DEMONGHOSH STORY CORNER : The Master and the Apprentice

Chapter 1

"Ah isn't it absolutely marvellous Rajiv?" The young girl exclaimed to her twin brother as the impressive 73 metre high structure towered over their stationary forms. They craned their necks for a better view of the architectural masterpiece conceived by Qutubbuddin Aibak and ultimately finished by Feroz Shah Tughlaq.

"Indeed is sis. Isn't a UNESCO World Heritage Site for nothing is it?" smiled the brother. They had always been interested in art, the pair of them and it couldn't get better than this. The red sandstone seemed to radiate an old world charm and it truly was the magnum opus of all historical structures.

"Let's go and eat something bro. I am starving", implored Reshmi, reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the immaculate architecture.

"Yep, let's go to the Paratha Wali Gali sis." Rajiv had always been a foodie and he couldn't possibly pass up the chance to explore one of the famous streets of Old Delhi and fill himself up to his heart's content. As they say, good food is a genuine panacea for all tiredness.

"Oh man, this is good sis", enthused Rajiv as he chomped away on the crispy Paratha and Matar Paneer that he had specifically ordered for the two of them. Reshmi licked her fingers in acknowledgement. It indeed was good, as most Delhi-ites will agree. The soft, wafery paratha, with that generous dollop of butter, allowed to melt over the surface just provided an added dimension that never failed to satisfy your taste buds and left you craving for more. But, the siblings were controlled. They had put themselves on a strict diet and come hell or high water, weren't going to waver. They had done well for themselves, the siblings. Perennial toppers, languidly brilliant, they had found themselves in the institute of their dreams on a full scholarship.

The AIIMS personnel were raving about possibly the finest pair of medical practitioners to come through their institute in an eternity. They had silken hands, which almost seemed to lilt to an imaginary tune during surgeries. They were a chasm of envy for the entire institute, not least due to their effortless brilliance. They quickly earned their medical badges and before long, the best of the best from the medical world were queuing up for their signatures. They had companies and hospitals prepared to spend a fortune on them and multiple offers sometimes worth eye-popping amounts were on their tables, imploring their signatures. They did eventually sign, on a multimillion pound deal, which took them to the much acclaimed London Institute of Medicine, where their stock only seemed to soar further. They spent 2 fruitful years there.

Then in what seemed to be the most unpleasant epiphany to the authorities, they handed in their resignations and expressed an unflinching desire to return to their homeland. They had always been persuasive when needed, the siblings. And a couple of weeks down the line, here they were, in surroundings which were in stark contrast to the opulent streets of London but no less enjoyable to them.

They strolled out of the Paratha Wali Gali, contented and halcyon, and started looking for a cab. They needed to get back to their hotel by 5 o clock. "Why are we looking for a cab bro," grumbled Reshmi, "when we can easily call up the hotel and ask them to send a car over?" Rajiv just inclined his head over to look at his sister and considered her for a while. "Let's just take a cab sis. We do need to ask for a car immediately on getting back anyway", he explained to his sister. She nodded her head in consent and they resumed focussing their attentions towards trying to find a cab. They did find one eventually.

"The Taj Mahal Hotel", instructed Rajiv smartly to the cabbie, who did a bit of a double take. He eventually gathered himself and they gradually made their way through the notorious Delhi traffic to the seat of luxury and the holy grail,as far as centres of hospitality are concerned. They paid the cabbie, and made their way smartly and decisively into the hotel. Rajiv took the keys from the reception and up they went, towards their suite on the 4th floor. The keycard went in and they stepped in to their sumptuously decorated living room, complete with a bejeweled chandelier, the plush sofa and the lovely 55 inch plasma with a generous rack of blue-rays. They don't charge the big bucks for nothing, do they??

The siblings had only been there 3 days but they had already struck up a beautiful relationship with the next door old couple. Mr. Akshay Khurana, 74 and his wife of 51 years, Mrs. Leela Khurana , 73 were irrevocably in love with the siblings. They found them polite, warm and probably a worthy replacement for their own young grandchildren who had passed away a year earlier in a freak road accident. Reshmi changed and went in to their room, where she was always welcome.

"Hello Auntie. ", she crooned in her dulcet voice which the Khuranas so adored. They exchanged hugs and she was invited to evening tea. "Auntie, let's go out this evening and do some sightseeing. You have been sitting in your rooms for the last 3 days." Mr. Khurana, old and content replied swiftly, " Dear, we are old people. We are just here for a rest. We don't have the energy that you youngsters have." "Oh come on Uncle,don't be a spoilsport. We are there with you aren't we?? Don't you trust your grandchildren?" She instantly knew the battle was won. The Khuranas relented.

By 6 o' clock, the Khuranas and Reshmi were comfortably entrenched in the backseat of the bright white Audi A4, which was speeding along the brightly lit roads of Old Delhi. The sun hadn't set yet but it wouldn't be long before it did. It was a good evening. The old couple seemed to have their verve back in the company of the energetic, young twins. They posed for photos and even did a bit of a jig in front of the India Gate, which Rajiv duly captured on his fancy DSLR. By 9 o' clock, the four happy souls found themselves inside Parikrama, in the heart of Connaught place.

As they munched away contentedly at the alluring Dum Aloo Banarasi and Palak Paneer and of course the famous Hyderabadi Mutton Pulao, it was the perfect picture of the quintessentially happy family. No outsider could have foretold that 3 days earlier, they were complete strangers. As Reshmi laughed along with the now bubbly couple, Rajiv passed the Palak Paneer invitingly. The script had to be followed religiously. Reshmi politely refused but the Khuranas were too enamoured by the quality of their evening to refuse anything. They accepted a generous serving of the creamy gravy, which by now contained something far more sinister than just fresh Palak and opulent cream. The Temazepam began to work its wonders even as the company of 4 trooped out of the restaurant.

"What a lovely evening. It's a shame to take the car in such weather. Let's walk shall we?" declared Rajiv.

Reshmi nodded her consent, of course. The Khuranas tried to put up a fleeting resistance.

"Beta, we are old people and we have had an enjoyable but tiring evening. Wouldn't it be better to take the car?"

"But, I have already sent the car away", exclaimed Rajiv in mock surprise.

"Come on Auntie, let's walk", insisted Reshmi.

They had no choice. The siblings had run rings around them. Disoriented, groggy the Khuranas stumbled along without knowing where their feet were taking them. A quarter of an hour later, they found themselves in a desolate corner of Delhi, bearing clear signs of desuetude. The twins turned to the now defenseless old couple, who had no knowledge of their whereabouts whatsoever. Reshmi steadied himself and took a deep breath. Rajiv copied his sister. They quite enjoyed moments like these. This was what they had actually prepared themselves for, during their apprenticeship.

"You take him. I will take Auntie", instructed Reshmi coolly, pointing to the beleaguered couple, who had by now collapsed on the wet grass. Mrs. Khurana summoned up one last feeble burst of energy as she shoved the advancing Reshmi away with her flailing right arm and murmured "Please. I beg..." The sentence wasn't even completed when two sharp slivers of silver swept through the cool night air, in perfect synchronization with each other. Both of them connected, unerringly, with their respective targets, and the twins allowed themselves a contented snigger as they felt metal on sinew and then the gush of warmth...

Delhi woke up next morning to the news of two dismembered and mutilated carcasses, lying on the grassy stretch on the outer circle of Connaught place. Nobody could make out who the carcasses belonged to or how they got there in the 1st place. The police declared it "the single most sadistic, diabolical and brutal" murder they had ever had the misfortune to come across. "There is ineffable brutality involved", declared a gloomy and solemn Commissioner of Police. Anand Goswami, the much acclaimed news broadcaster, woke up to an email on his personal gmail account which read:

"THE SENSE INITIALLY was of a structure designed to baffle and disorientate; to prevent curiosity; to hide that which must not be found, either because it was sacred or because it was shameful. It may not always be a Minotaur in but there will be something whose immediate disclosure is either undesirable or forbidden. It could be a monster, a priest or a crocodile. The secondary sense is of any structure or series of structures which, whatever their primary purpose, have the effect of baffling us as we try to find our bearings. Instead of finding our route, we stand amazed."

Chapter 2

Air India Flight AI- 752 flew along smoothly and silently, as its contented passengers enjoyed a snooze inside. A couple of people, here and there, were enjoying a cuppa while others were merely whiling away their time, hoping for the thudded landing in the city of Nawabs.

