by Ruby Gupta
‘I don’t have to tell you. But since I have nothing to hide, I will tell you. I was at my hotel room – sleeping. Alone,’ Lucas spoke insolently.
‘Can anyone vouch for it?’ the inspector asked.
‘That’s for you to find, out isn’t it?’ Lucas remained impertinent.
‘Mr. Lucas, you do know that you are the prime suspect and I can easily arrest you on suspicion and throw you in jail,’ Bhogle made a veiled threat.
‘Yeah, but with no evidence you cannot keep me there for long,’ Lucas spoke again, while a twisted smile emerged upon his face.
This was going to one difficult interrogation, Bhogle thought. ‘You did know that Natalie was pregnant and that’s why you killed her, right?’ he decided to provoke him.
Lucas’s cheek muscles visibly tightened. But he remained quiet.
‘And it was not your baby, right?’ Bhogle goaded him further.
Lucas remained sullen.
‘So, this fact gives you the biggest motive to commit murder.’
‘Inspector, you have no proof. And no matter what you say, you will not be able to get me to admit anything. I suggest, first get your proof and then talk to me,’ Lucas spoke firmly.
Bhogle curbed the sudden rush of anger that welled within him. He was not used to being spoken to like this. Instantly controlling himself, he changed his stance and said mildly, ‘You are right, of course. Tell me did you know Natalie for long? Was it a childhood friendship?’
Lucas’s face softened.
‘She was a sweet, nice girl, I believe, wasn’t she? Not cut out for the Mumbai film world,’ Bhogle continued softly.
Lucas nodded as his eyes took on a faraway look.
‘And I think she must have missed you, being here all alone,’ the inspector said.
‘Yes. She was my little princess,’ Lucas’s voice seemed choked. ‘I loved her from the moment I saw her when we were kids and her family shifted next door to mine. There was no one for me, but her.’
‘I can understand,’ Bhogle nodded in his most avuncular fashion.
‘It was the same for her too – I was hers and she was mine…’
‘Then her desire for fame lured her here?’
‘No, it was not that. My little girl needed to support her family. And I was away at the time. What could she do? She took whatever opportunity that came her way,’ Lucas paused.
Bhogle waited patiently.
‘And by the time I returned it was too late…’
‘Too late?’ Bhogle prompted mildly.
‘Yes. Too late. Desperation had already led her to take up this crazy offer in India and then of course that damn Rajvir seduced her!’ Lucas spoke bitterly.
‘Rajvir should not have done that,’ the inspector agreed sympathetically.
‘Rajvir could have had anyone he wanted. And he did have them. Then why Natalie? Why my sweet, innocent Natalie? Couldn’t he have left her alone?’ Lucas’s face contorted in an ugly scowl.
‘Maybe, maybe he fell in love,’ Bhogle suggested softly.
‘Love! What absolute rubbish!’ Lucas raised his voice.
‘It was pure lust on Rajvir’s part. And my poor little girl just got taken in by all his sweet talk. Talk, which no doubt, he had tried and perfected upon hundreds of other girls before her,’ Lucas spoke bitterly.
‘Perhaps, you are right,’ Bhogle conceded.
‘Of course, I am right. Rajvir, with his charming talks, looks, money, position and fame overwhelmed my baby. She didn’t stand a chance,’ Lucas spoke cynically.
‘He had no right to do this,’ the inspector agreed.
‘Yes – he had no right. He had to be punished for it,’ Lucas’s face twisted.
‘Is that why you killed him? To punish him?’ Bhogle moved in swiftly for the kill.
‘I know you flew into Mumbai a couple of days before Rajvir’s party. I have flight ticket details to prove it. After that, it must have been easy for a person like you to enter Xanadu. And the rest we already know,’ Bhogle spoke triumphantly.
Lucas’s eyes widened.
‘And then after punishing Rajvir, you punished Natalie too! You had forgiven her for falling for Rajvir. But when you came to know that she was with Rajvir’s child, it was more than you could bear. There was only one thing that could ease the pain in your heart. It was to kill her! Isn’t it? C’mon now admit it! This is the truth, isn’t it?’ Bhogle spoke forcefully.
