Shoot to Kill

The climax in the end of the story has a music piece embeded from the movie Shaitan. The climax is best read with the music. I am sure it's equally enjoyable without the music as well. Take your pick.

The open ground in the middle of Seth Dhanji chawl in Chembur was full of people. In spite of the slight drizzle that had started half an hour ago the crowd had continued to increase. A thick nylon rope tied from one building to the other was decorated with marigold garlands and at the centre of it hung a colored earthen pot. It was decorated with garlands and mango leaves. The rope had slackened where the pot hung due to the weight. Men in t-shirt and shorts of all colors had already started forming human pyramids under the pot in order to break it. But none of the groups had succeeded yet.

Rani stood at the door of her kholi watching the proceedings from over the balcony. Her thin lips were painted red her shoulder length hair had just been washed, and stuck on the dusky skin on the back of her neck. There was a mole under her left eye which shook as she chewed a chewing gum. Her thin hands rested on her slim waist which showed between her petticoat and her blouse, as her black eyes swept across the sea of humans below the building.

“Mausi, how is everything?”

Rani heard a gruff voice at the end of the corridor. She turned around to see Pintya talking to Mausi.

“Is your team going to win this year?” Mausi asked Pintya. She was wearing her best red saaree with blue border for the occasion.

“Of course! We are kings of Dhanji-chi Gyarah Lakh-chi dahi haandi! There is no doubt about it.” Pintya said. He raised both his hands and swayed his pot belly to the tune of the loudspeaker which was belting out remixed Bollywood numbers. He wore a blue short and white t-shirt which declared Jai Jawan Krida Mandal in blue.

“If you win the haandi send all your boys here to enjoy tonight, even we need some business. The month has been tough.” Mausi said spitting a red fountain of paan on the wall of the corridor.

“Yes, why not? But do keep my share aside.” Pintya said as he moved along the corridor, poking another girl in her ribs, pinching a girl’s butt.

“Hatt melya!” Rani heard someone curse him. Even though her ears were listening to the conversation her eyes were fixed on the crowd below. She hated the site of him.

“Kya Rani? Looking great? Be prepared, you seem to be in high demand today.” Pintya grinned showing his paan stained teeth and pinching Rani’s waist. Rani slapped his hand off.

“And go and give some advice to your little sister. If she behaves today, she will get a big customer tonight. She should start earning now. For how long will we keep her locked inside and feed her?” Pintya said. Rani clenched her teeth to say something but she couldn’t. She looked away towards the clouded sky in disgust.

Pintya turned around and went towards the stairs. Rani gave him a look mixed with anger and helplessness but couldn’t say anything.

She remembered the day, when she had first met him in her village Ajara, near Kolhapur. She had just completed her 10^th exams but was unable to join a college as her father, a poor farmer, couldn’t afford to send her to one. Pintya had come with a promise to take her away from all the poverty. He convinced Rani that he would help her in finding a job in Mumbai. He had returned to Mumbai alone. During that time he had called Rani every day.

Pintya returned after a couple of months to Ajara. He told Rani’s father that he had got a job for her as a babysitter in a posh society in Mumbai and that she would earn well. Her father didn’t agree. He didn’t want her to work. No female in their family had ever worked to earn a living. Rani however was struck with the dreams of making it big in Mumbai. She fought with her parents and finally one day left the village with Pintya, leaving a note behind.

When she came to Mumbai, Pintya brought her to Dhanji chawl. Rani didn’t like the atmosphere. At first she couldn’t comprehend where she had come, or who Mausi actually was. Rani wasn’t allowed to go anywhere and most of her days were spent inside her kholi. Slowly she became aware of what this place was. One night Pintya and Mausi came into her kholi with a man.

“Be nice to him, he has paid a lot of money for you.” Mausi told Rani.

“No I don’t want to do this.” Rani shouted in protest and tried to run out of the room. Pintya, stopped her and pushed her inside the room. Two more men entered the room.

