A
sharp thunderclap jolted Ravi and Kumar out of the shock.
“I
think we should leave now.” Ravi said.
A
streak of lightening fell into the sea lighting the dark room. In the light
Kumar looked again at the silhouette of the telephone and nodded to Ravi.
Kumar
shut the window after Ravi jumped out of. They walked out as the rain started
to pour. Both were too shock to speak or even look for a shade to protect
themselves from the rain. They found their bike still in the place where they
had left it. The paan wala was
hurriedly shutting the shop. A battered wall clock inside the kiosk showed five
past eleven.
“Two
Wills Classic.” Ravi said as he walked up to the paan wala. The paan wala gave
an annoyed look at Ravi, found a pack and pulled out a couple of cigarettes. Kumar
walked into the porch of a closed shop. Ravi followed him.
“Sounds
like a good front page story for your newspaper.” Ravi blew a cloud of pungent
smoke.
“No,
it doesn’t make any sense. It is clear that nobody has been into that building
in recent times, then who called me a couple of hours back?”
“That’s
right, it’s an unbelievable story.” Ravi said still not believing their small
adventure.
“I
think this Ajay will hold the key to everything. We have to find him.” Kumar
whispered.
“And
how are we going to do that?”
“Mine
is an Alliance Telecom number right?”
“So
what?”
“Maybe
someone else had it before I did.”
“You
are saying that someone named Ajay had it before you and it was actually a
wrong number.” Ravi said, words flowing out slowly out of his mouth with the
smoke.
“Doesn’t
Anuradha work for Alliance Telecom?” Kumar asked as he threw the butt of the
cigarette and crushed it with his shoes.
****
“No
I am sorry, we cannot dole out customer information even to our fiancé.”
Anuradha whispered to Ravi, looking around her cubicle to check if anyone was
listening to their conversation.
“Please,
come on Anu, no one will know.” Ravi begged in a hushed voice.
“See
this is important we have to know what that call was all about, someone’s life
might be in danger.” Kumar said, as always his voice was calm. Being a
journalist he knew how to get information out of people.
“I
can’t do this. I can’t put my career at stake for a silly prank that someone
played on you two.” Anuradha said, shifting her gaze from Kumar’s piercing eyes
to Ravi’s begging eyes.
“No”, she repeated firmly.
****
“Now
what?” Ravi asked as they came out of the building. Kumar looked at him with
pursed lips. Ravi’s phone began to ring.
“Anuradha.”
He said showing the mobile to Kumar.
“Yes
darling?” he said in a soft voice, “Okay.” He said after a pause. He gestured
Kumar for a pen. Kumar asked a man standing nearby, the man handed him a pen.
“Ahhhunn”,
Ravi took out a half empty pack of cigarettes and started to scribble on it.
“…but
the lady said Ajay?”
“…O
okay sorry. Thanks. You are such a darling sweetheart.” Ravi disconnected the
phone. Kumar was looking at him with a smirk on his face.
“What?
You will know when you are engaged.” Ravi retorted.
“Anuradha
gave this address. She said in 2004 the number was allocated to one Vinita
Solanki.” Ravi said handing over the pack of cigarettes to Kumar.
“But
the lady said Ajay on the phone then how can the number belong to a female? Is
she sure the number wasn’t transferred to anyone else later?” Kumar asked.
“No,
she said that the number was discontinued in the same year in December.”
“I
got this number in 2010. Someone else by the name of Ajay might have got it in
between. Let’s go and check out the address.” Kumar said reading from the
packet.
“What?
Now? No way, I have to be back at the office.”
“You
are already an hour late, you can take a half day off.” Kumar said mounting the
bike. Ravi couldn’t resist, things were getting far too excited. He sat on the
pillion.
****
They
reached a high rise building and parked the bike outside. After signing in the
visitor’s register, they took the lift to the thirteenth floor.
“1302.”
Kumar checked the cigarette packet.
AJAY SOLANKI.
The
name plate on the ebony door said. Ravi and Kumar exchanged glances.
“Right
now, I wish, life had a background score.” Ravi said, excitedly.
