Patang

by Chattopadhyay, Bhaskar

  Rathod paused for a few seconds and said, ‘I’m going to give you a few names. Tell me if your brother had any dealings with these people.’

  ‘All right…’

  ‘Father Raphael Patton.’

  From the corner of his eyes, Rathod saw Aditya steal a glance at him.

  ‘Who?’ Iliyas grimaced.

  ‘Never mind,’ said Rathod. ‘Sukhdeo Saran. Builder.’

  ‘Wasn’t he murdered a few months ago?’

  ‘Yes. Did your brother have any dealings with him?’

  ‘No…at least none that I know of. I just saw his name on TV.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Of course I’m sure.’

  ‘All right…Rudolph D’Costa?’

  ‘No…who is he?’

  Rathod didn’t respond. He was silent for some time. Then he asked, ‘When did you last see your brother?’

  ‘About a week ago.’

  ‘You had gone to his house to threaten him?’

  ‘Yes, and why wouldn’t I? He forced my father…’

  Rathod shut his eyes and raised a hand. ‘Was he at home?’

  ‘You bet he was. He must have crapped in his pants after I was done speaking with him.’

  ‘And then you left?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Where did you go after that?’

  ‘I went home. You can ask my…my…girlfriend. She was at my place that night.’

  ‘I believe you. Was that the last time you saw him?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You never called him or met him after that?’

  ‘No…it seems the asshole had come to you people to complain against me, like a sissy girl, and Bhave Sir called me here and gave me a warning. What could I do? No point picking a fight with the police, I told myself. I went home, drank the fuck out of my head and passed out. I realized I had to lie low for some time.’

  Rathod stared at Iliyas for a long time. ‘Iliyas, I want you to tell me the truth,’ he said slowly. ‘Did you happen to meet your brother yesterday, or did you speak to him? Think carefully before you answer that.’

  For several seconds, Iliyas stared right back at Rathod. Inspector Aditya’s eyes were locked on to him as well. Finally, Iliyas said, ‘No.’

  Rathod realized he had hit a dead end. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t think of anything else to ask Iliyas at the moment. He rose from his chair, gesturing towards Aditya to follow him and turned towards the door.

  ‘But I tried to,’ Iliyas’s voice piped up from behind them.

  ‘What?’ Rathod turned.

  ‘I said I tried to meet him.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘Last night, at around half past eight.’

  ‘You called him?’

  ‘No, I went to his bungalow.’

  Rathod and Inspector Aditya exchanged glances. This was an important development.

  ‘Despite the warnings?’

  ‘Well…I was drunk.’

  ‘Brilliant! So what did you tell him?’

  ‘You see, that’s the point. Just as I reached his house, he left in his car.’

  ‘Left for where?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘You saw him leaving?’

  ‘Yes, I saw him.’

  ‘Was your brother driving, or was his chauffeur driving?’

  ‘He was driving. I saw him at the wheel.’

  ‘Did he seem agitated, or afraid, or anything of that sort?’

  ‘I was drunk, remember?’

  ‘But you are sure it was him?’

  ‘One hundred per cent.’

  23

  ‘You think it’s the Patang Killer?’

  The two of them had walked out of the station and reached the parking lot when Aditya asked Rathod the question. Rathod looked at him curiously.

  ‘I mean Anthony Matthew?’ Aditya clarified.

  ‘“Patang Killer”, eh? Who the hell came up with that name?’

  ‘That’s what they used to call him in the media after he was arrested.’

  ‘Yeah, the “media”,’ Rathod said mockingly. ‘Anyway, what makes you think he did it?’

  ‘You asked Iliyas about the Patang Killer’s victims back there. And this seems like a serial…’

  ‘Don’t be foolish,’ Rathod interrupted him irritably. ‘Tony Matthew is in jail.’

  Aditya realized that Rathod was in a bad mood and didn’t say anything further.

  ‘Hi!’ A woman’s voice made both of them turn around. Rathod was surprised to see Ananya standing at a distance.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ he asked.

  ‘I was in the neighbourhood, following up on a story with a colleague. Then I saw you here, so I thought I’d come up and say hi.’

