Killer Moves

by Varsha Dixit

  “Yes Ms. Khatri. Back to yell at me again?”

  “No . . . no!” Aisha stopped taking a few breaths. She had been running hard to reach the beach before Parth left. “I want to apologize,” she swallowed, “and I want to help.”

  “Where’s the boyfriend?”

  “I sent him to be with Kiara in case she finds out about this. . .” Aisha cleared her throat.

  “What do you want to help with?” Parth asked, clasping his hands behind his back.

  “With this case. Here, look at this.” Aisha pulled out an ID card from a slim wallet tucked in her running clothes.

  Taking the ID card, Parth studied it. “BCBA? What is this?”

  “I’m a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. I have my Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. I can profile this creep for you. I can help you find him.”

  “Or you can have me fired from the force. No, thanks.” Parth handed the ID back.

  “Please hear me—”

  “Are you in the police?” Parth asked, taking off his glasses.

  Aisha stayed quiet, chewing her lower lip.

  “Or CBI or a consultant hired by the CBI or the Panaji police?” Parth asked, rubbing his glasses over his shirt.

  “You can hire me and that will make me a CBI consultant. Don’t pay me, just hire me.” Aisha pleaded. “I can help. You asked me earlier why I knew about the pattern of a deranged sociopathic killer. I’m qualified.” She waved her identification.

  “What other cases have you worked upon?” Parth shot.

  Aisha’s answer was silence.

  “Have a nice day, Ms. Khatri.”

  “Hold on!” Aisha grabbed his arm. “Okay fine, I haven’t worked on any case, but I do have vested interest here.”

  “That means you are already biased, and therefore, your conclusions and deductions might be tainted.” Parth removed Aisha’s hand from his arm. “Also, if I need a profiler, CBI has several experienced ones.”

  “Parth, please. I have an instinct for these things. What is the harm in trying me? My dad is a retired judge, my brother was a policeman. I promise there will be no breach of ethics. I respect the law. Also, a department profiler will be working on several cases and not just this one. I know how bureaucracy works; tiers of permissions and red tapes even for those in the department. By the time they create a profile, who knows how many more women would have lost their lives?” Aisha dropped her voice. “Please, let me make a profile. If it makes any sense to you, fine. If not, kick me out of this investigation.”

  “I am not a fan of dynastic anything. Politics or police!” Parth’s voice, like his expression, was unyielding. “Let me do my job and you do whatever you do.”

  “Dammit, Officer!” Aisha stepped closer, putting her hands on her hips, aggression seeping from her body. “I have the right to protect my family. Kiara is like my daughter. Do you have any idea what it feels like to have to your family attacked? I could not catch my brother’s murderer but I’m not going to let his daughter become a victim. You can put me in jail but I’m going to go after this guy. And you know what? I have a gun and I know how to use it. I’m going hunt this animal down, with or without your help.”

  Parth studied Aisha’s feisty expression for a few seconds. “Jail is not a bed of roses!”

  “It is better than the ugly truth that I did not help those I loved. Family matters!”

  Parth took out an unlit cigarette from his pocket and rolled it between his fingers.

  Chapter 52

  Aisha watched Parth, perplexed.

  Parth shifted his gaze. “Jacob! Jacob!”

  His florid-faced driver ran toward him. He appeared like a whale discovering it had legs.

  Aisha cringed. “Look, that jail part was more of an analogy. I haven’t broken any laws yet. We were just talking!”

  “Yes, Sir?” The driver was breathless.

  “Jacob, you need to get in better shape, man. You need to run more.”

  Jacob’s face tinged a dark red. “Sir . . . it’s . . . the sand . . . that stopped . . .”

  Parth waved a dismissive hand and put the smoke back in his pocket. “So, all the case files are in the back of the Gypsy, right?”

  “Yes Sir, in the leather accordion briefcase. You wanted everything in one place because of the storm, right?” Jacob breathed hard, clutching his side. “I also got the files from Dr. Lorso’s office.”

  “Good job, Jacob! Now you and I are going for a ten-minute run.”

  “What Sir? No Sir!” Jacob visibly shrank away from Parth.

