Chapter 1 - Raat Akeli Hai Matured

The only source of light at this moment is the moon in the sky. But that is enough for him. He slowly strides towards the back of the house. He stops under a balcony on the second floor and looks above. It is the path he chose to enter the house when he was surveilling it. He slowly moves towards the drainage pipe which is just beside the balcony. He looks around to make sure there is no one in the vicinity and starts climbing up.

He waits a second after landing on the balcony and then heads towards the sliding door that leads to the bedroom. And just as he feared, the door is locked.

#

Mr. Kalash Juneja enters his room with a heavy heart and worried mind. His wife has left today and went to her parents’ house with their daughter. He tried force her to stay but when his wife showed him the mirror and made him realize that their daughter needs to go away from this environment for a while, he didn't have any choice other than to agree with her. Kalash doesn’t care for anyone except his daughter. Like any normal man he loves his daughter very much which is actually quite abnormal for a man like him.

He heads towards his bed to lie down and sleep. But he stops as his eyes fall down on the balcony door. The door is locked but since it is made of glass, he can see the outside. He sees a man standing in the balcony. He is looking straight at him. The man gestures Kalash to open the door. Kalash follows quickly. After he enters the room Kalash says in a low but alert tone.

Kalash: Tum yaha kya kar rahe ho? Agar kisne tumhe dekh liya to.

The lights are off. Kalash refrains from turning them on as he doesn’t want anyone to see Anjaan in his house. The light of the moon is seeping from the window and the balcony door inside the room creating a shadow. In which Kalash can only see Anjaan’s eyes. Anjaan replies…

Anjaan: Fikar matt kijiye Mr. Juneja. Mujhe logo ke nazro se chhupna ata hai.
Kalash: Lakin tum yaha kya kar rahe ho?
Anjaan: Wahi jo Anjaan karta hai.

#

The next morning.

It is 6 am. She is running through the almost empty roads. People are still inside their homes. Their days hasn’t started yet. But Riddhima’s has. It is her daily routine to run before going to work every day. Without this she feels her day is incomplete.

She reaches her finishing point and stops. Then she sits on the bench there to take some rest before starting her return journey. As soon as she sits her phone starts ringing. She takes it out from her pocket and looks at the caller id. Seeing that the call is from her commanding officer she picks up quickly.

Riddhima: Jai hind sir.
CO: Riddhima. I hope maine tumhari nind kharab nahi ki.
Riddhima: Nahi nahi sir. Main to bohot pahele hi uth gayi thi.
CO: Good. There is a situation.
Riddhima: Kya hua sir?
CO: Mr. Kalash Juneja. Juneja Mills ke owner. Unki apne ghar me death ho gayi hai.

The news catches Riddhima by surprise. Mr. Juneja has been in the news for quite sometime due to a court case he was involved in. Although it seemed like he was getting out of it, scratch free.

Riddhima: Sir, aapko lagta hai ki ye unke court case se related hai.
CO: Pata nahi. That is what I want you to find out. Main chahta hu ki tum jald se jald waha pohocho aur is matter ko investigate karo.
Riddhima: Ok air. I am on my way.
CO: Jai hind.
Riddhima: Jai hind sir.

He cuts the call.

Riddhima puts the phone inside her pocket and heads towards her house. On her way she keeps thinking about Mr. Juneja’s death. At this moment she can think of only one person who can be behind his death. The person who had filled a case against him. The idea makes her very uncomfortable.

#

Seema: Ha to har aurat ko shaadi me tyag me karna parta hai. Tum akeli nahi ho Sunita.
Sunita: Pata hai. Lakin uski bhi ek seema hoti hai Maa. Jabtak baat meri thi, maine chupchap sahe liya. Lakin baat jab meri beti ki ho, to main bilkul bardasht nahi karungi.
Seema: Ha to kya hua ke use kisi admi ne thoda sa chher liya. Mardo ki to adat hi hoti hai. Ise kya zarurat thi itni raat ko school me akele rukne ki.

Sunita looks at her mother in a sternly.

Sunita: Bas Maa. Ab aap ek aur shabd nahi bolengi. Meri beti ke khilaf main kuch nahi sunungi. Aapne abhi jo kaha woh kyu galat hai, iske liye main aapko lambe lambe lectures nahi dungi. Kuyki mujhe pata hai ki isse koi fark nahi parne wala. Aapki soch giri hui thi aur giri hui hi rahegi. Isiliye meri beti ko leke aapki jo bhi soch hai woh aap apne tak rakhengi. Samjhi aap?

