by Preeti Singh
Vikash woke up Gautam Joshi rather harshly and spoke to him.
“I hate you, Gautam Joshi, for blackening my mother’s name and ruining my life. But I will not kill you. I will let your daughter discover the truth about you and that will be your biggest punishment.” Vikash smiled menacingly. With that he put the injection back in his pocket and took out one of the letters his father had written to him. Vikash whispered the contents of the letter in Gautam Joshi’s ears and watched him cringe in panic.
He put the letter in Gautam Joshi’s pyajama pocket and enjoyed watching the old man’s terrified face. The crippled man was trying his best to reach into his pocket, but his crippled condition left him helpless.
Gautam Joshi didn’t want to lose his daughter too, due to a silly misunderstanding. A tear rolled down his cheek, as he helplessly watched Vikash sitting there eating a Dominoes pizza with coffee.
After he finished, Vikash returned to his room and unlocked his cupboard, baring his precious frames. He wanted Kinjal to see them and know the real him.
Then he went to the other room to meet his mother. She smiled at him, eager like a child, to hear him sing her favourite song again. Instead tonight, Vikash wanted to confess all wrongs he had done. His Maa was like God for him and confessing to her was ultimate.
Pinky Bindra listened quietly and for a moment thanked God for hearing her son speak so calmly after a long, long time. Each wrong doing he had done, since childhood to youth, Vikash confessed. He sat on the floor by her wheelchair and just opened his heart to his mother.
He also confessed that he deeply loved Kinjal too, but his vengeance for the Joshi family was much deeper than his love for Kinjal.
It must have been an hour since he was talking, as he shook from his reverie when the clock struck midnight. It was time to give Maa her medicines.
As Vikash stood up from the floor, he froze seeing Pinky Bindra.
Her eyes were open and saliva was drooling from her mouth. There was a subtle smile on her face and she looked contented. She was gone. But Vikash would not believe it. He quickly checked her vitals and tried his best to revive her, but he failed. She had suffered a silent heart attack.
His Maa was gone.
A solitary tear escaped his eye when he realized he confessed all his crimes to her, but forgot to tell her how much he loved her. Maybe she never heard his confessions and slipped away as soon as she heard his calm voice or maybe she died of shock hearing his crimes. He had no clue.
Vikash covered her on the chair itself and slumped on the floor. He made only one phone call and then cried the whole night. He just held his father’s letters in one hand and his mother’s cold, lifeless palm in his other hand.
Vikash just watched the sad moon outside and waited for Kinjal.
CHAPTER 10
Unveiling the Truth
Joshis’ Villa,
Sector 12, Panchkula
Shivangi di, her husband and their cute twin babies had arrived early morning itself and Kinjal’s home was brimming with happiness. It felt good to have family members around. Over a quick breakfast, Kinjal briefed them about her latest findings about Vikash and DIG Uncle. Even they were shocked but they left all the decision making to Kinjal’s judgement. They were glad they had come in time to help her who was handling it all alone, since long.
Today, Kinjal, her sister and Jeeju were going meet her father in the hospital. They planned to talk to the Head of Department and get him discharged with the pretext that they preferred to take care of him at home itself. The prime aim was to safely get him out of Vikash’s devilish intentions.
Amber was instructed to keep a watch on the sleeping twins and play with them if they woke up. OMG! I am an agent, man, how am I supposed to handle babies? And what if they pee and poop around? Urgghhhhh ! He was surely irritated but if it meant to keep KJ happy, he would do anything. He sighed, reluctantly as he watched the babies sleeping peacefully. Sleep babies sleep and if you get up, you watch what Uncle Amber will do, okay? He muttered under his breath! I am not a baby sitter,,,huh !
Before Kinjal could step out the phone rang.
It was Milan. He sounded pensive. He reported to Kinjal that Suman Mishra was killed last night in the hospital itself. Kinjal stiffened and sat down. Amber was immediately by her side, all ears.
“Damn! And where were you, Agent Milan? I thought I told you never to leave her alone?” she shouted at him.
“Yes, Ma’am, you did. But I had just gone down for ten minutes, to the hospital canteen, to grab a sandwich and when I got back, he had done his job. I am sorry, Ma’am.” Milan sincerely apologised.