  “Yes, we are. C’mon. I will give you a head start. we will run in the direction opposite from all the houses.” Parth bent down and rolled up his jeans and then slipped his jacket off, hooking it over his shoulders.

  “But . . . but Sir!” Jacob gaped.

  “Yes, you need to decrease your butt. C’mon! I’m doing this for Mary, your wife.”

  Jacob muttered something under his breath.

  Aisha clamped her mouth and stared at her shoes.

  Sheer embarrassment made Jacob flee in the direction Parth had pointed out.

  Parth gave Aisha a hard look. “In all that you said, only one thing made sense to me—family matters. Three ground rules. You talk only to me. The second I say you are gone, you are gone. And if you break any of the first two rules, I will not hesitate for a second in destroying you, Ms. Aisha. Clear?”

  “I get that.” Aisha tried not to let distaste for Parth show on her face.

  Parth put his shades back on. “You have ten minutes.”

  “Thank you! Thank—” She was talking to his back.

  #

  Aisha glanced at her watch. “Ten minutes!” She ran to the Gypsy. The ambulance and the other two police jeeps had left.

  “Shit!” Aisha noticed one lonesome constable near the vehicle. “Parth Sir called you. I think he found something.”

  The constable took off after Parth.

  “And your time starts now!” Aisha heaved inside the jeep and scrambled to the back. The leather accordion bag was shoved under a seat. Grabbing it, Aisha swiftly opened it.

  She flipped the first file open and scanned it. She read the name and nearly fainted. Sweat appeared on her face.

  Nafeesa Khan!

  Aisha scanned the next file and her eyes went straight to the name of the deceased. Thoi Elviz!

  The file slipped from her hands. Gasping, Aisha covered her mouth.

  How did I see these names? Why did I see these names? What is happening to me?

  Aisha also realized that she was running out of time.

  “Oh man, this is not good.” Aisha picked up the files even as her hands shook violently, and nausea swarmed her. She avoided looking at the pictures of the bodies and focused on the text instead. This will take too much time. She took out all the multiple files and flipped them open to the relevant pages and clicked several pictures.

  Once done, Aisha stuffed the files back and peeped out of the driver-side window. She saw Parth and the other two policemen walking toward the car.

  Aisha scurried to the back door of the jeep. Nimbly, she jumped off into the nearby bushes and waited till the police jeep drove off.

  Standing up, she brushed off leaves and twigs and headed in the direction of the villa. Head bent, Aisha studied the pictures she had taken. A partial of a body. “Ugh!” She grimaced. Aisha was about to swipe to the next when her fingers stilled. She enlarged the picture.

  Her heartbeat raced, and her body went cold as she stared at what was visible of the murdered woman from thigh down. The unfortunate woman wore only one shoe.

  Aisha’s fingers traced the shoe—plum in color with silver flowers on the side.

  Aisha’s stomach twisted painfully. She had seen this shoe earlier.

  It was the shoe I found on the beach. The night I had plans to sneak inside Kriti Villa. The night Kabir caught me. Or did I catch him?

  Chapter 53

  The door op
ened to the conference room and Commissioner Rego walked in. The few policemen in the room got to their feet and saluted her.

  “At ease!” The Commissioner waved at them and took the front row seat. The policemen sat behind her. “So, where is the CBI boy?”

  The door opened again.

  Jacob came in, rolling a white board behind him. Parth came in holding the other end.

  “Morning, Commissioner!” Parth called out, wearing his usual attire—white shirt and ironed jeans with a tweed sports jacket.

  “Another few minutes and you would be late, CBI!” One of the cops drawled out, his tone snarky.

  “Another few minutes, Sir ji, and you would be early.” Parth said with his trademark smirk.

  “Huh?”

  Parth went to the drawing board. “Just matching nonsense with nonsense.”

  There were a few chuckles.

  “Morning, everybody!” Parth tipped his head. “And thank you for gracing us with your presence.”

  He flipped the white board to the other side. There were two pictures on it—one was a map and the other part was covered with a white chart taped over whatever was written. “At this time, I would like to bring another team member of mine.” Parth opened the door and ushered Dr. Lorso in.

