Patang

by Chattopadhyay, Bhaskar

  ‘Mmm-hmm,’ the girl nodded briefly.

  ‘Do you remember what happened the night Doctor Uncle went away?’

  ‘Can’t you see? I am not old like my Dadu. See my hands… and see his hands.’

  Rathod smiled, ‘Of course you aren’t old, darling. You’re a smart girl, aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes, I am.’

  ‘So, can you tell me what happened that night?’

  The girl paused to think for a few seconds, her concentration now fully devoted to the embroidery on the curtain. ‘Umm… the phone on the table rang…and Dadu took the call…and said “Hellloowww?” It was funny how he said it.’ The girl giggled.

  Rathod smiled softly and said, ‘Yes, it’s really funny. Then what happened?’

  ‘He spoke for some time and then took the phone to Doctor Dadu in that room.’

  ‘And then?’

  ‘And then, when he came back here, Nandu asked, “Whose phone was it? Whose phone was it?” Nandu always says everything twice.’

  ‘Really? So what did Dadu say?’

  In chaste pronunciation, Lakshmi said in her sweet voice, ‘He said, “I don’t know…some In-spec-tor.”’

  33

  For a few seconds, Rathod couldn’t say anything. His mind was working so rapidly to process all the information at his disposal that his head felt heavier than ever. A scene flashed in front of his eyes, Tony’s voice echoed in his ears.

  ‘He is right in front of your eyes, in plain view. Trouble is, you just aren’t looking hard enough.’

  Tony had been right all along! But the implications of what he had suggested were so unexpected, so bizarre that Rathod was dumbfounded.

  Imtiaz Raza’s butler hadn’t heard ‘Matthew’. He had heard ‘Mathur’.

  Inspector Mathur.

  Inspector Aditya Mathur!

  Rathod remembered how Aditya had always opposed his belief of Tony having an accomplice.

  Ananya’s face flashed in front of Rathod’s eyes ‘I have a friend in your department!’ just as Tony’s words resounded in his head: ‘I am not finished!’

  Everything was adding up. It was Aditya who had called Raza and asked him to come to the Shantinagar police station, perhaps stating that there was a lead in the case he had filed against his brother for threatening him. It was Aditya who had called up Dr Nayak and asked to meet him at the hospital, probably under the pretext of needing his help in investigating a police case. Dr Nayak, whose name had once appeared in police case files, could not say ‘no’.

  Rathod realized that he had been played all along. Right from the day he met Aditya. He had divulged his thoughts on the case, his line of investigation, his findings, his plans – everything! – to Aditya. What a fool he had been! What a big fool! He had been completely outwitted.

  Rathod dashed out of Dr Nayak’s residence and drove through the streets as he tried Aditya’s number again. It was still busy. The bird has flown away, Rathod thought. He felt frustrated and vanquished. Was Aditya Mathur even a police officer? He had not even bothered to ask Aditya for an ID. He, who had spent half his life working for the police and with policemen – how could he have been fooled like that?

  But no… How was this possible? It was impossible, it just couldn’t be! Wherever he had gone, Aditya had accompanied him. Someone or the other would have questioned who he was. Had he played all of them? How could he have done that? Rathod had goosebumps, but he couldn’t help admire the daring of Aditya Mathur, or whatever his real name was. He had been right there in plain view, and yet no one had asked who he was, simply because he was in uniform. Rathod now recalled that he had never seen Aditya in a police vehicle. He shook his head and admired the simplicity of Aditya’s plan, and the remarkable finesse with which he had impersonated a police inspector and pulled it off, armed with nothing but a khaki uniform that he could have rented for less than Rs 200 a day!

  Rathod’s phone rang, shaking him out of his thoughts. It was an unknown number. He answered the call absent-mindedly.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘It’s me.’

  ‘Me? Who me?’

  ‘It’s me, Ananya.’

  ‘Ananya?’ Rathod was surprised.

  ‘Yeah, Ananya. Are you all right?’

  ‘Yes, I’m fine, but how did you get my…’

  ‘You are not going after him, are you?’

  With a sudden swerve, Rathod parked his car by the side of the road. ‘Going after whom?’ he asked, frowning.

