by Amit Nangia
“Ek baat toh bataana bhul hee gya. Lucknow police have found Devender Singh,” Shukla said, leaning against his desk, “in some motel. Holed up with a chhamiya.”
Abhay blushed remembering his hot night with Rani. “How the hell did they trace him there?” Abhay asked.
“His wife. She is a very nosy woman. She had a private investigator on him the whole time as she was going through the divorce and wanted some solid evidence to get freedom from that ass.”
“Hmm, very good job Shuklaji! So he’s been there since the day he has been missing?”
Shukla nodded. “That’s correct, which means he’s probably not responsible for the incidents happening with Naina.”
“Maybe, maybe not. He could have orchestrated the whole thing from the hotel.”
Naina glanced at her watch. She had a little over half-an-hour before she’d have to meet Tara Chauhan, Uncle Chauhan’s daughter, for lunch. She still hadn’t understood the woman’s phone call this morning and her insistence on the meeting. She seriously couldn’t understand what she wanted to discuss.
After wading through her morning paperwork, a slight headache started to nag her. She was ready for a nap, not lunch with Tara Chauhan. She didn’t know what she was possibly going to talk to her about all through lunch.
“I’m taking the afternoon off,” Ria said, poking her head into Naina’s office. “I made some fresh tea if you want some.”
“Thanks, Ria. You are ever so kind,” said Naina, grateful for Ria’s thoughtfulness. She filled another cup and sipped, the hot brew calming her.
“And Tara Chauhan called and said she’ll see you at that Coco Brown Café around the corner,” Ria said and left.
Meeting Tara was intimidating and she wanted to look her best. Naina finished her tea, ran a brush through her hair, retouched her makeup and headed out to meet Tara. When she got to the café, she found her waiting at a corner table.
Tara beamed as Naina walked over to greet her. She was wearing a stunning green silk sari. Her diamond bracelets jangled as she shook Naina’s hand.
“Hi. Great café,” Naina said.
“I love this place,” Tara said, settling down in her seat again. “The coffee is fabulous and some of their dishes are just divine.” She nodded toward an already-filled mug. “I took the liberty to order us coffee.”
Naina had just finished her tea in office but she didn’t want to offend Tara, so she smiled and sipped the coffee. After they ordered the food, Tara unfolded her napkin and toyed with the long diamond studded loop dangling from her ear. “I thought we should get to know each other.”
“Really?” Naina couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Yes. Daddy’s talked about you for years, and Girish mentioned he took you to lunch the other day.”
Oh boy, here it comes, Naina thought.
Instead, Tara flashed her a sugary smile. “I remember Daddy telling me about this one time when you were little… Your parents brought you to one of his parties and you followed me around all day.”
“I did?”
“Yes, isn’t that cute!”
“I…I suppose so.” Naina did a quick mental count. When she was six, Tara would have been eighteen. She could see how she must have been drawn to her.
“Anyway, I’d forgotten all about that,” Tara said.
Naina laughed softly. “I must have been a pest.”
“Not really. So, after the campaign party the other night, Daddy told me what a tough time you had after your parents died, when you went to live with your grandmother,” Tara said sympathetically.
Naina couldn’t help but feel she was being sincere. She swallowed several sips of coffee, hoping to dislodge the lump forming in her throat.
Tara gave her a sympathetic look. “What made you decide to move back after all these years?”
Naina had expected subtlety. But this woman had no qualms about asking what she wanted to know. “I wanted to work for myself instead of a large firm,” Naina said, sipping her coffee.
“Yes, but you could have done that anywhere. Why come back to this town? You must have bad memories.” Tara brought her hand to her cheek in a dramatic gesture. “I just can’t imagine it.”
“That’s just it,” Naina said, meeting Tara’s curious gaze head-on. “I don’t have any memories of this town at all.”
“None?” Tara asked sympathetically.
“None at all,” Naina said matter-of-factly.
“So when those doctors said you suffered from amnesia, it was true. I thought they were just making it up.”
