by G. S. Dutt
the same day two weeks back. She kept the passbook with her and closed the suitcase. As she came back and sat on the chair, she realised that she had stumbled upon something extraordinary. A poor woman living in a lodge like this, getting this kind of money. For what? The more she thought about it the more bewildered she was. From the letter, it appeared there was not a shred of doubt that she was Jyoti’s real mother. Then why should anybody pay her such a lot of money? She remembered Mr Taneja saying that he had not seen the woman or her husband at the time of the child swapping. Then what was the truth? Was this woman only used as a decsoy to lure Jyoti to a secluded place and after killing her, the killer also strangled the woman to remove all evidence of murdering Jyoti?
This assumption appeared somewhat far-fetched to Nikki. Why did the woman accept such a big amount just before going to Sangalina Hills? Nikki’s head was swimming. She needed to think the whole thing through. She put the passbook in her pocket and left the room.
— CHAPTER SEVEN —
The Chatterbox
At the reception downstairs, a lady was sitting instead of the man who had been there earlier. Nikki stopped and greeted her, ‘Hello.’ The lady smiled back.
Nikki said, ‘Few hours back, there was a gentleman here.’
The woman laughed and replied, ‘What gentleman? That’s Prasad, my husband.’
Nikki stifled her smile. The woman continued, ‘Prasad comes in the evenings and stays the whole night. In the morning when I finish my household chores I take over from him. I stay through the day till he comes back.’ She looked at Nikki and said, ‘Why are you standing? Come, sit here,’ pointing towards an empty chair close to the counter.
Nikki said, ‘I am Asha Sayal’s niece.’
‘Yes, yes, Prasad told me about you. How is she?’ Before Nikki could reply the woman carried on, ‘You see Asha Sayal is our long-term tenant. Other people come for a night or two but she stays with us for months together. From time to time she goes to her hometown but when she returns she always stays with us. She is also very prompt with her payment. You know sometimes our customers run away without paying us the room rent but not Asha. In fact she has already paid the rent for the whole of this month. But tell me,’ the woman continued, ‘you were to take some clothes for her, but your hands are empty.’
‘I have bundled them up. I have come on a holiday and shall be here for a few more days. I will take them on the day I am leaving.’
‘Very good, you can come here any time.’
Nikki found the woman rather chatty. She thought she might get some information from her. She took out the pencil sketch from her pocket and asked her, ‘Do you know this person?’
The woman looked at the sketch and replied without any hesitation, ‘Of course, he is our agent Feroz Khan. He brings customers for us from the bus stand and we pay him commission. You know…Feroz Bhai introduced us to your aunty. We are really obliged to him. Asha Sayal is a good customer.’ Then she asked, ‘But tell me… where did you get this picture?’
Nikki hesitated. ‘I found it in Asha Aunty’s room— she was a good artist, you know,’ Nikki said evasively. ‘Oh, how nice. What is your name?’ the woman asked. ‘Nikki.’
‘I am Lakshmi. My name is supposed to bring a lot of money but I don’t see any!’
Nikki smiled and asked, ‘Does your agent Feroz Khan come here everyday?’ ‘Yes, yes, sometimes two or three times a day, as and when he finds a customer.’
Nikki got up, ‘I will go now.’
The woman said, ‘Why don’t you sit some more? There is no customer and I have no one to talk to.’
Nikki smiled, ‘I will come again.’
‘Yes, yes, you must come. You are such a nice girl.’
— CHAPTER EIGHT —
Face to Face
Back in Jyoti’s house, Nikki was left to herself once again. Mr Taneja was in his office and his wife was out as well. There was still some time for lunch. Nikki went to her bedroom and took out the bank passbook from her pocket. The money had been deposited at the Apex Bank, Bus Stand Road branch in a savings account. Who could have given her this kind of money? She kept the passbook in her suitcase and started thinking about her next move. In a way, she felt happy that she had been able to locate the man who gave the photograph to Asha Sayal. This man must have some link with the killer. But she still had so much more investigating to do! Nikki thought for a while when suddenly an idea struck her.