  ‘The Patang Killer?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Please promise me you’ll not go to the church alone. Promise me that.’

  ‘The church? What church?’

  ‘The church, St. Peter’s Cathedral in Bandra. Listen, I know I can’t stop you from going there. But at least promise me you’ll not go alone. Promise me you’ll get backup.’

  Rathod quickly considered his options. Ananya obviously knew something he didn’t, and it wouldn’t hurt to get that information out of her without arousing her suspicion.

  ‘Are you there?’ Ananya asked.

  ‘Yes, yes, I’m here.’

  ‘Promise me you’ll not go alone.’

  ‘I…I promise.’

  Rathod heard a sigh of relief at the other end. Choosing his next words carefully, he said, ‘So, umm…this church in Bandra… I don’t know why you’re so worried, though. Why shouldn’t I go there alone?’

  There was a brief silence. Then Ananya said, ‘Because that’s where the Patang Killer will strike next? Do you need any more reasons? I don’t have to tell you how dangerous he is…’

  ‘Wait, back up a bit…who told you that the Patang Killer will strike at the church next?’

  There was another prolonged silence on the other side. Rathod pressed the phone to his ear and plugged the other ear with a finger to block out the noise of traffic. Was there someone else with Ananya? He tried to listen carefully and he thought he could hear what could best be described as muffled voices at the other end of the line. Finally, Ananya said in a strange voice, ‘I have to go now, but all I can say is that I’m really, really worried about you. You take care, okay?’ Before he could reply, Ananya said ‘bye’ and hung up.

  So her informant was indeed Aditya! Poor Ananya. If only she knew that the man tipping her off on the Patang Killer was the Patang Killer himself! Rathod’s limbs felt numb.

  Aditya had met her that day outside the Shantinagar police station, and Rathod had not liked the way he had looked at her. Aditya had lied to him about speaking to Ananya or meeting her after that day. Rathod now realized that Aditya had sabotaged the investigation at every stage and from every possible direction while always remaining one step ahead of him. He had manipulated Ananya and used her to spread the rumours about Tony in the media. Rathod also realized that since Aditya had told Ananya about where the Patang Killer would strike next, she herself was in danger.

  He was now in a dilemma. Should he go after Aditya to the church? Or should he go to Ananya’s place and try to safeguard her? Rathod vaguely remembered the place where he had dropped her the night he had given her a lift. The choice was a tough one. Where would he reach first?

  Very quickly, Rathod made up his mind. He was five minutes away from the church. He turned his vehicle around and called Wagle. As he neared his destination, the tower clock struck 1 a.m. with a single gong that echoed through the night. The massive spire looked sinister as its steeple stood tall against the moonlit sky. Rathod opened his glove box and pulled out his gun.

  For a moment, he hesitated. He didn’t have backup. Wagle had said he was sending some troops, but they would take some time to arrive. What should he do? Should he wait for them to come? Or should he spring into action by himself? He made a quick decision and opened the door of his car quietly. Running up to the main portico, he gingerly turned the knob on the door.

  Locked!

  Rathod scanned the place quickly but no one else was around except a lone dog waili
ng at the far end of the street. He walked briskly through the narrow and damp alley beside the church and reached the back. Taking cover in the darkness behind a low wall, he waited with bated breath for Aditya to arrive. Rathod had no idea when he would come, so he had no other option but to wait now. Suddenly, he had a strange sense of déjà-vu, as if he had done something similar in the past. Then he remembered – this was exactly how he had waited at Juhu beach for Tony Matthew. And, tonight, he was waiting for Aditya Mathur. Were the two men related? Brothers, perhaps?

  A short while later, Rathod noticed something at a distance, near the rear entrance to the church building. The light from the street lamp on the other side of the road was reflecting off a shiny object on the ground and attracting his attention. What was it?

  Slowly and carefully, Rathod emerged from his hiding place and took a few quick steps towards the door. As he reached the shiny object and picked it up with trembling fingers, his heart sank. He had been played yet again. In his hand was the Megaminx puzzle he had given Aditya. Which could mean only one thing: Aditya was already here!

