Patang

by Chattopadhyay, Bhaskar

  On hearing the unadulterated terror in the guard’s voice, Rathod realized that the situation was more dire than he had thought, because there was nothing more dangerous than a nervous man with a gun in his hand. He didn’t respond. The gates opened with a clang and the posse walked down the brightly lit corridors. As they walked past multiple iron gates and reached Tony’s cell, Rathod noticed that there were two armed guards posted there as well.

  The warden spoke into Rathod’s ears. ‘One minute. Not a second more.’

  Rathod looked into the cell. Unlike the previous time, a light burned bright behind the intricate steel mesh. Rathod realized that this was a new precautionary measure taken after the ambush sprung by Tony at the previous meeting. The man himself was casually sitting at the edge of his bed and staring at the floor. Rathod waited. Time was ticking away.

  ‘Hello, Tony!’ he said after a while.

  ‘Well, hello, Mr Rathod! I must say I’m surprised to see you here. How’s the neck?’

  The warden glanced at Rathod. There was palpable tension outside the cell. Everyone was on edge and in a heightened state of alertness. Any sudden move by Tony and as many as eight guns would start blazing. Rathod came straight to the point.

  ‘I figured out your clue.’

  ‘Did you?’ Tony looked at Rathod with a smile. ‘Well, good for you.’

  ‘Yes, I know now that there’s someone else behind these murders.’

  ‘Of course there is.’

  ‘But I need to know where he is going to strike next.’

  ‘How on earth should I know that? Ask him.’

  A guard swallowed hard and wrapped his hand tightly around the butt of his gun, his forefinger trembling just over the trigger. The warden noticed this and said, ‘It’s time to go, Mr Rathod.’

  But Rathod was lost in a different world. He was looking keenly at Tony’s face.

  ‘How can I ask him?’ he said. ‘I don’t know where he is.’

  ‘Oh, but you do, Mr Rathod. Of course you do. He is right in front of your eyes. Trouble is, you just aren’t looking hard enough.’

  As Tony said these words, he took one step closer to the cell door and grabbed the bars with his strong hands.

  ‘Sir?’ A few nervous gasps were heard from the sweating guards, some of whom had already raised their weapons and were waiting for an order, one way or another. ‘What do we do?’

  The warden said once again, ‘Let’s go, Mr Rathod.’

  Rathod didn’t look away from Tony.

  ‘I…I can’t see, Tony,’ he said. ‘I don’t know where he is.’

  ‘Well it’s simple, isn’t it?’ Tony replied. ‘If you wish to see, you need to open your eyes!’

  ‘Mr Rathod!’the warden said sternly. ‘We have to leave now! Guards, escort this man out.’

  As two guards moved towards Rathod, he realized he was out of time and could never come back here. As strong fists wrapped around his arms, he resisted with all his might, and in a desperate, last-ditch attempt, shouted, ‘I don’t know where he is, Tony. Help me! Where is he?’

  But Tony didn’t answer. Instead, as the two guards started yelling at Rathod to come along with them, Tony screamed, ‘Can you feel it now, Mr Rathod? Can you feel the lash of the whip on your back now?’

  Several inmates from neighbouring cells started screaming their lungs out and banging on the bars. Now the warden, too, looked nervous. From that moment on, everything began to collapse into chaos. One of the guards kicked Rathod on the back of his knee, and he fell to the ground. The warden shouted something, but Rathod couldn’t hear him. The two guards started dragging him across the floor, away from the cell. The inmates continued to scream. Gathering all the strength that was left in him, Rathod yelled out at the top of his voice, ‘Where is he, Tony? Where is he? Where is he?’

  Between his own screams and the mayhem all around, Rathod heard Tony’s ominous voice echo through the cell block and shake it to its very core, ‘Open your eyes, Mr Rathod. Open your eyes.’

  32

  Dawn was breaking. Rathod’s car was parked by the side of the road, and he sat inside, dazed. He had never faced such humiliation in his life. He had given his entire life to solving crime. And he had always, without exception, emerged victorious. Never before had he been outwitted like this. He hung his head in shame.

