‘Go ahead. I’m all ears.’
‘So, after death, the membranes of muscle cells become more permeable to calcium ions. Living cells expend energy to transport calcium ions out of the cells. But after death, calcium ions flow into the muscle cells, causing muscle contraction through the promotion of the cross bridge attachment between actin and myosin, which work together in muscle contraction.’
‘So what you’re saying is that after death, due to calcium ions flowing into the muscle cells, they contract.’
‘Yes, sir. Now, the energy molecule, adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is required by muscle cells to pump the calcium out of the cells. So, muscle cells need ATP to release from a contracted state. Upon death, the reactions that recycle ATP cease and ATP reserves are quickly exhausted. When the ATP is depleted, calcium pumping stops.’
‘And the muscle cells remain contracted, resulting in stiffening or rigor mortis. Ah, I see.’ Kapoor nodded. ‘So why is it temporary?’
‘The actin and myosin fibres remain linked until the muscles start decomposing.’
‘Got it. So decomposition causes the delinking of the muscle fibres and the contraction ends.’
‘Yes sir.’
‘But in this case, you say the man is alive.’
‘Yes sir. There is a strong pulse and breathing is normal.’
‘So how could rigor mortis have occurred?’
‘Sometimes ATP depletion in muscle cells can happen due to extreme exertion or hysteria,’ Suresh explained. ‘In these cases, the ATP levels are restored by the base metabolism, since the person is alive. That is what happened in this case. It’s similar to the Diya Chaudhry case, in the sense that this is exactly what would have happened to her. When she died, rigor mortis would have set in, but somehow her metabolism was revived and the rigor mortis would have ended until her vital functions finally ceased.’
Kapoor rubbed his face with one hand, trying to digest the information. ‘How is something like this even possible?’ he asked.
Suresh shook his head. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it before. I … I just can’t explain it.’
Kapoor looked at him wearily. ‘Nothing in this case is like anything we’ve seen before,’ he told Suresh. ‘And your explanation for this man is exactly the same as the one you provided me for the girl?’
‘My personal opinion, sir?’
‘Yes. The one about the soul being sucked out et cetera.’
‘Well,’ Suresh hesitated, ‘this man is alive, so his soul is obviously intact. I personally feel that it is possible that there was an attempt to extract his soul, which could have caused the exertion or hysteria that led to the rigor mortis. It would have happened shortly before you reached the flat. In the girl’s case, she died instantly, but in this man’s case, he didn’t die.’
‘Good enough for me. Thanks.’ Kapoor dismissed Suresh and the forensics expert scurried out of the room, glad that the conversation was over.
Chapter Thirty-seven
A New Development
The Gurukul
Panna National Park
Satyavachana looked solemnly at the group that had been hastily assembled in the hall.
It was close to midnight and the students had all turned in for the night. The orbs that lit up the Gurukul had been extinguished and darkness reigned over the forest.
The Maharishi had suddenly appeared, knocking on the door of Jignesh’s cottage, insisting on an immediate gathering of the Mahamati Council. It was important, he had urged.
Wondering what the urgency could be, Jignesh had quickly woken up Usha, Parth and Kanakpratap, to hear what the Maharishi had to say.
‘I hope you have a good reason to make us all stay up long beyond the hours that we should be awake,’ Jignesh began the proceedings.
‘I do,’ Satyavachana said quietly. ‘What I have to say is of great concern to the Sangha.’
‘Well, let’s hear it then,’ Kanakpratap said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
‘You know that I have been keeping tabs on Shukra for the last ten days,’ the Maharishi began, his voice even and low. ‘I had told you six days ago that Shukra had sent the Nagas back to Mahatala. Well, something curious has happened since then. I have spent the last ten nights hovering around Shukra’s hideaway. For the first couple of nights he kept coming and going—at least at night. Then, from the third night onwards, the cavern was empty. And it has been that way for the last seven nights. He has not returned.’
The others were instantly jolted awake by this revelation.