  No sooner had the thought entered his mind than Rathod threw himself against the back door. It flung open. He dashed through the passageway as fast as his legs could carry him. He had to stop Aditya somehow, before he dealt his next blow!

  Rathod turned the corner and realized he was now on the eastern side of the cathedral. He saw an open door at the far end and ran towards the light that shone beyond it.

  Rathod had never prayed in his life. He didn’t believe in religion, or in any God. He believed only in an all-encompassing, all-seeing power, although he never made any effort to show his devotion towards that power. But now, as he ran through the open door and entered the cathedral’s central hall, he prayed. He prayed for the strength he would need to stop Aditya.

  Reaching the central dais where sermons were read, Rathod stumbled to a halt and aimed his gun towards the tall pulpit. As he edged forward, his eyes fell on the statue of Christ on the cross. His lips parted, his eyes became wider and his legs began to tremble.

  Pinned to the cross, nail for nail on top of the statue, was the bloody body of Mrinalini Pande. Her slender hands were outstretched, her torso slightly twisted and her head hunched forward just a bit. Her flesh was white and bloodless, and it was evident from the crimson pool forming beneath her that she had lost almost all the blood in her body. Painted in red on the wall behind the crucifix, presumably with the woman’s own blood, was the outline of a kite.

  Rathod lowered his gun, feeling exhausted and defeated, yet again.

  Over the next few minutes, he searched the place thoroughly, but Aditya was nowhere to be found. A strong and sudden fear crept into Rathod’s heart. He tucked his gun back into his jeans and pulled out his phone. Digging out the number Ananya had called him from, he placed a call. The phone rang.

  ‘Come on, come on, come on!’ he muttered as he walked impatiently within the cathedral, the body still dripping blood in the background. The phone rang on, but Ananya didn’t answer. A strong premonition of danger shot through Rathod’s mind and he ran towards his car. He could hear a police siren in the distance; presumably it was Wagle, with his troops. But Rathod didn’t stop for them; instead, he tore through the night at breakneck speed. He tried calling Ananya’s number several times on the way, but there was no response.

  When he finally reached Ananya’s neighbourhood, he tried to remember where he had dropped her off that night all those months ago. After driving through several lanes and intersections, he finally found it – a small stand-alone building in a middle-class neighbourhood. The façade bore evidence of the fact that it was at least 10 to 12 years old.

  Rathod parked his car outside and dashed through the gates. He went straight to the letterboxes and searched for Ananya’s name. There! Ananya Banerjee, 509. That was her apartment number. Rathod entered the lift and pressed the button marked ‘5’ at least a dozen times. In the time the lift took to close and begin its ascent, Rathod felt like his head was about to explode and his heart was threatening to spill out of his rib cage. He hoped and prayed that Ananya was safe – that he wasn’t too late.

  As the lift doors parted on the fifth floor, Rathod stepped outside carefully. The lift was bang in the centre of a long corridor, with apartments stretching out on both sides. He held his gun tight and checked the passage for movement. On finding it empty, he began walking from the lift to one end of the passage.

  511, 512, 513…

  As the numbers kept increasing, Rathod realized 509 was on the other side. He ran back and frantically looked for apartment number 509.

  Ah yes, there it was! Rathod finally found the apartment and was about to walk towards it and ring the bell when, suddenly, the apartment door opened and a man wearing a khaki uniform stepped out.

  In a fraction of a second, Rathod flung himself towards the dark stairwell nearby and took cover. As he peeked around the corner, he saw Aditya Mathur standing outside apartment number 509.

  Rathod’s head was in a tizzy, and a strong apprehension overpowered him. Had the monster killed Ananya? Gathering his strength and ignoring the painful throbbing inside his head, Rathod prepared himself for the inevitable confrontation. Wrapping his fingers tightly around his gun, he waited for the right moment to spring up and in order to catch Aditya off-guard.

  And then something happened that knocked the ground away from under Rathod’s feet – a barefoot Ananya stepped out of her apartment, threw herself at Aditya Mathur and kissed him passionately on the lips.

  34

  Darkness enveloped Rathod. He had had enough. His mind couldn’t take it anymore. First, he had been shamefully outwitted by the man he was hunting down. Then, the one person he had begun to care for, and who he thought cared for him, had betrayed him – with the very person he was hunting down.