"Come on sis, hold this atleast for a minute", whined the atrabilious Rajiv even as his sister was her usual ataraxic self. He was holding a medium size duffel bag, containing all their accoutrements and armamentarium. Reshmi could sense her brother was a little twitchy. Everyone would be, having committed one of the most gruesome murders in Indian history. But Reshmi was unflappable. She was her apollonian, casual, matter-of-fact self. She didn't pause to think that in painting her hands scarlet, she had taken an irretraceable step towards the deepest pantheons of Belial and Lucifer. It was what she had worked for, throughout her brilliant academic career. In fact, she considered herself an autodidact. Rajiv though was slightly less becalmed about his abyssopelagic deed. Discussion on the flight was taboo though. His sister had warned him about it. In some ways, he had to begrudgingly acknowledge the mental fortitude of his twin.

"Gosh, how are you so calm?" he could not help asking. Reshmi merely took another generous bite of her croissant, with the faintest hint of a smirk playing around her lips.

Delhi was all a flutter. Political bigwigs were giving interviews to the media, at a rate which suggested interviews were in danger of going out of fashion. In fact, one had to wonder if they had sanctioned as many projects in their last 5 years in the ministry as they were giving interviews. The Opposition had wasted no time in pointing out how this was the clearest sign yet of the ever deteriorating law and order in the state.

"Worse is to come unless the people of Delhi elect us", he declared, the glee in his voice thinly veiled. The chief minister had the look of a person who had been having irregular bowel movements for a full year or so. Anand Goswami screeched out, louder than ever in most homes throughout Delhi. Delhi's wasn't quite averse to such heinous crimes but the brutality involved did surprise many.

Flight AI-752 landed at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport, surprisingly only 4 minutes late. The siblings, sporting their fancy Raybans, got off, as casually as the other innocent passengers. They headed down the T-2, keeping their strides measured yet alert. As they walked past an international wine store, Reshmi had to work rather hard to repeatedly ignore the imploring nudges of her twin. She was the boss here. There was no doubt about it. She called the shots. She charged out of the airport, her disgruntled brother traipsing along behind her. They reserved a mega-cab for themselves and off they headed for the Homestay Lucknow', a quaint little place on Mall Avenue. It represented a massive dive, from close to 25 grand a night to a measly 700 Rupees a night. From the Jacuzzi bathtub to a common Bathroom.

But, the siblings didn't mind. They introduced themselves to the owner, a warm, middle aged woman. Her husband had passed away a couple of years earlier and now she ran the place. Although to be honest, the place didn't need too much running. It didn't have an extraordinary influx of money and no exalted expectations. It had the basic necessities of a modern world and that was about it. Instead of a Jacuzzi, they had a yellow plastic bucket. The place was built on the foundations of warmth and love. The owner, Shaila, introduced her young son Dev to the twins. As had been the story all throughout the lives, the demure yet bubbly siblings quickly garnered the affections of Shaila and Dev. Dev was a cute 2 years old and was a right little nuisance, although a cuddly and loveable one at that. He immediately latched onto Reshmi who scooped the young man up into her arms. Shaila smiled and the rest of the staff too had a bit of a grin.

Dinner was a grand affair. All the guests gathered around a round table and as is often the case with homestays, Shaila was the hostess. She had prepared a sumptuous meal, worthy enough for the biggest banquets. There were 4 varieties of vegetables, including Paneer, Soya nuggets. And of course when you are in the city of Nawabs, you can't go without a plethora of Kababs and the staple Lucknowi Biriyani. All the guests gorged on the flawlessly prepared dishes and were effusive in their praise for Shaila. All the while, cute little Dev lapped up the affections of Reshmi, as she and her brother too feasted on the delightfully prepared dishes. Dev had really taken a liking to the siblings it seemed. After a round of acknowledging the profuse expressions of gratitude from her content guests, Shaila wished all of them a heartfelt good night and was just about to retire to her room when Reshmi suddenly stopped her.

"Come on Madam, can't you chat with your little brother and sister for a while longer?" she crooned, batting her eyelashes in a way that instantly won Shaila over.

The hostess suspected that the siblings wanted to spend a bit more time with young Dev and barely suppressed a smile at the thought. The chat was brief and full of hearty laughter and left an indelible mark on Shaila's mind.

"This has to be a couple of the sweetest young people I have met," she wondered in adulation.

"Madam, can Dev spend the night with us?" begged Rajiv in his sweetest and most persuasive tone. Once again, as the Khuranas were, Shaila was bowled over by the sweetness of the twins. Dev too flashed a toothless smile, to express his delight and nodded vigorously to sound out his agreement with the idea. Once again, the script was being emphatically followed.

It was a clear, cloudless night. The twins, with a peacefully sleeping Dev slung across Rajiv's shoulder, were walking along the 2nd platform of Mohibullapur railway station.

"Lovely night isn't it bro?" wondered Reshmi as she looked up and down the deserted, antediluvian station.

The ramparts had the distinct stink of bat droppings and the iron bars, from the railway tracks were strewn about here and there. Rajiv merely nodded his approval without looking at his sister.

"Couldn't we have taken the woman?" he blurted out."Atleast, the boy would have been spared."

Reshmi was a little taken aback, although her exterior betrayed no palpable emotion. "Well, put it this way bro, atleast this young boy wouldn't be orphaned by what we are about to do."

"There will be no young boy after we get done Reshmi", exclaimed Rajiv, the anguish on his face as pronounced as the sleeping features of the innocent, divine young child on his shoulders.

"He is such a sweet little thing isn't he?", Reshmi said while taking Dev off of Rajiv's slumped shoulders and planting a soft peck on his forehead. She then set him down beside the tracks and said, "Bro, help me get that iron rod over there, will you?"

Rajiv, as banausic as he had ever been, trooped over and dragged the rusted, iron bar over to her sister.

"Hold it up please", she instructed as she stooped over to lay the sleeping form of Dev carefully in place. Having finished her meticulous preparation, she got up and asked her brother "On the count of three then. One, tw..."

She had barely finished saying two before the massive iron rod landed with a thud on the sleeping child beneath them. Reshmi, shaking her head in mild recrimination at her brother's poor timing, stooped down again and heaved the iron rod away with some difficulty to observe whether the disfigured carcass was in any way, shape or form capable of a response. Convinced, she took the body and laid it down on the railway tracks, in anticipation of the soon to arrive local train. It was unfailing in its arrival and unflinching as ever as it sped over the railway tracks, dismembering the insignificant remnants of an innocent life.

"Pity", said Reshma, "Come on bro, Chaudhary Charan Singh is waiting for us".

Next morning, a cryptic letter landed on Surendra Bahadur Yadava's, the ACM-fourth Lucknow East, front porch which read:

"With its dazzling and haunting mix of science fiction, the history of malaria research, thriller, ghost story and postcolonial allegory, Amitav Ghosh's new novel is -- like his previous work wonderfully clever as well as a good read."

Chapter 3

It was a conundrum and a half. The Lucknow Police were dazzled, in catalepsy more than pleasure, by such a hitherto unwitnessed murder in Lucknow's history. Sure, they had seen murders where people had their brains scrambled or spines ripped out. But, the circumstances surrounding this cantankerous event were delicate to say the least.

Mrs. Shaila was inconsolable. Her caterwauls at this cataclysmic event in her life were still haunting Inspector Ravi Krishna, the commissioner of the Lucknow police. He had witnessed firsthand the mess that had been made of the dead body or what was left of it anyway. He had never been this way on duty. Never, ever. He thought he had seen it all but he had to think again. Thoughts were flooding through his head, along with endless permutations and combinations. He wasn't the Commissioner of Lucknow Police at the moment. He was one with the staff of the Lucknow Homestay. The charismatic, often described as enigmatic, top boss had found his match. And with these feelings, came onrushing wave after onrushing wave of utter rage towards the killers. He wanted them in his formidable grasp. As was the case in such scenarios, he was pacing about relentlessly and his already half empty pack of Marlboros was emptying rather fast. He had already gotten wind of the strange note that had landed on Surendra Bahadur Yadava's doorstep that morning and was as close to figuring it out as he was to meeting the person he dreamed about every living moment of the day...

Ravi went back home that evening rather early. He couldn't possibly concentrate on anything else when that sadistic murder was debilitating him. He was a prisoner in his own mind. Why he had been so badly affected he didn't understand. Perhaps, it was the helpless wails of the mother, who had not spoken a word to anyone since the incident that had discombobulated him to this extent. Perhaps it was just the nature of the crime and the victim. He finished 12 Marlboros in half an hour and felt filthy. He got the cryptic note out, after a fair bit of unfocused rummaging in his backpack.