Seema doesn’t say anything. For the first time in her life she is scared to say anything in front of her daughter. There is something in Sunita’s eyes. A feral impression. She is angry. Very angry. A woman can tolerate anything except her child getting hurt or being in danger. She has tolerated her husband’s every torture as long as it only affected her. But now his deeds has started affecting her daughter. This is something she can’t tolerate. This is something she won’t tolerate.

Last night Priya, her daughter told her and Kalash, her husband what happened to heron her way home as soon as she entered the house. Needless to say, both Sunita and Kalash were devasted and furious after hearing this. Sunita decided immediately that she can not live with Kalash anymore. It is because of his wrong doings that Priya had to face this. Of course, Kalash tried to stop her, even threaten her. But she didn’t listen. And when she made him realize that no one but he is responsible for this Kalash didn’t have anything to say. He had to agree that it is best for Priya to stay away from him at least for a while. So Sunita came here to her parents her house.

It was almost 1 am when they reached. Seema and her husband as expected were surprised to see their daughter and granddaughter at that time of the night .But they didn’t ask anything then. It is only this morning when Seema asked Sunita about what happened. And after Sunita told her everything they had this argument.

Priya is sleeping in the bedroom while they are talking in the living room. She had trouble sleeping last night. Kept having nightmares.

Sunita’s phone rings at this time. She grabs her phone and sees it is from the landline of Kalash’s house. After considering for a while, she picks up the call.

Sunita: Hello… Ha Shaam bolo.

She listens for a while.

Sunita: Kya bol rahe ho mujhe kuch samajh nahi araha hai… tum... tum shant ho jao, phir kaho ki kya kahena chahta hai.

Seema looks at her inquiringly. She gestures her to wait and listens to what Shaam, the servant of Kalash’s house is saying. Soon her face becomes pale.

Sunita: Kya?

#

Riddhima enters Kalash’s bedroom. Her partner, Angad is already there. The room has one bed, one wall cupboard on the wall opposite the door. In front of the cupboard is the bed where lies the dead body. There are two holes in his head which are oozing blood on the sheets. Some of it have reached the cupboard door. There isa gun in his hand with his finger on the trigger.

Angad: Dekhne se to lagta hai ki suicide hai.

Neha, the medical examiner, who was examining the body looks at Riddhima.

Neha: Suicide hone ke chances hi zayada hai.
Riddhima: 100%?
Neha: Bina autopsy ke to ye batana mushkil hai. Lakin entry wound aur exit wound dekh kar to aisa hi lagta hai ki isne khud hi khud ko goli maari hai.
Riddhima: Tumhe lagta hai. You are not sure.

Neha rolls her eyes at her.

Angad: Come on Riddhima. Don’t be your typical self. Kabhi kabhi chize waisi hi hoti hai jaisi nazar ati hai. Ye suicide ke alawa kuch hona mushkil hai. Kyuki ghar ke saare khirki darwaze band the. Woh bhi andar se.
Riddhima: Saare?
Angad: Ha.
Riddhima: Aur fingerprints?
Angad: Crime Scene Unit wale collect kar hai. Lakin match karne me time lagega. Abhi humare paas sirf victim aur ghar ke servant Sham ke samples hai.
Neha: Too generous of you to call this guy a victim.

Both of them look at her.

Neha: Kya? We all know he raped that girl.
Riddhima: Ho sakta hai. Lakin murder kanun ke khilaf hai.
Neha: Tumhe ab bhi lagta hai ki ye murder hai?
Riddhima: Main tabtak sure nahi hongi jabtak tum post mortem nahi kar leti.

Neha doesn’t argue anymore. In her mind she is not feeling an ounce of sympathy for Kalash. He was a rapist and everyone knew that. (It is just that there wasn’t any evidence.) And a rapist dying is not such a bad thing to her.

But Riddhima is made of something else. She believes in law. And murder is against the law. So, it can’t be right to her. Doesn’t matter what the murdered did.

Riddhima looks at Angad.

Riddhima: Aur inki biwi aur beti?
Angad: Woh dono yaha nahi hai. Servant ne bataya ki woh dono Sunita, Kalash ki wife ke parents ke waha gaye hai. Kal unka kisi baat ko leke jhagra hua tha. Aur Sunita, apni beti Priya ko leke yaha se chali gayi. Aur woh jab yaha se gaya to Kalash zinda tha. Subha jab aya to use kalash aise mila.
Riddhima: Interesting.

