by UD Yasha
‘Great timing, Rathod,’ ACP Shukla said the moment Rathod stepped in. ‘The crime scene analysts are just going to start their brief.’
Rathod went to the coffee machine to get another cup. But then he turned around. It wasn’t even four in the afternoon and he had had enough coffee for the next two days. He drank a glass of water instead.
He followed the rest of his team into the conference room. Six police officers were inside. Someone nudged Rathod’s left shoulder. He turned. It was Bhalerao, extending a hand that held a coffee cup.
‘It’s okay, you can have another one’ Bhalerao said with a grin on his face. ‘It’s just one of those days.’
Rathod shook his head but could not stop himself from laughing as he took the coffee.
A man whom Rathod knew as Mohit Marathe stepped forward. He was a new addition to the CID team in Pune and this was only his second case. He specialized in analyzing crime scenes. ACP Shukla stood next to him. Shukla had got Marathe from the Nagpur branch.
‘Here’s what we know,’ Marathe said in a robust voice that suited his buffy figure. ‘We went through the locks but found no evidence of them being tampered with. So, it’s extremely likely that the Jathar couple knew the killer. The CCTV footage is not conclusive. There are many dark spots and even the usual footage is grainy in low light.’
Rathod said, ‘What about the CCTV at the gate of the complex? Even if the killer knew the couple, he or she would have been recorded by those cameras.’
‘Yes, I was coming to that. We are going through the recordings of all cars and two-wheelers that have entered and exited the complex post ten in the night. The security guards are helping us out with identifying the known vehicles. The cameras at the gates are in a good position to record number plates too. We are hopeful we get something useful from them.’
‘What about the crime scene itself?’ ACP Shukla said.
‘Dr. Sonia will be the better person to tell you. She’s going through all the samples we collected. But I can tell you one thing. We found some DNA samples that don't belong to any of the three victims. We also ran it through our system but didn’t get any hits.’
‘So, not a known criminal,’ Shukla said.
‘Check if it belongs to their house help first,’ Rathod said, realizing that it could be a futile search if it turned out to be of the people who frequented their house.
‘Talk to them and their neighbours to find out who all regularly came to their house,’ Shukla said. ‘Then get their DNA samples. No need to waste time to secure warrants. If they have nothing to hide, they will mostly give it voluntarily. If it’s a match, then check their alibi for last night and today morning.’
‘On it, sir,’ Marathe said.
‘What type of gun was used?’ Rathod said.
‘The bullets were 9mms. We are suspecting that it was a standard issue Pistol Auto 9mm. They are common so we cannot narrow in on the killer using that. There’s a new technique where we can lift partial fingerprints off bullets. It’s tricky and the conditions need to be in your favour to get a reading. Dr. Sonia is testing it out.’
‘How close are we to knowing the identity of John Doe?’ Shukla said.
That was Bhalerao’s job. He stepped forward and said, ‘We are circulating his sketch and picture amongst all the garages in the neighbourhood. No hits so far but we’ve just been able to cover half of them in such a short time. My officers are still out checking. At the same time, we are showing John Doe’s photo to doctors who perform surgeries on low-income groups if they have operated on him for his kidney.’
‘I’ll try to see if we can get a warrant to know for sure,’ Shukla said, but there was a resignation in his voice because even he knew that no judge would sign off that warrant.
‘Can we tell how recent the surgery is?’ Rathod said. ‘That will narrow our time frame.;
‘Dr. Sonia is working on it. But she’s swarmed with work for now so she’s going to take some more time.’
‘Yeah, she told me she is going through the rest of the evidence
Rathod said, ‘What if the man didn’t get the grease from his work? He was hiding next to the seat in Niyati Jathar’s car. He could have very well gotten in from there. All sorts of things can be found on car mats.’
