Killer Moves

by Varsha Dixit

  “It’s okay!” Kabir whispered, wrapping his strong arms around her. Aisha burrowed her face in his chest. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

  Aisha simply nodded.

  “We really have to find better things to bond on.” He murmured ruefully in her hair.

  Suddenly, it hit Aisha—the intimacy of their bodies on the bed. Aisha moved back. Seeing the awkwardness, Kabir dropped his arms.

  Aisha sat up and shifted away. “Are you okay now?” She smoothened her hair.

  Kabir nodded and sat up. They both glanced at each other self-consciously.

  “No more lightning.” Aisha glanced at the curtains.

  Kabir nodded, watching Aisha in the pale flickering light of the candle.

  Aisha slithered off the bed and went to the door, a bit dazed.

  “Do you need the candle?”

  Aisha turned.

  Kabir stood near the rumpled bed, tall and dark in track pants and a college tee. He was far removed from the austere man he usually appeared to be.

  “You can keep it.” She paused. “Will you be okay?”

  Kabir nodded and wiped his face. “It’s just rain now. I think the worst of the storm has passed.”

  “May I ask, why are you so traumatized by lightning.”

  Kabir hesitated. “My sister Kriti, she fell off the terrace . . . during a storm. A storm like this . There was a flash of lightning . . . I was the first one to see her.” He rubbed his eyes.

  Aisha nodded. She felt close to tears at the pain in his face. “You are right. We do have very weird commonalities.”

  Aisha and Kabir glanced at each other. Tentative smiles glimmered on their faces.

  “It is comforting to know I’m not alone.” Kabir said softly.

  Aisha could only nod. Her hands were craving to hold him, yet she left the room, closing the door behind her.

  #

  Kabir stared at the door and then slowly sat back on the bed. A deep regret burned in him. A gut-wrenching physical longing.

  Pulling up the bedsheet, he wore it like a blanket over his shoulders and wrapped it around him. He walked to the thick curtains and peeked outside. The rain was heavy. In some distance, he saw the lightning flash in the clouds. The thunder was so low that he could barely hear it and yet his muscles tensed, and he shivered.

  Kabir focused his dark gaze on the rising waves rather than the thunder. He felt tired yet light, like a massive weight had been pushed off his chest. He remembered the words, he had just voiced.

  It is comforting to know I’m not alone.

  Kabir smiled and tucked his nose in the sheet around him and inhaled. It still held Aisha’s scent. Vanilla and Honey.

  Another deep yearning stirred inside him.

  Chapter 47

  “Are you coming down or not, Boo? We leave in two hours. Everybody is hanging near the pool.” Kiara’s irate voice sounded in the room.

  “I was thinking of going for a run. I have packed all our things.” Aisha had the call on speaker as she slid her feet in her running shoes.

  “Don’t go for a run. Come down and socialize.”

  Aisha could hear the sulk in Kiara’s voice. “Just a short run, I promise. It clears my head. I’ll be back before you know.” She ended the call and bent down to tighten her laces.

  Who am I kidding? I’m running from him.

  Aisha, for the hundredth time, remembered the feel of Kabir’s arms around her, the warmth of his embrace, the feel of his skin under her fingers. Every line, every groove of Kabir’s face seemed to be etched on her mind.

  Just then her cell rang again. Aisha glanced at the name. Suvabrata!

  “Hello!”

  “How is Kiara?”

  After her granny’s death, it was always like this. If Aisha was depressed, Suva would call; if Aisha or Kiara fell ill, Suva would call; if Aisha was craving anything, say a mango mousse cake, it would be delivered to her magically.

  “She is okay,” Aisha answered and asked, “Suva, do you know who it was?”

  She had understood a long time ago that there was something seriously off about people like her grandmother, Suvabrata, and herself. What it was and why it existed, Aisha had been resolute not to find out till now.

  But the fear—that something could happen to Kiara—and the feeling that she had to do everything to protect Kiara had created some chinks in Aisha’s determination.

  “No, I do not, Aisha. This evil is old has been alive for long. Stay close to her, will you?” Suvabrata warned.

