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Java had been relishing the thought of having seen Jenny at her apartment earlier that day. Each time he closed his eyes, the Malayali beauty seemed to serenade and seduce him. He had started getting restless. To top it all, the devils in his head had not stopped bickering once since he had got back. Rather, they continued to talk of Jenny and her body. It wasn’t that he was not enjoying it. It was that she was a suspect and a murder suspect at that. Such stuff was not supposed to happen now; at least not when he had called her and that Virus guy to the police station to be interrogated tomorrow. He wondered if the two would turn up to the police station in time more so if that Virus guy would turn up at all. He hadn’t cared to send a constable down to let him know that he was supposed to be present at the station. He decided that if Cyrus did not turn up tomorrow by about 10, he would send a constable down to his house and have him brought over. He had no other option. He hated not having any options.
Meanwhile, the devils had increased their torture on Java. The visual scenery kept getting more explicit by the passing minute, the passion soaring to an extent beyond his control. No, shaking them off or asking them to shut up did not help. It only came back with a vengeance and much more explicit. It was sometime in the middle of the night when he decided he had had enough and jumped out of the bed. He seemed to have more sleepless nights ever since this case had come up. He attributed some of it to the grudge he had long nursed against Shekhar.
He got into the shower and let the voices in him take control once again. However, this time, he ensured he was directing them to talk what he wanted them to. He did this often when he got into a difficult turn in a case and could think no further. Today was one such day. He had planned to interrogate all the five suspects, especially Jenny and Cyrus ever since he had found that they had been lying to him. He was sure that there was a strong motive behind the murder. What he was not sure of was whether Naina was really the target or was it somebody else. Ahuja had mentioned seeing two people walk in and out of the room before Naina had been murdered. He also mentioned that there was nobody standing behind her when she collapsed. May be it was too dark for Ahuja to have really made out somebody’s presence. Maybe there really was no one. Or it could have been somebody shorter than Naina. There were too many “maybes” at this point. He just could not point his finger to one person and say you are the killer.
Releasing all his pent up anger on the bike’s kicker shaft while nearly breaking it, Java started his ride from his home to the office. He had been lost in his own thoughts so much that he had forgotten both his breakfast and tea. He turned back to stop by his regular store to pick up something to eat and a cup of cutting to drink. The shopkeeper knew more than enough on how to keep such customers happy. At least that meant that he was not harassed like the other shop owners in his area. Java, to him today, appeared to be in a somber mood. On other days, he would have probably chatted up and passed on information or two. Today was not such a day. Quietly getting back to business, Java got back to his bike and was quickly on his way to work.
It was not the first time that Java had showed up early at work. His colleagues knew well that when Java arrived early at work, it purely meant that someone was a dead duck that day. They would maintain their distance and would do what they were asked to without once questioning it. Java glanced at the wall clock in his office. It was just about 7.30 in the morning. Relaxing back a bit, Java mentally went through the points that he had made a note of during the earlier interrogations he had performed. One technique that he had always found to have worked when a couple was around was to get both the suspects to sense that the other was breaking down and on the verge of confession. He wondered if that would work today. He had found Jenny to be a little weak when it came to emotions. No wonder she would always end up shouting at him. Cyrus, on the other hand, was different. Law schooling had taught him how to deal with the men of law. His romantic side had not come out yet.
At about 8, he assembled his team and decided on who shall be with him and what role shall be played by whom. He left the job of interrogating Jenny to a lady constable. The last thing he wanted was to get into a tussle with the Human Rights team about how to talk to women. The roles and role plays being decided, it was time to wait for Jenny and Cyrus. Interestingly, the two turned up together 15 minutes early much against the apprehensions that he had built up.
Not being of the kind to exchange pleasantries, Java got Cyrus into one room, while Jenny was taken to another to be questioned.
“Good that you came down without me personally calling you Virus…”
“Can we get straight to the point and be done with this? I have several things at hand to do than just sitting here all day,” Cyrus interjected.
“Like… killing one more from the Dutta family?”
“I object! It’s your job to find out who the criminal is. You cannot blatantly call me a criminal when you have nothing to prove against me.”
