X: The Hunt Begins Read online

  “We need to get in touch with Shahid.” Aditya said.

  “Why?

  “I think there's been a murder in house no 289.” Virat gazed in astonishment at Aditya as he led the way back to their apartment.

  * * *

  Aditya had asked for an emergency write up on the Kambli household. The next morning, Aditya and Shahid met with Inspector Shahid as he scanned the hurried report that had been prepared on the case.

  “I've been looking over the file and I don't see what you're so worried about.” He informed Aditya. “Our people didn't report any suspicious activities at the house. The family's background was checked, their movements were recorded, and an officer dispatched to their house. Everything was absolutely normal. Just a regular household.”

  “The man who went to their house saw nothing unusual?” Aditya asked, gazing out of a window with an abstract frown.

  “Nothing.”

  “We didn't find anything there either.” Virat reminded him. “Certainly nothing to make you think there'd been a murder. What makes you think a crime had ocurred there?”

  “There was something about the house.” Aditya said with a frown. “Something that felt murder...ish. For one thing, the father became nervous when he found out we were with the police. I saw him flinch.”

  “Most people would be nervous if the police came barging into their house at night unannouced.” Shahid said.

  “We gave them a pretty flimsy excuse for dropping by.” Virat added. “He probably didn't buy it. I wouldn't have. And it'd be pretty nerve wracking to have cops at your house on a secret mission at night.”

  “There was a cupboard in that room which was padlocked.” Aditya continued.

  “So?”

  “It was the kind of cupboard that has an inbuilt lock.” Aditya said. “Either the mother or the father had added the extra lock. Why the double lock?”

  “Maybe they're keeping something they don't want the kid to get his hands on.” Virat said. “He seemed the curious kind.”

  “I keep my electric drill locked away in a special cupboard so my daughter doesn't get her hands on it.” Shahid supplied. “Probably the kid's mother was keeping some dangerous equipment or some chemicals locked away, and added a special lock in case he got hold of the cupboard key somewhere.”

  “That's one possible explanation.” Aditya muttered. He sighed, pressing a hand to his temple. “We're fumbling in the dark here. There are dozens of different meanings that can be extrapolated from what we saw. We need to figure out first what kind of crime we're dealing with here.”

  “Let's start, then. The father, the mother and the son. Which of the three looked like a potential murderer or murderee?”

  “I though the little kid looked pretty suspiscious.” Virat said. “His features exactly matched the profile of the dreaded underworld don, Extra Chhota Rajan. We should see if we have his fingerprints in our database.”

  “The woman, now.” Aditya said, giving Virat a look. “Good looking. Relatively young. Could be a case of an affair or a stalker.”

  “She's a housewife who rarely steps out of the house without either her son or husband.” Shahid said, consulting his file.

  “Then we come to the father.” Aditya continued. “What do we know about him?”

  “Nothing sinister.” Shahid glanced over the report again. “He's the manager of a furniture store. Has about twelve people working under him. Everyone from his secretary to the watchman has a high opinion of him, according to the employee review files. He's a real pillar of the community type. Actively takes part in his son's school activities. Lends a hand with community welfare schemes. He's also incharge of organising his company's charity, where they donate leftover cupboards and chairs from their factory to hospitals and orphanages.”

  Aditya frowned, thinking. “I don't trust people who are that squeaky clean. Can we talk to the secretary?”

  “We couldn't get to her.” Shahid said.

  Aditya looked up, his eyes alert. “Why not? What's wrong with her?”

  “Calm down.” Shahid raised a hand. “We called the landlay at her apartment. She's on a vacation, and will be back next week.”

  “Or so the landlady thinks.” Aditya muttered. “What about her mobile? Can we ask someone to get hold of it and see if she picks up?”

  “Yeah, I'm not going to do that.” Shahid sighed. “There's no grounds for moving forward on this matter. Try to look at it rationally. You have absolutely nothing to go on. No complaint was filed. There is no body and no weapon. No witnesses, no motive. All you have is the suspicion of a senile old man who probably watches too many crime shows.”

  “Then we'll just have to go to her apartment ourselves.” Aditya said, looking at Virat.

  Virat stared back at him for a moment, then tossed him the keys to the bike. “I'm with Shahid. I'm not going on a wild goose chase after a woman who's gone on vacation.”

  “Fine.” Aditya snapped, scooping up the keys and striding towards the door. “I'll clear up this case on my own.”

