The Forbidden Daughter

by Shobhan Bantwal

But Sheila stunned her by saying, “I think she felt guiltier than ever, subjecting her own flesh and blood to such difficult circumstances. She wants to continue to see them.”

  “You’re not serious!”

  “Isha, there were tears in Ayee’s eyes when she saw Diya. She kept staring at her all the while and asking to hold her. I think the baby’s strong resemblance to Niku is what affected Ayee so sharply.”

  “Really? I thought she’d detest Diya more than Priya because . . . well, you know why.”

  “You’re wrong. Diya resembles Niku even more than Priya does, even down to the expression. Ayee recognized that right away. I think her need to see the kids again grew stronger after she met Diya.”

  “That means you’ll be stuck chauffeuring the girls back and forth to visit Ayee. I don’t want to burden you with that.”

  “Don’t be silly!” said Sheila. “The boys and I go there frequently. I’ll just take the girls at the same time, if it’s okay with you, that is.”

  “I’ll think about it. At the moment I have other things to worry about. My confrontation with Karnik may have caused more trouble than I thought. Harish pointed it out to me, so now I have to see what I can do to patch things up.”

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  “Exactly what are you going to do? Ring Karnik and apologize?”

  Isha bit her lip. “I might have to.”

  “Let me know whatever you decide.”

  “Okay.” Isha said a hasty good night and put down the phone. From Harish’s expression she could tell he had the computer up and running, and was waiting for her. “I’ll get the disk,” she told him and went into the bedroom. A minute later she returned with the envelope.

  Harish inserted the disk into the appropriate drive and clicked the mouse a couple of times. He frowned at the screen when something popped up. “Interesting! Pull up your chair,”

  he instructed her. “I want you to take a look at the date the information was saved to the disk.”

  She moved her chair closer and studied what he pointed out.

  “June 23rd!” She turned to Harish. “It was the night Nikhil died! That means he obtained the information the same day he was killed.”

  “Look at the time—12:21 AM. That’s a little after midnight of June 22nd . ” Harish leaned back in his chair and stared at the screen for several seconds. “I don’t mean to offend you, but do you think Nikhil stole the file from Karnik’s computer?”

  “Nikhil wasn’t a thief! He’d never break into someone’s place and steal something.”

  “He may have been enraged and desperate enough to do it.

  Or he could have hired someone to do it for him.”

  “I’m not sure about that.” She didn’t know what to think.

  There were so many secrets and so many unanswered questions.

  Did she really know Nikhil at all? Could he have been a thief?

  Again she wondered, what else had her late husband been doing behind her back? The thought made her cringe. It was tantamount to being betrayed by a dead man.

  Harish’s voice brought her back to the present. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He had the file opened and displayed on the screen. “Do the spreadsheets contain this?”

  Despite knowing more or less what to expect, Isha still drew 230 Shobhan Bantwal

  in a sharp breath when she saw the same data that she had on the paper copies. “I think so.” She spread out the papers on the kitchen table for him to see.

  He took a couple of minutes to examine and compare the information, then let out a low whistle. “Wow! The old man’s been busy, and becoming very wealthy with his ugly side business.

  Besides, all these are probably cash transactions, so the income-tax folks have no clue. The money is all his, free and clear.” He shook his head. “Incredible!”

  “Exactly my sentiments when I first saw this. Despite what I already knew, when I saw how extensive the list was, I was stunned.” She pointed to a few names on the list. “These are people I know well. At least I thought I did. I never imagined these women would resort to selective abortion.” She pondered it for a second. “No wonder they’re all giving birth to boys while I’ve had two girls.”

  “And some of those precious boys are my patients,” he said.

  The sarcasm in his voice wasn’t lost on Isha.

  “How eerie is that? Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World in motion?”

  “If not that, then it’s close,” he said dryly. “Did you know that a conservative estimate puts anywhere between eight and ten million girls as either aborted or killed in infancy in the last two decades?”

  “That many!” She’d been under the impression it was a few hundred thousand. “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “I started reading up on the subject after we discussed it the other day. I was shocked. And, remember, it’s only a conservative estimate, meaning a certain percentage of the cases are never recorded.”

  “So there could be lots more that never come to light . . . like Karnik’s cases.” She gave herself a moment to absorb the fact.

  “It could even be twice that number. My God!” It was sicken-ing.

  Harish gave her a searching look. “I don’t mean to pry, but do you think Sheila and Kumar may have gone through this?”

  “No way! Sheila was shocked when I told her Ayee and Baba THE

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  wanted me to have an abortion. Her distress was genuine. I’ve known Sheila and Kumar for many years and I know they’d never resort to something like this. You’ve seen how much they love both my children.”

  “I’m glad,” murmured Harish. “I’ve come to like and respect them.”

  “Besides, I think they were hoping for a girl the second time around. They got Arvind instead.”

  Harish saved the data from the disk onto his hard drive and pulled out three blank disks from a storage pocket in the computer case. A few minutes later he had the information copied on the new disks. “Tomorrow I’ll print up a set for my office safe and one for the safety deposit box.”