“Was the MO (Modus Operandi) the same? Is he our guy, Milan?”Kinjal asked curiously.
“Yes, Ma’am. But this time he did not eat a pizza or drink coffee because I guess, he had been watching me and he had limited time. This time he slit her wrists using a scalpel, Ma’am.” Milan reported.
“Scalpel?” Kinjal’s alarm bells rang. A scalpel would be used by anyone from a medical field. It had to be Vikash and maybe this was the concrete proof she needed to interrogate him.
“Milan, at what time did the murder take place? What does the autopsy report say?” she enquired.
“Ma’am..let me check. Er...it was between 11pm to 1130 pm last night.” Milan said quickly checking the file in his hands. “I tried calling you when I found her dead, but your mobile was out of reach”, he concluded.
That was the time she was just driving into Chandigarh and connectivity would have been broken. Milan was not lying.
“Milan, now listen to me very carefully. I am sending you a number. I need the call details and location of this number ASAP. Secondly, I am sure a well reputed hospital like ‘The Alchemist’ will have a CCTV recording of every corridor. Get me the coverage of the time she was attacked. He can’t escape us now, Milan. And as soon as you get it, call me, no matter how busy I am. I think I know who our man is. I will be waiting for your call.” she said and quickly messaged him Vikash’s number.
Amber was listening with full concentration. He knew how much Kinjal loved Vikash and this was going to be tough for her. Gathering all his love for her in his eyes, Amber said, “KJ, you go ahead and don’t worry about the babies, Maggie and I will take care of them”, he whispered in her ear as she bent down to hug him. Shivangi di would be petrified if she knew her babies were under the care of a mouse! So Maggie had to hide in her tiny hole for a few days.
“Yes, Amber I know. The maid is also here, till I return. Let’s go, di.”Kinjal signalled her sister and Jeeju to join her.
Kinjal handed over the jeep keys to Jeeju. He was a handsome, soft spoken man with few words and loved Shivangi di dearly. He understood the sisters needed him now and instantly took leave to be by their side. For Jeeju, family always came first. Kinjal admired him and would always see a glimpse of her father in Jeeju and since her dad was crippled, she sought Jeeju’s advice in many important decisions. While he drove towards the hospital, Kinjal filled them up on the latest murder and how Vikash could be involved.
Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre
Mohali, Chandigarh
They directly went to meet their father, who was in deep sleep. Shivangi di wanted to stay by him so Jeeju and Kinjal went to meet the HOD to make the discharge papers. She didn’t want to confront Vikash till she received Milan’s call.
Much to her surprise, the HOD was full of Vikash as a competent doctor and was quite disturbed, why the family wished to take away their father. Kinjal didn’t trust anyone now, so didn’t feel the need to explain her fears. But on Jeeju’s insistence and well spoken, polite but firm manner, the senior doctor agreed. While the formalities were being completed, Kinjal slipped away to have a word with the hospital staff and some patients.
All had the same view; Dr. Vikash Shrivastava was the most gentle, patient and kind human being in the hospital. He would spend maximum time in the children’s ward and was always a call away, in crisis,
for any staff member. Kinjal realised that these were the very qualities that attracted her to him.
“But today is a sad day for Dr. Vikash, Ma’am.” A pretty nurse told Kinjal with a low voice.
“Why, what happened to him?” Kinjal was quick to ask, curious.
“His mother died of a heart attack last night, Ma’am. He and his colleagues have taken her for the funeral”, the nurse said, sadly.
I am sure she didn’t die due to heart failure; Vikash must have killed her too, Kinjal felt. The mother was Pinky Bindra, the last surviving of the 6 ladies in the snap.
“Wait...wait. Can you please tell me where his room is? I am an old friend of his and have not met him for a long time. I would like to wait for him at this moment of grief?” she asked the nurse. But seeing the doubtful frown the nurse gave, Kinjal quickly scrolled her mobile to show the nurse, some snaps taken with Vikash in medical college.
Satisfied, the nurse pointed towards Vikash’s room at the far end of the corridor. “Those are the staff quarters of the doctors, who stay close to the serious patients. Dr. Vikash’s room is number 3.” she said and hurriedly left for her duty.