  Aisha shot up. “Why? Is she going to be attacked again? Is she in danger?” She ran to the door.

  “Calm down, Aisha. It’s precautionary. In all this, did you realize that when Kiara was so close to death, she was able to reach you? Maybe that means that not only the dead but even the dying, are able to connect with you. I did not know that about you. Did you?”

  Aisha froze, her hand on the door’s knob. “I’m just glad that Kiara was able to reach me. Do you know how she did it while the bastard was strangling her?” she blurted.

  “Your love for Kiara is that of a mother. And a mother loves her child unconditionally. You are more open to Kiara than you will be to anyone else. Your psychic connection with her is the strongest. She must have thought of you when she was being attacked. Thus, you heard her. That might have opened a new channel or frequency in your mind. Has anything else happened?”

  Aisha remembered the names hounding her and the dream where she felt like she was drowning. “No. Nothing else.”

  Suvabrata was quiet for a few seconds and then spoke. “How often does a car come out of the blue and hits a pedestrian fatally? Doesn’t that make you wonder, why did the person choose that very second to cross the road? Why not a few seconds earlier or later? Why did the driver drive that car in that stretch of the road at that very instance? Why didn’t the driver drive a few seconds slower or a few seconds sooner? A difference of a few seconds, a few minutes could have saved a life or taken it.”

  “Don’t talk in riddles.” Aisha hated the pleading tone in her voice.

  “Our conscious and subconscious actions set off a chain of events. Your choices will decide what happens next. Open yourself to the spirits, Aisha. They will guide you. Embrace your uniqueness.”

  “I don’t understand this mumbo jumbo. Nor do I really want to.” Aisha muttered quietly.

  Suvabrata exhaled loudly in her ear. “Stubbornness is in your blood. Go for a run, Aisha, go for a run. But don’t forget, there is no running from who you are. Embrace it! Don’t fear the road less traveled.”

  “What does that even me—” Aisha became quiet when she realized that Suva had hung up on her. She tiptoed out of her room and made her way out of the house, completely avoiding the pool area.

  Chapter 48

  Slipping on her headphones, Aisha started a slow warm up jog.

  The sky was overcast in various shades of gray; the wind held the chill of the last night’s rains. The path was strewn with artifacts, manmade and natural—cans, broken pots, junk food wrappers, leaves, small stones, and uprooted plants.

  The vibrations of running feet on the ground behind her caused Aisha to turn her head sharply. “Whoa!” She lost her balance.

  Kabir grabbed and righted her. “You okay?”

  Aisha pulled her earphones out. “Yeah! Umm, what are you doing here?” Self-consciously, she avoided looking at Kabir. Aisha wasn’t a huge fan of make-up but right now she would have given an arm or leg for some.

  “Going for a run, just like you!” Kabir smiled down at her, a sunny smile framed by a gloomy sky. She ran her eyes over his face.

  Never seen him so relaxed!

  “You like what you see?” Kabir drawled.

  Aisha laughed and flushed at the same time. His words left her tongue-tied. “See ya!” She turned around and sprinted.

  “Hey, let’s run together.” Kabir followed. He kept pace and they ran wordlessly until the end of the road.<
br />
  Aisha felt oddly buoyant and free with him next to her. They slowed at a fork in the road.

  “Where?” Aisha asked, the exercise putting back the shine in her eyes and the color in her face.

  Kabir was breathing harder than her. “You run fast, and your breathing is so even. Did you run track in school?”

  “I did. Track, swimming, archery. I was getting ready for something.”

  They started walking. Aisha and Kabir’s languid steps took them in the direction of the beach.

  “For what?”

  The words slipped out of her. “I wanted to be a cop.”

  That stopped Kabir short. “Really?”

  “Just like my late brother.”

  “Then why didn’t you become one?”

  “Mom passed away when Kia was just four. She and my father needed me.”

  “And you were what, fifteen?” Kabir’s smile was one of empathy.

  He reached out, gently put a warm hand around Aisha’s nape and pulled her into his chest. Aisha rested her face against his chest, her eyes bemused yet happy.

