by UD Yasha
Rathod broke the silence. ‘I’m worried for all of you, Siya.’
‘Me too. But we can’t do this again, Rathod. If we get caught circumventing the CID again, they’ll probably throw you out. That can’t happen. I need to make this official and lodge a complaint.’
I heard Rathod breathe across the line, probably considering my offer. What he did not know was that it was not an offer.
‘Makes sense. I would have sent an officer over but we’re already falling short of people here—’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll come down to the CID office as soon as Rahul is back. I can even hand over the letter and flower to you then,’ I said and hung up.
I felt my stomach growl. I checked the time. It was almost nine. The night outside was silent. The rain was gone for now but had sparked the air with a chill. Radha emerged from the house and called me inside.
‘You must be hungry,’ she said out loud.
I smiled. No matter what was happening in the world or in our lives, I admired how much Radha cared about me. Even though she was the younger sister, she had played the role of the older one during the past few years.
‘I was just thinking about having food,’ I said.
‘Do you want me to get it there?’
I looked around the garage. Something told me I was going to see a lot of it in the coming days. So, I thought why not enjoy the simple pleasures of eating at the dining table while I could. ‘No need for that. I’ll come inside.’
As I reached the veranda, Radha whispered to me, ‘I told Maa that the woman who visited us earlier wants some legal advice from you and that you have been tied up with it since then.’
‘Are you sure she’s not suspicious?’ I said, remembering my previous two cases where she had sensed I was working on something dangerous before I had gotten a chance to tell her.
‘I don’t think so. She’s already upstairs in her bedroom, mostly almost ready to sleep.’
Radha heated food for me as I sat silently. I was wondering if Zakkal was going to harm any of the other women we had rescued. I was certain that his target was me, especially after the letter he had written. Shadow had worked out that I was in my thinking mode so he quietly sat near my feet without doing much. I had almost finished my chapati and potato sabji when my phone rang. It was Rahul.
‘Dr. Barve has taken what he needed from the flower. I’m heading back home now,’ he said. ‘I should reach in ten minutes. I can keep the car running if you want me to come with you to the CID office.’
‘I was thinking of going alone. You and Radha need to be home with Maa,’ I said, seeing Radha shake her head.
‘Alright, I don’t think your sister will be pleased with that,’ he said. ‘I’ll see you home.’
I finished the remaining chapati and rushed upstairs. I was glad that Maa was sleeping. Keeping in mind the cold air outside, I changed into a pair of jeans and a T-Shirt. I pulled a grey sweatshirt on top of it.
A few minutes later, I heard Rahul pull over outside.
‘You can’t be going there alone,’ Radha said, standing in the door of my bedroom.
‘You heard me downstairs. I’m safer outside on my own than just one person staying back here with Maa,’ I said.
Radha shook her head again. ‘I can come with you—’
‘I’m going to the CID to give a statement. It might take longer than we think. Rathod told me a big investigation has started today evening so my statement will not be a priority right now. I’ll do one thing. I’ll ask Rathod to send someone back with me. Does that work?’
Radha was unmoved for a few seconds but then said, ‘Alright. But please be safe and call me when you reach the CID office.’
‘I’ll do that. Don’t worry,’ I said and turned to go downstairs.
I took the car keys and the flower from Rahul.
‘Dr. Barve is burning the midnight oil to see if he can find any match for the pollen grains on the flower. He said he’ll call you soon,’ Rahul said.
I was sure Zakkal had something big planned and Dr Barve was going to lead us to it. He was working on the biggest and the only lead we had—the flower Zakkal had sent me. I was sure that the pollen on it would come up a match against a region in Dr Barve's records. But that was a clue that Zakkal was giving us himself so I didn't know how useful it would actually be. To follow up on it was our only option though.
As I sat in my car, I paused for a beat. Leaving Maa, Radha and Rahul behind was not ideal. From what I knew of Zakkal, he was not going to target any of us today. But even then, I hoped Rathod would assign a security detail soon. I glanced back at our house once and put my foot on the accelerator to go to the CID office to give a statement about what had happened.
