Second Lives

by Sarkar, Anish

  I didn’t reply but began to walk towards the river. He followed hesitantly. My heart began to beat fast as the sound of the rushing water grew louder! The sky was cloudy and it was quite dark. The only illumination came from the small lantern burning in the middle of our campsite, which we had left behind.

  I stopped near a large rock almost at the waterline, and said, ‘Let’s sit here.’

  I hadn’t heard anything but I assumed he had come after the two of us. There had been no chance to discuss the change of plan. Roy and I sat down on the rock, facing the river. He said, ‘You were right, I already feel better.’ Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark figure rise behind him. I hissed, ‘Not for long, you fucking bastard.’

  He started to turn towards me in surprise when the wooden log smashed down on his head with sickening force. His body twisted and he fell to the damp ground without emitting a sound. For a moment, I thought he was already dead. I knelt down and put my hand over his heart, feeling a faint, irregular pulse.

  ‘Good job,’ I said. ‘I hadn’t expected this.’

  ‘It turned out pretty well, actually.’

  We had planned to tie his hands and legs but realised it wasn’t required. There was no way he could regain consciousness in a hurry after that massive blow. We dragged him to the water and pushed him in. His inert form was immediately caught by the current and for a few seconds, I could follow the dark shape floating away on the rippled surface.

  Then he was gone.

  52

  The whole episode with that Russian girl was a disaster.

  It started innocuously enough. I was in Goa and someone referred her to me. I was told she was a great lay. The fact that she was so young might have been interesting except that she had already slept with more men than a mid-career prostitute. But I was shown a photograph and her alabaster complexion decided me.

  I had been travelling non-stop for the past few months and now that victory was almost assured, I thought I could do with some well-deserved relaxation. I had learnt to partially control my violent urges, mainly with this wonderful medication that a South American doctor had prescribed me a couple of years ago. It was an imperative because I was at a very crucial stage in my life and stood to lose everything if my secret came out.

  It was to be a session of mindless sex, and nothing more. The good doctor had promised me that I would also start to enjoy regular intercourse after his treatment, and he had been absolutely right. It didn’t come anywhere close to the excruciating pleasure I felt when I watched a woman die slowly, but it wasn’t bad.

  This girl, Anna, was as slutty as they come. She was wearing a tiny pair of denim shorts, a checked shirt tied below her bust and thong slippers. She could have stepped right out of a low-budget porn film. She had the defiant, no-nonsense, almost supercilious attitude I have seen in experienced whores. When I looked closely at her however, I realised that a childlike innocence lurked beneath the heavily lined eyes and sensuous mouth.

  The beast stirred inside me.

  I should have anticipated it. It had been ages since I had organised an “event”. With everything that was going on, there had been no time or opportunity. And I hadn’t wanted to take any unnecessary risks. But this girl threatened to blow the lid off a cauldron that had been simmering for far too long.

  I had laid out some food and there was beer in the fridge. Not that I had planned to wine and dine her like it was a date or something but it was evening after all, and I was hungry. She shook her head and said that she wanted to get right to it. That worked well for me too. I could already feel the blood rushing through my body with increasing urgency. The beast was rattling its cage. The only way to prevent it from escaping was to get this over quickly.

  She reached out her hand and said, ‘My money first.’

  I gave her a handful of notes and replied, ‘The rest later.’

  She frowned but didn’t protest. Putting her arms around my neck, she said, ‘Let’s do it right here on the sofa.’

  I pushed her back roughly, and tore open her shirt. Her plump teenage breasts spilled out. She cried out angrily, ‘What the fuck…I have to wear that later!’

  I slapped her, not too hard but enough to really sting. She screamed in pain. But her eyes were inviting, and she said softly, ‘You like it rough, do you?’

  I lay down on top of her and grabbed a handful of her long, blond hair. ‘You have no idea.’

  She began to squirm under me in practised, grinding movements. ‘So what are you waiting for?’