  This doesn’t seem weird.

  “You just love to help, don’t you?” Kabir spoke in her hair.

  Aisha swallowed a few times like an olive was stuck in her throat.

  “Thank you for last night.” Kabir said above her head, still holding Aisha close.

  “We all have bad days.”

  “Aisha,” Kabir paused.

  Aisha looked up at him. He met her eyes and his gaze was arrested. Aisha’s insides tightened in anticipation.

  “I think, I’m . . .” Kabir’s voice was thick as he stared deep into her eyes. “Not think. I’m sure that I’m—”

  Matshe aikta! Pale!” A shrill voice rang out.

  Chapter 49

  Aisha and Kabir turned at the interruption. A couple of men in hospital uniforms stood with an empty stretcher, a constable behind them.

  “Local dialect. They said excuse us.”

  Even as Aisha moved back, Kabir stayed there, conversing with them in Konkani—the local language.

  “What are they saying?” Aisha asked, observing the scowl on Kabir’s face.

  “They found someone on the beach. Come,” Kabir took Aisha’s hand and followed the trio down the beach.

  Aisha went along, her hand in Kabir’s. I could get used to this! Her impish smile flickered between his broad back and their clasped hands.

  “Is that the cop who came to our house for Kiara?”

  Aisha squinted at the crowd of mostly policemen at some distance from them.

  “Parth?” She let go of Kabir’s hand. Kabir continued to hold hers lightly.

  “He’s a weird guy. I should ask the Commissioner for someone else.”

  “Parth is better. He is CBI. These things take time.”

  Kabir gave Aisha a lazy smile and held her gaze. “If you say so!”

  Aisha blushed.

  Parth noticed them and broke away from the group.

  Aisha tugged her hand and finally, Kabir let go.

  “What’s going on? What happened?” Aisha asked.

  “A body was found on the beach.” Parth’s mouth was somber, his eyes hidden behind his Ray-Bans.

  “A body?” Kabir asked.

  Aisha swiveled and peered at the crowd, especially closer to their feet. “Oh!” She covered her mouth and turned around. She had just seen a part of the figure and it was naked.

  “Let’s go Aisha!” Kabir put a hand on her back.

  Aisha took a deep breath and shook her head. “Just a minute, please! Was this done by the same person who attacked Kiara?”

  “No. There is nothing similar between this and Kiara’s attack. Can I talk to you, Ms. Aisha?” Parth gave Kabir a pointed glance. “Alone?”

  “I’ll wait for you.” Kabir said to Aisha. Giving Parth a cold glance he walked away.

  Parth waited until Kabir walked away. “Your boyfriend doesn’t like me.” He took off his glasses

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” Aisha ignored the thrill that shot in her at Parth’s slip.

  “Doesn’t really give off brotherly vibes!”

  “You wanted to talk to me about something?”

  “I did some looking up. You are Judge Khatri’s daughter and Kiara is his granddaughter?”

  “Yes.”

  “I spoke to my father. He is very well acquainted with the retired Judge.”

  “Okay.” Aisha’s nod was brisk. Because of her father’s profession and no-nonsense temperament, he made more enemies than friends. She wasn’t sure on which side Parth and his father stood.

  “Your father saved my Dad’s hide a few times. Quoting my father here.”

  Aisha smiled, relieved. “Who is your father?”

  “Retired RAW head. Vishwanath Mangal.”

  “Oh. I will ask Dad about him.”

  “Sure.” Parth shrugged.

  “So, Kiara will continue to get police protection in Mumbai too, right?”

  Parth negated by a sharp shake of his head. “Here, yes. Mumbai, no. The attack on Kiara is being considered the work of some fan who got too close.”

  “A fan?” Aisha repeated. “I think that bastard was there to kill her. Also, do you know about my brother?”

  “I do. My condolences.”

  “Kiara does not know how her parents died.” Aisha confided.

  “That’s a big secret to carry and hide. You should tell her.”