She pauses for a while.

Riddhima: Goli ki awaz kisi ke kaan me nahi gayi?
Angad: Nahi. Neha ke hisab se maut raat ke 2 aur 4 baje ke beech hui hai. Zayada se zayada log us waqt so rahe hai hote hai. Aur is pure ghar ka premises bohot bara hai. Awaz yaha se bahar jaate jaate kaafi fade ho gayi hogi. To kisiko jagane ke liye shayad woh kaafi nahi hogi.
Riddhima: Ha. Lakin you know aajkal bohot saare aise log hai jinko raat ko jagane ki adat hoti hai. Khas kar teenagers. So, I guess hume aas paas puchtach karni chahiye.
Angad: Ha. Tum sahi kahe rahi ho. Yaha ka kaam khatam karke lets do that.

Riddhima nods.

Riddhima: You know Angad. I don’t buy this suicide thing. Jaise court me case chal raha tha, rai inke favour me hi hoti. To phir ye suicide kyu karenge?
Neha: Biwi se jhagra hua tha. Aur woh ghar chorke chali gayi. Ho sakta hai ki Sunita ke haath koi aisi chiz lag gayi ho jisse court ki rai palat jati. Isiliye woh ghar chor gayi aur beizzati ke darr se Kalash ne suicide kar liya.
Angad: Mujhe nahi lagta aisa. Because aise case me Kalash use jaane nahi deta. Usse zabardasti woh proof leke use destroy kar deta. Nahi. Sunita kisi aur wajay se ghar chor kar gayi hai.
Riddhima: Sunita ghar chor kar kyu gayi ye to usse baat karne ke baad hi pata lagega.
Angad: So that is our next stop.
Riddhima: Yaha ka kaam khatam hote hi.

Angad nods. Riddhima takes a look at the body again. Then she looks at the rest of the room. The balcony which is right beside the cupboard catches her attention. She strides to the door. As Angad said it is locked. She opens it. And enters the balcony. As soon as she does that Neha says in a low voice to Angad.

Neha: Angad. Ye Riddhima kya kar rahi hai? Dekh kar saaf samajh araha hai ki ye suicide hai. Why is she insisting that it is murder?

Angad replies in the same volume.

Angad: Tum jaanti ho Riddhima ko. She likes to be thorough.
Neha: Ye dusre cases jaisa nahi hai. Even if it is murder, murderer has staged it quite convincingly.
Angad: Tum kahena kya chahti ho?
Neha: Yehi ke abhi is waqt is admi ko maarne ka motive kiske paas hai ye tum acchi tarha se jaante ho. Aur woh jail jana deserve nahi karte.

Angad looks at her helplessly. He knows that Neha is right in her place. But he feels bound by his duty. Plus, he knows Riddhima. She will never agree to it.

Angad: Listen. I understand ki tum kya kahe rahi ho. Lakin hume humara kaam thik se karna hoga. Agar suicide hai to we have to prove it. Taaki koi sawal na utha paye. Plus this is a high-profile case. Aur sabki nazre hum par hi hogi. Hum sloppy kaam nahi kar sakte.

Neha: I get it. But please. Just try to contain her okay.
Angad: I will.
Neha: Aur jitna jaldi ho sake use apni dil ki baat bata do.

Angad’s cheeks turn red.

Angad: Shut up.

Neha grins.

#

Chandni enters the café after opening the outside shutters. It is almost 9 am. The café is supposed to be open to the customers at 10 am. Everyday Chandni, Kabir, Shanty and Lily comes an hour earlier to set it up. The walls are made of both of glass and brick except the back part behind the counter which is made of brick only. There are two rooms there. One is the kitchen and behind the kitchen there is another room.

Chandni starts getting things ready for the customers. Shunty and Lily will be here any moment. She is expecting that Kabir will be a little late today since he was working late last night.

Shunty is the waiter and Lily helps Kabir in the kitchen. Kabir is a baker. He is not professional but he can make very delicious foods. He is also the 50% partner of business and Chandni owns the other half.

Chandni hears the sound of the front door opening. She turns to see expecting it to be Shunty or Lily but is surprised to see Kabir.

