by Vish Dhamija
'Six months?' Serena sighed.
'One important piece of advice — never, ever, call from your home, office or mobile phone. Always use a public telephone booth,' Raaj warned assertively.
'You think they would trace my calls?'
'They might.'
'Can they?' she asked like a novice.
'Of course they can, which brings me to another point. Between the times I drop you at the airport and pick up Rana, I will make several lecherous calls to Kim…'
'I always knew you wanted to get into her pants, you cheeky bastard,' Serena shouted.
'Hold fire sweetheart… you haven't heard me out. The reason I would make these lewd calls is because I want her to avoid telling you about them, even if you ask.'
'I am not sure I follow your reasoning here.' It wasn't quite clear to Serena.
'If I were to make passes at her in ordinary circumstances, she would come running to confide in you. But when I am gone, she'll only worry about why I did what I did, but she wouldn't tell you about my rude or nasty behaviour when you are mourning my death — would she?' Raaj was looking for assurance.
'I don't think she would. But how does that help us?' Serena asked.
'Simple. If I die in an accident with you being the only beneficiary from my insurance, the police will look at you as the prime suspect. To defocus them, we have to provide them with another interesting suspect and a plausible storyline.'
Serena nodded, but she still wasn't catching up with Raaj's complete proposal. 'You won't sleep with her for sure?'
'No, sweetheart. Why would I?' Raaj was a bit agitated that his wife was more concerned about the wrong issues.
'Promise me?'
'I promise,' Raaj said and without stopping to give Serena a chance to ask any questions, he carried on, 'during the investigation, whenever you get a chance to be with Kim alone, you should ask her whether she got any calls from me after you were gone…I reckon that she would deny it because of the nature of the conversation. I am equally sure that in an accidental case like this, with huge insurances to pay out, the police would want to confirm everything, and they will pull out the telephone company's records. If they ask you about any relationship between me and Kim, you should initially throw a fit, but later admit that you had asked Kim about any such calls and she had denied them. That should provide them with enough evidence to follow the trail.'
'What else have you thought of?' Serena couldn't help but admire Raaj's anticipation of the events following his disappearance.
'I'll tell you tomorrow, honey. We've got a few more days,' Raaj said, gallantly, bustling with pride.
'…And nights,' Serena was quick to add.
***
August 13, 1996
'I've borrowed Sonny's Ducati,' Raaj mentioned when they got into bed at night.
'Why?'
'You don't want me to be seen with Rana, do you?'
'So how will you hide on a motorbike?'
'I forgot to tell you, I also borrowed both his helmets. I told him I want to take you for a motorbike ride as it's been a quite some time since the college days.'
This was how Raaj had explained things to Sonny.
'Will you?'
'Of course I will, and we will make sure the security on the gate sees us going out on it.'
'Are you thinking of all this as the days progress, or are you giving all this information to me piecemeal,' Serena asked, snuggling against him.
'It's the latter, sweetheart. I just didn't want to bore you with every little detail till the day.'
She was asleep in a few minutes, though Raaj lay awake going through the plan, a hundredth time, in his mind to ensure that he hadn't missed anything that could give them away.
Is there anything else I could do to mislead the police, he fell asleep thinking.
***
August 14, 1996
Serena got up feeling low. It had started dawning on her that in a few days time the house and her entire belongings would be gone. And along with that, Raaj and the memories she had of all the good times they had spent together in the house since they moved in a while ago. Her parents had passed away after her wedding, so there would be no support, no one to turn to for love, or a shoulder to cry upon, after Raaj had gone. 'Take me away with you.' She was almost crying in bed as Raaj brought the morning tea in for them.
'Don't do this, sweetheart, this is the only option we have. If you get cold feet now, I'll rot in some prison all my life, anyway, and you would have to live on your own for more than just a few years for certain.' Raaj reminded her of the only other choice.
'No.' Serena burst into tears. 'What can we save from the house…?' she asked after she was a little more controlled and sipping her tea.
'Nothing at all, I am sorry. No one can prepare for an accident. If anything of value goes missing and gets noticed by neighbours or friends, the police would have a suspicion that it was engineered.'
'What about my jewellery?'
'Carry whatever you would normally take on a business trip. Anyway, most of your valuable jewellery is in the bank lockers, so why worry?'
'But… all these paintings… furniture that we bought together… clothes…'
'We can buy all this together again, Serena.' Raaj kept his calm to cheer his wife up.
'But I can always come back and collect what is left.'
'This bedroom is where the fire will start so that it reaches my office next door. This will ensure that my computer is burnt beyond recovery. I am not sure how long it will take for the neighbours to raise the alarm, and the firemen to reach and extinguish the fire. If there's anything left in the living room, or the other bedrooms, you can collect it after the police let you in.' Raaj couldn't imagine much would be worth collecting after the fire.
'And where will I live?'
'With Kim. Or check into a hotel, temporarily. Our Bandra apartment is vacant since the last tenants left, you could move in there.' Serena kept silent for a while. 'I think you need to be quick if you don't want to be late for work.'
