Till Human Voices Wake Us: Last Part: Page 175 - Page 36

Maan requested the principal to provide him with copies of the photographs, college map and the documents of three alumni. He took Madan's details in case he needed to be contacted in future.

"The police station sir ji?" Satya asked. Maan nodded and settled down.

"You know what is common in this case? Nothing is as it seems. There is too much of lies and deception. In my experience this combination is bound to fail very soon", Maan sighed.

-- Early Afternoon, Tuesday --

"Inspector, you investigated the stalking case in engineering college?" Maan asked once he reached area police station.

"Yes sir. I received a call from your office and they asked me to keep all the paperwork ready. I have made copies of it. Here you go sir", inspector provided paperwork for the stalking case.

"Did you get anywhere with this case once you started investigating?"

"No sir. When we tailed Geet, the stalking stopped or at least she didn't get any letters or her stuff didn't go missing. But once we stopped, it restarted. We interviewed lots of guys in her collage but none of the guys fit the profile we were looking for."

"Have you ever interviewed this guy?" Maan asked giving him a file of stalker along with the name. The inspector nodded after checking the name and photo against the report he had.

"He was in our list but we never could get any evidence against him. We searched his room and didn't get anything to implicate him in this stalking. We had to let him go." Inspector said reading from the report.

"Do you still have your case notes? Maybe you noted something there which might not have made into this report?" Satya asked. The inspector nodded and disappeared into archive room for handful of minutes. He was back armed with couple of small books filled with words and numbers. Every investigator carried a small book on them to make note of the things they observed. Not everything they wrote was translated to final reports or other paperwork. Most cops disposed these books after few years but many, like him or Maan, never disposed even a single sheet.

"Yes, here it is. I interviewed this boy in his room an early evening. There was nothing in his room that belonged to Geet ' photos or any of the missing items. He was also a computer science student so naturally he came into the suspect pool and not to mention the fact that Geet's description of the guy who chased her for the first time matched a little. There were lots of art works hung on his wall. He said he was interested in arts or something."

"Was he a good artist?" Maan asked.

"Sir, I am no expert on art but whatever I saw hung on the wall, I liked. I even asked him if he was interested in pursuing a career in art seeing how good he was. He said that his interest was in different thing. I didn't push him further and ended interview there. But why are you asking this sir?"

"We have culpable cause that puts him as our prime suspect in Geet's stalking and a murder", Maan said. Inspector looked shocked.

"His behavior was completely normal when I asked for an interview sir. Wont stalkers panic when they are cornered?"

"Yes they do; unless they know very well that they aren't going to be caught then. There are so many parameters that decide on a true stalker that it's impossible to clearly classify them." Satya said.

"But the textbook definition for a stalker also didn't fit for the guy. He wasn't some loner with an inferiority complex who watched the girl from afar, but looked like he was someone who made conversation with opposite sex quite easily. He had an active social life and when I entered his room for his interview he was there with his girlfriend was there along with his other friends in the room. That isn't a classic stalker behavior." Inspector said.

Maan and Satya looked at each other. This was odd; not improbable but odd. There were serial killers who led a healthy family life with wife and kids and a good white collar job yet they became twisted psychopaths when day turned to night and civilization thinned.

"Is it possible that he was putting up a front sir ji?" Satya asked.

"He knew that police would make inquiries on every guy from computer science department. He ensured that you got exactly what you wanted. He has been careful with everything he had done till the time stalking got escalated to invasion of privacy and getting physically close to the target. Of course not to mention that Mal already knew about him."

"What? How?" Satya butted in.

"Check the interview dates as against Geet's send-of party date. His interview was conducted much after that party. He knew that Mal suspected him or even worse knew but couldn't do anything about it. I think it was also the time when Mal became insanely protective of Geet. He couldn't risk it being what he was. He staged everything to make it go according to his plan. And everyone fell for it." Maan finished.

There was no solid forensic evidence to prove his point but for few behavior consistency or the lack thereof. Even though it made sense, it wasn't convincing enough in the big picture. He still had to know what triggered the stalking in the first place and what made him end. Once those boundary conditions were known, filling in became quite easy.

"Thank you for getting me the reports inspector. Is it possible to meet Mr. Madan from the engineering college and provide him with a sketch artist?" Maan added.

"Sure sir, but why?" Inspector asked.

"He said that last year a cop came and inquired about the stalker."

"If it was police then they would generally check with us first sir. It's the protocol and everyone knows it."

"Yes, that's what I thought. Please arrange for a sketch artist. I feel that his could be one of the missing pieces in our big puzzle. How fast can you arrange for one?" Maan asked.

"I can send someone in evening sir. And I will fax you as soon as I get it." Inspector saluted to the senior inspector and ACP as they walked out of the police station.

"Satya, one thing is clear. Geet was really being stalked. And Mal had an idea who it was." Maan added an afterthought.

"But isn't it surprising that stalker stayed put without pushing them once they were out of college? It should have escalated but it didn't. That's where his profile as a stalker fails."

"What if it actually did and the women are hiding from us?" Maan said slowly piecing his thoughts together.

"And how is this possible sir ji?"

"The killing of eve teaser was brutal. He was literally beaten to death and the killer even severed his hand. The crime screamed of rage and hatred given how it had a vengeance message was clearly delivered. The man who was killed wasn't a tiny pipsqueak Satya. He was five-ten, weighed a hundred and eighty pounds and was very fit. One cannot easily take down a man like him."

"The stalker's suicide doesn't add up at all. The amount of drugs in his system and the single gunshot wound to his temple is a little too much. Why did he have to shoot himself if he had already overdosed? Besides with this quantity of drugs in his system, his motor skills would be unbelievably rubbery. How did he manage to pull the trigger all by himself?" Maan questioned.

"Maybe be because it wasn't exactly a case negligent over dose sir ji", Satya replied.

"And if it wasn't a negligent overdose?" Maan looked at Satya waiting for him to continue.

"If it wasn't a negligent overdose, then it would mean that the stalker ingested copious amount of drugs mixed with something edible. But then again knowing how he was already accustomed to high dosage of these drugs, a bullet had to be put in his head which would guarantee the death." Satya said turning the jeep off the road to a park in front of a small hotel.

"Someone badly wanted to kill this guy", Satya said.

"And there are two women who knew exactly what this man truly was. And they carried enough rage to evict a vengeance." Maan said softly not believing his own words.

To be continued.

I sense more and more intense high voltage revitalization by the Men in Khaki. I'm more scared and worried about the girls who are carrying loads of hidden baggage and skeleton in the closet. Mal I could see her overprotective friend. To protect a love one, could become an obsession to lead in wrong side of the road? Mal Mal...the naked sword is hanging over your head. You better start talking or I should turn the other way around? Was Mal could be the one in trouble?

I couldn't help but feel the main suspicion is between these gals. We need to know more about their past life in the university.

Originally posted by: Newdime

Res