Patang

by Chattopadhyay, Bhaskar

  ‘But sir, this doesn’t make any…what he’s saying is absolutely…’

  ‘Please!’ Mule raised his hand. DCP Singh shook his head in disbelief but didn’t say anything.

  Rathod continued, ‘I will not go into the details, but I have reason to believe Tony is connected with these murders. In fact, he has himself indicated that he may have an accomplice.’

  Mule closed his eyes for a moment. ‘Humour me with specifics,’ he said calmly.

  Rathod realized he was in trouble. He would have to divulge information about things he had done that neither Mule nor the DCP would like, but there was no other way out. He decided to tell them the truth. He described his meeting with Tony, first at the Juhu station and then at the Arthur Road Jail. The DCP’s face became scarlet with rage, but Mule seemed unperturbed. Finally, he said, ‘This clue that you’re talking about – are you sure it points to Tony having an accomplice?’

  ‘I am positive, sir.’

  ‘You could be wrong. Or he may be trying to mislead you,’ the DCP interjected caustically.

  ‘Why would he try to mislead Rathod if he had nothing to do with these two murders in the first place?’ Mule rose to Rathod’s defence.

  DCP Singh replied, ‘Simple – to take credit for something he hasn’t done. He knows he is going to hang, so what difference does admitting to two more murders make? The media has made a God out of him now!’

  ‘No, you’re not seeing the point here, Uday. How would Tony have known, when Rathod met him in Juhu, that there would be more murders? There’s only one way he could have made that claim – if he did have an accomplice, and if he knew that his accomplice would carry his work forward. I’m with Rathod on this one.’

  DCP Singh didn’t like the way the conversation was moving forward. He continued to grumble, but Mule ignored him and turned to Rathod. ‘But, my friend, I have to say this – I’m not happy with the way you snuck into the jail using God-knows-what connections. You do realize that it shows us in very poor light, don’t you?’

  Rathod hung his head and said softly, ‘I’m sorry, sir.’

  Mule rose from his chair and stood next to Rathod, who rose to his feet. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, the commissioner said, ‘That’s all right. Let’s just avoid such mistakes in the future.’

  Deep within his heart, Rathod knew he had to see Tony again. But he also knew there was no point dwelling on that urge now. So he simply nodded and said, ‘Sure, sir,’ but even he couldn’t keep a fleeting impression of hesitation from flitting across his face, which didn’t escape Mule’s sharp eyes. However, Mule didn’t say anything further.

  As Rathod emerged from Mule’s office, Aditya walked up to him.

  ‘Any updates?’ Rathod asked.

  ‘Yes, quite a few.’

  ‘Good, let’s talk on the way.’

  As Rathod’s car sped through the streets of Mumbai, Aditya briefed him. ‘The victim has been identified as Dr Madhusudan Nayak.’

  ‘Madhusudan Nayak?’ Rathod frowned. ‘You mean the famous cardiologist from Breach Candy?’

  ‘Yes, do you know him?’

  ‘No, but I’ve heard about him. He is a reputed surgeon, no?’

  ‘Absolutely. One of the best in the city.’

  ‘Hmm…continue…’ Rathod’s frown had deepened.

  ‘He was just a few months short of 61 when he died. His wife passed away several years ago, and he has a daughter who is now married and lives in Pune with her husband and two children. At around 9 p.m. yesterday, soon after dinner, his servants were surprised to see him getting ready to go out. In fact, he rushed out in a hurry, which made them think that perhaps he was attending to an emergency at the hospital. The servants waited until this morning, but Dr Nayak didn’t return. They then called up his daughter, who called the police. Soon afterwards, his body was discovered at the Powai grounds.’

  Rathod was thinking hard. He felt an itch at the back of his mind, like he was missing something, but didn’t know what it was. Deciding to worry about it later, he chose to voice another thought that had been bugging him. ‘Have you noticed something, Aditya? In both these murders, the killer hasn’t killed the victims directly. He has left them – or, rather, introduced them – to a situation where their deaths were caused by natural forces.’

  ‘Yes, that’s true. It had occurred to me as well.’

