Agni refused with a polite nod.
‘Oh...you must be on duty...aren’t you?’
Agni smiled.
Rituja took a gulp of the drink, and lit a cigarette.
‘So what brings you here?’ her breath reeked of alcohol. ‘You did mention...I don’t recall now....’
‘I would like to know your schedule for the week, Ms. Bose. I called your secretary but couldn’t reach him,’ Agni explained the purpose of his visit, trying to look away from the inebriated Rituja, an eye covered almost completely by her tresses, unabashed desire conspicuous in the other, her saree threatening to slip off her shoulder any moment.
‘Oh yes! You did mention,’ Rituja stamped the cigarette stub into the ash tray and stood up with some difficulty.
‘Let me get my diary....’ she tottered towards the bedroom.
She stopped after entering the bedroom. Supporting herself against a wall, she turned towards Agni. With lust writ large upon her face, Rituja allowed her saree to touch the floor revealing her breasts that almost spilled out of her skimpy blouse. The pendant buried in her cleavage and her waist chain shimmered in the last rays of the setting sun that seeped in through a window Agni could not see. Her deep navel, bared before Agni’s unbelieving eyes, seemed to be begging for attention.
Agni stood up and paced across the lounge. He stood at the doorway as Rituja unfastened a hook of her blouse, her breasts rising and falling in rhythm with her heavy breathing. Her eyes were locked with Agni’s, silently challenging him to make his move.
Agni pulled the bedroom door shut with a bang right on Rituja’s face, and turned around.
As he ran down the stairs, anger and dismay took over him. Over the years, his fascination for the woman upstairs had come from her being enigmatic, being completely beyond the reach of lesser mortals who could only fantasise about her. For the fanboy in Agni, she was real, yet she belonged to a different world. A few minutes back, the screen goddess transcended the virtual barrier between their worlds when she looked pleadingly at him, seeking a few minutes of physical gratification.
One moment Agni asked himself why he had taken up the case, the next moment he wanted to run upstairs, shake the intoxicated woman back to her senses and ask, ‘Why...oh, why?’
Chapter 19
‘So, you have a theory?’ ACP Bardhan asked Agni and exchanged glances with DCP Upadhyay. The other officials in the room looked expectantly at Agni.
‘I do, Sir. What struck me right from the beginning is the obsessive behaviour of the stalker. I read through the e-mails Ms. Bose had received at intervals of few weeks. In each of those e-mails, the sender poses as a man of considerable affluence. A banker or a merchant or a celebrity not willing to reveal his identity—you get the drift. The man writing the e-mail professes his love for her, wishes to meet her in private and makes alluring propositions. Of taking her along on a luxurious cruise, or investing his fortunes in her movies, holidaying in private islands, or even of marrying her. The pattern is the same.
The sender of these e-mails, assuming for a moment they are from the same person, comes across as someone taking pleasure in setting up a bait for Ms. Bose, and waiting in anticipation for her to fall for it. In fact, I noticed that, contrary to what Ms. Bose told us, she had actually replied to the first couple of those e-mails, expressing her interest in the men and their offers. She became alert when the pattern started repeating at regular intervals.’
‘You mean to say, someone has been subjecting her to some kind of loyalty test?’ ACP Bardhan asked Agni.
‘Exactly, Sir! Now, come to think of the calls. Why is it that this person calls her only at her land-phone at odd hours in the night, and then disconnects the line without saying anything after he hears Ms. Bose respond? Why doesn’t the stalker call her on her mobile phone?’
DCP Upadhyay spoke this time, ‘To check if she’s home!’
‘Exactly! That’s what I think too, Sir,’ Agni smiled.
‘As for the break-in, it was meant to be on a day she was out. The person wanted to get into her house and carry out a discreet search of her belongings, looking for clues to whatever Ms. Bose is being suspected of.’
‘Brilliant, Agni!’ DCP Upadhyay exclaimed. ‘This makes a lot of sense. It’s not a random stalker, but someone Rituja knows. Someone close to her, possibly a lover, who’s insecure and suspicious,’ he looked around the room and asked, ‘Who’s she dating these days?’