  As the first rays of the sun touched his face, he looked around him. The city was waking up. Soon, this place would become extremely crowded. People would go about their daily commute to work, children would go to school. And somewhere within the city a man would be planning his next murder. The infinite complacence with which the citizens of Mumbai would be going about their day made Rathod squirm. He needed a pill for his headache. In fact, he needed more than a pill. He needed to pass out.

  Rathod went home and pulled out a bottle of rum from the fridge in the kitchen. He popped two pills and gulped down a large swig of rum directly from the bottle. Then he gulped down some more. And then some more.

  Various faces continued to circle around inside his head like a whirlpool, and he felt as if he was getting sucked under. His head didn’t hurt anymore. In fact, he felt as light as a feather, as if he was floating in zero gravity. Faces flashed around him – Tony, Uday Singh, Aditya, Priya Shitole, Mule, Iliyas, Ananya, Mrinalini. The world was spinning around, as if Rathod was sitting on a merry-go-round. He regretted taking the pills with so much rum, but it was too late. He tried to stick a finger down his throat to vomit out the toxic concoction, but it was too late. Just before a dark screen descended in front of his eyes, he saw Ananya’s face – beautiful, bright, illuminated, concerned – as she looked at him and whispered, ‘Let me help you!’

  When Rathod woke up, his head felt like it was made of lead. He realized he was badly hungover. Picking himself up from the floor, he found his way to the bathroom where he got a good look at himself in the mirror and immediately regretted his actions. He looked awful. He desperately needed a shave and a hot bath, but more than anything else he needed to think with a clear head.

  By the time he had shaved and showered, it was already 8.30 p.m., but he felt much better. He made up his mind to visit the homes of Imtiaz Raza and Madhusudan Nayak once again. He was not the kind of person to give up. If the answer he needed could be found anywhere, it was at those two places. As he drove out, it struck him that it had been quite some time since Aditya had tried to contact him. What was the kid up to? Rathod didn’t want to work with him anymore, but he needed to know the inspector’s whereabouts. He picked up his cell phone and dialled Aditya’s number, but found it busy. Not wanting to waste any more time, he set off.

  Amina Raza was not at home. Rathod was informed that she had left for Dubai the previous day. He questioned everyone at the Raza household once again. After a thorough interrogation of the family members, he summoned the servants one by one. The last person he spoke to was Raza’s driver.

  ‘What is your name?’

  ‘Ahmed.’

  ‘How long have you been working here?’

  ‘Just over a year, sir. I used to work with Suleiman Bhai earlier, in Dadar. Then, in July last year, Suleiman Bhai left for London and referred me to Imtiaz Bhai.’

  ‘Were you on duty the night Imtiaz Raza went missing?’

  ‘Yes, sir. My duty usually ends at around 11 p.m. He left the house at around 10.30.’

  ‘Why didn’t you go with him?’

  ‘He asked me not to.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I don’t know, sir. He is my employer. I’m not supposed to question him.’

  ‘Did he seem excited or scared? Did you notice anything different about him?’

  ‘No, sir, not at all…at least not that night. He was a little excited a few nights ago when Iliyas Bhai had come. I remember, after Iliyas Bhai left, he asked me to get the car out.’

  ‘Really? Where did he go?’

  ‘To the police station, sir.’

  ‘Shantinagar po
lice station?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘But you didn’t notice anything unusual the night he disappeared?’

  ‘No, sir, nothing at all.’

  ‘Did he say anything when he left that night?’

  ‘Well, now that you mention it, I remember I asked him if he wanted me to drive. But he said he was just going to the police station, and would be back in 15-20 minutes. He said I could leave for the day.’

  ‘He said he was going to the police station?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Shantinagar police station?’

  ‘No, sir, he didn’t say that specifically. But since he said he would be back in 20 minutes, I’m assuming he must have meant the Shantinagar police station.’

  Rathod frowned and tried to see the bigger picture. Why would Raza go to the Shantinagar police station that night? And of course he didn’t go there, otherwise Bhave would have told him so. He must have been ambushed and kidnapped somewhere on the way. But why did he want to go to the station in the first place?

