Chapter 15:
-- 8:30 AM, Wednesday, Police Station –
They hadn't gotten a chance to finish the case briefing and had decided to pick up where they left the next morning. Maan knew that a good night's sleep was necessary when they were mapping all the collected information into right slots to derive a clearer picture of the crime and by doing so the killer's identity would also start to emerge.
"I don't buy this theory, no offense sir," Deshmukh was the first to break the silence surrounding the room.
"None taken," Maan said. "Well, this was one way to look at things. We can next analyze the case with the assumption that the stalker is still alive. And then we can cross validate both the theories." Maan added.
"Actually that may not be even needed. We can pick up our latest victim and then verify the stalker's profile with her case and then maybe even extend it to the previous victim. By doing so we will be able to cross reference the information that we have till date about our latest victim against Geet's past." Emily said.
"I don't understand," Vic said flatly.
"Till now we have been talking with Geet being the center of the case correct? So accordingly we started from Geet's past which gave us truck load of information about Geet and Mal who are the common factors in Anjali and Sasha's murder. In the meantime we also collected enough information with our two latest victims. Now with all the information in hand we restart case analysis from present meaning – Anjali. And at every check point we bring in information from Geet's past and see if it fits in Anjali or Sasha's murder. If there is anything common, it would mean that her past and this present are connected which would mean that the stalker may be still alive." Maan explained.
"What's a check point?" Deshmukh asked again.
"A check point would be an evidence or even an anomaly; it could be behavior or forensic or both," Maan said pacing in front of the table. "For example, forensic evidence and crime scene shows that the killer was led inside the house by Anjali. This would mean that Anjali actually knew the killer. Now take a list of all men and women in Anjali's life and cross reference with people from Geet's life. They are the first set of people of our interest. But it doesn't mean that we cannot eliminate anyone else. Since the motive isn't known, we cannot rule anyone out yet." Maan said.
"Okay sir. Then let's pick up from where you just left. Anjali knew the killer. People who were close enough to her who could visit her late in the evening at her residence are really few," Deshmukh said.
"Are we sure the killer came to visit Anjali? I mean look, he didn't even bring his own knife. He picked up one from kitchen drawer and stabbed her." David asked.
"You mean 'killers' David", Satya who was quiet for a while answered.
"Okay, let's go with the assumption that there are two killers. The first killer came into the house and gave Rohypnol to Anjali. And then he left. Two hours later, the second killer came in, asphyxiated Anjali and stabled her twenty nine times. He stuffed a photo of her in a vase he brought in and left it at the house. Let's not forget that he made a glass of hot chocolate for Geet and placed it in her room along with cookies. Before leaving the house, the killer updated Facebook status, cleaned around a bit, stole some pictures and left." Emily summarized only concentrating on vital information. They would start talking about everything else soon anyway.
"Is it wise to assume that the first killer didn't asphyxiate?" Satya asked. "I mean he could have easily come with another person along with him and hung around the place for five hours," he added.
"It is possible, but no. The first killer is completely organized. He brought his murder weapon with him – Rohypnol while the second killer brought a vase with him. He used the knife from their kitchen. For the second killer the act of killing was elaborate as if it was a ritual he had to perform. He wanted to exert the pain to Anjali and show some tenderness to Geet. The picture he left inside the vase is that of Anjali and Vikram." Satya said.
"I don't get it. Can't there be one killer who has split personality who takes over from the first personality after an hour or so?"
"Sure, it is possible. But in this case let's see how it would fit in. Killer one enters the house. Where is the vase? Maybe it's in a bag right? Assuming that killer two is of dominant personality that takes over and orders killer one to administer Rohypnol. Once Anjali is subdued, she is carried to her room and placed there. Two hours later killer two takes over and does his job. And finally one or both of them cares for Geet." Satya explained.
"Then why aren't we considering it as a probability?" Vic asked surprised.
"Because it is incredibly rare. We rarely profile killer sporting a dissociative personality disorder during the initial analysis. If we are actually dealing with a team and not a person with mental disorder, then the entire case buildup would be off base and investigation would go in completely wrong direction. If we assume the killer is part of a team, then it gets a little easier because if the killer really has split personality then his behavior would show up in one of the killers. It's always safe to assume that the killer doesn't have dissociative personality disorder." Maan said. "Let's begin with forensics," Maan said and sat down.
"There were no…" David was cut off when his beeper went off. At the same time Maan's and Satya's cellphone started ringing.
The three were on phone in next five seconds and within next ten seconds their eyes were wide and jaws slackened.
Mal was dead.
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