‘He’s definitely up to something,’ Parth observed.
‘Yes,’ Jignesh said thoughtfully. ‘The question is: Is this absence temporary? I mean, will he be back soon? Or has he disappeared once again, like he did fourteen years ago?’
‘I cannot find him,’ Satyavachana said simply. ‘That means he has either taken on a different form or has disguised himself in some other way, using his powers of illusion.’
‘That would mean that he will be gone for some time,’ Usha commented. ‘Such an effort to cover his tracks can only mean he is planning something big. But that will also take time to accomplish.’
‘I will keep searching and checking on his hideout for the foreseeable future,’ Satyavachana assured them. ‘I will get to know if he returns.’
‘Are the defences for the Gurukul ready yet?’ Kanakpratap addressed Jignesh. ‘The Mahashastrakar had indicated they would be ready in a week’s time, the last time we met her. It is more than a week since that day.’
‘I believe they will be ready in a day or two,’ Jignesh replied. ‘We have to ensure that the new defences are deployed immediately. And if Shukra does plan to disappear for some time, we need to double our efforts to achieve our goals.’
‘True,’ Parth agreed. ‘We must make full use of whatever additional time we get while Shukra is away.’
He left unsaid the two thoughts that were uppermost in everyone’s minds.
If Shukra had disappeared, it meant he felt confident enough that the Sangha was unprepared to do anything to stop him.
And if he was planning something big, what could it be? Would the Sangha be ready for it?
Chapter Thirty-eight
Grim Possibility
The Gurukul
Jignesh stared grimly at the other members of the Sangha Council who had assembled in Panna to take stock of the fresh developments that had come to their attention.
The new and stronger defences had been deployed at all the Gurukuls across the country. There would be no repetition of the tragedy at Corbett, at least in the foreseeable future. The Shastrakars were working on developing and advancing the new defences even further, keeping in mind the possibility that Shukra might release more of the inhabitants of Pataala-lok. If that happened, the Gurukuls had to be prepared. And, since the nature and powers of the inhabitants of the five levels of Pataala-lok were known to the Council, it was possible for the weapon forgers of the Sangha to anticipate future attacks and prepare their defences accordingly.
But it was the news from Delhi that had the Sangha troubled.
‘First Diya, now one of the Akshapatalikas,’ Kanakpratap murmured, looking deeply disturbed. ‘What is happening?’
‘What this means,’ Usha said slowly, ‘is that there is someone out there who has the power of the siddhis. If the Akshapatalika was possessed, someone had to have the capability of doing it. Someone who is on Shukra’s side. But who could it be?’
‘It can’t be a vikriti,’ Jignesh declared grimly. ‘I cannot believe that.’
No one wanted to state the only alternative explanation.
Satyavachana voiced it for them.
‘If it wasn’t the vikritis,’ he looked around at the group, ‘there is only one other possibility. The Sangha has a traitor in its ranks.’
Chapter Thirty-nine
Kapoor Has a Plan
Raman Kapoor’s Office
New Delhi
&
nbsp; Raman Kapoor held the receiver to his ear, listening to the ring of the phone at the other end of the line. Finally, the call was picked up.
‘Hello?’
‘Is this SSP Dubey?’ Kapoor enquired.
‘Yes, it is.’ There was a pause. ‘Kapoor? Is that you?’
‘Yes it is, buddy!’ A smile crossed Kapoor’s face. SSP Dubey and he had been batch mates at the Police Academy in Hyderabad. Dubey was now with the Special Task Force, or the STF as it was commonly known, for Uttar Pradesh and was based in Lucknow.
‘Hey, good to hear from you,’ Dubey said enthusiastically. ‘How have you been?’
The two men exchanged notes for a few minutes before Kapoor decided to get to the point.
‘The reason I called you,’ he explained, ‘is that I need your help.’
‘Tell me what you want. The resources of the STF are at your disposal as long as the jurisdiction is UP.’