Chapter Eight
Zakkal always felt safe in the dark.
As a kid, he had spent hours waiting in the shadows every night for his father to pass out after a drinking spree. His life depended on it. At least that’s what he thought. The madman was capable of anything when he had the stench of booze. One wrong move or one sound would end up with him getting bashed. While he was no fan of feeling bruised and blue for days, he hated what happened to his mother even more.
His poor mother didn't have the luxury of hiding as he had. She had to be even more present for her son-of-a-bitch husband when he came home drunk. If she wasn't there to greet him and pay attention to him like he was a two-year-old toddler, she got a bashing herself.
Zakkal smiled, thinking about the day he had killed his own father. He had ended their misery. He had finished the man whom he hated so much. The thought of killing him had entered his mind many times. He had even fantasized about a life without his great old man.
He knew it would change everything.
And it had.
But not the way Zakkal had anticipated.
Killing his father had in some way awakened a beast sleeping within him. In the days that had followed, Zakkal felt happy for the first time in his life. He had attributed it to not worrying about him, his mom or even Ranjit anymore.
Soon enough, he realized how wrong he was. While he was glad his father was gone for good, he understood that a large part of the joy he was feeling came from the fact that he had killed someone. It was an animalistic thought—one that he shouldn’t have had.
But you cannot feel sorry for how you’re truly feeling—Zakkal had always embraced what his mother had told him. Of course, she had said that in context to Zakkal telling her he hated his father. Zakkal had applied that to all areas of his life.
Looking around himself, as a kid, Zakkal admired how some families lived and loved. There never seemed to be any tension. One for all, all for one. A simple life. A happy life. No hate. But his father had screwed up everything for them and scarred their lives forever.
Zakkal fumed as he remembered those days. He had realized that embracing the anger was also a good idea. It meant that it would always be expressed and he would not have to show it when the situation was not right. That way, he was always in control of his emotions.
But the dark was still comforting.
Zakkal had been hiding in the cupboard for the past thirty minutes. He knew he had time for what he was about to do. Once his breathing was even, he stepped out of the cupboard.
He knew his target was in the kitchen, clearing the dining table after dinner. He was slightly hungry so he wondered if he should taste some of the kheer after he finished his job.
He walked on his toes as he approached the kitchen. He was always amused by how self-absorbed people could be. Not once in his life had anyone realized that he was in their house, watching them breathe away their meagre existence. He wondered if such selfish people even deserved to live.
With every second that passed, he became more enthused. He was eager to get on with it but he knew he had to wait for the right time. He stepped out of the cupboard and slipped under the woman's bed. He checked the time on his wristwatch. It was nine-fifteen at night. He knew
from having observed her for a long time, that she would step into the room at any moment. He felt a strange feeling take over him.
Almost on cue, from under the bed, Zakkal saw her feet slide on the marble floor. He took three long breaths as she settled on the bed above him, dimming the light in the room.
Zakkal felt a tingling in his hands.
This is going to be fun.
He slid from under the bed in one quick motion. The woman did not realize he was present in the room until Zakkal stood up, his shadow falling over her.
She screamed but no sound came out because Zakkal put a hand on her mouth. Before she could even register the scar on Zakkal’s face, the world behind her eyes blacked out.
Chapter Nine
Being back in the CID office brought back memories of the time when we had caught Zakkal’s protégé Ranjit Kadam two years ago. I was in the waiting room for a few minutes until Rathod himself showed up to usher me inside. Seeing Rathod always made me feel safe and peaceful. I was glad our friendship was strong again after having gone through some tough times over the past few years.
‘Are you alright?’ Rathod asked.
‘Yes, but I’m concerned about what Zakkal will do next,’ I said as we walked to a small cabin.
‘I told ACP Shukla that you were coming down and he wanted to see you personally,’ Rathod said.
