Inspector Dubey was caressing his beard. This was what had got Nisha to be murdered. I suspected it long back. Five years before itself, he had shown a tendency to kill, to take his own life. And now, he had done both.
“Do you know where the pen drive is, Bhagwandas?” Dubey broke the small silence.
“Sir, it is not with me. It was with Kaushik when he jumped out of the train. But sir, it will have the evidence as to why Nisha was murdered. Sir, please believe me, there is indeed a crimson red pen drive that contains the much needed answers for her death. We must search for it. Send your teams to the place where his body was found. It must be somewhere in the vicinity there. It must not get into wrong hands sir.” pleaded Bhagwandas.
“What if I say that I have the pen drive?” Dubey questioned with his eyebrows raised.
Bhagwandas was shocked. He uttered, “Show me, sir, and please show me. It contains the video which will prove to you I am not an accomplice to Nisha’s murder. It was committed only by Kaushik and that too without my provocation. I swear on that account.”
Dubey spoke calmly. “The contents of the pen drive have been viewed, Bhagwandas. Your story seems to match with that of what Kaushik had said. I am going to verify your claim of reaching the hotel in which Nisha was murdered and if found true, you will face no charges, either for Karthik’s murder or for Nisha’s murder.”
He paused to take a sip of water. Then he continued; “Now you may go and join Puneet Mishra. I will be addressing you both shortly.”
With that Bhagwandas was escorted away from the room.
****
Once again Constable Ravi Ratnam and Inspector Dubey were alone in the room. There was a moment of silence. Both were seeing the crimson red pen drive Dubey had taken out of his pocket.
Then he spoke, “What do you think, Ravi, is Bhagwandas speaking the truth?”
“Sir, that is for you to decide. You are a senior officer; I cannot speak with you my opinions, if it may in any way convince your doubt to be true or false. If I need to say any specific facts in this case, I shall certainly speak up.”
“That’s a good answer, constable, but the point that is disturbing me is that there was no mention about Karthik in whatever Bhagwandas said. Even when I said Karthik’s name, his face was as stoic as ever. I cannot confirm whether he knows about Karthik or not, whether Kaushik had ever mentioned it to him about Karthik, but he claims to know Kaushik had an unstable mind. What he says is true; Kaushik indeed had an unstable mind, for otherwise he would not have hypnotized Karthik to commit self strangulation, murdered Nisha and then killed himself. Again, we don’t even know whether Karthik is dead or not. I cannot believe a man died of self-strangulation.”
Ravi nodded and spoke out, filling the momentary pause, “We need to then check out two things before we again meet the two men. Sir, shall I arrange a phone call to Mumbai’s Savera hotel?”
Dubey gave a negative reply. He instead asked Ravi to call the Mumbai branch police and verify from them whether there had been any case of death, escape or kidnapping in or around the hotel.
Ravi followed Dubey’s instructions. They were asked to wait for a return call within five minutes. By that time, Ravi, on instructions from Dubey, called the Hotel Amhey in Chennai to verify Bhagwandas’ claim. Ravi gave the phone to Dubey and he had got the answer Bhagwandas had told.
One problem had been solved. Bhagwandas had spoken the truth. Both Nisha and Kaushik had been in Hotel Amhey the previous evening.
Minutes later, Dubey received a phone call from Mumbai.
His face turned grave.