Patang (26 page)

‘Well, in that case…’

‘Yes? Don’t be afraid, tell me.’

‘I…I think I may have heard a name…’

Rathod’s heart skipped a beat.

‘You heard a name? What name? The caller’s name?’

‘Y-yes…when Bhai was on the call with him…I heard him take this man’s name once…’

Contrary to conventional notions about how crimes are solved, Rathod often had the experience of stumbling upon the most important clues in the most unexpected places. He realized that he was on the verge of finding the most remarkable breakthrough in this case.Taking a deep breath, he asked, ‘What was the name?’

‘I…I’m not sure…I don’t remember…’

‘You don’t remember?’

‘I told you, sir, I did not eavesdrop on my master’s conversations. This name…I just happened to overhear it…and if it helps you catch the killer…’

‘Of course it will help…please try to remember…it will be of great help.’

‘I…I’m really not sure, sir…’

‘
Try
to remember, for heaven’s sake…’

‘I…I can’t, sir…but if I were to hear it again, I’d surely remember…’

Rathod realized there was no use pushing the servant. There was only one option left now. Gathering all his wits about him, he took a deep breath and said, ‘Was the name Matthew?’

The butler’s face lit up. ‘Yes…yes…that was the name, sir… that
was
the name!’

As Rathod drove furiously through the streets of Mumbai, he once again tried Aditya’s number, but it was still busy. Frustrated, he called Wagle.

‘Hello, Wagle, Rathod here.’

‘Yes, Rathod, how can I help you?’

‘Listen, do you know if Tony Matthew had a brother?’

‘A brother? Why?’

‘I can’t explain everything to you on the phone right now. Can you find out if he had a brother – in all probability a twin?’

‘I’ll try to find out, but you need to tell me what’s going on.’

‘Listen carefully. A man named Matthew called Imtiaz Raza the night he was murdered. This man said something to Raza that made him get out of his house in the middle of the night and go to the Shantinagar police station. But guess what?’

‘He didn’t reach the station?’

‘Exactly! I’m betting this is our man. This is Tony Matthew’s accomplice.’

‘Look here, Rathod, this is quite far-fetched, don’t you think?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean anybody could have called him and said that his name was Matthew. And even if a guy named Matthew called him, why would he give his real name? It would be foolish to do so, right?’

Rathod saw merit in Wagle’s argument.

‘All right, let’s assume you’re right. But it’s a possibility worth checking out, don’t you think? I mean, consider this: Tony Matthew was found on the doorsteps of St. Joseph’s Boys by Father Matthew, who took him in, and gave him his name. Right?’

‘Right.’

‘What if Father Matthew had found two babies at his doorstep, not one? A set of twins?’

‘Or perhaps two unrelated babies at two completely different points of time?’

‘Possible. And he gives both of them his name, and raises them as brothers. Wouldn’t it be natural for one to continue the work of the other after one of them has been imprisoned?’

‘It is possible…but it’s quite far-fetched. Moreover, Tony’s case is closed, Rathod.’

‘I can’t believe you’re saying this, Wagle. I really can’t.’

‘All right, all right, I will have it checked out as soon as I can.’

‘Good…thanks…call me.’

Rathod disconnected the call and realized Wagle had raised some valid points. Even if Matthew had called Raza, why would he give them his real name? It would be foolish to do so! And going by the way in which these murders were being committed, the killer could by no means be called foolish. Failing to find an explanation, with his head still hurting from the hangover, Rathod reached Dr Nayak’s bungalow in an agitated state. He asked to see Mr Shitole.

‘They already left for Pune, sahib…they already left for Pune today!’ a servant named Nandu told him.

‘What! When?’

‘In the afternoon, yes, in the afternoon.’

Rathod shook his head in frustration. He summoned the
driver and questioned him, but he didn’t relay anything useful, except that Dr Nayak had refused to take him along. Then he called Dr Nayak’s servant – a man who was clearly more than 70 years old.

‘Dr Nayak received a phone call just before he left that night, didn’t he?’

‘Yes, sir, he did. In fact, I received the call and then took the phone to him.’

Rathod’s heart was beating louder than ever.

