Mystery Unraveled

Rachael King looked absolutely ravishing in her black miniskirt and white shirt. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun. She had an impressive personality. Her face was heart shaped with doe-like eyes a pointed nose and soft luscious lips. She was waiting at the lounge of The Garden Cafe for her boyfriend Punit B. He was a police inspector. Rachael worked as an investigative reporter for The Morning Herald.

Punit arrived shortly. They selected a central table and occupied their seats. They ordered some snacks and coffee. Rachael said," I wish we could meet more often and spend some time together." Punit held her hand and replied, " I agree with you. Unfortunately, our jobs demand our attention. Let's meet at least once in a month."

They talked for sometime enjoying their coffee and snacks. Punit's mobile rang. " Excuse me," he said and got up to answer his mobile.

He came back after five minutes with a worried expression on his face. " What is the matter? Is anything wrong?" Rachael asked him with a concerned look on her face. " That was Shailesh Thakkar on the phone. He has asked us to come over to his house urgently." 

Shailesh was Rachael's best friend and colleague. Rachael had introduced him to Punit when he came to pick her up on their first date.

Rachael followed him. They drove away in Punit's car. They reached Shailesh's house within fifteen minutes. Punit pressed the doorbell. Shailesh opened the door and welcomed them. 

Rachael asked him “You seem to be worried. What can we do for you?” Shailesh replied," I happened to visit MG Road this morning to cover a scoop on a scam-tainted political leader. I was waiting at the traffic signal when a young girl of twelve opened my car door and got inside before I could protest. I kept quiet as the girl seemed to be shaking with fear. I saw a man with a photograph in his hand stopping the passers-by asking them about the missing person. I am sure he must be searching for the girl." " Is she still with you?" Punit asked," Can we meet her?"

"Sure," said Shailesh and called out," Satya dear, would you please come here?" A little girl peeped out from the adjoining room. 

"Satya! What are you doing here?" Rachael exclaimed in surprise. " Do you know her?" asked Punit. Rachael answered," She is the daughter of my neighbour Mr.Mehra. She went missing from her home since four days."

Punit looked at Satya. " Where were you all these days? How did you happen to go missing? " Rachael asked Satya who cast a furtive glance at Punit. Shailesh was quick to notice apprehension in Satya's eyes. She replied " I was playing hide and seek with my friends in the garden. A bald man came towards me asking for an address. However before I could open my mouth, another guy came from behind and clamped his hand over my mouth. I fell unconscious and he took me away in his car." Rachael Sheela and Punit listened to her attentively.

Punit went on to ask," You have been a brave girl. Where were you held captive? How did you manage to escape?" Satya said," I was kept in a room with five other children. They fed me well. They wanted to send me away with other kids to some unknown place but I managed to escape. I am grateful to Shailesh bhaiya for helping me." Rachael offered to take her home and took leave from Shailesh and Punit. She said," Well, good night guys! See you tomorrow." She suddenly remembered that she had left her car in the parking lot of the cafe. 

She requested Punit to drop her and Satya. He got ready to leave with them. Satya seemed reluctant to enter Punit's car. Rachael coaxed her to get in and held her hands. Shailesh saw the car speed away from her gate.

Rachael dropped Satya at her house before proceeding towards hers. Rachael could not sleep that night. She wondered about the fate of the children in captivity. She decided to discuss this issue with Punit and Sheela. A thought kept nagging her mind. Satya was holding back some secret.

Rachael woke up early in the morning. After a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and orange juice Rachael got ready for work. She thought of visiting Satya to make few inquiries. Her neighbour Mr Mehra welcomed neighbours son. He thanked her for rescuing Satya. Rachael asked him, “Where is Satya? I would like to have a word with her.” Satya came out of her room in the school uniform. She was carrying her school bag. She smiled at Rachael and asked "You said you wanted to meet me. How can I help you?"

Rachael replied," I wanted to know about your escape from the clutches of those bad men. Tell me everything about them." Mr Mehra spoke on behalf of Satya, "I am grateful that your friend saved her. But I don't want my child to get into trouble." Rachael stared at him, her mouth wide open in astonishment. She said," I don't want to put your daughter in danger. Your daughter was lucky enough to get away. Have you ever thought about other children who were not so fortunate?" He kept mum after listening to her tirade. Rachael glanced at Satya and commented," I won't compel you to help me. If you feel that those children should be freed, you will have to speak up. Don't worry. I won't disclose your name to anyone."