  He left, and Shahid turned to Virat. “What's going on with him? What exactly is he worried that family is up to?”

  “I don't know.” Virat shrugged his helplessness. “He keeps talking about that old tailor's warning like it's actual evidence. I'm hoping once he's checked out the secretary's home he'll give this matter a rest.”

  * * *

  Two hours later, Aditya was back, the frown still in place as he handed Virat his keys back.

  “Any luck?”

  “The landlady called her mobile.” Aditya said, sinking into a chair as Shahid strolled up to them. “She isn't picking up. She left no forwarding address, and had packed several bags before leaving and sent them on. The last time she called was directly after she left her apartment. Not once since.”

  “That's not necessarily sinister.” Virat said.

  “I'm thinking Mr. Kambli had an affair with his secretary.” Aditya said. “The landlady seemed pretty certain of it.”

  “Women of a certain age think every married man is having an affiar.” Shahid commented. “And affair isn't the same as murder.”

  “But what if the affair got serious?” Aditya asked. “What if the woman threatened to tell his wife, or tried to blackmail him for money? He'd try to get her out of the way.”

  “So then wouldn't he have to murder her in her own apartment?” Virat asked. “Why would she come to his house to get killed?”

  “So it wasn't blackmail. Maybe he found another way to get her to come to his house.”

  “And then what?”

  “Okay, let's consider the possibilties. He could have gone to her house and killed her, then somehow transported the body, and dumped it. No, that wouldn't leave time for the call the girl made...”

  “Listen to yourself.” Shahid said. “You'll pinning all kinds of accusations on the man with no evidence of any kind. He could be a muderer. He could just as easily be a thief, or a forgerer or a kidnapper. Or he could be a perfectly ordinary businessman who allowed his employee to go on a vacation.”

  “You two really aren't going to back me up on this, are you?” Aditya growled. “Fine. I'll let this go for now. But I'm still not satisfied, and I'll be keeping an eye on that house from now on.”

  He stalked off to the cafeteria, and Shahid leaned in towards Virat.

  “Look, I know his heart is in the right place, but you might want to tell him to ease up a bit.” He said in a low voice. “He's looking for any angle to make this into a criminal matter, and he's offered absolutely no evidence of any kind for it. You know what I think? He's been reading too many of his criminal psychology books and they've made him paranoid. When you get him home, try to get his mind off work for a bit.”

  * * *

  “So the police didn't find anything?” Payal asked.

  “Absolutely nothing.”

  Virat and Aditya had arrived back at there apartment in the evening. Payal was also back fro
m work, and they had come to her apartment for an early dinner. Aditya had gone out again to check on house 289. Dusk was falling outside as Virat and Payal stood in the kitchen. Virat was filling her in on everything that had occurred since the night before.

  “Why is Aditya so convinced there's something wrong with the Kamblis?” Payal asked with a frown.

  “That's just what I don't understand.” Virat threw up his hands in exasperation. “There is no proof of anything wrong with that place. No unreported crime or suspicious behaviour or anything. Shahid and I spent the entire morning trying to convince him to let it go, but he wouldn't listen. Shahid thinks he might have been getting too wrapped up in criminal cases, and they're starting to affect his mind.”

  “That could be one explanation.” Payal said slowly.

  Virat looked at her. “You've got another one?”

  For a moment Payal hesitated. “Well, what if he's just being stubborn? He's so used to everyone accepting what he says without question. This time he made a deduction that turned out to be wrong. Maybe that's just something that's hard for him to accept.”

  “So he's just too big a baby to be able to admit he made a mistake?” Virat sighed. “Whatever the explanation is, the best thing to do is to get his mind off that house.”

  The door opened, and Aditya came in looking thoughtful. “Eveything seems peaceful at house 289. I was standing outside trying to get a peek in. The wife saw me. Pretty sure she thinks I'm stalking her now.”

  “Listen, I've had a hard workday and I was thinking we should clear our heads by trying something new today.” Payal said brightly. “Tonight, I'm making palak paneer the way my mom made it. I want to know what you thinks of it, Aditya.”

  “Yeah, that would be great.” Virat said heartily. “I love how aunty made that dish.”

  “And maybe Aditya could help me cook it?” Payal continued with the same bright smile. “It's really quite fun to make.”

