9th July, Chennai Central, 22.05 hrs
“Why don’t you get out of my sight” Vinay told Malavika.
“Shut up, you idiot!!” yelled Malavika
“Come on dear, don’t be angry. Don’t talk like that Vinay” Raj replied.
“Hmmm, all because of this idiot” murmured Malavika.
“The train is about to start, you leave ma” said Raj.
“Miss me loads, Ok” Vinay told Malavika
“Idiot, shut up. Call me once you reach there dear” Malavika told Raj.
“Sure, take care” said Raj.
The Cheran Express started slowly and Malavika waved her hands at her husband Raj, without knowing that this would be her final good bye.
10th July,
“Welcome, welcome, welcome!!! We are pleased to have you here Raj” Mahadevan was excited.
“It’s my pleasure. I feel happy to be a part of this” said Raj
“You need not be so humble Sir; you are one of the most famous ventriloquists in the Country. We are really happy that you are doing this show for those poor kids”
Raj uttered a modest smile.
“Where is Vinay? The kids in the ashram are all excited to see him”
“Mr. Mahadevan how is your husband” asked Vinay in a high tone.
“Husband?” Mahadevan was embarrassed with the question thrown at him.
“Yes, I remember seeing an old movie, where the villain used to say, “Manathal Mahadevan , illai endral Maranadevan? “ [I will marry Mahadevan, if not I would die]
The crowd in the railway station started to laugh frantically on hearing this.
Mahadevan got irritated and said, “It was Mahadevi and not Mahadevan”
“Oh!! Is it? That’s news to me” Vinay chuckled.
“Shall we leave Sir, Vinay is always like this” Raj said in a polite manner.
They left the railway station and reached the hotel. Raj got ready and also dressed up Vinay. Raj was in his customary white linen shirt and black pant. He wore a black blazer and dressed up Vinay with exactly the same attire as his.
It was half past 9, when driver Bharathi came to pick them. They got into the white Lancer and drove to the auditorium. The show was scheduled at 10.00 in Gedee Auditorium,
The organizers were waiting for Raj and garlanded him. The puppet Vinay wanted a garland for him as well and there was chaos amidst the organizers for sometime. Though, Raj offered his garland, Vinay would not budge. The organizers garlanded Vinay after a brief interval and then Raj and Vinay moved into the auditorium.
The auditorium was almost full with kids from many ashrams in
Mahadevan who was 5’2’’ tall welcomed the guest and announced that the show would begin in 5 minutes. The crowd was cheering for Raj and Vinay as soon as their name was announced.
Vinay took the mike in his hands and started, “I told Mr. Mahadevan to stand up and talk, but he is still sitting in the stage”. The kids started to laugh when their caretaker was mocked for his height.
“You should not talk like this Vinay” Raj scolded him.
“Ok, let me not talk anything” Vinay told in a sad voice.
“Should I remain mum till the end?” Vinay asked the crowd.
The response was a big NO. The kids and the elders answered in unison.
“OK, Let me check Vinay’s GK” Raj told in the mike.
“Who is the Cricketer who got married recently?” Raj asked Vinay.
“Yuvraj Singh” the reply came within a second.
“Vinay, think once again da. Answer me properly” Raj said to Vinay once again.
“It is Yuvraj Singh. I saw that he is pregnant. He has such a big stomach. You only told that newly married people will become pregnant” Vinay shot back.
The crowd was going berserk with Vinay’s wits.
“Shhhh. You should not talk like this in public” Raj scolded Vinay.
The laughter riot continued for the next 10 minutes, when Raj noticed something strange off stage. The organizers were hesitant to call Raj but were trying to get his attention. Raj excused himself from the crowd and stopped Vinay as well. Vinay was cracking jokes on “Paul the Octopus” and “Takoyaki” when he stopped him.
Mahadevan had come to inform that Raj’s wife had passed away the other night. Raj shook his head in disbelief and broke down. He made Vinay to sit in the nearby sofa and was in a state of shock. He wiped the tears that rolled down to his cheek. He looked around in dismay and felt as if the whole world was coming down on his head. He gathered back his thoughts and asked, if there was a flight to Chennai at this time. The ticket was booked and he vacated the hotel room and reached the Airport.
10th July, Chennai, 19.00 hrs
Raj entered his house and placed Vinay in the sofa. He walked amidst the relatives to have a look at his lady love. She was placed in the wooden coffin with a cloth tied around her face. She had turmeric in her face and a big red bindi. He saw her mom, sitting near her head. She was visibly tired after weeping for long hours. He looked at his love’s face. He knew that time was ticking over and he couldn’t see her face for more time. He bent down and cuddled her amidst the opposition from his relatives. He sat near her and started to cry. He started to murmur about the time that they had spent together. He cried like a kid. His friends and family were not able to console him. He was remembering the good old days. He shook his head in dismay as he could not believe that his wife who waved good bye to him before a day is not there anymore.
