The Blue Bar (Blue Mumbai #1)(79)
Taneja
Three decomposed bodies found at his construction site.
Seemed to have sway with Joshi and Mhatre.
Had MeToo allegations against him.
Kittu Virani’s fiancé.
History-sheeter said he ordered the Malwani station shooting.
Joshi
Ordered a transfer and promotion which would pause the investigation into the bodies.
Tara mentioned a police officer cap at the mystery client’s place.
Friends with Taneja, but also Namit Gokhale, Rehaan Virani, Vijayan, Kittu Virani—long-term money laundering transactions with Vijayan.
Has the connections to procure girls and get rid of the bodies through Vijayan.
Has know-how to evade detection.
Mhatre
Supported Joshi, and denied obvious indications of serial killing.
Signed off on the traffic accident that killed Bendre, inspector in Dadar case.
Gawde warned against him.
Has problems with women, wife ran away.
Has connections to procure girls and get rid of the bodies.
Has know-how to evade detection.
Tara had seen a police officer cap at the mystery client’s place.
Shinde
Concealed Neha Chaubey’s identity.
Took bribes from Shetty. Is Shetty delivering the bar girls to Taneja?
Connected with Vijayan, Joshi. Possible money laundering connection with both.
Vijayan
Has dealings with Owns Moringa Consultants by proxy, a business connected to Commissioner Joshi. Money laundering through Joshi.
Connected to Shetty.
Grabbed the land that was later sold off to Taneja for a spa—what’s the relationship between them?
May be carrying out Taneja’s orders behind Pia’s kidnapping and the Malwani station shoot-out.
No phone records between Taneja and Vijayan.
Shetty
Sent Tara to mystery client with blue-sequined saree.
Had underworld Connected to Vijayan. Malayalis tend to stick together. May have informed Vijayan about Pia being my daughter.
Arnav couldn’t question Taneja without Joshi’s approval. An impossible roadblock. With Mhatre still on leave, Joshi had taken over the station, instead of handing it over to an ACP.
Joshi had ordered Naik to focus on another case last evening. As a result, she hadn’t been able to sneak out to the jewelry shop her constable had identified as a source of the nipple clamp found on Neha Chaubey’s body. Naik was supposed to call Arnav once she’d checked the CCTV footage and spoken to the shop owner.
Arnav’s phone rang again, and he grabbed it, hoping it was Naik, but it was Rehaan Virani’s agent reminding him of his appointment on the film set in a few hours.
“I’ve been in an accident. Broken shoulder, bruised ribs, and a leg injury. I’ll come with my sensei.”
The agent had heard of the sensei, and agreed.
When he cut the call, the dojo assistant stood at his door, phone in hand.
“Call for you. The sensei will lead a class,” the man said as he handed Arnav the cell phone. “He’s asked you to keep it.”
“Hello, sir.” Naik’s voice floated in from the other end of the line. “We seized footage of the customer who the jeweler says ordered the clamps. The customer gave them a pair of sapphire earrings and requested them to be modified with clamps. I’m sending you the CCTV screen grabs, sir.”
Arnav paced the room—this could be a solid lead.
“Do we have enough for identification?”
“Not sure, sir.”
“Anything else?”
“Your call to Dr. Meshram about pushing the DNA tests helped once again. The DNA on Rehaan Virani’s sunglasses matches traces inside the van.”
Arnav sank onto the bed in his room. “Are you certain?”
“Yes, sir. I double-checked.”
Rehaan Virani was in the van with Neha Chaubey’s body. There had to be an explanation.
“The CCTV screen grabs don’t show the face, but the height and build match Rehaan Virani. The man was wearing a blue cap.”
Arnav remembered the cap Rehaan had worn for his practice session. “I’m going to meet him this evening.”
“Sir?”
“Not on an official basis. His agent called me—they need me on the movie set today.”
Arnav had sent in the sunglasses expecting Rehaan to be ruled out. The movie star was friendly, approachable. Violent toward women, but too high profile to risk being involved in murder or kidnapping. He remembered Rehaan’s picture with Vijayan, though. Sometimes the best-looking, most innocent faces hid criminals. Kittu Virani might be covering up her son’s ghoulish activities, not Taneja’s.
“You’re not well, sir.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” Arnav said. “The sensei will go with me.”
“I could come along, sir.”
“Would the bosses approve?”
“We now have proof, sir.”
“Which we can’t use yet. The sensei is a karate expert. We have the perfect excuse to go on set, and enough protection.”
If Rehaan Virani was the mystery client, he would recognize Tara, and Arnav wanted to catch his reaction. And as he pictured Rehaan Virani at the dojo with Kittu Virani, that elusive memory his medicated brain had been trying to grasp slid into place. The truck that had run him off the road was a black Scorpio, like the one Rehaan had stood beside, talking to his mother.