by G. S. Dutt
Nikki sat in her room and reviewed the situation. We seem to be nowhere near finding the killer of Jyoti and Asha Sayal, she thought. She had come to Somabad because the arrow of suspicion regarding the death of the woman pointed towards the Taneja family. But they would obviously not get their own daughter killed along with that woman. Initially, she had thought that Mohan Lal could be involved in the killing. But he also turned out to be a thug aiming at the money. The kidnapping of Mrs Taneja appeared to be a corporate heist. And that baldy John, whom she followed, was after all, not the bald moustached man whose sketch she had seen. It seems a ‘no go’ situation on all fronts.
Thinking of Inspector Rajan she rang up the police station. The man who came on the phone line told her that Inspector Rajan had gone back to Sangalina Hills two days ago. Nikki was wondering whether he had been able to get some lead on the bald man. She felt there was hardly any point now to stay on in Somabad. She could as well return to Sangalina Hills and check the status with him there.
That afternoon at lunch, she said to Mr Taneja, ‘My school will be re-opening soon. I would like to go back to Sangalina Hills.’
‘Tomorrow is Sunday. My driver will drop you to your hostel. You will need to start early in the morning,’ he said.
‘But my things are lying in Mr Khanna’s house. Can the driver go and fetch them? I am not up to it to do that myself,’ said Nikki.
Mr Taneja assured her, ‘Don’t worry, the driver will go and get your things.’
‘You were so close to Jyoti. She was always talking about you. Please consider this house as your own. Whenever you have holidays you must come and stay with us,’ said Mrs Taneja.
‘Thank you, Aunty. Whenever I have the opportunity I will do so. You have gone through a terrible time. Please take care of yourself.’ Mrs Taneja came forward and held Nikki’s hand, touched by her concern.
Nikki reached her hostel on Sunday evening. Only a few girls had come back from the vacation, while the others were due to return in the next few days. As soon as she dropped her bag in the room she went to the common room and dialled Inspector Rajan’s number, ‘Sir, I have come back to Sangalina Hills.’
‘Oh, hello. Where did you go from Taneja’s house? When I rang up, the maid said that you had gone to some friend’s house,’ said Inspector Rajan.
‘Yes, I am sorry I should have informed you,’ she said. Then changing the subject she added,‘I called up to enquire whether you could lay your hands on that bald moustached man whose sketch you had shown me in Somabad?’
‘Unfortunately, no. We checked all the known and suspected criminals in Somabad but none answered his description. In the meantime, there were some urgent matters here and I had to rush back.’
‘Does that mean that the murder case of Jyoti and the woman has gone into cold storage?’
‘Not exactly’, the inspector replied defensively, ‘But some new priorities have emerged which need immediate attention.’ Nikki was dismayed.
Back in her hostel room she wondered how new priorities could have overtaken the old one, like turning a fresh page of a book and getting onto a new episode. That is what seemed to have happened in the case of Inspector Rajan. And that also seemed to be true for Mr Taneja. The need to pursue the investigation of his daughter’s murder had been overtaken by the new priorities of saving his wife and his business. As for Asha Sayal, the poor woman had no one in the world to even mourn her death. Who would be interested to find her murderer?
Nikki felt sad and despondent.
— CHAPTER SEVENTEEN —
Case Re-opened
As time passed, Nikki joined high school and studies took up most of her time. Years went by and soon Nikki graduated with excellent results. She also had a scholarship from the University of Somabad to pursue her college studies. But throughout the years, Jyoti was a void in Nikki’s life that nobody could fill. Her disappointment at not having been able to solve the mystery of her best friend’s murder disturbed her. At the graduation ceremony, Nikki missed Jyoti very much. Whenever she closed her eyes, the panic stricken face of Jyoti with her eyes wide open would emerge in front of her. Over the years, she had also lost touch with Jyoti’s parents, feeling a mixture of sadness and anger that they had not pursued the murder case more vigorously.