"Amitava Ghosh?", he wondered aloud. "What on earth did he have to do with murders?"

He lumbered up from his unkempt bed, got his trusted laptop and slumped down on to the bed again. After a fair bit of searching on Google, he found what he was looking for. "The Calcutta Chromosome", he read aloud. His eyes scanned the Wikipedia page, for one tiny, insignificant clue that could help him do something to ease his own pain.

"For crying out loud, it's just a bloody novel about malaria research!!"

He shoved his laptop away and clutched his tired, tormented face in his hands. He wanted his eunoia back.

"Does the note even have any connection with the murder?"

His mind strayed. To Hans Zimmer's music, to the delectable paneer he had for lunch, to that special person...

"No, goddamn it! Don't think about that."

He admonished himself, brandishing his finger at thin air. It always made him groggy thinking about that person, whom he had for so long considered a beloved elder sister and so wanted to meet. The person, who without even knowing, had dragged him through his toughest times in life. They had been an inspiration to him, having seen headlines in the newspapers about their bravery all throughout his growing up years. He had always wanted to become a doctor but this special being had transformed his ambitions and 4 years from this day, he had been crowned as an IPS officer. His rise was meteoric, incredible. But here he was, sitting alone in his room, completely torn up, without the slightest hint of even an evanescent ray of happiness. He fell back on what he had always done when he had felt like this. Drive F on his laptop had a secret folder where he had screenshots, pictures and clippings of his special person. He opened them up and allowed himself the liberty of a long, hard stare at the headline:

"Inspector Purvi : An Inspiration."

After about an eternity of trying to rouse himself from his mental slumber in the way he knew best, Ravi closed F drive and came back to the job at hand. His mind was working a bit now; the way he generally expected it to. He analyzed the handwriting in the letter, the addresses, the stamps and whatever he could find. Nothing. He tried to focus on the murder but really there was nothing to focus on.

He had questioned the staff and he had pretty much garnered that the twins were the killers. What he could not fathom was how they could have disappeared from the face of the earth. He had checked all the outgoing flights and trains from Lucknow, from last night and as a matter of fact tabs were being kept till now, and nobody named Kayla and Rinku had boarded a flight or a train in the last 20 hours. He suspected that the killers weren't called Kayla and Rinku in the first place. It was probably aliases they had used on their sadistic sojourn.

Ravi went into office the following day, having tossed and turned in his bed throughout the night as he threatened to wallow in his gradually deepening dystopia.

"Sir, you look a right old mess", Inspector Reshma, his trusted confidant observed. Ravi just ruefully ruffled his messy hair in response and with a shake of his head, sat down on his princely perch. "Sir, did you hear about the Delhi murders a couple of days back?" Ravi simply answered with a forlorn nod.

Reshma: "Well, Anand Goswami has just revealed that he actually received a cryptic letter too the morning after the Delhi murders from some woman named Priya Kejriwal! He has handed it over to the Govt and the Chief Minister is livid. She has launched a massive probe into what the letter could mean."

Another of Ravi's aides - Inspector Srishti chipped in with one of her little tidbits " Yeah, not surprising is it Reshma? The CM has about 25,764 reasons to be sick of the sight of Kejriwals!"

Ravi had come alive. He had been hammering on the door all night trying to force it ajar and only now did he feel he had one toe inside. "I want the letter immediately", he said more to himself than to Srishti or Reshma, and then jumped up from his chair, lit a cigarette, picked up his phone and started furiously dialling a number.

"Yes, this is Commissioner Ravi Krishna from the Lucknow Police. Can I speak to Commisioner Kamath please?" Ravi fired rapidly, barely pausing to breathe.

Srishti and Reshma knew this mood of his all too well. It was a real experience to see Ravi work. He would sit there all morose and duck footed. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he would find something to come alive and then build up a head of steam which would make it very difficult for anyone to stop him. He had a tremendous work ethic and a tremendous brain, the two most vital aspects of a law enforcer. One doesn't need to be ripped and look like Arnold Schwarzenegger on steroids to be a great police officer. One doesn't have to know how to roundhouse kick somebody in the face to be a good cop. If that were so, we would have trapeze artists and kung-fu black belts being the best police officers.

Ravi: "Hello, Commissioner Kamath? Yes, I wanted a copy of that letter that Goswami got the morning after the murder. You reckon you can fax it in a couple of minutes?? That's fantastic. Thanks a lot."

He put the phone down and turned to his two closest aides. "He is faxing it in a couple of minutes," he said, the anticipation on his face very evident. Ravi could be a bit of a pedantic gadfly when it came to work but in such testing times, his exuberance, enthusiasm and relentless work ethic would shine through. The fax arrived, duly on time, and Ravi ripped it out of the machine and started reading it. Reshma and Srishti could see his eyes narrow as he progressed further down the letter. "What the blazes does this now mean?" Ravi exclaimed in noticeable exasperation as he finished the letter. Srishti and Reshma gently took the letter from the table and started reading it too.

Srishti : "Well, it's obviously a place."

Ravi was standing with this back to them, smoking as usual, but suddenly whirled around when he heard this. "It's talking about Lucknow," he said quietly.

Reshma: "What??"

"You heard me." Ravi had resumed his pacing, and as was the case with him, he started puffing his cigarette even more vigorously.

Srishti : "Sir, stop smoking please. You have already gone through about 3 cigarettes in 15 minutes."

Ravi, seemingly oblivious to Srishti's rather disparaging remarks, lit one more and continued." I really think it is Lucknow. The letter signifies the Bhool Bhulaiya. I think we are dealing with a pair of demented serial killers."

There was a bit of a pin drop following this startling revelation. Ravi went on, "I think this brother-sister duo..." He paused as he seemed to be weighing up how best to put it to his bewildered colleagues. "They are possibly leaving notes in the cities that they are killing, as clues to the next city of their attack. So that means their next target is possibly..."

"Kolkata!" Reshma completed the sentence and then slumped down in the nearest chair. "But how are we going to have a clue who they are or who their target is?" she wondered, the faintest trace of helplessness in his voice.

"That is the question isn't it?" Ravi said, clearly contemplative. "We don't know how they identify their targets. They killed an old couple in Delhi and a young kid in Lucknow. The old couple were retired, rich and on vacation. The kid here was helpless and not from a very rich family. There are absolutely zero connections, except probably the fact that they are killing helpless people. We don't know their motives either", he finished, his voice bearing clear signs of frustration.

Srishti, quiet till now, said : "Sir, we have to go to Kolkata and inform the Kolkata police too. There's no other way around this mess. We need to leave immediately."

Ravi looked up through the smoke, and with a bit of a wry grin, said, "I want three confirmed plane tickets to Kolkata as early as possible. I want it for today, as a matter of fact. Let's get down to it!"

Chapter 4

It was a sense of deja vu. Indigo Flight 6E-342 was gliding through the night sky, even as Ravi and Inspectors Srishti and Reshma fidgeted about in their seats. It was a bit of a late evening flight and would arrive at Kolkata around 10.

"We can't do anything today can we?" asked a rather disconsolate Reshma.

Ravi didn't want to answer but knew that it was probably true. They would reach Kolkata late and the turnips at the Kolkata Police wouldn't be in that late. So they would probably have to go hotel hunting and in such troubled times, a late night jog on the streets of Kolkata is about as desirable as a roasted cockroach, even if we are talking about 3 brave police officers. Srishti was already on her I-Pad, browsing away on Trip Advisor for a decent halt somewhere near the airport. She found one that she liked. The O2 Hotel, just off VIP Road, was a nice and fancy little place.

Srishti : "Sir, found one. Little beauty of a place. Has a nice restaurant and a disc too, if you need one!"

The last bit was a bit of a mischievous afterthought and Ravi merely scowled. He wasn't in any mood for jiving just at the moment, although the prospect of him getting in a luminous yellow dress and grooving to "Tandoori Nights" was enticing for another, uncluttered day. He was a fun-loving man, Ravi. Always had an anecdote up his sleeve and loved a bit of banter too. Not at the moment though. Currently, he had a severely constipated expression on his face, jowls acquiver and brows furrowed as a symbol of the turmoil in his mind.

They landed at the newly built, swanky, high-horse terminal at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Dumdum. It was so far removed from the filth and mismanagement of the old one. You would be lucky to leave with your luggage all in one place from the old one!

