by Rashad Salim
“Makes you think about life and death, doesn’t it?” she asked.
“Yeah...”
“What went through your mind when you saw him?”
Two things came to mind just then.
First, how I thought Malhotra’s corpse wasn’t real. Maybe a mannequin or something.
And second, Shazia sounded a lot like that bitch from the Today, Laura, by asking me that question.
She stared into my eyes waiting for an answer and all I could do was stare back and wish she never looked away.
“How did you find out about this?” I asked her.
“I heard about it. Everyone was talking about it.”
I looked around. “Everyone still is.”
“Only because you found the body.”
I looked at her hands on the bench top. I wanted to take them in mine and hold them while we talked. It was a stupid thought and I looked away as if my thoughts were obvious to her.
“...And not because the boy was our age?” I said.
“Exactly. He could’ve been any one of us.”
“You think so?” I didn’t believe it myself.
There was no way of knowing how Malhotra ended up in that canal. I lived a safe lifestyle. Sure, I messed around and did stupid shit with my friends but for the most part I didn’t think I ever put myself at risk with strangers.
“Yeah,” she said. “I do.”
A distant memory came to me then and I laughed.
She laughed too. “What is it?”
I looked at her and thought she looked so beautiful in that moment. Her eyes, her lips, her nose, her hair in the wind – the way she was looking back at me.
“Ah, it’s nothin’. Just stupid.”
I felt her kick my leg under the bench and she grabbed my sleeve. The physicality of her actions took me by surprise.
“No, tell me!” She was pleading but smiling. “I wanna know now.”
I realised I had her attention. I had Shazia Manzoor’s attention like never before and it made me feel happy despite the grim topic of discussion.
I looked at her and decided to tell her what I had remembered.
“You know when we were little kids – like five or six years old – I remember the whole class was sat around together so the teacher could give us a little talk on strangers.” Shazia leaned closer. “Anyway, the teacher told us to never accept sweets from strangers, okay?”
Shazia nodded, listening carefully.
“And when she asked us if we had any questions, I put my hand up. And she said ‘yes Asim?’ and I said ‘what kind of sweets do they give out?’”
That made Shazia laugh out loud. She had such a sweet laugh I could hear it all day and I couldn’t ever recall making a pretty girl laugh like that before.
“And I remember my friend sitting next to me tryin’ to get me to shut up and me protesting, I was like ‘no, I wanna know! What kind of sweets are we talking about here? Do they give out chocolate?’”
Shazia’s laughter eased up. She looked at me and shook her head, smiling.
I smiled back. “The shit kids say, eh?”
She smiled.
“If only I understood the danger...”
She nodded and stared out into the distance, in deep thought.
We were silent for a long moment then but it wasn’t awkward. It felt like we were just comfortable in each other’s company and it was probably the best moment of the year for me.
“...Well, I’ve gotta go now,” she said and stood up.
“Was nice talking to you. We should do it more often.”
She smiled and walked away.
I watched her go, thinking I wanted to have her again like that. Again and again. For as long as possible.
When she turned the corner I looked away and caught sight of Max in the distance. He was with a few other boys but he was looking right at me.
I wondered how long he had been standing there.
On the way home from school I told Omar all about my little heart to heart with Shazia.
I knew there was a good chance he’d blab about it to the wrong person but I didn’t care. I was almost giddy with the possibility that something was forming between me and Shazia and couldn’t hold it in.
I also told him about how Max had seen us and asked him what he made of that.
“Sounds like he’s jealous.”
“Very likely but I don’t care.”
“Even if he fancies her?”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t mean anythin’. If he fancies her then he should’ve made his move before. I beat him to it.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Max asked her out last year.”
The news came to me as a shock. Max never said anything about it to me.
“You serious?”
He was silent.
“...You’re chattin’ shit.”
He shook his head.
“You better not be makin’ this up,” I said. “I’ll rip your fat tits off if you are.”
“I ain’t.”
“How do you know this?”
“I heard shit.”
“Right.” I was still hoping it wasn’t true. And the more it sounded like rumours, the better it was for me.
“...And ...er ...he also told me.”
The fact that Max had told Omar and not me stung me almost as bad as learning about Max’s crush on Shazia. There was a time when Max and I used to tell each other everything.
“What did he say?”
“Nothin’. Just that he asked her out.”
“And?”
“And she said no. Obviously.”
Actually it wasn’t obvious she would reject Max. Sure, she had been single for as long as anyone knew but if she was going to go out with anyone, Max seemed a good bet as any.
He wasn’t like me. He was good looking, athletic and popular.
“Don’t get too happy,” he said. “Just ‘cause she said no to him don’t mean she’ll say yes to you!”
I grabbed him in a headlock and ruffled his hair before letting him go.