  “Lesbo!” A policeman sitting in the back row said loudly to his colleague.

  Dr. Lorso hesitated.

  Parth pushed aside some chairs and grabbed the collar of the surprised policeman who had voiced the insult. “Your disrespectful shit has no place in this room. You will respect her, or you are off this case.”

  “Officer Mangal, let go of him right now.” The Commissioner was on her feet just like everyone else in the room.

  Parth continued to hold the Inspector who struggled in his restraint. His face turned red and Parth let him go abruptly.

  The man tottered as he rubbed his throat.

  “Show some respect!” Parth straightened his clothes. “Sorry, Commissioner. I was just keeping my presentation lively.”

  The heavyset Commissioner eyeballed Parth’s bland face for a few seconds, then sat down, her expression disgruntled. Her officers mimicked her movements.

  Jacob gave a sly smile noticing everyone’s surprised face. He was used to Parth’s shenanigans by now.

  Parth walked back to Dr. Lorso. “Sorry you had to hear that.”

  “Finish your show so we can get back to some real police work.” The Commissioner ordered, her face lined with angry lines.

  “Yes, Ma’am.” Parth turned to the board. “Komal Das and Aditi Kavuri, Ages twenty-one and twenty-three. Bodies found on March 24th, 2016 and December 29th, 2016.”

  “We know all this!” One grim faced policeman reminded.

  Parth stuck a picture on the board. “Victim number seven. Ann Jacob found two days ago on Donna Paula beach. Raped and strangled. Ann had turned eighteen last month.”

  There was silence for a few minutes as everyone stared at Ann’s picture.

  “Victim number seven? CBI is weak in math also? If it is the same killer, that would make Ann number three not seven.” A cop pointed out.

  “Good point. And an obvious one.” Commissioner Rego agreed with her Inspector. Her look to Parth was condescending.

  Parth reached out and removed the white paper that covered one side of the board.

  There were four more pictures on the board. “Meet victim number three, four, five, and six! Thoi Elviz, Julie Fernando, Nafeesa Khan and Sandhya Arora. Ages twenty-two, twenty-one, twenty, and twenty-three respectively. Bodies found on March 30th, 2014; December 26th, 2014; March 20th, 2015; and December 23rd, 2015.”

  Chapter 54

  The commissioner was the first to speak. “Rubbish!” She tugged her crisp work shirt firmly. Her gaze was withering. “Just because you say it, does not make it true. Where are the supporting facts? The evidence?”

  Parth turned to Dr. Lorso. “Doctor, please share your findings from the autopsies of the bodies.”

  “Sure.” Dr. Lorso beckoned someone inside the room. Two peons came inside carrying a white board.

  “Another board!” Someone groaned in the room.

  “I examined the bodies of five out of these seven girls. They all had ingested high doses of valium. The strangulation marks around their necks match in width and size. Same pair of hands asphyxiated them.” Dr. Lorso saw that she had the room’s attention. “The girls were raped in a similar manner. There was spermicide found in all of them, that means the killer wore a condom. And afterward, he cleaned them by pouring bleach over the girls’ torso and genitals. There were no fingerprints or DNA of any kind on the bodies.” Dr. Lorso paused. She swallowed as if in pain. “He did not respect the dead. Some injuries and sexual acts were posthumous.” She became quiet.

  “Why have you not shared all this information with us earlier, Dr. Lorso? Or do you only speak with the CBI?”

  “Commissioner, I had mentioned the similarity when I got the second victim,” Dr. Lorso looked pointedly at the cop who had insulted her earlier. “But he never listened to me.”

  Commissioner glared at the officer who was smart enough to avoid his superior’s eyes.

  “SSP Mangal found more victims and made the connection. We went back and exhumed the bodies of Nafeesa and Julie and did their autopsy again. The MO, the way their bodies were staged, and the presence of bleach confirmed it. These homicides are the work of the same killer.”

  “This has to be done by the tourists. That’s why I hate tourists. They come with their money and peculiar tastes and kill innocent girls,” a middle-aged cop sitting directly behind the commissioner shouted.