They stepped out, the cool night air blowing their hair hither and dither, each of them carrying one small kit bag. Ravi flagged down one of the waiting cabs and they proceeded away from the usual chaos of any departure terminal. Hotel O2 turned out to be as nice as Srishti had described. They got themselves 3 single Deluxe Rooms each. They wished each other a Good Night and went in for a quick night. Ravi tossed and turned a bit but being a bit of a connoisseur of lovely literature, Macbeth's immortal description of sleep suddenly flashed across his mind and sighing at his own condition, he turned over and drifted off too.

*****

Ravi woke with an almighty jerk next morning. "Goodness me!" he exclaimed and looked around his room looking for nothing in particular. He shook his head a couple of times, and got up. His bed had the typical garconniere look about it. He didn't bother to tidy it, went to his cupboard, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He then trooped over to the bathroom and saw himself in the mirror. He looked ghastly; face was deathly white and there were dark shades all over his eyes. He really had to get working. He went inside, took a look at his watch and swore.

"Only 6 AM?! God, you've gotta be kidding me."

He didn't fancy another 2 hours of this Gehenna. He had to get working. But, the only work he would get done at 6 AM in the morning was take a jog or answer nature's call. He decided on the latter and trooped off, disgusted.

The minutes seem to crawl by. Ravi resorted to watching TV but then again, he couldn't make head or tail of the things airing at that hour and closed it in a huff. 8 AM arrived and Srishti called Ravi to find him in a foul mood. "You up finally?? What time do you call this?" he thundered.

Srishti: "Relax, sir, what do you think you would have gotten out of getting up at 5 AM, other than a headache?"

Ravi was exasperated. He was just being grouchy now and he knew it but couldn't help it. "Okay, come to the dining area right now. Get Reshma too. We will get some breakfast and then get the hell out of here and get some work done."

Half an hour later, with their palates full of the Bengali speciality of Luchi-Tarkari, although Srishti had fancied the guacamole on the International menu, they were due to meet up with a guy from the Kolkata police named Inspector Ghosh. They had spoken on the phone and the first impression Ravi had of him was that of an arrogant, obnoxious prick. But when they had met, about an hour later, in the busy area of Bhawanipore, his opinion changed. Ravi now knew that this guy was not an arrogant, obnoxious little prick. He was actually a fat, no-good, clumsy, arrogant, grandiloquent and obnoxious prick. None of the officers liked him.

"What a dump of a guy!" thought Srishti, her nose screwed up in distaste. Ravi wanted to knock his teeth out of his fat jaws but resisted the temptation. Reshma just stood there, her arms so tightly wound around herself that it seemed she would never again unravel them.

Ghosh, in his shrill screech of a voice announced proudly that the city of Kolkata was functioning very smoothly and they didn't need assistance from a couple of, as he put it "Hindustanis", to maintain their city in full running order.

"God, he sounds like a male Banshee!", wondered Ravi but he tried to reason with the fat little prick. "Listen Mr Ghosh," he ploughed on through gritted teeth, "We have very good reason to believe that there is going to be a gruesome murder in your city and unless we all work together we cannot stop it."

Ghosh : "Haha. Is that right, Mr. Robi Krishno (as he pronounced it)? Well, can you please enlighten us with the whereabouts of the murder or the victims or the killers?"

Ravi barely had time to shake his head when Ghosh interrupted triumphantly "Well, that's what I am saying Mr. Krishno. Let me tell you something. You enjoy the sights and sounds, the food and atmosphere of Kolkata with your colleagues and then go back to Lucknow and collect your paycheck. Simple!" He concluded with a wave of his gargantuan fingers, which left the trio of officers trembling with rage.

Srishti: Even so, we would like to accompany you to your police commissioner.

Ghosh : Why do you insist madam?? Nothing good is going to come out of this. You are wasting your time and my time. Besides, Boss has sent me to assist in this case.

Srishti and Reshma cupped their hands to their faces and Ravi let out an audible gasp of horror. This gimp was going to assist them in such a pivotal case! Ravi, for a fleeting moment, had the urge to just go back to Lucknow and wait for the next murder. But, suddenly he was reminded of the enduring images of the uncontrollably sobbing Shaila and he immediately changed his mind. He wasn't going to let this joke of a human being ruin his mission to find answers. He merely had to grit his teeth and grind it out. "Listen Mr. Ghosh, we are seasoned police officers and we have valid reasons to believe that someone, somewhere in your city is in danger of being dismembered with alarming brutality. Didn't you hear about the cases in Lucknow and Delhi?"

Ghosh (flapping his frying-pan sized hands): No no, forget that Mr. Krishno. All that happens in Delhi and Lucknow. We are peaceful here in Kolkata. The state is in great hands. All the three elements that we prioritize are in good hands. Everyone is smiling. Everyone...

Ravi simply turned away in disgust and the other two did the same. They had heard about such elements in the Indian police force which was responsible for the slow but sure decline of the nation but here there experiencing firsthand. "Stupid donkey", thought Srishti through gritted teeth. None of them wanted to be here but all of their contemplations were stopped in their tracks when a shrill rendition of the tone that gets on every sane person's nerves rang out in it's full glory: "You're my pumpkin pumpkin, hello Honey Bunny..."

Ghosh : Excuse me sir. Boss is calling.

The trio exchanged exasperated glances at each other. "Nothing to be surprised about, way things are going."

Mr Ghosh's shrill screech had mellowed down suddenly to more of a whimper now. He turned around, pearly white and sweaty and looking every bit like a overtly healthy Casper. Ravi immediately had a hunch and hoped for all the world it wasn't true. "Has there been a murder committed Mr. Ghosh?" , he asked fearing the worst. Ghosh was suddenly back to his obnoxious self, almost as if he had flicked a switch. "Even if it has been Mr. Krishno, I hardly think you need to be worried about it. We are capable and experienced enough to handle it ourselves. Now excuse me!"

Ravi couldn't hold it in any longer. He had been simmering for a long time and finally, he had come to the boil. "LISTEN YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING BRAINLESS OAF; YOU HAVE GOT AS MANY BRAIN CELLS AS A ROTTEN WATERMELON. YOU CAN'T SOLVE ANYTHING ON YOUR OWN. WE CAN BECAUSE WE ARE CLEVERER, MORE HARD WORKING THAN YOU. F..."

Before he could finish his sentence though, Reshma stepped in to rein her raging boss in. Ghosh was flabbergasted at the sudden explosion. Ravi was still going at it like a raging pit-bull. He really wanted some of the stupid old knobhead. Srishti had her hands cupped around her face. It was melancholy all round.

"Okay, Mr. Ghosh. We can help your police force because we know more about them than you will ever know." Reshma tried to calm things down. It was a part of her character which was greatly admired by all and sundry. She generally remained pretty sturdy and always kept her feet on the ground. She was blessed with a calm head on her shoulders and it came in handy in situations like these. Although Ghosh was looking like a tough nut to crack too.

"Listen madam, we don't like interference in our business. You go back to Lucknow or whereever it is you belong. Mind your own business."

Now Srishti too stepped in. She was a much more visibly emotional character than Reshma and was fierce in her loyalty. She too was blessed with a very pleasant nature and had the propensity to be very sweet when the weather was sunny but also very emotionally combative when the going got tough. "Listen, we are professional law enforcers. None of us like you and I think it is pretty clear that you don't find us amusing either. But, as Reshma and Sir said, we know more about these monsters than you or your boss do. Let's be professional and let's try and stop another green branch from being prematurely chopped off."

Ghosh couldn't resist any further. Sure, his ego was taking an almighty pounding but then again, there was enough of it in reserve to not get appreciably depleted. The trio got into his police jeep and all of them made their way to the site of the murder. It was in close proximity to the famous, sprawling old Oberoi Grand, in Esplanade. Their jeep ushered past the Grand and wound itself into the narrow by-lane beside the Peerless Inn. That famous old lane housed a couple of shops which would make every Kolkatan nostalgic. Everyone in the city has a story to tell about Aminia and Nizam's. Oh, those Kathi rolls...

But, for the trio, it was not the time to drown themselves in the aroma wafting in from those famous old centers of delectables. The body was a little way along, right in front of another famous yet crumbling old jigsaw in the puzzle that is North Kolkata. The Elite Cinema hall stood proudly but Ravi and his colleagues were more concerned about the crumpled little heap silhouetted against the backdrop of the once mighty cinema hall. It was the same old story. Battered in the face with something noticeably hard and then ruthlessly and precisely dismembered and disembowelled. It wasn't exactly what you would expect to see on a pleasant Saturday morning.