  Aditya was gazing at them narrowly. “Why are you two acting like I'm a kid who's going to the dentitst's tomorrow?”

  Virat laughed. “Come on, it's nothing like that. We just think we've had enough talk of crime for now. Let's get our minds off of it and talk about something else.”

  “Off the Kambli case, you mean?” Aditya said sharply. “Is that what Shahid was whispering to you at the station, telling you to feed me dinner and put me to bed to stop my talking about the Kamblis?”

  “Look, he's worried you're getting too caught up in this case.” Virat said. “We all feel you need to maybe take a few steps back and get some perspective.”

  “I don't believe this.” Aditya threw up his hand in frustration. “I'm not going crazy, all right? I am in complete control of my senses, and they're telling me to take Junaid's warning seriously.”

  “Can you think of any reason you'd say that?” Virat said, trying to keep his rising temper in check. “Any actual reason other than, 'I had a feeling'? We can't go arresting people just to soothe your ego.”

  “What does this have to do with my ego?”

  “That's what it looks like. You don't want to be proved wrong, so you're stirring up trouble where there's none, just so you have something to show for this whole mess.”

  “Are you insane?” Now it was Aditya's turn to look exasperated. “I'm not doing this because of my ego. I'm doing this because I'm trying to protect that family!”

  “Protect who? And from what? You have to understand something: you don't have magic powers! You don't just 'know' when someone is in danger. That's not how the world works. That's not how the police works. We can't just write up a case against a man to make you feel better!”

  There was silence as the two glared at each other.

  “Aditya, we just want you to get your mind off work for a bit.” Payal said quietly. “Maybe you'll think more clearly after giving your mind time to cool off.”

  “In that case, I think I need some more fresh air.” With that, Aditya was out the door again. He stalked out of the building. He was deep in thought, and unmindful of his steps. Virat's words were still ringing in his ears. Too late he was thinking of all the stinging rejoinders he could have made to his arguments.

  He looked up to realise his steps had taken him to Junaid's shop. It was empty at the moment except Junaid.

  “Slow work day?” Aditya asked after they exchanged greetings.

  “It's always slow at this time.” Junaid smiled. “Business usually picks up in the evening.”

  “I looked into house 289.” Aditya said. “I didn't see any immediate danger there.”

  Junaid looked troubled. “I'm sorry you had to take the trouble, bhaiyaji. But I'm glad you didn't find anything.”

  “Why exactly did you think there was something wrong there last night?” Aditya wondered how much of the truth Junaid was telling him today. His statement yesterday seemed to have been made on an impulse, which he now regretted. Most people of Junaid's economic background were very reluctant to get involved with anything remotely related to the police.

  “I don't know, bhaiyaji.”Junaid said slowly. “I was up all night yesterday, trying to figure out exactly why I said that to you. I thought and thought, but I couldn't remember anything. Maybe I'm just getting old.”

  “Are you sure?” Aditya pressed. “You weren't reacting to something you'd seen? Or heard, perhaps? You seemed pretty serious about the warning you gave me.”

  “I don't know, bhaiyaji. I'm sorry.” Junaid fidgeted in his seat. “I don't know why I said what I did. I wish I'd kept my mouth shut last night.”

  Great, now even Junaid was backtracking from his statement. Aditya sighed. “No, I'm glad you did. And don't worry, you're not in any danger of going to the station. You really need to stop being so afraid of the police. You told me once you used to work for an officer, right?”

  “That was ages ago.” Junaid said. “I was a young man then. I worked for the police motuary head, a man called Dr. Majumdar. He was a very kind man, and he taught me a great deal about his work.”

  “Must've seen a lot of strange things there.” Aditya smiled at the far away look on Junaid's face.

  “They were very interesting things, in their own way, and I was young enough to have the stomach for it. I used to assist with preserving dead bodies of victims for their families. The doctor taught me to apply a chemical fluid. What was it called? I swear I remember. Form.... formlity...

  “Formaldehyde.” Aditya supplied.

  “Yes, that's the one. And I'd help get the bodies out of the morgue. We would have to straighten out the bones because they'd often get stiff after death. I found out a great deal about human anatomy from the doctor. I really enjoyed working for him.”

  “So why'd you stop?”

  Junaid sighed. “Like I said, it's young man's work. I was getting on in my years. Then the doctor got transferrred, and I'd made enough to start my business here. You don't want to be around death too much, or it starts to affect your mind.”