Club You to Death by Anuja Chauhan (pdf e book reader .TXT) 📗

and a consignment of steaming hot idli-sambhar are all laid out in the DTC’s monogrammed blue-and-white crockery on the coffee table. And Kashi Dogra lifting the lid off a tureen of creamy honey-laced oatmeal with every sign of great anticipation.

He looks up sheepishly when Bhavani enters the room.

‘Just taking a peek,’ he says apologetically. ‘I recommend the oatmeal porridge. They do a great job of it here.’

And Bhavani recalls that he had told the young lawyer to wait for him.

Hmmmm. He has just been thinking that he needs to enlist an insider in this investigation. Somebody who understands the complicated ecosystem of the DTC. This intelligent young fellow, with his easy, friendly manner, his three weeks off and his link to the victim seems like a natural choice. The same members who would close ranks snobbishly when questioned by a Bhavani Singh, may open up to an Akash Dogra. He can be useful.

Bhavani smiles warmly. ‘Please join us, vakeel sa’ab! There is enough for five people, we think so!’

Kashi’s face lights up at once. ‘I’d love to.’

They sit down at the table together.

‘So who was bullying Leo yesterday?’ Bhavani asks chattily as he spoons porridge into his bowl. ‘What exactly was the jhagda-shagda about?’

Kashi looks up quickly, his gaze keenly appraising. ‘Wasn’t it an accident, then?’

Bhavani is impressed. The pleasant young man doesn’t miss much.

He sighs and stirs his porridge. ‘He was murdered,’ he says bluntly. ‘Poisoned.’

‘What!’ Kashi’s face pales. ‘Murdered? Are you sure? Why?’

Bhavani gets in two spoonfuls of porridge before he speaks. The lawyer is right. It is excellent.

‘O yes, we are sure,’ he says finally. ‘And it has all been very over-smartly planned and thought through.’

Kashi leans forward. ‘Tell me.’

But why are you so interested, vakeel sa’ab? Bhavani muses as he stirs his porridge again. Could you have more to do with this situation than you say?

There’s no trace of these thoughts on his face as he brings Kashi up to date on his findings. The younger man listens intently, food forgotten, nodding now and then, his brown eyes kindling with fierce sympathy for the dead man.

‘I’m not surprised actually,’ Kashi says when Bhavani is done, ‘that he got killed here. This place is toxic. And crawling with entitled snobs. They’re all just so … smug and superior and … and … insulated from the real world somehow! You should have seen the hostility Leo was facing from the crowd yesterday. He was trying so hard to be helpful and charming, but the women were treating him like a decorative object, and the men just seemed to despise him. Khurana actually called him “hired help”. That’s why I went up there to defend him. Christ, what a bunch of bloodsuckers!’

His indignant outpouring seems sincere enough. Bhavani hears him out, then pushes his bowl away.

‘We are worried they will now close ranks to hush the whole thing up. The gourmint is anyway trying to shut them down …’

‘Oh, the government’s just as bad,’ Kashi agrees unhesitatingly. ‘Gagan Ruia’s triggered because he wanted an out-turn membership and Bhatti was too much of a snob to give it to him! Now Ruia wants the place shut down out of sheer spite. That’s why he showed up here in a pair of pompommed juttis and manufactured a controversy!’

Bhavani nods. ‘Yes, vakeel sa’ab, and because Bhatti sa’ab is worried that this murder may give Ruia and party the perfect excuse to take over the Club, he wants our report to say that Leo had a drug habit and took an overdose accidentally!’

Kashi’s eyes flash with anger. ‘That’s character assassination. And obstruction of justice. And also, just morally wrong. I’ll file a public interest litigation demanding a probe if he does. And raise a huge stink. Tell him that!’

‘We will,’ Bhavani replies vigorously. ‘Or better still, we will ask our chief to tell him!’

‘Awesome!’ Kashi says strongly.

Bhavani continues slowly, obeying a nascent, nebulous hunch. ‘After that, will you help us, vakeel sa’ab? You have rightly observed that the members of this club are very snobbish. If you sit in on our interviews with them, they are likely to share information with us much more openly!’

‘Oh!’ Kashi looks slightly taken aback. ‘Really? You think they’d talk to me?’

‘Maybe your lady friend can also help from time to time,’ Bhavani adds smoothly.

‘Oh!’ The hesitation on the lawyer’s transparent young face clears up at once. ‘Yes! Actually, that’s a great idea! Bambi’s the ultimate DTC insider – she knows everybody here. And she lives right next door!’

The old ACP smiles. ‘Excellent.’

Inspector Padam Kumar peers into the doorway on Guest Cottage No. 5 to find Bhavani and Kashi seated quite companionably behind the study table.

‘Sir, we have located Mrs Roshni Aggarwal and Mrs Cookie Katoch. They were in the Anchor bar.’

‘Drinking?’ Bhavani raises his eyebrows and glances at his watch.

Padam’s face is carefully non-judgemental. ‘I er … think so … yes, sir.’

‘Excellent!’ Bhavani beams. ‘Bring them in, PK!’

‘Uh, testimonies extracted under the influence of intoxicants are not admissible as proof in a court of law,’ Kashi says, as PK exits.

‘Yes, vakeel sa’ab, but this is just an informal chat,’ Bhavani replies cosily. ‘Right now, they are unguarded and talkative and might point our nose in the right direction. That’s all we need! Once they sober up and go home and speak to their husbands, they may button up and give us nothing at all!’

Presently, the two older women enter the room, walking slightly unsteadily, still in their gym clothes. Kashi jumps up to settle them into their chairs.

‘You’re Balbir’s son, aren’t you?’ Cookie asks.

Kashi grins. ‘Yes, auntie.’

‘And Leo’s lawyer too,’ says Roshni. ‘I saw you with him yesterday.’

Kashi nods. ‘That’s right, auntie.’

Bhavani clears his throat. The eyes of the two women swivel to him, apprehensively.

‘We are very sad to say that your instructor was murdered, madams,’ he says impressively.

The reaction he gets is most gratifying. They gasp; Cookie gives a little scream and Roshni flops into an almost-faint. Kashi makes solicitous noises and