Mumbaistan (16 page)

Today, however, its dilapidated main building was finally being used. Inspector Virkar was standing behind a dust-encrusted arch on the second floor, looking through binoculars at the equally dilapidated back façade of the neighbouring Cursetjee Castle, about twenty feet away.

Virkar had found this vantage point after discreetly circling the area a few times. A flash of his ID card had gained him a quick entry into the mill premises, no questions asked. Now his eyes were glued to the only window that had light emanating from within.

Inside the room, a stark-naked Saakshi was facing the window while straddling an equally naked Porus, who was tied to a cast-iron four-poster bed. Saakshi was riding him like a cowgirl, and below her, Porus was writhing in the throes of ecstasy. Although the scene was exciting enough to distract any normal individual, Virkar was focused on Saakshi's face.

Porus let out a loud yelp and sank back into the bed, spent. Saakshi smiled and rolled off him. Porus reached out for her and they both went into a lip lock that, to Virkar, seemed to last forever. Virkar stepped back into the shadows as if he, too, was done. But the wheels inside his mind were whirring.

◉

Porus rose from the bed. He padded towards his cupboard and took out a pair of jeans. Saakshi, who had been lolling till now, propped herself up on the pillows, Where do you think you're going?'

'To kill that bastard Khorche,' Porus replied.

Saakshi raised an eyebrow. 'Who, that municipal corporator who was in the news sometime back for inciting a riot?'

'Yes, that same motherfucker.'

'But I've got nothing against him.'

Porus shook his head. 'He's corrupt to the core. He took money from some builders and, because of him, many people died.'

Saakshi persisted, 'But, Porus he's not part of the racket...'

Porus burst out, 'Saakshi, don't you understand? It's not about you, or your father, or the organ racket anymore. It's about justice. It's about punishing the corrupt.'

Saakshi was worried now. 'Porus, please, hold on a minute. When did it become about all that?'

Porus said in a lofty manner, 'Look around you, read the papers, switch on the TV. They are praising my work; they want me to go on. I am their hero.'

'No, Porus, they are all just venting their frustration. You are the flavour of the season; tomorrow, they'll be talking about someone else.'

Porus threw her a petulant sneer. 'You are just jealous that I'm getting all this attention in the media.'

Saakshi got up, walked towards him and put her arms around him. 'Porus, you have to stop thinking like that. I love you.'

'You just want my work to go unnoticed.' Porus disengaged himself from her.

Saakshi said, angrily, 'Porus, it's over. The people who deserved to die are dead. You have to call it quits'

Porus began to laugh. 'Call it off! Now? This is just the beginning.'

Saakshi fell silent. Porus was expecting her to say something. But she just kept staring at him. After what seemed like aeons, she spoke. 'Porus, I want you to come to the hospital for a checkup. You are getting delusional.'

'I will not go to any hospital-shospital. I'm a doctor. I can take care of myself,' Porus snapped.

Without another word, Saakshi held his hand and led him back to the bed. Holding him by the shoulders she pulled him on top of her. Porus stopped being petulant and busied himself between her legs. But, just when he was about to climax, she abruptly shook him off. 'Will you come to the hospital?' she asked.

Porus's eyes wore a glazed expression. He looked as if his favourite toy had been snatched away. Saakshi began to get up from the bed.

Porus he grabbed her hand. 'Okay, okay, I will. I promise,' he said, pulling her back to him. She smiled and climbed back on top of him.

This time, Virkar's eyes stayed on the couple. He couldn't help but watch the twisted moment play out.

◉

Dressed and smiling, Saakshi headed for the door. Porus shuffled behind her.

Saakshi turned, a little irritated. 'Come on, hurry up, we'll get late. I have to report for duty.'

Porus's voice was firm. 'Look, I feel fine now. I just had a temporary lapse of reason.'

Saakshi knew that she'd lost her advantage, now that he'd got what he wanted. She decided to change her tack. 'I'll give you a couple of hours to think about it. As far as I'm concerned, if you don't show up at the hospital within two hours, I will consider our relationship over.'

Porus immediately changed his tack, too. 'It's not that I don't want to do what you say, Saakshi. Just think of my reputation. I'm a doctor from another hospital. How will people at my hospital feel if I went to yours for treatment?'