‘I’ve already been gathering information from some of her close associates—well, the very few that she has in the industry. There is, indeed, substance to the rumours that she has been dating a cinematographer by the name of Abhishek Roy for a while now. The security guards at her bungalow have also seen him visit her on a number of occasions. The timings of his visits don’t seem to suggest that those were business meetings!’ Agni brought the DCP up to speed with his findings.
The DCP kept looking at Agni for a few seconds. Then he asked, ‘So how does this piece of information help us?’
‘Well, there is widespread rumour in the industry that the two of them have recently broken up, though neither of them has come out in public either confirming or refuting the rumours.’
Chapter 20
Present Day
Their car turned a corner and hummed down a narrow alley off the main thoroughfare. Agni had always known about the nondescript watering holes in the northern fringes of Kolkata. Those places very often came in the news for all the wrong reasons—brawls, shootouts and prostitution.
However, he had never heard of The Nook, which apparently served as the haunting ground of the rich and the famous when they wanted to enjoy a few drinks in privacy. The club was tucked away in a corner of the city, far from the milling crowds of onlookers.
The car was slowing down. Agni could see a fairly long queue near the entrance. However, Rituja’s chauffeur seemed to be heading towards a more discreet entrance on the side. Agni could see dark figures gathered around the doorway.
‘Looks like the Press got wind of your Friday night plan after all,’ Agni quipped. ‘We need to be careful.’
‘I don’t have the faintest idea how they get to know every time!’ Rituja looked worried.
The chauffeur stepped out of the car and walked towards the back door of the car and opened it for Rituja. Agni stepped out on the other side and from the corner of his eyes, could see a bunch of Press photographers bolt towards their car with their cameras raised high.
Rituja and Agni were greeted by blinding flashlights. Agni ducked and instinctively passed an arm around Rituja, feeling the cold bare skin of her upper arm, pulling her through the heavy door held open for the star guest by a couple of beefy bouncers.
Agni could hear the photographers shouting outside, resenting the easy entry of the celebrity guest, even as the heavy door closed behind them. The noises outside were replaced by the heavy thumping of the bass inside.
Agni was suddenly conscious of Rituja still nestling against him and withdrew his arm. Rituja looked into his eyes and smiled coquettishly, streaks of blue and yellow lights lighting up her face. There were judiciously placed mirrors all around, making the club look more spacious than it really was.
‘Follow me,’ she whispered as Agni felt her hand slip inside his, tugging at him.
Agni could see heads turn as Rituja smiled and waved at some of the revellers she seemed to know. He realised they were headed towards what looked like a bank of private booths at the far end of the club, making their way through the stamping and swaying crowd on the dance floor.
Rituja moved a curtain aside and Agni saw Mayank Kapoor sprawled on a sofa. For a brief moment, all the advertisements in print and hoardings Agni had seen him in, flashed before his eyes.
Mayank was in a very tight tee and skinny jeans. He reclined on a sofa, his arms stretched along the back at right angles to his sculpted body. He had a mop of shoulder-length hair, which also covered his brow and his right eye. On the t
able in front of him there was a plate of kebabs and a glass of whisky on the rocks. He jerked his head, making a futile effort to shift his hair off his eye, and looked up at Agni and Rituja with droopy eyes.
‘Ritu!’ he almost screamed and wobbled to his feet. Agni realised he must have been drinking for a while now. He tottered forward from behind the table and hugged Rituja, and then flashed a smile at Agni, extending his hand.
‘Mayank, let me introduce ACP Agni Mitra, unless you already know him,’ Rituja looked at Agni over her shoulder, ‘and who doesn’t know Mayank?’
‘Of course,’ Agni smiled, ‘From the highways to our drawing rooms—Mayank Kapoor is everywhere these days!’
Mayank bowed his head, clearly enjoying the adulation. He gestured to his guests to take up seats. Rituja sat next to Mayank, Agni sat facing them across the table.
‘What would you like to drink?’ he looked enquiringly at Agni. ‘I know what’s Ritu’s poison.’
‘Whatever you are drinking,’ Agni kept it simple.
