A Painted Gate - Part 2!

A PAINTED GATE

PRE-NOTE:

Kindly excuse correct the grammatical mistakes. Thanks in advance. :-)

For once, Vijay is not going to enquire anybody. The only chance for him (& for you) to find out the murderer is from Gowtham vs Vimal’s arguments. Good luck. :-)

PART 2:

There was a patrolman conspicuously on duty in the lobby, and another in the foyer of the Vijay-Indhu apartment. Several policemen, including Inspector Rajeev, were working their way through the penthouse duplex. Vijay and Vimal exchanged looks and went up the wrought-iron stairway to the master bedroom, where they found Indhu going through a clothes closet.

“Oh, hello, Vijay,” Indhu said, barely looking up. “Damn it, where is it? Sorry to call you in the middle of your work, Vimal, but I had no choice. It’s got to be here somewhere.”

“Where is what?” asked Vimal, looking blank.

“Jason’s pendrive, Vimal. Remember? He brought one that day. Inspector Rajeev is looking for that,” she said, turning to Vijay. “Hey detective, don’t just stand there. Start looking.”

“Before we get down to cases, wifey,” Vijay said in a pained tone, “may I point out that you haven’t seen me for almost two weeks? I didn’t expect the fatted calf, but could you spare a hug?”

“Oh… Booshwa,” she cooed. “Did you spare a phone call in those two weeks? Now, help me find the pendrive.”

“Indhu, sorry,” said Vijay, smiling.

“Okay, you deserve a hug now,” she smiled back.

“I am still here,” shouted Vimal. Indhu laughed. “Don’t worry. We do know the social conventions.” Vijay murmured something inaudible, sank into a chintz-cloaked chair and looked out. “Anyway we did not expect the police here. What are they doing?”

“I just told you. They’re looking for Jason’s pendrive.”

Vimal narrowed his eyes. “It’s been a month since his murder. Why do they need it now?”

“Gowtham’s been in this only for two weeks,” said Indhu, twitching her lips. “Apparently he noticed Priya mentioning casually about Jason’s gift box and Vrunda mentioning casually about Jason’s pendrive. They found the gift box and now they want the pendrive.”

“Damn it,” Vimal gritted his teeth. “He wants them because they strengthen his side. We’re snuffed fools for not looking for them earlier.”

“How do we know what Gowtham is up to? Don’t beat yourself so much, buddy,” said Vijay with a concerned look.

“No. I hate myself. Am I not supposed to work better than him? It’s my sister that I am trying to save. Trust me, when Gowtham magically takes out this pendrive to prove something in court, I am going to shoot me in my face.”

“How do you know that he is going to use them?”

“That’s exactly why it hurts me. I don’t know.” Vimal looked clearly frustrated.

“Maybe he is not going to use them. Maybe they are the evidence that would support our side and he is clearing them up and so we won’t use,” said Indhu thoughtfully. Vimal flung himself behind the desk and buried his face in his hands.

Vijay rolled his eyes and whispered in his wife’s ears, “You’re not helping, Indhu. I am trying to get him out of his depression in case you’re not aware.”

“Oh sorry,” Indhu grinned sheepishly with a guilty look. “Change the subject please,” she said, cradling his hands.

“Don’t be sorry, Indhu,” said Vimal. “Vij, what do you think? Shall we go through everyone’s statements again?” Vimal was glaring at Vijay, as if he expected words of wisdom or at least of comfort.

But Vijay was low in his chair, nuzzling his knuckles, sucking on them and getting no sustenance. “You know what, Vimal? Solving a murder is what my expertise is. I’ve never been in a court before.”

Indhu pouted. “Are you doing any better in getting him out of his miserable mood?”

There was a knock on the door which made every one of them turn. It was Rajeev. “We got the pendrive. It was under the sofa.”

Vimal quickly sauntered towards the doorway. “Is… is it really important?”

“Yes. It has Jason’s bank account details. He had a secret account with hell loads of money. What did you say that your argument in court is going to be? That Jason is innocent? See you tomorrow in court.” There was a huge relieved smile on Rajeev’s face.

