The Blue Bar (Blue Mumbai #1)(59)

“Get Naik,” he barked to the constable, “and join the meeting.”

When the constable reached the door, Arnav called out his thanks after the man, and lowered himself slowly into his chair. No point in being a boor to those who sought to help. The world didn’t need more nastiness. He sat back and scrolled through his phone, trying not to smash the darn thing. Tara had gone to the railway station wearing a blue-sequined saree two days ago. She could have ended up like . . . Arnav longed to barge in and interrogate Shetty right away, ask him what he knew about Tara and the mysterious client, but that wouldn’t help, not without a briefing from his team.

Naik entered a few minutes later, and behind her, a constable carrying a tray with a steaming drink and porridge.

“What’s all this?”

“Shinde sir stopped by,” Naik said. “He said he’ll come in soon. I can update you while you finish your breakfast, sir.”

Arnav wasn’t hungry, and the last thing he needed to do was suck on porridge in front of his direct reports. “Give me the updates first.”

“Please eat, sir,” Naik said. “He briefed us. We’re here to help.”

“What do you mean?”

Had Shinde spoken about his own involvement with Neha Chaubey?

Naik cleared her throat. “Shinde sir asked us to make sure you take your medicines. And Mhatre sir will join us soon.”

Arnav liked this woman’s guts. She was threatening her own boss with a visit from his. He picked up the drink and took a sip.

“You’ve got Shetty?”

“He’s been here all night, sir. After we showed him the evidence from the Neha Chaubey case, he clammed up for a while, but we’ve kept up the interrogation.”

“He admitted he knew Neha Chaubey?”

They had located a missing persons complaint for Neha.

After not hearing from Neha in two weeks, her younger brother and mother had come to Mumbai the day before and registered a complaint. Neha’s mother had identified her body last night. Her brother had confirmed she used to work for Shetty, and showed them Neha’s picture taken at one of Shetty’s other bars. Shetty could no longer deny recognizing her, but he claimed Neha had told him she was returning home to her village.

While Naik spoke, hunger compelled Arnav to set about the painful and awkward process of feeding himself using his injured hand.

“What has he said so far?”

“Shetty says he doesn’t know about the jewelry with sapphires or the blue sequins. We’ve showed the item to jewelers, sir. They say it is custom-made, by hand. The W or M could be a mark of the person who was assigned the task if it was forged in a traditional Indian jewelry shop. We’re canvassing those. The bigger jewelers wouldn’t do special orders.”

“What about the black van?” Arnav said.

“Sir, given the circumstances,” Naik replied as she met his eyes, “I sent a special request to Dr. Meshram to expedite the van’s forensic examination.”

How much had Shinde told them? Arnav hadn’t reported Shinde yet. He must speak to the man first.

The blood type detected under the plastic carpet in the van was a match to Neha Chaubey’s, and Naik was following up on the DNA tests.

Right after Arnav’s team left, Mhatre came in.

Arnav wished his looming boss a good morning and rose to offer his chair as per protocol, but Mhatre gestured at him to stay put.

“I heard the doctor wouldn’t discharge you for a while, yet here you are. I received a call from Commissioner Joshi this morning.” Mhatre sank into a seat opposite Arnav. “He said you will be transferred—though it’s up to you whether you take the promotion. You will report to him.”

Arnav couldn’t disobey a direct order, but saw no harm in pushing a little to figure out how loyal his boss was to Joshi.

“We discussed the possibility that this is a serial killer, sir. A previous case was under a zone headed by Joshi sir. I’m in charge of the Versova and Aksa cases, and I’m being transferred.”

The whirring of the small computer fan remained the only sound in the room for a while.

“I spotted that piece speculating about serial killings, even after I warned you about the first article. Watch what you say, Rajput. I let you assist with the Versova case because Shinde asked for it. Hand it over to him now he’s returned.” Mhatre frowned, leaning back in his chair. “And do you have any evidence proving a solid relationship between the unsolved cases and transfers or deaths of the investigating officers?”

Arnav paused. He could point out again that all the bodies were decapitated and dismembered, that blue sequins were found on or near them. He could also tell Mhatre about Shetty’s dubious activities. Shinde and Neha Chaubey. His own accident, which wasn’t one. Joshi’s sister-in-law’s company, Moringa Consultants. About Tara, her blue saree, and her jackal with a police cap. All of it pointed to a killer who had escaped notice over decades because of connections on both sides of the law. There could be a connection between Joshi, Shetty, and Taneja. The mystery client could be Taneja, but it could just as easily be Joshi.

“No, sir, but I’m sure I’ll find the required proof if I pursue the existing leads.”

“You’re hinting at a big accusation here, against a decorated senior officer, with no solid evidence.” Mhatre looked angrier still. “You’ve been harassing Taneja with calls despite Joshi sir and myself telling you not to, and for that alone you could be suspended for insubordination.”