  I almost let go then. But I hadn’t carried along my special tool, as I liked to think of it. I had bought it in the US, a standard issue marine combat knife. No one makes military hardware as well as the Americans do, from their mighty aircraft carriers to a simple knife, of which there was a mind boggling range of brands and varieties available. The one I picked had a broad blade, serrated on one edge. It was a smaller version of the knife Sylvester Stallone carried around in his epic role of Rambo, and used for everything from digging a bullet out of his arm to hacking trees.

  I used mine for only one purpose, which it was perfectly designed for.

  I could have strangled the girl, no problem, but I had stopped doing that after the first few times. It was no fun because you had to use both hands and concentrate on applying the right amount of pressure, leaving nothing to enjoy the moment with.

  In the end, the sex was awful. It was my fault. I succeeded only too well in controlling myself and couldn’t give either of us an orgasm. When it was over, the girl gave me a pitying look. ‘I was expecting better. Looks can be deceptive, I guess.’

  I felt a wave of fury welling up. The girl had absolutely no idea who she was dealing with.

  ‘I’m hungry,’ she said and walked towards the kitchen. I didn’t try to stop her. Her impudence was amazing. I suppose she was used to men pandering to her.

  She opened the fridge, took out a bar of chocolate and began to eat it. I observed her silently. She moved around, examining things and pulling open drawers and cupboards. ‘You have a really nice place. Can I stay here for a few days?’ She gave me a seductive smile. ‘Maybe you can do better if we practise some more?’

  ‘Take your money and get out.’ I tried to speak calmly but it was impossible.

  She pouted at me and sat down at the dining table. ‘Okay okay, don’t get upset. I won’t stay if you don’t want me to.’

  My mobile phone was lying on the table and she picked it up.

  ‘You know, I’ve always wanted this model,’ she said as she dropped it into her bag. It was the last straw. I took two strides towards the counter, pulled out a kitchen knife from its holder and slashed the girl across her neck in one swift stroke.

  The jugular must have been severed because jets of warm blood splattered my face and shirt. I ran my tongue around my lips to lick off what I could. The metallic taste lingered in my mouth as I watched the girl fall to the floor with a barely audible gurgle. She lay there motionless, eyes open as the red halo widened around her, like a goat bleeding to death in a halaal slaughterhouse.

  The beast fed well, after a long spell of starvation.

  There was a problem, though. I wasn’t prepared for this at all. The girl had brought it upon herself with her stupid, brazen attitude. And I was left with a big mess to clean up. No matter, I would manage things like I always did. Except that this time it would have to be after the fact, or act if you prefer.

  I was pretty sure no one had seen her come here, and the good thing was that she had no idea whom she was going to meet. Otherwise things could have gotten very complicated. I now regretted having had sex with her because there would be all sorts of evidence left on her body. Forensics had advanced immensely, making things far more difficult than they used to be.

  It was nothing that several hours in the sea couldn’t take care of. We were in
Goa, after all.

  Then I made the silly, silly mistake of going along to dump the body. It was an incredibly foolish thing to do. I figured that there wouldn’t be anyone around on the beach at the dead of night and I would be hidden behind tinted glass anyway. Except that I decided to step out of the car and show myself to that fat Russian drunk. The worst part was that I didn’t even know about him until much later, when it was almost too late.

  I managed to tie up that loose end but there’s still another major problem left to handle.

  53

  Neel

  Sara invited me to her place in Delhi. I agreed. My head was still spinning with the thought that Roy might be alive.

  I hired a car and completed the ten-hour drive the same day. It was pretty late by the time I reached Sara’s house in Vasant Vihar. It was a sleek, two-storey bungalow with a big garden. She had rented out the upper floor to an amiable Sikh family. It was a sensible thing to do. Delhi isn’t the safest of cities for single women living alone.