“It’s true,” Naina said, suddenly losing her appetite. “I’ve tried everything to remember but nothing has worked.” Naina’s head was starting to throb even more, and she began to feel nauseous.
“But I see you’ve already found a man. You’re seeing that handsome inspector, aren’t you?” Tara said with a wink.
Naina took a sip of water. “He’s a…Tara, I’m not feeling well at all…’ Naina said, massaging her temple as a wave of pain rocked through her. “I am feeling a bit dizzy.”
“Oh, dear! What happened? Do you want a medicine for headache?” she said quickly rummaging through her bag.
“No, no that’s okay. I have something at home. I think I just need to lie down.”
“I’m so sorry. Do you want me to drive you back?” Tara seemed concerned, and Naina felt even worse for skipping out on their lunch. Perhaps she and Tara could be friends, after all.
“Actually I had a headache when I was in office. It’s just become worse now,” Naina said getting up. Her head was becoming blurry. She wondered how she was going to drive back home in this state.
Tara walked Naina to her car. “I hope you feel better. Let’s do this again sometime soon.”
“Sure,” Naina said.
She blinked to ward off the dizziness. With great difficulty, she drove her car back to office, breathing deeply and trying to suppress the throbbing at her temple. She clutched the stair railing and slowly climbed the steps, then shuffled into her office by sheer willpower. Two painkillers later, she stretched out on the sofa and fell asleep.
Naina awoke with a start to the sound of a tree limb scraping against the windowpane. She looked out of the window at the darkening sky. Her heart was pounding, her breathing erratic. She covered her face with her hands and took several deep breaths to remind herself that the dream was over. It was just a dream – just like she’d had thousands of times before. She looked at the clock and groaned. 8.30 p.m.
She padded into the bathroom and washed her face, then retrieved her keys and purse and a few files to work on at home. Switching off the lights, she made her way down the stairs. The remnants of fatigue and her earlier headache weighed on her body, and her muscles felt heavy. She shivered and glanced around for other people, but the parking lot was amazingly empty so early on a Friday. It looked like it was going to rain. Hurrying home would be best. She got into the car, fighting with the wind as it caught a few strands of her hair and swiped them from her topknot. Something white caught her eye. A towel lay in the passenger seat, all wrapped up.
She hadn’t put it there. Reaching across the seat, she slowly unfolded the edges of the towel, her heart thumping as a red stain came into view. The ends of the towel flopped open and she saw the shiny glint of metal. Blood trickled onto the soft leather of her car seat, and a scream got locked in her throat. It was one of her kitchen knives, covered in blood. Just then, someone grabbed her arm and Naina screamed.
“Naina, what the hell is wrong?”
She turned to see Ashish standing beside her car. She wondered where he had landed from, but pointed with unsteady hands towards the seat.
Ashish couldn’t understand what Naina was trying to say. But he spotted the bloody knife and understood that something was wrong. He helped her out of the car. “Come on, sit in here.” He gently led her into the front of his own car and then reported the incident to the police station.
“How are you in Allahabad?” Naina said, scared. She remembered Abhay’s theory that Ashish could be behind all this.
“I will explain all that later,” said Ashish as he pulled Naina into his embrace, and she relaxed against him, grateful for the warmth of his arms. His arms were not as strong and warm as Abhay’s and she wished Abhay was here to comfort her. She really needed his embrace.
“I want to know why you’re here.” Naina asked Ashish as they entered her home.
Ashish sighed and pushed his black-rimmed glasses up on his thin pointy nose. “I was worried about you. I couldn’t figure out why you wouldn’t return any of my calls.”
“I told you when I left that it was over between us, Ashish. That I wanted to move on.”
“I know,” Ashish said. “But I thought once you got here, you’d miss me and change your mind. But I guess you haven’t been lonely and have found someone else.”
“It’s…it’s not what you think.”
“Come on, Naina. I’m not stupid.”
She ran her hands up and down her thighs in a nervous gesture. “Well, maybe partly. But there’s more.” She went on to explain about the attack and the threats she’d been getting.
