WHO KILLED ME: The Strangest Whodunnit

by Irfan Khan

  She went about doing stuff and then about an hour after I left home, she made a call from the secret phone. I could guess who she was calling.

  “Hey, how are you”?

  Her voice was not chirpy and I think that was deliberate. She wanted Karan to guess that and ask her about it. I could only guess what Karan was saying. He responded as predicted. This was enough for Reema to launch into her sob story.

  “Last night he came home drunk, again. No idea where he goes drinking. This time he did not start shouting and fighting.”

  Karan must have been relieved because Reema said,

  “Thank God. Listen Karan, for a few days, we need to stay away and not meet.”

  Karan spoke for a while as Reema just listened. Karan must have convinced her about meeting him as Reema agreed but tried to postpone till next week. They agreed on next week and exchanged some kisses and then the phone went back into the secret box and then into the wardrobe.

  I stopped the video and decided to put into action the next step of my flow chart.

  . . .

  I called the manager at Hotel Oscar and asked him if I could send my technician for installing the new CCTV system. An enthusiastic ‘Yes’ was not a surprise for me. I had made arrangements with a company from Chamba. I gave that company the contract with advance payment to execute the project. Small companies rarely say no to sub-contracts as long as they are getting their money upfront. Of course, they did not know my real identity and the money was transferred to them in cash. I was not worried about leaving my tracks at Hotel Oscar. The business card I gave had a fake number and address. I was not going to issue any documents till the free period got over. I did not hand over a copy of the contract that the manager had signed. In two days, the cameras would be installed in the hotel lobby and the rooms, especially Room No. 305. The cameras in the room were being installed without the manager’s knowledge. The video feed from that camera would come only to me and not on the hotel’s monitors.

  . . .

  15 Days Ago

  Most of my week was spent in misery. I tried hard to concentrate on work and stayed away from home as much as possible. I made an effort not to indulge too much in alcohol. I reasoned that it was kind of escapism. I wanted solutions and for that, I have to keep a clear head. I did not inquire from Reema about her day and where she had been. I seriously did not see any point in forcing her to lie and hide. I could have grilled her about those things and cornered her. But then I thought about the outcome. If she says she regrets and convinces me that she has changed, it would mean becoming normal with her again. I couldn’t bear the thought of that.

  My surveillance cameras at home were feeding me with sufficient reasons why I could not get back with her ever again. Maybe that was my conformity bias.

  . . .

  The Naked Truth

  10 days ago

  I knew the day and time when Karan and Reema had to meet at the hotel. I got out of the office and parked a little away from the town in a place with good internet connectivity.

  I was about to witness my wife going to a hotel with another man. I could have reached out and stopped this, but I did not have any reason to do that. I was more in the space of wanting to gather evidence and validate my suspicion.

  At about 2:30 p.m. they arrived at the reception. Reema moved towards the lift and Karan collected the keys for Room No. 305. Reema was dressed modestly and Karan was wearing a light sweater. I switched my feed to camera from the reception to the corridor of the third floor. They walked silently towards the end of the corridor. I often wonder what must be the thoughts of a person who is about to commit adultery. Are they thinking about what they are going to do or are they thinking about whether it is safe or are they feeling a tad guilty? They made no attempts to be near or touch each other. Clearly, they were conscious of not being caught in the act.

  I switched from corridor camera to the inside of Room No. 305. Karan opened the door and let Reema enter as he glanced at both sides of the corridor before locking the door behind him. He moved toward the desk and kept the keys and asked Reema if she wanted to have something but she replied in negative. Reema went to the window and looked away in the direction of the lake and the park on the rim of the lake. Karan sat down leaning on the bed headboard and grabbed a pillow on to his laps.

  Karan sounded relaxed “Reema, I hope Nikhil is not getting aggressive. You should tell me if he is getting aggressive.”

  Reema was still looking in the distant sky “Till now he just coming home drunk and sometimes got angry. But since last week he has been sober and quiet.”

  Reema kept standing and became silent. Karan gets fidgety and takes the TV remote and starts surfing channels and then shuts the TV.

  Karan was getting restless “What are you thinking about”?

  “I am worried about the consequences. I don’t want to leave Nikhil.”

  Karan asked nonchalantly “Why not”?

  Reema turned away from the window and faced Karan “Look, I did not think it through before we started meeting like this. In marriage, there are many strings attached. It’s messy to separate. There are parents, friends and it’s complicated. No. I did not think… oh god… I am in a mess (she sat down on the couch)

  For a minute I thought she was regretting and ready to give up her secret life. That confused me because here I was prepping on killing them and she was on this guilt trip with a ‘back to home’ card. But then I was dismayed, she did not mention that she can’t leave me because she loved me. She is arguing that it’s just too messy and complicated. That hurt me. I was saddened because I knew how much I loved her and never thought about any other girl.

  Karan had moved from his position and sat opposite Reema.

