by Preeti Singh
Maggie sat on the glass table with bated breath, with Amber standing behind her for moral support. She was scared of being chucked out of the house and poor Amber would have to bear the brunt of it all. She began praying softly to be accepted. Her eyes were down and her heart was beating rapidly, wondering what would happen.
And then Kinjal extended her hand and said, “Hi Maggie! How would you like to ride in my purse while we go to Dehradun ?”, she asked smilingly.
Maggie blushed excitedly and nodded her head saying, “Ohhh ! Gracias Senorita KJ, I am so happy and I promise to be helpful. I am a good girl, I am” she squeaked in excitement, shaking hands with Kinjal.
“Spanish, huh?” Kinjal, said eyebrows raised; as she watched Maggie in awe, scurry off in a tiny hole to get her pack of cheese cubes.
Amber breathed a sigh of relief. He had done it! Now both his precious women would be under his protective care!
***
The next 10 minutes they were on their way to Dehradun. It was going to be a 5 hour long drive and Kinjal was in deep thought. Amber signalled Maggie to be quiet, because he knew when KJ was thinking, she didn’t like to be disturbed.
Maggie was the happiest mouse in the world that day and she was sure she fell in love with Amber more deeply there and then. She snuggled deeper into Kinjal’s purse to take her nap in one of the pockets. It was a blissful sleep she was going to have today, because it was awesome to have a family once again. Oh yes! It was!
Kinjal was an efficient driver and soon they reached Dehradun. All through the journey, she wondered why she never asked Vikash about his family background; instead she had revealed each tiny detail about her immediate and extended family as well.
She just knew he had an ailing mother but she never asked him about his father or siblings. In fact, it struck her right now; he was a good listener and had kept his personal life very hidden. Now, when she needed to know about him most, she was at a dead end. But Kinjal was not the one to give up easily. If Vikash was innocent, she would plan her life with him ahead. But even if there was an iota of a doubt about him, she would have to tread carefully, because her father’s life was in Vikash’s hands now.
It was evening by the time they reached Dehradun. Since she had started her medical college in this town itself, Kinjal stayed with one of her old college friends. Amber was warmly welcomed, but Maggie was to be securely hidden, else her friend would surely think Kinjal had lost her sanity, carrying a mouse in her purse! Maggie behaved well and after eating a cheese cube for dinner, she snuggled back in the purse. Amber, after reassuring his ladies were safe, snored soon enough.
Next morning, they all drove to the medical college Kinjal had joined 5 years ago, with dreams in her eyes. Her feet were heavy as she climbed the stairs towards the office. She had dreamt to be a leading neurologist to treat Mom’s epilepsy, but her mother’s murder, had shattered her goal. The building, the labs, the corridors, the canteen...everything was just the same when destiny made her leave it. She slowly walked towards the main office.
Amber and Maggie stayed in the jeep, not wanting to alarm the students. Moreover, both felt, this was a moment Kinjal had to go through alone. She had to overcome little things about her past, so she could bravely take on the future.
Kinjal recognised the same clerks who helped her with the admission procedure few years ago. They all seemed a bit more wrinkled and bored with life. She had decided to investigate about Vikash alone, not wanting to jeopardise her friend’s status in the college. It was her battle and she would fight it on her own.
To ask the clerks for Vikash’s home address would not be easy, as she was a stranger to them and she had no official letter with her as well. But that day luck favoured her. Or you can say, when you really want something, the entire cosmos conspires to make it happen for you.
None of the clerks recognised her but a female peon came up to her and gave her a warm hug. In fact, Kinjal failed to recognise the old woman. She smiled at her strangely, wondering why she got this sudden warmth from the woman.
The old woman couldn’t stop blabbering excitedly and soon Kinjal recalled it all. Apparently, when she was a second year student in the college hostel, the old woman was in charge of the laundry of the busy students. One day, her son had fallen from the roof and cut his head. The woman had no money to pay heavy hospital bills and doctor of this medical college was unavailable. During such a moment, when most girls made excuses, Kinjal had given her some money to get immediate treatment done from elsewhere. The boy was saved in time and the woman was touched for life. She had promised to return Kinjal the money with her next month’s salary, but before that fate had played its role and Kinjal had left the college to attend her mother’s funeral.
