Murder in Bollywood (14 page)

So, what did all of this mean? Hoshiyar asked himself. On the surface, Ishan, Sameer, Kiki, Nyra, Shanaya, Ram Prasad and Nikhil came across as people with believable backgrounds and similar-sounding backstories, who coincidentally either began their careers together or worked with each other at some point, without having known one another from before. But on hindsight, Hoshiyar reckoned that, except for Ishan, whose adoption was well documented, the backgrounds of the rest were impossible to verify, for either their families were dead, or had abandoned them, and in Nyra's and Shanaya's case, not in the country, therefore never seen. And even when it came to Ishan, only his adoption was a certainty, for the details of his life before he was brought into the Malhotra home could not be confirmed, as according to him, his parents had died in a car crash. So, was it possible that all of them had lied about their past and their working together was no coincidence, but a carefully planned event? Hoshiyar believed this was the case. In fact, he was of the opinion that the seven of them went back a long way, and according to the pattern that he had discovered, he believed that amongst themselves they had agreed that when the time came, the one among them who was in a position of strength would start his own enterprise and get his friends on board one by one. For instance, it was Ishan who after being adopted by a big-time Bollywood producer came into money and privilege; so when he produced his first film, he got his friends, namely Nikhil, Sameer, Kiki and Ram Prasad, involved as well, setting them up rather nicely in their respective careers, and a few years later when Nyra was ready for the limelight, it was Kiki who introduced her to the glamour world, by making her a part of his fashion show, after which Sameer took over and got her into Bollywood by helping her bag her first two films, all of this in preparation for her star turn in
Raka
, for which Ishan, Sameer and Nikhil came together for a second time. Once Nyra was in an enviable position, she helped the final member of their group, namely, Shanaya Raichand, get a foothold in Bollywood by becoming one of her two star clients in her soon-to-be-launched talent management agency, with Sameer being the other one. And all of this they did without anyone coming to know that they were actually the best of friends. Probably that's why, Hoshiyar reckoned, they went their separate ways after
Pyaar Kar Ke Dekho
, to create an illusion of distance among themselves for the benefit of everyone around, with only Nikhil and Ram Prasad not breaking their partnership and continuing to work together. But why did all of them go to such lengths to conceal their friendship, and what was it that united them and kept them together all these years?

Then there was the question of how Mallika fit into all of this, for although even her background was equally ambiguous, she was already a pretty big star when Ishan approached her for
Pyaar Kar Ke Dekho
, and that too on her own steam, so there was no question of her being a part of their circle. The other thing that bothered Hoshiyar was Zagde's revelation earlier in the evening that he had contacted each and every one of his informants on the street, but none of them had a clue as to who Mallika's regular drug supplier was, which, undoubtedly, was a setback, for that person could have been used by the killer to lace Mallika's cocaine with Dreamer's Dust, thus making him an accomplice, and an important link in their case. As Hoshiyar sat in his chair, pondering his next move, his cellphone, lying on the table beside him, began to ring, and on answering it, he discovered that it was Rohan at the other end.

‘I am sorry for calling you at this late hour, Inspector saheb, but I had to finish our conversation from earlier today, for I am afraid that if this killer is not apprehended, he will come after me again and I might not be this lucky a second time,' Rohan said with a terrified quiver in his voice. He then revealed to the good inspector what he knew. ‘Last November, there was a small get-together at Ishan's house, where apart from me, Sameer Ali Khan, Nyra Oberoi, Shanaya Raichand, Kiki Fernandez and Tivz were also invited. Nikhil, too, was supposed to be there, but he was busy writing his new script, so he couldn't come. Then, at around midnight, after we had finished with dinner, we were all just sitting around having fun, when Kiki's cellphone began to ring. So, just for the heck of it, I answered it doing my best Kiki impersonation. The moment I said hello in his voice, I remember the person from the other end greeting me with the words, “
Oye, Benny, mere chunnu munnu, mein tera dost Monty Singh bol raha hoon. Tayyar rehna aaj raat teri class lene wala hoon.”
(Benny, this is your friend Monty Singh. Be prepared, tonight I will teach you a lesson.) When I heard those words, I obviously thought that he had got the wrong number, so I spoke in my own voice this time, and asked the man what number he wanted. At this, the man quickly apologized and hung up. As I handed the phone back to Kiki, he asked me who had called, so I told him that it was some guy called Monty Singh, calling for some Benny, who was probably his student or something, because the man on the phone was talking about taking his class tonight. The moment I said those words, each and every one in that room turned as white as a sheet, while Kiki just broke down crying. I mean, he was sobbing like a baby, with everyone rallying around him, trying to calm him down. You have no idea how awkward I felt, Inspector saheb. In my head, it was as if I had done something that made him react that way. And in between his hysterical sobs, I heard him say, “He is such a bastard, that Nikhil. He's a cruel, evil, sadistic bastard. One day, I am going to make him pay. I promise you all. One day, I am going to kill him.” Then I remember Ishan saying, “I hear you, partner, I hear you loud and clear.” I think one or more of them got together and killed Nikhil, because they hated him. And they killed Mallika too, because somehow, she got in the way.'