  “What’s the third one for?”

  “For the police,” he said, looking at her across the table.

  “Don’t look so alarmed. I’ll take them directly to the superintendent. I know him.”

  “You mean Patil?” When he nodded, she gave a contemptuous sniff. “I know him, too. Fat lot of good he did when Nikhil took the evidence to him! And just look at his investigation of Nikhil’s death. More than a year and a quarter later, what does Patil have to show for it?”

  “But that could be because Nikhil never had a chance to get this evidence to Patil. We now know he was killed only hours after he got the disk.”

  “Hmm.” He had a point. She hadn’t thought of that.

  “Assuming Nikhil never had a chance to turn this over to Patil, it’s up to us. We need to share with him what we have.”

  He shut down the computer. “Besides, with no clues whatsoever, what could Patil do? Karnik must have hired a pro to do such a thorough job.” He stopped what he was doing and shifted his gaze to her. “All the more reason why I’m concerned about your safety.”

  A shiver went through her. “Should we tell Patil that we have copies of everything?”

  “He’ll know that anyway. He’s a seasoned police officer.”

  Putting the three disks in his shirt pocket, Harish packed up the 232 Shobhan Bantwal

  computer. “I’ll take care of storing the copies in the appropriate places. Make sure you keep yours locked, too.”

  “All right.” The icy feeling still lingered. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “For what?”

  “For turning your nice, uncomplicated life upside down.

  You’re probably wondering why in the world your path crossed mine.”

  He gave her a slow, heartwarming smile. “I’m wondering why our paths didn’t cross when we
were both young and single.”

  “They did in college.”

  “But they didn’t cross in the real sense. We were kids then—

  students.”

  “You are still young and single, and the world is yours to take, Harish. Go grab it with both hands before it’s too late.”

  “I am trying to grab the world with both hands. I’m hoping you’ll be part of it.”

  She patted his hand. “Give me some time.”

  “All right.” He gently brushed his thumb across her lips, making them quiver. “Be very, very careful, Isha. Don’t go out alone or let any strangers into the flat. Let Sundari screen your phone calls. If she doesn’t recognize the voice, tell her to say you’re busy.”

  “You better take care, too,” she cautioned him. “Karnik knows we’re friends.” She waited while he picked up his computer bag and headed for the door.

  “Get some rest now,” he advised, and then took off.

  Chapter 27

  Harish wasn’t quite sure if it was his imagination, but a vehicle had been behind his car for a while and seemed to be folllowing him. As he’d left his office after working very late, started his car, and merged into the traffic, he had noticed a Jeep pull out of a parked spot and get in behind him. This late in the evening, when it was pitch-dark, it was impossible to tell its color.

  There was plenty of distance between the two vehicles, so at first he hadn’t paid any attention, but as he snaked his way through the traffic inside town and then out into the suburban section where his brother’s house was located, he noticed the vehicle still trailing behind him.

  Very few people took the route he traveled, from one end of the town to the other—a shortcut via small side streets. It was a convoluted route, but he had figured it out by trial and error as the quickest and most convenient one at this time of the evening. Who else would use the exact same pattern?

  Odd, he thought, looking at the headlights in his rearview mirror once again. Could it be the police following him? If so, why? Had he broken any traffic laws?

  Then something clicked in his mind. And a spark of fear ig-nited with it. That morning he had called Patil’s office and had been told that Patil was out of town for a couple of days. Since Harish didn’t trust anyone else in the department, he had left 234 Shobhan Bantwal

  only his name and phone number with a message for Patil to call him back. He had asked that his request be marked urgent.

  And now someone was following him home? He believed in coincidence up to a point. This didn’t seem like one. Besides, in Palgaum, this type of utility vehicle was almost exclusive to police, the armed forces, the public works department, and a couple of other government entities. Could this be someone in Patil’s office? Someone who had access to Patil’s messages? It could even be the very man who’d taken Harish’s message.

  That’s when Harish wondered if it had been wise to leave a message for Patil. Once he’d learned Patil was out of town, he should have hung up and tried again in a couple of days. But it was too late to change that now.

  So instead of leading his tail to his brother’s house and possibly putting his family in danger, he made an abrupt turn and drove toward a popular restaurant in town. On the way he called his mother and told her not to hold dinner for him because he was meeting a friend.

  He parked in a well-lit area outside the eatery and went in.

  Even this late, the place was crowded. When he asked for a table that faced the door, the waiter informed him he’d have to wait. While he waited he stood by the entrance, watching the parking lot. Despite keeping his eyes peeled, he didn’t see the vehicle anywhere. Ten minutes later, he was seated at a small table that had a clear view of the entry door.

  With his stomach in knots and his gaze fixed on the entrance, he ate very little of the meal he ordered. But he took his time over it, hoping the person who’d followed him would get tired and go away.

  Customers walked in periodically, but no one seemed particularly interested in him. In fact, nobody even bothered to look his way except one young couple whose child was his patient.