Inspector Ghosh saw it and just turned away in what seemed blithe nonchalance but what actually was disgust. The trio were much more stoic though and they started looking around, searching for what could be the tiniest clue or maybe even a semblance of a mistake by the killers. There was none. Ravi looked intently at the mangled mass of flesh and what he did fathom was that the dismantling of the body was done with care and almost surgical precision. He would of course have to wait for the preliminary forensic report before making any judgements. But he had seen his share of gruesome murders and this was his judgement upfront. He guessed that this was possibly two trained medical professional at work.

"What do you think?", asked Srishti and Reshma simultaneously. Ravi merely shrugged his head, took one last revolted look at the Inspector Ghosh and beckoned his two loyal associates towards him.

Chapter 5

Inspector Ghosh's boss turned out to be a whole lot more sensible and whole lot less petulant than him. He too seemed to be bewitched and ensnared by the gory yet excruciatingly sly succession of murders committed in 3 of India's most famous cities. He too couldn't penetrate the seemingly impervious and insidiously knit network that had by now sent shockwaves throughout India. Inspector Senapati, the police commissioner of Kolkata, was sitting at his desk, the police commissioner of Lucknow facing him.

Senapati: Listen Mr. Krishna, I appreciate the fact that you and your team have more knowledge about the killers and we are willing to be receptive of your positive co-operation.

Ravi: Thank you, Mr. Senapati. Let's get to the point. I think, what I have seen of the killers upto this point, that they have already left the city. They are probably on a flight somewhere, looking for their next victim. Has the body been sent for forensic examinations yet? Also, please do keep an eye out for the expected letter. It could arrive to anyone in the city, provided that they are perched high enough in the social tree. Hell, it could even arrive to you.

He had barely said that when one of the yeomen knocked on the door of the commissioner's cabin and entered to deliver a newly arrived letter to Mr. Senapati. Ravi's heartbeats quickened considerably. It had to be from those killers. Sure enough, Mr. Senapati scanned through it and handed it to Ravi with a quizzical expression.

Ensconced in Luxury, as Terror pays a visit" - Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy.

The names rang an immediate bell. Ravi had heard these names somewhere, but as is the irksome nature of such situations, one just cannot remember things when in desperate need.

Senapati: What do you think, Mr. Krishna?

Ghosh : Give it to me. I want to see it.

Ravi, Srishti and Reshma simultaneously raised their eyebrows in faint but frank disbelief. Wow, that oaf can read?" they wondered.

Without waiting for an answer, Ghosh grabbed the letter and started trying to decipher what it could mean. Srishti, meanwhile, took the envelope gently from the table and immediately received confirmation of her suspicions ever since Mr Senapati opened the envelope. There was definitely something else within the envelope. She poked her finger in and extracted a mini-envelope, which turned out to contain 3 of the most graphic pics she had ever seen. They were pics of a murder being committed; in fact they were pics of the murder committed the previous night infront of the Elite Cinema Hall. It displayed a bent over male figure, peering into the incarnadine viscera of a ripped dead body. There was sadism and a clear message of "Come get us" written all over the pics. What's more, there were a couple of lines, hurriedly scribbled on the back of each photo: "We pity you Officers. So a bit of help from our end. Hope it helps."

Ravi couldn't believe the gumption on these monsters. They were always a couple of steps ahead and now they had resorted to taunting the authorities. He thumped the wall in frustration and screwed up his face in anger and to some extent, helplessness. He had never felt this way in his life. Suddenly, Reshma spoke up: "Sir, I think this letter is talking about the terrorist attack in Mumbai."

This unexpected revelation took left everybody bewildered. Srishti was the first to react: "And it is possibly talking about the Taj Mahal palace isn't it?"

Ravi: Yes. That's it. It is talking about the Taj. I now remember the two names. Scott-Clark and Levy are two British journalists who documented the Taj disaster in their book titled The Siege: 68 Hours inside the Taj.

He rattled all of this off very fast. All of this had come hurtling back into his racing brain in the past few seconds since Reshma's revelation. So, it was Mumbai next and possibly, it was the legendary Taj Mahal Palace and Towers.

"Well, if it is Mumbai next, I should make a little phone-call, shouldn't I?" said Mr. Senapati, as he dialed a number. "Hello, Mr. Abhijit Srivastava?"

Chapter 6

Six hours later...

Ravi couldn't believe his luck. Here he was, travelling along the Western Express Highway towards the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai. But, he didn't care about that. What he cared about was that there was the scarcely believable possibility of meeting the special person, who had inspired him to take up this job in the first place. He would get to meet HER. The person who occupied about 95 GB on the F drive of his laptop and if he was honest with himself, occupied about 95% of his mind too. Since he had seen that interview of her, he had been enamoured by her personality, her voice, her decisiveness and even though he squirmed in his seat as he thought about this, her ethereal beauty. She was the Athena of the mortal world.

Beside Ravi, Srishti and Reshma too were shifting uneasily in their seats. Srishti and Ravi shared a common fascination. They both hero-worshipped Inspector Purvi and were, almost automatically, withdrawing deep into the recesses of their subconscious, the possibility of the realization of their dreams engulfing them. Reshma, on the other hand, was just beginning to realize the practical implications of suffering from a severe bout of alexithymia. She had gone rather pale and clammy and felt as if she was currently sitting in a cryogenic chamber. All of this was because she was at the forefront of a dual attack from the two dream persons of her life: Senior Inspector Abhijit Srivastava and Inspector Purvi. The meeting was to happen at the Taj Palace Mumbai. An opulent meeting spot indeed.

Their Scorpio pulled into the driveway of the epicenter of luxury in modern India. It really was a magnificent structure. But, the trio only had eyes for the two people stepping out of the brown Xylo in front of them. One of them looked dapper in a charcoal-grey blazer and dark aviators. The lady beside him had a simple formal shirt and trouser on, along with dark goggles. But somehow, she seemed to radiate an extra-terrestrial glow which seemed to completely purge their minds of all feeling, all thought and all emotion. She was even more beautiful upfront than in the pics, yet seemed to have an unmistakeable tough and cop-like aura about her. Ravi, with the little portion of his mind that was still functioning, immediately registered the I-am-not-one-to-be-messed-with aura about her. Her expression was demure yet alert. The two diamonds from the premier Police force in the country strode forward to shake the trembling hands of their entranced compatriots. Ravi suddenly got quite self-conscious and realised that he hadn't shaved for the past couple of weeks and looked like a bit of a homeless tramp. Purvi walked up to him and Ravi felt, rather than saw her warm hands grab hold of his cold, clammy ones. It was a professional enough handshake but it did seem that Purvi had gotten wind of Ravi's nervousness.

"Is something the matter, Mr. Krishna?" she asked in her warm yet sure voice.

Ravi, completely tongue-tied now, merely shrugged his head. She smiled at him in response and it was a smile that had the magical effect of wiping away all of Ravi's awkwardness. He felt her warm smile on him and suddenly, he felt the real Ravi Krishna return and the verklempt fell away. Purvi then moved over and shook Srishti's hand and Srishti, seemingly unable to control herself any further blurted out, "Ma'am, we have idolised you for as long as we can remember. This is the best moment of our lives meeting you. You are an inspiration for all of us", she finished and even without realising her eyes welled up with tears. Tears of happiness too. Reshma, on the other hand, had already choked up when Inspector Srivastava had approached her and shaken her hand. It was a remarkable scene. 3 grown, tough cops had suddenly turned into a trio of emotional children as their childhood heroes, their inspirations stood smiling infront of them.

Purvi: Trust me, we are extremely touched and humbled by your love and affection. It's up to you guys now to build on the solid foundations that we have worked so tirelessly to set up.

Abhijit: Absolutely spot on. We will pass the baton to you guys. For now, let's focus on the Herculean task at hand.

"Yep, I agree sir. Let's get going." Ravi had gotten his game-face back on. He was here on a mission and he had to complete it. He had the support of his inspiration, the person who occupied one of the prime seats in the exalted pantheons of his mind. Now, all of them had to work together to nip a dangerously fast growing malicious creeper in the bud.

Chapter 7: THE FINAL MURDER

The five determined and steely officers entered the Taj. None of them had a moment to spare for the magnificence and opulence of the lobby. They went up to the lady at the reception and Abhijit immediately got down to business.

