by UD Yasha
Chapter Twelve
I got up the next morning at seven thirty and felt fresher than I had in years despite getting only five hours of sleep. I had received a text message from Rathod.
We will be at your house at nine thirty. Going to Yerwada Jail first to meet Zakkal.
I had two hours. I wondered what Zakkal would tell Rathod. He had not said anything when he was first arrested. He had only named the women he had taken. They were a total of seven women, including maa. He also did not reveal where they were now. He said he did not know whether they were dead or alive. That’s the only information he had shared with anyone.
But now he had the upper hand. He knew the police were interested in the information he had about all the women he had taken. Maybe, that could get him talking. The way the new crime scene had been staged went on to show the new killer loved attention and making statements. He loved telling people that he was smart. That he was still a threat. I was aware that a different killer was behind the new crime scene. But I couldn't help but think he was following Zakkal’s guidelines.
I splashed water on my face and brushed my teeth. I could hear Radha play the Casio tone downstairs. She always played it when she wanted to feel better, in the process making us upbeat as well. That pretty much summed up Radha’s personality. Rahul’s mattress was folded next to the bed so I guessed he was up as well. I smelled freshly brewed coffee when I stood at the beginning of the stairs. The piano had stopped.
‘Radha!' I called out casually, giving Radha and Rahul enough of a warning if they were getting cosy. I had walked in on them a few times too often. That had prompted me to always announce my arrival.
‘The runway is safe and clear. You can land,’ Radha said in a mocking tone.
I went downstairs. Radha was at the dining table with a cup of coffee in her hand. Shadow greeted me by jumping around me.
‘Just in time,’ Rahul said, pouring a cup for me as well.
I muttered thanks. Rahul was a superb chef. Right from everyday breakfast items and snacks to sophisticated kebabs, tandooris and pasta – he could do it all. He usually made omelettes and pohe for breakfast every time he stayed over. I used to find it awkward at first but realized later he really enjoyed cooking.
‘I slept better thinking that maa is alive despite knowing she’s being held captive,’ Radha said.
It was a hard feeling to explain and probably no one else would have got it, but I knew exactly how Radha was feeling. ‘So did I,’ I said.
I checked the time. Quarter to eight. I was not sure if I would be able to talk freely with the CID if Radha and Rahul were around. I did not have a problem, but the CID officers would have one. Maybe I could go to the garage but I did not want the CID to see my maniac investigation room.
‘I noticed you went to the garage yesterday,’ Radha said.
I had forgotten to tell her. She must have seen the keys. ‘I thought it was about time,’ I said, not knowing myself how deep in the water I had ventured. In my mind, this was just for maa’s case. The moment we find her, our world would be several hundred times merrier anyway.
‘I’m glad,’ Radha said.
‘I'm going to carry out my investigation like last time around. I had reached a dead end but now we have a new lead,' I said, referring to the new dead body. ‘I'll share whatever I find with Rathod. Hopefully, he'll do the same.'
‘We will find her, Siya,’ Radha said.
I nodded. We were venturing into a dangerous place again. One that floated on hope. This was going to end in either ecstasy or shambles.
Rahul brought a sizzling omelette from the stove. He always made a big one with six eggs for the three of us and then cut it later in separate parts. ‘That way we can all eat together,' he had told me the first time he had cooked for us almost five years back. I had loved the idea. Simple but effective. He pulled out six boiled eggs from a vessel and gave four to Shadow who waited eagerly, knowing his turn was going to come soon. He would eat the remaining two after we finished. I always looked forward to Rahul's omelettes. I had a few better breakfasts. The melted cheese and mushroom on top looked mouth-watering and tasted even better.
Just as we were finishing breakfast, Shadow ran to the door just before the bell rang. I was done eating so I got up to answer it. From the grill on the metal door, I saw who it was. I was surprised. Across the door, Kapil Rathod stood with his hands on his waist. Why is here so early? It’s not even eight thirty. Either Zakkal was not in the mood to talk or something else had happened entirely. I opened the door.