Lucas’s face became stony.
‘You will not be able to get me to admit anything. No matter what tactics you use,’ Lucas clenched his fists. ‘You cannot trap me, Inspector,’ he spoke the words slowly.
Bhogle pushed back his chair in frustration. He knew when he was beaten. ‘Anyway, don’t leave Mumbai for now,’ he said.
Professor Shantanu was watching the footage of the party of the fatal night yet again, in the hope of spotting something amiss, when Pallavi suddenly entered the sitting room and sank into the settee next to him. Sensing her upset mood, he turned towards her and asked solicitously, ‘What happened?’
‘Nothing,’ she said and closed her eyes.
Shantanu resisted the urge to reach out and stroke her forehead and hair.
The silence stretched between them as he tried to focus on the security footage in front of him.
Pallavi remained supine.
Unable to control himself any longer, Professor Shantanu said, ‘Tell me, Pallavi, what is troubling you? I am here to help you. We all are here to take care of you. You need only ask.’
Slowly Pallavi opened her eyes, which glistened with unshed tears. Tremulously, she extended her dainty fingers and placed it on his hand. ‘Thank you, Professor. I really appreciate all that you are doing to help me and my family. And also, Professor Dinkar for deciding to stay back and fulfil what he had promised Rajvir. I really am lucky to have so much support from all the people around me,’ a tiny smile curved the corner of her mouth.
Shantanu wondered how to control the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. All he wanted to do was to take her in his arms and shield her from all her problems and take care of her forever. Instead, he took a deep breath and spoke gruffly, ‘You are welcome.’
‘And it is so nice of swamiji also to help us time and again in this hour of need,’ she said.
Shantanu’s face tightened as the unfamiliar flame of jealousy reared up again within him.
He remained quiet.
‘You know, Rajvir relied quite a bit on swamiji,’ Pallavi seemed keen to talk, perhaps in a bid to divert herself from the sorrow that of late constantly hovered over her.
‘How?’ Shantanu asked reluctantly. He really did not want to know any more good things about Swami Maheshanandaji.
‘Rajvir used to often get very stressed due to his gruelling shooting schedules and it was impacting his health. He was not being able to sleep and began suffering from several problems. At that time, swamiji suggested that he begin visiting his ashram every weekend. Rajvir did it for six months and a miracle occurred. All his health problems vanished; he became revitalized and even began looking younger.’
‘How?’ Shantanu became genuinely interested.
‘Swamiji personally put him on a special diet, exercise and meditation regime. After three months of it, Rajvir graduated to some unique breathing, yogic and tantric practice. Perhaps he also learned kundalini yoga. All this combined with the peace and quiet that the ashram provided him, helped him stay on an even keel, no matter what was happening here in the Mumbai film world,’ Pallavi explained.
‘So Rajvir went there very often?’
‘Yes. But since the last few months his visits had lessened, perhaps due to work pressure. But otherwise I would say that swamiji has been as instrumental in the continued success of Rajvir as his own luck and talent,’ Pallavi said.
‘I see,’ Professor Shantanu wondered how to change the topic. This swami was getting to be really very tiresome.
‘And you know,
as if this was not enough, that Jyothika has hijacked swamiji also. She just has to take everything that is mine,’ Pallavi’s eyes took on a bitter hue.
‘Hijacked, how do you mean?’ Shantanu was puzzled.
‘Believing that Rajvir’s success was owing to swamiji’s blessings, Jyothika not only got him to bless Chandra Prakash, but also ensured that he was present during the muhurat shot of her son’s film.’
‘Oh,’ there was no getting away from Maheshananda, Shantanu thought.
‘And swamiji being the generous soul that he is, agreed to visit the sets on several occasions. This was, of course, because he had promised Rajvir to take care of his family, after him. Both his families…’ Pallavi looked pained.