‘Do you know who called him?’

The old man thought for a few seconds with a frown on his face. Then he said, ‘Sorry, sir, nowadays I have difficulty remembering even simple day-to-day things. Had it not been for the generosity of my employer, I would have been…and, anyway, why wouldn’t he be kind to me, really? I have been with him ever since I was a child. My father served his father, and then after my father passed away, Dr Nayak – the senior one I mean – said to me, “You needn’t worry, you’ll stay with us all your life. Take care of my son, as your father took care of me.” That was a long time ago. Since then, I have been like a shadow to little Madhu…or I was, I suppose. I remember when he fell off the branches of the guava tree and broke his ankle…’

‘Listen, listen…you do know that someone killed your master, right?’

‘May he rot in hell, may he…the…the bastard!’The old man began to tremble with rage.

‘Yes, well…I’m here to catch him.’

‘Yes, you catch him, and you punish him…my poor master…’

‘Well, that is who was on the phone that night – the killer called your master!’

‘What? I spoke to him?’ The old man stared at Rathod in shock and disbelief. Tears welled up in his eyes.

‘Yes, you did. Now try to remember clearly…did he give you his name?’

‘Ram-Ram! I can’t believe I spoke to him! The devil…’

‘Yes, now think…did he tell you his name?’

The old man wiped his tears and made an effort to remember. Rathod edged him on. ‘Think…think…try to remember…’

After sometime, the old man said apologetically, ‘I’m really sorry, sir, but I just can’t remember. I still can’t believe I spoke to the monster…my poor master…’

Rathod was crestfallen. He hadn’t wanted to give the old man Matthew’s name lest he cause a bias in his mind, but now he had no choice.

‘Was this man’s name Matthew?’

‘What?’

‘Matthew? Matthew?’

‘No, no, no! No, I don’t remember
that
name. I know my memory is not what it used to be, but if that’s the name he would have given me, I would have definitely remembered.’

Rathod didn’t know what to do. Just when he had begun to see some light, he had been plunged into darkness again. So, it wasn’t this other Matthew who had called Dr Nayak? Who had called him then? Or had Matthew called under a different name? But that would be a strange thing to do – why would he call Imtiaz Raza and give his real name and then call Dr Nayak and give a false name?

At this point, a young girl – around eight or nine years old – stepped out from behind the curtain and said in a sweet sing-song voice, ‘You don’t remember anything these days, Dadu.’

‘That’s what I was telling this young man here, Lakshmi.’

‘But I remember! Because I am not old…like you.’

Rathod frowned. He walked towards the young girl, who was twisting and twirling the curtain like it was a frilly skirt.
Rathod knelt down in front of her and said, ‘Your name is Lakshmi, sweetheart?’

‘Mmm-hmm,’ the girl nodded briefly.

‘Do you remember what happened the night Doctor Uncle went away?’

‘Can’t you see? I am not old like my Dadu. See my hands… and see his hands.’

Rathod smiled, ‘Of course you aren’t old, darling. You’re a smart girl, aren’t you?’

‘Yes, I am.’

‘So, can you tell me what happened that night?’

The girl paused to think for a few seconds, her concentration now fully devoted to the embroidery on the curtain. ‘Umm… the phone on the table rang…and Dadu took the call…and said “Hellloowww?” It was funny how he said it.’ The girl giggled.

Rathod smiled softly and said, ‘Yes, it’s really funny. Then what happened?’

‘He spoke for some time and then took the phone to Doctor Dadu in that room.’

‘And then?’

‘And then, when he came back here, Nandu asked, “Whose phone was it? Whose phone was it?” Nandu always says everything twice.’

‘Really? So what did Dadu say?’

In chaste pronunciation, Lakshmi said in her sweet voice, ‘He said, “I don’t know…some In-spec-tor.”’

33

For a few seconds, Rathod couldn’t say anything. His mind was working so rapidly to process all the information at his disposal
that his head felt heavier than ever. A scene flashed in front of his eyes, Tony’s voice echoed in his ears.

‘He is right in front of your eyes, in plain view. Trouble is, you just aren’t looking hard enough.’