  Rathod summoned Raza’s personal butler.

  ‘Did your employer receive any phone calls that night?’

  ‘Yes, sir, I think he received a few.’

  ‘Were these calls made to his cellphone, or to his house?’

  ‘If he received any calls on his cellphone, I wouldn’t know. But this phone did ring one or two times.’ The man pointed towards a landline.

  ‘Do you know who called him?’

  ‘No, sir. He took all the calls himself.’

  ‘Hmm…the last call that came on this phone, do you remember that one?’

  ‘Well…there was nothing unusual about the call, so I don’t remember it specifically.’

  ‘Did you know what was being said over the call?’

  ‘I’m sorry, sir, but it was not my habit to eavesdrop on Bhai’s calls.’

  ‘Then how did you know that there was nothing unusual about the call?’

  ‘I…I mean…I…’

  Rathod realized there was nothing else this man could tell him. He dismissed him, but the man hesitated.

  ‘What’s the matter? Do you want to say something?’ Rathod asked, pausing.

  ‘The call…it…’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Did it come from the killer?’

  ‘We can’t say for sure, but it seems that way.’

  ‘Well, in that case…’

  ‘Yes? Don’t be afraid, tell me.’

  ‘I…I think I may have heard a name…’

  Rathod’s heart skipped a beat.

  ‘You heard a name? What name? The caller’s name?’

  ‘Y-yes…when Bhai was on the call with him…I heard him take this man’s name once…’

  Contrary to conventional notions about how crimes are solved, Rathod often had the experience of stumbling upon the most important clues in the most unexpected places. He realized that he was on the verge of finding the most remarkable breakthrough in this case.Taking a deep breath, he asked, ‘What was the name?’

  ‘I…I’m not sure…I don’t remember…’

  ‘You don’t remember?’

  ‘I told you, sir, I did not eavesdrop on my master’s conversations. This name…I just happened to overhear it…and if it helps you catch the killer…’

  ‘Of course it will help…please try to remember…it will be of great help.’

  ‘I…I’m really not sure, sir…’

  ‘Try to remember, for heaven’s sake…’

  ‘I…I can’t, sir…but if I were to hear it again, I’d surely remember…’

  Rathod realized there was no use pushing the servant. There was only one option left now. Gathering all his wits about him, he took a deep breath and said, ‘Was the name Matthew?’

  The butler’s face lit up. ‘Yes…yes…that was the name, sir… that was the name!’

  As Rathod drove furiously through the streets of Mumbai, he once again tried Aditya’s number, but it was still busy. Frustrated, he called Wagle.

  ‘Hello, Wagle, Rathod here.’

  ‘Yes, Rathod, how can I help you?’

  ‘Listen, do you know if Tony Matthew had a brother?’

  ‘A brother? Why?’

  ‘I can’t explain everything to you on the phone right now. Can you find out if he had a brother – in all probability a twin?’

  ‘I’ll try to find out, but you need to tell me what’s going on.’

  ‘Listen carefully. A man named Matthew called Imtiaz Raza the night he was murdered. This man said something to Raza that made him get out of his house in the middle of the night and go to the Shantinagar police station. But guess what?’

  ‘He didn’t reach the station?’

  ‘Exactly! I’m betting this is our man. This is Tony Matthew’s accomplice.’

  ‘Look here, Rathod, this is quite far-fetched, don’t you think?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean anybody could have called him and said that his name was Matthew. And even if a guy named Matthew called him, why would he give his real name? It would be foolish to do so, right?’

  Rathod saw merit in Wagle’s argument.

  ‘All right, let’s assume you’re right. But it’s a possibility worth checking out, don’t you think? I mean, consider this: Tony Matthew was found on the doorsteps of St. Joseph’s Boys by Father Matthew, who took him in, and gave him his name. Right?’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘What if Father Matthew had found two babies at his doorstep, not one? A set of twins?’

  ‘Or perhaps two unrelated babies at two completely different points of time?’

  ‘Possible. And he gives both of them his name, and raises them as brothers. Wouldn’t it be natural for one to continue the work of the other after one of them has been imprisoned?’