Rathod showed me his ID and introduced himself as was the process. He threw a hand at his partner and said, ‘This is Senior Investigating Officer Mahesh Bhalerao. He’s my partner.’
I held Shadow’s collar and moved aside to let them enter. Shadow wanted to greet them but I pulled him away. Mahesh Bhalerao had a receding hairline. Compared to Rathod, he was on the heavier side. He was wearing a blue shirt and grey trousers.
‘We don’t mind him,’ Rathod said, petting Shadow.
I let go of Shadow's leash. He scampered across the living room and jumped on Rathod and Bhalerao for a full minute before heading back to the dining area to eat the next batch of boiled eggs that Rahul put in his bowl.
‘I understand you already know about your mother,’ Bhalerao said.
I was confused. I glanced at Rathod. ‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘He knows.’
‘What are you doing here? I thought someone else was going to come. And aren’t you supposed to be with Zakkal?’ I said, the pitch of my voice rising throughout.
‘That’s right. The ACP was going to come with Bhalerao. We’re coming from the jail itself. We spoke to Zakkal –’
‘What happened? How did you get done so fast?’
Rathod and Bhalerao exchanged looks. ‘Zakkal said he wouldn’t speak to us. He’ll only speak to you,’ Rathod said.
His words hung in the air. Goosebumps crawled up my back. This is certainly personal. Rahul and Radha joined us in the living room.
‘Is it safe for her to speak to him?’ Radha said.
I opened my mouth to answer but Bhalerao was quicker in his response. ‘He’ll be chained and in his prison cell. He cannot harm Siya even if he wants to.’
‘Does ACP Shukla know of Zakkal’s demand?’ I asked.
‘Yes. I even spoke to him yesterday about your involvement in the new case,’ Rathod said.
‘You what?’ I said, surprised.
When I had first investigated the disappearance of maa and six other women, I had no interest in taking credit. All I wanted was justice. I had handed over all the evidence to the CID so they could conduct an independent probe. Everything had gone as per plan. The CID filed a charge sheet and the investigation had no mention of me. ACP Siddhanshu Shukla garnered praise across the country. There were whispers of him being promoted to the CBI office in New Delhi. After Zakkal's trial began, a journalist named Devaki Sharma dug up about my role in the investigation and wrote a big story about it, complete with my quotes. I had never met any journalist, let alone give an interview. To date, I don't know how Devaki Sharma found out about me. But since then, ACP Shukla believed I leaked that information for glory. The news story showed ACP Shukla in a bad light and forever burned the bridge of trust between us. His big promotion to the CBI was also put under review after the news story came out. That I later practised as a defence lawyer did not help.
‘I told him you have caught Zakkal once. You knew his case better than anyone. If he’s somehow involved again despite being in jail, then your expertise in the matter will be useful. He said he needed time to decide last night. I took that as a no,’ Rathod said. ‘But then I called him after we met Zakkal today. He said he’s okay with you speaking to him if it’s needed for the case. He was unhappy about it but he knew he had no choice. He agreed but he wants to speak to you first. I told him we’ll come to your house and tell you about it since we were already out. He agreed hesitantly here bu
t he’s coming here as well.’
I could handle seeing ACP Shukla then. He was not a concern for me. I was already thinking about my meeting with Zakkal. I had only spoken to him at length once, while I was carrying out my own investigation into maa’s disappearance. He was on good behaviour then. Some women might have even called him charming. I did not fault them. He was chivalrous and had a calming presence. No one would have been able to believe he was a killer if he walked past you on the street.
He knew I was responsible for his arrest. We had communicated a few times after during his trial. Mostly through eye contact. A mischievous flame flickered in his eyes every time he saw me in the court.
Rahul always made extra coffee so I went to the kitchen and got some for Rathod, Bhalerao and myself. Just then, the bell rang again. I turned to the door. It was ACP Shukla. Radha held Shadow when I opened the door.
