Seduced by Murder (24 page)

“There is a wound on her head. That explains the blood.”

Babu observed the wound. “Yes! She must have banged her head on the ground while struggling with Shalini. And that’s how she got Shalini’s earring in her fist. A murderer cannot be lucky twice.”

“You know what bothers me?” I said more to myself than to Babu.

“What?”

“What was Rajesh doing at the crime scene? Why didn’t he just leave with Shalini?”

Babu stared at me incredulously.

“Not again! Maybe they left together. Shalini realised that she had left her earring behind. She sent Rajesh back. Clear?”

I nodded.

“Yeah. That would make sense, I guess.”

“You guess? We have a dead journalist. Two murders in three days. Our chief suspect’s earring was found in the victim’s hand. Don’t guess now. It is over. The case is closed! I have already informed the commissioner that we are arresting the murderers.”

Babu had lifted Anjali’s head to examine the wound on her head. A blade of grass caught my eye. It was stuck in the wound. I plucked it out. It was soggy and blunt, and almost eight inches high. There was no grass floating in the water, or in the fountain bed.

“Where did you find the earring?”

“It was clenched in her left fist.”

I lifted Anjali’s hands and observed her nails, and then her wrists. Her nails were clean, and there were no apparent cuts or bruises on her wrists that suggested a struggle. The right leg was immersed in the water, while the left one was above the water, resting on the perimeter of the fountain. Both her sandals were intact. I took off her footwear and examined her feet and ankles. They were unblemished, and her toes had no blood or loose skin.

If Anjali had been conscious, she would have fought back. She would have gone for the eyes, torn an earlobe as well as the earring, and kicked the perpetrator till her feet bled. The only reason why she would not resist would be that she was unconscious or semi-conscious due to the blow on her head. There had been no struggle underwater. But then, how did the earring get into her fist?

“What are you thinking?” Babu asked me.

I ignored him and observed the gap in the hedge that led to the lawn. I imagined Anjali parking her two wheeler at the fork on the road, and walking towards the opening. The murderer must have instructed her to park her vehicle and then directed her here. He would have most probably been on the phone. She would have entered and seen a lawn filled with wild grass, weeds, and a dirty fountain. She would have stopped at the opening— scared, and ready to run. There was no way she would have come towards the fountain, unless there was coercion involved.

I walked towards the hedge and examined the grass. There was a trampled patch of grass some six feet from the opening. It looked as if something heavy had fallen there. But that was it. There was no sign that someone had been dragged across the lawn to the fountain. I observed the ground for two or three minutes before one of the policemen informed Babu that an ambulance had arrived. Two hospital workers walked through the hedge, carrying a stretcher. They were there to collect the body.

“Can you ask them to wait until Shalini arrives?” I requested Babu. I wanted to see Shalini’s reaction when she saw the body.

Babu nodded, and signalled to the hospital staff to wait.

A policeman was holding a pink handbag. I recognised it as Anjali’s. I took the bag and went through the contents.

“Did you find a mobile phone in the bag?” I asked Babu.

“No, not in the bag…or in the vicinity. Looks like either Shalini or Rajesh got rid of it.”

“Can you track all the calls and messages she received today? We are interested in the calls today, between eleven and one.”

I saw a black envelope with a red rose at the centre. It was the invitation card for the rendezvous with Leo tonight. I dropped the bag on the ground, as I held the envelope, and sneaked it into my pocket while picking up the bag.

“Did you find something on the ground?” asked Babu.

“I think I know how he did it.”

I handed the bag back to the sub-inspector and walked towards the hedge. It was at least ten feet high. There were some gaps between the leaves and twigs through which the road was visible. The murderer had been waiting for Anjali, armed with a blunt weapon. He must have guided Anjali to the opening, and then hidden himself as she walked in. And then he had hit her head.

I walked along the hedge until I could see the fork where Anjali had parked her bike. There was a wide and irregular gap, the twigs had been bent, and anyone standing there could clearly see the pink scooter. He must have waited here. I looked at the ground. It was moist, covered with more wood than grass, and had no visible footprints.

