Karishma approached the table where Roy was having breakfast. "Hey, asshole, the glare reflecting off your shaved head is blinding me."
Roy's fork halted midway between his plate and his mouth. He looked up with anger-controlling slowness. If he were surprised to see Karishma, he did not indicate it, but rather treated her to an unhurried reunion, "Well, well. Look who's back"
"For about a week now," Karishma said cheerfully
"Is the Homicide Police Department so down that they invited you to rejoin their miserable ranks?"
"Nope. I'm on vacation"
Karishma pulled a spare chair from beneath the corner table, turned it around, and dragged it backwards. Other customers in the hotel's dining room would think her rude, but she didn't care. She wanted to get under Roy's skin. If the tick on the other man's cheek was any indication, she was succeeding.
"Those pancakes look good" She dipped her finger in the pool of maple syrup on Roy's plate and licked it off. "Hmm. Right tasty"
"How did you know I was here?" Roy tried to maintain his cool demeanour
"I just poked my head out the window and followed the stench" Karishma shrugged
This hotel coffee shop was known by the department to be one of the killer's favourite breakfast places. The son of a bitch had never kept a low profile. In fact, he showed off to his would-be captors, in the driver's seat of his fancy car and the panoramic windows of his penthouse, material luxuries that gave the cops all the more reason to despise him.
"Are you having something, mam?"
Karishma turned toward the young waitress who had approached the table. "Fun, darlin'," she said, "just having a little fun here with my old friend Ramesh Redi"
Roy despised his first two names and hated being addressed by them, so Karishma used them whenever an opportunity presented itself. "Have you two met?" she read the waitress's name off the plastic tag pinned to her blouse. "Sara -pretty name, by the way-meet Ramesh Redi. Ramesh Redi, this is Sara"
Sara blushed all the way "he comes in here a lot. I know his name"
In a stage whisper, Karishma asked, "Is he a good tipper?"
"Yes, mam. Very good."
"Well, now that's nice to hear. And somewhat surprising. See, actually, Ramesh Redi has very few good qualities" she tilted her head thoughtfully, "considering everything, being a good tipper might be his only good quality."
The waitress divided a cautious look between them that eventually landed on Karishma. "Would you like some coffee?"
"No thanks, Sara, but you're a sweetheart for asking. If I need anything I'll let you know" She gave her a friendly wink. Sara blushed again and rushed away. Coming back around to Roy, she said, "Now, where were we? Oh, yeah, long time no see. Sorry, I missed your trial. Heard you and your lawyer put on quite a show."
"It was a waste of everybody's time" Roy chuckled
"Oh, I agree. I surely do. I don't know why they would bother with a trial for a sack of shit like you. If I had my way, they'd skip the show and you'd go straight to death row.""Then lucky for me my fate isn't up to you" Roy snorted
"You never know, Ramesh Redi. One day soon it just might be" Karishma flashed him a wide grin and the two enemies assessed one another. Eventually, Karishma said, "Nice suit."
"Thank you" Roy took in Karishma's worn jeans, boots, and a black camisole inside the flannel shirt. "I could give you the name of my tailor."
Karishma laughed. "I couldn't afford him. Those look like expensive threads. Business must be good," she leaned forward and lowered her voice, "Whacked anybody interesting since that banker fellow? I'm itching to know who hired you for that one. His father-in-law maybe? Heard they didn't get along. What'd you use on him, anyway? Piano wire? Guitar string? Fishing line? Why not just the old one, your trusty blade?"
"My breakfast is getting cold" Roy said through his gritted teeth
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to stay so long. No, I just stopped by to say hello and let you know I was back in town" Karishma stood up, she turned the chair around and pushed it back into place. Then she leaned across the table as far as she could reach and spoke in Roy's ears alone.
"And to let you know that if it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna carve my brother's name on your back"
"I'm not sure that was a smart move, Karu"
"Amma bhak!"
