by Vish Dhamija
'It will be done.'
'Any plans for the evening?'
'No.'
'Aren't you visiting your family? It's not late.' Kabir asked glancing at his watch.
'That's a long way off. It'll take me around an hour and a half to get there. I spoke to my wife and she's expecting me over the weekend.'
'So you will leave me alone for the weekend?'
'You can spend time with Victoria…and her daughter.' D'Cunha couldn't hold himself back. 'You're more than welcome to come along to my place.'
'I was only joking, but thanks for the offer.' Kabir expressed gratitude for the invite. They checked if they had any message from Mr Gill, as he was the only one who knew about their plans and accommodation arrangements. There wasn't any. Both of them went to their rooms, and as decided met in the hotel foyer in half an hour.
'There is a nice bar nearby called Geoffrey's. It's a short walk along the seafront, do you want to walk or should I ask for a cab?' D'Cunha asked when they met at eight.
'Let's walk. If we get drunk we'll take a cab back.' Kabir smiled, his intentions for the evening quite clear.
'Okay.'
Geoffrey's, located on the famous Marine Drive, is as English a pub as one can get in Mumbai. The dark wood panelled walls and comfortable seating made the customers stay a little bit longer for that extra drink. The food was a fusion of Indian and European continental, with the prices kept deliberately a little high to keep the unwanted crowd out. Both the police officers, now detectives, were smartly dressed like any other business travellers.
'A large Jack Daniels with Diet Coke and lots of ice please,' Kabir requested, as the waitress came along for their orders.
'I'll start with a chilled Fosters, please.'
The waitress was quick.
'Cheers.' D'Cunha raised his glass.
'Cheers.'
'Looking at the files and numbers in just one company, it remains unclear how much money was made, though that is not our goal,' D'Cunha started.
'It could be quite a while before we can put an approximate figure to that.'
'What happens after all the files reach us tomorrow?'
'It might not take us to the correct answer right away, however, it should surely make us ask the right questions to the right people, and perhaps expand our logic of the probable.'
'How?'
'As I told you earlier, whoever did such a methodical job as this, had access to the original certificates, so the dates, names and serial numbers on the counterfeits should match the ones on the originals. I could put money on it that the counterfeiters were not brainless enough to have picked up freshly transferred shares to make copies. Surely, they wouldn't be the first broker to buy or sell these certificates — and risk being first amongst the accused should the police ever get hold of the whole list of dealers who were in the chain. So, they would have picked up the ones that were in the market for quite some time before duplicating the dates and other details. By the same logic, they must have ensured that they were not the last in the chain either,' Kabir elaborated, taking intermittent sips from his drink.
'I agree with the first part, but how can one ensure that they were not the last brokers? Someone who bought from them could have sent them to the companies for transfer immediately.' Despite finding the first deduction blisteringly impressive, D'Cunha sounded unconvinced about Kabir's second one.
'It must be a syndicate that dealt with large investors with questionable wealth who invested in dubious names, and were, to a certain extent, confident that the counterfeit script would not be sent to companies right away. There could have been an odd case or two, but the likelihood of the original and the counterfeit reaching the company simultaneously, was almost zero.'
'What if it's a double-bluff?' D'Cunha smartly asked.
'Double-bluffs are played by pranksters, not by criminals, and certainly not on a scale of this magnitude. But, we're not ruling it out. The investigation ought to catch that anyway.' Kabir was confident.
'Working with you, I am convinced we will solve this case.'
'We've had enough discussion about work. Let's talk about something else.'
'Victoria is gorgeous,' D'Cunha said, after he had given repeat orders to the waitress.
'There's nothing wrong with this girl.' Kabir smiled looking at the waitress as she walked away from their table to the bar to get drinks for them.
'You're not serious?'
'I am not serious about Victoria either. I mean both of them are beautiful, but I have no intention to date either of them.' Kabir finished his drink and waited for the next round to be brought to the table. 'Most of the time I only practise flirting to become perfect for whenever I need it. The fact that the subject is beautiful or interesting makes my task easier.'
D'Cunha, no doubt, did not understand the reasoning. The two guys discussed things other than work the whole evening, had dinner and marched back to their hotel instead of taking a cab. They were reasonably drunk, but still had enough sense to find their way back to their rooms.
'Good night,' Kabir said unlocking his room door.
'Good night Kabir.'
***
D'Cunha got up with a headache. He had certainly had more beers than usual, but with some strong coffee and alternating between cold and hot showers, he managed to get dressed to see Kabir at breakfast. When he got to Maker Tower, he made the few calls Kabir had requested on the previous evening, and asked for the files to be sent across from the other companies. 'The files will be arranged in chronological order, as requested, and sent to us before close of business today,' he announced, as soon as he was off the phone.
'Thanks, Michael. Once they are here we can do some more digging, but till then let's play with these.'
Victoria came to see her guests around lunchtime. She offered to take them with her to the small company canteen rather than send some sandwiches into the conference room. She was as formally dressed today as the day before, in a grey suit. The only difference was she had replaced her trousers with a long pencil skirt, which made her look even more feminine and attractive.