Shantanu wondered how he could wash away her agony.
‘You know, I should have really taken swamiji’s advice,’ Pallavi said after a pause. She seemed intent on the same topic.
‘What advice?’ Professor Shantanu asked.
‘Swamiji had told me that Xanadu was not Vaastu compliant.’
‘Really? You really believe in this Vaastu stuff?’
‘I don’t really believe in it. But given the events that have happened since we moved in here, I’m forced to wonder whether there is some truth in this Vaastu thing,’ Pallavi said.
‘You mean Rajvir’s murder?’
‘No, not just that. Even Amar has deteriorated more and more since we moved in here. Admittedly, he was into drugs earlier too. But then it was never this bad. Now, particularly, I’m afraid – so very afraid that… that I might… might lose him too. Will…will, you also try and counsel Amar?’ Pallavi’s voice caught in her throat and her eyes misted over.
Shantanu reached out and held her soft white hand. He wished he could magically wave off all her sorrows. ‘Don’t worry, it is just a temporary phase. Nothing will happen to Amar. And yes, I will definitely counsel Amar as best as I can,’ he said.
‘No – you don’t understand. Swamiji had told me that the construction of the house is such that it will not augur well for the men of the family – and it is exactly as he had said. The men of this family are in danger!’ she spoke agitatedly.
‘Really? Think logically, my dear. How is it possible for construction to affect one gender in a particular way and not the other? It sounds like pure nonsense,’ Shantanu shook his head at the absurdity of what she was saying.
‘I know. I too had thought of it exactly the same way as you. But now – now the recent events have proved me wrong, haven’t they?’ Pallavi spoke convincingly.
Shantanu did not answer. He knew that there was no point trying to counter blind superstition. ‘So, did the swami prescribe some remedy or some puja that could counter this so-called ill-impact of the house?’ he asked instead. There was only one thing to do. Counter one illogical thought with another illogical thought.
‘No – I mean, I had not asked. He had simply told us about this fact about Xanadu not being made as per Vaastu rules. I think I will discuss this matter with him again. Or – or better still, I think we should just move out of this ghastly house. This Xanadu – this place, seems cursed to me now,’ Pallavi said.
‘Yes, okay. You do whatever you think is best. I am here to help you,’ he spoke feelingly.
Pallavi’s eyes widened.
Professor Shantanu hastily amended his words, ‘What I mean is that we all are here to support you.’
Pallavi smiled wanly. She really was grateful to this kind, gentle person for being here like this.
Chapter 15
‘As I had foreseen, Lucas was not at all forthcoming to Bhogle,’ Shantanu said.
‘Well, that was to be expected, wasn’t it?’ Dinkar said.
‘Yes. He is one tough guy. And with no evidence, he is likely to remain free, go back to Brasília and disappear forever,’ Shantanu looked troubled.
‘Yeah, but it could be likely that he has nothing to do with the murders. So, you really can’t begrudge him his freedom,’ Dinkar pointed out sagely.
‘Yeah, you are right.’
‘So, what is the next plan of action?’
‘I don’t know,’ Shantanu looked morose.
Dinkar looked at his friend in surprise. It was not like Shantanu to be like this. What was the matter with him? This case seemed to have his friend all upset. He did have some idea about the cause of Shantanu’s despondency; but did not want to say anything for fear of upsetting him more than he already was.
‘Don’t worry. Why don’t you sleep on it? Things will look better in the morning. And you might very well think of some new lead tomorrow after you have given some space to your brain to mull over the matter,’ he said instead.
‘Yes, perhaps you are right. I’ll call it a night,’ Shantanu almost lugged his feet to the bedroom. He felt himself being dragged more and more into the complexities of the various inter-relationships of the Rajvir family. The more he got to know them, the more he felt compelled to be with them.
Apart from his fascination with Pallavi, he could not help but be intrigued by Amar. It was indeed the supreme irony of life that the superstar, the stud, the womanizer’s son should be gay. Did he become gay as a reaction to his father’s compulsive womanizing? Or was it because women threw themselves at Rajvir that turned Amar against all of womankind?
