The Blue Bar (Blue Mumbai #1)(64)

“Not even Tara?”

At the mention of Tara’s name, Shetty sat up straighter. “Tara, sir? We can’t find Tara.”

“Can’t find her?”

“No, sir, she’s not answering my calls. How do you know about her?”

Shetty might already have an inkling about Arnav and Tara, but his face showed nothing but sincere curiosity.

“We have our ways,” Arnav said.

“The other girls filled in for her at the bar. Your police madam here has been asking me questions and making me wait. I haven’t slept all night, sir. Please have pity on me.”

“What about Gauri?”

If Mithi was to be believed, Shetty had done away with Gauri.

“Who is—”

“Think before you speak, Mr. Shetty. I have witnesses saying Gauri worked for you. We’ll investigate further. We know which town she came from and will get in touch with police there.”

Shetty wore gold rings on all fingers, each set with a precious colored stone. He twisted the rings around for a while. Arnav let the silence stretch again, trying to ignore his throbbing shoulder.

“Gauri used to work at one of my bars, but I haven’t seen her in years now. She left after the permit for that bar ran out.”

“You decide what’s best for you,” Arnav said. “I don’t have the luxury of waiting for your answer. The doctors say I need to go lie down. Frankly, I’m wasting my time here.”

Arnav addressed Naik, who stood behind Shetty. “You have his call records?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Call each number, verifying who they are.”

“No, sir, please.” Shetty’s voice rose this time. “I can’t have police calling all my contacts. I have a reputation in the market.”

“You should have thought of that before,” Arnav said to Naik. “Start calling. Make sure to tell them you have Mr. Shetty here for questioning.”

“You’re going too far with this, sir.” Shetty looked desperate, his eyes red.

“I am? What will you do, then?”

“I’m not helpless. Just because I’ve been polite . . .”

“We’re only asking you to make it easy for yourself, Mr. Shetty,” Naik said. “You know us. If you don’t tell us, we have other means of finding out. None will be pleasant.”

“Shinde told me about your arrangement,” Arnav said. Naik would hear soon enough, anyway. She didn’t show any other reaction, but her eyes widened.

Shetty lowered his head, and seemed to come to a decision.

“That bar wasn’t making enough money. Some of the clients asked me to organize private visits. The commission was OK, and the girls were happy.”

“I hope you remember that the license for your new bar can be canceled in no time.”

“Please!”

“You can keep it open if you answer our questions.”

“I’ve told you the truth. I have no idea who most of my clients are. Some of them have weird requests, but as long as my girls are safe and we’re earning money, who am I to complain?”

“You didn’t know Neha was missing?”

“Only after Shinde sir told me.”

“What were these weird assignments?”

Shetty gave them descriptions that would have made most women flinch, but Naik held her ground, her face blank, as if she were listening to a weather report. She perked up when Shetty said, “One even sent me the clothes the girls had to wear.”

“What kind of clothes?”

“A saree, with blue sequins all over. A silver blouse, silver slippers, blue petticoat.”

“You said you didn’t recognize the blue sequins we showed you?” Naik said.

Shetty didn’t answer.

“Where did you send the women?” Arnav said.

“Sometimes to Borivali Station. They went by themselves, and they were given a phone. When that number rang, they had three minutes to leave the station.”

“Did any of the women fail to exit in three minutes?”

“Gauri, sir.”

“Anyone else? We need names.”

Shetty named four other women, and Naik wrote them down. The names included Hamida and Preeti, both mentioned by Tara’s friend Mithi. Arnav exchanged a glance with Naik.

“Were they paid if they failed to rush out in three minutes?”

“They were paid half the first time. Not at all the next time.”

“What phone numbers did you receive calls from?”

“Various numbers. You couldn’t ring them back. Different people called each time. Told me what they wanted, when, and how much they were willing to pay.”

Arnav considered mentioning Vijayan’s name, but held back. Tailing Shetty might yield better results. Besides, if Vijayan and Joshi were involved, it didn’t make sense to alert them. He could ask about Taneja, though—he held papers that proved a connection between the business magnate and Shetty.

“Was anyone from Taneja Estate Holdings one of your clients?”

“No, sir. Why do you say that?”

“You tell me why you have calls with Rahul Taneja himself.”

“He is not my client; I am his. I bought an apartment in a project he built.”