by UD Yasha
‘Mathew, can you please take Miss Lunkad’s parents to the morgue?’ Shukla said. ‘Please join us after that and ask either Srestha Vishwa or Neeraj Gujre to stay with them. We need the brains of all the key members to be working on finding Zakkal right now.’
‘Kritika Das is still missing,’ Bhalerao declared. ‘We’ve already put an alert on her. We would get to know if she buys anything using her card, books a ticket or her two-wheeler’s registration plate is caught by any CCTV camera.’
‘If she’s Zakkal’s lover, he’s going to make sure she’s not going to do any of those things,’ Rathod said.
‘Does Kritika Das often take sick leaves from work?’ I said. ‘I mean we don’t even know if she’s Zakkal’s lover. She could very well be on a vacation, enjoying pork momos in Nepal right now.’
‘She’s the most likely person because we’ve ruled out the other two,’ Bhalerao said.
‘I think I need some fresh air to just think clearer,’ I said. ‘If you don’t mind, I’ll be back in ten minutes.’
‘Take your time. If you’re going to the canteen, please get me coffee,’ Rathod said.
‘Me too,’ Shukla and Bhalerao said in unison.
I stepped out of the conference room. I saw Mathew guiding Aarti Lunkad’s parents into the lift to take them to the morgue. I made a quick dash for the stairs. A thought crossed my mind. Aarti Lunkad had been reported missing six months ago. She didn’t stay with her parents. But could they have noticed anything different about their daughter just before she had been taken? The police had spoken to them because of the missing person's report that had been filed by Aarti's friend. Now we knew that Zakkal was involved in her kidnapping. With the new knowledge, there was a chance that they could remember something.
I reached the basement just as the lift door opened. Seeing their daughter’s body was going to be hard, and possibly hamper their cognitive judgement so I wanted to speak to them before they went into the morgue.
When Mathew saw me, I guessed he made the connection and I noticed he asked them to stop. I jogged up to them.
‘I’m incredibly sorry for your loss,’ I said. ‘I’m the detective who had caught the serial killer who is responsible for your daughter’s death. I’m aware that this is far from the right time to be asking you this, but we’re afraid the killer is going to act again.’
Aarti’s mother was completely shocked. I don’t think she registered what I had said. Her father nodded his head once as he pulled his wife closer to him.
‘Did Aarti visit you two before she went missing?’ I asked.
The father nodded. ‘She had been home for two days in the week before she was taken.’
I could make out from his voice that he was trying really hard not to break down.
‘You’re doing well, sir. Did you notice anything strange about your house when she was there? Maybe a window that was not supposed to be open was open, a door was unlocked, you noticed the food in your refrigerator go missing or anything else like that?’
‘Nothing. There was absolutely nothing that seemed wrong. We had spoken to the police. They didn’t ask us about her visit home, but if we had noticed anything to be different,’ the father said. ‘Truth be told, we knew what she did for a living and that had created a lot of baggage. When she visited us the week before she…you know…she had come home after a year.’
‘Thanks so much for your time and cooperation,’ I said, realizing that my wild card attempt had failed as I watched them head to the morgue.
Zakkal had been good in covering most of his tracks. The ones that we had seen had led us to dead ends. Just as I thought that I saw Dr Sonia come out of her lab. She saw me at the same time and cried out my name.
‘I was just going to call Rathod. Is he upstairs?’ Sonia said.
‘Yes, everyone’s here. What’s happening?’
‘I found a DNA match for the sample we found on the wigs. I think we’ve got a mole, Siya. The sample belongs to Neeraj Gujre’s wife.’
For a second, my mind blanked out. The very next second, I cried out, ‘Tell Rathod, now.’
I ran back towards the morgue. Mathew was supposed to ask either Srestha Vishwa or Neeraj Gujre to be with Aarti’s parents. As I turned for the corridor that led to the morgue, Mathew walked out of it.
‘Who’s inside? Srestha or Neeraj?’ I shouted.
‘Srestha,’ Mathew said, looking a tad confused as met halfway in the corridor.