Indhu swallowed and Vijay hit his forehead with his fist. They were deeper in mud than they were before, if it was possible.

**********

“Priya, my dad is really mad at me,” Karthick began but didn’t finish as he saw Priya’s furious face. “OMG, Karthick. Don’t tell me that you’re going to bunk because we’re all counting on you. You’re the only witness that could change this case. You’re going to tell the court that Jason did not take the money and Sravya did know that, okay?”

“I am not thinking about bunking, honey. I am just nervous. Am I the first witness that Vimal is going to call?”

She looked at him with her head cocked. “All these years with a politician dad and you haven’t learned a thing?”

“What?”

She took a deep breath and explained him with a patience of a school teacher teaching a kid how to write. “The prosecution calls the witnesses first. So only after Gowtham finishes his witnesses and Vimal finishes cross-examining them, we’ll get a chance to speak as Defense’s witnesses.”

“Oh yes. I forgot. We’re defense. We’re defending Sravya. And Gowtham is prosecution because he is with the police. Yes, yes, I got it.”

Priya clicked her tongue. “Are you all right, Karthick?”

“No,” he said, wiping the beads of perspiration off his eyebrows with a handkerchief.

“Just say the truth. No lies, okay?” She adjusted his tie and kissed softly on his cheek when no one was looking.

Gowtham, who was about to pass them, stopped and smiled. “What a great advice!” He looked clearly amused.

“He is a bit worried that he was going to be the first witness and I was just telling him that the prosecutor’s got the right to call the…”

“You’re right, Ms. Priya. And I am calling you first, Karthick. Be prepared,” he grinned and walked past them, greeting the familiar faces. Priya stared at his back. He is unbelievable – she thought.

“That man is a monster,” Priya told Indhu, nodding at Gowtham, once they all settled down inside the court room.

“I wonder what he is going to do. People around here say that it’s hard to guess his next step,” said Indhu, rubbing her hands.

Priya booed. “Duh! I know what his next step is. He is calling Karthick.”

Indhu’s jaws dropped. “What? That is preposterous. He is supposed to be our strongest witness.”

Vijay cleared his throat. “Maybe that’s why he is planning to break him earlier.”

“Karthick will do fine,” Priya said in a hopeless voice. She suddenly looked pale.

“He better be,” intoned Indhu heavily.

Gowtham rose from his place and stood in the center of the courtroom. He gave a warm smile to the judge and then to the room full of people. The man looked like an enigma.  He was very impressive with shrewd eyes and the ageless air of the professional gambler. He was the coolest person in the jammed courtroom, thin and tall and immaculate, as alert and harmless-looking as a sparrow.

“Mr. William Armando on the stands,” he announced.

The murmur that rose stilled like a subsiding wave. Every face was taut; even Judge Bhaskaran looked graver than usual. A tall thin man with the bony head and brilliant eyes of an ascetic took the stand quietly after being sworn in. Vimal leaned forward, cupping his chin on one hand; he was as pale as Priya.

Behind him, on the witness bench, Vijay stirred a little and sank lower into the chair. His eyes were on Gowtham, the keystone. There was no hint of anything unusual in his manner. If anything, he was cooler and calmer than ever.

“Mr. Armando, could you please explain to the court why you’re here?”

“I am the manager of Bank of France. I’ve submitted my Id to the court,” The tall thin man spoke nasally, with the suggestion of a Gallic accent. But his voice was cultured and assured.

Vijay saw his friend Vimal stiffen with horrified recognition. He found himself sitting straighter on the bench.

Gowtham continued, “And how do you know Mr. Jason Antony?”

“He came to my bank to open a bank account for him in my country.”

“Could you please be more specific for the benefit of the people in the court? I mean, the details of the date that he opened the account and the money that he deposited?”

“Sure, Mr. Gowtham. Mr. Jason Antony opened an account with our bank on September 11, 2013. And he deposited 1000 million dollars in his account.”

Everyone in the court gasped. Even the usually self-controlled Vijay could not keep his face straight. Vimal licked his lips nervously; it was evident that the summoning of this distinguished witness had caught him completely off guard.