Kumar pressed
the doorbell. A woman dressed in a short cream colored sleeveless dress opened
the door.
“Yes,
may I help you?” The woman said. Ravi looked her up and down admiring her curvaceous
physique and immaculate skin.
“My
name is Kumar, we are here to meet Mr. Ajay Solanki.” Kumar said.
“But
Ajay has already left for office.” The woman replied.
“Oh
actually we have come to interview him for a newspaper article and he had given
us an appointment to meet him here but due to traffic we are late. Can you give
us his office address?”
“Wait.”
The woman said and disappeared closing the door behind her.
“Ask
her if she is Vinita.” Ravi whispered.
The
door opened. The woman gave a visiting card to Kumar.
“This
has Ajay’s office address and phone number.”
“Thank
you so much. Are you Mrs. Vinita Solanki?” Kumar asked.
“No!”
said the woman with a hint of suspicion and surprise.
“Oh
ok!” Kumar mumbled, suppressing the surprise in his voice.
“How
do you know Vinita by the way?” she asked.
“Well
err… We actually…”
A
cell phone began to ring somewhere inside the apartment.
“Excuse
me, I will be right back.” she said and went inside closing the door.
“Let’s
leave before she comes back.” Ravi said. They pressed the button of the waiting
lift, got inside and pressed the ground floor button.
“That
was close.” Ravi said. “If she wasn’t Vinita, then who was that woman?”
Kumar
looked at the visiting card.
AJAY SOLANKI
Managing
Director
Solanki Group of Hotels
“Shall
we go and meet him?”
Ravi
nodded slowly still contemplating the question.
****
At
the office of Solanki Group of Hotels the receptionist dialed a number.
“From
which newspaper you said?”
“Mumbai
Daily.” Kumar replied.
“Mr.
Kumar from Mumbai Daily.” She said into the telephone.
“What
is it in regard with?” She said looking up to Kumar.
“An
interview for an article.”
She
spoke into the phone again. “Okay sir.” She scribbled something on the notepad.
“You
can go in. His cabin is the last one on the right.” She said looking bored.
Ravi
muttered a hasty thank you and followed Kumar into the office. The office was
small but plush with wall to wall carpet and paintings of European architecture
hung on the walls. MD, declared a glass cabin at the end of the office. Ajay
was talking on the phone. Kumar knocked. Ajay nodded at them to come in. As
they went in Ajay gestured them to take a seat. Ravi and Kumar sat on heavy leather
revolving chairs and waited for Ajay to finish his phone call.
“Sorry
to keep you waiting. What will you have tea or coffee?”
“Nothing
we are just fine.” Kumar said.
“So
tell me how can I help you?”
“My
name is Kumar and this is Ravi. Mumbai Daily is doing a feature on hoteliers in
Mumbai and we wanted some inputs from you.”
“I
will be happy to contribute. Please go on ask whatever you want.” Ajay replied
with a bright smile.
Kumar
took out his writing pad and started to ask routine questions about the
hospitality industry, the Solanki Group etc. Ajay answered the questions quite
eloquently. Kumar asked a few questions related to ownership and shareholding
patterns of the group.
“Who
all in your family are the shareholders?”
“Well
ours is a family business, I am the majority stake holder and my wife owns 24%
of the shares and her uncle Mr. Ashok Solanki who is also in the board of
advisors owns 10%.”
“Your
wife means, Mrs. Vinita Solanki?” Kumar asked. Both Ravi and Kumar sat up not
knowing what to expect.
“What?
What do you mean by asking that kind of question?” Ajay’s voice rose.
His calm
face was visibly disturbed.
Ravi
and Kumar nervously looked at each other.
“I
thought you journalists did your research before interviewing someone.”
“Well
we just…”
“I
will not tolerate this. This interview is over. Please leave now.”
“But
Mr. Solanki, at least tell us where she is?” Ravi blurted out.
“That’s
enough I will not have someone making fun of my dead wife like this.” Ajay
shouted. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Ravi
and Kumar were stunned in to silence.
