The scent that lingers- 16

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Read Part 3 - here

Read Part 4 - here

Read Part 5 - here

Read Part 6 - here

Read part 7 - here
Read Part 8 - here 
Read Part 9 - here
Read part 10- here
Read part 11- here 
Read part 12- here
Read part 13 -here
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Read part 15 -here

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He tried picturing the entire scenario as it must have happened on Sunday. Jumaid and Nehar discreetly having a fight, perhaps a lovers tiff or maybe something more, who knew? save them of course. 

Jumaid’s alibi was established; he was in Wok Fusion and if he’d left around three, then according to Meina Wasim’s statement he must’ve reached home around four, but what if he didn’t go back home? 

But where else would he go? 

And what about those cigarettes? those quaint extraordinary spice spiked smokes that apparently Jumaid smoked as well. What were they doing at the crime scene? 

How many people in this town smoked those idiotic cigarettes?

Pavil dug his fingertips into his temples, trying to assuage the rising indignation that threatened to boil over.

The parking lot was desolate, save a few bicycles chained to a fence. 

The blossoming dark tinted with sepia was marvellous at colouring the horizon calamitous. 

Something about the backside of stores that offer the surroundings a devastating loneliness, favourably placed in case of transgressions. 

He pulled out his little notebook and began scribbling. 

It was with a start that Pavil realized he’d reached his office, when in fact he didn’t even remember getting in his car. 

He’d been full of sighs today, a trait that had suddenly begun making itself aware, which he didn’t much like.

Seeing Khar’s car brightened him if only a little.

Khar seemed to be peeking behind from a small pile of files and papers that populated his table. 

‘What news?’ Khar asked, somewhat unusually.

If Pavil didn’t know better, he’d venture a guess that Khar’s voice was almost jubilant.

Pavil cleared his throat ‘Jumaid’s alibi checks out’ he said somewhat morosely.

Khar was diligently immersed in a file, not even looking up. ‘And?’

‘And, well, huh’ Pavil paused.

‘Turns out he met Nehar Sinhal there, and they had some sort of an argument’

‘What kind of argument?’ Khar’s asked with an invisible smile.

Does he mock me? 

‘I don’t know. Something of a lover’s tiff. There was a bit of crying and hugging involved’ he said flatly.

At this Khar looked up and searched Pavil’s face.

‘Does it bother you?’ he asked.

‘Not at all.’

‘Good. What do you make of it?’

‘That they were having an affair’ Pavil whispered.

He waited a few long moments to steady his heart at the thought and mention of Nehar’s name and rebuked himself quietly.

‘There’s fresh tea in the flask’ Khar said motioning for him to sit down.

‘I’ve gathered some interesting news from my visit to the airport, though not quite as interesting as yours’ Khar’s inflection was vacant.

‘The head of airport security is a dear friend and maybe he did break some protocols but nothing remotely illegal.’ Khar continued even toned.

‘Long story short’ he said flinging a thin file on the desk ‘Mr Veda Sinhal lied to our faces that day’

Pavil managed to burn the roof of his mouth with an enthusiastic sip.

The spaces left in the flowchart were suddenly filling up, with considerable speed, deeply satisfying as it was, there was a loud ringing cautionary alarm that had slowly picked up the volume and now blared in Pavil’s head.

‘He left for the airport at five in the morning, like he’d said, but didn’t come back at six thirty. In fact, he’d landed around two thirty and left in a taxi’ Khar breathed in deep.

‘So that phone call he made to the driver..’ Khar left his sentence unfinished 

‘Was not made from the airport’ Pavil finished it. ‘He lied that he’d landed at another terminal because the driver wouldn’t have found him at the designated pick up point’ Pavil cried with excitement. He’d have smacked at the desk had it not threatened to topple over stacked files.

Khar was smiling, or whatever it was that he did with his lips, that resembled a smile.

‘So the big question is’ Khar resumed his stony tone ‘where was Mr Veda Sinhal?’

‘Well, he wasn’t home until eight in the evening according to Nehar..uh..Mrs Sinhal’s statements, as well as Veda’s’ Pavil, said 

‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ Pavil shot Khar a knowing glance.

‘I do not divulge my preliminary thoughts’

Pavil was still deciding whether he should divulge his preliminary thoughts when a small knock on the door broke his spell.

The digital forensics lab had delivered their report and it was with the frenzy of a five-year-old ripping into his presents that the two policemen poured themselves into that detailed report that miracles of science had spawned.

‘Traces of cigarette ash found in the battery compartment’ Pavil quipped, snapping his fingers.

The sickening sweat laden cold he’d been feeling since his conversation with the waiter at Wok Fusion was replaced by an enthusiastic fever he now welcomed with a private song and dance. 

The menagerie of meagre dots that were strewn all over the place was finally connecting, merging into a cohesive structure, creating a map that could now guide them, help them come close to the truth, find the man behind the gruesome murder.

‘what does this mean?’ Pavil calmed himself, finally managing to speak.

‘It means’ Khar said in his low toned steely voice, ‘that whoever murdered Majid, broke the phone while still smoking a cigarette’ 

‘Clove oil residual present in the traces of ash’ Khar quoted the report. ’Our killer was smoking those colourful cigarettes while dismantling the phone it seems.’

‘That bastard’ Pavil muttered.

It bothered Khar to think that the murderer was absolutely unanxious.

‘do you know what I think?’ Pavil asked, still excited.

‘I do. But I don’t want to know, and before you say anything you need to know of a motive. There has to be a motive’ Khar intoned.

‘There is a motive. Revenge!’ Pavil shrugged.

Khar was quiet and Pavil continued.

‘Nehar..uh..Mrs Sinhal and Jumaid were known to each other not just as friends and clearly, Mr Sinhal resented that.’ he said confidently.

‘so?’

‘So! Mr Veda seized his opportunity and killed Majid, to take revenge, as a warning perhaps to the adulterers’ 

‘A little extreme don’t you think?’ Khar asked.

‘Not in the least. Why else would Mr Veda have lied to us about his whereabouts that day? He doesn’t have an alibi, but he has a saw.’

‘That’s not enough’ Khar shook his head.

‘That’s circumstantial evidence’ Pavil cried

‘Not until he has an alibi. Find out when he’s available. Perhaps we should pay him another visit.’ Khar said coldly.

The sudden thought of meeting Nehar plunged Pavil into a dark alley of discombobulated emotions. The butterflies in his stomach that were till now fluttering with enthusiasm of having come close to finding the murderer were ablaze with volcanic fury, and he felt his stomach lurch

Ensnared as he was in this mindless confusion he  realized he’d forgotten to tell Khar about Jumaid’s habit of smoking spicy cigarettes. 

Perhaps, at this point it didn’t matter.