I knelt down and the examined the ground. I noticed a heap of grass and twigs at one spot. They had been uprooted very carefully from the surrounding area. I scattered the heap, and uncovered a footprint. Someone had stamped a foot so
hard that a depression had been formed in the moist earth. I scooped it up and let it run through my fingers. I felt a small roll of soggy paper. It was a cigarette stub. I found four more stubs. All of them were dirty, barring one which was surprisingly clean. It appeared that the smoker had stamped the stubs to extinguish them, covered them with grass, and then carelessly thrown away the last cigarette. I handed over the clean stub to Babu. He observed it for a few seconds and said, “The filter is long. Imported cigarettes.”

“Does Rajesh smoke?”

“Probably. Else, how would the stubs be here?”

“Hmm…I think I have seen Sunil smoke imported cigarettes.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Babu asked, caution evident in his voice.

“Nothing. Just an observation. How many minutes does it take to smoke six cigarettes, one after the other? Say, in nervousness.”

“I don’t know…maybe three to four minutes per cigarette.”

“So he must have waited for almost half an hour before Anjali showed up.”

“Not he. They. You forgot Shalini’s earring,” Babu reminded me.

“Let’s go and talk to Rajesh.”

We made our exit and found all of them there, waiting for us. Sunil was smoking an imported cigarette. I walked up to him and asked him if he could lend me one. He looked surprised, and extended the packet towards me.

“Sure! I didn’t know you smoked.”

I tilted the packet towards myself and counted only three cigarettes in it. I took one out and thanked him.

I walked to the jeep and opened the door. Rajesh was sitting inside, his head in his handcuffed hands. Our presence fell like a thunderbolt on him. He trembled and moaned, “Is she here?”

“Shalini? No, she is on her way.”

That seemed to reassure him, for he relaxed a little and said something inaudible.

“I beg your pardon?”

His lowered his head again and looked at his feet, as if in a trance. Babu spoke in a sharp tone, “You speak now, you don’t suffer. You speak at the station, you suffer.”

That seemed to do the trick. Rajesh stared at Babu in fear. I extended the cigarette towards him, and he clutched it eagerly. Babu’s face lit up and he immediately signalled that I should light it for him. I lit a match and moved towards Rajesh. His hands were shaking. A few seconds later, he let the cigarette fall to the floor. His shivering increased and he mumbled, “I want to speak to my mother.”

Babu pounced on him. “And what will you tell her? That you murdered a young woman? You are doomed. Whether you confess or not, we know you did it. Have you seen the inside of a jail? Do you know what kind of people are taken there? Don’t make it hard for yourself. Confess, and I will take care of you inside the jail.”

Rajesh looked at Babu and then stared at the floor, maintaining an obstinate silence.

I said, “Listen, Rajesh, you need to talk. You were found fleeing from the site of a murder. Who called you here? Shalini?”

He gave me a melancholic look. “I want to speak to my mother.”

I climbed into the jeep, sat next to him, patted his shoulders, and said encouragingly, “You have to speak. Babu means business. Nothing will to happen to you if you tell us the truth. Trust me. Did someone call you here?”

Suddenly, big tears fell out of his swollen eyes and rolled down his cheeks. I tried to reassure him, but his sobbing increased. He covered his head with his hands, and started shuddering violently. I hoped it was not an anxiety attack.

Babu said angrily, “Cry. Cry, you bastard! Crocodile tears. Where were your tears when you were killing the girl?”

I looked at Babu to signal the futility of any further questioning. I was just getting out of the jeep, when Rajesh put his left hand on my shoulder. He was shaking violently. He pleaded in a hoarse voice, “I am innocent! Please!”

Babu moved threateningly towards him. I stepped in between them. There was a distant roar of an approaching vehicle, and a police jeep appeared around the bend.

“Shalini and Mayank are here,” said Babu.

“Don’t tell her we have Rajesh. I want to see her reaction when she sees the body.”

“Okay. I will instruct the others too.”

“Good. Did you note that he didn’t smoke the cigarette?”

“Yes, because he knew that we found the cigarettes! But he did take it, right?”

“No. He took it because he was dazed. But he held it awkwardly. I don’t think he smokes.”

Babu gave me a
not again
expression, and was going to say something when Paras approached us and said angrily, “She’s here! Keep me away from her. I don’t know what I will do to her.”