At the lunch table Nikki said, ‘Aunty, Jyoti and I have a common friend, Urvashi, who lives nearby. Her sister is getting married and she has requested me to come and
stay with her for a few days. Since she was close to both of us I could not say no to her.’
Mrs Taneja looked doubtful. ‘Urvashi? I can’t recall Jyoti ever mentioning her?’ But when she saw Nikki’s crestfallen face, she realised perhaps this young girl needed to be around friends of her own age. ‘Of course, you can go. In any case I shall be busy for the next few days. When do you plan to go?’
‘Tomorrow morning after breakfast.’
The next day after breakfast, Nikki packed some clothes in her handbag. She kept the papers in a folder, and the photograph, the pencil sketch and the bank passbook in her pockets.
As soon as she was out, she boarded a bus for Bus Stand Road, where she reached around ten o’clock. A few metres from the Evergreen Hotel, she noticed Prasad standing up to leave and Lakshmi taking his place. She decided to give Lakshmi some time to settle down and looked around for the bank. Soon enough, at the end of the lane she saw the signboard ‘Apex Bank’. She went in and having made some enquiries, she stood in the queue at the ‘Savings’ window. When her turn came, she placed the bank statement before the clerk and asked, ‘I am making an enquiry regarding this account.’
‘Yes, what do you want to know?’ asked the clerk.
‘Mrs Asha Sayal wants to know who had made this deposit of 10 lakhs in her name.’
The clerk looked at the statement and then towards Nikki. ‘Are you her daughter?’ he asked. Nikki hesitated. She thought he might not give information to strangers and quickly blurted out, ‘Yes.’
The man said impatiently, ‘Can’t you read, Miss? It is written cash against the entries. Both the deposits were made on the same day and by cash payment by the account holder herself. I don’t see the purpose of this query.’
Nikki quickly withdrew the bank statement and said, ‘I am sorry. I think she must have got confused.’
‘Wasting my time...,’ muttered the man and shouted, ‘Next,’ dismissing her. Nikki opened the handbag and kept the passbook inside the folder. She turned back towards the Evergreen Hotel. Lakshmi had settled down and was pleased to see Nikki. She stood up and greeted her joyfully, ‘You have come! Come and sit with me.’ Then noticing her handbag she asked, ‘What is it that you are carrying?’
Nikki replied, ‘I have run into a problem. The people with whom I was staying had to leave suddenly. My school transport will come only after two days. I was wondering whether I can get a room on rent in your hotel?’
‘Why on rent? Your aunty’s room is vacant. You could stay there.’ ‘Oh thanks!’ said Nikki. ‘Let me keep my things in the room.’
Nikki soon came down and sat with the woman who went on chatting incessantly. At about midday there was some commotion at the entrance. Nikki’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the man in the pencil sketch standing at the doorway leading a family of four. The man beamed a warm smile at the woman, ‘Lakshmi Madam, here are your new customers…they would like to stay for two nights.’ He turned to the head of the family and said in a salesman-like manner, ‘Come in please. This is the best place in town. All comforts and charges are very reasonable.’
Lakshmi brought out her register and said, ‘Feroz Bhai, while I fill the register you talk to this girl. She is the niece of Asha Sayal, our tenant. She has a nice picture of yours.’ Then turning to Nikki, Lakshmi said, ‘Show it to him.’ Nikki went to Feroz
Khan and took out the pencil sketch from her pocket. Feroz Khan was taken aback, ‘This is very nice. It looks real. Where did you get it?’ Nikki looked towards the counter. Lakshmi was busy with her customers. The children were fighting with each other and creating a racket.
Nikki said, ‘This place is very noisy. Can we go somewhere else and talk?’ He replied, ‘Let us sit in the canteen upstairs. This is my tea time any way.’ He turned to Lakshmi, ‘Madam, we are going to your canteen.’ Lakshmi said, ‘Get her also a cup of tea. She is a nice girl.’