  ‘This strengthens my hypothesis of Tony having an accomplice.’

  Aditya didn’t seem convinced. ‘Why do you say so?’

  ‘Because Tony didn’t kill his victims, either. He just left them to die…so to speak.’

  ‘But not in the case of Father Patton.’

  ‘Hmm, true, not in case of Father Patton. His punishment was…instantaneous. It could be an exception.’

  ‘I somehow think if Tony wanted to continue his string of murders in a particular fashion, he would have done that, come what may.’

  Rathod didn’t respond.

  ‘Also,’ Aditya continued, ‘The way the doctor was killed… it seems a bit…strange to me. I don’t know if leaving a person hanging 300 feet in the air is a sure-fire way to kill him. I mean, what if he hadn’t had the heart attack?’

  ‘Excellent point. We need to find out more. But you don’t support my theory of an accomplice being involved?’

  ‘Umm…no. I have a different theory.’

  ‘Tell me.’

  ‘I think it’s Tony.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘It’s Tony. He’s the killer.’

  ‘You think he’s been getting out of his cell in the night, killing his victims in an elaborate manner and then going back and locking himself up? Does that make any sense to you?’

  ‘Sir, I know it sounds impossible to you but, as you know, there are quite a few things in this world which are beyond our comprehension, beyond the realm of our current understanding.’

  Rathod stared at Aditya. He couldn’t believe his ears. Finally, he said, ‘Are you suggesting that there’s some truth in what the media is saying? That Tony has this…this…ability to somehow leave the prison undetected?’

  ‘I’m not saying anything…it’s just…’

  ‘Are you out of your mind?! I can’t believe this. I really can’t. You are a police officer! How can you possibly believe in such mumbo-jumbo bullshit?’

  Aditya seemed a little hurt. ‘Sir, if you really think it is impossible, why did you go and meet Tony in prison?’

  ‘I went to meet him to see if he could give me any leads,’ Rathod stated. ‘Not to see if he could walk through walls! What the hell is wrong with you?’

  Aditya didn’t respond and looked away as Rathod drove on, fuming. He could tolerate almost anything, but he couldn’t stand his intelligence being insulted. A little while later, Aditya asked to be dropped off near the Victoria Terminus police station. He was clearly not happy with the way Rathod had spoken to him, but Rathod couldn’t care less. When Aditya stepped out of the car, he drove away without exchanging a parting greeting.

  Rathod felt disappointed and frustrated. An educated fellow, otherwise bright, intelligent and promising – why would Aditya believe in such crap? He felt his headache stirring. Suddenly, he saw Ananya on the road, walking towards Victoria Terminus. As if in a flash, something struck Rathod as being very odd. Who was this mysterious girl? How did she know so much about the Tony Matthew case? Why was it that, in this city of millions, Rathod kept bumping into her? How had she known about the operation on Juhu beach that fateful night? And what had she been doing wandering around the Shantinagar mill area that evening?

  So many questions to which he didn’t have any answers.

  She was beautiful, no doubt, but she was also extremely mysterious. In a fraction of a second, Rathod turned his car around and started following Ananya, keeping his distance from her. She was walking on the footpath on the other side, so every now and then, a series of vehicles would pass by and she would disappear from view, then reappear
soon after. As she made her way towards the station, Rathod realized that he was going to lose her in the crowd. He decided to park the vehicle and shadow her on foot.

  By the time Rathod had parked the car and returned to the spot where he had last seen her, she was gone. He looked for her frantically, but she was nowhere to be seen. The spot was one of the busiest places in the city, which made it virtually impossible to locate one person in this ocean of humanity. But Rathod continued to scan the surroundings closely, his eyes looking for a bright yellow kurta…there! He had found her just as she was walking into the station.

  Rathod ran inside and reached the platform. Although this wasn’t exactly rush hour, Victoria Terminus station was nevertheless teeming with people. Maintaining a safe distance from his mark, he continued to follow Ananya. He was determined to see where she went and, more importantly, who she met. When she boarded a train, Rathod boarded the adjacent compartment. He would have to move closer to her without her noticing him, so that he could keep an eye on her and get off at the same station as her.