‘Sameer, Ishan, Kiki, Nyra, Shanaya and the doctor couple, all of them have disappeared and their cellphones are switched off. Bimal and Rushali went underground last night itself, while the rest of them haven't been seen since Tiwari's murder. I've spent a good three hours questioning their staff, but they have no clue as to their whereabouts. Once the search warrants come through, we'll tear their homes and offices apart, and find the answers we're looking for,' Zagde informed Hoshiyar, as he burst into the SCS headquarters the following morning, a little before noon.

‘I was fully expecting this,' Hoshiyar replied calmly, visibly preoccupied, for he was sitting at his desk, creating an intricate pyramid of playing cards, which was something of a favourite pastime whenever he wished to achieve total clarity of thought.

‘And have you had any luck contacting Sub-inspector Phogat from the Padiabeda police station?' he then inquired, picking up a card from his desk and adding it to his tower quite expertly, with a rock-steady hand.

‘I am afraid he hasn't resumed duty as yet, sir. But his senior said that he'll have him call the moment he returns,' Zagde informed.

‘Keep the pressure on them, Zagde. It is imperative that we learn why Mule telephoned Padiabeda, and only Phogat has the answer to this question. In the meantime, I want you to get me the record of each and every call made by Bimal and Rushali from their cellphones and landlines, including home and office numbers, right from the time Tiwari was murdered until the moment they switched off their cellphones and disappeared. Probably their phone records will tell us where they're hiding,' Hoshiyar instructed, then paused for a moment and spoke again. ‘You know, Zagde, it's always been pretty clear why Mule and Tiwari were killed, but I haven't been able to figure out the reason behind the murders of Nikhil and Mallika. Perhaps because there is something about those killings which seems very wrong, but I just cannot understand what that is. It's the complexities of this case, my friend, that have captivated me completely. I am so caught up in unravelling its false leads and little red herrings that I am failing to see the obvious that has been staring me in the face, right from the beginning. Mark my words, Zagde, when the realization of that obvious thing strikes me like a bolt of lightning, each and every aspect of this mystery will become clear to me,' Hoshiyar said, placing the last two cards at the top of his pyramid.

About an hour later, the search warrants were in the hands of the SCS, which dispatched its teams to the homes and offices of the absconders, accompanied by the local police, who had been included in this operation so that they didn't feel slighted or left out; otherwise, they would have behaved in a manner both petty and vindictive, deliberately jeopardizing the entire operation. While the rest of the teams visited places of interest in the suburbs to perform their search and seizure of any incriminating evidence that would point them in the direction of the absconders and maybe, even the killer himself, Hoshiyar and Zagde headed into South Mumbai, to go over Kiki Fernandez's home with a fine-tooth comb; Kiki lived all by himself in the first-floor apartment of the iconic building simply known as Mandalay, located in tony Breach Candy. In all fairness, it was safe to say that there wasn't anything special about Mandalay, for it was just another stately old building, impeccably maintained, with a simple whitewashed exterior and just four storeys high, with two apartments per floor, containing four bedrooms each and an enormous living room whose French windows opened into a sun-kissed balcony, overlooking the Arabian Sea. Apart from all of this, the building's old-world charm was given its finishing touches by a white marble staircase, an ancient elevator with criss-cross metal grilles instead of doors, and an antique watchman dressed in a khaki half-sleeve shirt and trousers, with a similar colour Gandhi cap on his head, looking more like a peon than anyone else, as he sat on his chair and dozed in the comfort of the lobby, right beside the main entrance.