  From the corner of his eye, Rathod saw that Aditya was looking at Ananya with an expression of intense admiration. Clearly, he had been struck by her beauty. Rathod felt a little uncomfortable and decided not to introduce the two.

  Ananya continued, ‘Just this morning, some folks at work were talking about the Patang Killer, and I was thinking about you.’

  ‘About me?’ Rathod asked.

  ‘Yeah, it was amazing how you caught him.’

  A warm feeling of satisfaction and pride welled up in Rathod’s chest briefly but quickly disappeared. He frowned. ‘Wait a minute…how did you know?’

  ‘How did I know what?’

  ‘How did you know that I caught him?’

  ‘Of course I know – you caught him…that night, at the beach?’

  A strong sense of apprehension crept up Rathod’s spine.

  Ananya smiled as she looked at his bewildered face. ‘Don’t worry, I know I can’t write or talk about it, and I won’t, I promise…’

  A car came and stopped just behind Ananya and a man spoke to her from behind the wheel. Must be her colleague, Rathod surmised.

  ‘But…who told you?’ he insisted, as Ananya began to walk to the other side of the car.

  ‘Sorry, what?’ she asked, glancing meaningfully at the man behind the wheel and shaking her head. Rathod understood that she didn’t want to speak in front of her colleague.

  ‘Bye!’ she said as she smiled and slammed the door shut.

  The car drove off. The episode seemed quite mysterious to Rathod. But then, people in the media were known to do anything to get such scoops. Anyway, he had other important things on his plate right now. He turned to Aditya and realized he was still standing at a distance and staring at the direction in which Ananya had driven off. Rathod shook his head and got into his Gypsy.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry, are you leaving, sir?’ Aditya came out of his trance.

  ‘Yes, I’m done here.’

  ‘Can I do anything to assist you in this investigation?’ the young officer asked with an enthusiastic smile.

  ‘No, I’ll manage on my own, thank you.’

  ‘Please, sir, it would be an honour to work with you…or even to assist you.’

  ‘But I don’t need your assistance.’

  ‘Please sir…I…I am a big, big fan of yours…’

  Rathod realized that the young man was adamant and felt a little bad for him. He sighed. ‘All right, try and see if you can find the security guard at the steel mill. Ask him if he saw anyone loitering around last night. And, if possible, speak to your contacts and try to trace where Raza had driven to last night.’

  ‘Right, sir!’

  The next day, Rathod methodically and systematically visited the people connected with Imtiaz Raza and questioned them. Inspector Aditya was with him. People at Raza’s office had not noticed anything unusual in his behaviour, nor could they say if he had known Sukhdeo Saran, Father Patton or Rudolph D’Costa. At Raza’s residence, Rathod spoke to his wife.

  ‘I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs Raza, but I need to…’

  ‘Please,’ said Amina Raza calmly. ‘I appreciate you doing this. If I can help you find my husband’s killer, I’m more than willing to do
so.’

  Rathod took a closer look at the woman. Evidently, she was exceedingly strong; even at this tragic hour, she had a sense of calm on her face, although her eyes betrayed her pain.

  ‘Did your husband mention anything to you that could be related to his murder? Anything at all?’

  Amina Raza took her time to think, and when she spoke, she did so in a measured voice. ‘Mr Rathod, as you know, my husband was a businessman, and al-hamdu-lillah, he had done quite well for himself. He was, if you don’t mind my saying so, quite well off. As you know, if one does well in life, one tends to pick up a few enemies along the way. And my husband was no different. Although, sadly, his biggest enemy was his own brother.’

  ‘You mean Iliyas?’

  Amina nodded in affirmation. ‘It was quite sad, really. Iliyas was a nice guy. A bit…hot in the head, perhaps, but he was devoted to his brother. More than that, he was devoted to his father. However, after my father-in-law’s death, when his will was read and it was found that he had left everything to my husband, Iliyas lost his mind. He threatened my husband and started calling home and abusing him. He would often turn up at our door, drunk to his gills, and make a scene.’

  ‘What did your husband do about all this?’

  ‘He tried to calm him down. Iliyas was his younger brother, after all. I believe he even offered him some money.’

