The Buried Secret

By Shiv A Kapoor

“I have to do this.” Arav Mhatre wiped the sweat off his forehead. He took the cup of tea and placed it on the tray as he walked towards Rangan Inspector’s cabin. Senior Inspector Rangan Veera, a three-star officer, was recently promoted to the post because of his service to the city in nabbing the dreaded Asif Hatela and getting him behind bars. Arav stood outside Rangan’s cabin and gulped before knocking at the door. “May… Sir… Sir, may I come in?”

“Yes.” Said Rangan in a hoarse voice.

Arav nervously entered the cabin/room and placed the cup on the coaster near the inspector. “Sir, I joined just a few days ago. I’m a big fan of yours. I mean… you… you are one of the most decorated officers in this police station.” He smiled nervously.

“Hmm…” Rangan kept reading the paper in front of him.

“The thing is…” he gulped. “There’s something I wanted to say, but….”

“Hmm… Say.”

“I… The picture… That fugitive… I…” Arav gulped.

Rangan looked at him. “What are you saying?”

“I joined a few days ago. I… There is a picture of a guy on the board outside. That fugitive.”

“Who?”

“Venkat Aiyer.”

“Venkat? Who?”

“His picture is there on the board.”

“Outside?”

Arav took out his phone from his pocket and showed him an image capture of the board. “This guy.”

Rangan looked closely at the picture. “Mushtaq?”

“It’s Venkat Aiyer sir. He…” Arav gulped. “He lives in my chawl.”

“What?” Rangan narrowed his eyes.

“Yes, sir. I just joined a few days ago. I didn’t know he was a criminal. He used to live just next to my flat in the chawl.”

Rangan looked at the image again. “This guy?”

“Yes, sir. Since he came there, I thought it was a bit fishy because he was always reluctant to talk to anyone of us. Whenever I used to talk to him, he used to say he was a musician, but the other day, he told my mother that he was a writer. But I didn’t care much about it. Today morning, while cleaning the board, I saw his picture, and the next moment I thought I should inform you about it.

“Are you sure? According to my sources, he is not in India.”

“No. he is! I’m… I’m very confident it is him. He told me just yesterday that he has booked a flat in the building where the construction has been stalled for the last five years.”

“If it is him, we need to catch him and put him behind bars today itself. We can’t delay it anymore.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was a fugitive; otherwise, I would have informed earlier.”

“I get it. But we need to catch him today itself. One more thing. He is not just a fugitive; he is a smuggler and a murderer.”

“What?”

“Yes. We need to go to your chawl and catch him today.”

“But sir, the problem is he has left the chawl and… oh my God!”

“What happened?”

“If he is a smuggler, the bag that he had with him yesterday might be drugs.”

Rangan inspector narrowed his eyes. “This can be really dangerous if it is true.”

“We should go to the building where he has booked the flat. In his yesterday’s conversation, he was telling me that he is meeting the builder in that building in the afternoon.”

“That’s a good place to catch him without doing an encounter. Let’s go there.”

“Yes, sir. But sir, I’ll meet you at the turning. I need to break a coconut at the temple for the safety of my family members.”

“What rubbish is this? We have a murderer on the loose, and you want to waste time breaking the coconut?”

“Sir, I… I… God will not forgive me for being careless. I need to do this.”

“Fine. Go. I’ll meet you at the turn. Don’t be late.”

“Yes, sir.” He got up.

“And listen, this has to be a secret mission. We will tell others that you are accompanying me for the routine roundup.”

“I… I will say that only, sir.” He ran out of the cabin, spoke to the other constable, and ran out of the police station and didn’t stop till he got a coconut from the vendor outside the temple. He went in and smashed the coconut on the floor, and started praying. In no time, he heard the horn of the gypsy waiting outside the temple. He got up, took prasad, and ran to sit next to Rangan.

“Sir, prasad?” He offered prasad to Rangan.

Rangan took the prasad and had it. “How can you be so unaware of what is happening around you?”

“Sorry, sir. I have just joined. I didn’t know about the smuggler.”

“He is not just a smuggler. He is a murderer too. He murdered the millionaire Rajiv Raj last year. His family is still mourning the death. Do you know what can happen to the builder today? He might lose his life, and you will be responsible for it.”

“Sir…Sorry, sir. Please don’t tell anyone about this. I informed you the moment I realized it. I didn’t delay it. Please don’t tell anyone that I knew about him.”

“I don’t want to. But if he is not there today, you are in some real danger. You’ll be suspended right away.”

“Sir, please don’t. I… I have a family that depends on me. Please don’t suspend me.”

