“Then?”
“Sunil sir picked up the knife from the fruit basket, and chased Anil sir around the house.”
“You saw this with your own eyes?”
“Yes, sir. All the servants were scared.”
“How did it end?”
“Anil sir ran and locked himself in the bathroom. Paras sir came in and put a stop to the fight.”
I wondered if Aditi had witnessed the fight.
“Where were the women of the house at that time?”
She thought for a while and replied, “Aditi madam and Reena madam had gone to the club to play tennis. Only Shalini madam was at home.”
“Right. How did the knife look?”
“Very sharp, sir! I have cut my finger countless times while washing it.”
“That is not what I meant. What was the colour of the handle?”
“It was black, sir.”
I remembered the black handle of the knife that was used to stab Anil.
“Malti, I want you to think carefully about this. What happened to the knife Sunil used to threaten Anil with?”
“I looked for the knife all around the house, sir … that day and the next. I could not find it. So I replaced it with an identical knife from the set.”
“When did you last see the knife?”
“Sunil sir had marched out of the room with the knife. I searched his room thoroughly the next day, but I did not find it.”
I controlled my rising excitement. “No one found the original knife?”
“No, sir.”
My heart was beating faster than ever now. “Is the replaced knife from the set similar to the one that was lost?”
“Yes, sir. Only, this one has a red handle.”
“Bring it to me.”
Malti brought the fruit basket. I picked up the knife and stared at it. It was a replica of the knife that had been used to stab Anil. I tried to subdue my thrill at this discovery. The Kapoor family had deliberately hidden this incident from me. Could this be one reason why Paras was eager for me to get a confession from Shalini?
I realised that Malti and Ram were waiting for my orders. I needed another testimony, lest the uncle-niece team were misleading me. I saw a man come out of the kitchen.
“What’s his name?” I asked Ram.
“That is Raju, sir. He is a cook.”
“Raju!” I yelled, and he immediately paled on seeing me. Apparently my reputation preceded me everywhere.
He came towards me with folded hands. I wasted no time. If it was rank they wanted, they would get it.
“Raju, I am the chief of the CID, and demand the truth. Was there a fight between Anil and Sunil on Saturday evening? The night Anil was murdered?”
He looked accusingly at Ram, and said in a visibly upset tone, “Yes, sir. There was a fight.”
“Who attacked whom?”
He looked at Ram again. I held Raju by his shoulders and repeated, “Who attacked whom, and with what instrument?”
“Sunil sir attacked Anil sir. With a knife.”
I dismissed all of them, and pondered over this new twist. Even if Sunil was innocent, Paras was smart enough to gauge the import of the events on Saturday night. If the police came to know of this, they would definitely take Sunil in for questioning. So he had instructed everyone to remain quiet. Even Aditi had not mentioned this to me.
My belief that Shalini was the murderer was based on three facts: her suspicious behaviour at the farmhouse, her attempts to mislead the police by planting the locket near the back gate, and the message sent to her by Raj.
The suspicious behaviour could easily stem from nervousness; I had no evidence at all that she had planted the locket; and the SMS was cryptic to say the least. Not to forget, Paras definitely had a clear motive to prove that Shalini was the murderer, in case Sunil was involved. I remembered my meeting with Aditi in the café. She was the first one who had mentioned that the family suspected Shalini. Had she met me because of our past, or had she come just to reinforce my suspicions about Shalini?
I let it all sink in. Sunil had chased Anil with a knife. The knife was missing and, most probably, was the murder weapon. Shalini had just become my number two suspect. I needed to get in touch with Babu.
“Hi buddy!” a cheerful voice called behind me.
I turned around to see Babu walking towards me. I had never thought I would ever be genuinely delighted to see Babu, until that moment.
“They told me I would find you in the kitchen. Found anything else?” he winked.
“Yeah. Your timing couldn’t be better. I think you are my lucky mascot. What did you find out about Leo?”
“He returned the locket all right. It is an inside job. Shalini, isn”t it?”
“What makes you say that?”
“You were in her room when I came. I was chatting with Paras sir. He said you would break her and get a confession. So did you break her?”
“I have only broken wind so far. But … do you recognise this?”
I handed the knife to him. He looked at it cautiously, trying to decide if this was a trick question. Then he said meekly, “This is similar to the one that Anil was killed with. But the colour of the handle is different.”
“Correct. What if I tell you that the night Anil was found murdered, someone had chased him that very evening with a knife similar to the one you are holding in your hand?”
“What! Who?”
“Sunil.”
“What! Who told you this?”
“The servants.”
“I want to speak to them.”
“Do it after I leave. Paras had specifically instructed everyone not to mention the incident to either you or me.”
“That rotten scoundrel!”
“So tell me now, Inspector, with the new-found evidence, do you think there may be a possibility that Sunil is as strong a suspect as Shalini?”
“Umm … maybe … yes. No, Shalini planted the locket. She must be the murderer.”
“It doesn’t prove anything. We have been speculating so far.”
I could hear the cacophonous honking of horns outside the house.
