You and I, plus 2 years of marriage!

Somebody’s Wife 
{1}

Life changes in fraction of a second. I have seen it, but today was nothing like what I had experienced before. 

I stretched out on the couch yawning and paused the movie on the TV. Looking at my phone, I realised that it was 7.15pm. The living-room was dark as usual. The curtains were always closed except for a few minutes in the morning. The world outside was soaked in light and fireworks. I had forced myself to take a holiday, not to enjoy Diwali but to avoid seeing the display of happiness. I did not hate happiness, I did not love it either. My job was not the reason for my loneliness, it was just an excuse. The noise of fireworks tore through the deafening silence in my home. Sometimes the silence was so overbearing that noise of any kind was a welcome change. I splashed cold water on my face and looked into the mirror. A pair of expressionless eyes gazing back at me. They were always the same. Opening the fridge, I found a half empty Pepsi bottle. I barely remembered when I had last tasted it. Without second thoughts I gulped down the cold drink at one go. My stomach rumbled softly in protest. It was too early for dinner and I decided to stay hungry. I threw myself back on the couch and picked up the TV remote.

The movie resumed and I watched a young Tom Cruise come back home to his beautiful wife. A sharp pain stung my heart mercilessly. For a moment, I glanced around the empty house. There was no one expecting me at home, waiting to give me a warm hug and kiss me. No one ever complained that I was always late to come home. No one cared and I won’t lie, it really hurts. I had chosen this career but I had no idea who chose this life for me. The movie continued and the plot began to intensify. Suddenly, the door-bell rang.

Who is it?

I did not waste time guessing who it was and switched on the lights. I had given a day off for the security guard and servant for Diwali. On the way to the door, I picked up my revolver and held it in my left hand. Peeping through the peep hole, I relaxed a bit. Placing the revolver in my pocket, I opened the door.

‘Hi Sir, my name is Raghav and I live in the house opposite to yours.’

‘Hi Raghav, we have met before,’ I said shaking his hand.

He was nervous and I knew it instantly. His eyes kept looking around and his hand was clammy with sweat. I invited him inside and closed the door. The revolver was still in my pocket but its presence was not hidden.

‘Would you like to have something?’

I was asking only out of courtesy, just to make him feel a little less intimidated.

‘Just a glass of water, please,’ he said meekly.

I poured him a glass of water from the jug on the dining table and handed it to him. He hurriedly emptied its contents and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

‘What brings you here, Mr. Raghav?’

Obviously, I had to come straight to the point. Nobody visited ACP Adil Mirza unless there was a necessity. Basically I had no guests, only visitors.

‘Sir… I have come to you with an urgent request. I did not have a choice and the first person who came to my mind was you. Please help me,’ he beseeched. I was not very surprised but I was indeed baffled. Although I was not new to such requests, I was curious to know what had indeed happened.

‘Go ahead and tell me.’

‘My wife is missing.’

Raghav’s voice dropped almost to a whisper.

‘Excuse me!!??

‘My wife is missing sir,’ he repeated swallowing hard.

My eyes widened with shock. But my mind was quick to analyse.

When was the last time that I saw her? I did not see her in the morning. Was it yesterday morning that she was sipping her usual morning coffee in the balcony? No! I saw her last night, standing alone on the terrace. Her hair was swaying with the breeze and caressing her delicate cheeks…

Clueless about the direction of my train of thoughts, Raghav continued to speak.

‘I came home in the afternoon but did not find her.’

I was abruptly pulled back to reality.

‘What is her name?’ I asked quickly.

This was certainly not the question which mattered now. My listener frowned at the irrelevance of my question but answered me anyway.

‘Mrs. Bhaumi Raghav.’

Bhaumi…

‘Did you search your house thoroughly?’

‘I live in a 2BHK flat and I searched inside the house and all around our apartment but she is nowhere to be seen.’

‘Did you try calling her?’

‘Her phone was in the bedroom. She has not taken it with her.’

My eyebrows knitted into a frown. I stood up and began pacing around the room. Raghav was about to stand but I gestured him to be seated.

‘Did you call her parents?’

‘Yes. She has not gone there and they have not received any call from her since morning.’

‘What about her friends?’ I asked absently ruffling my hair.

‘I don’t know…’ said Raghav lowering his eyes.

‘Didn’t you check her phone?’

‘No… her mobile is clean. There is no data in it.’

What the hell!

I gave him a blank stare of disbelief.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes. I checked it. She has not locked either her phone or laptop, but both are useless. There is nothing in them. Everything is deleted.’

I let out a long drawn breath and sat down before him.

‘Lodge a police complaint right away. I will order my men to begin the search immediately,’ I assured and picked up my mobile phone to make some calls.

‘Just a minute sir! I don’t want to lodge a police complaint,’ said Raghav hurriedly standing up from the sofa.

‘I will not be able to take any legal action unless you don’t lodge a complaint. This is serious problem and we do not know in what danger she is in.’

‘Please ACP sir, I want you to find her sans a complaint. Please…’ he beseeched.

I was on the verge of losing my cool. I did not want to waste time explaining to a fool about the advantages of lodging a formal complaint. I could find Bhaumi within a matter hours with just one simple missing complaint. But wait —

‘Do you have any solid reason for refusing to lodge a complaint?’

Raghav hesitated for a moment and then pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. Wordlessly he gave it to me. An unfathomable fear pulsed through me for a moment, but years of experience helped me mask it well behind an expressionless face. Quickly I unfolded it and read with bated breath.

Raghav,

I have been thinking about this decisions for over a couple of months now. There is nothing wrong with our life and there is nothing right either. I can no longer stay trapped in this relationship. I have found my calling and there is no point in living a fake life anymore. It is my sincere request that you move on and please do not search for me. Convey my heartfelt apologies to my parents and your family.

I am sorry. Thank you for everything.

Bhaumi

I re-read the note a couple of times. Somewhere in the corner of my heart, I was relieved that she had left as a choice of her own. At least she was not in the hands of some unknown danger. From the letter, it was quite clear that she had very well planned her disappearance.

‘What else is missing from your house?’

‘Some of her clothes and books. The money and jewels in the cupboard were left untouched. I don’t think she took anything else with her.’

There was silence for a few minutes and I kept staring down at the floor.

‘I want her back… there was no reason for her to leave. She cannot abandon me without a valid reason. Everything was just perfect between us. I mean, we never even had arguments like other couples. Morning too, we had a usual conversation and I found nothing amiss. In the afternoon I just came back home early for Diwali and found her missing! What will I tell people? Everyone will accuse me for her disappearance. Moreover it is a question of my family honour. I cannot just claim that my wife chose to leave me for nothing!’

Raghav’s voice had risen up a notch in anger. He was not wrong and I could understand his anguish, even though I did not sympathize with him.

‘Please help me sir. I do not know anyone whom I can approach. There is no one I can trust,’ he said with intensity burning in his voice.

I did not want to break rules for a man I barely knew. Without a formal complaint, I was not allowed to use my resources from the department. But the image of Bhaumi’s face soaked in the early morning sun filled my mind. The very thought that I might never see her again, jolted me out of my apprehensions. My next words literally put my life at stake.

‘I will find Bhaumi,’ I said with determination ringing in my voice. Raghav heaved a sigh of temporary relief.

‘Thank you, sir.’

This was probably the most foolish decision I had made in my career. Yet, I did not regret it. I had embarked on a journey to find the most enigmatic woman of my life.

The most beautiful "missing" case I have ever worked on…

                            To be continued...