"In fact, I'm certain it was a dumb move"
Karishma had miscalculated. Santosh hadn't found the account of her meeting with Roy funny. Not in the slightest.
"Why is that?" Karishma sighed
"Because now he knows we're watching him."
"Oh, like that's a shocker," Karishma said sarcastically, "he knows we're always watching him," she'd been irritable to start with, and Santosh's disapproval wasn't helping her mood. She lunged from her chair and began to pace. She snapped the rubber band against her wrist.
"That slick-headed bastard doesn't care if we've got a whole division watching him twenty-four/seven. He's been mooning the police department and the DA's office every day of his career. I wanted him to know that I hadn't forgotten what he did, that I was still after him"
"I can appreciate how you feel, Karu"
"I doubt that" Karishma snorted
At that, Santosh got pissed, but she bit back a retort and remained calm, "You shouldn't have placed your personal feelings above the investigation, Karu. I don't want either Roy or Haseena Malik to get an idea of our surveillance. If they were involved in Billu's murder-"
"He might've been. She wasn't" Karishma said
"Oh. And you're sure of this how?"
Karishma stopped pacing and made an arrow of her arm to point out her house two lawns away.
"We've been watching her for a whole fucking week. She does nothing except work and sleep. She doesn't go out. Nobody comes to visit. She doesn't see anyone but the people she works with and her patients. She's a robot. Wind her up and she does her job. When she runs out of juice, she goes home, goes to sleep, and recharges."
The second-story room of the vacant house was uncomfortably warm. They'd had the electricity turned on so they could operate the central air-conditioning system, but it was antiquated and inefficient against the brutal afternoon heat.
The room seemed to Karishma to be shrinking around her, and the schedule was as confining as the room. With her claustrophobia and Santosh's adherence to the rule book, it was enough to drive her nuts. The investigation had turned stale. It was tiresome and boring to hell.
"Just because we haven't seen them together doesn't mean they're not communicating,"
Santosh said, "Both are too smart to do anything publicly. And even if they haven't made contact since Billu's murder, that doesn't mean they didn't conspire"
Karishma threw herself back into the chair, her temper momentarily spent. Dammit, Santosh was right. Dr Haseena could have hired Roy to take out her rival before the police got suspicious and started watching her. It would have required only one phone call. "Have her phone records been checked yet?"
"All were numbers she calls regularly. But you wouldn't expect her to use her home phone to arrange an assassination." Santosh sat down across from her, "Okay, enough of this bullshit. Out with it. What's bugging you?"
Karishma pushed back her hair, held it off her forehead for several seconds, and then lowered her hands. "I don't know. Nothing." Santosh gave her a paternal I-know-better look. "I feel like a goddamn window-peeper."
"Surveillance work like this has never bothered you before. What's making this time different?" Santosh sighed
"I'm out of practice."
"Could be. What else? Do you miss the beach? Salt air? What?"
"I guess"
"Uh-huh. It's more than homesickness for that swell place you have down there in Goa. You look to me like you're about to claw out of your skin. You're restless and edgy. What's the matter? Is it because this investigation involves Roy?"
"Isn't that enough?"
"You tell me."
Karishma nibbled on the inside of her cheek for several moments, then said, "It's Bulbul. He's a Bull"
Santosh laughed. "And he speaks so highly of you"
"I'll bet"
"You're right. He thinks you're a jerk"
"Well, at least I don't stink. This whole house reeks of those godawful onion sandwiches he brings from home. You can smell them the minute you open the door down-stairs"
Santosh's laughter increased. "What?"
"Yeah. Haven't you ever noticed? It's disgusting. And so are these." Again, she came out of her chair like a circus performer shot from a cannon. She was across the room in four strides, yanking the photographs off Bulbul's "gallery" wall.
She crumpled them and tossed pictures onto the floor. "How juvenile can you get? He's got the mentality of an adolescent pervert. He's crude and stupid and..." Santosh was gazing at her with a thoughtful frown. "Shit," she muttered and returned to her chair.
