by UD Yasha
‘We know, Tanya. We know,’ I said. ‘We know it was you who wrote those letters to him, and not your sister. We know that you’re in love with Zakkal.’
Silence.
‘I could’ve gotten this pendent from anywhere,’ Tanya said. ‘Are you cracked in your mind?’
'It's not just the pendant,' I lied, trying to be as convincing as Tanya had been when we had met her earlier. 'When we were in here in the evening, we discreetly took a couple of things from the house that usually has DNA of people who either live in it or frequent it. From the samples we found, there was a match for Zakkal.' I needed one more final blowout punch. 'We also analysed the handwriting in the letters you wrote to him and ran it against yours. Your employer was kind enough to give us access to some of the forms you had filled. Guess what we found? The handwriting in the letters is yours.'
The innocent girl-next-door look on Tanya’s face vanished as she glared at me. She said, ‘Are you upset that he’s chosen me and not you?’
What the fuck?
‘He loves me, Siya. Kishore loves me,’ Tanya said.
I noticed how she called Zakkal by his first name.
Tanya continued. ‘I know how that can trouble you. Believe me when I say that I have been there. For the first few weeks of us being together, I was afraid that he was going to leave me for you. But then, over time, I realized where his heart truly lies,’ Tanya said in a flat tone.
‘Do you seriously believe that?’ I said, realizing that I had chosen the wrong words as Tanya could have construed them as me challenging her on the fact that Zakkal loved me.
‘He is a maverick, I admit it. But, he’s also an excellent lover. His ways can be a bit strange at times. It’s hard to understand. But everyone has flaws.’
‘Everyone has flaws but they don’t go around killing and abducting women,’ I said, my voice shaking with anger.
I glanced at the wall clock in the living room. It was ten minutes past eleven. We only had seventy minutes with no idea of where Zakkal was. I could not spend another minute trying to reason out with a delirious woman.
‘That’s true love, Siya. You don’t see it and that’s why he doesn’t love you back.’
‘I’m not in love with him, for crying out loud. I do not love him. I want to rip him apart the next time I see him,’ I shouted.
‘And all those flaws of his are a thing of the past.’
‘What do you mean?’ Rathod said.
‘He doesn’t kill the way he used to anymore.’
‘If you believe that, then let me tell you that you are mistaken. In the past two years, he’s at least killed six women. He’s abducted many more.’
‘Kishore told me you’d say that,’ Tanya said.
‘Because it’s the fucking truth,’ I said, losing my mind.
‘I know he’s a killer, Siya. But I still love him. For Kishore, killing is like an addiction. He has recovered from it but there are days when he lapses and goes back to his old ways. You need to support people with addictions, and not abandon them when they relapse. The more I’m talking to you, the more I’m realizing why Kishore doesn’t like you.’
Rathod jumped in. He said, ‘Where is he right now?’
‘I can’t tell you that,’ Tanya said. ‘But I can give you a hint.’
‘Did Zakkal ask you to say that as well? I said.
Tanya smiled. ‘At least you’re smart,’ she said. ‘The hint is that you already know where he is.’
I know where he is?
‘Do you think this is a game?’ Rathod said. ‘Someone is going to die in one hour if we don’t find Zakkal.’
Tanya shot Rathod a look as if he had just told her the earth is flat. 'Can you please stop it with all these ridiculous notions you have? He's not going to kill anyone.'
‘Do you really believe that? Can I show you something that would change your mind?’ Rathod said.
I guessed he was referring to the videos that Zakkal had recorded for us. In any case, we didn't have those videos on us and it would take a while before we got them. I also doubted that the videos or the letters would change Tanya's mind. I put that thought on the back burner of my mind. So far, Tanya had made it clear that she wasn't going to tell us where Zakkal was. To find out, we were going to have to play her game and guess. The ticking clock in my head didn't make it easy to think straight. I tried to calm myself down.
The hint is that you already know where he is.
