21 January 2021

Punjabi Bagh

New Delhi

Arjun's excitement knew no bounds.

This was just like old times, when Gauri would call him and they would meet. It would always be about a case, but Arjun didn't care. At that time, Gauri was Advocate Abhay Desai's assistant; she was slowly growing on him. He looked forward to the next time Advocate Desai would handle a case he was involved in, referred Advocate Desai to his clients who were looking for a lawyer, just so he could spend time working with Gauri.

And working with Gauri, he did. A lot. Albeit a little quiet, Gauri was a brilliant analyst. Together, the duo had ensured each other's rapid success.

Arjun was a Sub - Inspector when he met Gauri five years ago. Today, he was an Assistant Superintendent of Delhi Police, soon to be Additional Superintendent.

Gauri too had done really well for herself. From being an assistant, she had worked her way up to becoming an Advocate and getting a chamber allocation at Tis Hazari. The last he knew, she was vying for a Senior Advocate position, as well as more visibility at the High Court.

As he took the time to ensure he looked his best, his thoughts drifted to his last meeting with Gauri.

It was the last time they'd worked on an investigation together, and they'd done well. This was six months ago. Since then, Gauri had avoided all cases that had him as a lead investigator. And it had pinched him to know why.

He took a last look at himself in the mirror, picked up the small gift wrapped package that lay in front of him, and made his way out.

*****

As Arjun stepped into Gauri's Chamber at Tis Hazari, he felt the stirrings of doubt. His sixth sense told him that this was an official request. He felt the breast pocket of his coat, knowing fully well that this was not going to be the right moment for that gesture.

Her typist help had let him inside and had told him to wait for Gauri. Arjun had politely refused the glass of water he had been offered and instead had placed himself in front of a new painting Gauri had acquired, that had graced her chamber walls.

It was a woman, dressed as a bride; her nose and rose coloured lips peaking from under the veil, her nose adorned with a beautiful diamond studded nose ring, cut through her lips; her red coloured bridal trousseau decorated with a thousand shimmering stars, her neck adorned with a unique and ostentatious diamond polki kundan haar and a rather simple mangalsutra. The design of the mangalsutra was ordinary and in complete contrast with everything else that was exquisite in that painting.

Arjun sensed the girl in the painting was rather petite, perhaps young. Too young to be a bride. There was a certain element of grief but also a certain serenity in that picture. He looked to the corner and, like a lot of the other work that Gauri owned, this one too was painted by the artist whose signature was the inverted trishul.

He had tried looking for this artist in the past when he had wanted to gift Gauri something, but he hadn't found anyone who used that particular artist signature.

He turned to look for another one of his favourite paintings by the same artist, a silhouette of a girl with pigtails eating an ice cream standing on the rock beach at Nariman Point, when the typist let him know that Gauri was ready to see him. 

*****

"Come Arjun", Gauri invited him in without raising her head from the sheaf of papers she was pouring over, pointing to the chair in front of her that he casually dragged away from the desk. He patiently waited as she took her own time to complete reading the document, before putting it away and giving him her full attention.

Arjun almost smiled. Gauri was pulling power moves at him to let him know who was in charge. He was now curious as to what this was going be all about.

"So...." She let the word hang in mid air. Arjun crossed his legs laying the right knee on the left, and began tapping his foot against the foot of the table. He simply looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"So..." she repeated again, this time clearing her throat loudly for effect. "You are one of the witnesses testifying against Raj in the Bhoomi murder case."

That's what this was about. Arjun sighed, releasing his pose and bending forward, by resting his arms on the desk, in an imploring manner.

"Gauri, I told you that day at the court itself, but you wouldn't let me complete. Raj is not innocent. I am an eyewitness."

"Really? You're an eyewitness?"

"Yes."

"Where were you when the murder took place?"

"What kind of a question is that? I told you I am an eyewitness."

"Then it should be fairly simple to answer the question. But before you answer, I should let you know that this camera," she pointed to one set up in the corner of the room, "is recording this entire conversation."

Arjun smirked. "You know this evidence will not be admissible."

"The prosecution can challenge its admissibility but it will ultimately be the judge's decision."

Arjun retreated to his former stance of crossed knees, before asking: "Why are you doing this?"

"To save an innocent man's life, something that you should probably be doing as well. But I digress. Where were you on the night of the murder?"

"At Jahangirpuri."

Gauri faked a laugh.

"Let me try again. Where were you between 9.30 pm and 10.30 pm on the night of Bhoomi's murder."

When Arjun stayed silent, Gauri pulled at the sheet of paper she was critically analyzing when Arjun entered the room.

"At 9.30 pm you were in Punjabi Bagh, Im guessing at your home, probably having dinner."

"At 9.55 pm, you receive a call from an Unknown number that you answered. The call lasted 1 minute 17 seconds. You then hurriedly leave the house. Ideally you should have been able to make it to the crime scene in less than 15 minutes, except, on that day there was a crash on Ring Road and you had to re-route through the Shalimar Main Road to reach the crime scene. You reach the scene a little close to 11.30 pm and all you find at the coordinates are Bhoomi's dead body."

As Gauri's narration continued, the stunned expression on Arjun's face gave her the much needed confirmation that her deduction was accurate.

"So far, you're with me?"

Arjun nodded, picking up the glass of water on the table and finishing it in one swift gulp.

"Now things get interesting. The murder didn't get reported until two days later when the FIR was filed by, no surprises here, Raj's cousin Lata. It was around the same time that you received your second call from an Unknown number after which things moved at lightning speed. Raj was arrested, Vivaan, Maya and Lata turned into witnesses and you became an eye-witness."

When Arjun continued to look at her dumbstruck, she reached out to lay her hand on his, "Do you still want me to continue?"

He shook his head but asked: "Gauri, why are you doing this?"

"Shouldn't that be my question? I had you pegged as someone honest."

"I am."

"Honest?"

He nodded. "The legal system is complex. Every day we wage a war. Sometimes we have to sacrifice one fish to save many."

Gauri nodded, urging him to continue.

"Raj was stupid. Who befriends a woman in a supermarket? And more importantly, who chases after her until she says yes? Did you know that he was going to introduce her to his parents? Idiot. He didn't even know who she was."

"Who was Bhoomi?"

"The run-away mistress of Mumbai's mafia heir - Arshad Lala."

The shocked look on Gauri's face told him all that he needed to know.

"I was the one who convinced Vivaan, Maya and Lata to testify against Raj. That fool is safer in jail than outside."

"But Maya and Lata..."

"What about them?

"Did you not know?"

When Arjun looked at her dumbstruck, she sighed. "Those two girls were at the crime scene, Arjun. They are the real eyewitnesses.

"And if I'm not wrong, there is a target on their backs."