Marathe’s phone started ringing. He looked around the room and then at Shukla, slightly embarrassed. ‘It’s my guy who’s checking the CCTV footage,’ Marathe said and answered the call. He made acknowledging grunts and then said, ‘Good work,’ before hanging up.’
All eyes were on Marathe. His phone buzzed in his hand. ‘Sixteen cars, which didn’t belong to any of the residents, exited the residential complex between ten and three at night. We’ll start checking their registrations now.’
‘Also check when these cars entered. Check all, but give priority to those that entered post six in the evening,’ Shukla said.
Marathe nodded and then left the conference room.
Shukla turned to his team and said, ‘Double down on the effort to identify John Doe. Knowing who he was might tell us what he was doing at the crime scene, which might give us clarity on the killer’s motive and identity.’ He pointed at two junior officers and said, ‘Shantam and Mathew, go to all government hospitals in a ten-kilometre radius and ask the admin staff, doctors and nurses, if they have seen John Doe around.’ He faced two other junior officers. ‘Abhijeet and Sneha, I want to know everything there is to know about the kind of people the Jathars were. What they believed in, if they had wronged anyone, if they were in debt and who their closest friends and family were.’ Eventually Shukla turned to Rathod and Bhalerao. ‘You two are better at extracting information out of people than anyone in this office. Speak to Abhijeet and Sneha and follow up on the people they speak to. Coordinate with Dr. Sonia about anything she finds out.’
‘Yes sir,’ Bhalerao said and saw the ACP walk away.
Rathod wondered if he could tell Bhalerao about the incidents from the morning. He decided he would, if they were able to find a connection between the two. Till then, he needed to pursue them as two separate cases.
Rathod’s phone buzzed in his pants. It was Dr. Rastogi.
I have found gunshot residue on Jane Doe’s right hand. Please send your Medical Examiner to conduct an autopsy.
Rathod went to the basement to see Sonia. She was busy in the lab and motioned him to wait out and give her five minutes. She took fifteen.
‘I was conducting the autopsy on the bodies,’ Sonia said when they got to her office.
‘Did you find anything useful?’ Rathod said.
‘Not very much apart from retrieving the bullets. I’ll perform a ballistics test on them to see if they were used for any prior crime.’
‘I was just told that Jane Doe has gunshot residue on her hand,’ Rathod said. ‘The doctor wants you to conduct an autopsy.’
Sonia narrowed her eyes. ‘Do you really think the two crimes are connected?’
‘There’s a chance. Even if they aren’t, knowing who that woman is can save lives.’
‘I’ll head to that doctor’s clinic once I’m done going through the samples here,’ Sonia said.
That was good enough for Rathod. Even though Sonia had agreed to help him earlier, he knew she was not comfortable with it. He just needed her to cooperate with him for a little longer.
‘Thanks,’ Rathod said and went back to his office.
Chapter Nineteen
Komal asked me to meet her at seven thirty in the evening as her schedule was packed before that. That’s why I spent a part of the late afternoon with Radha and Rahul, going through the papers that Rathod has given us. I also shared the data from the cases that Shrinivas had given me.
We took only one break to drink tea at four-thirty. Maa was starting to wonder what was happening with us as we had a lot of work suddenly that we needed to do together. So, we split the papers amongst us and started looking at them in separate rooms.
I was in the
garage. The sun was starting to wane down, and its rays slanted in through the window to my right. I rubbed my eyes and went inside to wash my face. I returned to the garage after a while and shifted my focus to dad’s diary. Maybe it had something in it that I could use because of all the new information.
After seeing his name in Mule’s register, I had checked if there was an entry on 23rd May 2003, the day dad had taken a bribe. I looked at the case papers and then compared them to his diary notes.
I started noticing a trend. In January and February of 2003, dad was enthusiastic about going to work. The same was true for all months before that. Dad had only got positive things to say about his work. But something changed in March 2003. The entries became less frequent, which was probably nothing. However, that wasn’t the only difference. From March, he didn’t describe work in the same enthusiastic way. In fact, from April he stopped mentioning work altogether. He wrote more about all of us, of how much he valued his family. I had never noticed this when I had read his diary before.
