X: The Hunt Begins

by Unknown

  Virat rose and looked at Aditya, his face set. “We need to call the station. She's dead.” Diya's sobbing increased. Virat took out his mobile and dialled the police station's number.

  * * *

  In less than an hour, the room had tranformed. The corpse had been placed in a bodybag and carried out to the waiting police van. Constables male and female milled around the house. A photographer scanned the room taking pictures of the area from every angle. A crowd of neighbours and pedestrians had gathered outside the house.

  Aditya and Virat stood with Inspector Shahid in the living room. Diya was sitting on a couch, her eyes blank and unresponsive as she stared at the ground.

  “How many people live in this house, miss?” Shahid asked.

  “Just me and my sister.” Diya said in a low, toneless voice. “Our parents left us the house.”

  “Looks like a professonal job.” Shahid mutterred. He adderessed Diya. “Must've taken a lot of planning to carry out the break in without alerting any of the neighbours. Any idea what was taken from the cupboard?”

  “Our jewellery is gone from the safe.” Diya said mechanically. “It was worth around a lakh, I think.”

  Shahid nodded, staring around the room. “I noticed the iron bars outside the window had been removed.”

  Diya's eyes turned slowly to focus on him. She nodded. “Yes, the bars had rusted and were breakng off. They'd been specially made and were of a very good quality, so we sent the entire frame away to have them rewelded.”

  “How long ago was that?” Shahid asked.

  “I'm not sure.” Diya's eyes had become unfoccused again. “Two weeks ago, I think. There might be a reciept. If you want me to look...”

  “That's okay, I'll take your word for it for now.” Shahid said. He turned and muttered to Virat. “This might give us a window of time for when the murder was planned.”

  Virat nodded in agreement. A constable appeared at the doorway of the room. “Sir.” He spoke to Shahid. “There's a boy outside. Says his name is Suraj and he was called to come here on the phone.”

  “I called him.” Diya said, looking up quickly at Shahid. “He knew my sister and me. Please let him come in.”

  Shahid nodded to the constable, and he left. A minute later, a young man entered the room, looking dazed. He was good looking but with a slightly foolish expression. There was a dazed look on his face as he stared at the officers in the room.

  His eyes fell on Diya, and he made his way towards her. “Is... is it true? Is Kavya...?” Diya stared up at him and slowly nodded. He looked stunned. He sat near her and put an arm tentatively around her. She stared at him for another moment as her eyes filled with tears, and she buried her head in his shoulder.

  Shahid gazed at the scene dispassionately for a moment before turning to Aditya. “Good thing the boy got here. She'll need all the help she can get to make it through this. And we'll need all the information she can provide as quickly as possible if we want to get the murderer.”

  Aditya nodded. What had started with a client seeking advice had turned into a full blown investigation. This was where the real work began.

  * * *

  “I feel so sorry for Diya.” Payal sighed. “I feel like I should go to her house and try to console her, but then I think I don't know her well enough and it might feel like an intrusion.”

  She was sitting wiith Aditya in Virat's apartment. Aditya and Virat had submitted their reports on the murder at the station. Vira was still working with Shahid on collecting data related to the case.

  “Things are going to be tough for her for a bit.” Aditya said. “Terrible enough that her sister died. But she'll be completely tied up in the police proceedings for the next few days as well as the funeral arrangements. She's the only surviving family member.”

  “Does the police have any idea who the killer could have been?” Payal asked.

  “All we have to go on is the description of the attacker that Kavya gave us before she was murdered.” Aditya said. “Fortunately the description was pretty thorough. Tall, dark, with a scar down his neck. She didn't recognise the man. Neighbours haven't seen a man like that before either.”

  There were sounds of footsteps outside, and Virat entered. He looked tired, and immediately flopped onto the chair opposite Aditya, reaching for the water bottle.

  “Any leads?” Aditya asked.

  Virat shook his head, taking a deep draught of water. “Still too early to determine who the killer could have been. Cases like these, first thing you look for is the financial angle. The sisters parents had died, but they'd left both a tidy sum in terms of savings bonds. Thirty lakh for each girl. We've had a look through Kavya Rajan's financial records. And guess what? She'd written over checks to her boyfriend for upwards of fifty thousand rupees in the last month.”

  “So you think the boyfriend was involved?” Payal asked.

  “It had to be someone who was familiar with the house.” Virat said with a shrug. “Someone who knew the bars had been removed from the window. We've just started looking at the motives. It'll all become clearer once we can get witness statements from the maid and the neighbours.”