‘Where’s Neeraj?’
‘I don’t know. I tried calling him, but I couldn’t get through,’ Mathew said. ‘That’s why I asked Srestha to be here. Can you tell me what’s happening?’
‘Try again now,’ I said.
The urgency in my voice propelled him to try right away. He held the phone to his ear but shook his head. ‘It’s out of range, just like earlier.’
I told him about Neeraj’s wife’s DNA sample match. 'Zakkal kidnapping Neeraj's wife is not a coincidence. Neeraj not informing the CID about it is a huge red flag. If Zakkal has Neeraj's wife, then Neeraj is being blackmailed. Luckily, till now Neeraj wouldn't have been able to pass on any information as he's not a part of the core team. He also knows that my family is not at a designated CID safehouse. If Zakkal is threatening to kill his wife, I'm sure he would've found a way to figure out where my family is hiding.'
I held my breath when I said those words out loud and ran upstairs. Rathod was scampering for the door as well.
‘My car might have been compromised. We’re taking Shukla’s,’ Rathod said.
We ran out to Shukla’s car in the pouring rain. Rathod stomped on the accelerator and I was pushed back in the seat.
'Siya,' Rathod said, and from his tone, I knew I wasn't going to like the next words that were going to come out of his mouth.
‘Just after Dr Sonia called me, I got a call from Shubman Dhawan. It didn’t get connected. I tried calling him again but his number has no signal.’
My stomach turned to ice. I couldn’t help glancing at the dashboard clock. It was ten minutes to nine. Three and a half hours before Zakkal killed someone. I had no idea what I would do if he harmed Maa, Radha or Rahul.
Chapter Forty-Five
At forty minutes past nine, Radha and Rahul were standing on the balcony of the safehouse, looking over the main road. They had just finished having dinner. Shadow had brought his favourite toy and was nudging Radha's leg with it.
But Radha's mind was elsewhere. Earlier in the morning when she had gone upstairs to Siya and Rathod tea, she had overheard them speak about Zakkal's threat—either Siya was to surrender herself to him, or he would kill someone.
She hadn’t even told Rahul about the conversation because she didn’t want to worry him. Through the afternoon, they had gone through the letters that Zakkal had gotten from his female fans. Radha was just glad that they had come in handy somewhere. She still wished she had more responsibility though.
‘You’ve no idea about the role you’re playing by being here for Maa,’ Siya had told her in the morning just before leaving. ‘Knowing you and Rahul are with her is a massive relief. Please don’t think that you aren’t doing anything.’
Radha had been concerned about Maa throughout the day. She walked to Maa's room and watched her while standing at the door. She was sitting silently on the bed, facing the other way. Radha was afraid that she was getting anxious. She had noticed Maa get quieter through the day.
‘What are you thinking about, Maa?’ Radha said.
Maa turned around with a smile on her face and then beckoned Radha to sit next to her. ‘I was just reminiscing about the old times when your father, me, you and Siya would spend time together in the evenings. Everything was so easy then.’
‘It’ll be easy soon again,’ Radha said, putting her head on Maa’s lap. ‘Siya is going to get Zakkal again and everything will be better.’
‘I know. We’ll dance together at your and Rahul’s sangeet ceremony. It will be a real cele
bration.’
‘Absolutely. We’ll need to have many practice sessions to be able to pull off a respectable performance though. It will be a lot of fun though,’ Radha said.
‘Let’s go down and have some tea. Not like we need the rainy weather to cherish a cup of tea, but it’ll taste just a bit better. I’ll get my fiancé to make it for us,’ Radha said and winked.
We went downstairs and as Rahul put a kettle of water to boil on the stove, the doorbell of the house rang.
Neeraj Gujre was sweating profusely. His hands shivered as he held the steering wheel of his car. He knew he was doing the wrong thing. But what choice do I have?
He had pulled over in the lane that led to the safehouse where Siya's family was staying. He could still walk away from all this and come out clean to the CID. They would understand, right?
