by UD Yasha
‘Siya Rajput. I’m a private detective,’ I said, accepting his handshake. His hands were cool and soft. I smelled a whiff of strong perfume. My fingers tingled. I felt his poise drawing me towards him.
‘Please, let’s go to my office,’ he said, leading the way.
It was located at the corner and faced east. The sunrise would look amazing from here, I thought. We sat at the long teak table. Vivaan pressed a button on the desk. The blinds closed to give us some privacy. For an enterprise valued at over ten million dollars, its founder seemed an unassuming man.
‘I heard about Supriya,’ Vivaan said. ‘We’re shocked. We’re like a family here. I can speak on behalf of my employees. We’ll do everything we can to help you find who did this.’
‘Can you think of anyone who could have done this?’ I said.
‘Not at all.’ His response was quick with an air of surprise and punch of conviction. ‘We’re all simple people working hard. I can personally vouch for Supriya’s character because we worked closely and spoke almost every day. She is…was one of the most honest people I’ve met. She didn’t even wish bad for our competitors.’
‘Did you notice her act strangely in the past few weeks? Or did she talk about anything bothering her?’ I said, not wanting to tell him that Supriya was being stalked.
Vivaan looked away and turned back, shaking his head. ‘Not that I can think of. In fact, I would say she was too focused on work as we had a big event yesterday.’
Another reason why she would not have noticed a stalker following her around, I think.
Vivaan continued. ‘Everyone in the office has been working extra time. The event was a big deal for us.’
‘What was the event for?’ Rahul said.
‘Smart Tech builds machine learning solutions in healthcare. We’re creating a system that verifies everything that happens during a surgery, real time. That includes everything between pre-procedure checks and the rehabilitation of the patient. Our system alerts the doctor if anything is going wrong. We launched that system yesterday.’
‘How’s it different from current medical instruments?’ I said.
‘Those are used for monitoring purposes only. For example, you’d only know if you have diabetes if you check for diabetes. Our system is built on an automation platform. It can be used for diagnosis as well. It would reduce medical accidents, wrong diagnosis and deaths due to doctors’ mistakes. Not just that, but current operating procedures can be optimized with the help of our technology. We would reduce human interference, thereby reducing errors.’
Vivaan spoke with relentless passion. It was easy to make out he felt strongly about the topic. I wondered why. He was six feet tall and had a wiry frame. His hair was curly and some of it coiled behind his ears. It merged into his five o’clock shadow.
‘How long did the event last?’
‘We started at seven and finished just before midnight. But the core team, of which Supriya was a part, came back to the office to evaluate the event and decide the next steps. We only dispersed at two in the night. We work late at times, so I've developed an app for everyone's safety. It's company policy to punch in once anyone reaches home if we're working after nine at night. I only sleep once everyone punches in. The app remembers how long it takes for every person to reach home and alerts our security team if there's an abnormal delay. They personally check in on you if you're late.'
‘Was Supriya late?’
‘No, but that’s the point. She punched within the expected time frame.’
Yeah, because she went home expecting to relax after an exhausting day but instead she went back to her death.
‘And was it decided that Supriya would take the day off yesterday?’
‘Yes, most of the core team members had a holiday.’
‘Where were you between four and eight yesterday morning?’
‘I had a flight to Bangalore at seven o’clock. I left for the airport at five in the morning. I reached Bangalore at eight thirty. I had meetings from noon.’
‘Can anyone vouch for that?’
‘Yes. I went to the airport in a taxi. You can speak to the driver, the taxi company and confirm with the ground staff at both the airports. I’ll be happy to share the details of my meeting as well. You can confirm with the hotel as well. I had booked a conference room.’
‘Can you please send me the details of your flight and taxi?
‘Sure.’
‘Was your flight on time?’
‘Yes, surprisingly. The fogging problem is from flights from Bangalore and not to.'
Alibis in public places were the best. Technology, as well as people, verified your presence. Kunal Shastri had an alibi. His wife and his daughter. I had believed them. Only later had I realized his wife killed with him. My nostrils flared as I thought back to it. I tried to calm my breathing. I focused on Vivaan in front of me. He was looking back, his eyes earnest. His hair was black but in the afternoon sun, it glinted a shade of dark brown. I would ask Rathod to verify with both the airport and the cab service. But I felt good knowing that Vivaan had a watertight alibi. Why was I hoping it would check out? I tried to push the thought away. I cursed myself. I had always been professional with my cases.
‘Can you give us the details of the people who had taken a holiday yesterday?’
‘Of course. I can pull that up right now,’ Vivaan said and pressed a button on the intercom.
A person emerged at his door in twenty seconds and Vivaan requested for the details along with receipts of his movements from yesterday. I shared my email address with him.
‘Would you like to have tea or coffee?’ Vivaan asked us.
Rahul glanced at me. He knew my ‘yes coffee please’ face very well. ‘We’ll both have coffee,’ he said.
In the next two minutes, two steaming cups were brought by the same person.
‘I've emailed you the list of people had taken a leave yesterday and also the details of my whereabouts from yesterday,' Vivaan said.