***
August 15, 1996
'What if they get to the truth?' Serena asked. She had got up late to enjoy the bank holiday.
'There is no way. But if they do, disassociate yourself from everything. You should, at all times, maintain that you had no inkling about any such plan. Act cheated on by a deceitful husband.'
'It's not as easy as you say…'
'It's equally hard to carry out what I am about to do, sweetheart,' Raaj said. She didn't contradict him. 'After I drop you at the airport and make the calls to Kim, it would only be logical that I drive to her apartment block and park my car there for a few hours. Her building is right by the sea, it would be easy to park the car, walk through the hallway, take the rear exit...the pedestrian gate that opens on to the beach.' Raaj was adding tasks for the police by supplying another element that would be difficult to isolate from the investigation.
'If you want to have a jolly with Kim, why don't you say so?' Serena smiled, now that she knew the plan better.
'You know that's not the case.'
'What happens if she does not object to your rude passes?'
'You think that's likely?'
'Who knows?'
'Well, in that case, why didn't you tell me till now?' Raaj teased.
'You want her?' she said throwing a pillow at him.
'So,' Raaj carried on, completely ignoring Serena's comment, 'on Saturday we will go out, in the evening, on the motorbike and park it at the airport. After I drop you on Sunday, I will drive straight to Kim's apartment and leave the car in the visitor's parking, then slip out from the rear gate, take a cab, go to the airport and collect the motorbike to pick up Rana. When Rana and I arrive at our apartment, I will give Rana the keys and tell him to go in while I make an excuse to leave, return the motorbike to Sonny, take a cab to Kim's place, slip in through the rear gate and drive back. So if and when the police investigate, they will have
a raunchy tale leading them into another dimension — Raaj made calls to Kim but she denied this to his wife, Raaj's car was parked in Kim's apartment block for a few hours the same day…'
Raaj's story had no fracture that Serena could detect.
'What if they build a case against Kim and actually arrest her?' Serena came to her friend's defence.
'Even if they believe that there was something going on between Kim and me, they cannot, in any way, establish that my accident had anything to do with it. If they carry on with that line of investigation, the only thing they might be able to suggest is that it could be a suicide. The worst-case scenario would be that the insurance policies would become void. We still escape the counterfeit scam and…' Raaj stopped, not prepared to say the words 'arrest' or 'punishment'.
'But how long would you let Rana be alone in the apartment?'
'He will have to spend an hour in the apartment without me, at least, for which I will apologise profusely,' said Raaj.
'Shouldn't we go riding on the motorbike today, too?' Serena asked like a little kid.
'That's a good idea. Let's take a shower quickly.'
'Why should we take it quickly? Let's get into the shower together,' she said, flirtatiously.
Raaj undressed and got into the shower. Serena followed him.
'You've got very beautiful feet, sweetheart.' He pointed out when she put her feet into the shower.
'Are you saying that's the only beautiful thing about me?' She was unclothed and didn't want to miss his attention on what could be one of the last occasions for a very long time to come.
'You're gorgeous, my precious.' He pulled her into the shower.
***
August 16, 1996
Serena was early in the office trying her best to put up a natural front. Though she felt weak at the knees, she did not want to reveal it to anyone in the office, and absolutely not to Raaj. She understood well that he was undertaking whatever he could to get them both out of trouble; he would be the one playing the bigger role, taking the larger risk. Any impulsive behaviour on her part could be demoralising for Raaj and could defeat the whole plan. This was one time she knew she had to play the doughty booster. She worked late that evening to complete her presentation for the Singapore conference as she had to send it for review. GK had left for the day, but insisted on seeing the final numbers; Serena was presenting facts and figures on the country's retail banking and he wanted to be absolutely sure about the statistics.
Back home it was a sombre evening. The couple decided not to go out and instead simply enjoy each other's company. 'What are you wearing for the party on Saturday?' Raaj broke the dreadful silence.
'I haven't decided.'
'I want you to dress up for me, please.' Raaj could feel himself choking with emotions.
'Anything you want me to wear or not wear, darling…' Serena was quick to turn the mood lighter.
'Not wear? What can I ask you not to wear?'
'You're getting old…' she commented at him having not caught her clue.
'I want you to wear a nice black dress for me.'
'Only?'
'Yes.'
'Nothing… underneath…?'
'Now I see what you've been referring to. Since when have you become an exhibitionist?' He was astonished at his wife's question.
'Who would know except you?'
'Of course, if you wear a dress and nothing underneath it would be pretty obvious, wouldn't it?' He didn't want her to believe that it would go unnoticed.
'Oh, really? When did you last notice someone without brasserie and knickers?' she asked, playfully.
'That's an awkward question. I don't think I have seen anyone at our parties like that.'
'What if I tell you that Kim regularly comes to parties without them?'
'Are you serious?' He jumped.
'Caught you… that really got you excited, didn't it?