The ACP and I did not share the best relationship for a host of reasons. That I had been a part of three of CID's most recent investigations had not made the relationship any better. But he particularly disliked me for one reason. Zakkal had been arrested seven years ago based on my investigation. I had no desire to claim credit for the work, but a journalist had written a story that quoted me taking all the credit when I had not even spoken to her. The ACP had been caught on the wrong foot because he had told his bosses that Zakkal's capture was all his work.
‘Here I was thinking I would never have to see you again,’ ACP Shukla said as he walked into the cabin. He sat across the table. His hair had gotten greyer since the last time we had met and he had also put on more weight. ‘Rathod told me Zakkal has been in touch with you.’
I said nothing but placed the letter with the flower pasted on it on the table. Shukla pulled out a pair of gloves from his back pocket and put them on. He picked up the letter with disdain and read it in his mind. After he had finished reading it, I gave him my statement about the events of the evening.
‘Do you think he’s just toying with you by sending you this?’ he said.
‘I have a feeling he’s onto something this time,’ I said.’
‘He didn’t do anything after he sent you that earring the last time around.’
The tone of ACP's voice was awkward. I was not supposed to take anything into the prison cell when I met Zakkal at Yerwada Jail. When Shukla got to know what I had done, he was not pleased with it at all. That giving him the earrings had provided us with a valuable clue that eventually helped us crack the case had blunted the blow of my disobedience. But I had still undermined his authority, which pissed him off. I wondered if he was even angrier that it was a woman who was not obeying his commands.
I said, ‘That’s right. But back then, he didn’t issue any warning. It was merely a reminder, a scary one nonetheless, that he was still roaming free in the world.’
Shukla squinted his eyes and read out aloud from the letter. ‘But here’s what I want to tell you. Everything that happens from now on is on you. All the blood, all the deaths, all the fun. It’s on you. Consider yourself warned.’ He paused for a flash. ‘What does he want from you?’
'Amongst all the women he had taken, my mother was his favourite victim. Then, I entered his life and he's become obsessed with me. I remember him telling me in Yerwada during one of my visits that I look even more beautiful than my mother.'
‘We’ll check the CCTV cameras in the vicinity of where Swapna and Meena Kiran stay and try to get him,’ Shukla said.
‘I don’t think you’ll be able to find anything on the cameras. He’s going to be careful. He’s been hiding somewhere for a long time now and has evaded us all this time.’
Silence.
Shukla said, ‘I’ll assign a security guard each outside the houses of the five women who were rescued two years ago.’
‘That would be very helpful. Thank you. I request you to please do it tonight.’
‘Yes, that’s the plan,’ he said. ‘We’ll also examine the letters and flowers closely. If there’s anything of interest, we’ll be in touch.’
‘Let me be clear about one thing,’ I said. ‘I don’t want to meddle with your investigation. That’s why I came in and gave the statement to set the record straight.’
Shukla seemed at a loss for words. ‘Alright. I’ll ask a hawaldar to escort you out,’ he eventually said and pressed a button on the intercom.
We rose together and exited the cabin. A hawaldar was waiting outside for me. He walked me to the elevator and summoned it for me as the stairs were being cleaned. I caught a glance of Rathod, whose eyes had followed me, probably wondering how the conversation had gone. I would probably tell him about it later. The elevator arrived on my floor and its doors opened after a small tinkle.
I stepped in and rode it down. As the elevator reached the ground floor and its door sucked open, my phone started vibrating in my jeans pocket. It was Dr Barve. I stumbled out quickly, eager to know what he had found out. Surely finding a match for the pollen in such a short time was a record.
I swiped up the screen and answered the call.
'Siya…Siya,' Dr Barve stuttered, his voice was high-pitched and trembling.
And at that moment, clarity flickered in my clouded mind. I knew what he was going to say next.
Chapter Ten
Before I heard Dr Barve's next words, I grabbed the railing and bolted up the staircase, not caring about the wet floor. As I reached the first floor, Rathod spotted me first, surprised to see me back. The look on my face and the urgency with which I was moving told him I had some bad news to share.