Satya sat beside her and started speaking," After kidnapping me, they took me to an old apartment. I was locked in a room with five other kids. There were more children in the adjacent room. One of the senior boys devised a plan so that one of us could escape and seek help from the police. A couple of guys started fighting to distract the goons from their place. I volunteered to escape and fetch the police. As the men interfered to quell the dispute, I managed to crawl between their legs and came out." 

" What happened next?” Rachael probed her further. 

Satya continued her tale. " I crept along the hedges to remain unseen. I stopped by a window and heard someone speaking. He was saying that the consignment would be delivered by 26th of March at Mumbai harbour. Then I ran away till I reached the compound wall. I vaulted across the wall and continued running till I met Shailesh bhaiya. I asked him to drive away to the nearest police station. We came back with the police within half an hour. Unfortunately, the apartment was empty. I was wondering about their sudden disappearance." Rachael said," Well, why didn't you tell me about it last night? Inspector Punit would have immediately gone after those guys." Satya flinched a little on hearing Punit's name.

Rachael thanked her and left for her office. She thought of visiting Punit and give him all the details of the kidnapping case. She drove her car towards Ram Nagar police station. She was shocked to learn from the police constable that there was no one by the name of Punit working in the police station. Her mind seemed to swirl for a while. The constable offered her a glass of water. She steadied herself before asking for the inspector. A tall muscular man entered in his khaki uniform. It was the inspector in charge of the station. He asked her," How can I help you?" Rachael replied, " Actually, I came here looking for Inspector Punit. He is my friend. However, your constable told me that he doesn't work here. I wanted to inform him about a kidnapping case that occurred four days ago." The inspector raised his eyebrows in concern. He said," Please do not hesitate to tell me the details of the case. I will do my best to help you."

Rachael briefed him about Satya's kidnapping, her escape and rest of the children waiting to be rescued. She also told him about a guy talking about the consignment delivery. " I am afraid," Rachael said," The consignment refers to the children. They are going to be sent abroad on 26th March via ship. This is not just the case of kidnapping. It is child trafficking."

The inspector said," By the way, can you tell me something more about this Punit? I have a feeling that something is weird about him."

Rachael replied," We met at Page 3 party. My father Mark King who is the editor in chief of the daily 'The Morning Herald' introduced him to me at Page 3 party. My father heaped praises on him and told me that he had solved many difficult cases in the past. Punit told me he recently got promotion as an inspector after he burst a drug smuggling racket. He even showed me an article published in 'The City Times' dated 28.2.2018 praising his exploits. I believed him and fell in love with him." " Let me check something," the inspector continued typing on his laptop. Rachael glanced at her watch. It was already 9.30 AM. She was supposed to be working in her office. Her father was very strict. He couldn't tolerate indiscipline. Fearing her father's wrath, she sent him a message that she was working on a scoop for the newspaper. She was likely to be delayed by an hour. Inspector Karan called for her attention. He said," I am sorry to say that you have been hoodwinked by that guy. There is no news about Punit's bravery in any other newspaper. I have checked our database for drug-related cases on the date in question. No such cases were reported in the city." 

Rachael found her temper rising. She temporarily forgot that she was in the police station. She blurted out," I won't rest till I get my hands on that scoundrel." Suddenly it dawned on her that Punit might have been one of the guys whom Satya might have seen. The inspector chuckled and said," Cool down, Ms Rachael. Let's pay a visit to your friend." Punit lived only a few blocks away from the police station. Rachael and Inspector Karan reached his apartment. She was shocked to find the door ajar. A gruesome sight welcomed her. Punit was lying dead with blood splattered on the floor. Karan took off his cap and called the ambulance to send the body for post-mortem.  

He bent down over the body and saw that a bullet had grazed through his heart. He recovered an empty shell besides the body.

He called his men for investigation. Rachael was nearly fainting with fright. Within few minutes, Karan and the constables started surveying the house for clues. All of them heard a mobile ringing for several minutes before the call got disconnected. Rachael saw the mobile lying under a table. She retrieved it and handed it over to Inspector Karan. He checked the call details. He was surprised to find that maximum number of calls were made to some contact named The Boss. He called Rachael and told her about his finding. Rachael was convinced that this fellow was involved in nefarious activities. 