'I don't care, but I don't want you to excite anyone so you would not do any such thing, please.'
'Do I excite you?' Serena never gave up once her mind was set on something.
'Of course you do.'
'Then why don't you finish eating and come to bed with me honey.'
'We haven't tried the dining table as yet, have we?'
***
August 17, 1996
'Barely one more day left to wake up with you…' Serena stretched on the bed.
'Hopefully we will escape from the mess.'
'I pray to God.' Serena closed her eyes even though she couldn't envisage God being on their side in this venture.
'Let's go through the whole plan all over again. What time do we have to leave for the party?'
'Around nine, I think.'
'We've got a lot to do today. We will leave on the motorbike for the airport at six and be home by seven to get dressed and go to Kim's party.' Raaj timetabled everything.
'What am I permitted to wear to the party?'
'Everything you should wear.'
The rest of the day passed quickly. They went over the plan in detail for the last time and Serena packed her bags for the Singapore trip. As decided, they took the motorbike out around six, went straight to the airport parking area and took a cab on their return that dropped them a little away from their apartment. In case someone saw them, they would appear to be returning from a leisurely walk on the sea front, rather than coming from a distance.
'Let's get dressed for the party, or we will be late,' said Serena, entering the apartment.
'One more thing… tonight I will pay special attention to Kim.'
'Why is that?'
'So if the police question a few of our friends, the recollections of my closeness with Kim should be fresh in their minds to mislead…' Raaj elucidated.
Raaj changed in ten minutes into faded denims and a navy long-sleeved shirt, but had to wait for better part of an hour for Serena to dress up, though when she came out every minute spent was justified. The wrap-around black dress she wore curved into her valuable assets, thanks to its flattering snug styling which shaped her petite waist. The attractive A-line flare had a long slit on the left leg that went all the way up the middle of her thigh.
'How do I look?' She posed for him flashing her leg like a catwalk model.
'Let's forget the party and get into bed, sweetheart.'
'I am ready.'
'To go to bed or for the party…?'
'Both, but the party first.'
If Serena was dressed to kill, Kim was clad for mass murder in a chic and sexy crushed pale yellow chiffon dress, deeply cut with dainty lace borders that ended well above her knees. Actually, most of women wore party dresses, while their men, it seemed, had decided on jeans.
Serena made it a point to visit the ladies a few times, or disappear to the balcony for a smoke to allow Raaj a close dance, or tête-à-tête with Kim in full view of the others. As predetermined, he moved closer to Kim as soon as Serena left the room and was back with his wife quickly when she returned. It did raise some eyebrows. If some sucker was focusing on him, it would indeed look like the man was trying to manage his wife and mistress, which was the plan.
Kim left early. She had a shoot the next day. Raaj and Serena mingled with the others for some time, revealing nothing that would give anyone in the crowd a clue that there was anything different about the day ahead. They finally left the party at midnight.
Do not even mention that we are having a guest over from abroad tomorrow, Raaj had warned Serena before the party.
Serena was cross. Nervousness, fright and panic had started setting in, and all that combined with Raaj's flamboyant flirting with Kim had got to her. 'You had no reason to get so close to her,' she said loudly when they walked into their apartment.
'I was making sure that people get the wrong idea,' Raaj shouted back in a higher pitch than her.
The shouting and screaming did not continue for more than five minutes, as Serena started weeping. Raaj calmed down immediat
ely, realising that she wasn't upset about the party incident, but was distressed over the day ahead.
'I love you,' he said as if it was an antidote to everything.
'I love you too… I am going to miss you very much. I hope everything goes as we have planned and we get back together soon.'
'It will, sweetheart. It will.' Raaj kissed Serena and both stood in an embrace for a long time.
'What about the second place you wanted to take me after the party?' she asked.
Raaj didn't need to be reminded.
39
August 18, 1996
The day of reckoning had finally arrived. Serena woke up to find Raaj missing from the bedside, searching for something around the house.
'What are you looking for?' she asked loudly.
'I can't find my passport.' Raaj looked worried when he returned to the room.
'It's in the top drawer of your office table.'
It was there.
'How would I find anything without you?' Raaj came into the bedroom with the passport in his hand.
'What would I do without you?'
'It's only a brief parting, sweetheart,' Raaj said to avoid going into the upsetting discussion again.
'Promise me you won't fall in love with someone else?'
'Don't even think about it. I love you…' Raaj stooped to kiss her.
They were ready by nine, ate little breakfast, but kept sitting at the dining table in silence looking into each other's sad eyes. It would be a long time before they could repeat even a simple ritual like this. 'It's time to leave,' Raaj said, as he looked at the time on the wall clock.
'I guess so.'
They locked the house around ten and carried Serena's baggage, in the lift, into the basement parking area and put it in the car. Raaj drove up the ramp and out of the gate waving at the security guard. They hardly spoke in the car. Both of them were gravely engrossed in fighting strange fears, but exhibiting normalcy for the sake of each other.