I read the list while sipping coffee. It had four members, including Supriya Kelkar. Another woman and two men. All were heads of different departments.
‘Is this the entire core team?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are they all here today?’
‘Yes, except for Anil Verma.’
Anil Verma was Head of Sales. ‘Where is he today?’
‘He has taken a sick leave.’
‘Can we speak to the others?’
‘Yes, you can use even use one of the free cabins to talk to them.’
‘Who was Supriya closest to in the office?’
‘Manju Singh, Sanjana Suman and Supriya were best of friends. She was friendly with the rest.’
The list had Manju Singh. She was Head of Accounts. I remembered Sanjana Suman was the woman who found Supriya and called the CID.
‘Is Sanjana Suman here?’
‘Yes, she’d be outside. She works in HR.’
‘Thanks a lot for your cooperation.’
‘I meant what I said before. We’ll all do everything we can to find the culprit.’
We got up to leave. I wanted to ask him if he could get the entry logs of the building for us. But I could not reveal our thought process to him. Even though I was certain Vivaan was not our guy, I needed to first ensure his alibis had no loopholes. So, I walked out, feeling excited that I would have to speak to him again for it.
We sat in a cabin two doors away from the corner office. Manju Singh came in first. She looked around forty years of age and wore a saree. Rahul took the lead this time. We had three questions for everyone.
After pleasantries were muttered, Rahul said, ‘How close were you to Supriya?’
‘I was best friends with her.’
‘So, you’d know if she was facing any issues?’
‘Yes.’
‘Was she?’
‘No. Maybe. Well, yes, she was worried about one thing.’
‘What was that?’
‘She and her husband were trying to have a second child but she wasn’t able to conceive.’
‘Was her husband or his family causing problems because of that?’
‘No. Oh God no. They’re wonderful people. They’d never do that.’
‘Alright, did you notice anything strange about Supriya in the past few days?’
‘She was normal. Why are you asking?’
‘We’re just following up on a line of enquiry.’
‘Can you tell us where you were yesterday between four and eight in the morning?’
‘I was home with my husband and kids till ten. Then we all went out for breakfast.’
‘Can they vouch for presence?’
‘Yes, even the restaurant.’
We got the details of it from her before she went. Next came Bimal Roy. He was Head of Research. He wore big glasses and was dressed casually in a khadi half-sleeved shirt and light trousers.
Rahul asked, ‘How close were you to Supriya?’
Bimal pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. ‘Not much on a personal level. But we interacted a lot as our fields of expertise were connected.’
‘Did you notice anything strange about Supriya in the past few days?’
‘I cannot say to be honest as we interacted mostly on email. But she was as efficient as she has always been if that helps you.'
‘Can you tell us where you were yesterday between four and eight in the morning?’
‘I had gone to Lonavala. I went there right after the event.’
‘Did you go alone?’
Bimal looked around as if there was a chance that someone had their ear to the cabin walls. ‘It’s personal. But I understand it’s important to your investigation. Can you please promise me you wouldn’t tell anyone?’
I jumped in. ‘We cannot do that, Bimal. We’ll have to verify your whereabouts.’
‘It’s difficult for me to say,’ he said, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. He looked around again.
‘If it’s not related to our investigation, we won’t tell anyone,’ I said, seeing it was painful for Bimal to say anything else.
‘Please don’t tell anyone. I…,’ he said, closing his eyes hard. Tears streamed down his cheeks. His body started shivering. ‘I’m…I’m gay. I was…I was with my boyfriend.’ His eyes were red when he opened them.
‘Hey, that’s not a problem. It’s only natural. There’s nothing wrong with it,’ I said. ‘We won’t tell anyone if you’re not comfortable. We’ll just need to speak to your boyfriend once and the place where you stayed to confirm what you’re saying.’
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, wiping his eyes. ‘I just…I haven’t even told my parents yet. Only a few people know. I feel like I’m letting my parents down by not telling them who I actually am. I’m sorry I’m breaking down,’ he said, taking out his phone and manipulating its screen. ‘We stayed here,’ he said, turning the screen to me, showing the receipt of the hotel and restaurant.
I took a picture of it.
‘Is that all?’ he asked.
‘Yes, and please don’t worry—’,
‘I’m sorry for this scene,’ Bimal Roy said and walked out.
My heart went out to Bimal and others like him. The LGBTQ community had been marginalized for years in India before finally, homosexuality was decriminalized in India by the country’s Supreme Court in 2018 but the stigma was yet to evaporate fully.
I went after Bimal. I saw him turn to the emergency exit staircase. I crossed to it and pushed past it.
‘Bimal,’ I said. ‘Don’t worry about us. We won’t reveal anything you said.’
I wanted him to feel better but there was nothing I could do but reassure him with what we had promised. I returned to the cabin.
Rahul said, ‘Is he okay?’
‘Not yet. Hopefully, he'll be soon.'
‘Now only Anil Verma remains. Let’s call him,’ he said, pulling out his phone.
He put it on speaker phone. The rings echoed in the cabin. There was no answer. Rahul tried again. Still, no response.