Ashish’s already-fair skin turned ghostly pale. His eyes bulged beneath his glasses. “Oh my God! You think someone’s trying to kill you?” he said finally.
Naina shrugged. “Or drive me crazy. I really don’t know what to think, except I think everything may be related to my past – the parts I can’t remember.”
She started to explain, but Ashish stopped her. “I know about your parents, Naina. You already told me and I understand your pain.”
“How long have you been in Allahabad?” Naina asked.
“A couple of days,” Ashish said, looking sheepish.
“So you were here in Allahabad when you called me?” Naina asked.
Ashish nodded. “Yeah, I was missing you and wanted to ask you if I could come over, but you sounded too distracted. I couldn’t figure out what was going on.”
“I’m sorry, Ashish,” Naina said quietly. “I really am. You’re a good friend, but like I told you in Mumbai, that’s all it can ever be.
Ashish finally stood, threw up his arms in a gesture of defeat and opened the door.
He leaned over and kissed Naina on her cheek. “I hope you find what you came here for.”
Shukla stood in front of Abhay’s desk while he was busy working on some case files. Shukla was whistling happily as if someone had tipped him a fiver.
“I figured out something today, sirji.”
“What?” Abhay asked as he puffed his cigarette.
“Naina is right-handed. I have seen all her pictures and she is holding things in her right hand.”
Abhay’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? And how is that so important to our case, Sherlock?” Abhay played along, though he already knew what he was trying to say.
“When her wrist was cut during that first attack, it was her right hand wrist. If a right-handed person tried to commit suicide, she’d cut her left wrist, not her right. It’s only logic, sirji.”
“That’s brilliant, Shuklaji! You are so sharp.” Abhay said in a mocking tone as he took a long puff of his cigarette.
Shukla made a sullen face. Why did he always end up in the inspector’s jokes. As if his beard jokes weren’t enough!
“Stop being dramatic, Shukla!” Abhay snapped. “Did you find anything from the prints off Naina’s car.”
“Her office assistant’s prints were one of them. You asked me to check into her, too.”
“Ria’s prints were on Naina’s car?” Abhay wondered.
“Yes, sirji, but she works with Naina, doesn’t she? Maybe she took something to her car for her.”
“It’s quite possible she did.”
Shukla licked off a trickling bit of tobacco liquid from his lips. “Also, she has been seen with Girish many times and that too very late at night. Do you think she’s a possible suspect?”
“Interesting, but it’s her motive that I can’t seem to understand.” Ria Sood worked for Naina, had access to her keys, her car and perhaps her house. But why would she hurt Naina? After all Naina had given her a job.
“We’ve also got back the final report on the bloody knife in the car,” Shukla said. “Blood was from a butcher shop, not a human’s.”
“So, someone is trying to drive Naina crazy. Hmm.”
“Sirji…I also found this I-card of Ashish Luthra in the car.” Shukla informed in an uninteresting tone.
Abhay snorted out a lungful of smoke and jumped up from his seat. “What! Ashish Luthra! Naina’s ex-boyfriend? You had said that he was a fuddu guy with no life at all. And look, his I-card is found in the same car as the bloodied knife. We can never stop doubting until we find the culprit, Shuklaji. Please find this Ashish guy and interrogate him.”
“Funny you should say that, sirji. Even I was thinking same to same.” Shukla grinned and continued. “I will action it immediately, haven’t done third degree since many days.” Shukla smiled and looked at his bamboo danda.
“No third degree! Just check with Naina about Ashish’s whereabouts and then question him.” Abhay said assertively, “And I am going to check out Suchitra Devi and Girish Chauhan, as they had met Naina’s father just before his death as per his diary. The key lies in discovering who is threatening Naina. Once we figure that out, we’ll know who was responsible for murdering her parents.”
Naina was leaving her office when the phone rang. She hurried back to answer it. “Naina Sinha speaking.”
A cold and clipped voice replied, “Ms Sinha, this is Suchitra Devi Chauhan, Pradeep Chauhan’s mother. My granddaughter Tara told me she had lunch with you yesterday.”