Karishma sat in sulky silence and stared out the window at Haseena's house. Earlier Haseena had gone for a run through her neighbourhood. As soon as they saw Haseena start running on the sidewalk, Santosh rushed downstairs and followed her at a safe distance in her car.
After doing five miles she returned, breathing hard and sweating through her tank top. According to Santosh, she had done nothing on the outing except run. "The lady's fit," she'd said.
Haseena hadn't gone out again. Because of the outdoor glare on the windowpanes, it was difficult to see anything inside her house except occasional movement. After that night she had started drawing her blinds closed.
Karishma sighed. "All right, maybe I shouldn't have approached Roy. But it was hardly a red alert. He knew I would come after him one day. I swore I would."
Santosh was contemplative for another several moments, then said, "I think he killed Billu"
"Me too."
Karishma had read the completed report as soon as it was available. The forensic had done its detailed work, but the crime scene had been as sterile as the victim's operating room. They had no cause for searching Roy's condo or car, and even if they did, they would find nothing that connected him to the crime. Experience had taught them that.
"He's a fucking shadow," Karishma said, "never leaves a clue. Nothing. Doesn't even disturb the air when he moves through it."
"We'll get him, Karu"
She gave a curt nod.
"But by the book" Santosh added
Karishma looked at Santosh "Go on and say it" Santosh rolled her eyes
"What?"
"You know what. What you're thinking."
"Don't put thoughts in my head, okay?" Karishma said irritated
"You're thinking that if I'd not played by the book, we would've had him three years ago. For Anu"
The fact was indisputable, but Santosh was too good a friend to say so. Instead, Karishma smiled ruefully,
"I still miss him" Santosh sighed
"Yeah," Karishma sat forward and planted her elbows on her knees. She dragged her hands down her face, "so do I"
"Remember that time- you'd just graduated from the academy. Went behind both of us. Anu and I were staking out that illegal gambling Parlor on the highway. Coldest night of the year, freezing. You thought you'd be a good newcomer and surprise us with a pizza."
Karishma picked up the story from there, "I showed up in the department's car, and gave away your position. Anu didn't know whether to smack me for blowing your cover or eat the pizza before it got cold" She shook her head, "Y'all never let me live that one down."
Anubhav and Santosh had met through Karishma and shortly after their graduation had been made partners. Anu had been with Santosh when both her daughters were born. He'd waited with Santosh through anxious hours when Cheeta had a cyst in his stomach biopsied. He'd travelled with her to Delhi to bury her mother. Santosh had cried with Anu when the woman Anu loved broke their engagement and his heart.
They had trusted each other implicitly and entrusted one another with their lives. Their bond of friendship was almost as strong as the one Anu and Karishma had shared as brother and sister.When Anu was killed Santosh had become her family, and later her partner, although each acknowledged that no one would ever fill the void that Anu had left in their lives. Almost a full minute of thoughtful silence went by before Santosh slapped her thighs and stood up. "If it's all right with you, I'm gonna go."
"Sure. Tell Cheeta thanks for the panner and roti salad. Finally, some good food here. Give the girls hugs."
"Sorry, you have to spend your Saturday night here."
"No problem. I-" Karishma stopped, remembered something, and glanced at her watch. "What's the date?"
"Uh, the eleventh. Why?"
"Nothing. Just lost track of my days. You'd better move along. Don't want Cheeta to get pissed at you"
"See you tomorrow"
"Yeah, see ya." Karishma slumped down in her chair and stacked her hands on the top of her head, trying to look casual and bored.
She waited until she heard Santosh's car pull away, then she scooped up her keys and followed her out. She climbed into her car and drove past Haseena's house. No signs of her. No hint of her plans for the evening. What if her hunch was wrong? If it was, and Roy paid a call to Haseena's house tonight, Santosh would have her hanged.
But she was going to gamble that she was right.