  Sara opened the door. And held me tightly. I put down my bags and hugged her back. She just wouldn’t let me go. Her cheeks were wet with tears. ‘Neel, I don’t know what to say.’ We had been apart for a few days. It felt great to have her in my arms again. I kissed her hungrily. Until she gently pushed me away.

  ‘Omar’s on standby.’

  I was startled. ‘He’s here too?’

  ‘No, silly. We’ll Skype him. I told him you’ll be reaching late but he said he would wait.’ The benefits of modern technology. You could see and talk to each other over any distance. At a ridiculously low cost. I’m an old-fashioned guy. Not much into the latest gadgets or digital fads. But I had to admit that some of these things were pretty cool.

  ‘Good, because we do have a lot to talk about.’

  I had a quick shower and changed into fresh clothes. Sara was already online with Omar.

  ‘Hi Neel.’ Omar’s image and voice were surprisingly clear.

  Sara said, ‘Can both of you tell me everything once again?’

  I started off. They knew most of it already. I recapped the entire sequence of events. When I finished, Sara exclaimed, ‘Neel, I’m realising more and more that you have a James Bond hidden in you!’

  I laughed. ‘I hadn’t planned it that way. Things just…developed.’

  Omar asked, ‘Neel, was the man sure about the description?’

  ‘I asked him to repeat it twice and he said the same thing each time. So I think he was telling the truth,’ I paused. ‘It has to be Roy. The six-fingered hand is the clincher.’

  ‘Unless someone is playing an elaborate hoax on us.’

  Sara piped up. ‘That’s really unlikely.’

  I said, ‘Omar, what exactly did that police guy tell you?’

  ‘Like I said over the phone, we had a long conversation about finding missing people. I told him about Roy and how he had disappeared twelve years ago. He was initially sceptical and explained how it’s impossible that he could still be alive.’

  Sara interrupted. ‘Did you tell him about…Goa?’

  ‘Not really but I did tell him about Rachel’s death.’ He sounded defensive. ‘I mean, Kabir was obviously curious to know why I was suddenly interested in Roy after all these years.’

  I asked, ‘I’m also curious. What made you do that? I guess we were all intrigued by what Rachel told Sara before she died but I don’t think any of us could have imagined that Roy might still be alive.’

  ‘I…don’t know. Just a hunch, I suppose.’

  There was something in his voice. Sara picked it up too and said sharply, ‘Omar, are you hiding something from us?’

  He was quiet for a few seconds. ‘Okay, you got me,’ he said finally. ‘When I was assaulted that night outside the Marriott in Goa, I had heard a voice which I could have sworn was Roy’s. I put it down to my imagination but it kept nagging me all these days.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell us?’

  ‘It sounded stupid, even to me. I wanted to confirm it first.’

  I said, ‘Good thing you followed your instincts. You were obviously right.’

  Sara asked, ‘Did the policeman tell you where he had seen Roy?’

  Omar replied, ‘He couldn’t remember. I asked him several times.’

  ‘You think maybe he just didn’t want to tell you?’

  ‘No. He’s a friend. If that was the case, he would have said so. The only thing he was sure of was that he hadn’t seen Roy in any case file or criminals’ database.’

  We all fell silent.

  Omar suddenly smiled and said, ‘Hey Sara, on a different note, are you sure you’re safe being alone with this big, bad wolf tonight?’ He winked at me.

  I knew he was goading us. It was obvious he suspected something was going on between Sara and me. Sara obliged by putting her arm around me and saying, ‘Omar, Neel and I are seeing each other. It happened in Goa.’

  ‘I knew it!’ There was a triumphant look on his face. ‘And you guys were planning to tell me about this after some years perhaps?’

  Sara had the grace to blush. ‘Come off it, Omar. It’s only been a few days and we were going to tell you soon anyway.’

  ‘Bullshit.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘You forget how long we’ve known each other. I sensed in Goa itself that something had changed between the two of you.’

