directly across Tony Matthew’s, but on the first floor of the building across the street. ‘Sir, are you looking for Mr Matthew?’ he asked.
‘Yes, why?’
‘He was my neighbour, sir.’
‘Yes? Please give your statement to the constable over there.’
‘I have a photograph of him, sir. Show it to Inspector sahib Dolly…’
The young girl came forward shyly and held up a cheap imitation of an iPhone. The photograph on the screen was a group photo of Manohar Apte, the two children, and a woman who looked like their mother. Tony Matthew was nowhere to be seen.
‘Last week, sir, on Dolly’s birthday, we took a family photograph in our drawing room. It’s…called something… what do you call it, Dolly?’
‘Selfie,’ said the girl coyly.
‘Yes…yes, sir…so…we took this photograph and at that time we didn’t notice anything. Later, my son noticed it and showed his sister. I didn’t know. Today, when we learnt that you were looking for Mr Matthew, my daughter came and showed this to me. Show him, Dolly.’
Rathod looked at the photo with interest as Dolly placed her nimble, nail-polished fingers on the screen and zoomed in over the shoulder of her mother. A man’s pixelated face suddenly filled the screen. As the photograph was being taken, Tony must have been leaving his room across the street. The shot was never intended to capture him, but it was good enough for Rathod to see what he looked like.
There he is! Rathod’s heart galloped like a wild stallion. The man was a genius, for which Rathod respected him. From whatever he had learnt, Tony had his reasons for whatever he was doing. But whatever his reasons might be, and whatever his level of intellect, he was still a criminal – he had taken the law into his own hands and brutally murdered three people. As Rathod looked at Tony’s profile on the screen, his jaws hardened. The rush of blood that he had first experienced 12 years ago was strengthening his resolve once again. He had to, simply had to, catch this man. And now he knew what he looked like. This raid had been more successful than he had previously thought.Tony Matthew might be a genius, but he had made one mistake – quite inadvertently, he had exposed his face to Dolly’s camera!
15
As Rathod crossed the cordon outside Chaitanya Park, ignoring the crowd of journalists and onlookers at bay as he walked to his Gypsy, he spotted Ananya running in his direction.
‘Hi,’ she said, lifting herself on her toes and waving from behind a group of constables.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked, as she made her way to his car.
Ananya noticed that Rathod’s voice wasn’t as stern as it had been last time. ‘Just doing my job,’ she smiled.
Rathod didn’t comment as he sat in his Gypsy.
‘You will catch him,’ Ananya said.
Rathod looked at the beautiful girl curiously.
‘I know you will!’ she said once again with a soft, confident smile, and waved goodbye.
An hour or so later, Rathod entered Mule’s cabin and found the DCP giving him a situation report. ‘By the time we swooped down on him, he was gone, sir,’ he was saying.
Rathod was irritated. ‘Of course he was gone! Had we not lost those precious minutes waiting for you, perhaps we could have nabbed him tonight.’
The DCP turned red. He looked at Rathod, clenched his teeth and said, ‘Mr Rathod, we follow procedures in this department! This is not a game of Ludo, which we can start playing anytime. There is paperwork to be done, there are permissions…’
‘I had all the paperwork, I had all the permissions, I had the team on the spot, ready to go in…what I didn’t have was you , ready to smile for the cameras,’ Rathod snapped.
‘Mind your words, Mr Rathod!’ Uday Singh rose to his feet in anger. ‘Who do you think you’re speaking to? On the one hand, you’re not able to do the job you’ve been hired for, and…’ he growled.
‘Don’t tell me about my job, I know what my job is…if
‘Yes, why?’
‘He was my neighbour, sir.’
‘Yes? Please give your statement to the constable over there.’
‘I have a photograph of him, sir. Show it to Inspector sahib Dolly…’
The young girl came forward shyly and held up a cheap imitation of an iPhone. The photograph on the screen was a group photo of Manohar Apte, the two children, and a woman who looked like their mother. Tony Matthew was nowhere to be seen.
‘Last week, sir, on Dolly’s birthday, we took a family photograph in our drawing room. It’s…called something… what do you call it, Dolly?’
‘Selfie,’ said the girl coyly.
‘Yes…yes, sir…so…we took this photograph and at that time we didn’t notice anything. Later, my son noticed it and showed his sister. I didn’t know. Today, when we learnt that you were looking for Mr Matthew, my daughter came and showed this to me. Show him, Dolly.’
Rathod looked at the photo with interest as Dolly placed her nimble, nail-polished fingers on the screen and zoomed in over the shoulder of her mother. A man’s pixelated face suddenly filled the screen. As the photograph was being taken, Tony must have been leaving his room across the street. The shot was never intended to capture him, but it was good enough for Rathod to see what he looked like.
There he is! Rathod’s heart galloped like a wild stallion. The man was a genius, for which Rathod respected him. From whatever he had learnt, Tony had his reasons for whatever he was doing. But whatever his reasons might be, and whatever his level of intellect, he was still a criminal – he had taken the law into his own hands and brutally murdered three people. As Rathod looked at Tony’s profile on the screen, his jaws hardened. The rush of blood that he had first experienced 12 years ago was strengthening his resolve once again. He had to, simply had to, catch this man. And now he knew what he looked like. This raid had been more successful than he had previously thought.Tony Matthew might be a genius, but he had made one mistake – quite inadvertently, he had exposed his face to Dolly’s camera!
15
As Rathod crossed the cordon outside Chaitanya Park, ignoring the crowd of journalists and onlookers at bay as he walked to his Gypsy, he spotted Ananya running in his direction.
‘Hi,’ she said, lifting herself on her toes and waving from behind a group of constables.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked, as she made her way to his car.
Ananya noticed that Rathod’s voice wasn’t as stern as it had been last time. ‘Just doing my job,’ she smiled.
Rathod didn’t comment as he sat in his Gypsy.
‘You will catch him,’ Ananya said.
Rathod looked at the beautiful girl curiously.
‘I know you will!’ she said once again with a soft, confident smile, and waved goodbye.
An hour or so later, Rathod entered Mule’s cabin and found the DCP giving him a situation report. ‘By the time we swooped down on him, he was gone, sir,’ he was saying.
Rathod was irritated. ‘Of course he was gone! Had we not lost those precious minutes waiting for you, perhaps we could have nabbed him tonight.’
The DCP turned red. He looked at Rathod, clenched his teeth and said, ‘Mr Rathod, we follow procedures in this department! This is not a game of Ludo, which we can start playing anytime. There is paperwork to be done, there are permissions…’
‘I had all the paperwork, I had all the permissions, I had the team on the spot, ready to go in…what I didn’t have was you , ready to smile for the cameras,’ Rathod snapped.
‘Mind your words, Mr Rathod!’ Uday Singh rose to his feet in anger. ‘Who do you think you’re speaking to? On the one hand, you’re not able to do the job you’ve been hired for, and…’ he growled.
‘Don’t tell me about my job, I know what my job is…if
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