After ensuring Jeeju and Shivangi di took dad home safely, in an ambulance, Kinjal stayed back to go through Vikash’s room for any possible clues.
Kinjal didn’t know Vikash had deliberately left his room...his cupboard and all his secrets open for her to discover more about him. He knew her very well; sometimes better than she knew herself.
Step by step, Kinjal went through his things, his precious 4 frames in his cupboard and his father’s letters. Most of the letters described DIG Uncle’s love for Mansi Joshi so vividly; it was almost like a mad lover’s obsession. Yet, no letter expressed any fondness for Pinky. The writing was indeed beautiful and each letter in detail described about his first love, his failed marriage, his wife’s death and his involvement with other women, including Vikash’s adopted mother, Pinky Bindra. Kinjal pocketed a few letters and left the rest there, lest he gets suspicious his room was intruded upon.
DIG Uncle was not out of her suspect list yet and she wanted a handwriting expert to compare his writing with the song written at the crime scenes.
The room was rather neatly maintained as she knew Vikash was a cleanliness freak; a common trait they both shared. In between, she kept checking her loaded gun, just in case he returned to attack her.
The small kitchen in the room had a coffee bottle and a Dominoes pizza menu, was stuck on the kitchen wall. Kinjal sighed; they were the UnSub’s main clues.
The bedroom was simple and neatly kept. As she brushed past his clothes, Kinjal closed her eyes as she could feel Vikash near her. At that moment she realised she was still so deeply in love with him.
Her shut eyes suddenly flew open when she smelt the Old Spice perfume among his clothes. It was the same perfume her attacker had worn, when he attempted to rape her. Kinjal shuddered and stepped back only to bump into a helmet lying on the floor.
In his desk drawer, Kinjal found Pinky’s snaps with her friends but not the main snap which the UnSub was leaving at the crime scenes. So did it mean Vikash was not the killer?
There was an old gramophone record player lying in the corner. It was an antique piece in the modern days nowadays. She remembered Mom also had one, but after her death, Dad had given it away. Kinjal played it and the same song resounded in the room, turning her pale once again. Of course, the song was the favourite of all the 6 college friends and if Vikash was the killer, he knew it from Pinky Bindra herself.
Each item in the room spoke volumes about Vikash being the serial killer. But her heart within could not believe it. How could she be so blindly in love with a brutal murderer, who was so perfect in the eyes of the world?
And then Milan’s call came to shake her out of her reverie.
“Ma’am, Dr. Vikash’s mobile location was in the Mohali hospital only, at the time of Suman Mishra’s murder at the Alchemist Hospital in Panchkula. The distance between both hospitals is about 50 minutes. There is no way it was him who killed the lady, and got back so soon, unless he has an accomplice”, Milan concluded.
“Or he was smart enough to leave his mobile here, kill her and come back in time, Milan. He is a well reputed doctor here; always on night duty, so his entry or exit would not be questioned, in this hospital at least. What about the CCTV coverage, Milan?” she asked.
“Ma’am...I have not met Dr. Vikash, so cannot say if the man caught on camera is him or not. I will meet you in your office shortly with the CCTV coverage and his call records,” Milan said.
Kinjal disconnected the call and was in deep thought. She went through Vikash’s cupboard again and looked at the 4 frames carefully. For a moment she felt sorry for him, for being deprived of a normal childhood but then realised it was perhaps meant to be, as her Mom would have said.....it’s some past karma returning. But Vikash had no idea who his father was and now it was an ace card Kinjal held in her hand. She planned to trade this little secret with him, once she interrogates him, as to why he killed all the ladies one by one.
It suddenly struck her to take off the tag from one of his shirts to compare it with the one she snatched off the assaulter’s shirt. Usually, men get their clothes stitched from the same tailor, so she had a feeble, but a possible clue.
Kinjal slipped out of Vikash’s room, as quietly as she had slipped in. As she tip towed onto the corridor towards the main entrance, Vikash watched her with a wry smile. He was silently waiting for her in the dark corridor. He wanted her to explore his room and she had done just that.