“23 isn’t the age to die” he murmured.
“She was everything to me; she has changed me so much”
He got tired and leaned at the telephone stand. He asked for Vinay and had it in his lap. He started to comb Vinay’s hair with his hands. He continued to sob till he became tired. He refused to have food or water and sat in the sofa nearby.
“We are taking her to Besant Nagar, Crematorium right? “One of the relatives asked.
“Police wants a postmortem to be performed. They will take the body now. We will get it only tomorrow.” Malavika’s father replied.
Amidst the weeping sound, Malavika’s body was taken to the Ambulance.
Tom and Sid left the house and got into their car.
13th July, Raj’s house, Chennai
Tom walked in and introduced himself as a private detective. Raj was sitting in the hall along with his mother. The house was still gloomy and there was an uncomfortable silence. Raj had a 3 day old stubble and was visibly upset.
Tom broke the silence and started once again.
“I am sorry to disturb you once again Madam, but I need to ask some questions to you son”
“He is still not out of it, please don’t disturb him. Please get out of our house” Lakshmi said, wiping her tears with her pallu.
“It will take only 5 minutes madam, please” Tom pleaded and looked at Raj.
“My wife has left me, will she come back if I answer your questions” Raj yelled.
“I can understand your position Sir, but please. Can we talk for 5 minutes” Tom
“I don’t understand how heartless you policemen are” Raj was irritated to the core now.
“Ok, ask.” he consoled himself and told Tom. He took Tom to the next room, where his Mom could not hear them.
“Your wife had strangled herself to death. Can you think of any reason?”
Raj was silent and wiped his tears and started.
“We were very happy. She doesn’t hide anything from me. We were really happy and she had absolutely no regrets”
“From the postmortem reports it is clear that she had tried to kill herself with her hands first. She had tried to strangle herself with her hands and once that was unsuccessful, she had used the telephone wire”
Raj was quiet when he was listening to it. Tom continued.
“It looks as if she had tried to punish herself. Can you think of any possible reasons?”
“We were absolutely happy and I had no problem with her. She was a sweetheart” Raj replied.
“But Raj, we need to identify the reason. If you could help us, it will be nice. If not the police will start to enquire your relatives and it will become a mess”
Raj was unmoved.
“The reason for me being so very interested in this case is your publicity. The media are prying for some news and if something wrong comes out, they will tear people’s image”
Raj was disinterested.
“The media will go to any extent to defame people. Even if they are dead” Tom paused.
Raj started to say something but stopped.
“Your silence will trouble a lot of people including Malavika, Raj” Tom told in a friendly tone.
Raj started to speak without looking at Tom’s face.
“I am not sure, if this will help you. But I am just telling this to you as a friend. This needs to be within you and me. I don’t want any officer asking about this anymore” Raj whispered.
Tom nodded his head in agreement.
“No, nothing. I am not aware of anything” replied Raj.
“You are doing this for Malavika, Raj. Please”
Raj rubbed his forehead with his right palm as he placed Vinay in the other sofa. He looked up at the fan and nodded his head in dismay and continued.
“We weren’t having a proper life in the bedroom” Raj adjusted his hair and continued.
“She wasn’t able to please me and she felt really bad about that. But it was just a minor thing and I told her not to worry. But that stupid girl……”
Raj was not able to finish the sentence and started to cry.
Tom was quiet and put his hands over Raj’s right shoulder. He waited for Raj to finish and then left the place.
“Raj, can you please come to our Office by tomorrow morning. It is very close by and I won’t trouble you with our questions. We just need you to sign a couple of papers.”
Raj nodded in agreement.
Tom left the house and on the way, he took his mobile and dialed Sid’s number.
14th July, Tom’s Office, Chennai
Raj was dressed in his yellow Polo t-shirt and light blue jean, when he walked into Tom’s office. He paused a bit at the entrance when he heard his name being mentioned.
“We cannot close this case just like that Tom” Sid told to Tom.
“I spoke with Raj. He sounds genuine. I am not interested in taking this case forward.”
“But, listen. Raj’s mom who lived with them for 6 months since marriage had left the house a month before. Also, the driver Murugan has gone on leave for 2 weeks. Things aren’t right, Tom” Sid said in dismay.