'How was your daughter's party?' Kabir started the conversation at lunch.
'It was great. Thank you. She had told me about it a month ago, so it would have been a big disappointment if I didn't get there on time for her.'
'That's perfectly understandable… there's a time for work and there's a time to show your children the rainbow,' Kabir wisely commented.
'You must be a great dad to your kids,' Victoria complimented.
He could be a great dad to your kid if you want, D'Cunha wanted to say.
'I don't have kids.'
'I am sorry…' Victoria tried apologising for her earlier comment.
'Why should you be sorry if I don't have kids? You should be sorry that I am not married…' Kabir furnished the, unasked, information.
'Oh I see…so you are a single guy.'
'Yes.'
'That makes two of us. I am single too. I am a single parent,' she pointed out.
Kabir looked at D'Cunha whose expression suggested, without exchanging words, that he bowed down to the superior gut-feeling of Kabir for prophesying her single status the day before. They finished their lunch and got back to work shortly after one to find three of the companies had already delivered the material and there was a message that the fourth one was on its way already.
'This work is more than just the two of us can handle. We need more hands on deck. I will have to ask Mr Gill to provide us some local staff in Mumbai.' Kabir told D'Cunha.
'That will be good.'
The plan for the initial investigation did not require them going around questioning people, since some junior staff in uniform could handle that without giving any information regarding the big picture. The immediate plan was to begin questioning the first broker after a particular share got transferred, those details were in the company records — and hence replicated on the fake scrip — and then follow the trail
probing each broker en route till it was sent for transfer to the company.
'I am sure some of the brokers would have faded away by now, some would have closed shop, some might not have old records and others might not be at the same addresses, but even if we run the whole course with half of these, we should be able to pick out some common brokers in all of them.' Kabir summed up the line of enquiry for D'Cunha.
'We need, at least, eight or ten people.'
'It will be done. I should be leaving by the weekend and you will head the whole enquiry. Be careful only to give enough information to your team to carry out what is required,' Kabir reiterated.
'No problem, Kabir.'
'Thanks, Michael. I'll speak to Mr Gill tonight.'
Kabir sought more resources from Mr Gill, explaining the magnitude of the work involved. He also gave an update that the realistic timelines for the initial search would take no less than a few months, before which there didn't seem much point in him being in Mumbai for any investigations. 'Michael can move in with his family and continue to head the search, sir — that will also save us the hotel expense. We don't know how long we will have to search to identify the guilty before we start looking for them. There is no quick fix for this.'
'Is Michael competent enough to lead?'
'He is very capable, sir, and I trust him completely,' Kabir clarified. 'In any case, he would be in touch with me every other day. I'd steer the whole inquiry remotely, and if need be, I'd be off to Mumbai at short notice.'
'Would this require some specialised people?'
'No, sir. Junior sub-inspectors in the Mumbai police should be able to carry out this simple questioning. Once they come back with their findings, Michael would short-list those required for a second round of investigation, and I would personally attend that with Michael,' Kabir explained.
'Okay,' Mr Gill agreed. 'Ask him not to leave any stone unturned.'
'Don't worry on that account at all,' assured Kabir.
'Keep up the good work.'
'Thank you, sir.'
32
Mumbai
Mid-December, 2001
It had been more than three months now, and D'Cunha's team had laboured hard to finish the initial search. As estimated, some of the leads went cold for various reasons, while a few could not be followed up due to geography. D'Cunha consulted Kabir and decided the team should focus on Mumbai for the first round. If they didn't uncover some offenders — or even a pattern — they would go beyond Mumbai. Subsequently, D'Cunha set himself the task of sifting and scrutinising these extensive lists to spot one or more individuals or firms that was the most common link. 'I've got the lists now.' He sounded ecstatic on the phone.
'Good work, Michael. Do you want to stay in Mumbai and work on the case till you identify suspects, or would you rather come back to Delhi?' Kabir asked.
'I am fine either way.' D'Cunha would have preferred to stay back in Mumbai, with his family, but he did not want to appear to be taking his job lightly.
'Stay back in Mumbai then, be with your family and come over as soon as you've been through the lists or identified some culprits.' Kabir was considerate. He knew D'Cunha had been staying away from his family for more than eighteen months, and this particular case did not mandate where one stayed to investigate. Not at this stage for sure. He had absolute faith in D'Cunha and knew well that his DSP would not squander time unnecessarily because he was left without supervision in Mumbai. On the contrary, D'Cunha was more likely to work extra efficiently to prove himself.
***
New Delhi
Mid-December, 2001
'The boys have completed the first half of the search, sir,' Kabir proudly told Mr Gill the next day.
'Good. Do you suspect anyone yet?'
'Not yet, but I am sure we should be able to find them in a few weeks.'
'I can't wait.' Mr Gill showed his eagerness for the results.
'I am sure we'll get to the bottom of this soon,' Kabir assured.