Shalini got out of the jeep, followed by her father. She looked around and shrieked in panic, “For God’s sake, what’s going on?”

She was already on the verge of tears. The Kapoors stared at her with fear and loathing. Confusion replaced panic on her face, and she asked, “Is everything okay?”

Mayank was standing behind her, looking amused at his surroundings. He tapped Shalini’s shoulder, and wrinkled his nose in disgust. “It stinks here.”

Paras interrupted them. “No need to act. We found your earring.”

“What?” Shalini was shaking with nervousness, but tried to maintain a brave front.

I quickly stepped in. “Shalini, there has been a murder. The victim was a journalist working on Anil’s murder case. She received a call from a woman who called her here.”

She stared at me in disbelief. “Oh no!”

Babu held the earring above his head, so that she could see it.

“We found this at the crime scene.”

Shalini stared at the earring, walked a few steps forward, touched her ears, and looked bewildered.

“This is mine! I removed them after … after Anil’s death. Where did you find it?”

Paras came forward, took her hand, and started dragging her towards the gap in the hedge. He said in anger, “Come, I will show you where we found the earring.”

I obstructed his path. “Just a minute. There is something I want to see.”

I walked up to Shalini and said, “May I inspect the soles of your sandals?”

“What?” she looked even more confused than before.

“Just a quick glance. Your footwear.”

I led her to a car, made her sit, and lift both her feet up one by one, so that I could examine her shoe soles. I knelt down and the scrutinised her white salwar kameez, from her knees to her ankles. I made her stand up, and walked round, trying to spot any dried droplets of water or mud on her clothes. I examined both her earlobes. I thanked her, made Mayank sit in the car, and inspected him similarly.

“What is going on?” Paras enquired.

I turned towards Aditi and Reena. “Can any one of you confirm if these were the same clothes they were wearing when they left for the hospital?”

“Yes,” replied Aditi. Reena nodded in affirmation. Even Ram mumbled an acknowledgement.

“And this earring belongs to her?”

Again, all three of them nodded. I turned to Shalini, who was still shaking nervously.

“Shalini, were you wearing your earrings today?”

“No, I couldn’t. I am not supposed to wear any jewellery till all the rituals are over.”

“What’s the point of this?” Babu barked from behind.

“I don’t think she has been here at all.”

There was silence for a few seconds and then Babu asked, “How can you say that? Because her shoes are clean?”

“Dirt on the shoes can be wiped off. Look at her dress. It is spotlessly clean.”

“So?”

“Look at everyone else who has been on the lawn.”

I pointed at Babu’s khaki trousers. They were a mixture of brown and green right down to the ankles. I pointed at Sunil’s
trousers. They were muddy all the way down to his shoes. I pointed to the jeans Vimal and Aditi were wearing. Mud and green grass were stuck all over their jeans, right up to their knees. My own trousers were drenched with mud and water

I pointed to the unblemished white fabric of Shalini’s salwar. Not a molecule of mud, water, or grass on it.

Babu lifted his leg and tried to scratch some mud off his khaki trousers. He came closer to Shalini and observed her salwar. He looked quizzically at Paras and shrugged.

“He is right. Doesn’t look like she has been here.”

Paras exploded, “Well, then maybe she stood on the road while he murdered her. You are unbelievable!”

“If she hasn’t been on the lawn, what was her earring doing in Anjali’s fist?” I said.

Paras thundered, “Her earring! Are you crazy? Her earring proves her guilt!”

He looked around at the others, as if wondering at my imbecility.

“Actually, it is the earring that makes me doubt her involvement in this murder,” I said locking eyes with Paras.

“Damn the earring. What about Rajesh?” Paras challenged me.

Shalini asked in a jittery voice, “Raj? What happened to him?”

“We have him!” replied Paras. “We have him, and he has confessed.”

Shalini turned white and whispered, “Confessed? Confessed to
what
?”

“Confessed to murder. Confessed that he helped you murder her.”

Shalin swooned, and I held her so that she could lean on me.

Paras was merciless.

“She’s acting. Just like she did while she planted the locket. We have your boyfriend’s SMS. Vishal taped your conversation.”