Chapter Thirty
"Good morning, Akash. Thank you for coming over so promptly." Farhad greeted the first man to be interviewed for his investigation.
"Good morning, everyone. This is important to me too," Akash replied, stepping into Deshmukh Saree Emporium. "Pallavi Dī said that you have an idea about where Yuvaraj Holkar could be."
"That's right," Farhad confirmed. "Akash, when you ask people to look for Yuvaraj, how do you describe him?"
Akash recited the description, and Mandar's eyes opened wide. "That's my height, my weight, my hair, eyes, and complexion! His age is four years less than mine, that's the only difference."
Nikhil put his arm around Mandar Dādā's waist and rested his chin on his shoulder. "Dādā, do you remember your description that Āī-Bābā gave Māmā for the matrimonial website? It sounded just like this, didn't it, Dī?"
Pallavi nodded, and returned Nikhil's smile. The memory of Siddhesh Dādā reading the words to her, and asking her if she would like to talk to Mandar Deshmukh, brought a slight blush to her cheeks. Now that Mandar was by her side to face gossip, now that they were going on their first lunch date, her answer was still yes.
Akash had taken out his phone, and was showing Yuvaraj's photos.
"Look at his face, Dīdī," Krishna exclaimed. "And look at Mandar Dādā's. Same square jaw, same high cheekbones, same even teeth, same beard. He doesn't have Mandar Dādā's nose, that's all."
Akash looked bewildered. "Why are all of you comparing Yuvaraj to Mandar? How does that lead us to where Yuvaraj is hiding?"
"My idea is that the dead body that was identified as Mandar could belong to Yuvaraj," Farhad explained. "Think about it: Yuvaraj fled to Hyderabad after trying to kill Devayani in the week before Mandar's accident. No one has seen Yuvaraj since then, but he was going to meet Vedant Pillai, who was arrested on the night of the accident. And ten days later, a faceless corpse was identified as Mandar. That had to be someone who resembled Mandar and also died within a day or two of Mandar's accident."
"Rashmi Dī has been worried for over two years that Yuvaraj might find her in Bhopal and try to kill Devayani Dī again," Akash almost whispered in his excitement. "If he's been dead the whole time, what a relief! But how can we prove that it was Yuvaraj's corpse? And do you know what killed him?"
"The body that was thought to be Mandar Dādā's had been hit by a car," Krishna recalled.
Farhad put his hand on Akash's shoulder. "The forensics team kept DNA from the corpse. I want to do a DNA test to see if it could be the son of Yuvaraj's parents. Will you come with me to the police station and help them to get in touch with Yuvaraj's parents in Kolhapur?"
Akash nodded. "I know Yuvaraj's parents well. They know I'm looking for him. They call me at least once a month, and every time, they say that the Hyderabad police won't comment on whatever they're doing to find Yuvaraj. I'm sure that Yuvaraj's parents will cooperate with a DNA test. The police are the ones who need convincing to take action."
"If anyone can get the bureaucracy moving, it's Farhad!" Nikhil exclaimed. "He's the best!"
Mandar found himself smiling in agreement, although he was worried about Nikhil falling under Raghav's influence again.
"Farhad, that corpse was discovered on National Highway 65," Pallavi observed. "When Raghav told me that he saw Mandar near the Hotel Crosto on Outer Ring Road, and later that he took Mandar to S. K. Venkatesh Criticare Hospital, I realized that the corpse was found twenty-five kilometres away from Mandar's accident."
"Do you remember on which side of the highway the corpse was found?" Farhad asked. "Inbound or outbound?"
"Inbound." Pallavi had seen the place herself, in December 2018. Frustrated that the police weren't telling her anything, she had asked Milind Kākā to drive along the highway in search of anyone who could tell her how her husband's body had been discovered.
"So, the driver might have been speeding into Hyderabad from Vijayawada," Mandar conjectured.
"Or Guntur," Farhad reminded him. "That's where Kirti was staying with Jaya Amma at an āśrama. After your accident, Sunny managed to take Kirti back to Guntur before morning. And the car was in Hyderabad again, with its owner Akshay, later that morning, when Raghav Anna went to buy it from him."
"So, you think that Sunny got into another accident, which left more blood on the car than Dādā's, and that was what killed Yuvaraj? And that's how we got the body that we cremated as Dādā's?" Nikhil surmised.
"Yes, but it's only a guess, and the DNA test could prove me wrong," Farhad cautioned. "Right now, we don't know that Yuvaraj isn't alive somewhere."
"Let's go to the police and get the DNA test right away," Akash suggested.
"I'm ready, and I'll drive," Farhad answered. "Pallavi jī and Mandar, could I drop you at the Aqua Legacy restaurant on our way to the police station?"
The question startled Pallavi. Engrossed in thoughts of Devayani's attacker and the bloodstains that weren't from Mandar's accident, she had forgotten what Krishna and Nikhil had planned for her lunch date with Mandar.
