X: The Hunt Begins Read online

  “Dead body of one of the guards who used to work here, sir.” Sukhwinder said. “Found him in the parking lot. His head was bashed in. People passing on the road spotted him in the morning.”

  An outline had been marked on the ground of a man sprawled on the ground.

  “Was anything other than the body moved?” Virat asked.

  “No, saab. I made sure nothing was touched.” The constable assured him.

  “Sir, I'm Ramakanth Yadav.” A man stepped forward from the crowd and came towards Virat with a deferential nod. He was of slim build with a trim moustache and greying temples, wearing a neatly pressed uniform.“I'm the chief of security of Mannat emporium. My employer, Mr. Satbir Singh is waiting in his office to talk to you.”

  “We'll get to him in a minute.” Virat nodded to the knot of people watching them. “Have any of them given a statement?”

  “It's all a muddle at this point, sir. A passing truck driver saw the body and called out to the others. We're still hunting around for more witnesses.”

  “Right, ler's see what the owner has to say.” Virat said. He and Aditya followed Yadav up the stairs and into the emporium. Ravi led them up the stairs to the second floor of the building. At the end of the hall was a reception desk where a young girl sat talking on a phone. “The police inspectors are here to speak to Singhji.” Yadav said briefly. The girl nodded, and they made their way past the desk to a pair of glass doors that Ravi swung open and ushered the two through.

  Satbir Singh rose to greet them. He was a middle aged man with a luxuriant growth of beard and moustache. A sober blue turban encased his head, and the slight paunch and spectacles completed the look of a solidly built man with years of experience behind the desk.

  “Thank you for meeting with me, Officers.” Mr. Singh said, shaking their hands and gesturing them towards the plush cushioned chairs. “This incident has been a great shock to our entire family at the emporium. Devesh was an honest and hardworking man. I was on the phone with his wife just now. I tried my best to comfort her but she is inconsolable. I feel the only way I could face her now would be if I at least had definite information about who the murderer is.”

  “We'll certainly try our best to find out.” Virat said. “When did you find out about the murder?”

  “At eight in the morning.” Mr. Singh said. “I usually reach the office around nine thiry. I got the call from Ravi, who's the head of security. I rushed over as soon as I found out. By the time I reached Mannat the police had arrived. They put Devesh's body in a bag and took him away. I've been waiting every since to hear what they have to say about the whole affair.”

  “We'll be able to tell you once we get the post mortem report.” Aditya spoke up. “For now we'd like a bit of detail about Devesh. Did he have any enemies you might be aware of?”

  “Enemies? No.” Mr. Singh's brow furrowed. “He was a security guard, so he had a few encounters with some rather unsavoury characters, but I don't think he had anyone who would want to do him actual physical harm.”

  “Did you know him personally?” Aditya asked. “You must run a big staff at this place.”

  “Well, yes, we have a staff of thiry eight here.” Mr. Singh said. “My house is just adjacent to the emporium. The emporium grew out of my family business, you see. The house and the emporium next to it were left to me by my father.”

  “Along with the ruins which once housed the rebel alliance of Delhi.” Aditya said.

  Mr. Singh stared at Aditya in surprise. “That's right. Very few people realise the importance of those ruins. They just think it's a piece of property that I'm too lazy to renovate. That site is mostly of interest to historians.”

  “I'm interested in the subject, too.” Aditya said with a smile. “And I found the history of the house fascinating. It's a very important part of the story of the Siege of Delhi.”

  “That is true.” Mr. Singh smiled, leaning forward in his chair. “The house was used by the rebel soldier forces during the first Indian rebellion against British rule in 1857. At that time my great grandfather was a wealthy diamond trader who had great sympathy for the cause. He offered the house for use to the rebels. They created a series of underground storage rooms for ammunition and supplies underneath the house and used it as a refuge when the british forces were hunting them. It's a fascinating chapter of history for those who care to read about it.”

  “Do you still get tourists visting the house?” Aditya asked.

  Mr. Singh shook his head.“Sadly, it's fallen into disrepair. The british army found out about the house after the rebellion was quelled, and ordered it to be demolished. The explosions from the bombs completely caved in the underground rooms, and the house was left a ruin as a warning against further mutinies. We've made several attempts to salvage what's left, but the house is on it's last legs structurally. The barest amount of digging could collapse the whole building. There isn't much I can do unless the government offers support to renovate the house and keep it as a heritage site. Until then all I have is a guard watching over the house. Not that it gets many visitors aside from the occasional tramp or schoolkids looking for a place to play. And Robert's presence is enough to discourage them.”

  “Coming back to last night.” Virat said with a pointed look at Aditya. “We're going to keep looking for a second crime scene. The actual murder most probably wasn't committed at the parking lot.”