“Well, it wasn’t exactly lunch. I’m afraid I wasn’t feeling too well and had to leave before our food arrived.”
“Here’s the thing: I’d appreciate if you would stay away from my family. With Girish running for the Member of Parliament, our family doesn’t need any negative publicity right now. You understand, don’t you?”
“What?” First Uncle Chauhan didn’t want her to see Girish, now his mother wanted her to stay away from the whole family.
“Murdering your parents was bad enough, but I won’t let you harm any of my children.”
Naina gasped. She’d heard rumours of people calling her a murderer, but no one had ever said it to her face before. Anger quickly replaced hurt. “I understand your concern, Mrs Chauhan, but I don’t have any intention of interfering with your family. Thank you for calling.” Naina said politely and slammed the phone down on the old cow.
The music blared from the jeep stereo
“Apna kaam chalta, bhaad mein jaaye janta Ye desh tha veer jawaano ka Ab reh gaya beimano ka…”
Abhay smiled at the aptness of the song as he drove towards the Chauhans’ residence. Somehow he had never liked politicians.
He wanted to pee so he parked his jeep and decided to commune privately with nature behind a convenient bush in their house, too modest to flaunt his equipment. An odd little smile twinkled through his face as he zipped up and walked across the lawns to the main gate.
The Chauhan family was one of the richest families in Allahabad, and Suchitra Devi knew everyone who was important in town. She was a society matriarch and would do anything to ensure her alcoholic grandson’s future in politics. To what lengths would she go to protect her family, Abhay thought, as he reached the door. A servant greeted him at the door and showed him to the formal sitting room where Suchitra Devi Chauhan was. She was wearing a designer golden sari and heavy gold jewellery, and even at her age, she looked royal and quite formidable. The diamond studded rings in every finger, her shrewd eyes and pointed chin added to the aura.
It was time to dive in without knowing how deep the water was. Jo hoga dekha jayega! Abhay thought.
“I think your family is making a lot of money in politics.” Abhay pointed towards her diamond rings. “Kuc
h paisa gareebon key liye bhi chhor diya karo.”
“What we do for the poor is talked of all over. Don’t you read the papers?”
“Newspaper toh neta ki jageer hotey hain, jo marzi likhwalo,” Abhay retorted as he moved his hand on his scarf.
“Inspector!” Suchitra Devi shouted as she stood up from her chair. “For a public servant, you’re bloody insolent.”
“Itna gussa sehat ke liye acha nahin hai devi ji. Just chill chill… just chill!” Abhay hummed as he poked a cigarette into his mouth and scratched a match on the table.
Suchitra Devi’s eyes spat fire. “I find you offensive.”
“Then you’re in good company, Suchitra Devi. Mind you, I find it offensive that rich people can kill innocent people and get away with it.” Abhay lined up the ends of his scarf.
“Let’s come to the point.” Abhay fiddled with his cigarette. Smoke drifted from Abhay’s mouth and lazily twisted and turned.
“What can I do for you, inspector?”
“I want to discuss something that happened a few years ago.”
“Is this about Naina?”
“Kamaal hai, aap toh antaryaami hain.” Abhay grinned.
“I saw the two of you flirting at Girish’s party.”
“Badhiya hai! When you know so much, then please throw some light on her parents’ murder case also.”
The woman’s lower lip curled into a look of disdain that only a true snob could pull off. “It was a horrid thing that happened; I feel sorry for that poor child.”
“I believe you and your son visited her in the hospital shortly after the incident.”
Shock widened the woman’s eyes momentarily, but she quickly masked it and fanned her face, her diamonds glittering as she waved her hand back and forth. “Yes, my son was…worried. And in his position, we thought it was a good to show concern for the child,” she said.
“So, you did it for making the news?” A bitter taste filled Abhay’s mouth. “Kaminey neta log,” he muttered, adding a salvo of smoke rings to the already murky atmosphere.
The old woman smiled, glad he understood.