When He Finds You

by UD Yasha

  Until a few hours ago, I had never considered her to be Zakkal's partner or lover. Maybe once, when Ranjit Kadam was killing again. But I had ruled out that thought very quickly back then. To be fair to her, nothing that she had done till then had indicated that she was helping Zakkal or was in love with him.

  ‘Let’s try to make her believe that we’re seeking her help based on her knowledge of Zakkal,’ Rathod said. ‘We will make her think she’s important. She met him a few times in prison so she would believe us as well.’

  ‘Great idea. We’ll gauge how she reacts and behaves while talking about Zakkal.’

  The News Twenty-Four Seven office was on Mahatma Gandhi Road, or ‘MG Road’ as it was popularly called. It occupied the sixth, seventh and eighth floors of a commercial building. Initially, it was an English-language only news agency. In the past five years, they had branched out from having only newspapers to having full-fledged news channels in ten Indian regional languages. Given the population size in cities like Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur in the state of Maharashtra, their Marathi language channel was doing very well.

  It showed in their office. Everything inside it screamed class except, at times, the news that the channel reported. The news agency was accused of favouring a certain political party.

  We were greeted by a kind lady at the reception. She was initially unwilling to let us meet Devaki Sharma. But her eyes and face lit up when we mentioned we were the investigating officers in Zakkal’s case and she guided us to Devaki’s office.

  Devaki was one of the second most important person in the Pune office of News Twenty-Four Seven. She had won many awards over the years. All of them were on display on the shelves behind her. Apart from that, a large polished desk lay in the middle with chairs on either side. There was a large window to our right, overlooking the western part of Pune.

  'When Manu, my assistant, told me that the CID wants to talk to me about Zakkal's case, I was first taken aback,' Devaki said, feigning an overtly friendly tone. 'I thought some creeps were saying that to be able to meet me. I only believed it when I saw you two on the CCTV camera.'

  ‘We need to talk to you about an important matter, Miss Sharma,’ Rathod said.

  ‘Please call me Devaki. Even your ACP was calling me Miss Sharma today at the press conference.’

  ‘Alright, Devaki,’ Rathod said. ‘The matter is serious. Can we talk to you in confidence?’

  Devaki’s eyes narrowed. She leaned back in her chair. Despite having known of her for many years, I had never spoken to Devaki for more than a few seconds. Up close, she had an intense look on her face. Her attire, a shirt, a blazer, trousers and black leather boots, all meant business. I didn’t know how old she was until I saw her degree framed on the wall on our right. I did some mental calculations and concluded that she was about thirty-seven years old.

  Zakkal was also in the same age group.

  ‘I thought Siya Rajput was the subject matter expert on Kishore Zakkal,’ Devaki said. Her tone was a touch harsh but she had a smile on her face.

  ‘Look, Devaki. We don’t have time for such games,’ I said.

  Devaki’s smile was unmoved. It was slightly creepy if I was honest. ‘You need something, but so do I.’

  ‘And what’s that?’ Rathod said.

  ‘We’ll trade information for information.’

  Rathod shot me a quick glance and then turned to Devaki. ‘You know there are some things that we cannot tell the media. That’s why I wanted to speak to you off the record.’

  Rathod is good. By saying that, he was making the prize that Devaki wanted even more elusive.

  ‘Off the record doesn’t work for me.’

  I decided to up the ante and said, ‘Don’t you care about the women who might die? Didn’t you tell Rathod that we need to issue a statement to save all the women who might be in danger? Where did that concern vanish?’

  Silence.

  ‘Alright, we’ll give you something,’ Rathod said.

  ‘Zakkal has threatened us that he’ll kill a woman at midnight. We need to stop him before that.’

  ‘Threatened. That implies he wants something in return.’

  ‘He wants me, and then he wants my sister and my mother.’

  Silence.

  I thought I noticed Devaki’s face relax a tad.

  ‘Is that serious enough for you?’ I said.

  Silence.