Maybe this is how good karma returned, Mom would have said. With the old woman’s assistance, Kinjal managed to scan through old records and gather details about Vikash’s address. She noted it quickly before the old lady lost her job for trespassing in the record room of the college, during the lunch break of the clerks.
Kinjal hugged her again, gave her some money and joined Amber and Maggie.
Knowing Dehradun well, Kinjal reached the address in no time. It was almost dusk and the house looked barren and dark. Taking out her flashlight, she saw the nameplate outside. It spelt ‘Shrivastavas’.
Yeah! It was the right house, Amber nodded.
Kinjal flashed her torch on the main door but it was bolted with a heavy brass lock. Meanwhile, Amber tried gaining entry from any open door behind, but he returned disappointed. The house was heavily sealed.
On one side was a small burnt shed and on the other side was a hut where the chowkidaar stayed. After introducing herself as Vikash’s old friend, she gained his confidence and he opened up the house for her. He allowed them to look around while he made tea for Kinjal. It was getting chilly and the old man always welcomed company in this lonely terrain.
As they entered the house, Kinjal, Amber and Maggie realized it had been abandoned since years. There were layers of dust on the furniture and cobwebs all over the ceiling. No electricity was functional so they were dependant on just the flashlight and a candle the old man gave them. He joined Kinjal and began blabbering about his lonely life as a chowkidaar here.
Kinjal and Amber got down to work. They wanted any kind of information about Vikash’s childhood and youth. They kept looking in drawers, cupboards and came across many old files and documents but nothing relevant as such. It was a dirty house and Maggie could not stop sneezing due to the dust flying about. Gosh ! Am used to KJ’s clean home; this place is a mess... she thought as she sneezed again wiping her nose from Kinjal’s fallen scarf.
But soon the chowkidaar opened a room and Kinjal saw a ray of hope.
He said he was paid to maintain this room specifically, so he conveniently neglected the rest of the house. He switched on the lights and the room lit up, thankfully. The room was indeed impeccable, with shining chandeliers, books neatly kept on a shelf and a wall full of neatly framed pictures.
Amber put his dirty paws on the clean wall and began scanning each photograph. He knew what he was looking for and when he found it, he let out an excited bark, calling Kinjal over.
There were a couple of photographs on the wall with all the 6 friends in different poses and in various locations. By now, Kinjal and Amber had begun to recognise the victims in their younger age. And finally they found Pinky Bindra too, the one standing in the end, the one they could not find till now.
The next row of snaps was of a little boy standing and playing with Pinky Bindra. He was laughing in the initial snaps but as Kinjal moved from snap to snap, the boy was grim and frowning. The last snap showed the lady sitting in a chair and the boy grown up with a slight moustache.
It was Vikash.
“So, that means Vikash is Pinky Bindra’s son?” Amber questioned, while Maggie frowned as well, sitting on the sideboard.
“Yeah, Amber, I guess so. Come on guys,
I think it’s time to have a word with this old man,” Kinjal moved rapidly, with her team members following her hurriedly.
The chowkidaar was only too keen to sit and tell a tale over a cup of tea in a misty night. Kinjal listened quietly as he said how Pinky Bindra’s parents had died in a plane crash and his family had served them since generations. He told her about Pinky’s friends who would come from Chandigarh and her best friend was Mansi madam who was home every second day. Kinjal learnt about the affair Pinky had with a man who would never commit to her, but had given her his own son to adopt.
“Was this the man who came to meet Pinky often?” Kinjal asked curiously as she showed the old man DIG Uncle’s snap. His old eyes could barely see but yes, he confirmed the middle aged man in the snap was the little boy’s father.
Kinjal swallowed hard and Amber’s ears stiffened at learning Vikash was the DIG’s son. His intelligent mind was beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Maggie looked on with awe at the new discoveries she was learning with this crime solving duo.