Kabir knew that though he had reassured Mr Gill, it could, however, take several weeks — maybe months — to identify suspects, and then search for them. He was reasonably confident the suspects might not be trading genuine or counterfeited shares any more.
Somebody would be an idiot to be in the same line of business or trade, or even be in the country, he reflected.
***
London
Mid-December, 2001
'I'm getting married.' Serena announced to her team, showing off the large solitaire she sported on her finger.
'Fantastic.'
'Congratulations.'
'So you've convinced him to tie the knot.' Paul came forward to give her a hug. He had seen her quite a few times with Nikos in his building, and knew that the love affair had continued from the time they had first met.
'When's the big day?' Andy asked.
'January.'
'Where is it?'
'It's in Greece,' Serena said. They had planned it to be right after the Christmas holiday period so that no one would take time off to travel to attend it.
'Why don't you get married over the Christmas break? We would like to come along…' Paul humoured her.
Because we don't want anyone to come along.
'I would have wanted you guys to attend too, but sorry…' Serena apologised.
'It's okay. We will have a party before you leave and another one when you come back,' Andy said.
'I am not coming back. I am putting in my papers today Andy.'
'What?'
'Why does she need to work anymore?' Paul chipped in.
'That's true.'
'Hello Kim.' Serena called Kim, advised by Nikos.
Just in case there's anything going on in Mumbai that we should know, Nikos had reasoned.
'Serena? Where have you been, honey? I sent you so many emails. You just forgot about me after you left Mumbai…' Kim complained, on and on.
'I am sorry Kim. Just got totally involved in the work and then fell in love…'
'You started dating someone without telling me?'
'It's not that… I wasn't sure…'
'Who is it?' Kim cut her off in excitement.
'He's a Greek guy I met at a party a while ago and we have been dating since. He proposed to me last week and I accepted.'
'What is his name?'
'Nikos.'
'Is he good?' Kim asked.
'Very good… I know what you mean.'
'Send me a picture?'
'I haven't got any here. I'll send one in a day or two.' Serena wiggled out of it.
'When's the wedding?'
'When are you getting married?' Serena remembered Kim's email earlier in the year stating that she and Ron were getting married sometime in December.
'January 7th.'
'We're getting married on the same day. What a coincidence.' Serena had fixed the impromptu date, as planned, so that there was no chance of them attending each other's wedding.
'What a coincidence, honey.'
'Yes… I am so excited, but I feel sad that you won't attend my wedding then.' Serena tried making a fuss.
'Why? Where are you getting married?'
'Greece.'
'How about planning our honeymoon together? I can't wait to meet Nikos.' Kim was as excited as a child.
'I can understand. Do you think I am doing the right thing?'
'Are you kidding? What kind of stupid question is that?' Kim comforted Serena. 'It's been five years since…'
'Five years and four months almost, but I still miss him.'
'That's because you've left it for so long that you've got used to a vacuum. I am sure everything will change after you get married, honey.'
'Coming back to the honeymoon, we are planning one in February. Nikos has some work in January… not sure what your plans are?' Serena asked.
'I can check with Ron. Where are you going?'
'I am going into his bed.'
'I know that
slut, where would his bed be?'
'Why don't you check with Ron if the timing suits you guys? We can always firm up the location later,' Serena suggested.
'That's a good idea.'
'I wish we could do the wedding shopping together.'
'Why don't you come over to Mumbai and we could do it here.'
'I don't think I can.' Serena sounded disappointed.
'Don't worry, we'll catch up with each other on the honeymoon.' Kim once again comforted her friend.
'Keep in touch. You have my number now.' Serena knew her number would have been displayed on Kim's mobile.
'Thanks for calling, honey.'
***
'I called Kim.' Serena told Nikos when she got back. 'I told her we're getting married in Greece on January 7th.'
'Let me guess… she's getting married the same day.' He gave a wicked smile. 'Did she have any news?'
'None at all, though I didn't specifically ask about anything,' Serena replied.
'That's okay. If she had heard about anyone looking for me, for whatever reason, she would have mentioned it anyway, I am sure.'
'When do we start packing?' Serena asked.
'Most of what you see in this penthouse is not ours… we just need to carry our personal belongings…'
'Even the antiques?' Serena looked around.
'None of them are genuine. We can leave them here.'
'You lied to me all this while?'
'You never asked, sweetheart. I only lied to your friend Paul, in the beginning,' Nikos responded.
'And the Jaguar?'
'That's genuine. But I'll sell it here before I go. I don't want to transfer it to the new address so that we can be traced to Spain. I want everyone to believe we've moved to Greece.'
'You've planned everything,' Serena complimented him.
'Yes, sweetheart.' He took her in his arms and kissed her forehead.
The villa deal in Spain had come through. The money had been transferred from Switzerland, and the balance paid in cash by Nikos who had made a trip alone during the week when Serena was at work. He had taken possession of the villa and collected the keys from Alfredo. All that was left was faking the wedding in Greece, which had already been announced by Serena in the bank to her colleagues, and even to Kim back in India. Once they left the UK, they had no reason to return.