“These are mere coincidences. My instinct says that everything is Ok in this case”
“Raj may be innocent, but I am not sure if this is a suicide”
“Can you stop your blabber? Raj will be here any moment” Tom scolded Sid.
Raj pressed the calling bell and walked into the house. A couple of tumblers with water were stretched at him. He took the water and sipped. A young kid watching this from the other room came running towards Raj and asked, “Will Vinay drink water?”
“Yes, I will” Vinay replied and took the other glass.
Sid came with a couple of papers and Raj just skimmed through them and signed at the bottom.
“That’s all?” Raj questioned Sid.
Sid looked at Tom and he nodded in agreement. Raj turned back and walked.
14th July, Raj’s house, Chennai
Dr. Mithran was in his customary white kurtha when he walked into Raj’s house. He spoke with Lakshmi for a bit and looked at Raj. He had an unshaved face and his eyes were surrounded by black circles.
Mithran was one of the leading psychologists in the city and was Raj’s family doctor. He sat in the chair and spoke with Lakshmi for a bit. He was disturbed in seeing the state of the family. Lakshmi was worried about her son’s health and requested the Doctor to advice him.
“He hasn’t even had water for the past 2 days. Tell him something Doctor” she told in a mild voice.
Mithran nodded his head in agreement and looked at Raj. Raj avoided the Doctor’s stare and looked down.
“Raj, I want to talk to you. Come inside your room” Mithran ordered and left without looking back. He went inside Raj’s room and waited for Raj. Raj walked in after a couple of minutes. Mithran peeped out of the door and then locked it from inside.
There was an uncomfortable silence inside the room. The uneasiness in the air was creeping up as Raj was playing with Vinay’s fingers.
“Raj “
There was no response.
“Raj” Mithran called in a slightly higher pitch.
“Hmmm” Raj replied without looking up.
“I want you to reduce the time that you spend with Vinay”
“He is the only one that I have now. Why do you want me to do that” Raj replied back in a cold voice.
“Spend time with mom and console her, rather than playing with him”
“But, Why? This is the only curative for the time being. I will not listen to you, this time Uncle” Raj avoided looking at Mithran.
“Listen to me Raj” Mithran sounded harsh now.
“I cannot leave him. I want to spend more and more time with him. What is your problem? ” Raj replied with his eyes still focused on the ground.
“I don’t have a problem. But if this goes on, you will kill your Mom too” Mithran yelled.
Raj was taken aback by Mithran’s words.
“What do mean uncle? Are you telling that I killed Malavika?” Raj’s eyes were suddenly filled with tears. Mithran did not reply. It was the Doctor’s turn to look at the ground now. Raj continued, “You know how much I loved her, don’t you? You were the one who arranged the marriage, but now you think that I killed her?” Raj was very close to a break down as tears rolled out from his eyes.
Mithran was slightly shaken to see Raj cry. He had seen Raj as a young toddler. From those days, he had been closely associated with the family. But, he chose to remain stern and continued.
“It is not your problem, Raj. But the problem of this doll” Mithran told in a pensive mood looking at Vinay.
“He is not a doll. He is Vinay and call him by that name uncle, please” pleaded Raj.
“It is the stupid doll which is creating the entire problem. Throw it away and you will be happy” Mithran shouted at the top of his voice.
Raj lost his cool and jumped from his seat. He placed Vinay in the next seat and in one motion, he jumped towards Mithran. “I am going to kill you too” he shouted and caught Mithran by his neck and shook him.
“Stay there” shouted Tom as he broke into the room. He was pointing his revolver against Raj’s heart and signaled towards Sid. Sid locked the door with his left hand and walked towards Raj with a pistol in his right. He took the sofa cover and tied Raj’s hands together. Raj was stunned by the flurry of the events and was unable to react. Sid pointed the gun at Raj’s head, while the police jeep entered the house.
Couple of policemen ran into the house. Sid pushed Raj towards the door and moved him out of the room.
“Don’t hurt him” pleaded Mithran.
“He is a bloody killer and you want us to treat him with respect. Get out you moron” Sid pushed Raj on the back of his neck and looked at Mithran.
“I accepted to help you only after you promised that you will not hurt him, Thomas” Mithran looked towards Tom, helplessly.
The police took charge of Raj and Sid came aside. The police inspector looked at Tom.
“Thanks Thomas and Siddharth. Not sure, if we could have closed this file so soon. I want you guys to come to the station and confirm your findings”
“We will come in a bit, Anand. You may proceed” Tom replied.
Lakshmi had fainted after seeing the flurry of events. The maid was helping her out and Dr. Mithran checked her pulse.
“Nothing to worry. She needs some rest. Take her to the bedroom” he advised and came out of the house.