Did Zakkal want me to get in touch with Devaki Sharma and tell her that I was surrendering? Did he want me to acknowledge defeat in front of the entire world? Zakkal had a huge ego but surely wasn’t the case. Plus, Tanya had said I already knew where he was. Those were her exact words. I was sure that Zakkal had trained her for a moment like this. In that case, Zakkal had chosen those words. The hint is that you already know where he is.
I wondered if we had not properly checked any of the places that we had visited. Could there have been another chamber near the water tower? After all, we still weren't exactly sure why Zakkal took his victims there. Could there be more to the place? From what I knew, CID's secondary search team scanned every crime scene after the investigating officers had examined it—to make sure nothing was missed. Since we had found one chamber, they would have gone through each and every square metre of that land. I ruled out the water tower.
You already know where he is.
My mind went back to my jail visits to Zakkal. I had played those conversations in my mind over and over again for the past two and a half years. If Zakkal had even remotely hinted at any place back then, I would have been able to guess it right away. I ruled out that thought too.
I realized I would have gotten to know about it only in the past three days. Could he be in Tanya Thomas’ house itself? I was pretty sure he wasn’t but I decided to check nonetheless.
‘I’m going to head upstairs and check this house,’ I said to Rathod.
I climbed the stairs and zipped through the two rooms. One was a study and the other was a bedroom. Both were empty. I returned downstairs.
‘For that wrong guess, I’m sad to inform you that you’ve lost points. Seriously, I’m starting to feel bad for myself. How could I ever think that Kishore would fall for you?’ She paused. ‘You’ve lost points. That means you’ve only one correct guess remaining. If you get this wrong, I’m never going to tell you where Zakkal is.’
It was a lost cause to reason with Tanya.
You already know where he is.
I had an idea. For the past three days, Zakkal had not communicated with me directly. It was either through letters or the video message he had shared. Had he mentioned anything in them? My mind raced.
Then it hit me.
There was something that he had written in the letters and said in the video.
Come home to me. I’m waiting for you.
It had seemed like a metaphor at the time, but maybe he actually meant it. Where was home though? Zakkal’s fascination with my family had started roughly eighteen years ago. We lived in a different house then—it was the house from where Zakkal had taken Maa. It was in a neighbourhood called Shivaji Nagar, which was about ten minutes from the CID office and twenty minutes from our current home that Zakkal had burnt down.
That cannot be it, right?
The thought was outrageous. How could Zakkal possibly be living in the house I grew up in? But I knew Zakkal was into grand gestures. We had sold that house after Zakkal had taken Maa. The house had far too many painful memories attached to it. That also became a reason why Zakkal might have chosen the place. It was a crazy idea, but I had just one guess left.
My instinct took over and I blurted out. ‘Is he in the house where I used to stay when he took my mother?’
Tanya chuckled, shaking her head.
I cursed myself. I had it wrong. I blew my only chance.
Just when I thought that, Tanya said, ‘You’re right. Now that you’ve got that correct, Zakkal would like to
talk to you.’
Chapter Forty-Eight
Zakkal is in my childhood house, the one from where he had taken Maa—the place where it all started.
My mind was too numb to think straight.
‘Can I take out my phone please?’ Tanya said. ‘I need to make a call.’
Rathod had his gun out now. ‘One wrong move and you’ll have a bullet in your head.’
Tanya put her hand in her jeans pocket and pulled out her phone very slowly. She held it in her hand and turned the screen around to show us that she was dialling Zakkal’s number. She pressed his name card and put the call on speaker.
The phone rang three times before it was answered.
‘Hi, Siya, I’ve been waiting to speak to you for so long,’ Zakkal said in a raspy voice.
‘Where’s Radha and my mother?’ I said, my tone as urgent as Zakkal’s was relaxed.
‘Relax, they’re alright,’ Zakkal said. ‘Are you going to come and see me? You need to come here to free your sister and mother and you need to come alone.’
‘You have my word that I will come alone, but don’t you dare touch them,’ I said.