  ‘Did that help?’

  ‘On the contrary. It only made Iliyas more upset.’

  ‘Hmm. Please continue.’

  Amina sighed. ‘One day, without my husband’s knowledge, I went to meet Iliyas and tried to talk some sense into his head. But…’

  ‘What did he say?’

  ‘He…he was just not ready to listen to me. He kept saying that he really loved and respected me, but that he had reasons to believe that…’ Amina paused, and Rathod and Aditya looked at each other.

  ‘Reasons to believe what, Mrs Raza?’ Rathod prodded softly.

  ‘It’s too cruel!’ Amina said, her eyes welling up. ‘He said that Imtiyaz had killed his father and forged his will. But that’s not true, Mr Rathod, that’s simply not true. You have to believe me.’

  Amina looked at Rathod imploringly but Rathod didn’t respond. Instead, he asked, ‘Did Iliyas say anything else?’

  ‘No, he simply said his head was in a mess, and told me I should leave.’

  ‘Did you speak to your husband about this?’

  ‘Yes, I did. I confronted him later and asked him if it was true. Within my heart, I knew that it wasn’t, but I still needed to hear it from him. But I know now that I shouldn’t have.’

  ‘What did your husband say?’

  ‘He wasn’t the least bit pleased that I had met Iliyas. He seemed extremely upset that I had spoken to him, and blamed me for not trusting him. He said it ached his heart to see his brother accusing him of killing their father. That was the first day when I saw him weep, Mr Rathod. He said…he said he felt lonely.’

  It was clear to Rathod that Amina was finding it increasingly difficult to speak.

  ‘So I did what I thought I should do. I stood by him. And now…he’s gone and I…’ Amina’s voice choked. She buried her eyes in her handkerchief, while Rathod and Aditya waited for her to regain her composure. After a minute or so, she said, ‘You’ll have to excuse me, Mr Rathod. I would like to be by myself for some time.’

  ‘Sure, Mrs Raza. But before you go, I have just one more question for you.’

  There was something in Rathod’s voice that made Amina Raza look up at him. Rathod took his time to choose his words and frame the question.

  ‘Do you really believe that your brother-in-law was responsible for your husband’s death?’

  Amina Raza looked at Rathod for a while, her eyes filled with a sense of angst and hurt. The wrinkle that had now formed on the otherwise flawless skin of her forehead was a sign of the storm that was raging inside her underneath the calm surface. She opened her mouth to speak several times, but every time she swallowed her words. Finally, she seemed to make up her mind. Clutching the seam of her handkerchief in her fist, she firmly said, ‘No!’

  In the late afternoon, Rathod and Aditya entered a small cafe near Parel to grab a quick bite. ‘What will you have?’ Rathod asked the young officer.

  ‘I’m not hungry, sir, you go ahead,’ Aditya replied.

  Rathod clicked his fingers to call a waiter and placed his order.

  ‘What do you think?’ Aditya said after the waiter had left.

  ‘Nothing concrete…very few leads,’ Rathod remarked.

  ‘Do you think what Iliyas is saying is true?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Rathod asked.

  ‘You know…that his elder brother murdered his father?’

  ‘There’s no reason to believe either way yet.’ Rathod took a sip from the glass of water in front of him.

  ‘The lady seemed like she knew something,’ Aditya speculated, ‘but didn’t want to divulge it.’

  ‘If I’m not mistaken, she is an exceptionally strong woman,’ Rathod said, even though he seemed lost in his thoughts. Aditya watched him closely, but didn’t dare to disturb him.

  ‘Can I ask you something, sir?’ Aditya asked hesitantly after a minute or so. ‘If you don’t mind, that is?’

  ‘Yeah, go ahead?’

  ‘What was Tony Matthew like?’

  Rathod looked at Aditya curiously. ‘Why do you want to know?’

  ‘I don’t know. He…he interests me…’

  ‘Does he?’

  ‘Yes, I think so…’

  ‘And why does he interest you?’

