Read Part 1 - here
Read Part 2 - here
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
Read part 14 -here
Read part 15 -here
Read part 16 -here
Read part 17 -here
Read part 18 -here
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(This part is longer than most, seeing how its the finale I couldn't break it into two parts. Bear on, it's not nearly as long. Hope you all like it, all seventeen of you.)
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Khar anticipated something of a similar outcome though not nearly as dramatic and waited for Jumaid to say something. He was thick-skinned, Khar knew, and a brilliant actor, but this wasn’t a scene prophesied in the little screenplay Jumaid had been a part of and so he hoped this would be the last straw to break his back and Jumaid would come out clean.
The sudden shock of seeing that face was so immense that his scream which threatened to gurgle out of him only escaped though sharp breaths and the pressure of keeping mute squeezed his every muscle, tensing his mouth the clenched teeth bit on his tongue
He was wiping the side of his mouth grimacing with pain. It was one of those harsh needling agonies that seemed to travel straight to a particular place in his heart and jab at some place with an indignant intensity. His tongue wasn’t nearly as mangled as his nerves and looking at this portrait drawn by someone of above average skills made him cower all over again.
Jumaid kept dabbing the tissue Khar gave him on his mouth, even though he’d near cleaned the blood, just so he could postpone those moments of aggravated stress where he had no answers to give anymore, where he knew the rope he held tautly was within reach of the police. Having this portrait alone meant that this burly detective was aware enough and his racing mind that kept trying to explore possible avenues of excuses parallel with wonderment at how Khar managed to catch on was now slowing down. It had given Jumaid a headache and he didn’t wish to think anymore. He sat there collapsing by the second, still dabbing his dried blood hoping for Khar to get distracted and forget about everything. How unlikely
He could make it easier on himself and call for his lawyer still. That would be fun. Having someone else to worry about in his place, maybe there was a way out of this.
Jumaid gathered the spent energy into an almost lethargic attempt to mouth some words and as he spoke even he realized how misplaced and idiotic they seemed.
‘Lawyer’ Jumaid whispered trying to hold his tongue in place so he didn’t have to move the bleeding muscle.
Khar raised an eyebrow and stared at the decaying man who had not the strength to meet his eyes. He bowed his head down and hoped Khar would have nothing to say.
Khar was seething on the inside, but the texture of his emotions didn’t show on his face. He’d hoped Jumaid would just start talking but the man was a wretched excuse for a human and benumbed. A lawyer at this point would hardly help him but it could hamper this conversation and break the flow. He wasn’t the one to give up.
‘We’ve impounded your car Mr Wasim.’ Khar said detachedly almost even toned and this he surmised was the last strike because he had nothing more after that, but it did suffice because Jumaid at that moment lowered his head to the desk, said ‘okay’, and began crying.
There was a certain amount of anxiety building up inside Khar, but seeing Jumaid break down satisfied him no end. He wanted to smile, even laugh a little and maybe wring this man’s neck, but he waited for Jumaid to start talking.
‘I..I want to talk to Veda.’ Jumaid finally said with a voice thick with distress.
‘You will. Pavil has picked him up from the airport and they’re on their way here.’
Jumaid’s eyes had no room left to widen, his thoughts were fragmented and he couldn’t quite understand what he felt. Everything within felt mutilated but there was a certain relief because he’d suddenly stopped feeling stressed. Jumaid felt boneless, sitting almost limp on his chair, his spine seemed to have disappeared. Did he ever have one to begin with?
Now that Veda was coming here everything would be out, and he had no place left for himself to hide. They had the car. This would be the end and he couldn’t deny it anymore.
It was unravelling now. Why was he fooling himself? It had begun unravelling since the very day Nehar had called him.
‘Alright.’ Jumaid murmured and started talking.
Khar silently listened and hoped Pavil would come soon. This was pure gold.