Rituja moved the curtain aside and gestured to a waiter, who after taking orders returned shortly afterwards with whisky for the men and a pink-coloured cocktail for Rituja in a salt-rimmed glass.
Mayank took a long gulp of the drink and locked his eyes with Agni’s, jerking his head again to shift his hair that got in the way, this time with some success.
‘So what brings the cop here?’ Mayank’s lips curled in a smile as he drummed on the table.
Rituja inched closer to Mayank. She held his hand and said in what Agni thought was an almost apologetic tone, ‘Baby, Agni is investigating into the murder of Hiya, and I have told him about Hiya and you...’ Her voice trailed off.
Mayank jerked his hand free and looked at Agni.
‘So I’m a suspect now, am I?’
He drained his glass and looked incredulously at Rituja. ‘Can’t bloody believe this!’ he yelled at her, ‘I thought you knew how to keep a secret! She’s dead, for God’s sake!’
He hid his face between his palms for a few minutes, rocking back and forth. He then stood up and swiftly moving the curtain aside, made his way out of the booth.
‘He is very upset over Hiya’s death. He’s been like this for days now!’ Rituja volunteered to explain Mayank’s odd behaviour, rather unduly as Agni thought. He found their camaraderie rather interesting. She bent forward to pick up a piece of kebab from the plate, offering Agni a generous view of her bosom above the daringly low neckline of her pink body-con, a shiny pendant nestled in her cleavage.
Agni looked away, but not before Rituja’s eyes had caught his. The flirtatious smile was back on her face.
There was an awkward silence inside the booth. The bass thumped loudly outside.
Mayank was back after a while, carrying a freshly filled glass of whisky. Agni’s eyes went to the open fly of his trousers. Rituja gestured to Mayank alerting him about his oversight. Mayank promptly zipped himself up.
Back on the couch, he took a sip of the whisky and looked up at Agni. For a fleeting moment, Agni felt he looked nervous under all that put-on arrogance, as he started drumming again on the table top, his legs jerking to his rhythm.
Agni said, ‘Mayank, get this clear. You are not a suspect,’ he paused and added, ‘yet. I am here for a conversation, to know you better.’
Mayank sucked hard on his cigarette and said, ‘Okay, let’s talk then. Let’s get to know each other.’
‘You have been endorsing the properties of the Chauhans for...how long?’
Mayank closed his eyes, dragging on his cigarette, thinking hard. ‘Must be more than two years now. I came down to Kolkata from Patna and was looking for work. The agency put me through to the Chauhans. In fact, one of those advertisements on TV got me my first mega-serial on telly.’
‘I believe you are now in a movie.’
‘I am,’ Mayank looked smug. ‘All these Bengali girls love me in the serials, I’m told!’ He winked at Rituja. ‘So, the same production house decided to give me a break in their latest movie.’
‘And you continue to work with the Chauhans?’
‘No...not anymore. I...I’m focusing on the movie right now.’
‘Do you visit Manav in the hospital?’
Mayank looked nervy and restless. He took another generous sip of the whisky. The drumming on the table top was back. So was the jerking of his legs.
‘I did go to the hospital...the day after the...the incident. He was unconscious.’
‘And did you go back afterwards?’
‘No...I’ve been busy. I told you,’ Mayank sounded impatient.
Rituja interjected, ‘Yes, Mayank is working hard on the movie.’ Agni realised that Rituja was trying to show Mayank off in his best light.
‘Hiya and you were in a relationship. How did that happen?’ Agni looked Mayank straight in his eyes.
Mayank reached into his pack of cigarettes and pulled out a stick. He fumbled in his pocket for the lighter, and after he finally found it, he managed to light after a couple of failed attempts. He took a long drag and reclined, running his fingers through his unruly hair, shifting the mop off his face.
There was silence inside the booth, interrupted only by the loud music outside.
‘We were seeing each other.’ Mayank finally spoke, his eyes still closed. Agni watched him intently. Not a muscle twitched on Mayank’s face.
Agni cast a darting glance at Rituja and asked, ‘This was before her marriage, I believe?’
‘Yes,’ Mayank’s head hung low and his voice was almost imperceptible. Agni was suddenly worried he might fall asleep.