“My Pinky di was a wonderful person, Madamji. After finishing her college in Chandigarh, she came back to Dehradun to do social work. Her 5 friends would come to visit her often and she was a helpful, bubbly lady. That man also used to visit her often but never married her. I had gone to my village for a few months and when I returned, Vikash baba told me Pinky di had given birth to that man’s child, but the baby boy was still born”, he paused.
“One day, Mansi Madam fought with Pinky di to leave the man who was just using her for his selfish means. He would come to meet her when Vikash baba was in school. Mansi Madam was very protective of Pinky di and wanted her welfare, but Pinky di never even told her friend this man’s name. Both friends had a big fight that day and Pinky di drove off in anger after drinking alcohol. An hour later, Mansi di and her husband told us that Pinky di was in hospital and crippled forever.” The old man paused to take a puff on his bidhi.
But Kinjal knew her mother had no clue that the man her best friend was involved with, was her secret admirer, DIG Uncle. Maybe Pinky knew Mansi was his first love, that’s why she never disclosed her lover’s name to her best friend.
It was too confusing for Amber to digest so he and Maggie decided to take a stroll. These humans are too complicated, eh Maggie? Why can’t they be simple, man!
Kinjal sat by the old man and patiently heard further as he spoke, “But after the accident, her friends didn’t bother about her, because she could not spend money on them. Only Mansi Madam kept in regular touch.”
“But Uncle, didn’t that man come and meet Pinky and his own son?” Kinjal probed further.
“No, Madamji, that man also dumped her after the accident, though he kept sending money and letters for Vikash baba. My Pinky di was blindly in love with him and sacrificed her youth to take care of his child.” the old man said with a sad look in his eyes.
“But why did Vikash hate Mansi and her husband so much? They were Pinky’s good friends, even after the accident, right?” Kinjal asked, curiously.
“When Pinky di had the accident, she was drunk and had injured some people on the road. Gautam saab was the Inspector posted here those days, so he had to take action against her, because those injured people had lodged an FIR. Dehradun is a small town, Madamji, and soon everyone knew about the case. This made Vikash baba very angry and he started hating Mansi Madam and her husband and would not let them meet his mother.”, the old man replied offering her some khichdi which Kinjal, gobbled up hungrily.
“Madamji, when Pinky di had her accident, Mansi Madam tried to adopt Vikash, but he hated her.”, he said with tears in his eyes. “Vikash baba grew up to be a lonely child and would spend all his time looking after his ailing mother and studying, Madamji. Though he has a father, Vikash baba never used his father’s name because he does not know who the man is, Pinky di ensured that.”
Kinjal quickly calculated. She remembered she and Shivangi di were staying with their masi in Chandigarh to pursue their school, while mom would make frequent visits to Dehradun as Dad was posted there. No wonder she never met Vikash during her childhood. She also realised when she joined the medical college in Dehradun after Shivangi di’s marriage, Vikash had joined a year later. He was a year junior to her.
A chill went down Kinjal’s spine as she realised that since his teens, Vikash was harbouring such angst within him towards the Joshi family. Even taking up medical and being in the same college as her, was a master plan. He had probably been stalking her since years.
“And when did Vikash leave Dehradun, Uncle ji ?”, Kinjal asked the old man.
“He left about 6 years ago, after he finished college. He took his mother with him and sends me money every month to look after this house. He took nothing from here, except his father’s letters. But when they left, Vikash baba instructed me to send the letters back, burn that shed there and let his father believe, they both died in the fire. He didn’t want anything to do with the man who abandoned him and his mother in such a critical condition. He has not come here since last 10 years but talks to me every week, Madamji, but he must be a big doctor now?” the old man asked with a gleam in his eyes.
“Oh Yes! He is a very clever man now!” Kinjal could not hide the sarcasm in her voice. Though she tried to look calm, she was infuriating within, with these new discoveries about Vikash.