As Hoshiyar and Zagde's police cruiser stopped outside Mandalay's front gate at around one-fifteen, a police team from the Breach Candy police station, which was already there awaiting their arrival, informed them that they had just received a message from the control room that all the homes and offices of the absconders had been raided simultaneously, but they were nowhere to be found, and neither did they leave behind any clues to indicate where they went; so Kiki's apartment was their last hope of finding anything relevant. As Hoshiyar and Zagde, accompanied by the police team, made their way up to flat number two on the first floor, which was Kiki's, they were met at the door by the mild-mannered Mr Barucha, the building's secretary, who informed Hoshiyar that around this time, three days ago, he saw Kiki dash out of the building as if in a state of panic, after which he never returned. Hoshiyar immediately felt that this information was of significance, as Tiwari was found dead around three days ago. After making a mental note of this point, Hoshiyar had Mr Barucha unlock the door to Kiki's apartment with his spare key, after which the officers entered the flat and spread out in search of clues, with Zagde taking the master bedroom, and Hoshiyar the living room. As the good inspector looked around, he saw to his surprise a plate full of salad, half a bowl of soup and a tall glass of vegetable juice lying on the dining table a short distance away, which clearly indicated that Kiki was in the middle of his lunch when he suddenly upped and fled. The living room's air conditioning was on, along with the television, and on one of the sofas lay a couple of sketch pens and a few unfinished sketches of some of his new designs, meaning Kiki intended to get some work done after his meal, but for some reason abandoned that as well. Just then, Zagde called out with some urgency, and as the legion of officers dashed into the master bedroom, they saw Zagde holding a battered old suitcase that he had discovered stashed away under the bed, which contained a stun gun, half a kilogram of cocaine and a packet of pure white Dreamer's Dust. While the rest of the officers appeared surprised or even astonished by this discovery, Hoshiyar, who walked in a couple of seconds later, seemed rather disinterested in that clinching evidence, preferring to run his gaze around the room instead, until a photo frame containing a picture of Kiki himself, placed by his bedside caught his eye. Hoshiyar then looked away and turned his attention to the French windows leading to the balcony; he then went over and examined them thoroughly, only to discover that they were bolted shut. After this, he went back into the living room and took a look at its French windows, where he discovered the same thing. Satisfied by what he had found thus far, Hoshiyar went for a walk in the kitchen, where he came across an empty pizza box, which for some reason caught his fancy. As Zagde and the other officers looked on in bewilderment, Hoshiyar opened the refrigerator door and took a long, hard look inside. Although the fridge was laden with nothing but salad leaves, fresh raw vegetables and fruits, not to mention expensive, but unappetizing health food, Hoshiyar appeared strangely excited by this discovery, so much so that he asked Zagde to take photographs of the contents of the fridge, as well as the three-day-old lunch lying on the dining table, and also to bag the empty pizza box as evidence. Having issued this diktat, Hoshiyar went back into the master bedroom and picked up the photo frame from the bedside, and carefully opened it. Hidden behind Kiki's picture was a partially burnt photograph depicting seven children, two girls and five boys, roughly between six and sixteen years old, standing together in the foreground, while a whole lot of children could be seen playing in the background in what appeared to be the front yard of an old-style country manor, which was only partly visible, on account of the photograph being burnt.

The other thing which Hoshiyar noticed was that all the children in the photograph were wearing shabby, mismatched clothes, which seemed less like their own and more like hand-me-downs, and as Hoshiyar turned the photograph over, scribbled behind it were the words: ‘Summer vacation at Green Manor, 1994. Omi, Vishal, Simi, Tia, Shobhit, Arif and me. The end of innocence'. As Hoshiyar read those words, his eyes turned wide, and his right hand, which held the photograph, trembled with excitement, for he had just discovered Mule's reason for going to Shimla. Just at that moment, Zagde entered the room to convey an all-important message.

‘Just got a call from Meeta madam. We've been ordered to drop everything and head back to the SCS headquarters immediately. It seems, barring the doctor couple, the rest of our absconders have resurfaced and are demanding police protection. According to them, they went into hiding because someone's trying to kill them too,' he revealed.