Hush a Bye Baby

Episode 3

6

Sub-Inspector Lad was sitting in a building that had, for all practical purposes, gone dark. At 11 p.m., there was little light and less activity in the police station. Outside the building, of course, was a different matter altogether. This was one part of the city where even if you weren't a police officer, you could find food and drink - and some groceries, if you were so inclined - at almost any hour of the day or night. The insomniac market buzzed and glittered. For policemen, particularly those forced to spend long hours on night duty, there were special deals and Lad fully intended to make the most of this feature, but first, he and Sister Chhaya of Hope Fertility Clinic had to finish the not-so-pleasant conversation they were having in the largely empty second floor.

'I've told you everything I know,' Sister Chhaya said for what seemed like the millionth time. 'Please let me go,' she pleaded.

'Arey! Let you go? What are you saying, Chhaya-tai?' Lad looked heartbroken. 'Am I holding you back?' He leaned back in his chair and held his hands up. 'Have I handcuffed you to this desk? Have I stopped you from going anywhere? We're just talking here, Chhaya-tai. And you're not telling me what you know. So if anyone isn't letting you go, it's you.'

'Please believe me.' Sister Chhaya tried again. 'I really have told you everything.'

'Chhaya-tai, why are you lying to your brother?'

She suddenly snapped. 'I'm not lying!' said Sister Chhaya. 'You're the liar! You told me you just needed me to give my fingerprints and it would take five minutes. That's why I came here. You're the one who wasn't honest. I've been telling you the truth all along!'

'But how to believe you?' Lad looked like he was going to start crying. He pointed at the papers on the table between them. They were photocopies of registers that had 'Hope Fertility Clinic' written on them. 'I want to believe you. Really I do. You think if I didn't want to believe you, we'd be here for the last three hours? Look here. All these operations by Dr Rai, you've written the report and signed it. Then how can it be you don't know what she was actually doing to these poor women?'

Sister Chhaya's shoulders finally slumped. For a moment, Lad could almost taste salted peanuts and blended whisky on his tongue. He calmed himself and kept his expression miserable.

'Look. I only joined a month ago and Dr Sengupta told me that he'd fill up the reports for me because he didn't want any mistakes.'

'Dr Sengupta meaning Dr Suman Sengupta?' Lad interrupted. 'Dr Rai's assistant?'

Sister Chhaya nodded. 'He said the last sister who had been in my position had made mistakes in the books. That's why she had to be fired and he didn't want that to happen to me. I thought he was being kind to me, so I didn't . . .' Tears started rolling down her face. 'I didn't know all this was going on. I didn't know I was signing . . .'

Lad made sympathetic noises and poured her a glass of water. She drank it gratefully. There was a moment of quiet in the office. You could hear the dull buzz of the tube light being mobbed by the little winged insects that flew towards it eagerly, unaware they'd be zapped if they came too close.

'You said there was a sister before you who was fired,' said Lad finally, his voice soft.

Sister Chhaya nodded.

'Dr Suman said she made mistakes?'

Sister Chhaya nodded again.

Lad handed her some sheets of flimsy tissue paper. 'What was her name?' he asked gently. Sister Chhaya was too busy blowing her nose, so she didn't notice how his eyes flashed.