Feroz ordered tea. He was still holding the pencil sketch in his hand. He said, ‘This looks like a photograph. Who gave you this?’
Nikki took out the photograph of three girls with Jyoti’s face circled and handing it over to Feroz, said, ‘The same man whom you asked to take this picture without the girls knowing that they were being photographed.’
The man was stunned. He suddenly became serious. His expression changed and he was now distinctly twitching his face. He asked, ‘Who are you and what are you doing here?’
Nikki replied, ‘I am a friend of the girl whose face has been circled.’
‘So what is that to me?’ said Feroz. Now he almost sounded belligerent. Nikki said calmly, ‘Because this girl has been murdered by someone, and if the police ask you why you got the girl secretly photographed, then you will have to do a lot of explaining.’
Feroz’s expression changed at once. He became nervous. He said meekly, ‘I have nothing to do with this girl. I was doing a favour to Asha Sayal who said this girl was her real daughter and she begged me to find out where she lived and also photograph her as she was keen to see her.’
Nikki asked, ‘How did you find this girl?’
‘Asha Sayal gave me the name and address of the girl’s father. I befriended his driver who told me that the girl studies in a famous school in Sangalina Hills and stays in a hostel. He also said that she was currently in Somabad and in the evenings usually goes to Central Park with her friends.’
‘Obviously, no one reads the papers here!’ thought Nikki.
‘Let Asha Sayal return and you can ask her directly,’ Feroz said aggressively.
Nikki did not say anything. She collected the sketch and the photograph from Feroz and got up.
She returned to her room and kept the photograph and the sketch in her handbag. Lying on the bed, she reviewed her conversation with Feroz. He was genuinely surprised when Nikki told him that Jyoti had been murdered. He also appeared sincere when he said, ‘Let Asha Sayal return and you can ask her.’ Was he used only for the bit relating to the photograph or was he acting to show his innocence? Nikki couldn’t come to any conclusions. She went downstairs to join Lakshmi.
Lakshmi was in her usual ebullient mood and was talking enthusiastically about her maiden days, marriage and children. When she stopped to take breath, Nikki asked, ‘My aunty said that sometimes she went out in the city.’
‘What sometimes, she was out almost every day! I think she had a number of relatives here. A woman came to see her couple of times. One day she returned to the hotel in a big black car.’
‘A big black car?’ asked Nikki in complete disbelief.
‘Yes, I am telling you the truth. When I asked her whose car it was she said it belonged to a relative from her husband’s side.’ Lakshmi looked envious.
This new piece of information set Nikki thinking. Certain things did not fit in. First, a deposit of 10 lakhs in her bank account and now this story of a big black car!
— CHAPTER NINE —
Burgled
That evening, Nikki decided to venture out again on her investigation. She asked Lakshmi, ‘I would like to go for a walk. I also want to eat out. Is there any good restaurant nearby?’
Lakshmi said, ‘Yes, you cross the road and go to the other side. There are a few good hotels. They only serve food, there’s no staying arrangement like us.’
The bustle at the bus terminal was much less at that time of the evening. She crossed the road and went to the opposite side, which was livelier with bright shops and a number of small eateries. She noticed that most of these shops had extended themselves up to the pavement. Sensing a potential customer, several shopkeepers invited her to visit their shops. Nikki chose a restaurant at the far end and sat at the table placed on the pavement. The food was good and the service quick. She had a leisurely meal and gave a generous tip to the young bearer who saluted her several times.
When she returned to the hotel, Lakshmi had already left for the day. Prasad was at the counter. She went up and put her key to the door of her room. As she was turning the key, the door opened on its own. She was surprised. She went in and switched on the light. What she saw astounded her. Her room had been ransacked! Her empty handbag was lying on the floor and her clothes were scattered on the bed. She checked her things. Her clothes were intact but the folder containing all the papers including the bank passbook, photograph and pencil sketch was missing. Nikki was furious. She went down to Prasad and shouted, ‘What kind of place is this? Someone entered my room and ransacked it. Several of my things are missing.’