Jumaid sat floppily like a balloon fresh out of air. This wasn’t a new sight for Khar. He’d often seen confessions do this to people; the point where every strategy finds a dead end when it feels easier to make peace with circumstance and start breathing from there. All was lost and it was indeed for Jumaid.
A soft knock on the door, followed by Pavil’s hurried entry who looked around the room trying to immediately understand everything in one sweep. His eyes darted from Khar to Jumaid and back to Khar. Pavil’s face was brighter than usual, flush with excitement and questions and just looking at Jumaid’s droopy mien convinced him of a certain victory that evening. He got an affirmative nod from Khar, almost indiscernible. Pavil straightened his face to calm his nerves ‘Veda is sitting in my office.’
These words had no effect on Jumaid and he sat still looking nowhere, blanching every now and then at the sight of his cigarette packet.
‘I don’t think he’ll ever smoke these cigarettes’ Khar whispered to Pavil as they exited the room to meet Veda.
The sight of Pavil standing at the airport dressed in a casual smile cautioned Veda. This was most unexpected and Veda wasn’t the one for surprises. It had been a few days since he’d been out of the city and had there been any alarming developments Jumaid would have no doubt apprised him, and so it was with a watchful step, laying his apprehensions to rest that Veda greeted him with a smile.
‘Meeting someone here?’ Veda beamed.
Pavil continued his casual smile. ‘If you would be kind enough to accompany me to the station. There are a few things we’d wish to go over with you.’
Veda was alarmed and his uneasiness wanted to escape with suspicious questions but he never let the smile waver. ‘Ouh?’ he said looking jovially surprised. ‘And this can’t wait? I’d like to go home and change and whatnot.’
‘It’s not as urgent which is why I’d request haste so we can get this over with soon. It’s almost night.’
‘Bah’ Veda said dismissively. It’s just a rather dark evening that’s all. ‘What’s all this about though?’ he asked seriously.
‘Some routine questions. I mean more routine questions. Some few things we’d like to discuss to iron over a few creases.’ Pavil spoke as he led the way to his car.
What creases?
Veda wanted to call Jumaid but felt uncomfortable doing so in front of Pavil. What if there really is something and his conversation is regarded as suspicious. He hated not knowing and it bothered him that he didn’t know what to do at this moment.
Veda tried imagining the series of events that must have taken place in his absence, but he could come up with nothing. There was, after all, no phone call from Jumaid.
He plastered on a smile to feel optimistic but this felt too ominous.
Veda sat alone toying with his gold cigarette case. He was needlessly worrying; having access to top lawyers in the country should anything go awry, but just summoning help would make things public. He sat weighing the pros and cons, redialing Jumaid’s number that was switched off. It was exasperating and disturbing since Jumaid was never the one to turn off his phone.
He lit up a cigarette and looked around for an ashtray, contenting himself with a small styrofoam cup, when the door opened and Khar walked in trailed by Pavil.
He should have known. This unrelenting man who had proved to be a thorn in their side. Had it not been for him most of this idiocy wouldn’t even have existed.
‘Ah’ Veda produced a pleasant smile. ‘There you are. How’s the cold treating you?’
‘I’ve had help braving this weather’ Khar smiled and lifted a tea flask and offered Veda some tea.
‘Oh, no thanks. I have help.’ Veda blew a small cloud of cinnamon clove smoke.
‘Ah, these lovely cigarettes.’ Khar said approvingly. ‘Wish I knew how they taste, but then I don’t smoke.’
‘Delicious and expensive.’ Veda said with a wink.
Khar looked at the plume of white fog for a few moments until it dissipated and opened his file. ‘Right. Just a few things to discuss.’ He looked up at Veda who pretended to act all too eager to answer questions.
‘Were you accompanying Jumaid when you returned to Welcome Inn in the evening of Sunday November 13th?’
‘Excuse me?’ Veda sounded confused.
‘I mean, did you accompany him when you came back to the hotel the second time after five in the evening. Mr Sinhal?’ Khar spoke in one breath and it took Veda a while to grasp the meaning and its implications.