‘Thanks, my friend. That is exactly what I was hoping for. I am investigating one of the toughest cases of my life. Every clue has led to a dead end so far. So I decided to follow the trail backwards and it leads to Allahabad.’
‘Allahabad?’
‘Yes.’ Kapoor swiftly explained the background of the case.
‘I see,’ Dubey said when Kapoor had finished. ‘So you want to go to Allahabad and poke around there to see what you can find.’
‘Exactly.’
‘Will a plainclothes driver and a sub inspector in an unmarked vehicle serve your purpose? I’ll find a couple of chaps who are trustworthy and will be useful in case there is any trouble.’
‘Dubey, that will be perfect. Thanks a ton.’ Kapoor had a look of grim satisfaction on his face as he put the phone down and stared at the files that lay on his desk.
His new case was getting nowhere. The tail he had put on Tiwari, since their meeting eight days ago, had yielded no results yet. The Sanskrit professor seemed to live a very ordinary life. College, tuitions and home. He did have a few friends with whom he socialised on weekends but, as far as Kapoor could tell based on Harish’s reports over the last eight days, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary about him.
Another blind alley.
And the only clues he had led back to Trivedi and Upadhyay.
He decided that he would return to pursuing that case. There were too many connections for it to be mere coincidence.
And now, he had a plan.
So far, the Trivedi and Upadhyay murder case had confounded him. With its multiple twists and turns, he had been outfoxed every step of the way. Every clue had ended in a cul-de-sac. Every step forward led two steps back.
A lesser man would have given up and relegated the case to the heap of unsolved cases that lined the filing cabinets of police posts around the country.
But not Raman Kapoor.
His decision to go to Allahabad had been quick and the rationale simple. Upadhyay himself had spoken of the friendship between the three men—Singh, Trivedi and Upadhyay—from Allahabad. Clearly, there was a backstory here that needed to be discovered.
And the only way he was going to be able to uncover that backstory was by going to its source.
Allahabad.
Chapter Forty
Kapoor Investigates
Allahabad
Raman Kapoor sat back in the Toyota Fortuner provided by the STF, lost in thought. His flight from Delhi had been uneventful and he had spent most of it going over his plans for generating leads in Allahabad.
He had never been to Allahabad before, but it wasn’t the culture or history of the city that he was looking forward to savouring. Kapoor’s entire focus was the case. It had taken him two weeks to wrap up things in Delhi, but he was now in the city where Upadhyay, Singh and Trivedi had lived their lives prior to migrating to Delhi.
And Vishwaraj.
There were several possibilities he had considered. The three men had got mixed up in something nefarious and fled to Delhi to escape the consequences. Or, they were afraid of something or someone in Allahabad and had taken flight to get away from that person.
But where did Vishwaraj fit in?
Kapoor’s instincts told him that, while the two men he had met a month and a half ago had seemed normal and unassuming, the subsequent events—especially the mysterious murder of Upadhyay—pointed to a past that was questionable.
Well, he was here to question it.
And find some answers.
And while he was at it, he wanted to find out what part Vishwaraj had played in the entire matter.
Kapoor stared at the backs of the heads of the two policemen in the front seats of the vehicle.
Mishra, the driver, and Mirza, the sub inspector assigned to him by Dubey. Both were in plainclothes and Dubey had assured him of their reliability in case things took a turn for the worse.
‘Mirza,’ he addressed the sub inspector, ‘where can we sit and discuss our plans?’
‘Sir,’ Mirza turned in his seat to face Kapoor, ‘I am taking you to the guesthouse at police HQ. You had asked for accommodation that would enable you to keep a low profile and not draw any attention to your presence in Allahabad. The guesthouse is the best place—there are police officers constantly checking in and checking out—so you will be just another senior officer passing through. We can sit there and you can tell me what you need. My orders are to provide you with whatever information you need and coordinate with resources across the state for anything that you require.’
‘Great.’ Kapoor settled back and gazed out of the window.