  Devaki bit her lower lip and then pushed her chair back. ‘Alright, what do you want to know? I am happy to help. How can I do that?’

  Rathod paused before saying anything. He didn't want to seem too eager. 'For starters, we're trying to figure out some parts of Zakkal's life. You met him at Yerwada Jail after he was arrested.'

  Devaki was nodding along.

  Rathod continued. ‘Can you tell us what you two spoke about?’

  Silence.

  ‘You’re not a police officer. He would have had his guard down while speaking to you,’ Rathod said. ‘Whatever you share with us will be helpful.’

  Another long spell of silence.

  So far, I hadn’t picked up on anything that indicated that Devaki was Zakkal’s lover.

  She finally spoke. ‘I wanted to record our conversations but Zakkal told me not to. He told me he’s camera and microphone-conscious. But I was the only journalist whom he had agreed to meet so I wasn’t going to let the opportunity go.’

  I didn’t know that Zakkal had refused to speak to other journalists.

  ‘Do you know why he chose to speak to you?’ I said.

  ‘Not really,’ Devaki said. ‘I mean I can’t be sure.’

  ‘You have your suspicion though.’

  Devaki bit her lower lip again. ‘I do. This was seven years ago. I was thirty years old. I was squarely in the middle of the age group that he had been known to target. No other woman I knew had even applied for the opportunity to speak to Zakkal. I think he chose me because I was a woman, and he hadn’t seen one in a long time.’

  For the first time, I felt sorry for Devaki. I knew how tough it was to walk down the corridor up to Yerwada Jail’s Chamber Number Twelve, the grim place that Zakkal was locked up in.

  'I was still a rookie back then. My mother told me not to go. My dad was afraid I would not be able to recover from the mental trauma. But I was young and carefree. To be frank, I didn't even realize back then what I was doing. There was a buzz around Zakkal even back then. I was going to be the only reporter who could get quotes from him. it was the story that everyone wanted, and strangely, the story of the subject wanted me.'

  ‘Did he treat you well while you were there?’ I said.

  ‘He made a few untoward remarks at the start of the interview. I didn’t pay attention to them so he stopped later. I had a list of questions memorized and I went through them one by one. My only objective was to get the answers. I ignored everything else. It was tough, but it was my job.’

  ‘What did he tell you apart from the stuff you published?’ Rathod said.

  'Nothing much to be honest. He blabbered about his life in jail. He told me he couldn't believe he had been caught. He talked about how he missed killing women. He spoke about his three most favourite parts of the entire ordeal of killing someone. The first was the stalking. He told me he used to watch his victims for days and weeks. In fact, I remember him saying that the longer he watched someone, the more connected he felt to them, thereby making the kill sweeter.’

  The image of the cupboard of wigs, clothes and hair products from the water tower flashed in my mind. He had been watching me for over a year. I physically shook my head to return to the present moment.

  Devaki continued. ‘The second was the blood that he drew from his victims.’

  I leaned forward. I didn’t know why Zakkal would draw blood and then spray it in the bathrooms of his victims.

  ‘He told me he loved how the women reacted when he drew their blood. They panicked and tried to move about. They were not sure about what was
happening or if they would bleed out. I remember the way he chuckled when he told me some women thought that they would run out of blood then die a slow, painful death. He said he killed such women the same night they said something like that. The third was the long abduction.’

  ‘Wait, I’m sorry to interrupt,’ I said. ‘Did he say anything about why he sprayed his victims’ blood in the bathroom?’

  ‘He didn’t. I’m sure because I checked my notes from our meeting when I got to know that he was active again. I remember certain bits from the conversation like they took place a few seconds ago.’

  Zakkal had that effect on people. I had many such vivid memories of our conversations at Yerwada. I empathized with Devaki again. ‘Can I ask you a question?’ I said.

  Devaki made a ‘please do’ motion with her hand.

  ‘Why did you publish that story?’ I said.

  Devaki inhaled sharply. ‘I had my reasons.’

  ‘Is that all you have to say?’