'Hmm...you do have a point there. We'll just pretend you had an attack of indigestion and had to rush to the closest hospital.'

Porus realized that she was not going to take no for an answer. He shrugged his shoulders. 'Okay, give me a couple of hours and I'll be there.' Saakshi gave him a long look He seemed resigned to his fate. Reassured, she made her way towards the main gate. Porus walked beside her. He grabbed her hand. 'Saakshi, I love you a lot. Thank you for looking out for my well being.'

Saakshi gave him a smile and a loving pat on his cheek. She hailed a passing cab. Porus waved until her cab had disappeared into the traffic.

He turned and headed back to his apartment. As he neared the door, he noticed something lying on the ground. He went closer, only to realize that it was a large, brown-paper envelope. He whipped around. Cursetjee Castle was silent. He picked up the envelope. It was unsealed. He opened it. What he saw inside made him freeze.

◉

Injectionwala Caught

In a stunning breakthrough, Mumbai Crime Branch has nabbed serial killer 'Injectionwala'—a final year medical student from Johnson College, Rakesh Awasthi.

Awasthi's arrest was set in motion a week earlier, when a reporter from a leading English newspaper received an anonymous email praising a story profiling the murdered Johnson Medical College watchman, Bhimrao Wagh. Attached to the mail was a map of Antop Hill with a spot marked with an 'X'. The email claimed that another body would be found at that location.

After finding the body of a ragpicker at that location, the Cyber Crime Cell of the Crime Branch focused on the source of the email.

Experts from the Cyber Crime Cell provided the investigating team with the evidence that the mail had originated from a fake IP address using a proxy server. Ethical hackers spent over two days tracing the name of the server that issued the IP address. Finally the source was traced to a cyber cafe in Bhandup.

Crime Branch sleuths were able to identify the customer through CCTV footage maintained by the cyber cafe. Then followed an extended search and surveillance operation that led to Rakesh Awasthi. At first the Crime Branch suspected that Awasthi might be a part of the organ racket and may have other associates.

After it was finally deduced that he was acting on his own, the police team swooped down on the Johnson College Hostel late last night and arrested Awasthi, who was, at the time, surfing pornographic websites.

Awasthi will soon undergo a narco-analysis test.

◉

Virkar was laughing to himself while reading the late morning edition. '"Rakesh Awasthi, Cyber Scapegoat" is the next headline, I am going to read,' he thought. He raised the newspaper to cover his face, and shuffled behind a rack inside the shop across from Cursetjee Castle. Porus, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a stylish black leather jacket, had just emerged, pushing his RD through the iron gates. He shut the gates with a gloved hand and kicked his RD to a start. Virkar noticed the long black riding boots Porus had on. Porus put on a fashionable black-helmet and rode towards the main road. From behind the shop, Virkar's Bullet, too, rolled out slowly towards the path Porus had taken.

Porus was already a speck in the distance. Virkar smiled to himself. 'I'll show him what a Bullet can do.' He revved and the bike responded with a mighty roar. The Bullet went from casual to race speed. Porus drew closer as the Bullet hungrily ate up the road, reducing the gap.

Heading south, Porus powered along the road under the JJ Flyover. Just when he was nearing CST, he abruptly took a U-Turn. So sudden was the turn that Virkar realized it only when he saw Porus on the other side of the road, passing him by. Cursing under his breath, Virkar kept his eyes on Porus through his rearview mirror. At the last minute, he saw Porus swing into the JJ College of Arts campus.

Losing precious minutes in the jammed traffic, Virkar swung his Bullet towards JJ College, still cursing himself and hoping that Porus had not parked his bike and gone inside the building. By the time Virkar reached the gate, he saw Porus on his RD, emerging from the exit gate a little further down the road. Virkar quickly fell behind keeping a vigilant eye on Porus this time.

Porus went on towards Dhobi Talao, swinging past the police commissioner's office. Virkar kept on his tail, hoping that no one would spot him as he rode past the commissioner's office. 'What is he up to? He can't be taking joy rides in the day.' Virkar had an uneasy feeling as he watched Porus's back a few cars away. Nevertheless, he kept up as Porus rode towards Churchgate. 'He's going to either go in the Fort area or towards Colaba,' thought Virkar.