Presently, the vehicle drew up at a nondescript house and Mirza jumped out, moving swiftly to open the rear door of the vehicle to allow Kapoor to alight.
‘This way, sir,’ he gestured, indicating a corridor that led to a staircase, as the two men walked through the main entrance. They walked up two flights of stairs and arrived at a door. Mirza unlocked it before stepping aside, allowing Kapoor to enter.
Kapoor didn’t waste time looking around. He sat down on a sofa and gestured to Mirza to sit down.
‘Now,’ he began. ‘Here’s what we are going to do.’
He opened his briefcase and took out photographs of Virendra Singh and Naresh Upadhyay, spreading them on the centre table between the two sofas.
‘I need information on these two men,’ Kapoor told Mirza. ‘They lived in Allahabad, probably growing up here before migrating to Delhi.’ He had decided not to divulge too much information. The case was complicated enough as it was and he didn’t want to spook Mirza. He had already seen what Harish had gone through in Panna. He didn’t want Dubey calling him up later, asking what he’d done to one of his best men.
‘I’ll begin working on it right away, sir.’ Mirza picked up the photographs and studied them. ‘Their names, sir?’
‘Virendra Singh and Naresh Upadhyay.’
‘Singh and Upadhyay are fairly common names in Allahabad.’ Mirza looked at Kapoor. ‘Anything else on them, sir? Something that can help us narrow down our search?’
Kapoor smiled. ‘Yes. Both men spoke fluent English. Clearly, they studied in an English-medium school.’ He looked at Mirza.
The sub inspector held Kapoor’s gaze.
‘Got it, sir. There are only two English-medium schools in Allahabad that these men could have attended while growing up. Boys’ High School and St. Joseph’s.’
‘Very good. So here’s a thought. Upadhyay told me that he taught at a school in Allahabad. It stands to reason that he would have taught at one of the schools you mentioned. It is worth checking on that angle as well. And Singh is a body builder. He owns a chain of gyms in Delhi.’
Mirza looked thoughtful. ‘If Singh grew up in Allahabad and was into body building, then we will have to check with the akharas here. In the 1990s, there were hardly any gyms in this city. But there are a couple of akharas that were quite famous.’ He grinned. ‘And technology can help us with that, sir. There are WhatsApp groups for these akharas. We can circ
ulate Singh’s photograph on these groups and see what we come up with.’
Kapoor nodded. Mirza was smart. Dubey had meant what he said about the capabilities of the men he had assigned to him.
‘So here’s what we’re going to do.’ Kapoor leaned forward. ‘You check with the akharas and try and figure out how to get into their WhatsApp groups. I will check with the two schools to see where Upadhyay taught. It shouldn’t take us long to figure out where these two men lived and what their social circles were. Once we know that, we just have to interview people and get the information we need.’
‘Yes sir.’ Mirza nodded. ‘Doesn’t look like there’s going to be a problem. We’ll have you back in Delhi in a couple of days.’
‘Brilliant.’ Kapoor was now convinced that he had his dream team. His driver had not been tested yet, but he was sure that, if push came to shove, Mishra would prove every bit as useful as Mirza was proving to be at this moment. For the first time in more than two weeks, he felt upbeat. This case and its peculiarities had confounded him at every step. Now, he felt the mists clearing.
They knew what they had to do. Their plan would lead them to where Upadhyay and Singh had lived in Allahabad.
And, once there, he would find out what the two men had been involved in before they made a break for it and headed for Delhi.
He would not rest until this case was solved.
Chapter Forty-one
Frustration
Allahabad
Raman Kapoor stared glumly at the two photographs on the table.
It was one week since he had arrived in Allahabad; seven days since his first, sunny conversation with Mirza about what they needed to do to crack the case.
It had all seemed so easy then. Kapoor kicked himself for allowing himself to be beguiled into thinking that he had finally reached a stage where the case could move forward.
He had forgotten, or optimistically ignored, the fact that nothing in this case was as it seemed to be. You saw one thing but if you scratched deeper, you found something else. Or nothing at all.
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