  ‘Well, he…’ Aditya paused because the waiter had come to the table with Rathod’s food. After the food had been served and the waiter left, Aditya continued, ‘He is a genius, you have to give that to him. There’s no doubt that he has done something horrible, but he is extremely intelligent. A super-criminal.’

  ‘A murderer!’

  ‘A man with superior faculties.’

  ‘Sitting in a jail cell now.’

  Aditya smiled and said, ‘That’s because of you…your genius is superior to his. You outwitted him.’

  ‘But that’s not the point, Aditya,’ Rathod raised his fork just like a teacher raises his pen. ‘People like you glorify such men and make them into something they are not.’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘Heroes! You turn them into heroes, goddamn it!’ Rathod’s voice rose several decibels and he slammed the table with his palm. Aditya looked around and Rathod followed his glance to find several people staring at them from the tables nearby. Feeling a little embarrassed, he lowered his voice to a whisper, yet the intensity with which he wanted to make his point hadn’t reduced one bit. ‘It’s downright shameful! Everywhere you see – in movies, in books, in the media, in public discussions – everyone is discussing the serial killer. In this case, too, people are only talking about Tony Matthew…this…this…what is that you called him?’

  ‘The Patang Killer,’ Aditya said calmly.

  ‘Yes, the “Patang Killer” – imagine! I mean come on, he is a criminal, for crying out loud! Why is no one talking about Harish and his team – those who were on the beach that night? Do you know each of those men have families back home? Wives, children, parents to go back to. They risked their lives and caught the killer, but is anyone talking about them?’

  ‘Oh no, sir. You caught him,’ Aditya smiled sheepishly.

  ‘I didn’t do it alone. The credit goes to the entire team in the operation. The point is, no one is congratulating them. Everyone is busy talking about the killer, because everyone loves talking about spicy scandals. Give them a reason, any reason, to pull off a heist and everyone will be cheering for them. Give them a suitable background story and they can happily slit people’s throats and shoot them in the head in the name of revenge. Disgusting!’

  Aditya fidgeted with the salt dispenser. He didn’t comment, but neither did he apologize. Rathod dug into his o
melette once again. After some time, and with some amount of hesitation, Aditya said, ‘Sir…you know what I think?’

  Rathod didn’t respond. He continued eating quietly.

  ‘I think you should meet him once.’

  Rathod looked up.

  ‘Meet who?’

  ‘Tony,’ Aditya said calmly.

  Rathod looked at him sharply and said, ‘Listen, Aditya, get it out of your head that Tony Matthew is somehow connected to Imtiaz Raza’s death. He is locked up in Arthur Road Jail, for heaven’s sake.’

  Unknown to himself, Rathod’s voice had risen again, and Aditya shot a glance around them, making an assuring gesture with his palms to try and calm him down. Rathod looked around and saw that several people, including the waiter who had served him, were once again stealing furtive glances at them.

  ‘I’m not saying you need to go in there and accuse him of killing Imtiaz Raza,’ Aditya said quietly. ‘But, at the same time, you can’t deny that the entire crime scene had “Tony Matthew” written all over it.’

  ‘Why do you think so?’

  Aditya shrugged and said, ‘Do you expect me to believe that you didn’t notice the kite motif?’

  Rathod was impressed despite himself. Clearly, the young man was much more capable than he had been given credit for. In fact, and Rathod was quite surprised to discover this, he was perhaps the most observant police officer that he had met in years, despite his youth.

  ‘The kite motif?’ he still asked, just to test the clarity of Aditya’s thoughts.

  ‘Well…I may be wrong, but sometimes, when a kite is flawed, and it’s flying in the sky, a strong gust of wind can tear it apart and break its spine. I don’t know about you, but that’s what I felt when I saw Raza and the entire fan thing, especially the way he was tied up.’

  A spark of appreciation twinkled in Rathod’s eyes. Aditya was looking dangerously confident of his tall claim. In that instant, Rathod liked the promising young man for the first time. Perhaps because he saw a bit of himself in him. At his age, Rathod had also been super-confident and had no qualms about making his point in a clear, logical manner.

  ‘Even if you are correct, and if there was a motif of a kite used in the murder – how is it possible that Tony killed him?’ he asked softly.