"We are from the CID Mumbai. We are here in relation with a very important case. Before anything else, inform all the hotel security that no one will be allowed to exit the hotel but entry has to be allowed."

The receptionist, surprised as he was, nodded his hand and did as he was told. One quick phone call to the security in-charge later, Abhijit's wish was granted.

Purvi: Now, we want the details of each and every person who has checked into your hotel since last night. We want their room numbers, names and everything.

The receptionist, Aman, once again nodded his head and he promptly began checking on the monitor infront of him. Five minutes later, he came up with seven names:

Mr. Kevin Mirallas - Room no: 212 ( Belgium)

Mr. Gerard Deulofeu - Room no: 316 (Spain)

Ms. Reshmi Dubey - Room no: 112 (India)

Mrs. Tripti Banerjee - Room no: 719 (India)

Mr. Ramesh Achrekar - Room no: 802 (India)

Ms. Priya Shetty - Room no: 201 (India)

Mr. Rajat Shastri - Room no: 114 (India)

All five of them read these names together and immediately, the third and sixth names on the list captured Ravi's fancy. He didn't know why but they did. He didn't dare say it though lest Abhijit and Purvi dismissed it out of hand.

Purvi: Let's split up and go to each one of these rooms. We have to check them out.

The team dispersed. Abhijit went to the 1st floor, Ravi to the 2nd floor, Reshma to the 3rd floor, Srishti to the 7th floor and Purvi to the 8th floor. No one actually knew what it was they were looking for but they were very much intent on exploring all avenues, however dubious they were. Reshma, Srishti and Purvi congregated on the 3rd floor, having found all their subjects firmly and securely ensconced in their rooms, without even a slightest suggestion of them being involved with any of the murders. However, Abhijit didn't face such disappointment. Room no 114 was pretty normal enough but here he was, standing outside Room no 112, having rapped on the door about five times till now without a response. He was absolutely sure he heard the TV playing in the room when he got there but the sounds died down immediately after his 1st knock.

Ravi, on the other hand, was also having a similar fate on the 2nd floor. He too was standing outside Room no. 201, mystified at the lack of any response whatsoever. He laid his ears on the door to listen,peeped in through the keyhole and to his surprise, saw a Do Not Disturb' sign hanging outside the door. He couldn't fathom how he hadn't seen it till then and shook his head at his own lack of concentration. Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Srishti's number.

Ravi: Hello, Srishti...

Purvi: Hello Ravi, it's me Purvi. Did you find anything?

Ravi was temporarily left gasping for breath. He couldn't help admire her voice, even under such circumstances. He recovered enough to reply, "Errr ma'am, my d... d... door is having a DND sign outside. I can't hear anything inside the room.

Purvi : Okay, wait there. We're coming down.

Ravi waited with bated breath. Were they onto something? Purvi, Srishti and Reshma came down to the 2nd floor and found Room No 201.

Srishti : Shall we call the manager and ask for a duplicate key?

Purvi had barely nodded her head in consent when her phone rang.

Purvi: Yes, sir. Oh, is that so? Here, no. 201 is also shut. A DND hanging outside the door.

She hung up and said, "Reshma, I have some work for you. Go down to the reception, get someone to come up with a key for Rooms 201 and 112 and then go and assist Abhijit sir.

Reshma could hardly believe her luck. She was actually going to have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of investigating with THE Abhijit Srivastava. She gleefully made her way down, leaving Purvi with a wry grin at her enthusiasm.

The manager came up, all sweaty and panting. He really was quite appalled in the first place, with such an unexpected visit of five police officers. He put the key inside the lock, gave it a nervous twirl and heard the lock click. "Sir, it's open."

Ravi, Purvi and Srishti made their rather nervous yet alert way into the room. Or, shall we say they attempted to do so. They tried to push the door ajar and found something blocking their entry. Srishti looked down and let out a squeal of terror as she saw a couple of bloody fingers peeking out of the door. Purvi and Ravi too looked down and both of them experienced a sick, sinking feeling. Were they late again?

It turned out they indeed were. Ravi huffed and puffed and improvised enough of an opening so that they could twist themselves inside the room. It wasn't a pleasant sight. The manager, who had somehow squeezed himself into the room, let out an audible sigh of horror and revulsion. There were two bodies, lying in enough blood that would, in Shakespeare's immortal words, make the "multitudinous seas incarnadine." The bodies had a gaping chasm of red where their stomachs should have been.

Purvi immediately pulled her gloves out and started snooping around the room. It was a joy to see her work. The meticulousness, the clinical movements were all there to see and admire. She searched all the drawers and sure enough, found a small ladies' purse. Rummaging through it, she extracted a photo of two people, happily smiling up at her. "These are probably the victims", she announced and then almost absent mindedly turned the photo over. What she saw gave her as much of a shock as seeing the dead bodies had done. In distorted read letters:

"Sorry, Priya and Rakesh. Thanks for the memories." And then, scribbled below it: "Room No: 112."

The manager was asked to call an ambulance and send the bodies away for forensic examinations, as Purvi, Srishti and Reshma made their way down to Room No: 112. There, they found a raging Abhijit and an equally enraged Reshma bearing down on two rather bewildered and flustered looking youngsters. They were cowering on the bed, protesting their innocence.

"But, we have been sleeping. That is why we couldn't open the door. Why are you harassing me and my sister?" wailed the brother in obvious disbelief.

The sister, as was her nature, was much calmer. "Listen, we have not murdered anybody. Why don't you admit to your own shortcomings instead of trying to persecute two innocent siblings?" she remarked rather testily.

Purvi took Abhijit aside and said, "Sir, Room No: 112 was mentioned at the back of that photo. Do you think that these two would be foolish enough to almost dig their own graves? They knew very well that the investigating officers would find it."

Abhijit: I hear what you are saying Purvi, but then again, we cannot discount these two as suspects. I don't like the sister at all.

Ravi, meanwhile was keenly observing the siblings and he liked what he saw. The brother was very shifty and conspicuous by his repeated nervous glances at his sister. Ravi, despite that note on the back of the photo, was extremely confident that they had hit the nail on the head this time. He moved over to Purvi and Abhijit and said, "I think we should interrogate them, despite what you say. We are dealing with two killers of exceptional cunning and I wouldn't put it past them to have intentionally thrown a spanner in the works." Abhijit and Purvi both had half a mind to do exactly that and now that Ravi too had suggested the same, they knew their course of action.

By now, the media had congregated outside the Taj, having got wind of the presence of five cops. Reshma came out to confront them and read out a well rehearsed statement the likes of which both Reshma and the media had heard a million times before and in their minds, knew was utterly useless. "There has been a murder committed. Investigations are underway. We need everyone to be patient." Barely had she finished her statement, the media, fangs bared, hounded her.

"Who has been murdered?"

"Why is the Lucknow Police here??"

"Is this related to the succession of murders throughout India?"

"Are the killers here at the Taj?"

The questions came thick and fast, but Reshma had to duck the barrage. They couldn't reveal anything, atleast until the questionnaire session had been completed. She simply turned her back on the jostling crowd and trooped inside.

Purvi, Srishti and Ravi made their way inside the little ante-chamber off the reception. It was the manager's office but now, it was the interrogation room. Reshma and Abhijit meanwhile went to the security room to check the CCTV cameras of the 3rd floor and the 2nd floor. The two siblings were led in there separately by the constables of the Mumbai police, who had by now arrived on the scene. The three investigators fastened their seatbelts and got the cameras ready for what was going to be one of the most difficult interrogations of their career.

Rajiv had draped his body so that he was half lying on the chair inside the interrogation room. His legs were wide apart and his arms were hooked around the back of his chair. His tousled hair had fallen across his forehead and he seemed rather exhausted by the whole ordeal.

"It was all good. We were travelling across India, trying to put our medical knowledge to good use by servicing the community. It was cool at first although it has gotten a bit boring in recent weeks."

Ravi shuddered in his seat. "So, they thought it was cool to murder people at first and now they find it stale! How would you like an entire barrelful on your face ha? Would that be cool or half cool?" he muttered to Purvi beside him. She gave him an understanding pat on the back and Ravi's stomach immediately did a bit of a back-flip.

Purvi : Where were you on the 7th September? (The date of the Delhi murders)

Reshmi: We were in Delhi. At the Taj Hotel there.

Srishti immediately called the Taj Delhi, to verify this. Yes, Rajiv and Reshmi had indeed been there, in Room No 201, which was a full two floors below the room where the suspected victims were staying. The room next to the Khuranas had been occupied by a certain Richard and Lydia Smith.