'Siya,' Dr Barve said, not able to find the right words. 'I just reached home. Zakkal…Zakkal was here.' His voice was cracking from the emotion flooding his mind and heart. 'He took…took Sudha, he took my wife. She's not here and there's blood in the bathroom.'
I beckoned Rathod to run towards me as Dr Barve's words confirmed what I feared the most. I had never imagined Zakkal going after Dr Barve or his wife. I cursed myself. How could I have not seen it coming? But hearing his terrified voice on the phone had sparked a different line of thought in my mind.
'I'm coming there right now,' I said to Dr Barve. 'We're going to get her. Believe me, please. We're going to get her back.'
Because of the sudden movements, I had already drawn the attention of many people in the CID building. A hawaldar ran towards me, considering me a threat.
‘Stop! She’s a friend,’ Rathod yelled seconds before the hawaldar rammed into me.
‘What’s the matter?’ Rathod said when we met each other halfway.
'It's Dr Barve. His wife, Sudha, has been taken. It's Zakkal. The bathroom of her room was splashed with blood too,' I said in one breath.
Rathod picked up the telephone from the nearest table and summoned a dispatch to Dr Barve's residence.
‘Sit here for a second,’ Rathod said, pulling a chair for me. ‘I’ll be back,’ he said and headed to ACP Shukla’s office.
A few minutes later, both of them along with Rathod’s partner, Mahesh Bhalerao, walked out.
‘We’re heading there now,’ Rathod said. ‘I spoke to the ACP. He’s okay with you coming with us for now. The details will be figured out later.’
I walked in stride with Rathod to the police van whose engine was already running when we reached the parking lot. Rathod and I got into his car while the rest got into the van.
The air in the car felt heavy. I felt a massive burden build up in my spine.
‘It was my fault,’ I sa
id. ‘Zakkal sent that letter to me. He knew that I would want to get the flower checked as soon as possible.’
I fell silent. The thoughts in my mind raced. Of course, Zakkal knew I would contact Dr Barve to analyse the pollen. He knew our history. He also knew the role Dr Barve had played in his original arrest. Zakkal had two long years to plan this out. He had set a trap. He wanted Dr Barve out of his house so that his wife would be home alone. Once Dr Barve was outside, he had struck. Oh God, I could not believe I had fallen for this.
Zakkal was getting even with all of us. I had believed that the only way Zakkal would try to harm me was by targeting Maa, Radha or Rahul. But I was wrong. He was coming after everyone I cared about.
‘You can’t beat yourself up. You’re not the one responsible. Zakkal has taken her, not you,’ Rathod said.
'I didn't see this coming. Not at all. Poor Dr Barve. I dragged him into this,' I said. 'You need to be careful, Rathod. Send a security detail to your house as well.'
‘You think he’s—’
‘Yes, it seems like he’s either coming after all the people I care about or those who were directly involved in his first arrest. You had helped me with his capture then and you’re the only real friend I have.’
Rathod called the CID’s extension of the dispatch team and told them to patrol his house. Once the line was cut, he said, ‘Just before we left, the ACP also put a security detail outside the houses of the five women we rescued from Ranjit Kadam, including yours.’
We soon reached Dr Barve's residence. He lived in a three-storeyed building. I wondered how Zakkal would have managed to take a woman from a residential complex. He usually preferred more private houses. An ambulance and a police van were already outside. We stepped out and I made a run to go inside. I was frisked by a female hawaldar and then let in.
The ACP was speaking to Dr Barve, who was sitting on the sofa. He had put his hand on his back as Dr Barve tried to hold back his tears. He had been a friend of the law enforcement fraternity. As the field of palynology had picked up in India over the years, he had been roped in as a consultant every now and then. If Zakkal had targeted him, he had made it personal with the police. Zakkal would have known that before taking Sudha Barve.