  For the first time in his life, Rathod gave up. He was exhausted. He couldn’t do this anymore. Neither his brain, nor his body would go any further.

  As his heart ached, he remembered Ananya’s face that night in the train. Her deep, dark, beautiful eyes, and the love in them. Had that been a lie? Had her words been lies too? Her soft palm caressing his cheek – had it all been an act?

  The thought that he had been played over and over again flooded his head. The two were in it together, and had made a fool out of him while extracting all the information they needed from him. All along, he had been nothing but a puppet in their hands.

  As Aditya Mathur walked past the stairwell and stepped into the lift, smiling contentedly, Rathod clutched his gun in his hands and cursed himself. It was his own fault. How could he – of all people – have been fooled by a killer and his girlfriend? He felt so dizzy that he couldn’t sit upright anymore. He simply lay down in the darkness, and as his head touched the cold floor, he realized that his mind was completely blank for the first time in days. He felt miserable. A teardrop pricked the corner of his eye and slowly rolling down his cheek.

  For what seemed like a very long time, Rathod continued to lie on the floor, weeping silently. A sudden pang of anger overcame his entire being as the sharp pain in his head returned. Rathod picked himself up, placing his hand on the wall of the stairwell for a moment to steady himself. Then he staggered, like a man possessed, towards apartment number 509 and rang the bell several times.

  The door opened after a full five minutes. From the looks of it, it seemed like Ananya had dozed off. The fire of Rathod’s fury was fueled even further.

  ‘You?’ Ananya reacted as if she had seen a ghost. ‘What are you doing here?’ She then saw the gun in his hand and noticed his bloodshot eyes. ‘A-are you all right?’ she asked, her voice lined with a trace of fear. ‘I…I was worried about you.’

  Rathod didn’t respond. Very slowly, he stepped into the apartment, causing Ananya to take a few frightened steps back.

  ‘Can you please lower that gun?’ Ananya pleaded. ‘You’re scaring me!’

  Wi
thout taking his eyes off her, Rathod shut the door behind him. He advanced slowly towards Ananya, who backed away, matching his steps.

  ‘What was he doing here?’ Rathod growled like a wounded panther.

  ‘Wh-who are you talking about?’ Ananya stuttered.

  Rathod felt disgusted. He clenched his teeth and said, ‘Your lover!’, and his face contorted in disgust.

  ‘Who are you talking about?’ Ananya asked again. Her voice trembled as she eyed the gun in horror. Rathod figured that not even in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that he would see through her pretences and confront her with a gun in his hand.

  ‘Aditya Mathur. Or, as he likes to call himself, “Inspector” Aditya Mathur.’

  ‘Who? I don’t know any Inspector Aditya Mathur.’

  ‘Of course you don’t! What name do you know him by, huh?’

  ‘Wh-Who are you talking about?’

  ‘The man who left your flat just now.’

  ‘What? No one left…no one was here…’

  ‘Don’t lie to me!’ Rathod’s voice rose several notches and startled Ananya. ‘He was here, I saw him…’

  ‘There was no one here. I was asleep. You have to believe me!’ Ananya whimpered.

  ‘He was in uniform, Ananya. I saw him…he…he kissed you…’

  ‘What? What are you saying?’

  ‘I saw the two of you with my own eyes…you kissed him back.’

  ‘No…no…no…that’s not true!’ Ananya began to sob.

  A wave of uncontrollable rage shuddered through Rathod, and in his fury he let out a roar and overturned a table nearby. A vase of lilies crashed on the floor, spilling water everywhere. A small decorative set of Matryoshka dolls were flung towards the wall and smashed to bits. A timepiece crashed to the ground, but continued to tick. Ananya let out a short scream and continued to sob.

  ‘Ananya, listen to me,’ Rathod said. ‘Listen to me very carefully. You’ve fooled me enough. Don’t lie to my face, please! You mean nothing to me anymore…I thought you did…but now I know that you don’t. At least show me the courtesy of telling me the truth…tell me you’re in love with him…I won’t feel bad…but don’t lie to me! Don’t insult my intelligence! How long have you known him?’