‘They’re both very comfortable right now. Also, have you checked the clock? You don’t have much time. Just forty more minutes. It takes twenty minutes to come here from Tanya’s house. I’m guessing that that tall guy Kapil Rathod must be with you. You’re allowed to bring him. But no one else. I repeat no one else. I would know if you called for backup.’ Zakkal paused. ‘Also, please get Tanya with you. Don’t you dare lay a finger on her,’ he said and hung up.
‘You heard him,’ Tanya said. ‘Let’s go.’
We got in the car. Rathod took the wheel. Tanya and I sat in the back. Rathod had handed me his gun and I was holding it steady, close to me and pointed at Tanya. We had missed the backup that Rathod had called for, so there was no way the police were going to find us. We were on our own, just what Zakkal had wanted.
‘You heard what Zakkal said, right? In case you missed it, he said “don’t you dare lay a finger on her”. That’s how a man treats his woman,’ Tanya said.
Neither Rathod nor I thought that speaking to Tanya was of any use. We said nothing on our way to my old house. It was a standalone bungalow as well. Back then, we used the proceeds from the sale of our old house to buy the one we stayed in currently. As he drove into the lane, memories of Radha, my elder brother Kunal and I playing cricket on the roads along with our friends came back to me. But that was the only good memory I could think of. Soon, as we pulled over just before the house, the night that Maa had vanished played out in my mind.
Dad was a cop so the entire road was flashing in blue and red because of the police cars and ambulance present. Radha and I, being the youngest on the crime scene, were asked to wait in a car. We had stayed inside for two hours before we were taken to our aunt's house by our dad. Everyone around us thought we were kids and we didn't realize what was happening—but we could see and hear everything. Since that night, Radha and I had never spent a day apart.
With a newly found resolve, we walked into what once used to be our front yard. A single white light was on under the veranda. The last time I had walked up the steps was with my aunt and the police who were investigating Maa's kidnapping. It was about six months after she had disappeared.
Once we were at the door, Rathod turned to me.
‘Are we supposed to ring the bell?’ he said.
Tanya stepped forward and knocked on the door twice. She rummaged in her purse and took out a key.
Of course, she had a key.
The door unlocked with a click and it swung open inside. I remembered our living room being extremely large as there was no bedroom on the ground floor. The light inside was on.
My eyes searched for Maa and Radha the moment the door opened. I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw them. They are still alive. I can still save them. Their hands and legs were tied. Zakkal was next to them with a knife in his hand. There were six more women on Zakkal’s other side. All were on their knees with their hands and legs tied. Each one of them looked terrified. I could not see Sudha Barve.
‘Welcome Siya, welcome home!’ Zakkal said. ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’
Zakkal’s hair had grown longer from the last time I had seen him in jail. It was combed to one side. His beard was heavier than a five o’clock shadow and the new scar near his eyebrow was prominent. He was wearing trousers, a shirt and a blazer.
‘I see you have brought your friend Kapil Rathod too,’ Zakkal said. ‘Toss your gun my way, Pune City’s Finest.’
Rathod hesitated for a fraction.
‘I’m not going to say it again. Toss your gun my way. Let’s make this easy. Here’s a blanket order for the rest of this glorious night. If you don’t follow what I say right away, then I’ll kill Radha and Naina Rajput. If you try anything fancy, then I’ll kill Radha and Naina Rajput. If you question my authority, then I’ll kill Radha and Naina Rajput. It’s simple.’
Rathod removed his gun from the holster and tossed it towards Zakkal. In one quick motion, Zakkal dismantled the gun and tossed the parts away.
'Now, lay on your stomach and stretch out your arms and legs,' Zakkal said. 'Don't say a word. Pretend you don't exist.'
Rathod followed what Zakkal had to say.
Once he was on the floor, Zakkal said, ‘Siya, how do you feel being here? Isn’t the feeling wonderful?’
I clenched my teeth. I was getting pumped up on every second that I had spent in our old house.
I was not going to allow Zakkal to take someone I loved ever again, not just from this house but anywhere else. I was not going to let Zakkal get away again. This was going to be the end. All the scenarios that I had thought about in the past two years had ended with me killing Zakkal if he ever came back for any of us.
