Murder in Bollywood (17 page)

‘She was an enigma. Hard-working, professional, beautiful and an absolute mystery,' Ishan said. ‘You know, Inspector saheb, nearly everyone who enters Bollywood to become a star is the same. When they make it big, they all talk about their humble backgrounds and epic tales of struggle to get to where they are, crediting their godfather-less success to their immense talent, even as they lament the fact that these star kids have it so easy. When in reality, their success has nothing to do with their talent, because there isn't any. It's all about working out in the gym and networking the rest of the time. It's about being seen in the right places and looking good enough to be seen. It's about luck, opportunity and a whole lot of casting couch thrown in, which these days is laid out for women as well as men. But Mallika was different, as she did not attribute her superstardom to a bunch of lies. She was always vocal about the fact that she got an easy entry into Bollywood only because she was a beauty queen, followed by success after success at the box office, purely on the strength of her luck and nothing else. But what really set her apart from your typical up-and-coming heroine when she first entered Bollywood was her lack of inclination in finding herself a superstar boyfriend or some fat, old sugar daddy who would take her career places. It was almost as if she was in a serious relationship, or had someone really special in her life, because of which there were no link-ups or affairs. But that didn't turn out to be the case, because when Nikhil came into her life, not only did she get into a relationship with him, she even had the guts to marry him when she was just three films' old. But surprisingly, marriage didn't destroy her career. It worked wonders for her instead, taking her from strength to strength, although she never had her own children. According to her, she was more than content with the one they had adopted and Nikhil was all right with that,' Ishan said.

‘That's all fine, Mr Malhotra, but in an attempt to make Mallika sound perfect, you have forgotten to mention her nasty drug habit. Which brings me to my final question. Do you know the identity of the person who supplied Mallika her drugs?' Hoshiyar inquired.

‘I can't be sure, but there were a couple of people known to Mallika who supply drugs within Bollywood circles. One of them is a bodybuilder-cum-personal trainer, who not only supplies banned steroids to six-pack-crazy celebrities, but also deals in all kinds of party drugs, along with heroin and cocaine. He hangs out at a posh suburban gym in the evenings, so you won't have any trouble finding him. The second dealer will be a bit more difficult for you to nab, Inspector saheb, for he is no petty drug peddler, but a popular movie star in his own right, who's rumoured to supply the finest quality cocaine anywhere in the city,' Ishan said.

‘A movie star who supplies drugs? How's that possible?' Zagde blurted out in surprise.

‘Times have changed, Inspector saheb, and clichés no longer apply, not in Bollywood at least. And Bollywood is not about cinema, it's about becoming famous and making fast money. And as the old adage goes, money talks, bullshit walks. And besides, dealing in drugs is great for networking and making new friends. And the best part is, everyone in Bollywood has the money to buy that stuff these days, and the people who don't like getting high take it anyway, just to fit in. I'll write down the names of these two people for you. I hope you find the person you're looking for. But please don't let anyone know that you got this information from me,' Ishan turned to Hoshiyar and said, then borrowed the pad and pen from Zagde and jotted down the information quickly.

Just then, Meeta entered her office with some urgency, and informed that Commissioner Ghankar had arrived at the front gate with his entire battalion and would be making an entry any minute.

‘One last question, Mr Fernandez,' Hoshiyar spoke frenetically, ‘did you, by any chance order pizza any time before you fled from your apartment?'

‘No. I never eat pizza. I always have soups, salads and health foods,' Kiki replied, slightly bewildered.

‘That's evident from the contents of your refrigerator.' Hoshiyar smiled, then took the photograph found in Kiki's apartment and slipped it into his pocket.

A few seconds later, the door to Meeta's office swung open and Commissioner Ghankar walked in imperiously, accompanied by a posse of his most fearsome men.

‘Oh ho! Looks like we have finally found you out, Mr Kiku.' Ghankar smiled triumphantly.

‘Sir, his name is Kiki,' whispered DCP Waghmare, his right-hand man.

‘His name does not matter, Waghmare. All that matters is my name, for I am the man arresting him,' Ghankar said and then slapped the cuffs on Kiki, remarking, ‘From dress designer to death designer, you have come a long way, my dear. But your designing days are now over. Waghmare, take a photo.' He posed with his arm around Kiki, as Waghmare took out his cellphone and happily clicked away.