“Looks like the guests are arriving. I will catch you later. I need to think.”
“Wait. I wanted to talk to you about something. In private.”
He said it in the conciliatory tone you use when you need a favour from someone.
“Regarding?”
He leaned towards me, till I could smell his cheap after shave lotion. He looked over my shoulder, and then behind him.
“Shoot, Inspector!”
He said in a low voice, “Someone has spoken to the press. They know we suspect an insider. I got a call from a lady named Anjali Singh, who, incidentally, happens to work for my favourite daily. She enquired if it was true that we suspected a family member. I didn’t comment, of course. But there’s a lot of undesirable interest the case is generating.”
I expressed my surprise. “How could they know that? But it is good you brought this to my notice. I understand your concern.”
“Not concern; excitement!”
“Excitement?”
“A lot of publicity for me … eh, I mean … for both of us. We will be famous.”
“Famous? For?”
I was genuinely bewildered.
“Look, Vishal, my grandfather used to say that opportunity knocks only once. Let’s make full use of it. Imagine if Shalini or Sunil were the murderer. The press would go crazy. What after that? How do we get the maximum credit?
“I will tell you how. You inform me as soon as you have solved the case. Both of us will inform the press together. What do you say to that?”
My bewilderment gave way to indignation. I had a nagging feeling that he had leaked the information to the press himself. I said jovially, “Aha! Team work, eh?”
“Yes,” he said winking at me. “I will assist you in finding the murderer. Once you identify the murderer, I will make the arrest. Then we can c
all some of my trusted journalists, and issue a common story about how we cracked the case together.”
“Sure thing. But what if I am not able to solve the mystery?”
“You just told me that it is Sunil.”
“Must have been my holy ghost. I did not say anything like that.”
He looked confused and asked, “Then it is Shalini?”
I beckoned him to come closer, and whispered, “What about gypsies? From the village? Did you know that gypsies can throw a knife from a distance of thirty feet? Blindfolded! I need you to check on all potential knife throwers in the village first.”
Babu’s confusion turned into indignation. “What! Oh … okay, I get it! You want to solve this yourself, huh? You don’t want to involve me? Take all the credit.”
If he was going to leak information to the press, I needed him off my back.
“Look, Inspector, my grandfather used to say that opportunity is like a woman covered by a veil. You have to grab her, and take your chances. Even if there is a minute possibility of the murderer hailing from the village, we have to explore it. The important thing is to solve this case together, and then reap mutual benefits. Right?”
“You mean it?”
“Cross my heart and hope I die.”
He beamed and said, “Thanks. What do you want me to do?”
“You can go and talk to Shalini about the gypsies. She is taking a nap now, so maybe you can come back tomorrow. You need to explore her theory and see what you can find in the village.”
“Splendid. So we have a deal?”
“Yes, sir. We do.”
“And remember, Vishal, such a case will not be forgotten in a hurry. We will be in the limelight. You know what I mean?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
He winked at me and I winked back. The inspector buzzed off like a drunken bee.
“Vishal,” I heard a voice behind me.
It was Paras. He looked as excited as a four-year-old waiting for his gift from Santa on Christmas Eve.
“What did Shalini say? Did she confess?”
I took out the knife from my pocket, forgetting my non-disclosure agreement with the servants, and threw it on the floor.
“No. But Ram did.”
He looked at the knife. I was prepared for any reaction. Denial. Amnesia. Shock. But he was steady as a rock.
He sighed. “No. This is not what it seems. I told the servants not to tell you about the incident, because it would have misled you. It was an unnecessary detail which would have confused you.”
“Sunil chased Anil with a knife the same evening that he was murdered. You didn’t think that was an important detail?”
“No, because it was an unfortunate coincidence that Sunil had a knife in his hand that day. Sunil would never hurt Anil. He is my blood. Trust me, son, it is Shalini. I know it. I thought you would have managed to get a confession from her by now.”
I looked carefully at the stubborn man in front of me. Either he was a lunatic; or he did not know that the knife was missing, or that it was probably used to stab Anil. Either way, he was going to write me a cheque, so I couldn’t dispense with decorum.
I said patiently, “The knife used to kill Anil was the same one Sunil chased him with. Would you consider that an important enough detail to make me doubt the sanctity of your blood as an alibi?”
The reaction came now. It was late, but genuine. The old man paled, and had to lean against the front door for support.
“What!” he exclaimed.
“What part did you not understand?”
“The knife was the same?”
“Yes. It has been missing since the day of the fight.”
His legs gave way, and I rushed to him for support.
“You did not know that the knife was missing?”
He whispered as if he were short of breath, “No! How do you know that the knife is the same?”
“Because I saw it when I was examining the corpse. The handle had the same engraving.”
He was at least four inches taller than me, and had placed his entire body weight on my shoulder. I led him to a sofa in the living room, and offered my standard reassuring words for trying times.
“Would you like a drink?”
He shook his head. His complexion had transformed from baby pink to jaundice yellow. He sat down thoughtfully, and then exclaimed, “Oh my God! She witnessed the fight, and planned it. She picked up the knife. My God!”