Kinjal also realised she never visited Vikash at his living quarters in the hospital premises in Mohali; it was always him who came to meet her. It was not his chivalry as she had assumed; it was simply his cleverness to hide his whereabouts.
It was pretty late now, so Kinjal quickly tipped the old man for the info he gave, touched his feet to take his blessings and signalled Amber and Maggie, to join her in the jeep. She glanced back at the old man. Why did she touch his feet? Maybe it was her instant instinct of moral values taught by her late mom or did a part of her want his blessings to gather evidence against Vikash. She let the stars above answer her query as the trio drove back to her friend’s house.
***
The complete night she was awake thinking, at how she had fallen in Vikash’s love trap so easily. Her pillow was wet with tears, but her heart was now more determined to look him in the eye and make him admit the truth, as to why he played such a dirty game with her and her family. There was no evidence that Vikash was the serial killer but she could not ignore the fact that he too was in her suspect list now.
Next morning after quick warm goodbyes to her college friend, Kinjal and her team was on the way back to Chandigarh.
“Fill us in, KJ!” exclaimed Amber using Kinjal’s dialogue each time she asked Milan to give her a detailed report on the case. She raised an eyebrow and Amber winked at her.
Maggie was all ears, peeping from the purse, as Kinjal briefed them about last night’s talks with the old man. “But my worry is, Amber and Maggie, that I have no proper proof against Vikash. On what ground do I arrest him? I don’t even have anything to show to the authorities to open a case against him. Apart from the old man’s story, we have nothing to take in Vikash, even for an interrogation.”Kinjal said, disappointed.
She was disturbed as she drove downhill but her two companions made her smile again.
“While you were busy yapping with the old man, KJ, we got some vital proof. Maggie crept into the last drawer of one of the cupboards and see what she found!” said Amber excitedly, proud to have introduced Maggie as a vital member of their team.
Equally excited, Kinjal halted the jeep and saw a snap with DIG Uncle looking much younger, hugging Pinky Bindra in a garden. So, now if DIG Uncle denies having any connection with this lady, Kinjal had proof to confront him.
“Bingo! Maggie! Well done, sweetheart! We women rock, don’t we?” Kinjal smiled as she pecked Maggie on her nose. “But we would be nowhere without you, Agent Amber”, she was quick to add, seeing Amber’s frowning face at having been left out.
“We have something to confro
nt DIG Uncle, Amber, but nothing to interrogate Vikash. He is just an angry young man, with a sad childhood but no indication that he could be our UnSub, Amber”, Kinjal shook her head in frustration.
“Wait, KJ. Do you remember the night of the assault, you had grabbed the killer’s shirt and you had the tag in your hand? Maybe from that we can get some clue?” Amber suggested.
“Yes, Amber you are right. That piece of evidence is lying with Milan. Let me ask him to investigate that tag, till we reach home, guys.” she said as she made a quick call to Milan instructing him to do the needful.
The next call she made to Shivangi di and her Jeeju to reach Chandigarh as soon as possible as Daddy needed their help. Kinjal knew now, her helpless father was not safe anymore in Vikash’s care. She didn’t alarm her sister on the phone, but gave a slight indication and they booked their flight tickets immediately.
It was getting dark by the time Kinjal entered Chandigarh.
Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre
Mohali, Chandigarh
Vikash smiled as he put the mobile down. The chowkidaar had dutifully informed him that he gave tea and food to a nice lady and her dog. Vikash knew Kinjal was good in her job and would dig out the truth about him. He was glad she did it so soon, so now she could tell him who his father was; as he was sure she would have left no stone unturned in picking out each detail of his ugly past.
He knew she would unearth the truth about him soon too and his end was near. But Vikash was not scared. He had a calm smile on his face, as though he had planned it all step by step, for Kinjal, to find all the answers leading to him.
Carrying an injection with him, Vikash went to meet her father. It would paralyse the other side of him, as well and kill him in the next 24 hours. But seeing the crippled man sleep peacefully, Vikash instantly changed his mind. He will not kill him this way. He had a better option. This was too easy a death for the man who was responsible for spoiling Pinky Maa’s image.