He felt his heart through his teeth.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Just that. Exactly what I asked.’
‘We came back in the uh..afternoon.’ Veda said confidently.
‘You mean Jumaid returned to the hotel in the afternoon, around three, or sometime after actually, after having met Mrs Sinhal. You didn’t accompany him.’
‘I refuse to be subjected to this rot.’
Khar continued talking ‘You accompanied Jumaid back to the hotel much later in the evening, after which you and Jumaid left reaching home late after having a coffee.’
‘This is preposterous. What are you trying to imply?’ Veda heard his voice shaking.
‘I’m implying nothing.’ Khar pulled out the sketch and pushed it towards Veda who immediately recoiled and sat back. This uncharacteristic quailing by the large foreign affairs diplomat was incompatible with his usual demeanour.
‘Could you tell me who this is, Mr Sinhal?’
Veda was looking the other way.
‘Would you mind helping us out so we can get done with it soon?’ Khar’s voice was firm.
‘I..I don’t know who this is.’
‘Strange then, because Jumaid knows exactly who he is.’
Veda’s eyes violently swerved towards Khar. ‘Jumaid? What?’
‘Yes. He’s just confessed so why don’t you tell me all you know, Mr Sinhal.’
Veda’s eyes bulged out of their socket. ‘What rubbish.’ he rasped and tried to mouth his words intelligently. ‘You’re out of your depth and do you even know whom you’re talking to? I can..’
‘So you will not admit to knowing this man?’ Khar turned to Pavil. ‘it’s strange that Mr Sinhal doesn’t seem to recognize his dear friend Jumaid.’ he said holding up the sketch and Pavil’s eyes stretched in disbelief.
Veda let out a small shriek. ‘I’m not going to hear any more of this.’ he screamed.
Pavil stared at the portrait trying not to look confused. ‘he was seen at Welcome Inn.’
‘Of course, he was. Jumaid returned to the hotel as he said around three in afternoon and left dressed as this stranger.’ Khar shot Veda a glance. ‘isn’t it so, Mr Sinhal?’
Veda was standing. ‘I..I’m not here for this. I’m calling my lawyer.’
Khar didn’t look perturbed. ‘Please do so, until then I’ll narrate the events to my colleague here.’
‘No..No. You cannot. Where’s Jumaid? I have to see him.’
‘He’s in the station, but you can’t see him.’ Khar said in an easy voice. ‘Where was I Pavil?’
‘Uh..Jumaid left as the goggle-wearing stranger from Welcome Inn.’ Pavil spoke in an encouraging tone.
‘Yes, after which he picked up Mr Sinhal and together they left for Y.C. International school, parking their car at the other end waiting for everyone to leave and school to be empty. It was a great spot don’t you think? Away from everywhere, and it was sheer luck when they saw Majid inside the bathroom and that too alone, after Tejan had left. It was just a matter of time after that for the lost stranger to lure the lone watchman away from the school gate and offer him a leisurely smoke and drink.’ Khar paused waiting for Pavil to grasp the rest. Veda stood entrenched in a corner. His feet had sunk into the floor and he looked at the two men steadily, like he wasn’t the one they referred to.
Pavil stared across the room at the rooted Veda. ‘You? It was you who did it?’ his whispers steadily gaining momentum ‘How dare you. You disgusting piece of..you bastard.’
Khar got up to keep Pavil from stepping towards Veda.
‘How could he just murder a child? That cold-blooded murder.’ Pavil was shaking. ‘So he just crept inside the school, entered the bathroom and murdered his sons best friend? Why? How could he?’
‘The why we know of and the how we know of too.’ Khar brought out a plastic packet that held a pruning saw and Veda immediately winced.
‘Isn’t this it, Mr Sinhal? Granted it’s new, but it was something like this, wasn’t it?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Veda’s voice scratched through the roof of his parched mouth. He felt vanquished to discover this unravelling. How could this be? It was watertight. That bloody Jumaid.