  Aisha snorted. “Sorry, haven’t really found an appropriate time to tell her. ‘Hey Kia, guess what? Your parents were butchered in their beds. So, what do you want for dinner tonight?’” She jeered.

  Parth put his glasses back on.

  Aisha exhaled. “Did your doctor find any DNA from Kia?”

  “No, Dr. Lorso did not get anything.”

  “So, no luck of finding the creep in the NCRB database?”

  Parth cocked his head to the side. “You know about NCRB?”

  “National Crime Records Bureau?” Aisha nodded. “Yeah, I know it exists. Is it updated regularly?”

  Parth smirked. “It is. But not as often as it should be.”

  Aisha nodded. “I guess, see you later then. You promise to keep looking for Kia’s attacker?”

  “The Panaji police will.”

  “Thank you!” Aisha joined Kabir who was talking to a boy in a hospital uniform.

  Kabir bid the boy goodbye as he saw Aisha approaching. “That was the son of my gardener. He is the ambulance driver. Was telling me about the girl they just found on the beach.”

  Aisha shuddered. “Let’s go for that run.” Then she paused. “Did he tell you how the girl died?”

  “She was strangled.”

  Chapter 50

  “You had the nerve to lie to my face?”

  Parth spun at the angry voice. Aisha stood in front of him, her face mottled in anger.

  Parth stared at her and then turned to the attendants who had shifted the body to the stretcher. “You all leave now. And disperse all the onlookers.” He ordered to his constables. Finally, he turned to Aisha. “Follow me.” He led Aisha and Kabir away from his team.

  Aisha stopped, her mouth pursed in anger.

  Parth did not take off his shades. “Personal courtesy aside, don’t ever raise your voice at me.” His pitch was mild, but his words were clipped.

  “You said there was nothing in common between this incident here and Kiara’s attack.” Aisha did the quote and unquote gesture. “A lie, a big fat lie! Day before yesterday, Kiara was attacked, and the creep tried to strangle her. Today you find a body a little distance away from the villa and this poor girl was strangled to death. No similarity?”

  Parth took off his shades and took some time in folding them. Then he crossed his arms over his chest; his nostrils flared, and his upper lip curled. “I’ll tell you what is not similar, Miss Aisha. Your niece is alive, safe, and probably being pampered—wrapped in a blanket enjoying some goddamn herbal tea. Pro
tected by you, the policeman and the security guards your boyfriend has provided. Whereas this girl, merely seventeen or eighteen years old, is dead. Beaten, raped, strangled, and tossed in the water like a piece of trash. The family, the mother and the father will never see her or hear her voice. She is not going to fulfill any of her dreams, big or small. And you know what? That is what she was probably thinking when she was dying. This girl died here alone—scared and tortured. So yeah, in my mind there is nothing common between her and Kiara. And truth be told, I’m going to focus on finding her killer.” His voice was a quiet snarl.

  “Okay, that’s enough!” Kabir stepped between Parth and Aisha.

  Parth glared at him. “You both should leave. This is a crime scene. Police only.”

  “Skkksh!” The whipping sound of the tarp made Aisha turn reflexively. All the air left her lungs. She gagged and sharply glanced away.

  “What happened?” Kabir asked, bending down his face wreathed in concern. Aisha violently shook her head.

  “She saw the body or what is left of the face.” Parth voiced casually.

  Kabir put an arm around Aisha’s shoulders and led her away. “You are shaking. If it is any consolation, the fish did that. Long after her death. I’m sure she felt nothing of that.” Kabir tried consoling Aisha in the only way he knew.

  By stating the facts.

  #

  “Did you inform Dr. Lorso that she is getting the body and she has to do the autopsy on this one?” Parth said, heading toward the Gypsy.

  “Yes, Sir.” Jacob nodded, trotting dutifully.

  “Officer Mangal! Officer!”

  Parth glanced up. Aisha was walking toward them.

  Jacob chortled. “If it was her niece it would have been better. The model.”

  “Should I call Mary, Jacob?”

  “Sir!” Jacob made a resigned sound and walked past Parth just as Aisha reached them.

  Chapter 51