I went back to the house and found maa in the living room, once again reading on her Kindle.
‘Maa, can I ask you something?’ I said, knowing I had to choose my words carefully.
Maa smiled at me and put her Kindle away. ‘Of course, beta.’
‘I have never asked you this and I am sorry to bring it up right now. But how was dad in the months leading up to your kidnapping?’
The mention of dad mellowed maa’s smile. I could see the sadness in her eyes. That look further confirmed that I could not give her the hope of him being alive. A part of my brain thought how outrageous it would be if he were to actually be breathing somewhere right now. But we had seen miracles like how maa was still alive after being held captive for sixteen years.
‘He was away a bit more,’ maa said. ‘I remember he didn’t travel much early on. But ever since the start of that year, he was starting to spend time away.’ Maa’s eyes wandered. ‘In fact, I think it was in March and April that he travelled a lot for work.’
‘Do you know where he went?’ I said.
‘I don’t remember all the places. It was usually Mumbai and Nagpur. He also went to Delhi once. I remember that day distinctly. He didn’t have a suit. So, we went out and got one. It was expensive but there was an important meeting in Delhi that he had to attend with all his superiors.’ Maa smiled, thinking about those times.’
Silence.
‘Why do you ask, beta?’ she said.
‘No reason. I feel like I want to know who he was better. It makes me feel closer to him. I wanted to ask you for a long time but I didn’t know how to bring it up.’
‘You don’t have to worry about such stuff with me. Don’t keep anything inside you for the fear of how I’ll react. I am your mother and you and Radha have given me a lot of strength after I was rescued.’
Maa held out her hands and I swooned in to hug her. ‘Is there anything else you want me to tell?’
I smiled back at her. ‘Not right now but I’ll ask you such things every now and then.’
I felt warm and secure laying my head in maa’s lap. She stroked my hair for a few minutes. I had one eye on the clock. It was almost seven and I needed to leave for my appointment with Komal. Maa gave me a kiss on my cheek when I got up. I told her I had some stuff to get for my work and then left.
Komal’s office was near Deccan Gymkhana. I reached just in time for the appointment. I had last seen her a little less than a year back. Her last words to me still resounded in my ears, ‘You have it in yourself to put all your setbacks behind you and be happy.’
Remembering that made me feel proud. To a large extent, I had put the Kunal Shastri episode behind me. Even though I wasn’t back to being a lawyer and detective, two cases had come my way and both were too personal to let them go. I had fought on and come out triumphant in both.
‘You look good,’ Komal said when I entered.
I thanked her and we exchanged pleasantries for thirty seconds. I looked around her office. It hadn’t changed at all. The walls were still cream and the furniture was minimal and brown. There was a large polished desk behind which Komal sat. There was also a couch next to it. We used to sit there when we spoke about stuff that needed a lot of introspection. Komal also hadn’t changed much. Her hair was longer and still streaked burgundy. She wore the same thick glasses and wore the same smile that she always greeted me with.
For a beat, I felt a pang in my heart, knowing what all had gone down in this room. Three years back, I had walked in for the first time along with Radha. But that feeling melted into self-assurance. I didn’t know where it came from but I wasn’t going to question why I was feeling good about myself.
Komal got right into after that. She said, ‘What’s the matter? It sounded urgent on the phone.’
‘It is,’ I said and told her everything that had happened ever since I had got the first phone call six months back.
‘So, you want to know if you can remember what happened in those twenty to thirty minutes?’
‘Yes, and I am afraid I saw dad then.’
‘Isn’t that a good thing?’
‘It is, I guess. But I fear where he has been all these years.’