Loud drums broke Rani’s train of thoughts. She saw a new group had assembled under the haandi, people were dancing to the beat of drums as a human pyramid was slowly taking shape. It was still drizzling. Rani wiped her eyes.

“Mausi please let us go out, we will come back in some time. After all we have to work a lot tonight.” Rani heard Anita talking and giggling with Mausi. Two more girls had joined her and they were all pleading to go out to watch the Govindas break the haandi. After some arguing Mausi agreed reluctantly, but gave strict instructions to them to return in an hour and to stick together.

Rani thought of her younger sister Jyoti. Pintya had lured her and brought her to Mumbai as well. She had been locked in one of the kholis. Rani was shocked to learn about it the previous night. Mausi had asked Rani to go and speak to Jyoti as a customer had agreed to pay a fat amount for her.

Jyoti broke down and started to cry when she saw Rani.

“Pintya came to us one day, gave baba twenty thousand Rupees and told him that you had given the money and that you wanted me to join you as well as a babysitter.” Jyoti told Rani in between sobs.

She also told Rani that she had been locked up in the room for the past fifteen days and they had already tried to force a man upon her but her crying and screaming had saved her. Rani seethed in rage but couldn’t do anything. She came back crying and couldn’t sleep all night.

Upon seeing Pintya and all the celebrations of dahi haandi, she had started boiling with rage. She wanted to get her sister out of this hell, no matter what happened to her own self after that. She went into her room and closed the door. From under the bed she pulled her iron trunk out. She opened it and lifted some clothes; underneath she saw the pistol.

On the first night when she was forced to sleep with her first customer, he turned out to be the corporator of the area. He became her regular customer. He would visit her every fortnight. One night after having sex with him, Rani was lying in his arms, he had, had a couple of drinks when he pulled out the pistol from his jacket hanging on the wall and showed it to her.

“It’s a German made 9mm Mauser gun.” He told Rani. Then he showed her how to load the magazine into the gun and pull the trigger. He gave the gun to Rani for safekeeping as he was sure that this brothel would never be raided. Rani had felt a sense of power rush through her body the moment she had held the gun.

Rani closed the trunk shut with a clang and went out of the room. The girls outside were already excited about going out to see the local Jai Jawan Krida Mandal Govindas breaking the dahi handi. Rani went up to Mausi.

“Mausi, can I go too?” Rani asked.  

Mausi nodded and said, “But come back in an hour, okay?”

“Can I take Jyoti along with me? You see she has never seen Mumbai’s dahi handi. Her mood might change if she goes out and then maybe I will be able to convince her for tonight.” Rani said expectantly. She was not sure whether Mausi would agree to it but this was her only chance.

Mausi looked at Rani from head to toe and said, “Okay, take her along. But make sure she is ready for tonight. I have already accepted the advance. Tell her not to make things difficult for me.”

“I will.” Rani said and went inside her room. She changed in to a salwar suit, took the gun out and hid it in her leather handbag along with some money that she had got as tips from her clients and had hid them in her trunk. She went to Mausi, took the keys of the kholi where Jyoti had been locked, and went there. She opened the kholi. Jyoti was lying on her cot, half asleep and sobbing intermittently. Her food was lying untouched on the floor near her cot. Rani shook her to wake her up.

“Get dressed, quick!” Rani told her.

“Where are we going?” Jyoti asked getting up and wiping her face.

“We are getting out of here. Don’t waste time and get ready.” Rani said.

Within moments Jyoti changed her clothes, wiped her face and was ready to leave.

“Explain her well. It is for her good only. What is the use of getting hurt at such a tender age?” Mausi shouted as they came out of the room and passed her in the corridor.

Rani smiled and nodded. Then she tugged at Jyoti’s hands who kept her eyes on her toes. They came out of the building. The atmosphere was charged. The DJ was now playing an English song and the beats were making the walls of the buildings vibrate. The crowd was jumping up and down to the rhythm of the beats with their hands raised.

“Let’s go.” This time it was Jyoti who tugged at Rani’s hand and began to run.

“Wait, I have something to finish before we go.” Rani shouted over the noise and pulled her back. Rani began looking around frantically.