‘Now, you are coming with us, for even the media wants to see what a real monster looks like,' Ghankar declared, then caught Kiki by the scruff of his neck with the intent to drag him out of the office and towards the front entrance.

‘Commissioner saheb, may I have a word?' Hoshiyar said, leading Ghankar into a quiet corner.

‘Sir, I think it would be better if we do not parade Kiki Fernandez before the media right now and even delay the news of his arrest by a couple of days,' Hoshiyar suggested.

‘But why?' Ghankar asked, aghast.

‘Because, Kiki is only a pawn, an accomplice. The real mastermind is someone else and a far bigger fish than this fellow. Sure, Kiki being unmasked before the press will make national news. But the capture of his boss will make international headlines,' Hoshiyar replied.

‘And how much time will you need to net the bigger fish?' Ghankar queried.

‘Three, maybe four days,' Hoshiyar said.

‘Oh no, no, no! I cannot wait that long, Hoshiyar. What if in the meantime the media gets to know that the famous dress designer Kiki Fernandez has been arrested in connection with four murders, two of them being Nikhil's and Mallika's? Not to mention the attack on young Rohan's life. They will surely break the news to the public immediately and rob me of my thunder, because I want to be the one to break this breaking news to the entire nation through a great, big press conference. That is why I can give you only twenty-four hours to nab that mastermind who holds Kiki's remote control. After twenty-four hours, whether you succeed or not, I will go ahead with my press conference and that's final.' Ghankar then ordered his men to lead Kiki out through the back entrance, without the ever-vigilant media getting a glimpse of him. As Ghankar made his exit, followed by Kiki's famous friends, Hoshiyar turned to Meeta and said, ‘We have precisely twenty-four hours to apprehend the real killer, otherwise Commissioner Ghankar will destroy the life of an innocent man in order to enjoy his fifteen minutes of fame.'

‘Twenty-four hours! How are we supposed to discover the killer's identity in just twenty-four hours!' Meeta exclaimed.

‘I already know who the killer is. It's the motive and the evidence which elude me,' Hoshiyar revealed.

The Green Manor massacre, the accidental death of the doctor couple's twenty-year-old daughter Chandni, and the late detective Mule's interest in Padiabeda were somehow connected not only to each other, but also to Nikhil's and Mallika's murder, so believed Inspector Hoshiyar Khan. But the common link that united these scattered events remained a mystery. Also, there was something else about the superstar couple's murder that didn't seem right to Hoshiyar from the very beginning, but what that anomaly was, the good inspector couldn't spot, which frustrated him greatly, because he believed that it was something staring him in the face, which when recognized would blow the case wide open. The other thing that escaped him was the motive behind Nikhil's and Mallika's murder, and without motive, Hoshiyar knew it would be very difficult to gather evidence against the killer, whose identity was well and truly known to him. It was because of this that Hoshiyar knew Kiki was innocent. He believed that the real killer had called Kiki, identifying himself as Monty Singh, in order to scare him out of his flat, after which the killer, disguised as a pizza delivery man, entered the flat and planted the drugs and the stun gun, setting Kiki up perfectly. The watchman at Mandalay confirmed that while he was running an errand for one of the residents, he saw a pizza delivery man enter the building at a little after 9 p.m., who claimed it was an order for flat number two, which was where Kiki lived. But since the watchman was too preoccupied with his errand, he never bothered to notice the delivery man's face or even realize when he left. But one thing was certain, that all of this happened on the same day that Kiki fled and a few hours before Rohan was attacked. Along with this information, the SCS had also learnt that before disappearing, Dr Bimal had made two telephone calls of interest. One of them was to a farmhouse in Karjat which was in his cousin's name, while the second call was made to a Saint Mary's Hospital, which happened to be in the vicinity of that farmhouse. However, on the downside, Sub-inspector Phogat was still untraceable, which was a major hindrance in solving the case, as Hoshiyar was convinced that Phogat, being one of the last people to have spoken to Mule, had vital information, without which their investigation wouldn't move forward. According to his colleagues at the Padiabeda police station, Phogat had taken a two-day leave, right after his telephone conversation with Mule, then switched off his cellphone and simply disappeared. All of which was very strange, indeed. As the sun began to set over Carter Road, Hoshiyar and his men still found themselves tied to their desks awaiting that one magical lead which would help solve their case. The television in the headquarters was on at that time, and the news channel that played was airing a detailed report of the police raids carried out earlier in the day, along with images of the five celebrities arriving at the SCS headquarters that afternoon. The report also carried Ghankar's statement to the media, that whatever was going on was just a routine inquiry regarding the attack on Rohan Kapoor; and in the light of this development, the police was reopening the Nikhil and Mallika case. He then concluded his statement by wishing Rohan a speedy recovery and expressing his happiness that the boy was to be discharged from the hospital the following morning. As that news report came to an end, Hoshiyar's cellphone began to ring and as he glanced at the number flashing on the screen, he discovered it was Rumi begum calling from Delhi.