Mayank continued to speak almost in whispers, ‘Hiya had been going on and on about Manav not having time for her, about her feeling lonely and needy...I wanted to make her happy, to spend time with her...and we fell in love. She was ready to break off her marriage with Manav!’
‘Then why did she still go ahead and get married to Manav Chauhan?’
‘How the fuck do I know?’ Mayank yelled, the suddenness of his reaction taking the other two by shock.
He stood up again, and walked gingerly to the door. He threw the curtain aside and barked orders for another round of drinks.
He returned to his seat and continued, ‘Manav found out about us...dropped by at her set one fine day and took us by surprise. There was a scene...a nasty one...in front of the unit.’ He hid his face in his palms. ‘I was drunk...very drunk. I was out of my fucking senses. I was very rude with Manav...I...I should’ve watched my words. That woman...that woman was playing with my mind....’
‘Didn’t Manav talk to you after that incident?’
‘He...he didn’t. I was very rude with him...I told you. He wanted to break off the engagement....’
‘Wouldn’t that have been convenient for the two of you?’
‘Yes, yes, yes...but...’ Mayank’s fingers curled into a punch that landed on the table top.
‘But...?’
‘But Hiya was not willing to let him go, you see. He was the Manav Chauhan! It didn’t take her too long to change her mind and get into her wedding trousseau! Who the fuck am I?’
Rituja rubbed his back and ran her fingers through his hair, now forming a curtain around his face which was hidden in his palms, as he sat stooping forward. Agni had his eyes fixed on Mayank. The man was hurt, and angry. It would not take a lot for that rage to translate into an uncontrollable desire for revenge.
Mayank went on, ‘She must’ve apologised to Manav...must’ve begged and pleaded...must’ve told a bundle of lies...must’ve said I had seduced her...must’ve said it was just a fling...and Manav must have given in. He must’ve realised he had not been paying enough attention to his fiancée...lost in his work! Just as he used to ignore that other girl...what was her name?’
‘Neha?’
‘Neha...yes, the one he had broken up with before he met Hiya.’ Mayank banged the table once again and looked up at Agni, ‘But you know what? It wasn’t a fling f
or me! It wasn’t, for God’s sake!’ He almost shouted.
A potent pause and then Mayank continued, ‘And...and Manav stopped calling me! I felt like shit...he was my friend goddammit! I owe everything to him...I was very rude with him...I was out of my senses...’ Mayank went on mumbling. ‘All because of that girl!’
Rituja whispered, ‘We know baby...Hiya fucked you up...completely! You didn’t know what you were doing!’
Agni noticed from the corner of his eye, the waiter had been waiting outside with the drinks and food, hesitating to step in. Agni moved the curtain aside, gesturing to the waiter to serve.
Mayank took a sip of the drink. That seemed to calm him down somewhat.
‘They got married and within days, this happens!’
‘It must’ve been hard for you!’
‘Fuck...it was!’ Mayank yelled. ‘I was not in town when they got married. I had returned a couple of days before the news came in the papers.’ His eyes narrowed, Mayank looked at emptiness, ‘And now the Chauhans have nothing to do with me...and the idea is fucking me up!’ Agni noticed genuine grief in Mayank’s eyes.
Mayank suddenly turned to Rituja and held her hand, ‘Darling, can you two please leave me alone? I don’t want to talk about Hiya anymore. Or, about the Chauhans...I’m trying to get over this, you know...’ his voice drifted off again.
Rituja looked at Agni. He nodded.
Rituja whispered into Mayank’s ears, ‘Baby, are you sure you’ll be fine? Do you have the car?’
‘I do...don’t worry ‘bout me,’ he slurred.
Agni finished his drink. He put his hand on Mayank’s shoulder and said, ‘Take care...I’m sure everything will be fine.’
For some reason, his own words rung hollow in Agni’s ears.
Rituja was on the phone with her chauffeur. ‘Rakesh, we’re coming out now. Be at the side door. Right now, ok?’
She bent over and kissed Mayank on his cheek, who remained seated motionless.
The Colours of Passion Page 6