X: The Hunt Begins Read online

  Aamir nodded without looking up. Aditya stared at him a moment longer before he turned and walked back down the stairs, his heart heavy with worry.

  * * *

  The last day before Dr. Ghosh's visit arrived. Around noon, Aditya once again made his way to The Shah's house. He was greeted by Saira. The house had a strange air of mourning as she led him into the living room. The lights had been dimmed and the televison was off. There was an eerie silence that seemed muffled and unnatural.

  “Where's Aamir?” Aditya asked.

  “Asleep.” Saira said in a low voice. “He'd been up all day and hasn't eaten anything since last night. I finally got him to go to bed half an hour ago. Saleem bhai is going over the arrangements for Dr. Ghosh's visit in his office.”

  “I'll go check up on him.” Aditya made his way up the stairs to Aamir's room. A few minutes later he returned. “He looks pretty peaceful. The rest will do him good.”

  For the next half hour the two sat talking in a desultory fashion, with occasional pauses and silences. This was the first time the two had interacted alone, and Aditya conscious of something different in Saira's gaze as it lingered on his face. She looked more beautiful than ever in the subdued light, the dark colours she had chosen to wear contrasting against her fair skin. There was something delicate about her carriage, bordering on the fragile. As though she would break if held too strongly.

  All these musings passed through Aditya's mind as he came and sat on the sofa. Saira sat down beside him. “It'll be a relief when the doctor finally arrives. It feels like this house has been stuck in limbo for the past week.”

  “I understand how hard these last few days have been for you.” Aditya said gently.

  “Not so hard with you here.” Saira said to him with a smile. “I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for all your help, Aditya.”

  “Don't mention it.” He smiled.

  She touched his glasses lightly . “These make you look so old.”

  “Really?” Aditya took off his glasses to look at them.

  “In a good way.” Saira said softly. “They make you look wise. I think you are very wise for your age.”

  “Not as much as I'd like to be.” Aditya said lightly. They were sitting closer than they had ever sat before. “My father used to tell me that you only really begin to gain wisdom after turning forty.”

  “That would be a long wait.” Saira asked quietly. “And what do we do in the meantime? Do we stick with our youthful, immature decisions?”

  “Decisions about what?” Aditya asked.

  Saira was silent for a long moment. “Do you think it's possible to have feelings for more than one person?” She asked quietly.

  The silence stretched longer as the seconds passed. Saira's face was very near to his. She was gazing at him with a mixture of curiousity and hunger, and a tinge of desperation. There heads drew closer together as the little distance remaining between them swiftly vanished.

  And then they heard a crash from upstairs. A shout, then another, and then the sound of furniture falling.

  The spell was broken in an instant. There was alarm in Saira's eyes as she rose swiftly. “That came from Aamir's room!”

  They raced up the stairs. Saira reached Aamir's bedroom first. She stopped, and her breath caught sharply. Aditya was right behind her. He saw Virat coming out of the room. In his grip was Saleem. A grey shawl was wrapped around his shoulders, while a thick, fake beard was hanging from his ear.

  “Aamir?” Aditya asked. Saira was staring at Saleem in a daze.

  “He's safe.” Virat nodded towards the bed. “I gave Shahid the signal.”

  “I left the door open for him.” Aditya said, putting a hand in his pocket.

  “What's going on?” Saira said at last, seeming to come out of a trance.

  There were the click of metal as Aditya placed handcuffs on her hands. “The end of a charade that has dragged on long enough.”

  “What are you doing?” Saira's manner had changed in an instant. Her eyes darted wildly from Aditya to Saleem to Virat. “Let me go!”

  Shahid appeared on the staircase, two constables behind him. “Hope I'm not late?”

  “Just in time.” Aditya said, handing over Saira to the constables. She fought and scratched like a wildcat, while Saleem seemed to have receded into a mental shell. He allowed himself to be handled by the second constable and led down the stairs.

  “You coming?” Virat asked Aditya as he prepared to follow Shahid down the stairs.

  “I'll join you later.” Aditya said. “Right now I need to talk to Aamir. He's been lied to for far too long.”

  Virat nodded, and made their way down the stairs after Shahid and the constables. Aditya turned and made his way into Aamir's bedroom, switching on the light as he entered.

  Aamir was sitting up on his bed. There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes as he looked at Aditya. “What's going on? I heard someone fighting in the room. Was Saira screaming?”

  “Try to relax.” Aditya said, coming to sit on the bed beside him. “The problem is over now. I know what you've gone through these past few weeks has been very difficult, but this is where you get to say goodbye to the grey man.”

  “I don't understand.” Aamir looked dazed as Aditya rose from the bed.