“I am not sure about your bank’s policies. But are you absolutely certain that this was the man that you saw?” Gowtham produced the latest photograph of Jason in the court.

“Of course. And not only that, we have the fingerprints of Jason with us which you can use to compare and…”

Vimal was on his feet, pale but steady. “The defense grants that Jason has an account in a foreign bank. We shall not challenge. But I’d like to remind our prosecutor that this is the case of Jason’s murder and not Jason’s embezzlement.”

The corner of Gowtham’s mouth lifted to the height of a millimeter. It was the only sign of triumph he made.

He walked over to the exhibit table and picked up the pendrive on the scene of the crime. A tag was attached to the haft and it was wonderful how cautious Gowtham was in handling the thing. He held it by its very tip and he waved it gently before the judge, like a conductor’s baton. Every eye in the room was fixed on the pendrive, as if the courtroom were indeed a concert-hall and the audience a dutiful orchestra.

“This contains every piece of information that we needed to prove our case, my lord. Jason defaulted, travelled to Paris and submitted the money in their bank. Every proof from this is on your table – unfortunately we can’t arrest him now as he is dead. Oh wait, the word, I believe, is ‘murdered’.”

Vimal was on his feet again and Gowtham smiled at him. “Yes, sir. I am coming to my point.”

He shifted his focus towards his witness once again, dropping the pendrive back in its place. “Mr. Armando, what are Jason’s instructions after he created the account?”

“He wanted me to transfer 50 million dollars to his girlfriend’s account on September 14, 2013. The girl’s name is Sravya and her account number is 142358623231.”

“You did that?”

“Yes, the fund transfer was successful.”

“Thank you,” said Gowtham. He brandished another set of papers in front of the judge. Vimal’s eyes, like all others, were rooted on the papers; his skin had turned from pale to yellow. Sravya was staring at them with parted lips. “This fund transfer is the main reason for the police to believe that Mr. Jason and Ms. Sravya were in this together. The police arrested her on September 15, 2013.”

The man had a flair for drama. He paused to drink water from his bottle at this point and his brilliant eyes coolly surveyed the courtroom. The room was very still. “This is a simple case of betrayal and revenge, my lord. Jason was supposed to give Sravya half the money and take her with him. But he betrayed her and now he paid the price. I’ll explain you how.”

“WHAT?” Sravya shouted across the hall. “It’s a lie. I don’t know… I don’t even know.” A single drop of tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Silence,” roared the judge.

Gowtham merely shrugged his shoulders.

Indhu pinched Vijay’s thighs. “Vij, what is he doing?”

“He is building a case with blocks of lies,” said Vijay in an expressionless tone.

“I thought at least he would talk about the atrocities of the police and how Sravya suffered. Now he is saying that Sravya was part of the embezzlement.” Priya said bitterly.

Karthick coughed. “Excuse me? Those policemen are sort of my dad’s employees. Gowtham is my dad’s employee. So now I suppose that they are kinda colleagues and do you really think that Gowtham would build a case accusing the police?”

“We should’ve thought of it before,” said Indhu in a tired voice.

Vrunda shushed them. “Just concentrate, guys. He is back.”

The magician’s next trick was the gift box. “This was unopened by Sravya – maybe if she had opened it, Jason would be alive by now.”  He carefully unwrapped it and took out a paper cover without disturbing the other contents. He removed a slip from it and passed it to William Armando who was on the witness box.

“Is this cheque leaf genuine?”

“Yes, Mr. Gowtham. It is from our bank’s cheque book.”

“Thank you, Mr. Armando. I’ve already submitted the proofs on your lordship’s table that the signature is Jason’s. Now please examine this,” Gowtham handed over the leaf to the judge and smiled. “That, my lord, is a cheque written for 500 million dollars to Ms. Sravya. It was attached with a card saying, As I promised, your share of money, darling.”

Vimal felt as though a cold sword slashed his heart. He turned into a stone in his place.

With a triumphant smile, Gowtham looked at him, saying between his teeth, “You may cross-examine my witness now, counsel.”

To be continued.