He was not sure. Zakkal had taken Sudha Barve, who was practically one of their own. The entire office had been on edge since that day. He looked back at the choices he had made. As an eighteen-year old man, he had lofty dreams of becoming a police officer. He had appeared for the prestigious Indian Police System exam when he was twenty but had failed. He believed in hard work and had cleared the exam on his second attempt two years later. His rank was nothing to be proud of, but passing the exam was a big deal. Seven years down the line, six months ago, he had been asked to join the CID. It was a dream come true. He was elated and his parents were proud of him. Through an arranged marriage, he had met the woman of his dreams. He had never been happier in his life.
Until Zakkal stomped on all his dreams and happiness.
Neeraj’s fingernails clawed into the steering wheel’s rubber. He had always considered himself to have a strong moral compass. In fact, that’s what had drawn him to becoming a police officer. But all that had been tossed in the water when Zakkal had taken his wife. The moment Zakkal started blackmailing him, he knew he would have to do some nasty things.
It will all be worth it if I get back the love of my life.
As he sat in his car, watching the safehouse, to some extent, he felt glad that he was not a part of the core investigating team—so, his actions had not compromised the investigation. Up until that point, he had felt less guilty.
But now, he was about to do something that would put the lives of three people in danger. What made it worse was that they were all family members of a colleague.
Neeraj patted himself on his cheeks a few times. He needed to move his body in some way to calm the nerves. Once he was sufficiently sure that he could hold himself together, he took his car closer to the safehouse. He killed the engine, pulled out an umbrella and stepped out.
Shubman Dhawan was sitting in the shade of the patio of the cabin in the garden of the house. Neeraj knew he was a tough nut to crack, but he was going to rely on the element of surprise to get him. He waved at Shubman, who recognized him right away.
‘Siya and Rathod asked me to join you for the night,’ Neeraj cried over the heavy rain from beyond the gate. ‘Strength in numbers, right?’
Shubman walked towards the gate with an umbrella in hand. He greeted Neeraj with a grin and unlocked the main gate. ‘Rathod didn’t say anything to me,’ Shubman said, checking behind Neeraj.
Is he suspicious?
'They're neck-deep in trying to find Zakkal as it's nine forty-five right now. He has threatened to kill again in two and a half hours, right?'
Shubman held the gate open and then locked it after them. They walked to the patio where he had been sitting.
‘Everything alright so far?’ Neeraj said.
‘Yes, all under control,’ Shubman said.
‘I think we should let Siya’s family know that I’m staying here for the night. They might get alarmed seeing a stranger in the garden,’ Neeraj said.
‘I didn’t think of that,’ Shubman said. ‘I’m going to call Rathod once to check if everything is okay.’
The expression lasted for a flash, but it was enough for Neeraj to realize that Shubman had a whiff of suspicion. As he pulled out his phone to call Rathod, Shubman looked down at the screen for a fraction of a second.
That’s why he did not see the first blow that hit his head. He saw the second blow smash his face. Blood oozed out from his head as he fell to the ground.
Neeraj had put on brass knuckles so he was mindful not to take the blows too far. He wanted to knock Shubman out, not kill him. He bent down and checked his pulse. He was breathing but was unconscious. To be sure, he took out the bottle of chloroform from his pocket and sprayed it on Shubman’s face.
Neeraj checked the time. It was nine fifty. He had to be fast. After making sure there was no blood on his clothes and face, he ran to the patio and rang the house bell. He knew they had a dog and he might be a problem, so he had got something for the dog too.
Radha opened the door, confused to see Neeraj Gujre. She remembered him from the previous night since he had taken them to CID's guest quarters. She raised her eyebrows as if to ask what was happening.
Neeraj scanned the positions of his targets inside. Rahul was in the kitchen, Siya’s mother was on the couch and their dog was next to her.
Neeraj had no time to waste. He pulled out the chloroform bottle and pressed the trigger to spray it on Radha. In one quick motion, he put a handkerchief that had some more chloroform on Radha’s mouth and nose. He held her by the back as she collapsed in his hands. He placed her on the floor.