  ‘I broke some rules of ethical journalism when I published that story. I can’t go into the details but the story wouldn’t have happened in the first place if I didn’t quote you.’

  Silence.

  ‘You were telling us about the third bit,’ I said.

  'The third is the abduction. He told me that women are like flowers. They bloom over a period of time. Truly appreciating someone's beauty and love means to be with them for a long period and experience that change. If the love stays despite the change, it's meant to be.'

  Maa was his first victim. Since Maa’s return, I had tried hard not to think about what had happened to her for all those years. The conversation with Devaki was triggering some of the things that Zakkal had done when he held her captive.

  ‘Thanks a lot for that,’ Rathod said. ‘Is there anything else that jumps out from your meetings with Zakkal?’

  ‘I can’t think of anything else.’

  ‘Did he mention any other woman to you?’ I asked.

  ‘He only talked about two women for more than two seconds. You and your mother.’

  Rathod said, ‘And do you have any idea where he might have gone after escaping?’

  ‘No clue,’ Devaki said.

  Rathod shot me a quick sideways glance.

  I said, ‘Has Zakkal ever tried to contact you after you met him at Yerwada?’

  Devaki shook her. ‘No. Why do you ask?’

  ‘We’re trying to trace some aspects of his life,’ Rathod said. ‘This has been helpful.’

  Rathod got up and offered her a hand. Devaki shook it.

  I said, ‘Can you please not publish anything about what we spoke until we get Zakkal? We suspect he has abducted some women already. It’s for their safety.’

  ‘How about you give me exclusive access to the investigating team after the case is solved?’ Devaki said.

  I knew it was a tough decision for Rathod to allow the woman who had ruined his boss’ career complete access. I don’t think the CID was allowed to even be selective about giving any exclusivity. From what I had seen of Shukla today morning, I reckoned he would be okay with it as long as it meant saving lives.

  That’s what Rathod must have thought as well because he said, ‘Done deal.’

  They shook hands on it.

  We exited the News Twenty-Four Seven office and got in the car just as it started drizzling. I saw the time on the car's dashboard when we started for the CID's office. It was two-thirty in the afternoon.

  Time was running out. Zakkal was going to strike again in just over ten hours.

  ‘What did you make of that meeting?’ Rathod said.

  ‘I don’t think she’s the one,’ I said. ‘She seems to be too ambitious about her career for Zakkal to care.’

  ‘You can’t say that. You are ambitious too.’

  ‘Devaki Sharma is ambitious in a different way. She’s a shark and goes after blood the moment she smells it. Without admitting it, she accepted that she wrote that fake story about me because Zakkal told her to—that was the only way he was going to speak to her. For all you know, that was Zakkal’s way to test her out. She took the bait and possibly saved her life. Devaki runs after the most glittery object. Zakkal would have found it hard to trust her. If she was Zakkal’s lover, and Zakkal was caught, I wouldn’t be surprised if she claimed that she was undercover and writing a story. She’s too volatile,’ I said. ‘I also felt sorry for her for what she had to go through. Meeting Zakkal in Yerwada for any young woman is tough.’

  ‘So, where do we go from here?’ Rathod said.

  Rathod’s phone began ringing when we were ten minutes away from the office. It was Bhalerao. The call got connected to the Bluetooth system when Rathod answered.

  Amid the pattering of the rain on the car’s roof, Bhalerao’s voice echoed in the cabin. He said, ‘Rathod, I’ve some news. We’re almost done going through the letters and we’ve got something. We’ve found three women who fit the bill of whom we’re looking for.’

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Sudha Barve opened her eyes, unsure of what had happened to her. Her eyelids felt heavy. She tried to stay awake because every second she kept her eyes open, her memory returned in small fragments.

  She last remembered a man standing next to her bed, his shadow falling over her. Before she could even scream, his hands had pushed against her face.

  Then, it was all black.

  She kept her eyes opened and some more fragments came to her one by one. Her body stiffened. She remembered that she had been kidnapped and then drugged.