‘He’s not answering probably because he’s sick,’ I said.
‘Or maybe he has other reasons.’
‘Let’s pay him a visit. He lives close by.’
Chapter Eighteen
Anil Verma lived five minutes on foot from Smart Tech’s office but we still decided to drive. I took my Glock from the glove compartment before we stepped out. Anil lived in a tall standalone building called ‘Daffodils’. I noticed his car was parked in his parking spot. We went up fifteen floors to his apartment and turned right in the corridor. I made sure my waist holster had the Glock securely fastened. I put a hand on it as Rahul rang the bell of apartment number 1501.
A light came on inside. We saw it in the crack of the door.
‘Who’s it?’ a man’s voice said.
‘We’re here to talk to Anil Verma regarding Supriya Kelkar’s murder.’
The door opened. My hands tightened around the Glock.
A balding man of perhaps fifty stood in the doorway. His eyes were bloodshot and bulged out. ‘What? Supriya’s dead?’
‘Don’t you know?’
‘I saw her just the other day at our event.’
‘She was killed right after that.’
Anil’s face went white. He stepped away from the door. I released the gun and brought my hand forward into its natural position. We sat on the couch while Anil took the armchair. I looked around the apartment. There was a big flat screen television to which all the furniture pointed at. Even the family portrait on the wall behind us looked at the television screen. Anil Verma had a wife and a daughter.
‘Are you with the police?’ Anil asked.
‘I’m a private detective,’ I said.
Anil looked to the ground and then back up at us. ‘What happened to her?’
‘She was killed after the launch event.’
Anil wiped his forehead.
‘You haven’t gone for work since the event. We heard you were ill.’
‘I was running a fever earlier.’ He touched his forehead with two fingers.
There was something off about this man. He was taking that extra half a beat to answer any question.
‘What was your temperature?’
‘I…I—it was around a hundred.’
‘Where were you between four and eight yesterday morning?’
Anil’s eyes wandered. ‘I was home. Right here.’
‘Was your wife or daughter with you?’
‘No, they’ve been out of the country for the past week.’
‘So, no one can vouch for your presence?’
‘No.’
Silence.
‘How would you describe your relationship with Supriya Kelkar?’
Anil breathed deeper on hearing the question. ‘We had a working relationship. We saw each other every day but interacted very little as our work was different,’ he said.
‘Have you heard of the serial killer named Kishore Zakkal?’
It was worth a shot to catch Anil off guard. I watched his eyes and his body language closely. He shook his head. His eyes remained unmoved. Most ordinary people flinch at the mention of the word serial killer.
‘Who’s he? I haven’t heard of him. Is he the one who killed her?’
‘We don’t know yet. We’re trying to find out.’
‘What caused your fever, Anil?’ Rahul said.
‘It must be the exertion from the past two weeks. And probably the wave of cold weather.’
‘You look fine to me now.’
‘Yeah, it has got better after lunch. I’ve rested all day. I got up just before you rang the bell.’
‘Can we run a small test on you to check if you were actually ill?’ I said.
‘That’s an intrusion of my privacy.’
‘You don’t need to be afraid if you have nothing to hide,’ Rahul said.
‘I think you need to lea
ve,’ Anil said, getting up, pointing at the door. ‘You’re not even police.’
‘We’ll have them pay you a visit then,’ Rahul said.
‘Go on. I’m not afraid,’ Anil said, virtually pushing us out.
The door was closed on our face.
‘What a guy,’ Rahul said.
‘I don’t know what it was, but he was lying about something. I’m going to ask Rathod to follow up on him.’
We rode down the elevator down. I went to Anil’s car. I put my head on its window and tried to look in. The dark tint made it hard to notice anything particularly. I went around and leaned on the windshield to get a better view. I suddenly realized his car’s engine was warm. He had been out recently. His words came back to me. I’ve rested all day. I got up just before you rang the bell.
I turned back and headed to our car with only one thought in my mind. Anil Verma was hiding something. He was a liar. Was he also a killer? My phone vibrated. It was a message from Rathod.
Sonia found a partial fingerprint inside the bag that held the pollen. She’s testing it now.
I punched the air and grinned. We were making progress.
It was almost four o'clock by the time we picked up Radha and Shadow from what she called ‘heaven on earth'; she was referring to a pet-friendly book café she had found. I could already picture her going there whenever she had the time. As we neared our house, I called Rathod and told him about our afternoon.
‘Also, good news,’ he said. ‘I hastened the process of making copies of Zakkal’s prison correspondence for you. It’s almost complete. Twenty more minutes. I’ll send it across right away.’
‘What about the tests on the pollen grain?’
‘Sonia just got started on it. She said it might take time as the pollen grain was inside Zakkal’s mouth for a while and it’ll be a task to analyse it fully. She’ll get the fingerprint results soon. She’s testing it against the inmates at Yerwada first up,’ Rathod said and hung up.
Five minutes later, Rahul veered the car into the compound of our house. Like always, Shadow was excited to get back home. He loved it more than a man desperate for a leak. He tapped his paw on the door until I had to lean sideways and open it. He jumped out and ran around the house.