She made it to the Temple with three minutes to spare. She jogged from the parking lot toward the entrance and when she entered the marriage rituals almost came to an end.
Upon leaving the surveillance house, she'd driven like a madman to the nearest mall, entered the store, finally selected a decent Anarkali she paid for it, and had thrown herself on the mercy of a tailor who was looking forward to the end of his long Saturday shift.
"Forgot the damn thing until half an hour ago," Karishma explained breathlessly "There I am ready to go for a party and it hits me" She smacked her forehead with her palm. "Left the preparation, and now started preparing for the wedding"
So far, the elaborate lie had moved the tailor to do nothing except sniff in boredom.
"If I don't go my mom'll never forgive me. She lives in another city. So, I shot off my big mouth and said, 'Don't worry about it, Mom. If you can't go, I will.' I hate like hell to break a promise."
"How much time do you have?"
Ah! Everybody had a mom. "An hour."
While the dress was being hemmed, Karishma went into the mall and bought a pair of heels. Luckily, he located a parlour and had her hair washed and other necessary things to look like a decent Indian woman for society. The more she blends in the more her cover is safe. She located a lady's room and changed into a dress, this put a hole in her savings.
The ceremony is going in full swing beginning with the seating of the mothers. Next came the bridesmaids decked out in all colour full dresses. Karishma quickly went around to search for as many faces as she could. She was on the verge of thinking she'd gone to a hell of a lot of trouble and expense for nothing when she spotted Haseena about a third of the way down the Mandap. Best she could tell, she didn't have an escort.
She stared at the back of her head for the duration of the ceremony. When it concluded, she kept her in sight as the guests filed out of the temple and returned to their cars for the drive to the nearest function hall. She was glad to see that Haseena's car joined the processional headed toward the reception.
The wedding invitation had been among her opened mail the day Karishma searched her house. She'd read it, and memorized the day, time, and place, thinking that the information might come in handy. When Santosh mentioned this being Saturday night, it sparked her memory. She had taken a chance on Haseena attending the wedding and had made an instantaneous decision to watch her up close rather than from afar through binoculars.
When she arrived at the country club, she opted to park herself and take her keys with her rather than giving her car over to a valet. It was faster, and she wanted to be inside the hall ahead of Haseena. The store had called the bridal department of the store and arranged a wrapped gift for her. She carried it in with her and left it on the table draped in white fabric.
A pretty young woman was attending the guest book. "Don't forget to sign it"
"My mom already did" Karishma smiled at her
"Okay. Have fun. Bar and buffet are already serving."
"Great." And she meant it. She had feared it might be a seated dinner.
But she didn't go to either the bar or the buffet. Instead, she took up a position against the wall and tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible. She saw Haseena the moment she entered the hall and for the next hour, she tracked her every move.
Haseena chatted with anyone who engaged her, but for the most part, she stood alone, an observer of the festivities more than a participant. She ate sparingly from the buffet, and declined the wedding cake and champagne, preferring instead a glass of clear liquid on the rocks with a lime twist.
Karishma gradually made her way towards her, keeping to the fringes of the crowd and avoiding the principals of the bridal party lest one of them introduced themself and asked to whom she belonged.
Haseena was concluding a conversation with a couple, backing away from them with promises of another dinner date soon, when Karishma saw her opportunity. She put herself in Haseena's path; she bumped into Karishma. Coming around quickly, she said, "Oh, I'm so sorry. Please excuse me."
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Hey guys, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for being late, Mahashivratri is always been my personal favourite, so my sleep deprived soul got the better of me in the morning. Coming to the story, it's a little disheartening that due to technical glitches the story is not reaching many readers, however this is not going to stop me from posting new chapters, I always believe in stories and it's as important for me to complete it as for the characters and readers. And finally our KarEena first meet is coming up, so excited to share with you guys. Thank you for always having my back. Please do share your thoughts. See you soon in the next part.
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