  I said with mock sarcasm, ‘Sara, I told you Omar couldn’t be fooled. We should have informed him right after our first kiss.’

  He raised his hands. ‘Spare me the gory details. But seriously, this is great news. I’m really happy for you guys.’

  Sara said, ‘Thanks. I knew you’d approve.’

  ‘And Neel, you should be celebrating. This is your lifelong dream come true.’ He turned towards Sara. ‘Someday I’ll tell you just how obsessed he was with you.’

  I gave him the finger in response.

  Omar laughed and then said seriously, ‘Don’t let each other go. Ever.’

  I looked at Sara but neither of us said anything.

  54

  Omar

  I was genuinely pleased that Neel and Sara had hooked up—better late than never. They made a great couple. Both had faced heartbreak in very different forms, and I was sure they would find real happiness with each other.

  I thought fleetingly about Rachel. We could have made a great couple too.

  Neel broke my reverie. ‘So what do we do about Roy?’

  Sara said, ‘He must have killed Jo.’

  I couldn’t bring myself to accept it. ‘But…why?’

  ‘He’s a psychopath, Omar. Such men don’t kill for any reason.’

  ‘But he was…one of us. How could we not have known?’

  Neel said, ‘I don’t know which is the bigger shock for me, knowing Roy’s alive or finding out that he’s a murderer.’

  ‘The police interrogated him and let him go. We saw his grief at first hand.’ I shook my head. ‘This is Roy we’re talking about!’

  Sara turned towards Neel. ‘It makes perfect sense now. Roy was the reason Rachel got involved. She must have somehow found out about him.’

  I asked, ‘So you think Roy’s behind all the deaths?’

  Neel nodded. ‘There can’t be any other explanation.’

  ‘Maybe that’s why he staged his disappearance,’ Sara said. ‘It was the perfect cover for carrying on his serial killings. How can a dead man be suspected of a crime?’

  I took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. ‘I still can’t believe it.’ But the rational part of my mind disagreed.

  Sara exclaimed, ‘Remember what D’Mello had said? Whoever murdered Rachel knew her well. Roy perfectly fits the bill.’

  ‘The bastard must have somehow conned her into believing he’s innocent and then…’ Neel’s voice choked over with anger.
r />   ‘And Omar, you heard Roy’s voice when you were being beaten up, right? He obviously tried to kill you and would have succeeded, but for the timely arrival of the police.’

  I had run out of arguments. But my mind was in a complete muddle.

  ‘Nothing’s proven yet,’ said Neel quietly. ‘I think we need to go to the police with this information and let them investigate.’

  ‘What will we tell them?’ I replied. ‘We’re smartly joining all these dots but I’m not sure the evidence we have will be taken seriously by anyone else.’

  Neel thought for a moment and said, ‘You could be right. For starters, I don’t even know the name of the man I waylaid that night, let alone where he lives. Even if I do manage to locate him again, he’s unlikely to repeat his story to the police. In fact, he’ll almost certainly file a complaint against me instead.’

  ‘Exactly. And while Kabir told me he had seen Roy, I doubt he’ll agree to have his word used to launch a fresh enquiry into the case.’ I sighed. ‘Our story, while it sounds convincing to ourselves, is just too flimsy.’

  Sara retorted, ‘So what are you guys saying? All this is bullshit and we should stop believing that Roy is not dead!’

  Neel put his hand on her shoulder. ‘No, we’re not saying that, Sara. But we need more than what we’ve got right now to make others believe it too.’

  ‘What would make others believe us, Neel?’

  ‘We need to find Roy.’

  55

  Sara

  I remembered Rachel’s last words to me. ‘I know what happened to Roy.’

  My first reaction had been panic! Trying to keep my voice as calm as possible, I asked her to elaborate but she repeated that she couldn’t say anything more and hung up. I tried calling her back later the same day and over the next couple of days but she wouldn’t pick up. She just sent me a text message, saying that she was all right and would call me back soon.