'Aicha gho!
The bawa has made me a chutiya!' Virkar suddenly registered that Porus was not wearing black leather riding boots. His boots were of black leather, but of a different type. He couldn't have changed the boots in the time that Virkar had taken to reach the JJ College gates. That was not Porus. Virkar shook his head, disgusted with himself. He revved his bike, closing the distance between the RD and himself. Drawing up alongside, he flashed his police ID card signalling the rider to stop. The rider drew up on the side of the road a little ahead. As he took off the helmet, Virkar noticed that there was some resemblance between the rider and Porus.

'Whose bike is this?' Virkar asked.

The rider was confused. 'My cousin Porus's. But he gave it to me.'

Virkar knew the answer, but had to ask, 'When did he give it to you?'

'Is there a problem, sir?'

'Just answer the question.'

The rider was now a little scared. 'He gave it to me just ten minutes back. He had called me earlier, saying he was going away, and wanted to gift me his bike and riding gear.' The rider patted the black jacket and helmet. 'He told me to take the bike for a long ride, by myself. He was in a hurry to be somewhere. I offered to drop him, but he declined.'

Virkar sighed, because he already knew where Porus had gone. He quickly kickstarted his bike, hoping that he would get there in time.

◉

Porus stared at the old colonial British building in front of him. Knots of people were milling around the entrance, under the large peeling sign that said 'Johnson Medical College'. He strode through the murmuring crowd and entered the foyer. He climbed up the wooden staircase, his long strides in the black leather boots making a loud booming sound on the centuries' old teakwood stair panels. He threw an admiring glance at the symmetrical black stone blocks that made the walls of the corridors.

At the end of the corridor sat Joshi, the peon. Nonchalant as always, Joshi was going through his customary paan-spitting ritual. Red spittle against black stone, as if challenging the long-gone British authority.

On seeing Porus, Joshi straightened perhaps just an inch. Porus gave him his usual please-respect-public-property look, to no effect. Joshi tilted his head slightly towards the open door on the right. 'Doctor Madam is inside.' Porus gave him a stony stare. Joshi swallowed slightly and grudgingly added, 'Doctor Saheb.' He spat out the last word as if it was an irritating piece of supari in his paan.

Porus entered the room. Saakshi was sitting across a large wooden table, talking to a student. On seeing him, Saakshi gestured to the student to leave. Porus sank into the chair, silent.

'What's the matter?' Saakshi asked softly.

'He is going to kill me.'

Saakshi looked doubtful, 'Who?'

Porus burst out, 'The Motorcycle Man.'

'Is he here?'

'No, I managed to shake him off on the way'

Saakshi fell silent.

'He sent me a message.'

'Who?'

'The Motorcycle Man.'

'What message?'

'That I have to kill one more time.'

'Who do you have to kill?'

'He didn't say. I have to guess that.'

'Who is this Motorcycle Man?'

'I don't know.'

Saakshi fell silent again. After a while she said, 'Porus, these are early signs of paranoid schizophrenia.'

Porus looked at her, irritated. 'I'm telling the truth.'

'You know that the early symptoms are delusions of persecution, usually accompanied by hallucinations and mood disturbances'

Porus's eyes jumped all around the room. His body language was still extremely agitated.

Saakshi looked concerned. 'You are having an anxiety attack. Calm down, Porus. Where's your chewing gum?'

Porus stared at her. 'Why are you not believing me?'

Saakshi sighed. 'People with paranoid schizophrenia may have mistaken beliefs or delusions that one or more people are plotting against them,' she spoke with obvious authority. 'It is difficult or impossible for others to convince them that they are not the target of a plot. Whatever you see or hear from now on should be suspect. Don't believe anything.'

Porus's eyes finally focused on Saakshi's. 'Should I believe you, Saakshi?'

Saakshi looked a little surprised. 'Of course, you should.'

'Why?' A soft smile played on his lips.

'Because I'm the only one in this world who loves you, Porus,' she half-whispered.

Porus smiled. 'Then I'm ready to die for you. Do what you want with me.'

Saakshi stared at him, a little concerned. Porus wore his quiet smile. Saakshi broke her gaze, 'Okay, let's go to the observation ward.' She got up from the chair and patted Porus gently on his shoulder. Porus took out a stick of chewing gum and offered it to her, but she refused. He popped it into his mouth and followed her out through the corridor into a smallish ward.