  * * *

  “And now, I'd like to know what exactly your part in this whole business is.” Shahid said as he lowered himself on the chair behind his desk at the station.

  In front of him sat Aditya and Virat. It was a day after the murder. The preliminary investigations had been carried out. There was precious little to go on as far as possible leads were concerned. And so Shahid had called the two for a discussion.

  Virat told Shahid about Diya Rajan's visit to their apartment, and everything that had occurred afterwards, up until they found Kavya's body in the bedroom.

  “ESP?” Shahid rubbed his chin dubiously. He glanced at Aditya. “Do you seriously believe that?”

  Aditya paused, choosing his words with care. “Something similar to it. Like I've already told Virat, my theory involves something that to the layman would sound a lot like ESP.”

  “What's that?”

  Aditya related the theory of mental suggestion he had explained to Virat. Shahid looked unconvinced. He frowned, rubbing his eyes. “Be that as it may, that explanation doesn't take us any closer to finding the murderer. Neighbours saw and heard nothing. Which should be almost impossible, unless they all decided to sleep in late that morning.”

  “What about the description of the killer?” Virat asked.

  “I could point out fifty men on the street who match the description.” Shahid said bluntly. “All except the scar bit. Not a lot to go on.”

  “And the forensic report?” Aditya asked.

  “Very little of use. Victim was stabbed in the back with a sharp blade and bled to death after a lung was punctured. The call you got from the girl puts the time of death somewhere around nine fifty AM. No sign of the murder weapon or fingerprints of any kind so far.” Shahid shook his head, leaning back in his chair. “The actual crime doesn't tell us anything. If we have a hope of solving this case, we need to dig into the past two weeks and find out what happened then.”

  * * *

  Two days had passed since the murder with still no progress on the case when Aditya and Payal went to visit Diya at her house. She was pale and her eyes were reddened, but she looked composed. She thanked them quietly for coming and took them to the living room. A grey haired woman was sweeping the floor of the room, and Diya introduced her as Laxmi, their maid of over three years.

  “How are you holding up?” Payal inquired softly, sitting on the sofa beside Diya.

  “Fine.” Diya said, with an attempt at a smile. “I'm dealing with it. Inspector Shahid's been very kind. Suraj has been coming over regularly. He's helping take care of the funeral.” Her eyes filled with tears again, and she abruptly stopped talking. Payal reached over and held her hand tightly.

  The maid Laxmi was watching Diya, and there were tears in her eyes as well. Aditya motioned to her, and she followed hi
m into the kitchen, wiping her tears with the edge of her sari.

  “Has she been eating regularly?” He asked in a low voice.

  “Very little, saabji.” Laxmi said, sniffing loudly. “She just sits in front of the tv or in her bedroom with the lights turned off. I wish she had a relative who could help her get through this terrible time. But all the family she had was her sister.”

  “And you.” Aditya said. “I'm sure you're of tremendous help to her as well.”

  “I do what I can.” She said with a watery smile. “They were like my own daughters. I can't believe Kavya madam is gone.” Her eyes filled with fresh tears.

  “I wanted to ask you about that.” Aditya said. “Did you see anyone loitering around the house the past week or two?”

  The maid shook her head. “This is a respectable colony. We don't have ruffians hanging around the streets.”

  “And yet, one of them killed your madam.” Aditya said. “Where do you think he came from?”

  “I don't know where he came from, but I know what really killed her.” Laxmi said. She wiped her eyes and stared up at Aditya with an ominous air. “It was the evil eye.”

  “What do you mean?” Aditya asked.

  Laxmi walked out of the kitchen to the main door, beckoning for Aditya to follow. Payal was still sitting with Diya in the living room. Laxmi brought him to stand next to the front gate, where a dark smudge was marked on the wall.

  “There!” She pointed dramatically at the smudge. “A swami baba came to the house a week ago, saabji. He was on a holy pilgrimage to the moutains. He asked us for something to eat. I wanted to give him something from the fridge, but Kavya madam sent him way. She was very rude to him, and he cursed her. He put a mark on the wall to bring evil spirits here.” The woman's shoulders began to shake again. “I begged Madam to ask his forgiveness so he would remove the evil eye, but she just laughed at me. Now look what has happened.”

  “What did the man look like?” Aditya asked.

  “He was old and had long grey hair.” Laxmi said. “He wore a tilak and had those black robes on that babas wear. Very dark.”

  “Was he a large man?” Aditya asked, his eyes narrowing. “Did you happen to see a scar anywhere?”