Prasad looked shocked. ‘This is impossible. I have been here all along and before that Lakshmi was here. Nobody can enter without our seeing him.’
Nikki snapped, ‘Come with me and see for yourself!’
Prasad went up with her to the room and was taken aback by what he saw. He looked at the suitcase and said, ‘But the suitcase has not been opened.’
‘Because this is not mine. It belongs to my aunty. Only my handbag has been searched,’ Nikki replied.
Prasad asked, ‘Did it contain money or other valuables?’
‘No, but it had some important papers which are missing.’
Hearing that no money was stolen, Prasad was visibly relieved. He said, ‘I am very sorry, Miss. This has happened for the first time in our hotel. Please don’t complain to the police. Our reputation will be ruined. I will check with the bearer in the canteen and try my best to find your papers.’
Nikki, still furious, said, ‘I don’t want to stay in this lousy place. Tomorrow first thing in the morning, I will leave.’
After Prasad left, Nikki collected her clothes and kept them in the handbag. She was pretty sure that the culprit was Feroz Khan. He had every reason to steal the photograph and the pencil sketch so that he could remove any evidence of his involvement in the murder. But why would he take away the bank statement and other papers in the folder? This was something which she could not understand. Things were not as simple as they looked. Someone had obviously become suspicious and entered her room. It was no longer safe for her to stay in this place, she thought. She got up and checked the window and the door once again before going to sleep.
— CHAPTER TEN —
Between Life and Death
Nikki woke up early the next morning. She picked up her handbag and came out of the room. Downstairs at the reception, Prasad was fast asleep on the counter with his head between his forearms. Nikki tiptoed out. The bus station was completely deserted and not a single rickshaw or any other mode of transportation was in sight. She was walking towards the main road when suddenly a car came from behind and screeched to a halt near her. All at once, the front and the back doors of the car were flung open and before Nikki could comprehend what was happening, two persons got out of the car, muffled her face with a cloth and pushed her into the back seat. The car started almost immediately. Nikki struggled to remove the cloth from her face. Someone put a tape on her mouth and in a matter of moments her hands and feet were tied. A man on the back seat forced her to lie on the seat face down. Her back was covered with a blanket. Her face was left free for breathing. The only thing she could see was the mat on the floor of the car.
The car was moving at breakneck speed. Thoroughly shaken, Nikki noticed that the men hardly talked to each other. She was sure that they were linked with the murders. But how did they know that she was going out of the lodge so early in t
he morning? It must be Prasad, she thought. Last evening she had told him in a huff that she was getting out of the place first thing in the morning. Is Prasad also mixed up in this affair? she wondered.
After some time, Nikki could no longer hear the honking of traffic or bustle of pedestrians. The car was obviously outside the city limits. The man in the front seat said, ‘Abdul, you can free her now.’
The man called Abdul who was sitting beside her in the back seat untied the ropes and removed the tape from her mouth. Nikki shouted at him, ‘Who are you and where are you taking me?’ The man in the front said almost apologetically, ‘Miss, we are very sorry to treat you like this. But we had no alternative.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Nikki in a belligerent tone.
The man replied, ‘My name is Mohan Lal. I am the brother of that unfortunate woman Asha Sayal. Abdul and Saleem are my friends. We mean no harm to you. We have brought you with us to help a dying person.’
Nikki was surprised. This was not what she had expected, she asked, ‘What do you mean to help a dying person?’
‘Our mother suffered a strange affliction when she heard that Asha was dead. She has lost both her power of speech and hearing faculties. She is bedridden and hovering between life and death. She does not know that her granddaughter is also dead. We did not give this news to her because the shock would have certainly killed her,’ Mohan Lal said.
‘But what can I do in the matter?’ Nikki asked.
Mohan Lal looked apologetic. ‘We are sorry but last evening Abdul searched your belongings. Among other things we found the letter which Asha had written to her daughter Jyoti. You are also studying in Sangalina Hills where Jyoti was studying. We will show this letter to her and when she looks at you she will think you are Jyoti, Asha’s daughter and this might save her life,’ he said.
