Seduced by Murder (25 page)

Some spittle dribbled down his lips, and he shook violently with rage. I made Shalini sit in a jeep, and waited for her to get herself together.

“Where’s Raj? Where is he?”

I didn’t want both of them to meet, so I lied. “He is at the police station. Right now I want you to see the body, and confirm if you knew the victim.”

I waited for a few minutes until she was steady on her feet. I led her to the edge of the fountain and then pushed her forward, observing her reactions from a distance. She walked hesitantly until she was near the body. She took one glance at Anjali’s puffed face, tottered away, fell on the ground, and threw up. Either she was genuinely appalled, or she was one fine actress. I gave her the benefit of the doubt for the time being. I turned to see the Kapoors standing behind Paras, watching Shalini with disgust and pity. I walked towards Shalini, helped her to her feet, cleaned her up, and escorted her to a nearby bench. She looked very sick now. They made quite a pair – Rajesh and her. I asked Aditi and Reena to sit with her.

After a little while, I returned to her. “I know you were not at this scene, but it would help if you could remember where you were between eleven and one today.”

“I was with Dad,” she said in a trembling voice. “The doctors were conducting tests. We were in the hospital all the time.”

“Did anyone see you?”

“Yes. Of course. Dr Khanna and the lab attendant.

They were with us all the time.”

“Good. A lady called Rajesh to the zoo. The call was made from your mobile. Are you carrying your phone?”

“No. My father-in-law borrowed it. He said that his phone had broken, and he was expecting some urgent calls.”

I knew Paras had confiscated her phone to preserve the SMS from Rajesh.

Suddenly, Paras spoke up. “Why don’t you arrest them, Inspector, and end this? This has gone on long enough!”

Babu looked at me and said hesitantly, “Maybe Shalini was standing at a distance, like Paras sir said. Or maybe she was instructing him on phone from the hospital.”

I shook my head. “That is not my point. I am wondering how her earring got here. Especially, since I am sure Anjali was attacked by a man and not a woman.”

“H
ow can you be sure that Anjali was attacked by a man?” asked Babu.

I signalled to them to follow me. I walked towards the hedge and knelt near the trampled patch of grass. I looked up at them.

“Anjali entered through the hedge and stood here. The man came from behind, struck her with a blunt object. It was a single blow, inflicted swiftly and powerfully. From the angle of the wound, it was someone much taller than her. She was probably unconscious after that. From here, the attacker picked her up and carried her to the fountain. Not dragged, but carried. Shalini couldn’t have carried her. She weighs less than Anjali.”

Babu came closer to me and asked, “Carried her from here?”

“Yes, there is at least a distance of twenty feet to the fountain. Anjali was about two inches taller than Shalini, and weighed more. She was carried by a man.”

Babu knelt down beside me. “How do you know all this?”

I pointed to a few red stains that were a contrast on the green grass.

“This is blood from her wound when she fell to the ground.”

Babu looked down, noticed the blood stains, and said excitedly, “Oh, it is blood!” He checked himself, and raised his eyebrows questioningly. “But it could be a stray animal’s or even a bird’s.”

“There is a fistful of grass pulled out of this spot. The murderer pulled out those strands while picking Anjali up. There were strands of grass stuck in the wound. It must have come from here. Watch.”

I stamped my right foot on the grass with great force. When I lifted my foot, the grass remained stamped. I pointed to the bloodstained trampled patch.

“You can make out the outline of her body. This is where she fell. If the murderer had dragged the body across the fountain, the grass wouldn’t have remained erect, and the blood would have trickled down. So he lifted her and took her to the fountain. She was still unconscious. He must have held her under the water effortlessly until she drowned. That is why there is no evidence of any struggle.”

I got up and walked towards the fountain with an imaginary body in my hand.

“He lifted her and placed her gently in the fountain. He positioned the body correctly and then applied force, taking his time. She was unconscious and hence, didn’t fight him. The earring was placed conveniently in her fist. Why? That is what I am trying to figure out. Rajesh would not want to put the earring there because if Shalini was caught, he would be caught.”

I picked up a rock and hurled it into the fountain. Water and mud splashed out, with droplets falling on everyone who was within four feet of the fountain. I repeated, “There was no struggle. If a woman is being drowned, she gets wild and
kicks. She kicks her sandals off. The only reason Anjali did not do so was because she was unconscious. That blood you see in the water trickled from her head.”

Babu walked over and observed Anjali’s wrists and feet. He took a bigger rock than the one I had picked up, and threw it into the fountain. Water splashed in all directions again, wetting everyone within six feet of it.

Paras had been watching me like a hawk. “Great!” he said immediately. “Now we know how Rajesh murdered the poor lady. Right, Inspector?”

Beads of perspiration appeared on Babu’s forehead.

“I have a feeling that the doctor and the lab attendant will confirm Shalini’s alibi. And, sir, you confiscated her mobile yesterday. Where did you keep the mobile?” I asked Paras.

Paras looked surprised.

“It’s kept on the mantle in the … wait a minute. Are you now implying that someone made that call to frame Shalini? How can you be so sharp one moment, and infinitely dumb the next? She could have used the hospital phone to direct him here. Maybe she made the call on the sly. How does it matter, for God’s sake?”

Babu looked at me and said uncertainly, “Maybe Shalini stood at a distance, like Paras sir said. Or maybe she gave instructions over the phone.”

I pressed my forehead to comfort the migraine.

“That doesn’t explain her earring. There can only be one explanation, if Shalini hasn’t been at the murder scene. Shalini and Rajesh planned the murder in advance. Rajesh murdered Anjali, and then, for some reason – maybe he panicked – he tried to frame Shalini by planting the earring. That is the only theory that seems logical to me. Then Shalini wouldn’t have
to be near the fountain, and her jewellery would be accounted for.”