“Well, that depends. I hope we find him there today.”

“Oh Lord, please help us.”

“God cannot do anything in this case. We have to. We have to look for him and get him behind bars. But if he tries to run, don’t hesitate to kill him. Got it?”

“Kill… Me?”

“I’ve faced him before. He is brutal. If you don’t kill him, he will. So, be strong and prepare yourself for the worst.”

“I… I’ll do whatever you say, sir, but please get me out of this troubling situation.”

“Hmm… I’ll try.”

The ride continued at an increased pace, and all throughout the ride, Arav kept praying to Lord Shiva.

As the car entered a lane, Arav said, “Sir, wait!”

Rangan pressed the brakes immediately. “What happened?”

“That’s the building.” He pointed at the building that was a few blocks away.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, sir. We can see this building from the chawl, and he has even shown me the flat he has booked. Seventh floor. I guess they will be meeting him there today.”

“Hmm… What time was he expected to meet the builder?”

“I don’t know, sir. He had just told me he is meeting at the building in the afternoon.”

Rangan looked at his watch. “It’s 1:10 now. They can be here already, or they might not have come here yet.”

“But how will we get to know about it, sir?”

“We need to plan for this.”

“Can the guard help us? There are guards sitting at the entrance of the building. I see them daily when I cross the building to reach the bus stop.”

“Guards? Hmm… I think I can handle this. Come with me.” He got out of the car, and Arav followed.

Looking around, he started walking towards the under-construction building. “How many guards are there usually?”

“Two. I’ve seen two. I don’t know how many are there during the day shift.”

“Okay.” As he walked towards the building, he spotted a guard sitting next to the entrance. “There’s only one guard there.” He looked around.

“Maybe the other has gone to the toilet.”

“I’ll handle this.”

“But what will we tell him? If we tell him the truth, he might inform the builder. Or if Venkat has made him loyal, he might inform Venkat directly.”

“I don’t think it is a worry for me.” He looked up at the seventh floor. “I just want to be sure they don’t spot us.”

“Should I stand here and keep an eye for them?”

“No. You have to come with me.” Rangan looked around and walked towards the guard. With no hesitation, he got to the guard, and before the guard could react, he placed a gun on his head. “I hear you are helping a criminal.”

The guard looked at him with his eyes widened.

“Where is your phone?”

The guard immediately took the phone from his pocket and gave it to Rangan.

Rangan took the phone and gave it to Arav. “Check his last few calls.”

Arav started scrolling through the phone dialed list and said, “There are a few names and many unsaved numbers.”

“Do you know Mushtaq?” Rangan pressed his gun at the guard’s head.

The guard shook his head.

“Do you know Venkat?”

The guard nodded.

Rangan’s eyes narrowed. “How?”

“He comes here daily. He goes up to the seventh floor. He pays me Rs. 1,000 every time he goes up there.”

“Is he here yet?”

“No. He called me and told me that he would come here at two today.”

“Since when is this going on?”

“For the last two weeks.”

Rangan narrowed his eyes. “How is it possible? Two weeks? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He loosened his grip on the guard’s collar.

“What is possible, sir?” Arav asked.

Rangan turned towards Arav.

“Nothing. It’s just that if he was around, my sources would have told me about it.”

“But what should we do now, sir?”

He turned towards the guard and said, “Where’s the other guard?”

“He is off duty today. I’m alone.”

“And the builder? He is coming here today?”

“Yes. Sir’s driver told me they are coming here at around two as well.”

“Fine. Now, calm down.” He placed the gun behind his back and smiled. “If you inform anyone about this, I’ll put you behind bars for helping them. No calls, no messages, no hints. Nothing! Got it?”

He nodded instantly.

“Good.” He walked up the stairs and Arav followed. “Let’s go up to the seventh floor. We need to catch him red-handed.”

“Yes, sir. Then we will put them behind bars.”

Rangan smiled. “Yes, we may. Or we look for an alternative.”

“Alternative? I didn’t understand, sir.”

As they reached the seventh floor, Rangan said, “Get ready, my boy. Today, you might get to make your first kill.”

“Kill? Sir, I thought we would have to catch them and put them behind bars. They are criminals. But we can’t kill them, sir.”

“Or, hear me out. We can! Be proud. I am giving you the opportunity to get your picture on the front page of the newspaper. Everyone around will be so proud of you. You might even get a promotion if this goes well.”

“But sir…”

“Don’t you want your picture in the newspapers?”

“I do… but not for this killing.”

“It is not killing. It is justice. You are going to do justice today.” He smiled.