Nikki joined an Honours course in Science at the University of Somabad and stayed in a hostel which was at some distance from the college. She used to commute by bus to her college. One day from the window of the bus she saw a big building which seemed familiar to her. She looked at it more carefully on her return journey. She suddenly realised that this was Mr Taneja’s office which she had once visited. The next day she started early from her hostel and stopped on her way in front of the building. When she entered the office she found that it had been remodelled. There was a reception hall and a seating arrangement. The main office area which was earlier open was now hidden behind wooden panels. Only a receptionist was sitting in the hall. She went to her. The woman asked, ‘Yes, what can I do for you, Miss?’
Nikki said, ‘I want to meet Mr Taneja.’
The girl said, ‘There is no Mr Taneja working here.’
‘What do you mean? He owns this company.’ Said Nikki, taken aback.
The receptionist picked up the phone and said, ‘There is a girl out here who is enquiring about one Mr Taneja. She says he owns this company.’
The man said something on the phone. The receptionist said, ‘Please sign your name and address in this register. You may go and see our Chief of Security. The bearer will take you to his office.’
When Nikki entered the office of the Chief of Security she was startled to see a big bald ferocious looking man with a thick moustache. She looked at his face and found a cut on his upper right cheek which was partially hidden in the thick moustache. The man growled, ‘What are you staring at?’ Nikki felt awkward and said nervously, ‘I am very sorry. I thought I had seen you earlier. Sorry. In fact I came to meet Mr Taneja.’
‘How do you know Mr Taneja?’
‘We are family friends. His daughter and I were studying together in Sangalina Hills.’
The man said, ‘Mr Taneja sold this business years ago and he is no longer here.’
‘Sir, by any chance do you know his new address.’
‘I am not a post office,’ he said rudely and got up, dismissing her.
Nikki left. There was no mistake. He was the man in the sketch which Inspector Rajan had shown to her. Instead of going to the university, she went back to the hostel. She looked at the telephone directory and got the number of the police station. She enquired about the contact details of the police station at Sangalina Hills and dialled the number. A voice at the other end informed her that Inspector Rajan, for whom she had called, was no longer in Sangalina Hills. He had been promoted as Assistant Commissioner of Police and was posted in Somabad.
Nikki once again took the local directory and dialled the number of the Assistant Commissioner of Police. ‘I want to speak to ACP Rajan. Please tell him this is Nikki from Sangalina Hills.’
The ACP came on the line almost immediately, ‘Oh hello, Nikki! Good to hear from you! It’s been such a long time! Where are you calling from?’
‘From Somabad. I finished high school in Sangalina Hills and joined Somabad University.’
‘Very good. Tell me, what can I do for you?’
Nikki said, ‘You remember the double murder case at Crescent Point about four years back?’
‘Yes, very much. It pricks my conscience most when I realise it is one of the few cases I have been unable to solve.’
Nikki said, ‘I have stumbled on something which may have some relevance to that case. I want to meet you.’
‘When do you want to come?’
‘I am not going to university today. I can come anytime you want.’
‘Then come right away. Please write down my address.’
When Nikki reached his office, ACP Rajan called her in immediately.
‘Oh, you have become a big girl.’
Nikki said, ‘You have also become a big man.’
ACP Rajan laughed, ‘I always thought you were a clever girl. Now tell me.’
‘Do you remember when you came to Somabad you had shown me a sketch of a bald moustached man with a scar on his face?’
‘Yes, now that you describe him so vividly, the whole thing has come back to me. He had hired a small-time criminal in Somabad for trailing the woman. Yes, what happened to that man?’
‘This morning I met him.’
ACP Rajan almost jumped from his chair, ‘What! Where did you meet him?’
‘He is working as Chief of Security in a firm which earlier belonged to Mr Taneja, the father of my friend Jyoti who was killed along with Asha Sayal.’
ACP Rajan asked, ‘Has Taneja employed him?’
‘No I don’t think so. I went to that office to meet Mr Taneja. This man told me that Mr Taneja had sold his firm long ago and is no longer there.’
‘This is very interesting. Tell me the address. I will get him over here immediately,’ said ACP Rajan.