  But moving from one compartment to another in a Mumbai local is easier said than done. As the train jolted and slowly began to pick up speed, Rathod began to make his way towards Ananya’s compartment, knowing that he had at least 10 minutes between stations to reach her. Dodging well-oiled heads and sweaty arms clinging to the dangling hand-holds, he finally found himself at a vantage point from where he could see Ananya but it was impossible for her to spot him unless she attempted to turn around and ardently look for him, which she had no reason to do.

  As the train reached the next station, Rathod watched Ananya’s movements closely, ready to dash through the crowd if she showed any signs of getting off. But Ananya remained where she was. A few people got off, a lot more boarded, and, soon, the train jerked to a start once again. Rathod realized that the number of passengers between Ananya and himself would only swell with each passing station. He couldn’t take the risk of losing sight of her, so he decided to inch closer. In doing so, he lost sight of Ananya behind a row of heads for a few seconds, but those few seconds were enough for her to disappear.

  Where did she go? Rathod looked around frantically by raising himself on the tips of his toes. She had been here less than half a minute ago. How could she have disappeared into thin air? The train hadn’t stopped since he had last seen her. Where was she?

  ‘Are you stalking me?’

  A voice from behind startled Rathod. It was Ananya, standing at a distance and smiling softly.

  ‘Punishable under Section 354D of the Indian Penal Code,’ she continued, the beautiful smile still lingering on her full lips as she pushed through the crowd and stood directly in front of him. Rathod felt a little uncomfortable, but at the same time, something deep within him didn’t let him step away from her.

  ‘How do you plead?’ she teased.

  Rathod looked at her quietly for some time. Then he said, ‘I need to ask you something.’

  ‘Yes, your honour?’

  ‘Did you spread the news that the steel mill murder and the Powai murder were committed by Tony Matthew?’ Rathod said in a low voice.

  ‘You mean the Patang Killer?’

  ‘Stop calling him that!’

  ‘All right, I won’t call him that.’

  ‘Did you?’

  ‘Did I what? Oh yes…umm…no. I know I’m not supposed to talk about it.’

  ‘There’s nothing to talk about. He couldn’t have committed those murders. He’s in prison!’

  ‘Yes, yes, I know! I’ve heard that a hundred times in the last few days…’

  ‘And how did you know that I was at the beach that night?’

  Ananya looked deep into Rathod’s eyes. Her face was now less than two feet away from his, and he felt as if she was trying to peep into his very soul. Rathod could sense a raw emotion behind those beautiful eyes – as if inside the sweet and charming small-town girl, there existed an animal who could tear him apart with her fangs if she wanted to.

  ‘You really are something, you know!’ she said. ‘I’ve never met anyone like you.’

  ‘Well, I’ve never met anyone like you either,’ Rathod retorted. ‘Nor do I intend to. Now, please tell me, so that I can get the hell out of here – how did you know about the operation at the beach that night? There’s no way you could have known. Unless…’

  Ananya’s face turned into stone, her jaws hardened and she became serious. But, moments later, a mischievous smile appeared on her face. ‘Well, you guessed it right. I have a friend in your department!’

  No way! She was lying! Aditya had denied having met her, having spoken to her. She had to be lying! Or did Aditya lie? Rathod grew frustrated. Whom could he trust? Was there anyone in this city he could trust? His head began to hurt in earnest now, like something or someone was trying to saw it in two. He squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds.

  ‘You know, I’m really worried about you,’ Ananya said with concern. ‘You don’t look so good.’

  ‘I’m fine!’ Rathod shook his head vehemently. Then, suddenly, he noticed something, or rather, the absence of something.

  ‘Where’s your card?’ he asked.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Your press card? Where is it?’

  ‘It must be in my purse. Why?’

  ‘Why aren’t you wearing it?’

  ‘What? You want to see my press card?’

  ‘No, that’s not what I’m asking. Why are you not wearing it now?’

  ‘What kind of a question is that? I don’t wear my card all the time. If I need to, I just…’

  ‘Were you wearing it that evening?’