‘How much time does it take for you to answer the phone? Didn't you know it was me?' she said the moment Hoshiyar came on the line.

‘No. It's just that I was in the middle of something,' Hoshiyar said, sounding distracted.

‘I don't care. Now talk to me. Did you see all my pictures that I sent you?' Rumi asked excitedly.

‘No, I haven't been able to see all of them, as I've been tied up in this case. But I promise I'll see them tonight,' Hoshiyar assured her.

‘Uff, oh, you are completely useless. How much time does it take to see 1100 photographs? Anyway, I am putting up a new profile picture on Facebook. It's the one from the
waleema
, in which I am in the pink gharara. I want you to be the first one to give it a like and write a nice comment,' Rumi instructed.

‘Don't I always?' Hoshiyar laughed and said.

‘By the way, I saw you on television today. My God, how many photographers had surrounded your office in the afternoon! And I must say, you were looking very dashing as you got out of your car and told those photographers to back off. Total
Dabangg
style. But I thought that Sameer Ali Khan was looking very short today, otherwise in his films he looks very tall. Must be some kind of special effects. And that Nyra Oberoi looks very average without her make-up, I must say. She isn't a patch on Kareena Kapoor who looks a hundred times better. You know, at the wedding, everyone told me that I look like Kareena. I think so too. But you haven't told me how your investigation is progressing. Have you caught the killer yet?' Rumi asked.

‘No, begum, not as yet,' Hoshiyar replied.

‘What! I thought you would have solved the case by now. Why is it taking you so much time?' Rumi questioned impatiently.

‘Because, it's a complicated case and the killer is very smart,' Hoshiyar said.

‘Really? You think so? Because, I actually thought this killer is really dumb,' Rumi said.

‘You think he's dumb!' Hoshiyar exclaimed, sounding amused.

‘Yes, obviously. I mean, just look at the death of Nikhil and Mallika, which the news channels are speculating was murder. Now, according to me, who plans two perfect murders, making them look like accidents, and executes them both on the same night? I mean, won't that arouse suspicion and negate the purpose of all that planning?' Rumi pointed out.

‘Wait a minute!' Hoshiyar said, his voice suddenly reduced to a whisper, as if struck by a bolt of lightning, for sweet epiphany had finally dawned and in that single moment, all the pieces of that complex puzzle were falling into place. ‘Do you know what you've just done? You've helped me crack the case,' Hoshiyar exclaimed excitedly.

‘I have? How? Never mind. Can I tweet about it?' Rumi inquired innocently.

‘You can do whatever you want, but just wait until tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, do you remember my old batchmate Inspector Dilip Salgaokar, who's currently with the Goa CID? He's on your Facebook, isn't he?' Hoshiyar inquired.

‘Yes. I chat with him once in a while,' Rumi said.

‘Great! Can you message him and ask him to call me urgently? It's a matter of the utmost importance,' Hoshiyar said.

‘Sure, I'll do it right away. What exactly are you up to, Inspector Hoshiyar Khan?' Rumi inquired out of curiosity.

‘Oh, nothing in particular, dear darling wife. Just preparing to catch a murderer. And for this, me and the boys have a long, long night ahead of us,' the good inspector ended the conversation.