“Leave
right now or I will have to call the security.” Ajay stood up from his seat and
shouted at the top of his voice.
“Relax
Mr. Solanki, we are leaving.” Ravi and Kumar got up from their seats. As they
turned around to leave they saw everyone staring at them through the glass walls
of the cabin. They came out of the cabin and walked towards the exit.
Everyone’s gaze followed them.
Ajay
flopped on his seat and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. He picked up
the phone and dialed an intercom number. He picked up the glass on the table
and sipped some water. The phone connected after two rings.
“Did
you see the two men leaving my cabin?” Ajay spoke into the phone looking across
his cabin into another cabin where a man was speaking in to the phone.
****
Kumar
and Ravi came out of the office building and stood in the parking lot near the
bike trying to figure out what just happened.
“If
Vinita Solanki is dead, then who called me last night?”
“And
how can one call from that dust covered phone without touching it?”
“Yeah
that too.” Kumar said. “I think this is deeper than just a phone call. Come I
will drop you at your office.”
They
sat on the bike but they did not notice the man listening to their conversation
and pretending to kick start a motorcycle. Kumar and Ravi left on their motor
bike. The man followed them on his own motorcycle. Kumar dropped off Ravi at
his office and then he went in to his office and disappeared into the building.
****
From
a distance the man saw Kumar disappear into the Mumbai Daily office. He took
out his phone and dialed a number.
“May
I speak to Mr. Kumar in Mumbai Daily?” He said.
He
waited patiently tapping his feet, as the phone played a soft waiting tone.
“Hello,
Mr. Kumar?”
“No
Kumar is not on his seat. Who is this?”
“I
just wanted to speak to him regarding an interview he had scheduled with me.”
The man said looking towards the gate of the building to see if Kumar was
leaving.
“Can
you give me his mobile number? I will get in touch with him directly this is
urgent.” The man said.
He
mentally made a note of the number that was given from the other side. He
disconnected the call immediately and saved the number on his phone. He dialed
another number.
“Yes
the man’s name is Kumar and he is a reporter for Mumbai Daily.”
“The
other one was dropped off at an office in Worli.” The man said after a pause.
“Yes
I have his number.” The man paused again.
“They
were speaking about some Vinita giving them a call last night.” The man said.
He
listened for some time.
“Ok.”
He disconnected the call, mounted his bike and drove.
****
The
man sitting across Ajay’s cabin, dialed a number. Ajay picked it up in the
first ring. The man told him everything.
“Ashok,
I think they might know something about Vinita’s death.”
“How
can that be, we did not leave any evidence behind and it has been seven years
now.” Ashok spoke in whispers.
“I
don’t know but if anything comes out, we will be ruined.” Ajay said his voice
tense.
“Don’t
panic, calm down, let’s see what they know I have asked Raghav to keep an eye
on the two.”
****
In
the evening Kumar called Ravi. Ravi answered almost immediately as if he was
waiting for Kumar’s call.
“Meet
me at the chai wala in half an hour.”
Kumar said.
They
met at the tea shop a little distance away from Ravi’s place.
“Do cutting aur ek Parle-G.” Ravi called
out to the shop owner, who was busy attending to the usual lot gathered around
the shop. The humdrum gave them a cover to chat along without being noticed.
“I
checked our news archives to see if there was any news about Vinita Solanki or
Ajay Solanki and guess what I found?” Kumar said whipping out a bunch of
Xeroxed papers from inside his bag.
“That
Vinita Solanki was kidnapped and then murdered.” Ravi answered excitedly.
“How
did you know?”
“Well
you know Patil, the guy who used to copy our notes in college. I just
remembered he is posted at Bandra police station as a senior constable. He
checked the FIRs filed in 2004-05 and said that in December 2004 there was an
FIR filed by Ajay Solanki which said that his wife Vinita Solanki had been
kidnapped. The police later found her dead body on railway tracks near Vasai
Creek.”
“Not
bad my dear Watson, but do you know who this Vinita was?”
