9.4 Vir
I took a few moments in the hospital bathroom to get a hold of myself. As I finished wiping my face with a paper towel, I looked at my reflection in the large mirror. I looked haggard and weary, ten years older than I'd looked the previous morning when I had shaved in my bathroom mirror at home, before Viveka's pancake breakfast. I felt twenty years older.
When I came out, ACP Bhandarkar was talking brusquely on his cellphone, while Inspector Joshi gave orders to a constable--from the last bit which I overheard, he was placing the hawaldar on guard outside the ICU, for Sarla's protection. I hadn't asked for that, but I could see no reason to object. Joshi glanced at me as the hawaldar walked away. He glanced at the ACP who finished his cell conversation and snapped his mobile shut.
"Good news," Bhandarkar said. "We have found your daughter. She is in Khar area only. We are going there now."
He began walking towards the lift, speaking quickly in Marathi to Joshi, who listened and nodded, then took out his own cell and made a call, passing on his superior's orders.
I followed both the policemen into the lift.
"ACP Bhandarkar," I said. "I will cooperate with you on this matter. But first, I want you to assure me that if this suspect is in fact my daughter Viveka--and mind you, I am not saying she is, I am only saying if she is in fact Viveka--then in that case, she must be taken into custody peacefully, without any use of violent force. You must assure me of this."
He listened without saying a word. The lift stopped twice, once to let a pair of wardboys get on with a linen trolley, the second time to let a nurse off on another floor.
"Secondly," I went on. "The knife that she used is tainted with some kind of poison. My wife is dying from that same poison. The doctors need a sample to try and produce an antidote to save my wife. You must try and retrieve that weapon. It is possible that they can use it to get the antidote made by Haffkine Institute. It's a question of my wife's life or death."
My voice cracked on that last sentence just as the lift doors opened to reveal the lobby. We stepped out and the ACP paused a moment.
He turned slightly towards me. "Mr Vatsal, I have much sympathy for your situation. I have a daughter and a son also, and I can understand what you are going through. But I cannot make any promises. This is a police matter. There is no question of your putting conditions on us."
Joshi went out the hospital lobby door, which opened automatically, and gestured to the police car waiting a little distance away to come closer. It came right up to the edge of the curb and Joshi opened the back door for the ACP.
"I understand, ACP," I said, forcing myself to appear calm and sensible, rather than the bundle of ragged nerves I felt like. "But try to see my point of view also. Something very unusual has happened here. This is not some ordinary crime. My daughter is not a killer or a--"
Bhandarkar's cell rang again. He glanced at the screen and looked at me sharply. "Mr Vatsal, maybe it is better if you do not come with us only. Let us do our job and investigate the whole matter thoroughly."
I stared at him blankly. "But my daughter--my wife--."
He patted me quickly on the shoulder. "I am sorry. Better you stay out of our way now and let us take whatever action necessary. I have received word your daughter has just attacked and killed one more innocent man. She is now labelled as a known violent criminal and we must proceed accordingly against her."
And before I could say another word or react, he walked out of the lobby and got into the waiting police car.
When I came out, ACP Bhandarkar was talking brusquely on his cellphone, while Inspector Joshi gave orders to a constable--from the last bit which I overheard, he was placing the hawaldar on guard outside the ICU, for Sarla's protection. I hadn't asked for that, but I could see no reason to object. Joshi glanced at me as the hawaldar walked away. He glanced at the ACP who finished his cell conversation and snapped his mobile shut.
"Good news," Bhandarkar said. "We have found your daughter. She is in Khar area only. We are going there now."
He began walking towards the lift, speaking quickly in Marathi to Joshi, who listened and nodded, then took out his own cell and made a call, passing on his superior's orders.
I followed both the policemen into the lift.
"ACP Bhandarkar," I said. "I will cooperate with you on this matter. But first, I want you to assure me that if this suspect is in fact my daughter Viveka--and mind you, I am not saying she is, I am only saying if she is in fact Viveka--then in that case, she must be taken into custody peacefully, without any use of violent force. You must assure me of this."
He listened without saying a word. The lift stopped twice, once to let a pair of wardboys get on with a linen trolley, the second time to let a nurse off on another floor.
"Secondly," I went on. "The knife that she used is tainted with some kind of poison. My wife is dying from that same poison. The doctors need a sample to try and produce an antidote to save my wife. You must try and retrieve that weapon. It is possible that they can use it to get the antidote made by Haffkine Institute. It's a question of my wife's life or death."
My voice cracked on that last sentence just as the lift doors opened to reveal the lobby. We stepped out and the ACP paused a moment.
He turned slightly towards me. "Mr Vatsal, I have much sympathy for your situation. I have a daughter and a son also, and I can understand what you are going through. But I cannot make any promises. This is a police matter. There is no question of your putting conditions on us."
Joshi went out the hospital lobby door, which opened automatically, and gestured to the police car waiting a little distance away to come closer. It came right up to the edge of the curb and Joshi opened the back door for the ACP.
"I understand, ACP," I said, forcing myself to appear calm and sensible, rather than the bundle of ragged nerves I felt like. "But try to see my point of view also. Something very unusual has happened here. This is not some ordinary crime. My daughter is not a killer or a--"
Bhandarkar's cell rang again. He glanced at the screen and looked at me sharply. "Mr Vatsal, maybe it is better if you do not come with us only. Let us do our job and investigate the whole matter thoroughly."
I stared at him blankly. "But my daughter--my wife--."
He patted me quickly on the shoulder. "I am sorry. Better you stay out of our way now and let us take whatever action necessary. I have received word your daughter has just attacked and killed one more innocent man. She is now labelled as a known violent criminal and we must proceed accordingly against her."
And before I could say another word or react, he walked out of the lobby and got into the waiting police car.
posted by Ashok K. Banker at 12.10.05
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