Tom and Sid were waiting for him.
“Why did he even kill her, Doctor?” Sid asked in a puzzled tone.
“It is not clear that he killed her, right? Do you have the proofs?” Mithran shot back.
“We have loads of proofs Doctor. This is a well planned and well executed cold blooded murder. Sid, can you brief him through the series of events” Tom looked at Sid.
“Sure. Raj had planned this murder perfectly. He had sent the driver on leave before a week and has left his car in the service centre the day before the murder. This means, he had to take a call taxi to the railway station. He had booked a white indigo. He had boarded the train, so that people would not doubt him”
Sid paused and continued.
“He knew the train route and where the train will slow down. He had asked his friend for his white indigo on the day of the murder and had parked it in the station, where the train will slow down. He had jumped from the train there and had taken the car and drove back home. His house wasn’t far from Central, which has also helped him immensely. He killed Malavika and then drove to Arakonnam, and boarded the train once again. The train reaches Arakonam in an hour and this psychopath has executed all his plans by then. He had called a friend after boarding the train just to make sure that he would prove as a witness if he gets caught”
“But, how do you say these things confidently?” questioned Mithran.
“The day before his arrest, he went to Arakonnam to pick the car and return to his friend. We tracked the kilometers and also enquired the neighbors”
“This doesn’t prove anything right? You told me that you had the proof and you wanted me to help you. Where is that proof” Mithran was upset now.
“Let me complete Doctor. The first day, when we came to the house, we saw some black and grey powder in Raj’s room. It was black carbon and charcoal which is mainly used in lifting fingerprints. The forensic experts did not start their investigation by then. It sent us some warning bells but the absence of any other finger prints in Malavika’s body confused us. We then saw him in the TV and something struck us.”
Tom started from that point.
“That is the time; we decided to investigate Raj a bit further. He played the crucial impotency card to shut us down. We just needed one missing link. The important link about the fingerprints. But when Raj came to our Office, it was all over. We lifted the fingerprints from those cups and as expected one had Raj’s fingerprints whereas Vinay’s fingerprints matched exactly with Malavika’s. It was game, set and match then. Raj had come to the house and used Vinay’s hands to kill Malavika. We investigated some of the shopkeepers who sell forensic chemicals and they confirmed that Vinay got a new fingerprint in the last few days. Hope you are clear, Dr. Mithran” Tom concluded.
Mithran nodded in agreement and continued
“This was on the cards. I desperately wanted to avoid this from happening. But I failed” he shook his head in dismay.
“Why do you say this Doctor? Do you know the motive behind this?” Sid questioned.
“You need to know about a couple of things, if you want to understand his motive. The first reason is his childhood days. He lost his father when he was a kid. He had spent all his life with his mother and had tried to please her in every possible way. In trying to please her with every action of his, he had lost his boyhood. He did not lead a normal life. In other words, he did what his mother loved and not what he loved. Though, he wasn’t living a normal life, the desire for a normal life was always there. But he had put it down for pleasing his mother. When he grew up, he wanted an outlet and hence created this puppet, Vinay.
Vinay was all that Raj wasn’t but he was Raj. This may be confusing but that is the truth. Raj wanted to tease people, crack jokes and make fun of them. But he would not do that because people would get offended. He likes to ogle or pass lewd comments but wouldn’t do that because of the society. With Vinay’s arrival, he could do anything that he likes. You are what you are in the dark and Raj was a cheap pervert like many of us. He just got an outlet through Vinay.
Over the years, when he was preparing for those shows, he had started to impersonate Vinay onto Raj rather than doing it the other way. This is a catch-22 scenario where Vinay was the alter-ego of Raj. Over a period of time, Raj started to love Vinay more than anything else and started to spend more and more time with him. He was talking to himself more and more and was alienating himself from the external world.
When we decided to get him married, we underestimated the impact. We thought that Malavika’s entry will make life better, but that too turned futile.
Whenever Malavika was scolding Vinay, Raj felt that he was being scolded. Raj started to feel that Malavika’s aversion towards Vinay as something directed at him as Vinay was nothing but the crude impersonation of Raj. This made him hate her more and more. Also, after being married, Raj had to spend some time with Malavika leaving Vinay aside. Raj also hated this and wanted to punish Malavika for separating him from Vinay.
All this had made Raj lose his mind and indulge in such a crime. But, this is a psychological problem mainly created by his childhood days. “
Mithran took a deep breath and looked at the detectives.
“Whatever be the reason, a killer is a killer is a killer, Sir. We got to leave now. Thanks for your help”
Tom looked at Sid and he got into their blushing red i10.
No comments:
Post a Comment