  “Why do you say that?” Satbir Singh interjected.

  “No blood on the ground near the victim's body.” Virat said. “Considering the deep wounds the victim sustained, there should be blood splatters all over the pavement. The actual murder was committed elsewhere, and the body moved to the parking lot.” Satbir Singh nodded slowly in agreement.

  “We need to look into a few things before making the preliminary report.” Virat continued. “I'd like to check the security footage from last night. Maybe it will have picked up something useful.”

  “Of course.” Mr. Singh stood up and gestured towards the door. “I'll take you there myself.”

  “I'll go see if Sukhwinder found anything.” Aditya said to Virat as the two rose as well. Virat nodded. Although his eyebrows were raised questioningly, he did not say anything. He follwed Singh out the door towards the camera feed room while Aditya made his way down the stairs again.

  Aditya made his way out of the building. The crowd was still gathered around the murder site. A few newschannels had also gotten wind of the murder. Constables were posing with sheepish smiles for cameras at the crime scene.

  Aditya made his way away from the crowded parking spot towards the back of the emporium. He was nearing the edge of the building which was attached to Satbir Singh's two storey house. The old guard was standing near the gateway to the house. He spied Aditya and shuffled forward, moving with a slightly unsteady gait.

  “Saabji,I came to check on the emporium and heard the constables talking.” The guard said. “They say you are a mental doctor?”

  “Well, yeah. I guess you could say that. I'm a criminal psychologist.”

  “My name is Robert D'Silva.” The guard said, extending his hand. “I used to be a soldier in the border security force.”

  “Aditya Maththews.” Aditya shook his hand.

  “I suffer from a mental condition too, you know.” Robert said, falling into step beside him. “I have schizophrenia.”

  “Really?” Aditya turned to look at him more fully. “I'm sorry to hear that.”

  “We all have our cross to bear.” Robert said phlosophically. “Like the good lord himself. Which church do you go to in Delhi?”

  “Er.. well.” Aditya shuffled awkwardly. “None so far. I haven't found the time yet.”

  “We must find time.” Robert said solemnly. “We must set aside a time to thank the lord in all the ways he has blessed us.”

  “I agree, but there were all these other things I had to see to and...” Aditya looked around for something to change the topic to prevent Robe
rt's lecture. “So how long have you suffered from schizophrenia?”

  “It started a few years ago.” Robert said. “After I retired from the army. I thought all that fighting I saw had messed my brain up, but the doctor told me the disease is heriditary. I thought I'd wind up in the nuthouse for sure. I'd hear voices all the time, and I'd see two people standing in the distance watching me. One called himself demon and could curse at me all the time. The other called himself Angel. He was nice to talk to.”

  “Visual hallucinations are pretty common with schizophrenia.” Aditya nodded. “In fact, I recently had another case where a man had been having halluciantions of a grey man since child-”

  “And that's not all.” Robert interrupted, gripping his arm. “Sometimes I get the feeling that God is trying to communicate with me through Demon and Angel. I would get a host of new visions during the night when I'm out on my patrol. I'd see trees trailing light around me. The ruin of the house would get bigger in size till it looked as big as a moutain! A mountain I was supposed to climb.” His grip on Aditya's arm tightened. “But the most important vision was the one where time would seem to stop around me, and then I'd see halos floating around me, like the good lord has sent angels from heaven to protect me. Then I would know I was safe, and I'd be so, so happy. I'd cry from the joy in my heart.”

  “I don't think so many hallucinations are a good thing.” Aditya said, trying to extricate his arm. “Maybe you would be better off in a residential facility of some sort. Have some trained people keep an eye out for you.”

  “I could never live like that.” Robert said earnestly. “I can't live in a cage. I'm a soldier. I know I'm old now, but people don't understand. My heart still belongs to the open... the open fields.” Suddenly Robert began to weep.

  “Are you all right?” Aditya stared at him, startled by the abrupt change in his demeamor.

  “I'm fine, saabji.” Robert said, wiping his eyes. “I'm just so grateful to Singh babu. He's the only one who understands what life is like for me now.I had no one. Absolutely no one to turn to. And then he appeared like a guardian angel to rescue me from the gutter. He offered me a job, to keep watch over the ruins. He told me it's a very important part of the indian freedom movement. It's an honour for an old soldier to guard the monument of the old freedom fighters. I'd like to think my years of faithful service had something to do with Singhji's decision to hire me.”

  “I'm sure it did.” Said Aditya. “Do you think I can have a round of the ruins? I'd like to see the house up close.”

  “I'm sorry, saabji.” Robert shook his head apologetically. “If I let you in, I have to let everyone in. I'm not worth much at this age, but I take pride in doing my work right to the best of my ability.”