"I overheard Krishna talking to Nikhil," Farhad explained, smiling at Pallavi's questioning look. "She's right; Mexican food is perfect for a romantic date. You two should try it. Maybe you'll like it."
Does Farhad have experience of romantic dates with Mexican food? Mandar wondered. Wait, is Farhad just being facetious, hinting that I might not like a romantic date with Pallavi?
"I've never tried it myself," Krishna admitted. "Amma doesn't approve of international food. So, I've only read about it."
"Dī, have you really never been to the Aqua Legacy restaurant?" Nikhil asked, intrigued because Farhad would have known if Pallavi Dī had dined there while married to Raghav. "Abhishek says it's the place to network with business elites."
"I've been there once, but I didn't get to try the food," Pallavi admitted, her thoughts returning to that evening four months ago. She had entered the Aqua Legacy to confront Raghav for faking an attempt on his own life just to have her arrested. Raghav, annoyed that another false accusation against him would cost his business another collaboration after Pallavi had already driven away Mr. Mehra, had refused to explain; he had ordered her to get out. She had lost her temper and shoved Raghav, causing a waiter to spill drinks onto the chair that Lion had electrified to kill Raghav. Moments later, while chasing Lion, Raghav had been knocked unconscious by a car, and Pallavi had brought him safely back to his mansion, undressed him to bandage his bleeding cuts, and found herself drawn to the warmth and vulnerability of his muscular torso ...
What had Raghav's clients felt when they explored his body? Pallavi knew that if anything could cure her of lingering attraction to Raghav, now that she had chosen Mandar, it should be the ugly fact that there was nothing to share with Raghav that he hadn't sold to someone else. She had to put these memories behind her!
"Mandar, we don't need Farhad and Akash to go out of their way, right?" Pallavi grabbed her bag; she could hold hands with Mandar behind it. "Let's take a rickshaw."
While Pallavi and Mandar were on their way, the Aqua Legacy restaurant was already the scene of another married couple's lunch date.
"Mrs. Subhadra, you are well aware that when a marriage is annulled and both parties have independent income for their own maintenance, neither alimony nor settlement is required by law." Dhananjay's face was perfectly serious as he faced his wife over a basket of tortilla chips.
"And yet, Dhananjay jī, your client's offer includes both!" Subhadra's tone was triumphant, whereby Dhananjay knew that she had let down her guard because he affected her, after all. Arguing with any opposing counsel other than her husband, Subhadra's voice would have been thoughtful and calmly provocative. "Mr. Raghav Rao would not offer anything unless he knew that he owed more! The interim maintenance that he initiated four days ago is a blatant attempt to establish a pattern before Mrs. Pallavi Deshmukh can evaluate his assets and demand just compensation for what she has suffered in their marriage."
Dhananjay chuckled, dipped a chip in pico de gallo, and held it out to his wife, who allowed him to feed her. "Has your client instructed you to seek an evaluation of my client's assets? Is that why you haven't filed the petition for annulment, Mrs. Subhadra?" Dhananjay's own mouth soon received from Subhadra's hand a chip laden with guacamole, smoothly sour to match his wife's reply.
"You will be notified of any cases through the court, Dhananjay jī. Meanwhile, I neither confirm nor deny what you imagine me discussing with my client in confidence." Subhadra lifted a juicy chunk of tomato from the salsa and popped it into her own mouth, chewing discreetly as she looked him in the eyes.
"Speaking of that, you are bound by professional ethics to take this offer to your client, Mrs. Subhadra. It is undeniably a generous offer. Mrs. Pallavi will have a very comfortable lifestyle, equal to Mr. Raghav's." Dhananjay loaded his chip with a tomato chunk equal to his wife's, and ate it with a wide-eyed smile.
Subhadra shook her head. Her mouth was watering for another chip with that salsa, but she wouldn't give Dhananjay the satisfaction of seeing her reach for it. "Mrs. Deshmukh's idea of comfort is to live with her family. When I had lunch with them, Mrs. Deshmukh talked to Mr. Mandar Deshmukh's sister about their vegetable garden and home-made pickles, and she wanted to eat his mother's home cooking every day. From what I've seen, Mrs. Deshmukh would go on living a middle-class lifestyle by choice, in spite of any settlement or alimony from Mr. Rao. As her lawyer, of course I want her to receive compensation, but I cannot insist that she should accept it."
"Why wouldn't she accept it?" Dhananjay ate a plain chip for a change. The salt-and-corn taste itself wasn't bad!