  They stopped by his table to exchange a few friendly words.

  While he deliberately lingered over his dinner, the restaurant crowd thinned out to only a handful of patrons.

  Much later, after paying for his dinner and returning to the parking lot, he took a careful look around, and even at the THE

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  backseat of his car, before he climbed in and drove home. There was no one following him.

  But he knew it was a false sense of security. He could feel the disquiet in his bones. Besides, everyone in town knew where he lived, where his family lived, and by now perhaps even where Isha and her children had taken up residence. She’d been there for some months. The post office and all the utility companies had her address.

  And that brought on a renewed surge of fear. What if his tail had abandoned him to go after Isha? He’d never considered that possibility until this minute.

  The instant he entered his house he dialed her mobile number. There was no point in calling the land line and disturbing the children. They’d be in bed by now.

  When she answered the phone in her usual manner he took a deep, relieved breath. He heard music in the background, which meant she was sewing. And that was reassuring. She always had the radio on for company when she worked. “Is everything okay, Isha?” he asked her, trying to sound casual.

  “Sure. Why do you ask?” Her voice took on a wary note in spite of his attempts at nonchalance. It seemed like she was jittery, too.

  “No particular reason. Since last night I’ve been a little on edge. I tried calling Patil, by the way. But he’s out of town attending a conference, so I couldn’t meet him.”

  “I guess we’ll have to wait until he returns.” She must have guessed something was bothering him. “Harish, what’s wrong?”

  “Well . . .” In the end he decided it was best to err on the side of caution. “Look, when I called Patil’s office, I left a message with someone to have him call me back . . . and . . . it may not have been a wise thing to do.”

  “What else could you do but leave a message?” In spite of her supportive words he could hear the undercurrent of disquiet in her voice.

  “But one never knows who’s listening in or who’s reading the messages. So please be careful, understand?”

  “I’m trying my best. I’ve cautioned Sundari against taking the 236 Shobhan Bantwal

  children out to the park, or anywhere, for that matter. And we’re keeping the doors to both flats locked at all times. In any case, I’m the one Karnik might come after, not the children or Sundari. They have nothing to do with this.”

  “I know you’re being vigilant, but I still worry about you. All four of you.”

  “It’s nice to know we have someone strong and dependable watching over us.”

  “Are you mocking me, Isha Tilak?” he jested.

  “No.”

  “You make me sound like that senile old knight, the fellow who fought imaginary windmills. We read that book in our high school English class.”

  “You mean Don Quixote?”

  “That’s the one.” Harish was having a hard time keeping the smile out of his feigned indignation. She had a way of making him smile.

  But she was serious. “Of course not! I meant every word. It’s nice to be able to depend on someone like you when I could be headed for trouble.”

  “Good. Now make sure the locks are secure and keep your mobile phone close by.”

  “At the moment, I’m working, and since I’m talking to you I obviously have my mobile with me, Doctor,” she informed him with a chuckle. “And before you ask me the next question, let me assure you that your number and Sheila’s are programmed into my speed dial.”

  “Excellent. Are the children asleep yet?”

  “A while ago, and so is Sundari. I checked on them before I came to the
shop. I’m trying to meet a deadline for a birthday party dress.”

  “I’ll let you get back to it, then. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he said and rang off, hoping he hadn’t scared her too much. But putting her on her guard was better than letting her become complacent and hence careless.

  To practice what he’d preached to Isha, he made sure all his windows and his front and back doors were locked. He’d have THE

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  to depend on the ceiling fan in his bedroom to keep the air cir-culating. To add a little extra security, on each doorknob he placed a small battery-operated device. Any movement on the door was supposed to set off a shrill alarm.

  They were a gift from a college classmate and close friend, Phillip D’Souza, who was a police inspector in a neighboring district. Harish had never used the fancy gadgets before. He hadn’t seen any use for them. But tonight he felt insecure enough to take them out of their boxes, read the instructions, and install them. They were probably not much of a deterrent to a seasoned criminal, but they’d let Harish sleep a little better.

  He made a mental note to go to a store the next day and look for a similar device for Isha’s flat.

  After changing into pajamas and turning off all the lights, he parted the thick curtains on his bedroom window a crack and made a quick visual survey of the street. It was dead, the only movement being the giant moths flitting around the vapor lamp of the streetlight. There wasn’t a single vehicle. Maybe that Jeep had been a figment of his imagination?

  But that little voice in his brain said it wasn’t. His instincts were usually right on target. Someone had been tailing him for a reason.

  And then he saw it, the vehicle from earlier, making a slow pass on the street in front of his house. There was no way he could read the license plate.

  And his fear for Isha’s safety went up another notch.

  He picked up the phone and rang his friend the police officer.

  “Phillip, sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I need your help urgently. How soon can you get here?” He figured if Phillip started right away and drove fast, he could arrive in an hour or so.

  Phillip must have been asleep. He sounded irritable and groggy.