  ‘Which evening?’

  ‘When I met you outside the Shantinagar police station?’

  ‘I don’t remember.’

  ‘Try to remember!’ Rathod grabbed her elbows with both his hands and shook her violently.

  ‘You’re hurting me!’

  As she said those words, Rathod saw an expression of fear creep into her face.

  ‘You’re hurting me,’ Ananya repeated more firmly. ‘Let go.’

  ‘Is everything all right, ma’am?’ a young college kid with a goatee and a headful of curly hair asked Ananya, looking pointedly at Rathod. Rathod noticed that everyone in the compartment around them had fallen silent and were frowning at him, some even shifting to move closer to them, ready to spring into action if needed.

  ‘Yes,’ Ananya forced an embarrassed smile on her face. ‘Everything’s all right.’She said the last two words as she looked into Rathod’s eyes, her expression pleading. Rathod let her go.

  ‘Are you sure, beta?’ an aged man asked her. The concerned people around them had not moved an inch and continued to stare at Rathod.

  ‘Yes, I’m sure,’ Ananya said again, this time firmly. ‘Thank you for your concern. It’s just a family thing.’

  Gradually, everyone stepped back and went about their business. Rathod realized that Ananya had just saved him from a real mess. For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. Finally, Rathod said quietly, ‘I’m sorry.’ He couldn’t understand why he wasn’t able to think straight.

  Ananya’s face shone with concern as she stepped closer. ‘What’s the matter with you?’ she asked softly.

  Rathod squeezed his eyes shut. His entire being seemed exhausted. Although he had managed to get some sleep thanks to the pills, he realized that his mind had not got any rest at all. He closed his eyes to shut out the world, its sights and sounds. The cool breeze blowing through the train’s door was making him sleepy, yet he knew that sleep wouldn’t come to him. Not without those pills. How could he sleep? The task he thought he had completed remained unaccomplished. Someone was still killing people in the city, his city, and he was being made a fool of every time. A strong, bitter emotion lodged itself in his throat and threatened to push its way up.

  Suddenly, he felt a soft touch on his cheek. He opened his eyes to find Ananya looking at him with concern, claspin
g his face in her palms.

  The touch of her hand felt like a comforting balm, soothing his troubled mind. Her beautiful eyes held love…yes, love…in them – love for him! It seemed as though her eyes were trying to say a thousand words to him as she whispered, ‘Let me help you.’

  Her voice echoed inside his head and made him feel better. He had this sudden urge to throw all caution to the wind and hug her, drawing her close to his chest and burying his face in her shoulder. Rathod could have sworn that’s what Ananya wanted too. But, at that very moment, the train stopped at the next station with a rude jolt, and a stream of people began to get off as well as board the train through the door near them.

  The moment was lost…at least for him. He pushed Ananya away, almost against his own wish. He couldn’t understand why he was feeling this strange mix of desire and fear, when it suddenly dawned on him – while he felt a strange love for Ananya, he was also very afraid of her.

  But why? Why? Why?

  Feeling repulsed and confused, Rathod shoved his way out of the compartment and disappeared among the crowd.

  29

  ‘Thank you for seeing me Mr Shitole,’ said Rathod. ‘My sincere condolences.’

  ‘Thank you, please have a seat.’

  Rathod had called on Dr Nayak’s residence. The servant who had answered the bell had asked him to wait in the hall, and soon a middle-aged man dressed in a white kurta-pyjama had walked into the hall. He had introduced himself as the deceased doctor’s son-in-law. He looked composed, and even if he was unhappy to get a visitor at this ungodly hour, his expression didn’t show it.

  ‘How can I help you?’ Mr Shitole asked.

  ‘If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions,’ Rathod said.

  ‘But I thought you said you were with the police…we’ve already…’

  ‘I know you’ve given your statements, but there are certain things I’d like to go over once again.’

  The man watched Rathod for some time, then removed his glasses and said, ‘Very well.’

  ‘What is your profession, sir?’ Rathod asked.

  ‘I’m a professor. I teach history.’