a coincidence, though it was designed to appear as one to you.' Kabir took a sip of his beer.
'How?' Paul was stunned.
'They had nothing personal against you. They needed a Samaritan to help them carry out their plan.'
'Could you explain that in plain English, please?' Paul was polite but assertive. He was an honest banker and had never made any claims to being a detective. Kabir's cryptic language was beyond him.
'Serena came to you looking for advice on the area around January last year?'
'Yes.'
'Nikos moved into the penthouse above you soon afterwards?'
'Yes.'
Kabir realised that he should stop phrasing every sentence as a question, or Paul would cut him off after every sentence with a yes. 'Serena befriended you by taking you out for a drink, and Nikos caught your attention by playing loud music so you got to know him. Then, he invited you over to his house to impress you with his antiques, sports car and grandeur and you fell into the trap. You thought they were two separate individuals who, coincidently, became friends with you around the same time?' Kabir made the mistake of asking again.
'Yes.'
'By your own admission, the penthouse above you is too expensive for most people to rent, therefore you were the best bet. Serena zeroed in on you for help because the penthouse above you was vacant, hence it was only a matter of time before they ensured that you — Paul — introduced them to each other in the company of others, so that they could, apparently, fall in love and get married.' Kabir thought he had explained enough for Paul to tie up the loose ends.
'But why would they need me if they knew each other already, and why would they plan such...'
'I am sorry, I forgot to tell you. Nikos is actually Raaj — Serena's ex-husband who, supposedly, died in a fire accident in Mumbai. In 1996.'
Someone needed to pinch Paul to bring him back to reality, as this was, indeed, more than he could grasp. 'You mean…?'
'And it was all done to cover up another crime that I cannot disclose.'
'Both of them looked respectable people to me. I never even once doubted that they could be impersonating…'
'It was all a pretence.'
'How will you find them in Greece?'
'The challenge is much bigger here. They are more intelligent than that — they wouldn't announce it to the whole world if they were going to Greece. Don't you think?'
'But Nikos was Greek…' As Kabir waived the blue passport in front of him, Paul realised, mid-sentence, that Nikos was not actually Greek.
'Why don't we go to the estate agent first thing in the morning?' Paul asked.
We? Kabir wondered for a moment.
'I have no issues with you coming along, but what about your office?'
'I'll call up and say I'd be coming in late.' Paul was keen to know if anything could be found in Nikos's apartment that could lead them somewhere.
'Okay.'
'What are you doing for dinner?'
'I have no plans,' Kabir confessed.
'Where are you staying?'
'On Manchester Road…'
'That's very close to where I live. Why don't we go to this brilliant Thai restaurant near my apartment?' Paul suggested.
'Only on one condition — I will buy dinner for you.'
'Be my guest.' Paul did not want to get into an argument on this one.
'No. You be my guest.' Kabir smiled.
Paul and Kabir met outside the estate agent's office, as decided, shortly after nine the next morning. Kabir had already called up his contact in Scotland Yard that morning, to leave a message for the agent to attend to Kabir's request into the enquiry. A bouncy Catherine was waiting for them. After the usual introductions, Kabir asked about the penthouse. 'I understand no one's currently living in it, so I was hoping you still have the keys.'
'You're right,' Catherine said.
'Have you picked up any post from there?'
'No. Mr Nikos had got the apartment professionally cleaned before vacating it, so one of my colleagues tallied the inventory and collected the keys. I haven't been there lately. Do you want to see it?' she asked, without being prompted.
'That's really nice of you. When could we see it please?'
'We could go now, if you guys want.' She looked, questioningly, at Paul.
'I live in the apartment below,' Paul told her as both the men got into her car for the short drive.
'Do you do a reference check on the tenants?' Kabir enquired.
'Of course we do. Mr Nikos caused no suspicion. He had been living in London for years and had a good credit history, so he passed our credit check,' she explained.
'Do you have details of his bank account?'
'I am sure we have it on the file. I'll look into it when we get back to office.'
'Thanks.'
They drove into Paul's apartment block. The penthouse was gorgeous. To Paul and Catherine's surprise, Nikos had left behind all the antiques and artefacts. 'These fake antiques, to a random amateur eye, are quite indistinguishable from originals, Paul.' Kabir saw Paul aghast at seeing all the counterfeits in the penthouse.
You are the best counterfeiter Raaj…you faked share certificates, displayed fake antiques, faked your origin, you even faked your own death. Kabir was disgusted.
Some post was lying on the floor, which Catherine collected and handed over to Kabir. There were various bills, a Newsweek and some local take-away flyers. Glancing through it, his eyes noticed an envelope with a Spanish postmark on it. He tore it open to reach for the letter from Alfredo:
Dear Mr Nikos,
I tried calling you many times, but there is something wrong with your mobile phone, it is not even going to your voicemail.
Someone broke into your villa yesterday and I have got the locks changed. Nothing to worry about, just give me a call when you get this letter or when you arrive at the airport and I will be at your villa to deliver the keys to you.
Give my regards to madam.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours faithfully,
Alfredo
It was dated January 5th 2002 and carried Alfredo's office details.
'Spain is the new Greece.' Kabir passed on the letter to Paul and Catherine.
'Goodness gracious!' Paul was open-mouthed.
'They might have to correct some literature for the new students.'
'What?'
'It should be called Alfredo's heel,' Kabir gagged, pointing towards the letter in Paul's hand.
37
Almost noon, Marbella
February 14th, 2002
It took a while before Kabir could get the diplomatic papers processed to visit Spain for the investigation.
'Kabir, are you sure this is the same investigation that I put you on and the state is not funding your exotic vacation?' Mr Gill had laughed.