I had almost forgotten that ACP Shukla had a huge frame. He was well over six feet and his frame was robust. His face was expressionless when he saw me. He sat on the couch, taking up space for two.
‘We briefed her about the events from yesterday,’ Bhalerao said.
Silence.
I beckoned Radha to go upstairs. She dragged Rahul with her and they disappeared along with a reluctant Shadow.
Shukla turned to me. His face was still expressionless. ‘I don’t like this one bit. This doesn’t imply that you’re a part of this investigation by any means. Getting you on board is way off procedure,’ he said. ‘Zakkal is an ass but we need to bend to his ways right now. We will not suck up to him or agree to any of his other demands.’
I nodded my head. I agreed with Shukla on the second part. Bartering with someone like Zakkal was not a good idea in any situation. Though it got me thinking about what other demands Zakkal could make. It would be a slippery slope.
‘You’ll be wired up. We’ll hear your conversation. We’ll also be in your ear constantly,’ Shukla said and paused. ‘I’ll be honest, Ms. Rajput. I’m not a big fan of your ways. I can’t trust you. If there was another way to crack this case, we would have used that.’
The one thing I appreciated about Shukla was his candour. He told it like it was in his mind. He said, ‘Can you think of any reason why Zakkal or the Bedroom Strangler would be interested in you?’
‘Maybe because I caught him in the first place,’ I said and only realized a flash later that it would pinch Shukla where it hurt the most. But in my defence, it was the most obvious answer.
His jaws clenched. He shook his head and said, ‘Apart from that.’
‘He probably feels that there is some kind of a connection between us because he took my mother and I went after him.’
I could tell that Shukla did not like where this conversation was going. I had inserted myself into the CID investigation.
Shukla said, ‘Your father was a suspect in your mother’s disappearance.’
‘Kishore Zakkal was behind that.’
‘Are you sure?’
I said nothing. I glared at Shukla.
He continued. ‘Your father has been missing for the past sixteen years. He vanished himself three months after your mother was taken. He was a suspect then. With this new murder, he is a suspect once again. You have to admit it’s a real possibility.’
Silence.
Shukla said, ‘Anyway, keeping our personal differences aside, I feel you should be careful. Zakkal’s victims were of a similar age as you. From the looks of it, the Bedroom Strangler also targets the same age range. Because you’re so close to this case, make sure you keep an eye on your sister as well.’
I tried to stay calm. Anger boiled through me. I wanted to ask Shukla to get out right then. He helped himself.
‘I need to go,’ Shukla said and turned to Rathod. ‘Get her to our office before going to the jail to meet Zakkal. We’ll wire her up.’ He turned to me to say something but stopped just as he opened his mouth. He shook his head and headed out.
Just then, Rathod got a message. He said, ‘Supriya Kelkar’s husband and children will reach Pune in an hour. We were going to speak to the husband. You can come if you want. We’ll go to Yerwada Jail directly from there.’
I nodded.
‘I’ll pick you up in thirty minutes then,’ Rathod said and jogged out to meet Bhalerao who was already waiting outside the gate in the CID van.
As I watched them go, I knew this case was going to take every ounce of courage, determination and will I have in me, all the while the cloud of my family’s security hanging low.
Chapter Thirteen
I realized we needed to ramp up the security at our house. Security cameras, a lock at the main gate and higher fences would be useful. Shadow was a barker when he saw or smelt someone new but apart from that, he was not much of a guard dog. I called the security contractor whom I knew from my days of working with Santosh Wagh.
Radha and Rahul also needed to be secured. They would both be heading out for work in some time. Even Shama would be back soon after meeting Karan.
I had two ankle trackers from the days of first investigating Zakkal. Santosh was adamant that I put it on. I had kept them with me, eventually forgetting about them till now. I found them at the back of my cupboard.
‘You’ve to put these on,’ I said, holding the two trackers.
Radha took them. ‘But what about you?’ she said.