  He took Reema’s hands and cupped them in his “I can understand. This was never going to be easy. But do you know why we separated and met again? Karan now pushed up Reema’s chin to make her look at him “That’s for a reason. If fate put us together then it’s a sign that were meant to be together.”

  Reema looked away “I am so confused and lost. I don’t know what to do”?

  Karan pulled her towards him and made space for her on the bed. He put his arms around her “It will all be fine… trust me…”

  I could not see it anymore. I was raging with anger and jealousy. He was embracing her and she was not resisting. I switched off the app and took a long sip from the bottle which had strong Long Island Ice Tea. I wanted to drive down to the hotel just now and confront them. Maybe I would rough up Karan for touching my wife. I don’t know how I would react with Reema. Then it dawned on me.

  When does a relationship end? I do not think a relationship ends only on the day we decide to end it. Like, does a divorce ends with the court order? Or do relationships end when two people break-up and go separate ways? No, that is the official end of a relationship. A relationship ends when the people involved in it stop doing what they did to start the relationship. When a husband, stops being a husband then he is no more ‘the husband’ but just someone who is head of the family. When a wife stops doing what a wife should do, she stops being a wife, then she is just cooking, cleaning and being a sleeping partner. Reema has ceased to be my wife. I don’t have to wait for the courts to decide that. The woman in that room with that man is not my wife.

  I switched on the app again. The LIIT was very good and effective. Karan had removed his shirt and Reema was just wearing her bra, they were in an embrace and kissing deeply. They were lying on the bed and being very passionate. Karan was caressing her back as Reema was holding his hair and moved her mouth away occasionally to catch her breath. Her eyes were rolled behind and that look was all too familiar for me. Then I grasped that this was not their first time. This couple has had sex before my marriage. Till now I had not probed Reema about her ex and whether she had sex with anyone. This is the space you are supposed to give when you respect and love a woman.

  I got conscious that I was watching my
wife have sex with another man and I was not protesting. They have a word for this in porn jargon, ‘cuckold’, except in that arrangement the husband has given consent. Good thing I had got litre of the cocktail. I hope it will knock me out.

  Karan by now had started moving his hands below to the small of her back. Reema was looking excited and submitted herself to his passionate kissing. He moved from her neck down to her breasts. She was wearing her black bra and matching panties. Karan was down to his briefs. Reema likes it when she is getting kissed all over. This feels like compliments for her, makes her feel like she is being loved and cherished. This moment for a woman is far more precious than the rest of the act. Many a women trade sex just for this affection.

  Karan was whispering things to her which were not audible. He seemed to be a giver and was spending a lot of time planting kisses on thighs and feet. Reema did not have feet fetish but a few kisses on her toes would make her smile. Karan seemed to know that. It was uncanny to see all this because Karan was doing all the things like I used to do. It must be because Reema has trained both of us. Karan has removed the panties and is now spreading her legs and kissing her inner thighs. He moved between her legs encouraged by the loud moaning. I was more interested in the expression on Reema’s face. Her ecstatic moaning and short gasps showed that she was in the most passionate mood. The enjoyment on her face showed her complete acceptance of the lovemaking happening to her. Her expressions were all too familiar for me. I have witnessed that look and always worked towards maintaining that mood. It always gave me a lot of pleasure to see her get super excited. For me, that was fulfilling. I just wanted that to last for her. Strangely, I found myself having the same emotion watching her on that bed. I did not care who was going down on her. The ecstasy on her face was priceless. Even though I was filled with hate and rage, for some reason Reema’s happiness made me accept the moment. Karan was patient and thorough at what he was doing. He seemed to be good at it otherwise Reema would not have reached down and pressed his head to her groin. Reema said something which made Karan stop and goes up to her face and they kissed deeply while he fondled her breasts. I was very confused with myself. This is the kind of situation I am supposed to get angry and break something and get aggressive. But here in a drunken stupor I continued watching my wife making love to another man.

  I became a voyeur because I stopped considering her my wife. She was a person who used to be my wife and now she is just someone who I still love but can never be her husband again. Maybe that’s why I could continue watching without anger. The saving grace was the total lack of getting aroused. Any video of some other couple would have put me in the right mood by now. I was almost at the end of the LIIT and regretted getting only a litre. The mix was great and warmed me up like a cosy embrace.

  Karan and Reema had now changed places and now Reema started showing her skills. She bent down on Karan's manhood and worked on it diligently in a manner that you prepare a weapon before the duel. Karan was watching intently and that irritated me. He was not as ecstatic as Reema was. It looked like Karan was just getting a blow job and Reema was deeply involved in loving him. Why was I getting irritated with Karan, as if Reema is the team that I am supporting? They both had history and were completely comfortable with each other.

  They soon switched to making love. Reema was astride and grinding her hips as Karan laid back caressing and crushed her breast. Reema was riding but Karan was holding her breasts like a rider. Now I was worried, as I sensed that I had started to participate in the whole act. I caught myself getting aroused and that disturbed me. This felt wrong. How could I get excited about this? I was the one to make fun of those cuckold videos and think that those guys were sick perverts. Thankfully Karan climaxed and Reema too finished and they laid down in bed exhausted. I looked away from the phone and switched off the app with a smile.

