Murder at Crescent Point (7 page)

Feroz ordered tea. He was still holding the pencil sketch in his hand. He said, ‘This looks like a photograph. Who gave you this?’

Nikki took out the photograph of three girls with Jyoti’s face circled and handing it over to Feroz, said, ‘The same man whom you asked to take this picture without the girls knowing that they were being photographed.’

The man was stunned. He suddenly became serious. His expression changed and he was now distinctly twitching his face. He asked, ‘Who are you and what are you doing here?’

Nikki replied, ‘I am a friend of the girl whose face has been circled.’

‘So what is that to me?’ said Feroz. Now he almost sounded belligerent. Nikki said calmly, ‘Because this girl has been murdered by someone, and if the police ask you why you got the girl secretly photographed, then you will have to do a lot of explaining.’

Feroz’s expression changed at once. He became nervous. He said meekly, ‘I have nothing to do with this girl. I was doing a favour to Asha Sayal who said this girl was her real daughter and she begged me to find out where she lived and also photograph her as she was keen to see her.’

Nikki asked, ‘How did you find this girl?’

‘Asha Sayal gave me the name and address of the girl’s father. I befriended his driver who told me that the girl studies in a famous school in Sangalina Hills and stays in a hostel. He also said that she was currently in Somabad and in the evenings usually goes to Central Park with her friends.’

‘Obviously, no one reads the papers here!’ thought Nikki.

‘Let Asha Sayal return and you can ask her directly,’ Feroz said aggressively.

Nikki did not say anything. She collected the sketch and the photograph from Feroz and got up.

She returned to her room and kept the photograph and the sketch in her handbag. Lying on the bed, she reviewed her conversation with Feroz. He was genuinely surprised when Nikki told him that Jyoti had been murdered. He also appeared sincere when he said, ‘Let Asha Sayal return and you can ask her.’ Was he used only for the bit relating to the photograph or was he acting to show his innocence? Nikki couldn’t come to any conclusions. She went downstairs to join Lakshmi.

Lakshmi was in her usual ebullient mood and was talking enthusiastically about her maiden days, marriage and children. When she stopped to take breath, Nikki asked, ‘My aunty said that sometimes she went out in the city.’

‘What sometimes, she was out almost every day! I think she had a number of relatives here. A woman came to see her couple of times. One day she returned to the hotel in a big black car.’

‘A big black car?’ asked Nikki in complete disbelief.

‘Yes, I am telling you the truth. When I asked her whose car it was she said it belonged to a relative from her husband’s side.’ Lakshmi looked envious.

This new piece of information set Nikki thinking. Certain things did not fit in. First, a deposit of
10 lakhs in her bank account and now this story of a big black car!

— CHAPTER NINE —

Burgled

That evening, Nikki decided to venture out again on her investigation. She asked Lakshmi, ‘I would like to go for a walk. I also want to eat out. Is there any good restaurant nearby?’

Lakshmi said, ‘Yes, you cross the road and go to the other side. There are a few good hotels. They only serve food, there’s no staying arrangement like us.’

The bustle at the bus terminal was much less at that time of the evening. She crossed the road and went to the opposite side, which was livelier with bright shops and a number of small eateries. She noticed that most of these shops had extended themselves up to the pavement. Sensing a potential customer, several shopkeepers invited her to visit their shops. Nikki chose a restaurant at the far end and sat at the table placed on the pavement. The food was good and the service quick. She had a leisurely meal and gave a generous tip to the young bearer who saluted her several times.

When she returned to the hotel, Lakshmi had already left for the day. Prasad was at the counter. She went up and put her key to the door of her room. As she was turning the key, the door opened on its own. She was surprised. She went in and switched on the light. What she saw astounded her. Her room had been ransacked! Her empty handbag was lying on the floor and her clothes were scattered on the bed. She checked her things. Her clothes were intact but the folder containing all the papers including the bank passbook, photograph and pencil sketch was missing. Nikki was furious. She went down to Prasad and shouted, ‘What kind of place is this? Someone entered my room and ransacked it. Several of my things are missing.’

Prasad looked shocked. ‘This is impossible. I have been here all along and before that Lakshmi was here. Nobody can enter without our seeing him.’

Nikki snapped, ‘Come with me and see for yourself!’

Prasad went up with her to the room and was taken aback by what he saw. He looked at the suitcase and said, ‘But the suitcase has not been opened.’

‘Because this is not mine. It belongs to my aunty. Only my handbag has been searched,’ Nikki replied.

Prasad asked, ‘Did it contain money or other valuables?’

‘No, but it had some important papers which are missing.’