"Income is a sensitive topic in that family. Mr. Mandar Deshmukh's father started Deshmukh Saree Emporium in 1985, but he vowed never to look at it again after Mrs. Deshmukh got remarried with Mr. Rao, who had claimed that he gave the shop to her for spending nights with him. I heard this at that lunch from Mr. Mandar Deshmukh's uncle's wife, Mrs. Sulochana Deshmukh. Remember, I told you about her badmouthing Mrs. Pallavi Deshmukh to the reporters yesterday. The father-in-law insists on selling sarees on the roadside to earn his own income, just because people might say that the shop owes its success to Mr. Rao's interest in his daughter-in-law. If Mrs. Deshmukh brings her rightful share of Mr. Rao's wealth into the family home, I am sure it will offend her father-in-law."
Dhananjay had stopped crunching chips so as to hear every word. "That is all the more reason for Mrs. Pallavi to accept Mr. Raghav's offer. She will be wealthy enough to buy her own home, where her in-laws won't be able to badmouth her or throw her out. You've met her husband, Mr. Mandar. Is he reasonable?"
"Mr. Mandar Deshmukh is very considerate of his wife, Dhananjay jī. I will take Mr. Rao's offer to my client, and suggest that she could discuss it with her husband before making any decision. She could also talk it over with the family in whose home she is staying." Subhadra sat back as the waiter set down a plate of chile relleno in front of her, and another in front of Dhananjay.
"Isn't Mrs. Pallavi staying in a hotel? When Mr. Raghav told me that she had moved out ..." Dhananjay cut into his lunch.
"No, she is staying with Mr. Rao's secretary, Mr. Farhad Nawaz, and his parents." Subhadra wrapped the strands of egg and cheese around the chunk of pepper on her fork, and lifted it to her mouth.
"Really! This morning, Farhad called me for a meeting with Mr. Raghav, and we chatted afterwards, but not about this." Dhananjay synchronized his first spicy mouthful with Subhadra's, thinking, so, Farhad lives with his parents, and his boss's wife is their guest ... Maybe he's not ready for them to meet the young man who kissed him last night.
"Dhanu, look who just walked in!" Subhadra pointed behind him. "Mrs. Pallavi and Mr. Mandar Deshmukh!"
Dhananjay turned, and his mouth fell open with astonishment. This is Mandar Deshmukh! The man whom Farhad described as "just a friend" is married to Mr. Raghav's wife! Farhad hid his name from me, even though Mandar was the subject of our meeting with Mr. Raghav. And when Mr. Raghav asked Farhad for a report on what he found out about Mandar, Farhad didn't say a word about whatever he was doing with Mandar at the hospital last night. Were they getting tested, perhaps? Mr. Raghav said that Farhad went to Vikarabad with Mandar, which must have been overnight, because Mr. Raghav said, yesterday morning, that Farhad was on the road, but he would find out who leaked the video ...
"Dhanu?" Subhadra's voice made Dhananjay turn back. "If people see you staring, they'll stare too. Let's give my clients some privacy for their lunch date."
"Sorry," Dhananjay muttered. He began to eat his rice and beans, but he hardly tasted them. What does this mean for Mr. Raghav? If Mrs. Pallavi accepts the offer of a settlement and alimony, Mandar will have a wealthy wife. Farhad may have read emails about the offer. Does he want the benefit of it? Is that why he kept quiet about Mandar's interest in him? I thought Farhad was loyal to Mr. Raghav, but if there's a chance that Farhad and Mandar would cheat my client's wife of her money, I have to tell my client. I can't tell Subhadra what I saw Mandar doing ...
"Excuse me, Bhadu," Dhananjay said, and headed in the direction of the washrooms. He slipped out of the restaurant and called Raghav.
"What is it?" Raghav snapped, his mind on the ring-making machine and tired of yesterday's scandal. "Make it quick!"
"Mr. Raghav, last night, I saw Mr. Mandar Deshmukh kissing Farhad's cheek outside S. K. Venkatesh Criticare Hospital, but I didn't know who he was. This morning, when I asked Farhad if he has a boyfriend, he didn't tell me it was Mandar; he said, 'He is just a friend.' Mr. Raghav, I am concerned that Farhad is not forthcoming with you about Mandar's interest in him, and this may be detrimental for Mrs. Pallavi."
"All right, you told me. Now keep your mouth shut, artham ainadā?" Raghav cut the call and tried not to think of nonsense. Dhananjay actually asked Farhad if he's gay? Ridiculous! Of course, Farhad wouldn't talk to him! If Dhananjay could mistake Farhad, he could imagine a kiss ... or, even if Sanakī Junior gave Farhad a kiss, so what? Mandar isn't anything like those lonely losers who pay for boys ... He's strong enough to twist my arm, and he's a healthy, capable, decent man. It's useless to look for anything wrong with Pallavi's hero.
A widow, Gauri met her long lost friend Omkara in a family function, who still ...
Life Journey of two people poles apart in career, status and style. One is the ...
Drabbles for Shrimad Ramayana Contest
Comments (0)
View all