Kinjal knew who his father was. That’s all he wanted from her now, when she would return to him with handcuffs. And it would happen soon; Vikash knew it, as he lay on his neat bed and watched the ceiling, with empty eyes.
Waiting.
Joshis’ Villa,
Sector 12, Panchkula
By the time Kinjal reached home, Dad was well tucked in bed and fast asleep. Shivangi di was managing the babies and Jeeju was getting a security system installed in the house, so Kinjal would be safe when they leave.
Milan arrived shortly with the data and Amber joined Kinjal, to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Kinjal briefed Milan about the Dehradun trip, telling him that Vikash was the baby DIG Uncle abandoned when his wife died at childbirth. Milan didn’t look shocked; he knew there was involvement of the DIG in this case. Kinjal was slowly opening up to him and Milan was glad. He would patiently wait till the same faith could be restored again.
“Okay Milan, fill us in. Show me the CCTV footage you got from the night of the murder”, Kinjal asked.
The footage was not very clear but from the height and built of the man entering Suman Mishra’s room, it certainly seemed like Vikash or DIG Uncle. Milan was short built with a slight belly, so Kinjal instantly ruled him out. The man was wearing a white lab coat; which of course was easily accessible to Vikash but he had his face hidden with a sport cap. He certainly was smart and knew cameras were around.
Milan was telling the truth about himself. The footage showed him leaving the room at 10:55 pm and the intruder entering the room at 11:05pm. It meant, the room was being watched and once left unguarded, the killer took his chance. The footage showed the killer coming out in ten minutes itself and quickly slipping via the stairwell.
“Milan, just zoom in closer to the image. I think I see something?” Kinjal said.
The man had a black strap watch on his left hand, but the watch was not visible.
“Vikash has a black watch, I know but I never noticed about DIG Uncle,” Kinjal concluded, making a mental note of checking the next time she meets him.
“I don’t wear a watch, Ma’am...just in case you are wondering.” Milan said trying his best to clear all pending doubts in her mind. Kinjal wasn’t paying attention; her mind was racing to find clues against Vikash as soon as possible.
“Milan what about Vikash’s call records?” she asked.
“Here they are, Ma’am. Dr. Vikash has been frequently talking to 4 numbers in Zirakpur. He makes one call a week to Dehradun, and the rest are random local numbers of Chandigarh itself.” Milan said as he handed over the call records to Kinjal.
“This Dehradun number must be his chowkidaar’s, but Milan, still check it out. But who is known to Vikash in Zirakpur?” she wondered. “Milan, just show me the numbers from which calls were made to our 4 victims who were killed, excluding his mother?” Kinjal was curious now.
The trio sat and compared and yes, the calls made to the 4 victims before killing them and the 4 numbers Vikash frequently spoke to, were the same.
“Bingo! Now I have some concrete proof to get him for interrogation, guys!”Kinjal said excitedly.
“But Kinjal, are you trying to tell us that Vikash is not our killer and maybe someone else?” Amber asked, confused.
“Possible, Amber. Milan, let’s take out the call records of DIG Uncle as well and see if he has any connections with those 4 numbers as the victims were known to him as well, being Pinky’s friends.” Kinjal instructed Milan.
“Already done that, Ma’am. There are no call records between the DIG and the 4 numbers.”Milan concluded, impressing Kinjal once again.
Amber smirked...ab line par aa gaye hain Modi ji...
“Hmmm, ok. Milan, just open your laptop and see the locations of these 4 numbers. The past month, these numbers have not been activated but I have a hunch they may be switched on now.” She instructed, knowing Milan had all the required software with him.
Kinjal was right and she kept calling one number after the other, while Milan found their locations. They noted down each place in Zirakpur where the location flashed on the laptop screen. It was time to pay a visit to the caller of those 4 calls who killed 4 women, brutally.
While she drove to Zirakpur, Milan spoke to the Dehradun number and it was the chowkidaar indeed. It was getting dark but Kinjal knew she would be restless till she caught the scoundrel who had been making her go on a wild goose chase. Amber was excited to unpeel the truth soonest and Maggie had jumped in time into Kinjal’s purse. Today, they would know who the jerk was. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts when they reached Zirakpur.