Hearing that no money was stolen, Prasad was visibly relieved. He said, ‘I am very sorry, Miss. This has happened for the first time in our hotel. Please don’t complain to the police. Our reputation will be ruined. I will check with the bearer in the canteen and try my best to find your papers.’

Nikki, still furious, said, ‘I don’t want to stay in this lousy place. Tomorrow first thing in the morning, I will leave.’

After Prasad left, Nikki collected her clothes and kept them in the handbag. She was pretty sure that the culprit was Feroz Khan. He had every reason to steal the photograph and the pencil sketch so that he could remove any evidence of his involvement in the murder. But why would he take away the bank statement and other papers in the folder? This was something which she could not understand. Things were not as simple as they looked. Someone had obviously become suspicious and entered her room. It was no longer safe for her to stay in this place, she thought. She got up and checked the window and the door once again before going to sleep.

— CHAPTER TEN —

Between Life and Death

Nikki woke up early the next morning. She picked up her handbag and came out of the room. Downstairs at the reception, Prasad was fast asleep on the counter with his head between his forearms. Nikki tiptoed out. The bus station was completely deserted and not a single rickshaw or any other mode of transportation was in sight. She was walking towards the main road when suddenly a car came from behind and screeched to a halt near her. All at once, the front and the back doors of the car were flung open and before Nikki could comprehend what was happening, two persons got out of the car, muffled her face with a cloth and pushed her into the back seat. The car started almost immediately. Nikki struggled to remove the cloth from her face. Someone put a tape on her mouth and in a matter of moments her hands and feet were tied. A man on the back seat forced her to lie on the seat face down. Her back was covered with a blanket. Her face was left free for breathing. The only thing she could see was the mat on the floor of the car.

The car was moving at breakneck speed. Thoroughly shaken, Nikki noticed that the men hardly talked to each other. She was sure that they were linked with the murders. But how did they know that she was going out of the lodge so early in the morning?
It must be Prasad,
she thought. Last evening she had told him in a huff that she was getting out of the place first thing in the morning.
Is Prasad also mixed up in this affair?
she wondered.

After some time, Nikki could no longer hear the honking of traffic or bustle of pedestrians. The car was obviously outside the city limits. The man in the front seat said, ‘Abdul, you can free her now.’

The man called Abdul who was sitting beside her in the back seat untied the ropes and removed the tape from her mouth. Nikki shouted at him, ‘Who are you and where are you taking me?’ The man in the front said almost apologetically, ‘Miss, we are very sorry to treat you like this. But we had no alternative.’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Nikki in a belligerent tone.

The man replied, ‘My name is Mohan Lal. I am the brother of that unfortunate woman Asha Sayal. Abdul and Saleem are my friends. We mean no harm to you. We have brought you with us to help a dying person.’

Nikki was surprised. This was not what she had expected, she asked, ‘What do you mean to help a dying person?’

‘Our mother suffered a strange affliction when she heard that Asha was dead. She has lost both her power of speech and hearing faculties. She is bedridden and hovering between life and death. She does not know that her granddaughter is also dead. We did not give this news to her because the shock would have certainly killed her,’ Mohan Lal said.

‘But what can I do in the matter?’ Nikki asked.

Mohan Lal looked apologetic. ‘We are sorry but last evening Abdul searched your belongings. Among other things we found the letter which Asha had written to her daughter Jyoti. You are also studying in Sangalina Hills where Jyoti was studying. We will show this letter to her and when she looks at you she will think you are Jyoti, Asha’s daughter and this might save her life,’ he said.

‘No! I can’t do this,’ said Nikki. ‘I won’t impersonate a dead person. And why didn’t you just ask me instead of forcing me into the car?’

Mohan Lal was now imploring, ‘Please, don’t be so harsh. This is a humanitarian cause. Ma has already suffered a lot. We told her that we will bring her granddaughter to meet her. You would never have come if three strange men approached you just like that!’

‘You have no right to tell your mother lies. I cannot do this.’

‘Please see her condition yourself and then decide.’

‘Where are you taking me?’

‘We are going to Shyamabad where Ma lives. We will reach there by the evening.’

Nikki couldn’t believe this weird turn of events.

They reached the outskirts of a town at sunset. Instead of going into the town the car turned into a small lonely road. After driving for some time, the car entered a gate. Nikki saw an old and dilapidated house. They all got out of the car. A somewhat elderly man came out of the house and greeted them. Mohan Lal said to Nikki, ‘He is the attendant here. Please go upstairs with him to your room. After you freshen up, come down and see the old lady.’