  She looked around. It was pitch black. She had no way to know whether it was night or day. She then remembered that she had heard some sounds not so long ago.

  It had been a woman’s scream.

  Am I able to still hear it?

  There was no sound now. Even the air in the room was dead still.

  She tried to get up, and to her surprise, she could stand. Her feet ached terribly. Her head swirled. She sat down again. She told herself that she had the strength to survive whatever was thrown at her.

  She sat still for a spell before trying to move again. This time, her balance was better and her head felt calmer. She could move her toes and bend her knees. She took a step to nowhere in particular. Everywhere that she looked, there was only darkness. She paused for two seconds after every step and raised her arms mid-air to look out for obstacles.

  After taking roughly eleven steps, her hands hit something. She moved them and realized that she was touching a wall. She walked along it for six more steps until the texture changed.

  A door.

  Instinctively, her hands searched for the doorknob. She found it. She said a silent prayer to God and turned the knob. It was locked. She was careful not to be too loud as she wasn't sure who or what was on the other side.

  She put an ear to the door.

  First, she heard the deafening sound of vacuum.

  Then, she heard the man.

  His voice was coming from afar. Sudha tried to make out what he was saying. He was speaking to someone but she couldn’t hear the other person. He might be speaking on the phone. She pressed her ear harder against the door. The man sounded angry. It triggered another memory. She didn’t know when it was from, but then she didn’t even know for how many days she had been held captive.

  She remembered that the man had come to her room. She wasn’t sure if it was the one she was in or some other room. He had cursed her and had told her that he hated her husband.

  ‘Your flirty husband is the reason I am in this position today,’ the man had said.

  Sudha had gotten a clear view of his face. That’s when she had realized that she had been taken by Kishore Zakkal, the psychopath serial killer. Raghav never discussed his work with her, but he had shared the news of Zakkal’s arrest seven years ago. Raghav had been especially proud of his work on that case. She had also read nasty things about Zakkal in the newspaper. Her feet started shaking. The confidence that she ha
d built up was beginning to waver.

  Zakkal’s voice became louder with every passing second.

  He is coming closer.

  Sudha tried to go back to her bed. She stumbled forward. Her hands tried to search for something to hold on to but they found nothing. With a dull thud, she fell on the floor.

  She managed to drag her body to the bed. Zakkal’s voice kept getting louder. Just as she reached the bed, a light came on under the crack of the door.

  She heard another voice.

  It wasn’t Zakkal’s.

  Instead, it belonged to a woman.

  It seemed very familiar.

  And at that moment, Sudha remembered the woman as well. Her body started shivering and a piercing pain ripped through her head.

  Zakkal was bad, but she knew the woman was a different breed of evil.

  Chapter Forty

  On our way to the CID office, we realized that we were hungry but couldn’t waste time having lunch. So, we picked up some burgers from a local joint and had them in the car. We reached the CID office at three in the afternoon. I was beginning to feel uneasy. We needed a clue and we needed it fast.

  We headed straight to the conference room. Shukla was at the head of the table. Bhalerao and Mathew were next to him. A man whom I didn’t recognize was sitting across the table.

  'Rudra Dastur,' the man said and got up on seeing us.

  We shook hands. Rudra was tall and he had the kind of hair that male models do in shampoo commercials. In fact, he even had the face that would give some models a run for their money.

  ‘I’m Siya Rajput. Rathod has told me about you. Thanks for making it at such short notice.’

  ‘Of course,’ Rudra said. ‘I asked Bhalerao for the case file after Rathod called me. So, I’m familiar with what’s been happening. I knew of Zakkal from before as well because he’s one of India’s most well-known serial killers.’

  ‘Let’s get straight to business now,’ Rathod said and turned to Bhalerao. ‘Tell us about the women who wrote to Zakkal.’

  Bhalerao said, ‘Mathew and I have gone through all the letters. I’ll bring you up to speed with our findings, while Mathew looks up the women and makes some calls to locate them. That way we won’t waste time.’