A
small boy appeared with three glasses each half filled with tea and a pack of
Parle-G. They both took a glass each, Ravi opened the pack of Parle-G took one
biscuit and offered the pack to Kumar. Kumar took one. They did not notice the
boy giving the third glass to a man standing a couple of feet away behind them.
“Who
was Vinita?” Ravi said dipping the biscuit into the hot tea.
“Look
here” Kumar showed a piece of news article with the headline, ‘The new hotel
Moguls of Mumbai.’ Ravi looked at it intently.
“Vinita
was the eldest daughter of Shyam Ahuja.” Kumar continued, “Vinay Solanki,
Ajay’s father was a 49% partner in Ahuja’s hotel business, Ahuja Hospitality
Pvt. Ltd. Ahuja had made a will which gave 26% share to Vinita his first
daughter and 25% share to Anita, his second daughter.”
“And
Vinita and Ajay got married.” Ravi said taking a sip from his glass.
“Yes,
in 2003, after which Shyam Ahuja died. So now there were three shareholders in Ahuja
Hospitality, Ajay Solanki, Vinita Solanki and Anita Ahuja.”
“Okay.”
Ravi nodded. Kumar turned the stapled pages and showed another news article.
“In
2004 December, Vinita was kidnapped reportedly by an extortion gang, who asked
for a ransom of 1 crore. Ajay went to the police and before the police could do
anything, she was murdered as you said.”
“And
her share passed on to her husband, Ajay Solanki.” Ravi said.
“Right
so Ajay now had 75% share in the company and in 2005”, Kumar paused and turned
to another page, “Ahuja Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. became Solanki Group of Hotels.”
“Okay
but that could just have been a coincidence.”
“The
best part is still to come my dear Watson.” Kumar turned another page. “Here
this article says that Vinita Solanki wasn’t happy with her marriage and she
had been through a few instances of domestic violence. She had also filed for a
divorce but the case was still pending as Ajay wasn’t signing the papers. After
her death in January 2006 Ajay Solanki married…”
“Anita
Ahuja!” Ravi almost shouted in disbelief.
“Right!
I also went to the MTNL office, thanks to my id card and 200 bucks a clerk
found out some interesting information. That Mahim phone from which I got a
call last night is registered in the name Ashok Ahuja.” Kumar said taking a
last sip from his glass of tea.
“You
mean Ashok Ahuja who has a 10% share in the company?” Ravi asked.
“That’s
right.”
“Man
this is far too deep. And we still have no clue who the fuck called you last
night.” Ravi said, his eyes wide in disbelief. “Do you think Ajay bumped off
Vinita with the help of Ashok in return of 10% share?”
“I
don’t want to jump into conclusions. Even if that was true the biggest question
still remains, who called me last night?”
“Shall
we go and tell the police?” Ravi said.
“No
I don’t think police will believe us, what will we tell them, that I got a call
from a number which hasn’t been used for years now. Was that Vinita’s ghost
calling me?”
“That’s
right. Do you think we should go and investigate the warehouse again for some
clues?” Ravi asked.
“I
don’t think we will find any evidence there after so many years.” Kumar
whispered. “Can Anuradha get us an itemized bill of the calls made from this
number in 2004?” Kumar asked, his eyes brightening up.
“Are
you trying to get me divorced even before I am married?” Ravi almost shouted.
“Come
on that can be our only evidence. What if Vinita had actually called Ajay on
the night she was kidnapped from the number at Mahim warehouse? Did Ajay do
anything about it?”
“So
now you are saying that it was actually Vinita’s ghost who called you last
night and embarked you upon a mission to find her killers.”
Kumar
did not say anything, he looked at Ravi, his eyes intense. Ravi shook his head,
took out his mobile and dialed a number.
“Hello
darling, how was your day sweetheart?” Ravi spoke on the phone. Kumar went to
the chai wala to pay the bill.
The
man standing behind them slowly slipped into the shadows and walked hurriedly
in the opposite direction. As he crossed the street he pulled out his phone
from the pocket and dialed a number.
****
The
phone rang, Ashok looked at the number and pressed the connect button.
“Yes.”
