Hush a Bye Baby

Episode 4

9

The Mansukhanis lived in a precarious-looking tower that stuck out of the central Mumbai neighbourhood of Worli like a middle finger raised in obnoxious challenge, daring another skyscraper to go higher. If the scaffolding to its east was any indication, then that challenge had been accepted. For now, though, the building offered its residents a commanding view of the Sea Link, the flat spread of the slate-coloured waters that fringed this part of the city and the suburbs beyond – all reduced to miniature when seen from the Mansukhanis' forty-second-floor apartment. Reshma sat in the tastefully decorated living room and barely registered the view as she mentally prepared herself for yet another dead end.

The Mansukhanis were the fifth couple Reshma was visiting from what Lad had christened the PAL, or the 'Privileged Abortion List'. These were patients of Dr Rai who had abortions before the helpline started receiving complaints against Hope. Quickly, Reshma realized it was a particularly good name for the list because all the couples were, in fact, friends of Nandita Rai (or claimed to be). None of the helpline callers other than Seema Punjabi had panned out, which meant all hopes were pinned on the PAL. 'If this doesn't work out, we're all going to be suspended,' Hadpude had told her and Lad. 'So get something that will prove Seema Punjabi's case wasn't an oversight.'

So far, the PAL had proved to be pointless as far as the case was concerned. No one had given Reshma any information that she could use. A few had offered some snide comments about Dr Rai's husband and son being go-getters. Mostly, they'd cooed anxiously about how shocked they were to hear of Dr Rai's clinic being raided.

Reshma suppressed a sigh. It made sense that she'd got nothing. After all, why would someone tell a cop about their friend's illegal activities? Reshma looked at her phone. Anita and Suniel Mansukhani had kept her waiting for ten minutes. This was not a good sign. Maybe she should have picked the Zaveris (number 8 on the PAL) instead of the Mansukhanis (number 4). At least the Zaveris had sounded deferential on the phone and had said they'd be ready to meet the police whenever convenient. It had taken four phone calls to get this slot from the Mansukhanis, and it was because they'd been so difficult to pin down that Reshma had prioritized them over the Zaveris. Now, though, Reshma wondered if she should leave, to send out the message that this was not acceptable behaviour towards law enforcement, but there was no one in the room. A protest needed a witness, and she had none. Where was the army of domestic help the Mansukhanis no doubt had in their employ?

Just then, the couple walked in.

'I'm so sorry to keep you waiting,' Suniel said to Reshma, reeking of both cologne and earnestness.

Reshma didn't say anything, just tipped her head. They sat down opposite her, their backs to the view, their eyes on her. Anita sat on the sofa, Suniel on the arm of the sofa. It was as though they were posing for a photograph rather than getting interviewed by the police.

'So, Inspector, how can we help?' Suniel asked with a broad smile. He had a little diamond embedded in one of his teeth, Reshma noticed. It was strangely distracting.

Ignoring the promotion they'd just given her – they'd keep an inspector waiting for ten minutes? – Reshma turned on the recorder on her phone and said, 'Mr and Mrs Mansukhani, as you know, we're investigating Hope Fertility Clinic after some complaints came in. Mrs Mansukhani, we noticed your name was in the list of patients that Dr Rai saw.'

'Nandita is a friend and my doctor, yes.' Unlike her effusively smiling husband, Anita Mansukhani was contained and regal. She reminded Reshma of Nandita Rai – the same elegant bearing, the same imperiousness, the same flat tone of voice.

'I see. Were you friends first or did the relationship become personal afterwards?'

For a moment, Reshma thought Anita was going to refuse to answer the question, but she did reply. 'No, we didn't know each other before. When I got pregnant last year, she came highly recommended and so I went to her. We connected easily, and after . . .' Anita paused.