“We need to prove that.”
“You don’t understand!” he yelled. “I have been fair and just till now … fair in forgiving her for the murder of her husband and my son. But if she thinks she can frame Sunil! Don’t you see? First Leo, and now Sunil. I demand that you talk to her right now.”
The old man was up on his feet, and rambling.
“I don’t think she did it,” I wanted to see the old man’s response.
“See? She has convinced you too. She is a parasite. I have to take care of it myself.”
He was rushing towards the staircase.
“I don’t think she did it… alone,” I repeated.
He stopped and turned around. “What do you mean?”
“Who did what alone?” Sunil stepped in. He was carrying fifteen-litre canisters of mineral water in either hand. He had stripped to his vest, and his muscles bulged. I imagined him chasing Anil around the house with a knife, in a fit of anger.
“Vishal tells me that Shalini had an accomplice?” Paras looked at me warily.
Sunil kept the canisters down and walked towards me. “Oh? What makes you say that?”
“Anil was stabbed while he was standing. It was a single, powerful stroke. There is evidence of a struggle. Shalini was at least eight inches shorter than Anil. If you remember the angle of the knife, the blade had pierced him so that the handle was slanting upwards towards the sky.
“If Shalini had stabbed him while he was on his feet, the handle would have slanted towards the ground. The murderer was at least as tall as, if not taller, than Anil. I think Shalini is involved. But there is no way she could have overpowered Anil and escaped unhurt, unless she had an accomplice.”
Paras pounded his right fist on his left palm excitedly. “So you do think she is involved. You found something, didn’t you?”
I switched on the tape recorder, and played selected parts of our conversation.
Paras looked at Sunil and said animatedly, “Did you hear that? The bitch is telling him to stop investigating my son’s murder. That does it. We have proof!”
Sunil spoke up. “No. Not enough proof.” He looked at me cautiously and asked, “What else? You haven’t played the entire recording.”
I didn’t want them to hear the part where she was trying to seduce me so I replied, “There’s nothing else of significance on the tape. There are other facts that point towards her being the murderer.”
“What?” They asked in unison.
“Two things. First, she lied about not having seen the locket before. Second, I found an SMS on her mobile phone that may be incriminating.”
I handed her mobile to Paras.
“She has been dialling and receiving calls from a certain Raj,” I said, as both Paras and Sunil read the text message on the phone. “Any idea who Raj is?”
Paras read the SMS and raised his eyes. “Gypsies?”
For their benefit, I played that part of the recording where she was talking about the gypsies.
He was shocked. “That proves it! This was a premeditated murder. Whoever this Raj is, he was her accomplice. Vishal, you just solved the case!”
His enthusiasm was contagious. Sunil butted in, “Raj is Rajesh. Remember Rajesh Pillai, Dad?”
“Oh … yes! Of course! He was the man she was going around with before she married Anil.”
“Yes. He came for the wedding. Tall guy.”
Paras’s expression turned ugly, and he spoke angrily. “So she used her old lover to murder my son! I will get both
of them hanged!”
“What about the institution for Shalini?”
“Don’t talk like a fool, Vishal! After learning about this, I will not rest until both of them are rotting in jail.”
There was a constant noise of horns honking outside the house.
I said to both of them, “I took the liberty of calling Rajesh. He insisted on coming here. I think both of you should attend to your guests. I will speak to him.”
“Shouldn’t we share the tape with Babu at once and have them arrested?” said Paras.
“Not yet, sir. I need to work on it at my own pace.”
“Are you serious? What else is required now? You have the damn proof in your hands.”
I kept the tape recorder inside my shirt pocket. “I will begin with questioning Rajesh. If he was involved in planning the murder with Shalini, let me assure you he would have a few tricks up his sleeve. Then I plan to investigate the reason behind Anil’s call to Leo on Saturday evening. I think it may be tied up with the cash found in the apartment.”
“The cash is accounted for,” barked Sunil. “I agree with Dad. We should tell Babu to arrest both of them right now.”
“Yes, but there are still close to twenty-five crores missing, if I understand correctly. I can look into it.”
“That is not your job. Dad?” he looked at Paras.
Paras thought for a few seconds. “I think Vishal may have a point, son. This Rajesh may not be an easy nut to crack. Moreover, with so many relatives in the house for the next two days, I don’t want to create a scene.”
Sunil was adamant. “What if both of them run away, Dad?”
Paras spoke decisively. “You got to admit, son that he has been very effective till now. If there is a chance of finding the money, I want him on the job. We haven’t been able to trace it till now. So I don’t see any harm in it.”
He looked at me. “Two days, Vishal. In two days, you will break Rajesh, and submit the recording, along with your testimony, to the police. She isn’t going anywhere. And if you do find the cash, remember that one per cent is yours. That is twenty-five lakh in cash over and above your fees.”
Sunil picked up the canisters and walked out looking disgusted.
I waited on the terrace for Rajesh. I leaned against the railing, and observed the activity in the garden below.
Seduced by Murder Page 11