“You know what I like the most about you Virus? You are smart and intelligent but not more than me. So I would suggest you better shut up and co-operate with me!”
“Alright, please ask your questions.”
“Where were you when the murder happened?”
“You have asked that a thousand times already. I was at the Duttas’ out of sheer coincidence and have nothing to do with the murder that occurred there.”
“How long have you known the Duttas?”
“Not more than a few hours, I must say.”
“What about Jenny?”
“I met her at the Duttas’ residence.”
“Oh! Is it?”
“What’s in it not to believe?”
“I do not believe you and I have my reasons. I would suggest that you come clean without me getting dirty.”
“You are threatening me.”
“I am warning you Cyrus, the Virus. I love it when I get my suspects to scream their truth out by force!”
“Don’t forget I am a student of law and know my rights. I dare you to touch me. I will ensure that you are sorry for it.”
“Oh…. Now Java is afraid,” said Java acting as though he was shivering and added, “Listen boy! I know your past, your present and your future. I have all the evidences that points that you committed the murder.”
“Show it to me, I don’t believe you. I have every right to know what evidence you have against me,” thundered Cyrus.
Java laughed, “Not so easy Virus. First let me allow you to install into the system, relax a little and feel that you are safe, and then I will start the anti-virus! What’s the hurry?”
“Look Java…”
“Show me Virus,” said Java cutting Cyrus mid-sentence.
“Please stop wasting my time. If you have nothing to prove and are only trying to build castles in the air, let me tell you that you will not succeed.”
“What’s the chemistry between you and Jenny?”
“I have told you earlier already, I have nothing to do with her. I don’t know her much.”
Just then the devils started their conversation as well, “So either Jenny did not tell him anything, or he is pretending.” The other devil only said “True that! I think it is time you told him what you know about them!”
Java turned towards the door and walked out with his heels clicking behind him. Cyrus thought he had managed to scare Java away but before he could heave a sigh of relief, Java was back and he threw something on the table in front of him.
“I thought you knew that I knew this,” he said.
Cyrus was dumb founded.
Meanwhile, in the other room where Jenny was being interrogated, she was having no less a tough time either.
“So madam, are you sure you have nothing to do with the murder?”
“No. I do not.”
“Why did you lie in the beginning that you did not know Cyrus?”
“I did not consider it to be of an importance to this case.”
“Who are you to decide what is important and what is not?”
“Listen, I am sorry about that, but I really did not think of it to be of any importance. We had broken up a long time back and had met there just out of sheer co-incidence”
“Why did the two of you break up?”
“I did not, he did. I don’t know the reason.”
“Madam, by not telling us the complete truth you are only digging your grave! We have evidence to prove that you and Cyrus were in this together and murdered Naina!”
“We did not murder Naina…” Jenny said breaking into a sniff.
“Then who did?”
“That’s your job to find out.”
“We know our job well and don’t need you to remind us about that. Why did Cyrus break up with you?”
“He said he loved somebody else.”
“Who?”
“Tara” shrieked Jenny.
At the same time, Java who was interrogating Cyrus asked the same questions.
“Why did you break up with Jenny?”
“I had had enough of the relationship and wanted some time out to explore myself.”
“Explore by finding your long lost father? Here in Mumbai?” said Java throwing another bomb on Cyrus by throwing the envelope that was found among Cyrus’ possessions.
Cyrus was now beginning to get nervous. He thought that Java would not connect the dots and suspect him for murder of Naina, but this guy really knew a lot more than he had bargained for.
“Was he aware of my plan to make Shekhar suffer? Has he informed Shekhar about this?” Cyrus wondered.
Just then, a constable came in and whispered something into Java’s ear. Immediately disappointed by the news, Java asked the constable to take Cyrus out and stepped into Jenny’s interrogation room.
***********
The shadow hummed these lines.
Say you´ll always love me
Until the end of time
Say you gonna be there
Until all die: be mine
Tomorrow all the fear is gone
We’ll be free
When the act is done
Tomorrow It´s just you and me
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