We walked in silence for a while.
“Think you and Max will break up?”
His comment sounded so gay it made me laugh. But it was a good question.
“Nah, man. We’re mates for life. Always will be. No matter what.”
Even as the clichés poured out of my mouth I knew I wasn’t fooling anyone. Least of all myself.
11
DC Cole
It was slow going with the investigation during the first few days. They were the most crucial days of the investigation and yet we didn’t get much done. There was a lot of back and forth with records and databases concerning the Police National Computer and a lot of liaising with everyone that knew Rishi Malhotra.
Richardson and I met with his school teachers, friends, classmates and talked to his close relatives in more detail. Richardson had a feeling there was something in the boy’s lifestyle that might be the key but nothing turned up. He didn’t appear to have led a secret lifestyle. He was as square as they came.
When I spoke to his friends and got them to dish the dirt on him, they came up with nothing. Just like his family and relatives, none of his mates could think of anyone who wanted to harm him.
I went out with PC Enfield to the place Malhotra was last seen. Nothing peculiar stood out. At the end of the day, Richardson and I visited the crime scene again just in case something we overlooked would reveal itself. But that proved pointless.
It was fair to say that the case was moving along slowly and with no indication of being solved any time soon.
That was until another Binford boy went missing.
12
Asim
On the second day back to school, Omar and I were on our way to morning registration but before we even reached our classroom, Mrs Taylor was directing everyone towards the assembly hall. I thought this was odd because that had never
happened before.
I thought about asking Mrs Taylor what was going on but I could see she wasn’t taking any questions from the other students.
We entered the assembly hall and I realised it was an emergency assembly for Year 11. The other students, sensing the seriousness of this sudden assembly, refrained from their usual misbehaviour during assemblies.
Once all the classes were present, our Head of Year Mr White stood at the front with the Headmaster Mr Kent.
Mr White eventually broke the silence. “Thank you all for arriving on time. I’m sure you’re all wondering why you’re here and I’ll explain now.”
I had held my breath until he revealed his reason.
“One of your fellow students, Ravinder Singh, failed to arrive home yesterday after school. His family haven’t heard from him since yesterday morning. The police were notified of his absence and are looking for him now but what they’ve asked from me – and which I was eager to do – is to make this announcement to all his friends and classmates. Please, if there is anything you know that will help us find Ravinder, it’ll be greatly appreciated. It is of the utmost importance that we hear from him.”
Omar and I looked at each other dumbstruck.
“I want you all to know that you can speak in confidence to any teacher and there will be no threat of punishment to you if you come forward now with vital information. Time is of the essence, boys and girls. Please assist us in finding your missing classmate.”
That was it. He walked out with the headmaster and then we were all led back to our classrooms for registration.
I can remember feeling the hair at the back of my neck standing up as I made my way back to glass. Only the day before, Ravinder had been messing around right beside us and now no one had a clue where he was.
Mrs Taylor let us into the classroom and we took our seats while she stood outside talking to one of the other teachers.
I stared down at the table in front of me and shifted in my seat. I was wondering where Ravinder was in that moment when I looked up and noticed everyone was looking at me. I tried to think of something that would ease the tension in the air but nothing came.
I couldn’t tell why exactly they were looking at me. The morning before I had sat in the same seat and told the entire class and Mrs Taylor how I had slid down the canal side to check I had actually seen an unconscious person lying face down in the dirty water.
Then I realised it was expectation in their eyes.
They expected me to know something more than them but there was only one question on my mind – was Ravinder’s missing presence connected to Rishi Malhotra’s eventual fate?
13
DC Cole
Three days after Rishi Malhotra’s corpse was found, I was in the office with Enfield and going over some new case files he had brought me when Richardson walked in and told us the news of another Binford boy had gone missing.
“What are you sayin’?” I asked Richardson.
“Do you know how many people are reported missing every week?” Enfield asked Richardson.
“Hear me out,” Richardson said. “It’s another Asian boy.”
“Think it has to do with our case?” I asked.
Richardson nodded.
“What makes you say that beside the fact that it’s an Asian boy gone missin’?” I asked.
“Did he go to the same school as Malhotra? Live in the same neighbourhood?” Enfield asked. “Tell me you got more than just their ethnicity in common with each other.”
Richardson raised his hand to silence Enfield. “They don’t go to the same school and they didn’t live in the same part of town.”
Enfield threw his hands in the air and leaned back in his seat.
“What’s the missing boy’s name?” I asked.
Richardson read the name from a Post-it note: “Ravinder Singh.”
“Don’t tell me you think they’re related just because both boys were Asian,” Enfield said.
“There might be somethin’ to it,” I said.