Professor Shantanu honestly did not know what to make of Amar. On the one hand, it did seem that Amar had one of the strongest motives in killing his father, but on the other, he hardly seemed the sort of person who would resort to murder.
But then, there were several murderers in history, who hardly seemed to be the type to commit murder in the first place.
And what could be his motive for killing Natalie?
Then there was the abnormally silent Remanika. She seemed to sleepwalk her way through everything that happened at Xanadu. She probably saved all her energy and enthusiasm for her film roles or modelling shoots, or whatever else she did. It was strange, the detached manner she had adopted to deal with everything that was happening around her in the house. Most of the time she remained locked in her room, preferring to take her meals in her bedroom too. She never spoke to any family member, not Pallavi and certainly not Amar, her husband.
What had prompted her to marry a gay man in the first place? Certainly, Rajvir was instrumental in getting her to marry Amar. But was it possible that she really did she not know about it? The film world was rather small and there had always been rumours about Amar – she must have had some inkling. Or did Amar turn gay after marriage? Or was Amar not gay, but bisexual? Or was Remanika not interested in men, or the physical aspect of marriage? Did she just marry for the Kapoor surname?
And did any of this have anything to do with the murders? Did she have any motive? Could she have wanted the two dead? Or perhaps just wanted her father-in-law dead? But why? What could have her motive been?
Mridula was another puzzle. She was oddly silent, almost emotionless. Nothing seemed to faze her. Where and how did she fit in? It was certain that she had nothing to do with any of the murders.
She was here just to take care of things till everything was settled. Her life was in Delhi and she could not possibly have any motive for doing away with her father or anyone for that matter.
Rajvir had certainly taken good care of her, except for the small oversight of not taking care of her in his will. But he had got her well-settled and everything. There was the slight pinprick of Rajvir preventing her from pursuing her dream of being an actress. But it was not really such a big deal. Most Indian parents were responsible for choosing their children’s careers.
All things considered, there was no way Mridula would have wanted her father dead. Besides, she had nothing to with Natalie – there was no way she could be linked to her murder. No, she was a perfect good little girl; doing her duty towards her family. It was impossible for her to be a suspect.
So, who else was left? He came to the name that he had been avoiding confronting even in his
own mind – Pallavi. It certainly seemed that she had the strongest motive for doing away with Rajvir. She had even admitted to him on more than one occasion that she was neither in love with Rajvir, nor did she like him.
But no – it was not possible for her to commit such a dastardly act, the illogical part of his brain offered.
At the same time, she was the only family member who had the strongest and clearest motive for killing both Rajvir and Natalie. To know that Natalie was not only in a relationship with her husband, but was also carrying his child must have caused her extreme pain and anguish.
He recalled Inspector Bhogle telling him of how Girish Kapoor had also arrived from Singapore and shared his strong suspicion and conviction that Pallavi was the murderer.
Shantanu felt a surge of an unfamiliar, disquieting emotion well up within him. He almost got up to go and comfort Pallavi. He could easily imagine what it must have felt like to know that Rajvir was the father of Natalie’s child. But perhaps she had not felt so bad. She must be used to it by now, for Rajvir had had many affairs over the past decade.
Their marriage was in name only – it was common knowledge.
But this time the trigger could have been the baby – Rajvir and Natalie’s love child. It would have been a public insult to her status as wife.
But did it really matter in today’s permissive society? That too in the liberal world of the Mumbai film industry?
Shantanu wasn’t too sure.
He was looking at the entire thing through his small-town eyes. These people lived by a different creed. What was unthinkable for him was perhaps routine for them. So maybe this could not be such a strong motive for Pallavi to commit murder.
Or, was he just making an excuse for her, because he could not bear the thought of her being the murderer. After all, Pallavi too at heart, was essentially a small-town girl, just like him.
What about there being some sort of professional reason for the murder? Could there have been some rival? But who? There was no bigger star than Rajvir in the film industry.