‘Please don’t do that. He is our only link to the case. If you call him to your office he might get scared and alert the others. We have to first confirm that he is the man,’ Nikki said.
ACP Rajan agreed. ‘The papers of the case, including the sketch, are at Sangalina Hills. I will get them here and also the man whom he had commissioned. If he recognises him then I will proceed,’ he said, adding, ‘give me the address of the office where you met that man and also your own contact number. I should be able to give you some news within the next three days.’
Nikki got up and ACP Rajan came outside to see her off. He said, ‘I appreciate your devotion to your late friend and your help to the police department. I will be in touch.’
Nikki took a taxi but instead of going to the hostel, she gave the address of the Taneja Mansion to the driver so that she could check out their place. She was curious to know what had actually happened after the kidnapping incident. Nikki got down from the taxi and looked at the house. She was taken aback to see that instead of Taneja Mansion, the nameplate boldly stated ‘Khanna Mansion.’ She rang the bell. A servant opened the door. Nikki said, ‘I want to meet Mrs Taneja.’
‘Mrs Taneja does not live here. This is the house of Mr Khanna,’ the servant informed.
‘Are Seema and Tina in the house?’ asked Nikki.
‘No, Seema has gone to college and Tina to school.’
A lady asked from within, ‘Who is it, Kishan?’
Kishan said, ‘There is a girl at the door, asking for Mrs Taneja.’ Mrs Khanna came to the door, but could not immediately recognise Nikki.
‘Aunty, I am Nikki, a friend of Jyoti’s. Do you remember me?’
Mrs Khanna said, ‘Yes, yes, now I remember. Come inside.’
She took her to the living room. Nikki said, ‘Actually, I came to meet Mrs Taneja.’
The lady said, ‘You must be coming to Somabad after a long time. Mr Taneja sold his company a few years back. He and his wife have left the country.’
‘Where are they these days?’
‘I am not sure but I believe they went to America where Mrs Taneja’s brother lives.’
‘Oh I see. Did Mr Taneja sell this house to you when they were leaving?’
‘Not really, he actually sold the house to the company, but now it belongs to us.’
‘I thought having come here, I could meet Seema. Where is she?’
‘She has gone to college,’ Mrs Khanna said.
‘Which college is she in?’
‘The Commerce College.’
Nikki’s eyes perked up. ‘Oh, it is in the university campus! I’ll meet her there.’
‘Would you like a cup of tea Beta?’ Mrs Khanna asked tenderly.
‘No thanks Aunty, some other time.’
Nikki left the house deep in thought. Perhaps she could get some more information from Seema. She hailed a cab and asked the driver to take her to the university.
After reaching Commerce College, she went to the office to get information about Seema Khanna. She was a student of first year commerce and was attending a class on the second floor. Nikki went there and checked. Seema was in the class. As soon as the period was over she came out with other girls. Nikki approached her and said, ‘Hi Seema! Remember me? Nikki?’
‘Oh hi!’ replied Seema warmly. ‘It’s been ages! You never kept in touch! What brings you here?’
‘I am in the Science College. This morning I met your mom and she told me that you are in the Commerce College. I wanted to see you.’
‘Great, it is so nice to see you, do you have some time?’
Nikki said, ‘I have no classes today.’
‘I have only one class left which is going to start. If you could wait in the library at the ground floor I’ll meet you there as soon as I finish.’
Seema came to the library shortly and the duo decided to have a chat over coffee in the cafeteria. Nikki noticed a great transformation in Seema. She was no longer the shy and simple girl Nikki had met years ago. Now she seemed a stylish, expensively dressed and a vivacious person. She looked rich and well groomed, dressed in the latest designer wear. As soon as they settled down, Seema asked, ‘So tell me what’s new? When did you come here?’
‘I came a couple of months ago when the session began. I must say you look really nice.’
‘Thanks. Where did you meet Mom?’ asked Seema.
‘Actually, I went to the Taneja Mansion to see the Tanejas. I didn’t know that you had moved house,’ said Nikki.