“Who are you looking for?” Jyoti shouted.

“For the man, who ruined our lives.” Rani screamed in reply.

They weaved their way through the crowd. Many of the faces knew Rani. They jeered at her. Rani ignored their catcalls. She moved quickly, continuously looking around and tugging at Jyoti’s hands. Jyoti was finding it hard to keep pace with her.

At last Rani saw him. At the end of an empty alley, away from all the crowd and noise, she saw Pintya, peeing against a wall. The drizzle had become a moderate shower now. Pintya was soaked and was looking skyward.

“Hide between that auto rickshaw and the wall and don’t come out until I come back.” Rani instructed Jyoti.

Jyoti didn’t say a word and followed her sister’s instruction. Rani looked around and moved swiftly into the alley. She could hear the music faintly in the background. The windows looking into the alley were vibrating with the music. The walls were dirty and rain soaked and the alley reeked of garbage rotting in rain.

From behind the wall around the corner Jyoti saw that Rani opened the zip of her bag and pulled out a gun. Pintya was still looking towards the cloudy sky. Rani walked towards him, holding the gun with both her hands and pointing it towards him.

“Pintya!” Rani shouted when she was within a few feet of him. Pintya turned around and gave a start upon seeing the gun in her hands.

“What are you doing with the gun Rani?” Pintya asked in a soft voice.

Before Rani could answer him, he pounced on her and tried to snatch the gun. Rani didn’t let go of the gun. The trigger pressed. Everything went silent. The DJ changed the music.

A shot broke the silence of the alley. Jyoti saw Rani’s body collapse on the ground and beside her fell the gun.

Pintya stared at the dead body in horror. He stumbled and fell on his back. He scrambled and got up on his feet and began running like a crazy man out of the alley. He kept looking back to see if Rani came back on her feet. He passed Jyoti as he ran, without noticing her. Some of Pintya’s friends met him on the street near the alley and pulled him into the crowd of dancing men.

Jyoti looked around. Pintya had disappeared into the crowd. No one had noticed her. She crawled out of her hiding place and started to walk down the stinking alley where her sister lay dead in a pool of blood mixed with rain water, garbage and mud. Jyoti looked at Rani and started to cry. She looked at the gun still in Rani’s hands. Smoke was still coming out of the barrel. She picked up the gun and hid it in her duppatta.

She came out of the alley and started to walk through the crowd in the direction in which she had seen Pintya disappear. He was dancing with a group of men. She decided to make her move and ran pushing the men aside. The music was unbearably loud. The crowd kept pushing and jostling against her. Someone grabbed her butt, she ignored. Before she could reach Pintya, the crowd began forming a human pyramid. Pintya joined the group and started climbing the shoulders of a man.

It was becoming very difficult for Jyoti to move. She crouched down on the ground and began to move between the legs of the men. The stink of sweat mixed with rain, the constant pushing and the music almost made her vomit. She somehow managed to control herself and weaved in between the legs. The pyramid was getting taller by the second.

She managed to finally reach the bottom inside the pyramid and looked up. She could see Pintya directly above her. The sight of the man reminded her of her dead sister, the stinking alley and how he had sold her own body to someone. She raised the pistol in both her hands. As if Pintya got a sign he crouched a bit under the load of another man climbing on his shoulder and looked down. He looked directly into Jyoti’s eyes. At the very moment music stopped. The silence due to the gap in the music was broken by a report of a gun fire. The music started playing again. Pintya’s lifeless body fell beside Jyoti. Someone’s feet landed directly on her stomach, and the human pyramid started to crumble. Jyoti felt a huge weight as men after men fell on her. She blacked out.

The police came with an ambulance. The bodies were recovered. The evening newspaper said, one of the bodies was of a prostitute, recovered from an alley, she was shot dead. A man shot dead, in the centre of the dahi handi celebrations and another prostitute who had died because of injuries received when men had fallen on her.

As the police stopped the dahi handi and cleared the crowd away, Mausi’s brothel didn’t do any business that night.

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.