Purvi: Did you know the old couple who was murdered? You were seen walking with them.

Rajiv: Oh, Khurana Aunty? Of course we knew them. They were so sweet. We loved them. Pity what happened to them.

Earlier that week, the Delhi police had declared that the murder was of an old couple, staying in room number 401 of the Taj and they had been last seen with two young people, in their twenties. On further investigation, it was revealed that the two senior citizens had gone on a sightseeing tour in the hotel car, which had been booked in the name of the Khuranas. What's more, the CCTV camera on the 4th floor had stopped working a couple of days before the Khuranas had arrived and incredibly been left unrepaired.

Purvi : Where were you on the 9th? (the day of the Lucknow murders)

Reshmi : 9th? We were in Chandigarh. We were thinking of going to the PGIMER. We weren't allowed to stay inside the campus, so we stayed in Hotel City Plaza.

Srishti, once again, searched up Hotel City Plaza and called them. Once again, Rajiv and Reshma were booked in a Double Bed room in Hotel City Plaza from the 9th to the 10th September.

Purvi looked questioningly at Ravi. Had they got the right people? Were the actual killers still out there, looking for their next victim? Ravi, though was still not prepared to give up.

Ravi : Where were you on the 11th?

Rajiv: We were in Varanasi. At the BHU. Once again, you can verify. We were staying in the Rahul Guest House.

Srishti was just about to check but Purvi stopped her. She knew that inevitably, it would be confirmed that Reshmi and Rajiv had indeed been staying there on the given dates.

Purvi took Ravi aside. "Listen Ravi, these guys have covered their tracks well. They have got solid alibis for all the murders but I think that it is all smoke and mirrors. We have to pursue a different course of attack.

Purvi went out of the room and called Abhijit. What she heard made her grimace in pain. Reshmi and Rajiv had indeed gone to Room No 201 and had stayed there for 45 minutes. When they had come out, Reshmi and Rajiv were clearly seen to be standing at the entrance and laughing and smiling with somebody in the room. Only the siblings were seen though, standing on the doorstep and even hugging someone unseen but obviously present inside the room. What was more; they weren't the ones who had hung the DND sign at the door. Some 40 odd minutes later a man in a black hooded cloak had arrived, forced open the door of the room and come out 15 minutes later and hung the DND sign at the door.

Purvi cut a rather forlorn figure as she made her way back into the investigation room. She beckoned Ravi and Srishti towards her and told them exactly what she had heard. Ravi kicked the wall in disgust. All that accomplished was to give him, alongside an omnipresent headache, a pain in his big toe. But Purvi wasn't prepared to give up.

"Listen, I have an idea. Let's get inside and resume the questionnaire."

They went inside and Purvi immediately resumed the grilling.

Purvi: Do you know Priya Shetty?

Reshmi: Of course. She was our college friend. She was here with her husband. They are newly married you know. Why do you ask?

Purvi: Well, why did you go to Priya Shetty's room today?

Reshmi: What do you mean? She is our friend. When we found out she was staying here, we wanted to meet her and speak to her. Is there anything wrong in that?

Reshmi was sounding genuinely aggravated now.

Purvi : We saw the CCTV footage. You were good but not good enough. We loved how you hugged thin air and faked a conversation when you came out. That was innovative but you forgot the shadow Reshmi.

Reshmi: What shadow? What are you even talking about?

Purvi: The shadow that was cast in the doorway due to the dead body lying in line with the door. You forgot about that.

She finished with a wry smirk on her face. Now, they were getting somewhere. The twins had suddenly abandoned their supercilious attitude. Rajiv now had his hands on his knee and was constantly rubbing his palms together. Reshmi had suddenly become fidgety and lots of nervous glances were being exchanged between the siblings.

Purvi: I must also mention that your stories of going to Chandigarh and Varanasi were well organized, but had a couple of cracks. Why, oh why would you suddenly abandon staying at the Taj and start staying in 2 stars? You are obviously very rich guys, who can seemingly afford the Club Suite in the most expensive hotel in India. Why did you suddenly start staying in hotels like the City Plaza and a guest house? I will tell you why. It was because you didn't want to draw attention to yourselves. You didn't even go to the City Plaza or the Rahul Guest House. You probably bribed someone else to go and stay there, in your name. And guest houses don't even have CCTV's do they? So, no danger of being identified.

She finished with a flourish. It was very satisfying for Ravi to watch the twins wilting under the pressure. You could almost see the moulting taking place in front of their very eyes. The fortress was crumbling.

Reshmi couldn't wait any longer. "We want a lawyer. We are being harassed and we won't speak another word without a lawyer."

Now, this was an unexpected snag. They could not afford to let the twins twist themselves out of trouble using the warped and tangled web of lawyers and court-room dramas. That was a long, hard and winding road that they did not wish to take. It would lead to undesired interwingularities, which would complicate things beyond control.

Ravi was enraged. He bore down on the twins: "You are cornered aren't you, you sick little pricks? Don't think you can weasel your way out of this!

Purvi, on the other hand, once again made a call to her mentor, Abhijit, who was still in the CCTV room. She informed him that they were making significant headway but had hit an unexpected snag. 4 minutes later, Abhijit and Reshma entered the interrogation room. Abhijit promptly went towards the sitting siblings and whipped out his gun.

"Looking for a lawyer, are we? I have got news for you young man. You aren't getting one. Now will you confess or should we walk down a different and an exponentially more painful path?" he finished, the menace in his voice making Ravi's hair stand on end. The siblings though had seemingly regained their composure. They had grasped that should they manage to intertwine the case in the contorted web of the Justice System, they would probably get away with it and before long; they would be laughing their way to the proverbial bank. They refused to cave in to Abhijit's threats and kept absolutely mum.

Ravi and Srishti simultaneously asked Abhijit sir, "Sir, can't we coax the truth out of them?"

Abhijit shook his head in negation, and Purvi said, "Can't you guys see? Physical torture won't have any effect on them. We have to hope they trip over their own lies."

Abhijit, meanwhile did the only remaining thing he could think of. He called ACP Pradyuman, the big boss of CID. The man who was touted as one of the bravest men in India. A man who, in the face of duty, had even killed his own son, who was a dangerous criminal.

Abhijit outlined the entire incident to ACP sir and requested for any suggestions on the next course of action. It was pretty depressing, what ACP sir said but it was the truth. They had to release the twins without further adieu. What they had done, without any proof whatsoever, was tantamount to harassment and the twins could easily file a case against the entire CID team.

Abhijit turned to the others. "We have to release them. There is no other way."

Ravi couldn't believe his ears. They had come so close to nabbing a pair of the deadliest murderers in recent Indian history and yet, they were going to slip through their fingers. He had to persuade them to not do it. He didn't quite muster up the courage to dispute Abhijit sir, but he would have to say it to Purvi. He asked Purvi, "Ma'am, could I please talk to you for a bit?"

Purvi: Sure, Ravi.

They went to one side of the lobby and Ravi frantically tried to explain what he thought of the situation. "Ma'am, we cannot release them, whatever we do. If they walk out of here, we are never going to see them ever again."

Purvi: I understand Ravi. I really do. But, it is imperative that we release them otherwise this would have legal implications. They could sue us for all we are worth. We would face a serious backlash from all quarters.

Ravi: But ma'am, we can't just let them walk away, can we?

Purvi: No we won't, Ravi. We will track their movements out of this hotel. Trust us. Trust me.

That was the killer blow. How could Ravi not trust Purvi?? The woman, whom he had idolised all his life. The woman who had been such a profound influence on him. The woman he had dreamt of day and night. The woman who had dragged him out of his deepest trenches and flown with him to the dizziest highs. He trusted her.

The siblings were released. They immediately made their way to their room and packed their belongings. They had to get the hell out of there as fast as they could. Too many bridges had been crossed and too many clandestine facts had been unraveled. Barely fifteen minutes later, they checked out of the hotel, seemingly in a huff. There weren't any CID personnel as far as they could see, and this had to be their chance to leave once and for all. They couldn't risk taking a hotel vehicle. They sneaked out of the back gate and started looking for a cab. They found one and instructed the cabbie to take them straight to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal Railway Station. Unknown to them, a brown Xylo sped out of a nearby lane and were hot on their trails.