“Look, I might be wrong about this,” Enfield said. “The two could well be connected but as far as the boys being Asian goes, the majority of this town’s population is Asian. Are we gonna try connecting every Asian victim of crime to Malhotra?”
He had a point and I could see Richardson knew it too.
“Who’s handling Ravinder Singh’s case?” I asked.
Richardson took a deep breath. “DI Shaun Clark.”
“Uh oh,” Enfield said and avoided Richardson’s gaze.
I wondered what he meant. I looked at Richardson for a clue but he didn’t acknowledge Enfield’s comment.
I had met Clark just once and that had been just for a few seconds on my first day when I was introduced to various members of the department. He seemed like a friendly man but I had no idea what he was like and right now I didn’t get a good feeling about him judging by Enfield’s remark.
“What’s the big deal?” I asked both of them.
“Shit, don’t look at me,” Enfield said, and looked down at some documents. “Talk to him.”
I reminded myself to ask Richardson about Clark when the two of us were alone. I had a feeling it was a sensitive topic.
“Have you said anythin’ to the Chief about your assumptions?” I asked.
“No, but I will,” Richardson said.
I walked out to use the toilet. On my way back from the toilet I spotted Clark talking to another officer. I thought I’d say hello so I approached him. He saw me coming so I greeted him and the other officer left us alone.
We made some small talk. He asked me how I was finding the department and I told him I was getting the hang of where everything was.
“What about the area?” he asked. “What do you make of Binford?”
“It is what it is.” I didn’t want anyone else on the force thinking I saw Binford as challenging so I had to play it safe. Not that I couldn’t handle the new position. I’d spent the previous few years working in South London’s roughest areas.
Clark looked at me and smirked. “You can say that again.”
“Say, I just heard you’re workin’ a missing person case, is that right?”
He answered without any hesitation. “Yeah, a local boy.”
“When was he reported missin’?”
“Yesterday.”
“How old was he?”
“Sixteen.”
The same age as Rishi Malhotra.
“His parents made the report?”
“Yeah. Why are you so curious?” Clark asked.
“Think it might be connected to our murdered schoolboy?”
“It’s a bit early at this stage to tell either way, don’t you think?” It sounded like he was challenging my judgement. “My boy was only reported missing. There’s nothing to indicate anything more than that.”
“’Course. But doesn’t it make you wonder if they’re connected?”
“Not really,” Clark said. “The boys seem different. From what I understand, Malhotra was a straight arrow. The one I’m trying to find is a bit of a rascal.”
“How so?”
“His mum said he ran away from home about a year ago after an argument with his dad.”
“And you think he’s done it again?”
“Can’t say for certain. He didn’t leave a note or tell anyone where he was going.”
“Doesn’t that make you wonder?”
Clark said nothing.
“The last time he ran away – and I’m not saying he ran away this time – how long was he gone?”
Clark thought it over. “He came back the next day.”
“And where had he gone? Did he say?”
“He was at a friend’s place.”
“Did you check with that friend this time?”
He smiled. “...Are you telling me how to do my job?”
I was stunned by his abrupt reply and held up my hands in denial. “’Course not, mate. Sorry, I’m just curious.�
�� I laughed and tried to make my intrusive questioning seem like harmless banter but I knew it was too late for any of that. He had lost his patience with me. “I was just thinkin’ out loud. I mean it’s not my case or anythin’...”
“You got that right,” he said and walked away.
I hurried back to the office I shared with Richardson. Enfield had gone but Richardson was still there. I told him everything I heard from Clark. He listened to everything without interrupting and when I was done he stood up.
“How obvious is it now? The cases are connected. We need to talk to the Chief.”
I hadn’t been convinced myself about whether there was a connection between the cases. Clark had been right about the missing boy’s case still being in the early stages.
The last thing I wanted was for Richardson to go telling the Chief how Ravinder Singh had been abducted – there wasn’t any evidence to support that – and how it had something to do with Rishi Malhotra’s murder. If Ravinder wandered back home we’d look like idiots who wasted everyone’s time.
I was about to talk him out of making any serious moves when he dashed out the office. I knew where he was going and groaned.
14
DC Cole
Chief Stein was the man who convinced me to join his department. I had been in talks with other Superintendents of other departments and still hadn’t decided where I was going to transfer until I met with him in his office. He said I’d be a good fit in his department and how I’d balance out the whole team with my contributions.
At the time, I was really happy to hear him say all that but I had heard things from others too. Like how he had to boot out several officers in recent years for breaking too many rules and tarnishing ‘the good name of Binford Police Station’. He told me he expected me to continue maintaining my standards while working with his other officers. That was the thought on my mind when I walked into his office with Richardson.
Stein was sitting behind his desk. He was in his late fifties, in better shape than I expected him to have been when I first met him and wore a Tom Selleck moustache.
