Half Way in Love ( chapter 27)
Dev was taken to the District Police Headquarters. They climbed up the stairs to reach SP 's office.
Superintendent of Police
The shining brass board on the wall announced the District Police Chief.
He went in with Inspector Vijay Bhaskar.
SP was sitting behind a magnificent table. Dev now looked at the name board on the table.
Sukanya Sakthivel, IPS.
With utter disbelief he looked at the face of the officer, who was studying an open file in front of her.
Dev, looked at her again, with mixed feelings.
His heart erupted in joy.
It was his Sukanya. He won’t go wrong here. He has been searching this face in thousands of faces he came across every day.
Aware of their presence now, Sukanya looked up. Her eyes met Dev’s eyes. With a faint smile and in official tone she said;
"Dev, please be seated. Inspector, can you wait outside? Need to have a one to one with Dev."
Inspector stepped out smartly, with a salute.
"Sukanya? " Dev asked, utterly taken back now.
"Yes Dev. Took charge last week. I heard you are here. But couldn't meet you, as I was busy with taking over formalities."
"Happy to note you have grown big Dev. Not the young boy I left behind in Tirupur. How is Sarada Aunty and Sundaram Uncle?"
"They are fine Sukanya. I tried your number many times. "
He said, with a guilty tone.
"It changed."
Sukanya said, in a resigning tone.
“I went to Delhi after you left Tirupur. I wanted to take up Civil services seriously. Worked hard for two years. Finally I got IPS."
"I heard about you Dev. All these years. Only that I was pretty tied up most of the time. And sometimes, may be, I hesitated to call you."
Sukanya now looked at him, with beaming eyes. As always, pampering him with her eyes.
"I knew you would spring up some day when I want you the most. Like you did the first time. Thank god you did Sukanya. I want to know who did this to Revathy. We need to find him, Sukanya. Before we lose him"
“We know from the start that it is not you Dev. We just needed to chase up clues. Reavthy got conscious, within one hour of getting admitted in Medical college. She shook her head in denial, when we showed your photo."
"You guys doubted me?" Dev asked in some kind of dismay.
"In an investigation, we need to chase up every loose ends and fit things into propositions. You were with Revathy whole day. And she called you around the time when we suspect the crime to have taken place. You arrived in the scene of crime around that time. We could dig these things out, looking at mobile locations of both you and Revathy. We chased it with the last call Revathy made."
"and you need not worry now Dev. We know it is not you."
"Sukanya, she is an innocent girl. Who may have stabbed that poor girl. Am at my wit’s end." Dev broke down.
Sukanya now looked at him with a longing feeling.
"Sad Dev, I had to meet you like this"
After a pause she asked.
"You were in relationship?"
Dev now looked up in guilty feeling. He couldn't meet her eyes.
"I was foolishly addicted to her Sukanya. But she is engaged." And he broke down again.
Sukanya stood up and placed a comforting hand on his shoulders.
"We have a footage, Dev. It is of one of the cameras of the flat where she stayed. We have one suspect cornered out in the footage. He came up the stairs first, and went back in a hurry. And after ten minutes or so, you came."
Dev now looked at her in horror.
He stood up and came close to Sukanya.
"Where is it?"
She showed him the footage on her phone.
And paused it, once the face of the man was almost clear.
Dev recognised him with a shock.
Karthi. His former employee. His former manager at Tirupur factory. He didn't doubt that walk. Quick and stooping forward.
"Sukanya, this is him"
"Karthi. I know Dev. I have seen him on my visits to your factory. Took time to recollect though. Had a feeling I have seen him somewhere. And when I tried to remember the faces connected with you, I suddenly remembered him. Got you here to make sure it is him."
"It is him Sukanya. But why?"
"For that, we need to find him now, Dev."
She rang up some one and shouted to other side, in Tamil.
"Suspect confirmed inspector. It is Karthi. Pick him up."
Dev was now thinking hard.
He remembered Chandran uncle telling him the other day.
"Dev, why is your manager boy roaming around here in Palakkad?"
"Which manager?"
"That fishy one. What was his name? Your manager at Tirupur? I had seen him few times when I came to your factory. Never liked his face."
"Oh, Karthi. He is not in my factory uncle. We sent him off last year."
"But I saw him few times here in Palakkad. He didn't see me though. He still looks fishy. With his foolish cap"
Dev didn't bother at that time. Now everything came back to him in horror.
"Sukanya, I dropped him from company, last year."
Sukanya got alert now.
"Tell me Dev, why was it?"
"He was good. But somehow he started using drugs. He siphoned off large cashes to splurge on drugs. He used to threaten all the employees there, not to tell anything to me. All were scared of him"
He continued after a pause.
"But one girl, Kavitha, from the packing section, spilled it all to me. He made an attempt on her, when she was alone in company. And he was under toxins. The girl somehow escaped with injuries. And she told me everything."
"The next two hours I reached there and sacked him. I didn’t file a police complaint then, as his mother came that day and begged me to leave him. He was their only son and hope. I couldn’t ignore her tears.”
"Oh, it all fits now. Drugs make one insane enough to do anything."
Sukanya remarked.
"Yes. He came back next day. Begging for pardon. I saw syringe punctures all over his hands. His eyes lacked shine. His whole body looked dehydrated. Clear indications of a drug addict"
"But I said no. And he went back silently."
"I understand now Sukanya. He had a vengeance on me. His source of easy funds for drugs dried up after I sacked him. You know that these people will do anything to get money. And can do anything savage in their hours of rage. But why Revathy? That innocent girl?"
Dev broke down again.
"Revenge takes strangest of forms Dev. He wanted to get back at you. He wanted to hit you where it would pain you most. He may have observed you for past one year. And may have cornered out this Revathy."
Dev, now remembered Revathy remarking few times;
"Dev, are we being followed?"
She would look through the back window of the car with concern.
And few occasions Dev had seen a motorbike. But he didn't bother at that time. Too many vehicles on the road, to look at one particular vehicle with suspicion.
"I think you are watching lots of horror movies Revathy" Dev used to tease her.
After few minutes of silence, Sukanya's mobile rang.
"We nabbed him." The other side said.
"From Pollachi. The fellow was trying to sell gold bangles and chain which he took from her. We got there in time. He has admitted to his crime."
"Thank you Inspector. I will send a team." She disconnected the call.
"Dev, Inspector will drop you home. Go home and take rest. Revathy is perfectly all right now. It will take some time to completely heal though. She may need long counseling sessions to get over her anxiety."
"But thank god, she is fine."
Dev smiled in relief.
"Thanks Sukanya. Do come home when you are free. Mom and dad will love to hear that their little girl is now Police chief here."
Sukanya smiled.
"Definitely Dev."
With a thanking smile, Dev stepped out and got in Inspector's jeep.
He dialed Bharath.
"Sir, it was Karthi. He has been caught."