  ‘It is possible…but it’s quite far-fetched. Moreover, Tony’s case is closed, Rathod.’

  ‘I can’t believe you’re saying this, Wagle. I really can’t.’

  ‘All right, all right, I will have it checked out as soon as I can.’

  ‘Good…thanks…call me.’

  Rathod disconnected the call and realized Wagle had raised some valid points. Even if Matthew had called Raza, why would he give them his real name? It would be foolish to do so! And going by the way in which these murders were being committed, the killer could by no means be called foolish. Failing to find an explanation, with his head still hurting from the hangover, Rathod reached Dr Nayak’s bungalow in an agitated state. He asked to see Mr Shitole.

  ‘They already left for Pune, sahib…they already left for Pune today!’ a servant named Nandu told him.

  ‘What! When?’

  ‘In the afternoon, yes, in the afternoon.’

  Rathod shook his head in frustration. He summoned the driver and questioned him, but he didn’t relay anything useful, except that Dr Nayak had refused to take him along. Then he called Dr Nayak’s servant – a man who was clearly more than 70 years old.

  ‘Dr Nayak received a phone call just before he left that night, didn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, sir, he did. In fact, I received the call and then took the phone to him.’

  Rathod’s heart was beating louder than ever.

  ‘Do you know who called him?’

  The old man thought for a few seconds with a frown on his face. Then he said, ‘Sorry, sir, nowadays I have difficulty remembering even simple day-to-day things. Had it not been for the generosity of my employer, I would have been…and, anyway, why wouldn’t he be kind to me, really? I have been with him ever since I was a child. My father served his father, and then after my father passed away, Dr Nayak – the senior one I mean – said to me, “You needn’t worry, you’ll stay with us all your life. Take care of my son, as your father took care of me.” That was a long time ago. Since then, I have been like a shadow to little Madhu…or I was, I suppose. I remember when he fell off the branches of the guava tree and broke his ankle…’

&
nbsp; ‘Listen, listen…you do know that someone killed your master, right?’

  ‘May he rot in hell, may he…the…the bastard!’The old man began to tremble with rage.

  ‘Yes, well…I’m here to catch him.’

  ‘Yes, you catch him, and you punish him…my poor master…’

  ‘Well, that is who was on the phone that night – the killer called your master!’

  ‘What? I spoke to him?’ The old man stared at Rathod in shock and disbelief. Tears welled up in his eyes.

  ‘Yes, you did. Now try to remember clearly…did he give you his name?’

  ‘Ram-Ram! I can’t believe I spoke to him! The devil…’

  ‘Yes, now think…did he tell you his name?’

  The old man wiped his tears and made an effort to remember. Rathod edged him on. ‘Think…think…try to remember…’

  After sometime, the old man said apologetically, ‘I’m really sorry, sir, but I just can’t remember. I still can’t believe I spoke to the monster…my poor master…’

  Rathod was crestfallen. He hadn’t wanted to give the old man Matthew’s name lest he cause a bias in his mind, but now he had no choice.

  ‘Was this man’s name Matthew?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Matthew? Matthew?’

  ‘No, no, no! No, I don’t remember that name. I know my memory is not what it used to be, but if that’s the name he would have given me, I would have definitely remembered.’

  Rathod didn’t know what to do. Just when he had begun to see some light, he had been plunged into darkness again. So, it wasn’t this other Matthew who had called Dr Nayak? Who had called him then? Or had Matthew called under a different name? But that would be a strange thing to do – why would he call Imtiaz Raza and give his real name and then call Dr Nayak and give a false name?

  At this point, a young girl – around eight or nine years old – stepped out from behind the curtain and said in a sweet sing-song voice, ‘You don’t remember anything these days, Dadu.’

  ‘That’s what I was telling this young man here, Lakshmi.’

  ‘But I remember! Because I am not old…like you.’

  Rathod frowned. He walked towards the young girl, who was twisting and twirling the curtain like it was a frilly skirt. Rathod knelt down in front of her and said, ‘Your name is Lakshmi, sweetheart?’