  “Ah! Tourists!” Parth clicked his finger. He walked to the map pinned on the board. The map had seven red dots on it. “Komal was found at Lopez Point, Aditi at a place further from Ashwem Beach, Thoi near the out-of-town Bascillica.” Parth touched the appropriate dots. “Julie at the tomb of St. Francis, Nafeesa in a remote area of Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Sandhya at Canaguinim Beach and finally Ann at Donna Paula Beach.”

  “So, all tourists spots, just like Arvind said.” the commissioner pointed out.

  Parth shook his head. “Yes, all the bodies were found at a tourist spot but that does not mean that they were killed there. Dr. Lorso, please.”

  Dr. Lorso moved to the front of the room. “Because of the lack of blood or bleach where the bodies were found, it is evident that the girls were killed somewhere else and then brought to those places.” She glanced at Parth.

  Parth walked next to her. “Yes, these are tourist spots. The tours that go to these spots are more expensive, so not too many people take these tours. But these spots are also known to the locals.”

  “Then he must be a guide,” another cop shouted.

  The commissioner had fallen into a sullen silence, like a coach of the losing team.

  “Good deduction, and that is what I thought at first, but then Jacob and I did an experiment of sorts.” Parth sat on a desk, his one foot resting on the floor and another swung lightly, bent at the knee. “Tell them, Jacob.”

  “Uh . . . what, Sir?” Jacob clearly was not prepared for the spotlight.

  “Jacob, what happened when we went to Beber?” Parth reminded.

  “Oh yes, yes! Sir tried to get friendly with the girls but they all said no.” Jacob blurted out.

  Some laughed openly, and others snickered at Jacob’s flustered confession.

  Parth gave a wry smile. “Sad, but true!”

  “But he got one finally. Very beautiful.” Jacob wiped his forehead, his expression clearly saying that he would rather be anywhere but here.

  “And that girl is a CBI officer, DSP Sangeeta Malhotra.” Parth shared a look with Jacob. “So, you were right earlier Jacob. I got no girl.”

  “So, has CBI been running an undercover operation in my city without informing me?” The Commissioner frowned heavily.

  Parth stood up. “There was no undercover operation, Commissioner. DSP
Sangeeta is a computer tech from our Cyber department. She helped me in research. But we can talk about it in your office.” He turned to Jacob. “So, the girls we sought out, we told them that we were police, right?”

  Jacob nodded heartily.

  “Is there a point to this here or are we supposed to sympathize with your dismal impressions on women?” the Commission snapped.

  “There is a point. All these girls,” Parth glanced at the board, “are beautiful. And not simply pretty but drop-dead gorgeous, confident girls. These girls are feisty, somewhat snobbish and the kind who are not intimidated easily, not even by a police officer. DSP Sangeeta studied their backgrounds. They were educated from good schools and colleges, lived in big cities, and belonged to affluent families. They would never go anywhere with a mere guide. They are the kind that are not scared of the law even if they break it. And that was the experiment Jacob and I did that night at Beber. Not a single girl came with us, even though we flashed our badges. The nice ones laughed at my face and a few told me to do something with myself that I would rather not. So, my question is that, how did this killer convince these beautiful, confident and educated women to come with him?”

  Chapter 55

  Parth became quiet and let his question sink in the room. All the expressions were thoughtful.

  “What else are you not sharing with us, Parth?” The Commissioner asked.

  “Today I’m sharing everything, Commissioner.” Parth again sat back on the desk. “For all these dead girls, I went to the places they were seen last. There were CCTV cameras at the places Komal, Julie, and Nafeesa were last seen. Sangeeta procured and studied that footage. The victims were behaving normally. They didn’t appear threatened or scared for their lives in any way. However, in all the footages, the person they were talking to is always off-camera. He kept himself hidden from the CCTV. That again points in the direction of this killer not being a tourist. He is someone who has scoured the location before and knows exactly where to stand so his face stays hidden.”

  “But what about Donna Paula? That is not a far-off spot. It is a popular beach and right in the heart of the city.” A policeman said, scratching the back of his head.