Paras said excitedly, “That’s a perfectly valid explanation. Her boyfriend panicked after the second murder, and tried to frame her.”

Babu nodded appreciatively and said, “Very probable. It will be easier to make him confess now.”

Paras agreed. “Damn right. Arrest them, and let’s get on with our lives.”

Babu hesitated again. “I can’t get a warrant for Shalini’s arrest right now. But I am arresting Rajesh because he was found at the scene of the crime.”

Paras called his sons to him, and announced, “Vishal has just figured out how they did it.”

Something didn’t feel right. I had one of those feelings that keep gnawing at your gut, telling you that something is wrong. I walked away from the crowd, and sat down on a bench. I opened the flask and took a generous sip of whisky. The drink hit me hard. I gulped down some more and closed my eyes.

The humming of insects receded, and my senses gradually became numb. And suddenly I knew what was bothering me. Neither Shalini nor Rajesh fitted the profile of the murderer I had in mind. We were dealing with a sharp and incisive mind that planned everything meticulously.

Both the murders were planned and executed with cold detachment. Shalini and Rajesh seemed too impulsive, too transparent, to be able to execute the murders in such a manner. The murderer had calculated each step, and minimised the risk of getting caught. Something didn’t add up. And yet, Shailni’s behaviour made her culpable. Shalini
did plant Leo’s locket outside the gate, and then made sure Babu found it the next day. She had almost confessed when I interrogated her in her room. And then there was the SMS from Rajesh I had found in her phone.

On the other hand, the very facts that the murder happened so close to the hospital; that Rajesh was found loitering at the scene an hour after Anjali had arrived; and that Shalini did not enter the zoo, and yet found her earring clenched in Anjali’s fist, added up to a frame-up.

One thing I was sure of was that Anil and Anjali had been murdered by the same person. The patterns were similar. Both the murders were planned in detail. In both cases, there was reason to believe that there was a third party involved. In Anil’s case, it was made to appear as if a villager had committed the murder; and in Anjali’s case, it seemed as if Rajesh had committed the murder. In both cases, Shalini was a suspect, and her behaviour intensified suspicion. In both the cases there were clues that pointed towards Sunil’s involvement: first the knife, and now the cigarettes.

I felt the headache invade my head deeper, and opened my eyes in frustration, to find Aditi staring at me. Her eyes showed intense torture that reflected my own state of mind. It was as if she could read my mind. I stared at her, finding her more attractive than ever. I diverted my eyes.

It was the whisky that acted as the catalyst. It came suddenly and completely, making me sit upright, propelled by sudden buoyancy that came from within. The feeling of impatience that had been gnawing at me came to rest. A faint recollection of a remark made by Malti yesterday, and seconded by Paras that morning, came to my mind. It was all so evident that I was surprised I had missed it.

I turned the theory over in my mind, and all the loose ends were taken care of. Everything I had learnt while working on this case fell into place. I remembered the first and most crucial question I had asked the Kapoors at the farmhouse. And I remembered the answer Paras had given. The last piece fitted into my theory as the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle. I was conscious of a warm feeling of elation, and the knowledge that I had solved the mystery at last. The money and the murders had to be connected, and now I knew how.

I looked up and saw the murderer observing me with speculative interest. I smiled, realising how beautifully he had played with everyone, including me. He seemed confused by my smile. I pointed two fingers towards him, and shot him with an invisible bullet. I saw the awareness and terror in his eyes. He knew that I knew.

The hospital staff were lifting Anjali’s body from the fountain. Now that I knew who did it, I knew what I was looking for. I could feel his gaze fixed on me, as I requested the staff to put the body down and let me take one last look. I knelt down and observed the wound on her head once again. Babu walked towards me, looking uncomfortable.

“What happened?” he asked me.

I felt silly for having missed it all along.

“This is how the blow would have been inflicted,” I said, casually swinging an imaginary blow at Babu’s head. Only one pair of eyes understood the import of my actions; everyone else seemed amused.

Babu was not pleased.

“Now, do you want to carry me to the fountain to drown me?”

“You are a mind-reader.”

“What?”

“Can you get one of your men into the fountain for me?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

He thought for a moment, made a decision, and called a junior cop. The cop took off his belt and shoes, and got into the fountain.

Then I said to Babu, “Imagine you are the murderer. Anjali is semi-conscious in the fountain, and you want to drown her. Remember, you don’t want her to move or struggle, or else you will get water and mud on your clothes.”

Babu tilted forward, put his right hand on the head of the cop, and pretended to exert force. He looked at me and asked, “What now?”

“There were some marks on her neck. I think he held her by the neck. That would give you more force too.”

He removed his hand from the cop’s head and put it around his neck.

“You don’t want to get wet. Her legs are free. She may kick you. You would want to hold those too.”

He brought his free hand on the cop’s right knee, and stood there, pretending to exert pressure to drown him.

“Thank you. That’s enough.”

“Now, I insist that you tell me what you’ve been thinking.”

“Come here. Check this out.”

On Anjali’s skirt, near her left knee, there was a small tear, a circle no more than half a centimetre in radius, probably made by the finger that tore the fabric in the process.

“So?”

“So we know who did it.”

“How?”

“You just showed me.”

“What?”

Everyone had surrounded us, so I whispered to Babu, “I know who did it and why. It’s not Rajesh or Shalini.”

“What!” he exclaimed loudly.

“Shh…listen to me. I should be able to get the proof tonight. Anjali had some information from Leo. Those facts could have linked the real murderer to Anil.”

I thought for a moment and continued, “If Anjali has been murdered, Leo is next.”