The dog next to Siya's mother started barking having realized that Neeraj was not a friend. Neeraj's hand was already reaching out for a stun gun that he got especially for Shadow. Neeraj pointed it at him and pressed it thrice, hoping at least one dart would hit him. And it did. Shadow could only move a few steps before he collapsed on the ground.
Neeraj wasn't concerned much about Siya's mother. She wasn't going to be able to outrun or out-power him. So, he headed for the kitchen where Rahul was standing. He was already on alert because of what he had seen. He armed himself with a knife.
Neeraj had a better weapon with him. He pulled out his gun and ran up to Siya’s mother. She was too stunned to see what was happening in front of her, which made her an easy target. He pressed the same chloroform handkerchief on her mouth and felt her body loosen in his hands as she became unconscious.
‘Drop the weapon now,’ Neeraj said. ‘Or else, I’ll shoot her. Good luck telling your fiancé and Siya that you were responsible for their mother’s death.’
Rahul seemed to consider Neeraj’s offer. ‘You’re not going to kill her,’ he said. ‘Zakkal wants them, not you.’
'Zakkal wants Siya. They aren't as valuable to him,' Neeraj said. 'You have to make an easy decision. I can shoot her and then kill you too. I just have to press the trigger twice. I can take just Radha with me. While that's not what Zakkal wants, he wouldn't mind that. It's either that or you cooperate with me and we can all make it out alive. I have no intention of harming you. I haven't hurt the dog either. I shot him with a tranquillizer so he's only been knocked out. That bastard Zakkal has my wife. He's going to kill her if I don't take you all with me.'
Rahul didn’t move for five seconds. Then, he put the knife on the floor and raised his hands.
‘Wise choice,’ Neeraj said. ‘Now lay on the floor with your hands spread out on top of you.’
Rahul did as he was told. Neeraj sprayed some more chloroform on the handkerchief and tossed it to Rahul. He said, ‘You know what to do.’
Rahul froze once again. Neeraj could tell he was thinking if he had a choice.
‘He’s going to kill your wife regardless,’ Rahul said with his head on the floor.
‘You think I haven’t thought about that? By following his orders, there’s a small chance that she lives. I’m done. I know that. The CID will somehow find out and my life, as I know it, is going to end. But Seema, my wife…she’ll be able to live. There’s still a chance that it’ll happen.’ Neeraj paused. ‘You’re wasting time. You’ve three seconds.’
/> Rahul stretched his hand and reached for the handkerchief on the floor next to him. He looked at Radha, lying on the floor.
‘I love you,’ he whispered and inhaled into the handkerchief.
When the world around him faded away into the darkness, all Rahul could think about was how he wanted to have the chance to marry Radha in six months.
Chapter Forty-Six
At five minutes past ten, Rathod turned the steering wheel hard and we screeched to a stop outside the safehouse. My heart sank as we noticed that the gate was open. That was the first bad sign.
I swung the door and bolted to the house. The front door was open too. I shot a glance at the garden and saw Shubman Dhawan lying motionless on the lawn, his body soaking wet in the rain.
As I entered the house, my eyes searched the house, I saw Rahul lying on the kitchen floor and Shadow next to the couch. I could see Shadows’ chest rise and fall but Rahul was not moving. I rushed to him and put a finger on his neck.
He’s breathing.
Rathod entered the house.
‘They’re both unconscious,’ I told him. ‘I think he has taken Radha and Maa.’
I ran upstairs, knowing they wouldn't be there, but wishing they were. I peeped into the two rooms and balcony. All were empty. I checked the bathrooms of both rooms. Neither had blood sprayed all over them. I was relieved but the feeling lasted a fleeting second.
Rathod came upstairs. I shook my head when I looked my way.
‘They’re not here,’ I said.
‘Rahul is coming around,’ Rathod said. ‘He might be able to tell us something. Let’s go down.’
The world around me seemed to shrink. All the sounds faded away into the distance. My vision blurred. Thoughts stopped forming in my brain. I held on to the railing as we went downstairs.
Rathod was giving Rahul a hand as he got up from the floor.