He listened to the voice from the other side. He sipped from the glass of ice
and scotch as he continued to stare in the void. Ajay sitting in front of him,
looked at him with piercing eyes as if trying to read what was going though
Ashok’s mind. The golden liquid in the glass in his hands trembled.
“That
was Raghav.” Finally Ashok disconnected the call after what seemed like an eternity
to Ajay. Ashok rambled off whatever Raghav had told him. Ajay threw himself
back on the sofa and put the iced glass on his forehead.
“Everything
will be ruined.” He muttered.
“Get
rid of them.” Said Anita sitting on a bar stool at the other end of the room.
Her shapely legs kept one over the other. Ajay looked at her calm face.
“You
keep your mouth shut. It is you who gave the idea about killing Vinita.” Ajay
shouted at Anita.
“Do
we have any other option? These fucking idiots know way too much!” Anita
replied still maintaining her composure.
“After
seven years how did they get a clue about this murder?” Ashok said looking at
his empty glass. He poured some liquor into his glass picked up a few chunks of
ice and dropped them into the glass.
“That
doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we have to get rid of these jokers
whoever they are.” Anita said clenching her teeth, her eyes cold.
“Who
told you to give them my office address?” Ajay shouted again at Anita.
“Enough!
Stop fighting like kids.” Ashok stood up. “Anita is right, there’s no other
option.” In one swig, he gulped the liquid down. His eyes went blood red, “If
they know about the warehouse, we will bury them there.”
****
Kumar
got off his bike, at the garage of his apartment building. He had dropped off
Ravi after he had convinced Anuradha into finding out the calls made to Ajay’s
number in 2004. The Nokia ringtone on Kumar’s phone started to ring. Kumar took
the phone out.
“Hello.”
“Am
I speaking to Mr. Kumar?” A female voice asked from the other side.
“Yes.”
“I
want to tell you something about Vinita.”
“Who
are you?” Kumar asked his heart skipping a beat.
“I
don’t have time for introductions Mr. Kumar. You don’t know these people. I
can’t tell you everything on phone. Can you meet me in half an hour?”
“But
how do you know about me?”
“Remember
you came this morning at my place and asked about Vinita!” The voice said. “I
can’t talk to you anymore on the phone, please meet me I will wait for you.”
“But
where?”
The
female voice gave an address. Kumar started breathing heavily in disbelief.
‘Damn
this is going to be a huge front page article.’ He thought with a grin. He dialed
a number and pressed the ignition button of his bike.
“Get
ready I am picking you up in ten minutes.” He said when the line connected.
“What?
But why?”
“I
will brief you when we meet.”
Kumar
saw Ravi waiting outside his building.
“Where
are we going now?” Ravi asked even before Kumar could stop the bike.
Kumar
told him about the phone call as they drove.
“You
mean Anita called you to meet her.”
“She
did not tell me her name but yes it was her whom we had met at Ajay’s apartment
in the morning.”
Ravi
sat silently thinking hard. There was something amiss. He took out his phone
and dialed a number.
“Who
were you talking to?” Kumar asked as he parked beside the paan shop.
“Just
making sure we don’t fall into a trap.”
“Do
you think this is a trap?” Kumar asked.
“Why
not?”
“But
how do they know that we know?” Kumar asked again.
“Haven’t
you heard the saying, ‘chor ki daadi mein
tinka’?” Ravi answered.
“What
if Anita knows something and is trying to help us?” Kumar argued.
“Then
let’s go inside and find out.”
They
crossed the street. The dilapidated warehouse loomed in front of them as cars
whizzed by on the street behind them.
“Let’s
go in from behind.” Ravi suggested.
“Let
me call her. She told me to call her when we reach here.”
“What?
Don’t be crazy. That would mean walking right into the trap. If she is really
trying to help she would be waiting inside. Once we are inside and we have made
sure that it’s safe you can make the call. Why would she call us in this
warehouse again?”
“That’s
because she doesn’t know that we have been here before and thinks that this is
the only safe place to talk about her sister’s murder.” Kumar said sounding
irritated.