Seema said, ‘Something strange happened after the kidnapping incident and Mr Taneja had to sell all his properties and leave the country.’
Nikki asked, ‘Where is your dad working these days?’ Seema was surprised, ‘Didn’t you know, he is now the Managing Director of Mr Taneja’s company?’
‘Really? Wow. Does he own the company now?’
‘Not really. I think the owner is someone else. That fellow asked Dad to run the company on his behalf and also gave Taneja Mansion to us.’
They had finished the coffee. Nikki said, ‘Thanks for the coffee. It was a pleasure meeting you. I must go now.’
Seema asked, ‘Where do you live?’
‘I live in the university hostel for girls.’
‘You have transport?’ asked Seema.
‘No, I will take a bus.’
‘Your hostel is on my way. I’ll drop you.’
‘Thanks.’
Seema went to the parking lot and came out driving a shiny new red twin-seater sports car. Nikki was taken aback by the expensive car.
Nikki sat in the car, remarking, ‘This is a lovely car.’
‘Yes, Dad gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday.’
‘Great,’ said Nikki wondering how in such a short span of time the Khanna family had become so wealthy.
— CHAPTER EIGHTEEN —
Another Case Opened
On day three, Nikki got a call from ACP Rajan. When she met him he appeared quite enthusiastic. ‘We got that guy from Somabad and he has recognised the bald man as the person who had hired him for the trailing job. I am going to get formal permission to apprehend him on suspicion of committing murder. Thereafter, I will re-open the case.’
Nikki said, ‘There is something else which you ought to know. A few days after Jyoti’s murder some people kidnapped Mrs Taneja.’
‘Kidnapped Mrs Taneja?’ he was stunned.
‘Yes, the kidnappers asked Mr Taneja to pay `20 crores and threatened that if they did not get the amount within five days his wife would be killed.’
‘Did he report the matter to the police?’
‘No, having lost his daughter he did not want to lose his wife too. So he sold his company shares to pay the ransom.’
ACP Rajan became pensive. ‘Oh I see. When did you come to know about the kidnapping?’ ‘On the same day. As a matter of fact on the followin
g day two of the kidnappers also picked me up because I had seen the face of one of them.’
‘What?’ asked the ACP now looking incredulous and curious at the same time.
‘I was released after four days. When I reached Taneja Mansion, Mrs Taneja was already there. It appeared that Mr Taneja had paid the ransom. I left their house soon thereafter and came back to Sangalina Hills.’
‘You spoke to me on your return, why didn’t you tell me then?’ the ACP asked.
‘I am sorry, but at that time I thought informing you would have jeopardised the Tanejas as the kidnappers belonged to a mafia and they could harm them further.’
‘But what is the connection between Mrs Taneja’s kidnapping and the double murder?’ asked the ACP.
Nikki said, ‘Mr Taneja was forced to sell the company and leave the country and this bald man is the Chief of Security of that company.’
‘I still don’t quite understand the connection.’
Nikki explained, ‘Mr Taneja had a personal assistant Mr Khanna through whom he had done the child swapping. Four years back, when I came here, Mr Khanna had become a manager in Mr Taneja’s company. He was his most trusted aide. He is the one who advised Mr Taneja to sell his shares in order to pay the ransom. Mr Khanna is now the Managing Director of that company and also lives in Jyoti’s house, Taneja Mansion.’
‘Oh I see...I smell a bigger conspiracy.’ He pondered for a while and then asked Nikki, ‘But how do you know all this?’
Nikki said, ‘After meeting you, I went to Taneja Mansion and was surprised to see the new nameplate stating “Khanna Mansion”. I met Mrs Khanna there. She gave me some information and the rest I learnt from their elder daughter Seema, who is studying in the Commerce College. I feel if you re-open the kidnapping case, you may get information about the murder case as well.’ She added, ‘One more thing, I can recognise two of the kidnappers. Their names were John and Albert.’
‘But how can I re-open the kidnapping case without a formal complaint from the party concerned, in this case either Mr Taneja or his wife? You said they have left the country.’