  “I'm sorry, saabji.” The maid shook her head. “I was too scared to notice. I told Diya madam about it, too. They had a big argument, but Kavya madam just wouldn't listen.”

  “Was Diya worried about the tramp coming back?” Aditya asked. “Or did they argue often about these kind of things?”

  The maid shook her head. “They argued and they fought, yes. But which sisters don't? They could yell themselves hoarse at each other, but there was always love there, too. Look at her now. The poor dear refuses to step out of the house. She's wasting away right in front of me, pining for her sister.”

  The maid again dissolved into tears, and Aditya led her back into the house. He made his way over to the dining room where Payal and Diya sat whispering to each other.

  “Do you feel safe sleeping here alone at night?” He inquired, sitting in the chair opposite Diya.

  “Mostly.” She said quietly. “Sometimes, I feel like I can still feel her here. Not in a scary way. More like she's... protecting me.” Diya shook her head and looked up at Aditya with a smile. “Don't worry, I won't bother you again with stories of how I can feel things. Suraj has offered to sleep on the sofa to make me feel safer.”

  “Or you could come live with me for a few days.” Payal offered. But Diya shook her head.

  “Thanks. But I still have to take care of so many things around the house. I have to stay. But I'm so grateful you came to check up on me.”

  “We'll come again.” Payal said, getting up and hugging her warmly. “And you have my number. Call me if you need anything.”

  Aditya rose to his feet as well. “Just one more thing before we leave. Do you remember a swami who came here a few days ago?”

  “The man who put the mark outside the house?” Diya paused, then shrugged. “Yes, he seemed a bit mad. Kavya was very rude to him. She was always impatient with people she didn't like.”

  “Did you see the man near the house again?”

  Diya thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don't think so.”

  * * *

  The next day, Aditya sat with Virat in an office at the station. They were waiting for Suraj. Aditya had told Virat about his visit to the Rajan house.Virat's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing the maid's story.

  “Could the old swami be the guy, then?” He asked. “An old tramp who wanted revenge?”

  “Could be.” Aditya mused. “Or maybe the swami thing was a disguise all along. Maybe he was scoping out the house before he planned to break in.”

  Suraj entered the room. His mouth was again slightly open as he gazed at Aditya and Virat. He took the chair offered and sat on it's edge, his hands lying slack on the armrest as he gazed up at the two.

  “So how've you been?” Virat inquired with a smile.

  “All right.” Suraj said. “A bit tired. The couch in Diya's house is really hard.”

  “Well, that's a really nice gesture on your part, helping Diya out in her time of need.” Virat said.

  Suraj nodded. “Yes.”

  There was a pause. Virat waited, but Suraj seemed to have had his say.

  “So, the murder.” Aditya began after a few seconds had passed. “I imagine it must have come as a nasty shock.”

  “It was.” Suraj nodded again, his manner becoming more animated. “I couldn't believe it when I got Diya's call.”

  “You seem to be handling it pretty well.” Virat said.

  “We weren't that close.” Suraj said quickly. “Everyone thinks Kavya and I were dating, but we were just friends.”

  Virat wondered whether he should mention the money Suraj had borrowed from Kavya, but decided against it.

  “Any ideas as to who could've done the job?” He asked instead. “Did your friend have any person who had a grudge against her that you're aware of?”

  “No.” He looked troubled. “But I was talking to Lamxi. She told me about a swamiji who'd put the evil eye on the house.”

  “She told us that, too.” Aditya said drily. “I don't suppose Kavya mentioned the incident to you?”

  “No, but it made me remember something else.” Suraj said slowly.

  “Remember what?” Virat asked quickly. “Hve you seen the swami around here, too? Can you give us a description of him?”

  But Suraj shook his head. “I never saw swamiji. But Laxmi talking about the evil eye reminded me of an incident from some time back.” He gazed up at Aditya, his expression deadly serious. “I was walking Kavya back to her house a few days ago when a black cat crossed our path.”

  There was another pause, longer than the first one. Virat and Aditya stared at Suraj. But again, he appeared to have said all he had to say.

  “A black cat.” Virat repeated at last. Aditya had to make an almost superhuman effort to keep his face devoid of expression.

  Suraj nodded vigorously. “You know what they say about black cats being bad luck. I wanted to retrace our steps and chant the gayatri mantra, but Kavya just laughed at me. She was always so careless about these things. Now I'm thinking, maybe the cat crossing our path along with the swamiji's curse made the thief pick this house to break into.”