Reshma drove the Xylo with the same calmness that she had worked with all her life. They weaved in and out of the heavy traffic, keeping the bright yellow Megacab in their sights. All of them assumed that they would be looking for a train out of the commercial capital. Abhijit had called ACP sir to inform them of their future exertions and he had given them the go-ahead. Abhijit and Purvi were the most experienced of the current lot and they proceeded to calm things down. Ravi and Srishti had gotten kind of panicky, not knowing what lay in store for them over the next couple of hours. But Purvi and Abhijit both said things to the effect: we will flow with the tide. Let's keep calm and keep following them and we will see what happens.

The cab pulled into the vicinity of the famous old railway station and so did the brown Xylo. The officers though stayed put. The siblings got out and made their way, surprisingly, towards the parking lot of the station.

"What on earth are they thinking?" wondered Ravi. The Xylo made its measured way to the half empty carpark. There were almost no people about. The twins casually made their way to a parked Hyundai i10 and in the blink of an eye, disappeared from view.

"Did they just enter that car?" asked Purvi in faint disbelief.

Abhijit: Yes, they probably are you know.

Sure enough, the red i10 suddenly started moving out of the parking lot. It stopped at the gate for about 15 seconds, and then made its way out of the lot. The killers were escaping.

QUESTIONS UNANSWERED

The team too sped out, behind the i10. There was no doubt that the twins were looking to escape somewhere. Definitely out of Mumbai. And possibly out of the country, though that was a ridiculous thing, considering the fact that they would have to travel close to a couple of thousand kilometres to even think about leaving India.

Night fell and Ravi felt the cool zephyr of the night flutter across his face. Reshma had by now taken a break from driving and Abhijit had now taken the mantle. They were steadfastly tailing the i10 which was moving tirelessly ahead. They had already travelled for a couple of hundred kilometres atleast and were by now breezing along the NH4. It appeared that the twins were moving down south, towards Bangalore. It was getting more and more difficult to fathom their thinking. Purvi suddenly had the idea to inform the airport authorities in Bangalore about the twins. She sent them an image of the twins, taken during the interrogation, and she was in-turn assured that the airport security would keep a strict eye out for them.

Morning came and went. They still drove on but now with purpose and a heightened sense of anticipation. The twins were definitely moving towards Bangalore airport. The twins were well and truly caught in their own web of deceit and lies. They would be caught the moment they entered the airport and if they changed their mind, well, the Xylo had been refueled about a couple of hours earlier. Srishti was a bit mystified as to why they didn't nail the siblings when they had stopped to refuel, right in front of their very eyes. But, it was Abhijit's idea to play the waiting game and they respected it.

The i10 pulled into Bangalore Airport and the twins got out. They looked and felt dreary but they couldn't let it affect their endeavours. They had to make one final push. It was their last throw of the dice. They had barely gotten into the airport when the alert airport security recognized them. Three gruff looking officers hounded them and they could not even conjure up a fleeting resistance. It seemed their race was run.

The five bravehearts disembarked from their vehicle. All of them were exhausted but had an expression of triumph all over their faces. The brother was done and dusted, as far as they could see. The sister however was still staring a hole into them all. It was as malevolent of a stare as Ravi had seen. She still had some life left in her.

Purvi: Game over isn't it? Reshmi and Rajiv, you two have massacred six innocent people till now. You killed a kid, an old couple, a beggar in the street and then your dear college friend. For once in your life, speak up honestly. Why did you resort to this?

Abhijit: Yes. You two were the most brilliant students to ever come out of the best medical institution in the country. You could have gone ahead and created history in medical science. You could have raised the bar out of sight. Why ...

Abhijit could not even complete his question. The security officers holding the twins had slackened their grips unknowingly. Quick as lightning, Reshmi pulled the gun out of the holster strapped to the security officer holding her and one deafening gunshot later, Rajiv slumped to the ground with a sickening thud. The security personnel holding Rajiv screamed, not in agony, but in disgust. The contents of Rajiv's skull were splattered all over his face.

Reshma: What did you just do?? You shot your brother!

Reshmi took one look at her brother's dead body, and her face curled into a sick smirk. She lifted her head from the dead body, and then stared long and hard at the security personnel, all of whom had their guns pointed straight at her face. Abhijit and Purvi too had their guns pointed at her.

Abhijit : Currently, you have seven guns pointed straight at your face. You make one more move and we will shoot you where you stand.

Ravi, Srishti and Reshma hadn't moved a muscle. They stood, flabbergasted as the turn of events. They couldn't believe what they had just seen. Srishti had been in charge of recording all that happened on the DSLR but her hand was trembling so much, she feared that there would barely be any worthwhile footage. All of them though were shaken out of their induced reverie when another gunshot pierced the air like a thousand fire arrows. This time, Reshmi slumped down to the ground, the back of her head completely blown off. It was all over. The killers were dead.

*****

The officers were on their way back to Mumbai, having taken the earliest available flight back. Their car would be shipped, in a couple of days, to Mumbai. The thrill of having solved a case together with their idols was yet to sink in for Ravi, Srishti and Reshma, though. Sitting right beside them in the aircraft, they could not help but cast discreet, admiring glances at them every now and then. Reshma's eyes were on Abhijit sir as he relaxed with a casual air that still reeked of regal majesty in all its splendor, his expression calm but strong, a lion at rest. Srishti's eyes were flicking from one to the other as though following a tennis rally.

Ravi, having somehow managed to avoid fixating totally on Purvi until now, failed epically at the same as the sight unraveled before him. She lifted the window shutter to let the light in. A ray of purest sunlight half illuminated her countenance like a divine aura; her brown eyes shone like an angel's, every single one of her gentle eyelashes glimmering like silk. For some reason, a demure smile curved her lips. The sight was so enthralling, so all-captivating, that he no longer knew where he was. Nothing existed for him, nothing but she and her godly smile.

"Is the light disturbing you, Mr. Krishna?" asked Purvi without turning. "My apologies. I'll just pull down the window then."

Ravi was abruptly jerked back to his senses. "Oh... no! No, ma'am. Nothing like that."

"You wanted to say something to me, then?" asked she.

Both Reshma and Srishti looked at him as well; Ravi thought fast. "Yes. Ma'am, in the end, it was your attack about the shadow of the dead body, that started altering the tide in our favor. Thank you so much for that."

"Thanks Ravi. Shame it wasn't true", answered Purvi.

A gentle chuckle was shared between them. As the three junior cops saw their idols laughing, goosebumps erupted all over their bodies. Abhijit's laugh was purer than crystal, while Purvi's was as innocent and saccharine as a child's. Oh, if only they could stay there and watch them forever, for eternity!

"We need to get unorthodox at times to wheedle the truth out of these tougher nuts", continued Abhijit. "And this was one of the most peculiar cases I've seen as of late."

"Two brilliant medical students, trodden down the path of hell..." muttered Ravi absently. "For heaven's sake, she blew her brother's brains out right in front of us, without hesitating. Just what was it?"

"The criminal world, Ravi, is filled with more mysteries and horrors than you could possibly imagine", said Purvi quietly. "It's a monstrous labyrinth, the criminal mind. It can be simple as kindergarten arithmetic at times, and worse than rocket science at others. There can be honesty and scope for improvement in there, while others can be more malevolent than Lucifer himself. You can never know until you have the experience, until you can learn to judge the degree of stench and what is needed to deal with the critters. I've been blessed to work with seniors like Abhijit sir, Daya sir and ACP sir who helped me understand."

"And yet we must say you three did a fantastic job today, still", finished Abhijit with a smile.

The three juniors' faces lit up with bright smiles.

"Sir, ma'am..." began Ravi, but the words caught in his throat.

"We are truly honoured to work with you", said Reshma quickly. "We can never express how much it means to us. We're truly grateful for this amazing opportunity."

"We want to be like you!" blurted out Srishti before she could stop herself.

All of them chuckled. Purvi reached out to pinch her chubby cheeks.

"Be a perfect copy of yourself, little one", she smiled. "Be inspired, be eager to learn, be ever inquisitive and ready to improve... but never lose your identity in the process. God made you who you are for a reason. And you've proved today that it's a solid one."

"And perhaps it's better if we keep our joint missions rare", suggested Abhijeet. "One, it'll make them even sweeter. Two, the risks of unfortunate mishaps as a result of your diversion are greatly reduced, along with the chances of our prosecution for being the cause of the said diversion."

All of them burst out laughing. It was a spontaneous and relieved laugh. The toil was over. The dust had settled.

THE END

Originally posted by: swagatamghosh94

Just want to mention that Ravi bro is simply being modest here. He was way more than a catalyst.👍🏼 So, hats off to him.