Chandni: What are you doing here?
Kabir: Matlab?
Chandni: Matlab ye ke mujhe laga tum thoda der baad ayoge. You were working late last night. And you barely slept.
Kabir: So, did you. Lakin tum to time pe agayi.
Chandni: It is not the same.
Kabir: It is okay. Main thik hu. Now let’s get back to work.

He enters the kitchen before she gets the chance to say anything else.

#

Riddhima: Kal raat ko kitni baje soyi tum?

Anjali looks at the lady cop, standing in front of her, at the door of her house, uncomfortably. Her manner is firm. She looks like she is going to yank everything Anjali doesn’t want to share out of her.

Anjali: Woh…. I think…
Riddhima: Fikar matt karo. Tumhari mummy ko nahi bataungi ke tum der raat tak jaag rahi thi.

Anjali still doesn’t seem to be easy. But she answers anyway.

Anjali: 5 baje.

Riddhima looks interested. In the past hour she has interrogated 6 of Kalash’s neighbor. So far all of them went to sleep way before the time of death window. And none of them were woken up by any sound. Anjali is the first person who went to sleep after that.

Riddhima: Tumne kuch suna?

Anjali hesitates to answer. Her manner makes Riddhima sure that she heard something.

Riddhima: Dekho agar tumne kuch suna to please mujhe batao.
Anjali: Woh… main… sure nahi hu.
Riddhima: Sure nahi ho ki tumne kuch suna ya nahi?
Anjali: Sure nahi hu ke important hai ya nahi.
Riddhima: Just tell me ki kya hua. Important hai ke nahi woh main decide karungi.

Anjali starts unwillingly.

Anjali: Karib 2:30 baje ke ass paas maine ek pataka phutne jaisi awaz suni. Aas paas itna sannata tha ke main ek dum se chauk gayi thi.

Riddhima gets a little bit excited

Riddhima: Tumne khirki se dekhne ki koshish nahi ki ke awaz kaha se ayi?
Anjali: Ha lakin maine kuch dekha nahi. Then I figured ke kahi dur kisi gaari ka tire puncture hua hoga. Then I forgot about it.
Riddhima: Uske baad?
Anjali: Uske baad kya?
Riddhima: Uske baad tumne kuch dekha?

Anjali pauses for a second before answering.

Anjali: Nahi.

Riddhima looks straight at her eyes.

Riddhima: You sure?

This time Anjali doesn’t pause.

Anjali: Ha.
Riddhima: Okay. Thank you. You can go.

Riddhima turns and leaves. Anjali shuts the door. While walking away from the house Riddhima thinks about Anjali’s manner. It was suspicious. It was like she was trying to hide something. And Riddhima is sure that there something that Anjali kept from her. She didn’t tell her everything.

#

Anjali enters room and sits in her bed. She is wondering weather she did the right thing or not. Around 10 minutes ago her mother woke her up and told her that their neighbor Kalash is dead. There is cop at the door who wants to ask her a few a question. She wasn’t willing to talk to the cop but she had no choice. The cop even made her mother leave them alone so that she could talk to Anjali freely.

Anjali didn’t want to tell her even about the sound she heard. But she could tell that the cop suspected she knew something. So, she had to give her something. However, she didn’t tell her everything. Around 20 minutes after she heard the sound that startled her, she heard something else. The sound of the engine of a car. It was unusual at that time of the night so she went to window to see again. She saw a black car with tinted windows coming from Kalash’s house. She thought it was weird for that car to be there at that time of the night. But she didn’t give much importance to it. It is only when the cop asked her if she heard anything, she remembered about it. But she decided to keep it to herself.

This could be or couldn’t be related to Kalash’s death. That doesn’t matter because even if it is, she doesn’t care. In fact, she is happy that he is dead. That worthless piece of shit has been making unwanted advances towards her since the day she moved in last year. She used to be friends with his daughter and go to their house frequently. But his behavior made her break up her friendship with Priya.

Andon the top of that the rape case that was going against him. Anjali is more than sure that he is guilty. But it looked like that Kalash was going to win that case. That poor girl wasn’t going to get the justice. Anjali hated it. That rapist was going to get away with it and was going to do it again. But not now. He is dead. He won’t be able to touch or even look at any innocent girl anymore.

Anjali doesn’t know whether Kalash’s death is murder or not. And even if it is murder, according to her, whoever killed him did the right thing. And she is sure as hell not going to help the police catch them. Some people deserve to die. And Kalash is one of them. Was. He was.