"Jai Hind"
I love the way you stick to the fine details, it brings out "Ah ha RB does it again" from me. Yes, I do wish we had facilities like the FBI and CSI, we would kick arse at least ACP Raizada would. I am waiting for the action to start anyways.
It is sad we are always embroiled in red tape, the DCP was right in a way, the issue at present needs to be addressed, if the cases were lying unsolved for so many years, there must be a reason. That does not mean someone should not attempt to solve, it is cautioning in a way.
Arnav slept well and that is somewhat not comforting, I wonder why?
---- Criminal Minds
DCP didn't mince his words. The past has many answers but their influence of the present makes me uncertain of the intended impact. I am on auto pilot since the moment I sat in car and started to drive. My mind is wrapping towards the idea of what is about to come. A strange trance like feeling surrounds me as I start to take apart the case piece by piece. For now, I decide to heed DCP's warning. Maybe finding answers for the current case will give me a key to open the locks of the past.
The question, one of the first which has been bothering me without an answer was – why Vimal Sharma. He isn't a random victim. It wasn't a crime of passion. It was calculated, premeditated and neatly planned well in advance. As far as I see, Helen was a means to reach Vimal. Helen may not be directly involved with the person who killed Vimal but she can lead me in that direction. The murder methodology holds some significance. Each murder has different symbols. Some symbols repeated. The figurative representation of high priestess was consistent. In my view, that was enough to tie all the cases together. But I don't want to. Not now, at least. I rein my mind back on current case. How much does Mrs. Sharma know about her husband? Was she involved in any of this? There was an obvious detachment from her husband. Maybe I have to call her for another interview. I know how the likes of Mrs. Sharma and her brother-in-laws operated. They clamp up as soon as they realize the police were getting somewhere scared that they would hinder the rich folks' playtime.
There are too many questions. Answers will come. They always come to me. I exercise patience and organize my questions muscle memory taking over driving. The clutter in my mind seems organized as I plunk on my chair and close my eyes. There is a knock on my cabin and I sigh.
"Come in." I straighten up at the sound of door opening.
"We received ten files from other stations, sir." Deshmukh said walking in Shukla in his heels.
"Is this all?" I ask looking at the stack.
"I guess so sir. I can ask my guy from archives at head-quarters to…"
"No." I interject immediately. "And I appreciate if you do not discuss the old cases with anyone else Deshmukh." I warn him. He nods solemnly. "Did you talk to Helen's family and friends?" I ask both the inspectors.
Deshmukh opens a small notepad from his pant pocket and sifts through pages. Deshmukh and Shukla are similar in their investigation styles. Deshmukh was and still is Shukla's protg and they work spectacularly well.
"Helen left her small hometown when she was sixteen. She ended up in a brothel and worked there for couple of years. One of her clients introduced her to an escort agency he knew and she was groomed there. Helen was an incredibly smart girl. She learned how to speak like an elegant lady; she spoke about arts, and fine cuisine, exotic locales giving her a persona of an elite upbringing. That's what made her popular amongst men – her ability to charm and her pillow talk included absorbing their stress and having an intellectual conversation about the problems they face." Deshmukh explained.
"She sounds like a therapist." I scratch my chin. I have seen women like Helen even in parties organized by our department. It is appalling how senior members of law enforcement paraded Helen like women on their arm while their wives had no idea about their husbands discretion.
"Sir, they are trained to be so. They have to be excellent listeners and provide the right amount of push to their clients. This would enable the clients to seek them out again and again for the distressing she provides." Deshmukh articulated further.
"She met Vimal at a party. Who invited her?" I am stuck on that question. It goes back to my original question. Why Vimal?
"We aren't able to find anything about the party as it isn't something those men and women pencil in, in their diary. It was strictly hush-hush and with whatever we know about it, we checked with the secretaries of few of the people who attended but there wasn't any positive response. Either the secretaries really have no idea or they have been asked not to probe into it." Deshmukh shrugged.
I frown. I am not sure if Shukla and Deshmukh know why these kinds of parties are arranged. They are not parties in reality but a business meeting where politicians, lobbyists, law enforcement, corporate executives, bureaucrats, government executives meet. These meetings have the potential and capability to turn around course of industrial progress, corporate laws, and political scenario of the country. People dissuade themselves by believing in democratic concepts while bills and amendments are traded, decided and sometimes even drafted in meetings like these.
If Helen was indeed present in that meeting, then they were in deeper shit than I imagine.
It will be a political nightmare.
And I know exactly who can give me details about it.
"I will see what I can do to get you the list. In the meantime, find out who her older clients were." I am hoping my informant will give me this information. If I don't have it, then finding motive for the murder is almost impossible.
"And cross check who are present in both the lists. I get it." Deshmukh breathes out a sigh of relief at my assistance. I have told them several times to build contacts outside the station and the streets. Owners of businesses small and large, lawyers, personnel and administrative assistants in government offices, drivers, and bodyguards…the information these people can provide can rival an intelligence agency.
Deshmukh and Shukla leave me alone with a stack of files. I push them away and pull in the FIRs filed in the station since last night. There isn't much going on but they still need my attention. It is silly how people see in TV that the police work on one case all day. We have to prioritize and organize in an efficient way such that everyone gets their due attention. I go through FIRs patiently but the stacks of files beckon me. I hide a smile and close the file I am working on. Distraction is bad for my job. It's best to give into temptation and get it over with.
I pull the stack and order the files chronologically. I start with the latest.
I am half way through the stack and on sixth file when the name of the spouse of the victim blinks at me. I am shocked and I am rendered speechless. My hands are shaking slightly as I read the spouse's statement. The name is familiar and known.
I get up from chair in a force which makes the chair roll back and hit the wall. Bitterness fills my mouth and crawls to my heart screaming of silent betrayal.
"….sir?" I hear someone calling me. I turn around and see Keith and Shukla looking at me strangely. "Are you…okay?" Keith asks tentatively. I slam the file on the table and point to the paragraph I was reading moments ago.
Keith picks it up and reads aloud. "The victim, Shyam Manohar Jha was found murdered by his wife Khushi Gupta at their residence at 06:42 AM, 14th March. Wait, what?" Keith looked up from the file with surprised look on his face. "Is this…?" He asks, his voice betrays his denial.
"Yes. It's the same person." I lean on table using my palms as support. I have never felt so badly played in my life before.
Reader commendation: flowers4u, thanks so much for being with me since I started posting We, the people. I know you have followed all of my works and comment encouragements, acknowledgments and appreciation. Many, many thanks for that. I apologize if you ever thought I was short with you while responding on we, the people thread. Again, many thanks for being with me till now :-)This line made me laugh - It is silly how people see in TV that the police work on one case all day. I used to watch CID on Sony TV regularly for it was so damn funny. The entire unit would go and come together to solve a case and then the person who slaps the man at the end of the episode is the culprit.
Enough of that and I come to the end of the update and I am looking to read the last bit a few times. Did I read correct, we have been played badly haven't we and by you RB. This goes to explain a few things Khushi's reactions to the wrong alignment of the symbols, her interest at large about the kind of case the ACP is handling and the fact he has his hands on similar murders. I am so interested, I want a be sitting next to you at the moment urging you to write the next update soon and I now you will put the next one up tomorrow, yet I cannot wait.
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