“Sir, are you sure? Will it be for justice?”

“Of course. He is a criminal. He is a murderer. If you don’t kill him, he will kill you.”

“I… I… as you say, sir.”

“Good.”

They got onto the seventh floor and Rangan picked out a packet from his pocket. Arav kept looking at him curiously.

“Have you ever seen an encounter before?” Rangan asked.

“No, sir. Never.”

“You are a lucky b@$%ard. Never seen an encounter before, and today you will do one. Be proud of yourself.” He took a pair of gloves and threw them in Arav’s direction. “Wear it.”

Wearing the other pair of gloves, he took out two guns that were resting on his back. He checked both of them and handled one of them to Arav.

Arav took the gun, and his eyes widened immediately. “Sir, this is not a police gun.”

“Oh, nice. Do you know that? How?”

“Sir, I have recently completed police training. I… I have learned about police guns.”

“I’m impressed. This is Mushtaq’s gun.”

“Mushtaq? You mean Venkat?”

“Yes.”

“But how did you get his gun, sir?”

Rangan looked at him irritated. “You ask too many questions. Just do as I say. Get it?”

“Yes, sir. Sorry.”

“If something goes wrong, we can tell the people that Mushtaq was trying to kill the builder or killed the builder, and we were not involved at all. You know we do not have official permission to be here, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” He started moving around and then spotted a couple of large water bins placed in the corner. “Follow me.”

Rangan walked behind the water bins, and Arav followed. As they hid behind the bins, Rangan said, “It’s almost 2. They should be here anytime soon. We’ll wait here.”

The next moment they heard some noises approaching them.

The two officers stood up and took their guns out of their holsters. Rangan walked towards the door but suddenly stopped and turned around to face his colleague. He held his hand up in a sign of peace and whispered, “Our visitors are here early. Get ready.”

Arav said, “I don’t think we should be doing this today.”

“Shut up. This is not a time to act stupid. Just do as I say.” He peeked at the stairs and gestured for Arav to walk in front.

Arav gulped and began moving cautiously in the intended direction. With a rifle in his hand, he kept moving. Rangan followed him as he took out a knife from his pocket.

At that moment, the footsteps were inaudible.

Arav whispered, “Sir, I think it was someone else.”

Rangan placed the knife back in his pocket and said, “Wait.” He got in front of Arav and peeked, only to find laborers walking back downstairs. He relaxed his arms and said, “It wasn’t them. We will have to wait a little longer, I guess. In the meantime,” he turned around.

Arav was gasping for breath as he fell to his knees.

Rangan nodded. “Don’t die now.” He walked closer to Arav and helped him get back on his feet. “Aahh!” Rangan’s eyes widened.

Arav looked at him in his eyes as he pressed the knife deeper into Rangan’s stomach. Rangan held Arav’s collar.

“Sir, what was the plan? Kill the criminal and me, then extort money from the builder?” Arav smiled.

Rangan kept looking at Arav.

“Sir, isn’t this something similar to what you have done before? With constable Tanmay?”

Rangan narrowed his eyes.

Arav removed the knife from Rangan’s stomach and inserted it again and again.

Rangan kept staring at him with his eyes wide open.

“You know what, Tanmay was a good friend of mine. He has a family that depends on him, but you… you sacrificed him for money. So, what did I do? I used Mushtaq as a bait to get you here. Fair, isn’t it?”

Rangan fell on the floor, trying to say something, but as he attempted to speak, blood spilled from his mouth.

“You are a disgrace to the police force, sir. You killed an innocent person and maybe many more. You don’t deserve to live.”

Arav removed the gloves from his hands and placed them in his pocket. “I’ll be back, sir. I’ll be back with your team when the watchman calls the police station. It’s interesting that the corrupt builder is working on having his office on this floor. The watchman will call the police station once that corrupt builder runs out of the building. I’ll be back.” He smiled and started walking down the stairs.

Rangan kept struggling there on the floor. He tried to reach out for his phone in his pocket, but the struggle ended as his heart stopped beating.

Arav tipped the watchman as he walked out of the building and called out for a rickshaw.

20 minutes later…

Arav entered the police station with a small handbag with a few sandwiches in it.

“Hey, junior, where were you?” the other constable called out.

“Rangan had sent me to get some sandwiches. Am I late?” He controlled his breathing.

“No. He is out for a roundup. Keep it in his cabin. He should be here in some time.”

“Oh… okay.” Arav walked into the cabin, placed the sandwiches on the table, and walked out to chit-chat with other constables.

Half an hour later, the watchman called the police station.

By Shiv A Kapoor