  “I understand.” Aditya smiled. “Well, I need to get back to the investigation. Good luck with your condition.”

  “Someday I will show you around the churches in this area.” Robert said.

  “Sure, sure.” Aditya said absent mindedly. But then he stopped and turned back. “Actually, could you give me your number? So I could ask you sometime about which Church to attend?”

  “Of course.” Robert looked gratified. He fumbled around in his pocket and brought out an old mobile.

  Aditya made his way back to the emporium. He saw Virat coming out of the building.

  “Find anything?” Aditya asked.

  “Nothing in the recorded footage.” Virat said. “The person who dumped the body in the lot knew how the cameras were placed. He travelled in the blind spots. That means the killer was familiar with the emporium's security detail and knew about the camera's positions.”

  “Also, I spoke to Yadav about Devesh.” Virat continued. “Turns out he wasn't as spotless as Mr. Singh thinks. Devesh liked to gamble. He'd gotten into trouble with the wrong kind of people before because he couldn't pay up.” He stopped and stared around the emporium. “So what do you want to do now?”

  “You can get back to the station if you like.” Aditya said. “Sukhwinder has things under control here. I need to talk to someone who works here, away from the murder scene. I'll catch up with you later.” He spied a man who wearing plainclothes and watching the huddle around the crime scene with a great deal of interest. The constable standing nearby saluted him and he returned the greeting with a nod. The man saw the exchange and grew visibly more alert as Aditya walked up to him. He was a youngish man with a slight, shiny moutache that he seemed to have taken some pains to maintain.

  “What's you name?” Aditya asked him.

  “Namaste, sir.” The man greeted him, and then saluted as well for good measure. “I'm Ravi. I'm one of the night watchmen. I heard about Devesh and came by to see what was going on.”

  “Well, we've almost wrapped up our work here.” Aditya said. “I was actually looking for a place to get a bite to eat. You know any decent restaraunts around here?”

  “Sirji, there's Kanhashyam just two blocks away.” He pointed down the road leading out of the emporium into the distance. “They serve both veg and non veg.”

  “Do they have whisky there?” Aditya inquired.

  Ravi looked surprised. “Yes, sir. I think they do. I mean, I know they do. I mea-”

  “Could you come show me the place?” Aditya asked. “Must be around your lunch time, too.”

  Ravi hesitated. He looked again at the knot of people in the parking lot, then turned to cast a wary eye on Aditya, who could tell he was wondering what would happen if he refused. Aditya waited patiently, smiling a gentle smile to help him feel at ease.

  Finally, Ravi nodded slowly, although his expression was still wary. “I'd be happy to show you the place, sirji.”

  * * *

  Ten minutes later, Aditya was sitting opposite Ravi in Knhashyam's ordering a quick lunch from the extensive menu.

  “Do you have whisky?” Aditya asked the waiter. He smiled at Ravi. “Nothing gets my brain working on a case like a nice stiff peg.”

  The waiter brought their food and the three fell to eating. There was silence for a while. Aditya concentrated on his food while Ravi tore ravenously into his plate. The waiter returned with a bottle of whisky.

  “Would you like one?” He offered. “It's rude to drink alone.”

  Ravi seemed to hesitate his eyes moving to Adita's face briefly before focussing on the bottle in his hand.

  “Just one peg to keep you company, sirji.” He said at last with a smile.

  Aditya poured him the drink. “You seem lika a smart guy, Ravi.” He said. “You probably already know why I brought you here.”

  “To ask me about Devesh?” Ravi's eyes were cautious. “You think I had something to do with his murder?”

  Aditya burst out laughing. “That's the problem with my line of work. No one trusts policemen. I offer you a drink and you think I'm accusing you of murder. I'll make you a deal, you don't tell anyone I was drinking at work, and I don't ask you anything about Devesh. Deal?” Ravi nodded quickly, looking relieved. He picked up his glass and quickly downed the drink.

  “How's the rest of the staff taking the news?” Aditya enquired, filling his glass again.

  “Most of them didn't even know his name.” Ravi shrugged. “Some of them think he's stolen something. Some think one of the customers did it. They'll forget all about him once the investigation is over and we get a new guard.” He had finished his second glass as well.

  “I met one of your current guards earlier.” Aditya remarked, refilling his glass for the third time. “A man called Robert, I think. Seemed a bit strange in the head. Said he was schizoprenic.”

  “They all go loopy in old age.” Ravi said, shaking his head. “When Robert was in the army, he was always shouting and swearing. Now he starts crying at the drop of a hat. I don't know why Satbir saab doesn't just fire him. Althoug he has been with his family for a long time, so I guess it's about loyatly to a certain extent.”