  I now had a recording of their sex act. This was the most damning evidence that I could get.

  . . .

  Sneak Preview

  7 Days back

  Chaman Chameli Theka

  This place was a favourite for truckers. Food, drinks and lots of khatiyas (bamboo and rope hammock) to straighten their backs. It also became a meeting place for the notorious elements from neighbouring towns. Chandan has brought Madhav and Jagan to meet a shady character. Baldev has been a serial offender and has been having a frequent skirmish with law. He was expert in robbery and kidnapping with some experience in contract bashing and killing. Madhav was insistent that he should be brought to Sugaoni police station but Baldev could not be told that he is meeting police or he would flee. Chandan has lured him with a carrot of a big heist.

  Madhav and company settled in the farthest edge of the sprawling courtyard of the Dhaba. They chose a corner that was dimly lit. They did not want to attract attention from people who might recognise them. Chandan was hanging out near the bartender, that was the meeting point. Madhav was feeling out of place but kept cool in the hope of a big breakthrough. Jagan almost ordered some drinks but stopped as Madhav stared at him. They ordered some tikka’s (chicken starters) and nibbles on the raw onion rings and green chutney.

  Chandan walked towards them behind a stocky man with a scruffy beard. The man was squinting his eyes to see who was sitting in the dark. As soon as he spotted Madhav, he turned around only to bang against Chandan who grabbed his hand and whispered,

  “Don’t you dare try to run. You are not in trouble. We have a few questions.”

  They reached the spot and Chandan placed Baldev between Jagan and himself right in front of Madhav.

  Madhav wanted to calm the guy down “If you have not done a crime, you need not be worried.”

  Baldev replied acerbically “Yes, that is if I remember which crime, it could be. I have lost count.”

  Madhav came to the point “You heard of a murder by firing, a few days ago in Sugaoni”?

  Baldev dismisses the question “No. I don’t know about that.”

  Jagan hits Baldev on the back of his head.

  “That will revive your memory.”

  Baldev looks at Jagan sharply but then realises the situation “I seriously don’t know about it. Who was shot”?

  Jagan shows a picture to Baldev on his mobile. Baldev looks hard and spreads his fingers on picture to enlarge.

  “Oh, he finally got shot”?

  Madhav gets interested “So, you know about this guy”?

  Baldev blurts out the facts “His contract was out in the market. The money was very small. I have a principle. I will kill if the money is enough for five years.” Jagan gives him a tough look. “But I would take the punishment. My family should be comfortable when I will be in jail.”

  Madhav wanted more details “Who put the contract in the market”?

  Baldev looked at all their faces and assessed the situation.

  “This information must be worth something. This guy who wanted the hit, was rich. The guy who got shot must be important. What are you offering me”?

  Jagan was in a witty mood “We will allow you to continue using your hands and feet.”

  Baldev stared at Jagan as he stared back with a smile. Chandan twisted his arm. Baldev stifled a scream as his face contorted with pain.

  “I think the contract was brought to the market by Rawat.”

  Madhav’s face lit upon hearing a familiar name. This was bringing the investigation into a plausible end. He thought about Shiv and the meeting he had with Rawat a day before Nikhil’s murder.

  Madhav used his strict police voice “Now find out who executed the contract. If you can get us a name you can get a reward too.”

  Madhav got up and walked towards their unmarked car as Chandan and Jagan followed him while Baldev nursed his bruised arm, swearing under his breath.

  . . .

  Video Expose

  6 DAYS AGO

  The devil in my mind made me wonder, what would happen if I sent a portion of the video to Reema. The idea seemed delicio
us because it would zap her mind completely. Then I bettered the idea. What if the video reached her phone at a point when I am with her? This would be a treat to my senses that I most wanted. I set up a server on the VPN (Virtual Private Network) and hosted the clip there. The VPN would mask my IP and computer details so that no one can trace it back to me. I created a video link which I saved on my phone.

  When I reached home late at night, I avoided getting near her. After watching her sex act with Karan, I felt considerably aroused. She seemed to be in a good mood and tried to seduce me. This was odd as we had no physical contact for a long time. She reached down in my pajamas and tried to fondle me. She couldn’t have picked a better time because I needed very little encouragement. The liquor had destroyed any inhibition that I would have and the video I watched had prepared me like a bull. Why was I sexually attracted to her now more than ever? Was it the booze or the fact that I saw her performance earlier? I enjoyed the act with her and felt satisfied with my effort. I guessed that she had multiple orgasms. She looked like she was blown away by my skills or maybe she was more orgasmic because she had two lovers on the same day? I was almost tempted to ask her to grade me and Karan. The euphoria died down after a while when I saw her video from the home camera. She spoke with Karan after reaching home.