I had also pulled out my Glock 19 from the cupboard while looking for the trackers. I removed it from my waist holster and showed it to Radha. ‘This will be useful for me,’ I said. ‘I’m also downloading an app on my phone that transmits my location to you two at all times. There’s an emergency button in it that alerts you and the police if turned off.’
That seemed to satisfy Radha. I went to the garage. Shadow followed me out. He had never been to the garage so he sniffed it around. I settled into a reclining armchair and sat back. The high from the previous night was wearing off. I massaged my temples.
I needed to be alone. I also needed to figure out the answers to three questions. Firstly, how Zakkal had chosen the Bedroom Strangler? Secondly, why had the Bedroom Strangler chosen Supriya Kelkar as his victim? And thirdly, why had Zakkal revealed after all these years that maa was alive? What was his end game? Answers to these questions were at the crux of the investigation. I understood I was important to Zakkal and thereby the Bedroom Strangler.
I could not help but think that Zakkal had a bigger agenda by putting maa’s hair at the crime scene. I also wondered why he would have kept her alive for sixteen years. Did that also mean that his other victims were alive?
Shadow got up from the floor and let out a growl. The gate made a sound a moment later. I pushed a curtain to see Rathod at the gate. I waved him in. He had been to my garage office once before when I had handed over the evidence I had collected to CID.
I said, ‘I think everything he’s doing now was planned in advance. He has just initiated the plan now. We’ve only seen the first step. Zakkal obviously knows the Bedroom Strangler. We have to figure out how and from where. Zakkal trusts him enough to tell him where he has hidden his victims. They could have also been communicating in some way even after Zakkal went to prison.’
‘I have already requested ordered access to all the letters, messages and any other form of correspondence Zakkal had with the outside world since he was arrested. There could be something there that connects him to our killer. The authorities will keep it ready by the time we go to visit him.’
The thought of seeing him in sometime sent anger rippling through me. I tried to push it away. I said, ‘From what I know of Zakkal, he’s a control freak. He would like to have some sort of control over the Bedroom Strangler even from inside the prison. That means, he also has immense trust in the Bedroom Strangler. Zakkal had to have known him from before he was arrested.’
‘Let’s see what he tells you.’
I suppressed the rising anger again.
Silence.
�
�First, we have to meet Supriya Kelkar's family,' Rathod said. ‘I've also asked for patrol cars to pass your house for the next three days.'
‘Thanks,’ I said to him as we got into his car.
We reached Supriya Kelkar’s house in half an hour. Her husband answered the doorbell and let us in. Seeing him, I forgot about everything else. I could make out he had been awake for a long time, probably crying when he could afford to when his children were away. I knew visiting a murder victim’s family was one of the hardest jobs of any police officer.
‘Mr. Kelkar, we’re very sorry for your loss,’ Rathod said. ‘I’m Senior Inspector Kapil Rathod and this is Siya Rajput. She’s a private detective.’
‘Please call me Subhash,’ he said. ‘I am here to help you in any way possible.’
He guided us to the living room. I recognized it from the photos.
‘Thanks Subhash. I know this must be a hard time. But I need to ask some questions that will help us in our investigation. Do you suspect anyone who could have done this?’
Subhash shook his head. ‘No, no one at all. We are…we were simple people, officer.’
‘Did you notice anything odd about Supriya off late? Did she mention anything?
‘No. I don’t know why anyone could have taken her away from us. She was an honest woman. She did her job well. She was superb with the kids. She was the best wife anyone could have…’ his voice trailed off.
Rathod waited for a spell to allow Subhash to recover. I went to the kitchen to get him water. When I came out, I saw an elderly woman coming down the stairs.
‘That’s my mother,’ Subhash said. ‘She’s come here with me. My kids are with my father. We’re going to stay with them for some time.’
I gave him the water and he downed it fast.
‘Who all knew Supriya would be alone at home this week?’ Rathod asked.
‘Apart from both our parents, her work colleagues. They’re a close-knit unit.’