  “You told me you like stories.” Aditya said, coming to stand next to the bookcase. “So let me tell you one tonight. The story of a man named Aamir who had an imaginary friend who wanted to murder him.”

  “What are you doing, Aditya?” Aamir asked in a strained voice. “I'm not in the mood for games tonight.”

  “Bear with me a moment.” Aditya said. As he looked around the opulent bed room. The impression he got now was very different from the one he had got when he was first called in. A lot of the Shah's lifestyle was a facade, he had realised. The palatial bungalow with the paint peeling off. The absence of any sort of a house staff. The shining cars with the worn out tires. Even the first meeting with Saleem had felt like something from a stage play.

  A play set up for Aditya's benefit.

  “Two weeks ago you came to the police station with a very strange story.” Aditya told Aamir. “You asked me to help keep you safe. The thing is, you hadn't realised who you needed to be kept safe from. Every piece of information I had on this case was second hand. And that's always a problem with me. I decided to do the one thing you never dreamt of doing. I cross checked the information your brother passed on to you about Dr. Ghosh.” Aditya stared at Aamir steadily. “Did you never wonder why you only saw the grey man after dark this time? That was so you wouldn't be able to identify him. You are not insane, Aamir. You are the victim of an extremely cruel murder plot. A plot that was instigated by your brother. Saleem had been dressing up as the grey man to frighten you.”

  Aamir stared at him dumbly. “Saleem?”

  “Your brother was aware of the money he would get from your joint inheritance if you were to die. He knew about your childhood condition. He'd seen the photos you had drawn as a child. He used that information to hatch a plot to convince you that you were losing your mind. Dr. Ghosh didn't postphone his visit to your house. Saleem told him to come a week later. I realised he intended to dispose of you before that time.”

  “I knew I had to go about the case carefully. The grey man had only ever been seen by you, and you were convinced he wasn't real. There was no actual evidence of Saleem's involvement in the grey man's appearances. Nothing criminal had occurred that we could convict him with. If he had gotten the slightest wind of the fact that I suspected him, he would have stopped his activities. He could have waited another few years to bring his plan to fruition. I couldn't keep an eye on you indenfinitely.”

  “And so I decided to force his hand. I had to play my part in the charade along the lines Saleem wanted me to. The gullible psychologist trying to help him manage your illness till Dr. Ghosh arrived.”

  “But all the time I waited. And I watched. I studied Sale
em's psychology. How he went about the role of the caring elder brother. How he set up the incidents designed to drive you insane. Time was running out, and Dr. Ghosh's visit was only a few days away. Once he had you under his wing, it would have been difficult for Saleem to have that access and influence over you.”

  “And then I realised something. My arrival had made Saleem unsure. He didn't know how to set about his plan with me on the scene. So I decided to help him out. After making sure he was near enough to listen in, I mentioned to Saira the case of the man who fell to his death after seeing an apparition. I could almost see the light go off in Saleem's mind. He made the plan for tonight, not realising I was the one who had suggested it to him.”

  “And so we come to this night. Saleem had set the stage, and I had made my own arrangements. I went up to your rooom while you were asleep and tied a rope from the balcony down to the garden.Virat climbed up the rope and hid behind the balcony door, and waited. The book I gave you carried a small camera for him to monitor the room through. As expected, Saleem was hiding in the house and waiting to attack you one last ime, to frighten you into jumping off your balcony, and perhaps if that didn't work, to throw you off. But the plan didn't quite work the way Saleem intended, and he was caught red handed. He'll be in lock up soon.”

  “But... but...” Aditya could see Aamir struggling to understand the explanation. “If Saleem was the grey man, and he was real, why couldn't Saira see-” he stopped. His shoulders slumped as comprehension dawned on him.

  “She was in on the plot.” Aditya said. “Perhaps she helped plan it out as well. They must have been working on it for a long time. Saleem was the one who introduced you to her. Once she'd gained your confidence, her job was to help convince you that only you could see the man. She fired the house staff and set herself up as your sole caretaker. Tonight her job was to keep me occupied downstairs while Saleem went about his work upstairs. She also replaced your medication with a placebo. She sent an email from your account to Dr. Ghosh postphoning his appointment. Once your fear turned to paranoia, they intended for you to kill yourself, or perhaps for them to kill you and make it look like suicide prompted by mental imbalance because you weren't taking your medicine. Then cash in your insurance policy and-”

  Aditya stopped as Aamir buried his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking as his sobs shuddered though the thin frame. Aditya stared at him, and a wave of guilt engulfed him. All through the case he had been so caught up in his battle of wits with Saleem that he had not stopped to consider the effect the revelation would have on Aamir. He rose and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder.