‘I’m talking about the murder weapon. The pruning saw you used to barbarically slash Majid. A monstrous, almost perverted murder of a child.’ Khar’s angry voice rumbled with darkness.
‘I don’t know anything.’ Veda quaked.
‘Jumaid’s car has been impounded.’ Khar smiled on seeing Veda’s bewilderment. ‘Ah, you don’t know about it.’ he turned to Pavil who was still trying to come to terms with the recent knowledge.
‘Jumaid hid the pruning saw, aka the murder weapon inside the refurbished seats of his car. They had to slash through all the seats to find it, but find it they did.’ Pavil felt his mouth gaped open and Veda slumped to the floor at this revelation.
‘That bastard’ Veda muttered.
‘Really? and what does one call you? You lit a cigarette after killing Majid. was it celebration? How bloody considerate’ Pavil screamed, finding comfort in Veda’s perplexed features. ‘You killed a kid just because he knew of your relationship?’
‘Relationship with that nobody? I have a wonderful wife, a future, an important family name. I didn’t have a bloody relationship. It was just a small fling and it ended as soon as it started.’ Veda spat these words like a curse.
‘It wasn’t lies when Nehar told you how that little scum tortured us. He had found out, goddamn him and every time he saw me or Jumaid or Nehar he made every moment miserable for us. Stepping out in public was almost impossible if that little fool was around. We had to put an end to our get togethers and parties.
He’d almost outed this secret once, and that was the last straw, and his own father couldn’t take it anymore. You’ve no idea how miserable that disgusting bastard was. This had to end.’
‘So you murdered him? You could’ve just sat down and spoken to him about it.’ Pavil wanted to understand. ‘What was the sense in murder?’
‘It was the most sensible thing to do. You don’t understand, Majid was a fiend. A demon. He used to stay over in our house with Tejan and in the middle of the night, he’d knock on our bedroom door, saying unspeakable things. Making fun and threatening he’d tell Tejan everything. That little bastard was bloody demented. A sadist. A freak.
Can you imagine a thirteen-year-old doing this? It made matters worse when we spoke to Tejan to stop talking to him.
It was putting a strain on my job, on my marriage, on my life. I spoke to Jumaid and he’d been suffering too, Jumaid tried sending him to a boarding, but that just made it worse. He couldn’t have friends or associates over, nor leave him alone with other people in the house, lest he says something and Jumaid couldn’t stand to lose our friendship seeing how much business he’d been getting through us and his son was expendable.’
‘And this is your excuse. So you killed him?’
‘People have died for less, and this was just a little irritating bug that had to be squashed. There were business and career at stake because of that savage. He didn’t deserve to live and so he died.’ Veda sneered and lit a cigarette.
Pavil looked at Khar, piecing every morsel of the story. ‘that Sunday when Veda came back early, it was..?’
‘Yes, in fact, it would never have been discovered had it not been for my information of his early arrival.’
Veda was gritting his teeth.
Khar smiled. ‘It was because of this information that this entire scene had to be constructed. He had no alibi for that afternoon and that’s when Jumaid came to the rescue. Jumaid had already checked in Welcome Inn to establish his alibi, but then surprisingly Mrs Wasim lied as well keeping him in the clear and Veda’s alibi was his work trip from which he discreetly returned which I found out and so this plan was hatched, wherein Veda had returned to meet his lover, when in fact they’d left for their little murder jaunt.’
Pavil felt some light shining through the clouds. 'They had been aware of their plan? That the children wanted to stay back in school till much later?'
'Of course. That was the easiest thing to know. Parents eavesdrop. This plan was hatched almost immediately.
‘And Mrs Sinhal knew about this, about Veda and Jumaid and..and everything else?’
'Of course. That was the easiest thing to know. Parents eavesdrop. This plan was hatched almost immediately.
‘And Mrs Sinhal knew about this, about Veda and Jumaid and..and everything else?’