They
walked silently through the alley. Once on the beach they crawled up to the
place where the boundary wall was broken. Ravi looked around to make sure no
one was watching. They crouched and ran to the window through which they had
gone inside for the first time. Everything was silent.
Kumar
got up and looked inside, there was no sign of life. The only noise was the
waves crashing on the beach. Kumar took his phone out and dialed the number
from which he had received the call earlier.
“Where
are you?” He asked.
“I
am inside the building.” The female voice said.
“Okay,
we will be there.” Kumar disconnected the phone.
“Wait,
we didn’t hear the phone ring inside.” Ravi said.
“May
be her phone is on silent mode.” Kumar said.
“I
still feel something is not right.”
“I
will go inside, you stay here, if you don’t receive a call from me in five
minutes call the police.”
“No
I am coming with you.” Ravi said.
“Don’t
be an ass, stay here and wait for my call.” Kumar said and pulled open the
window. He climbed over the ledge and landed inside with a soft thud. He looked
around, there was no one. He took out the pocket torch and moved the beam
around, nothing but garbage.
‘May
be she is upstairs.’
He
walked towards the flight of stairs, and started to climb it one step at a
time. The stairs still creaked with his weight. He pushed the door and slid
inside keeping the torch on.
As
soon as Kumar entered the room two strong hands wrapped around his torso and
held him tightly, the torch fell on the ground. In the light he saw someone
move in front of him.
“Who
are you?” Kumar shouted and tried to free himself, but the man’s grip was too
strong for him.
The
man in front of pulled his hair, “Where’s your partner?” he said in a deep
voice, his face almost touching Kumar’s. Kumar could smell the alcohol in his
assailant’s breath.
“What
partner?” Kumar said.
The
man slapped Kumar across the face. Kumar was stunned by the sudden violence he
couldn’t even shout.
“What
do you know about Vinita’s murder?” The man asked again.
“I
don’t know any Vinita.” Kumar said grimacing in pain. He tried to make out the man’s
face in the dark.
Someone
on his right punched him in the guts. Kumar doubled in pain, he couldn’t stand
on his legs, the man holding him by his waist kept him on his feet. Kumar
coughed violently.
Through his bleary eyes Kumar saw light moving on the stairs, there was a sudden commotion.
Someone kicked the door, the door went flying open. Flashlights appeared. Kumar
could see his assaulter’s face, it was an unknown face but behind him stood
Ajay.
“Hands
above your heads!” A rough voice said.
The
man holding Kumar let go of him. Kumar fell on the floor. Ravi ran to him.
Kumar raised his head to see Patil and three constables standing with their
guns pointed towards the group of men. Police siren started wailing outside.
One of the constables’ radio came alive, he spoke the instructions into the
radio in Marathi. Ravi helped Kumar to get up. The men were huddled to one
corner. More footsteps were heard on the stairs, a few more policemen came in
with flash torches.
“Are
you okay?” Patil asked Kumar. Kumar nodded.
“That’s
Ajay Solanki.” Ravi said pointing towards Ajay who stood petrified.
“Mr.
Ajay Solanki of Solanki Group of Hotels and you are?” Patil said to the man who
had slapped Kumar. The man did not say anything. “What’s your name?” Patil shouted.
“Ashok
Ahuja.” The man said. Kumar looked at Ravi.
“Handcuff
them and take them to the police station.” Patil shouted.
Kumar
slowly walked with Patil and Ravi as the policemen arrested the men and handcuffed
them.
“Ravi
has given me a brief about the case. From the details it looks like we can open
the Vinita Solanki murder case again.” Patil said as they came out of the
building. “You can come down to the police station and give me all the details
tomorrow morning. We will keep them in remand till then for attempted kidnap
and assault.” Patil shook hands with Ravi and Kumar got into his van and left
with the entourage. A small crowd had gathered outside the building.
“That
was some adventure eh.” Ravi said wiping his forehead.
“Thanks
for informing Patil in time.” Kumar said. Ravi nodded with a smile.
“But
the question is still unanswered, who called you last night?”
“May
be some questions cannot be answered.” Kumar said with a smile.