  “You didn't do anything wrong.” Aditya said quietly. “Your family betrayed you. It's their fault, not yours. Sometimes...” his voice trailed off. He felt slightly sick. The feeling of triumph he had felt while explaining the case had faded away. Suddenly all he could think of was the sordidness of it all, as he patted Aamir's trembling shoulder and tried in vain to think of something comforting to say.

  Chapter 6 : Teen Sipahi

  “And here she is carrying her Yoga mat to the car.” Shahid said. Virat looked on over his shoulder as Shahid scrolled through the pictures on his mobile. “This is after she got back from the exhibition. She won a medal for third place in the 100 meter race.” Shahid's face was softened by a rare smile as he stared at the picture of his daughter.

  “Congratulations.” Virat said with a smile. “Did you go to her school for the event?”

  “Couldn't. I was in charge of security for the MLA's visit.” Shahid sighed, leaning back in his chair. “That's life for a policeman. Her mother at least gets sundays off from court cases. Sometimes there are pictures and vidoes shot at the event, and I have to be happy with that.”

  “Happy with what?” Aditya asked, walking into the room.

  “My daughter Zoya had an athletic meet at her school.” Shahid said, turning the mobile screen to face him. Aditya smiled as he saw the picture of Shahid's frizzy haired daughter delightedly while holding her medal up for the camera

  “She's very cute.” Aditya said.“Listen, I heard someone talking about Mannat Emporium.”

  “Call came in half an house ago.” Shahid nodded, exiting the gallery on his mobile. “A guard was murdered there last night. The body's already been recovered from the parking lot. Ajay is going there to start investigations.”

  “Could you do me a favour and let Virat and me have the case?” Aditya said.

  “It's a regular murder case.” Shahid said. “No scope for you particular skills, I'm afraid.”

  “Still, I'd like to get in on it.” Aditya said.

  Shahid stared at him for a moment. “If I say no, will you just go and get Commissioner Khurana to give his permission instead?”

  “That's probably what'll happen.” Aditya nodded. “But we'd save a lot of time if you just let me have the case now.”

  Shahid frowned. He still had problems with the liberties Aditya was allowed by Inspector Khurana when it came to work. But over time he had developed respect for Aditya's skills. He leaned back in his chair and shrugged. “Fine. Sukhwinder's already at the site. I'll let him know you're coming.”

  * * *

  Manas Vihar was one of the most expensive areas in East Delhi. It was situated opposite a bustling IT complex, and many of the residents owned businesses their. On Aditya's insistence, he and Virat rode the bike to the crime scene instead of taking a police car. They watched palatial houses pass them by as they made their way deeper into the colony.

  “Just the rent on one of these houses must be more than either of us make in years.” Virat muttered to Aditya.

  The house they were heading towards was the largest estate in the area, dwarfing the houses around it with it's sheer size. A large mansion was located next to a glossy, futuristically shaped building that was four stories high. Next to the house was what appeared to be a park filled with rambling growth. In the middle of the path, almost completely obsured from view was an ancient manor that appeared to be crumbling into disrepair.

  “Stop here for a second.” Aditya said as they neared the house. He got off the bike and made his way over to the large iron gate, and stood observing the house. He turned away from the main path towards the ruins, trying to spy out an opening from the other side.

  “Hey! You there!” He turned to see an elderly guard limping hurriedly towards them. “This is a private residence. No trespassing here.”

  “We just wanted a look at the old manor.” Aditya called out, raising his hands placatingly.

  “Well, you can't go in. Clear off, both of you, before I call more security.” The guard brandished his cane at them threateningly.

  “Settle down, we're with the police.” Virat said sharply, bringing out his wallet. He showed the guard his badge.

  The guard's manner changed instantly. The scowl on his face was replaced with an apologetic smile.

  “I'm so sorry, saab. Please forgive me. I was just doing my job.”

  “That's okay.” Virat gestured towards the emporium. “There's been a dead body found in the parking lot. We were called in by the emporium owner.”

  “I know, I know, saabji.” The guard bowed slightly and continued to stare at them with a hint of nervousness.

  Aditya gestured towards the house and the ruins next to it. “This whole area belongs to the owner of the emporium?”

  “All of it.” The guard nodded vigorously. “This entire property was handed down to Singh saab by his father.”

  “We'd best head on to the emporium, then.” Aditya nodded to the guard and got back on the bike. They made their way into the parking lot of the emporium, where a crowd had gathered around a spot near one of the secondary buildings.

  “What do we have?” Virat inquired after the constables had saluted.