She said, " I think this boss must have been responsible for his death. He must have blackmailed him or double-crossed him." Karan and Rachael were silent for some time. Rachael remarked," The murderer must have been in a hurry to leave behind a vital piece of evidence. I have an idea to trap him." Karan was intrigued by her words. He said, " Go ahead and tell me about your plans." She asked him to come closer and whispered something in his ear. Karan looked at her with newfound respect. He smiled and gave his approval. She called Shailesh and updated him on the new twist in the tale. She also explained her plan to him. He agreed to follow her plan of action. The ambulance arrived and the body was sent for post-mortem. Rachael noted down The Boss's mobile number and handed back Punit's phone to Karan. He asked her to be careful and prepared to witness a big drama. She smiled and left for work. When she arrived, Shailesh greeted her and resumed his work. Rachael was full of excitement. She could not concentrate on her work. Shailesh asked her to remain calm. The tea time arrived shortly. Shailesh left his seat and winked at Rachael to carry out the first part of her plan. He went to a PCO across the street and dialled the boss's number. The boss answered at once. " Hello, Who is this?" he thundered over the phone. Shailesh answered in a nasal tone. He replied," I am Punit's best friend Vinod. I happened to visit his house only to find him dead. I have some incriminating evidence against you. If I hand them over to the police, you will either be behind the bar for life or face the noose." He paused for a while to wait for his reaction. The boss asked him," How did you get my number? What kind of evidence do you have?" Shailesh answered," Punit had already foreseen his fate when he joined your service. He gave me your mobile number and a diary that contained the details of your criminal activities. He asked me to keep it safe and handover the same to the police in case of his death. I also have a video recording of you murdering him. I got the footage from the CCTV camera that you did not notice." "Name your price and you will get it. Handover the evidence to me" said the mystery man at the other end. " Fine," replied Shailesh," I need 10 lakh rupees. Come with the cash at Mumbai Harbour tonight by 9.30 PM and get back your evidence." The conversation ended and Shailesh returned to his workplace. 

Rachael was keeping her fingers crossed, praying for the success of her plan. The moment for which she was anxiously waiting finally came. She reached the harbour with Shailesh by 9 PM. Inspector Karan and his constables arrived shortly. They hid behind the crates of the cargo waiting for the culprit. Shailesh had worn a fake moustache and beard to look like a henchman. Karan had given him a bulletproof vest for protection.

It was 9.30 PM. Shailesh pretended to stroll around carrying a duffel bag. He saw someone walking towards him. Shailesh felt a bit nervous as the man came near him. He was dressed in an overcoat with a hat and sunglasses. He also had a handkerchief tied around his mouth to hide his identity. He was carrying a briefcase. He asked Shailesh to hand over the evidence to him. The latter refused to give him and asked him to part with the cash. The mystery man sneered at him and took out his pistol. He said, " You are not going to get away from me. If I can commit a murder, I won't hesitate to kill you ." Just as he was about to press the trigger, the police sprang into action. Karan kicked the pistol out of his hand. A constable handcuffed the culprit. Rachael came out of hiding to face the criminal. Karan said, " It's time to see your face." He unmasked him. Rachael gasped when she saw him." I don't believe this. How could you stoop so low to commit crimes?" The mystery man was none other than her father. Mark was now a man in disgrace. He hung his head in shame. He could not face his beloved daughter. He said," I am really sorry. But I could not help it. I was into gambling and lost plenty of money. I was in heavy debts. I met Punit in a casino. He lent me money generously to pay off my creditors. He started blackmailing me. I thought of abducting children and getting a decent ransom for their release. He overheard me talking to my cronies. He decided to join me in this business. That snake double-crossed me when he actually sent the abducted children to Gulf countries. He threatened to expose me if I didn't dance to his tunes. Then he saw you in the office and fell in love with you. I decided to humour him for a while and cooked up that fake news. I wanted to buy time till I thought of a plan to deal with him. He crossed all the limits when he sought your hand in marriage. You already had a criminal for a father. I did not want to ruin your life by getting you married to a criminal. That is why I murdered him." 

The inspector asked him about the abducted children. Mark gave him the location where they were kept in confinement. Rachael broke into tears as she watched her father being led away by the police. Shailesh consoled her. Karan thanked her before leaving in his jeep. Karan called Rachael the following day and told her that the children were safely rescued. She appreciated his help in cracking the case.

That was the beginning of a new friendship.