Khar smiled at Pavil. ‘It was Mrs Sinhal in fact who suggested this little act. That moment when we saw a broken man, a teary-eyed wife, were in fact real emotions but everything after that was theatre.’
‘But Mrs Sinhal resented Jumaid for this, for having a relationship with her husband.’
‘Did you for a moment think my wife would ever be insecure about people like Jumaid? Come on. She knew about this fling and didn’t discuss it any further. We share a bond, something you won’t understand.’
Pavil realized he had been looking through a glass window that was splashed with water, blurring the world and its realities and now slowly that water was drying, the imperfections coming to life.
‘But why did she meet Jumaid that day, asking him to leave Veda?’
‘She didn’t. It wasn’t Mrs Sinhal who met Jumaid that day. Jumaid has a number of liaisons and the person who met him that Sunday was one of them. So were the late night calls made by other women or men which Mrs Wasim suspected were Mrs Sinhal’s.’ Khar replied matter of factly. ‘This story was added to emphasize on her husband’s alibi and abate our suspicions.’
Pavil’s head was spinning. ‘She didn’t reach school late because she was grocery shopping?’
‘Of course not. She was waiting at the back entry near the defunct gate. The plan was for her to call up Tejan on some pretext and isolate Majid for a short while but that didn’t need to be done and Mrs Sinhal waited for the two to leave and the watchman to reach back his post to make an entrance.’
‘Oh.’ Pavil sat himself waiting for the world to stop spinning.
‘But why inside a school?’
‘Why not? It’s neutral grounds. Doesn’t belong to anyone, no suspicions.’
‘You’ve figured it all out pretty well.’ Veda sniggered. ‘It might not hold up well in the court of law but you’ve figured it out.’ He appeared a dismembered facade of his earlier self but seemed to be holding himself well.
The room was quiet when Veda’s lawyer arrived to speak to him privately.
‘What are we going to do now? Pavil was despondent.
‘We have the murder weapon and Jumaid will speak the truth in court.’
‘Why didn’t Jumaid dispose of the saw?’
‘According to what he told me he was scared. He thought the police were following him and worried that it would be found, so it was safer to keep it near him, especially when he was constantly questioned regarding his movements. It was a problem when his wife discovered its disappearance and complained to him about it. To keep her from discussing it with the police or anyone else he arranged for her to find it again in the flower beds and later stashed it away inside the car seats after she’d forgotten about it. It was a clever plan but not very successful.’
‘You’d grown suspicious.’ Pavil smiled.
‘Yes, after she complained about things disappearing, especially his car.’
‘Ah,’ Pavil realized how easily everything had dismantled. From that moment when there were only knots to this when it all seemed so easy.
‘But..but what about the phone calls made on Jumaid’s phone that night?
‘That was entirely Nehar Sinhals’ fault. When Veda didn’t return home she called his number only to find his phone with her, after which she called Jumaid since she wasn’t made aware of his phone being broken and thrown. But then the story she offered was most satisfactory and keeping in line with the theme of doomed lovers.’
Khar could see Pavil was having a hard time grasping the story especially parts where Nehar was concerned. He had been almost devoted to her, Khar knew it would break his heart.
‘Why did they do it?’ Pavil asked brokenhearted. Nehar’s beautiful face slowly distorting into someone he didn’t understand.
‘Like Veda said, people have killed for less. People die for love and kill for love, depending on what they love. It was career, name and business in this instance.’ Khar relaxed for an instant, feeling the burden slide off his shoulders.
Pavil stared through the window with mistrustful eyes. ‘But he was a father. He had his own son killed.’
‘I’d asked him the same question, but he said it was his right to be happy, and Majid wasn’t his happiness, he was, in fact, a hindrance.’
Pavil let out a long sigh. His office smelled of cloves and cinnamon. ‘I’m beginning to hate this scent. You think Veda will be charged with this crime? The evidence against him is only circumstantial.’
‘Jumaid will not escape his sentence and I’m sure he’ll want company where he’s going. He will talk’ Khar hopefully replied.