‘We’ve talked about this before. You know the kind of impact your dad has had on you. Your life flipped one eighty degrees when your parents vanished within three months. Those events have shaped your decisions. Your dad’s disappearance has had a bigger effect on you. I’ll deviate here for a bit. In your nightmares, your dad says that you didn’t come looking for him. But that’s not true. I know what you have done to find him. There wasn’t much for you to investigate until now. And now that you have some leads, you are pursuing them as best as you can. Just coming here and talking to me was a brave choice. I know you would have been worried about your emotional dam being let loose on seeing me and talking about all these things. Having said that, you still came here. You have to be proud of yourself.’ Komal said and paused, letting everything she said sink in.
‘Your dad’s disappearance had a bigger impact on you. That you chose to become a criminal defence lawyer who represents innocent people is a testimony to that. Your entire adult life has been a tip of the hat to him. You couldn’t bear it as a child to see your father being blamed for your mother’s disappearance, and the way it was looked at then, her murder. So, you chose to fight for the people who are accused incorrectly. So, don’t feel guilty as everything you have done since is a result of the love for your dad. Not that it wasn’t there for your mother. But the human mind plays tricks and works in ways that surprise us. You were destined to have a career in law enforcement, whether it be as a lawyer, private detective or police officer. You chose a combination of the first two.’
‘That’s what I am afraid of too,’ I said. ‘I know how much I love and regard dad. But what if he wasn’t the person who I thought he was? What if he wasn’t a good man?’
Komal leaned forward and joined the tips of her fingers and she held her hands in front of her face.
‘Do you really believe that he wasn’t a good man?’
‘I don’t want to but how the hell did his name end up in that register?’
‘I don’t have answers to that. But even if he was a bad cop, does that change who you are? He never mistreated you or anyone else based on what you know about him. He gave you a value system. Which doesn’t change if he was a bad man. I can understand why it may seem like that. But you are who you are today, the good and the bad, because of what he taught you and the events that took place when you were sixteen years old. The events were just a nudge.’
Silence.
‘What are you thinking about?’ Komal said.
‘Why I can’t remember what happened in the morning.’
‘We’ll get to that now. Do you want some water before?’ Komal said and got up to pour a glass for both of us from a glass jug on her table.
I took a few sips and felt more at ease. Komal always knew
the right things to say and do.
‘Do you feel better?’ she asked with genuine concern in her voice.
I nodded.
‘Great. We’ll do a small exercise to see if you can remember what happened today morning. It doesn’t always work, but it will be a starting point. Okay?’
‘Before we begin, I also fear that I could have possibly killed the woman. I have no memory of how her blood got on my clothes.’
‘We’ll find out. Okay?’ Komal said. ‘Can you please close your eyes? I know it’s hard but try not to think about anything else. Remember our meditation routine where we try to focus on the breath.’
I followed what Komal said and closed my eyes tentatively, afraid of what I was going to discover. I was also fearful of not knowing anything new. Some time went by. Komal told me to focus on my breath once again and observe my body from the inside, its shape and how it rested on the chair.
Komal said, ‘Now, place yourself in your car and think about how you were driving to Stan Mills. The road, the trees and what was going on in your mind then.’
I pictured the narrow approach road and how my right hand was on the steering wheel and the left one of the gear sticks.
‘You’re doing great. Do you remember what you first saw after stepping out of your car at the factory? Don’t tell me what it was. Just think about it.’
I had first smelt the ash. I didn’t remember what I had seen. It was perhaps the bleak surroundings. It almost felt like life had been sucked out of the place.
‘Now, follow your steps. Think about how you went into the factory through the back door and how your phone rang.’
The moment Komal mentioned my phone, the shrilled mechanical voice of the person calling me played in my mind. I felt a chill, thinking how I had obeyed their instructions. I had been asked to keep my phone torch on. It hit me then that their eyes were on me throughout. What had caused them to cut the call?
It was as if Komal could read my mind because of what she said next. ‘Switch to the point the phone call ended. How did you feel then?’
