Chapter Twenty-five
She sits there staring at him in utter disbelief. Everyone was right about him all along and she just kept thinking he wasn’t guilty. Now it seems that she couldn’t be more wrong about anything in her life.
He looks up at her, looking shattered. “Go on.” She urges him gruffly.
“Rajveer and I were more like siblings than cousins.” He clears his throat and searches her face for any reaction, but all he gets is a blank look. He continues squeamishly, “He came to stay with us when he was in elementary school. My mother was an Australian and she married an Indian business man, he was my stepfather. We got along pretty well. Shivanya, my ex-girlfriend, was the daughter of my step-father’s colleague. She was a boisterous person and very sharp and beautiful; maybe that was the reason everyone loved her.” He pauses looking at her. She listens with rapt attention. “Anyways, I, Raj and Shivanya were sent to Australia to pursue our education. We all were inseparable as they come. Between me and Raj, Raj was the one who was always surrounded by girls; I mean girls used to get attracted to me but preferred to steer clear from me since I was the quiet and geeky type. They used to call me freak. But that doesn’t really count in this story, what really counts is that, despite all the name calling and everything, Shivanya was the one girl who approached me saying she wanted to go out with me. I liked her a lot from the beginning but never had the courage to confront. So, when she asked me out I said yes and from then on we started dating. I, of course used to get occasional glares from the guys, but I shrugged it off. We dated like that for three damn years. I used to hear now and then that she was cheating on me with other guys but I never believed any of it. I even caught her making out with other guys, but she would always come up with some excuse and I would overlook it always. I loved her too much to leave her. When we went to India for our winter break, the abominable chain of events took place. One day I found messages from Raj on her phone, they were having these lewd conversations. I was shattered at the time. I didn’t expect this from Raj.” He sighs looking exhausted.
“I’m sorry for whatever they did to you, but that’s no excuse to kill them. Anyways, go on.” Calme comments, shaking her head.
“That day we were having this new-year party at Shivanya’s place in Mumbai and I told her that I’m not coming and she didn’t insist much either. My actual plan was to throw them off guard. So, I sneaked in her apartment during the party, slipped unnoticed to her bedroom and hid under her bed. When the party was over she and Raj came to the room and they started—” he choked then, remembering that night.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say that.” She says in a soothing voice. He nods and continues, “When they were done and making fool of me, I couldn’t stand it. I was so angry and heart-broken, I came out from under the bed and lunged at both of them. I was both physically and emotionally drained, so they both took that as an opening and started beating me. They both didn’t a have single sense of moral. Shivanya was speaking profanities and kept saying it was my fault that she was being like this. At one point I couldn’t take it any longer. I grabbed both of their necks at once and started strangling them with all my might. But when I understood what I was doing I released both of them and sneaked out. I didn’t notice if they were dead, but later I heard that they both were found dead at the exact place I left them.” Burying his face in his hands he starts sobbing silently. Years of pent- up remorse finally unleashes.
But something doesn’t really sit right in the whole story. She knew from the reports of CBI on his background that Shivanya Pathak and Rajveer Singh were found with their necks twisted and Walker says that he only strangled them, but not intentionally to death.
“Are you sure you didn’t break their necks?” she inquires.
“Of course not. It was just an impulsive move and an act of defense. I don’t know any technique of breaking someone’s neck. I mean, I know strangling isn’t an impressive thing to do either and that was extremely evil of me to do, but I’m not that evil. I didn’t mean any of that to happen, trust me. That one night changed my whole bloody life. When I got home later at dawn I found everyone at my home dead. I called the police but didn’t have the backbone to stay any longer. I just took off after that. I knew that would make me their prime suspect, but I was too petrified to care.” He admits, shaking.
Calme sits bewildered. Nothing makes sense anymore. Every word Dominic says, makes the situation all the more vague. She mentally organizes the events. According to Walker when he came home he found his family dead, which means he couldn’t be the one who killed them if he was with Shivanya and Rajveer at that time and reports said their necks were twisted, but Walker says he only strangled them. Walker’s sister was also killed with her neck wringed that way, which probably means her killer was the same person as Shivanya and Rajveer’s. She looks at Walker, his pain stricken face and he seems genuine. But she cannot really trust him properly until she’s done interrogating.
“Why did you elope like that if you weren’t guilty? I know you were scared, but how did you flee without any trace?”
“Why do I feel that you’re playing cop with me?” he asks.
“Not exactly.” She states. He sits staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. “I had enough cash at home and—”
“What about passport and other documents?” she asks gravely.
“I was booked to fly back to Australia that day itself and i did leave successfully. Then I waited for two weeks in Melbourne and got myself an entire new identity and that’s when I met Gunter Ross, the person who may have directed you here. I then came here with him and started working for him. I really didn’t have much option if I had to survive then.” He asserts.
Her phone starts ringing. She fishes it out and it’s Clarke. “Where the hell are you?” Clarke grumbles.
“Shopping.” She answers.
“What