Tony had been right all along! But the implications of what he had suggested were so unexpected, so bizarre that Rathod was dumbfounded.

Imtiaz Raza’s butler hadn’t heard ‘Matthew’. He had heard ‘Mathur’.

Inspector Mathur.

Inspector Aditya Mathur!

Rathod remembered how Aditya had always opposed his belief of Tony having an accomplice.

Ananya’s face flashed in front of Rathod’s eyes ‘
I have a friend in your department!’
just as Tony’s words resounded in his head: ‘
I am not finished!’

Everything was adding up. It was Aditya who had called Raza and asked him to come to the Shantinagar police station, perhaps stating that there was a lead in the case he had filed against his brother for threatening him. It was Aditya who had called up Dr Nayak and asked to meet him at the hospital, probably under the pretext of needing his help in investigating a police case. Dr Nayak, whose name had once appeared in police case files, could not say ‘no’.

Rathod realized that he had been played all along. Right from the day he met Aditya. He had divulged his thoughts on the case, his line of investigation, his findings, his plans –
everything!
– to Aditya. What a fool he had been! What a big fool! He had been completely outwitted.

Rathod dashed out of Dr Nayak’s residence and drove through the streets as he tried Aditya’s number again. It was still
busy.
The bird has flown away
, Rathod thought. He felt frustrated and vanquished. Was Aditya Mathur even a police officer? He had not even bothered to ask Aditya for an ID. He, who had spent half his life working for the police and with policemen – how could
he
have been fooled like that?

But no… How was this possible? It was impossible, it just couldn’t be! Wherever he had gone, Aditya had accompanied him. Someone or the other would have questioned who he was. Had he played all of them? How could he have done that? Rathod had goosebumps, but he couldn’t help admire the daring of Aditya Mathur, or whatever his real name was. He had been right there in plain view, and yet no one had asked who he was, simply because he was in uniform. Rathod now recalled that he had never seen Aditya in a police vehicle. He shook his head and admired the simplicity of Aditya’s plan, and the remarkable finesse with which he had impersonated a police inspector and pulled it off, armed with nothing but a khaki uniform that he could have rented for less than Rs 200 a day!

Rathod’s phone rang, shaking him out of his thoughts. It was an unknown number. He answered the call absent-mindedly.

‘Hello?’

‘It’s me.’

‘Me? Who me?’

‘It’s me, Ananya.’

‘Ananya?’ Rathod was surprised.

‘Yeah, Ananya. Are you all right?’

‘Yes, I’m fine, but how did you get my…’

‘You are not going after him, are you?’

With a sudden swerve, Rathod parked his car by the side of the road. ‘Going after whom?’ he asked, frowning.

‘The Patang Killer?’

‘What?’

‘Please promise me you’ll not go to the church alone. Promise me that.’

‘The church? What church?’

‘The church, St. Peter’s Cathedral in Bandra. Listen, I know I can’t stop you from going there. But at least promise me you’ll not go alone. Promise me you’ll get backup.’

Rathod quickly considered his options. Ananya obviously knew something he didn’t, and it wouldn’t hurt to get that information out of her without arousing her suspicion.

‘Are you there?’ Ananya asked.

‘Yes, yes, I’m here.’

‘Promise me you’ll not go alone.’

‘I…I promise.’

Rathod heard a sigh of relief at the other end. Choosing his next words carefully, he said, ‘So, umm…this church in Bandra… I don’t know why you’re so worried, though. Why shouldn’t I go there alone?’

There was a brief silence. Then Ananya said, ‘Because that’s where the Patang Killer will strike next? Do you need any more reasons? I don’t have to tell you how dangerous he is…’

‘Wait, back up a bit…who told you that the Patang Killer will strike at the church next?’

There was another prolonged silence on the other side. Rathod pressed the phone to his ear and plugged the other ear with a finger to block out the noise of traffic. Was there someone else with Ananya? He tried to listen carefully and he thought he could hear what could best be described as muffled voices at the other end of the line. Finally, Ananya said in a strange voice, ‘I have to go now, but all I can say is that I’m really,
really
worried about you. You take care, okay?’ Before he could reply, Ananya said ‘bye’ and hung up.