‘The mood is ripe to end what you’re doing, Zakkal,’ I said.
‘You seem to be in a feisty mood, Siya,’ Zakkal said. He turned to Tanya and said, ‘Hey sweetheart, why don’t you come here and stand next to me?’
As Tanya joined him by his side, I had a feeling that something was wrong. Zakkal had been speaking to me in a very different way. It was not the words he used, but the tone and excitement with which he was speaking. He had hardly even looked straight at me. For all the excitement that he had expressed before meeting me again, he hardly seemed happy to see me.
‘Sweetheart,’ Tanya said. ‘I have a request. You had once told me that when this day comes when all of us are present in the same room, you’d allow me to pick a woman and kill her. Can I do that today?’
I was closely watching Zakkal’s face to see if his body language and expressions changed. I could make out that he grimaced ever so slightly when Tanya spoke to me.
‘Of course,’ Zakkal said and handed her a knife that he pulled out from a waist holster.
Tanya accepted the knife and glanced at all the women one by one, including Maa and Radha.
'In some time, Tanya. Not right now,' Zakkal said. 'I know you have been practising some skills on Sudha Barve.'
What the hell is he talking about?
‘Where is Sudha?’ I shouted.
‘Calm down, Siya. She’s alive. She’s running a high fever so I kept her in the bedroom,’ Zakkal said.
‘I need to see her alive. I don’t care how ill she is. Get her here.’
Zakkal looked at Tanya and said, ‘Why don’t you bring her out? You’ve taken her under your wing.’
As Tanya went upstairs to get Sudha, Zakkal turned his focus to me. For the first time that night, he looked me in the eye for longer than two seconds. He said, ‘So, Siya, do you know why I called you here today?’
I noticed a flicker in Zakkal's eyes. It had been missing before but was now back. I had seen it every time that I had visited him at Yerwada. His voice was brimming with excitement again.
I had a wild thought. Could the sudden change have been triggered by Tanya’s absence?
<
br /> Just then, we all looked towards the staircase. Sudha Barve was in pain as she came down. She was limping and Tanya was supporting her from one side.
‘Why is she limping? What did you do to her?’ I said.
‘We did nothing. She fell on her own. Tanya nursed the wound. You should thank her,’ Zakkal said.
The moment she was praised, Tanya's face lit up. Something was going on. I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Tanya tied Sudha Barve's hands and legs and made her sit next to Maa. Tanya went and stood behind Radha. My heart raced.
Had she chosen Radha as her target?
With Tanya so close to Radha, I knew I had to play this well. I chose my words very carefully. I said, ‘Zakkal, you asked me if I knew why you called me here today. You wanted to show me how you’d love and respect me.’
The fire in Zakkal’s eyes had wavered for a fraction while Sudha Barve had been brought.
The spark in Zakkal’s behaviour returned the moment I spoke. ‘Let all these women go and we can have some time together,’ I said.
What I was trying to do was working because I noticed Zakkal’s face flushing ever so slightly. He was holding a knife in his right hand and the fingers of his left hand were jittery.
‘Tanya,’ I cried out loudly. ‘Do you still think that Zakkal loves you? Look at him swoon over me.’
‘She’s talking out of her ass, Tanya. Don’t believe her,’ Zakkal said.
Tanya stepped closer to Radha. She glanced at me and Zakkal. Talking logically with her had not worked. I wanted to get her emotionally. She had already revealed her weakness, which was not being loved back by Zakkal.
‘Have you ever seen him dress up for you? When was the last time he put on a suit? I’m sure you don’t remember,’ I said.
‘Our love isn’t driven by material stuff. What we have is something extremely special,’ Zakkal looked at Tanya and said, ‘Don’t you agree?’
For the first time since coming to our old house, I noticed Tanya’s shoulders dropping. Had she also noticed the way Zakkal’s demeanour had changed when he had spoken to me?
‘Answer me,’ Zakkal said to Tanya.
