The Phone Call - Part - 2

Click Here to read the first part of this story The Phone Call - Part - 1

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.