Chapter 72

 

"Answer me Sonal; do you know anything about this?"

"I...I have to go..."

The voice on the other end lowered. "This isn't a joke...if you do have any information, I would advise you to go straight to the police..."

Sonal's hand shook violently as she abruptly hung up the telephone. Stealthily she looked at the man who sat on her sofa nonchalantly downing yet another drink. What she had learned had proven his perverse obsession to be more than mere folly; it was a full blown liability- one that would result in serious legal consequences for her if she maintained her involvement with him.  It hadn't been the slight altercation he had described the night before. He had almost killed Rajeev; a man who unbeknownst to her at least, was the eldest son of one of the city's most prominent family's. Added to the fact that Abhi had also assaulted the soon-to-be bahu of this family; their pregnant bahu, who by all accounts was now missing, a storm of epic proportions was brewing. This would not bode well for either of them.  Rajeev's parents would never let this rest and If Abhi was to get caught, Sonal had no doubt that he wouldn't hesitate in naming her as an accessory to his crimes if only out of spite. Considering the risks he had taken so far, the possibility of his apprehension was highly probable. The man had a severe sense of entitlement... or at the very least, thought hisself invincible.  Last night had been a prime example.   On such a high from whatever had occurred, he had thrown all caution to the wind by turning up on her doorstep so late: unannounced; obnoxiously loud and worst of all, bearing evidence of his crimes. Only dumb luck must have prevented him from being picked up by the authorities on his way here - by no measure had he even attempted  to hide his wrong-doings. He had even been foolhardy enough to have brought his weapon of choice along with him; the deadly sharp fabric shears that were now secreted in the bag containing his bloodstained clothing. She studied her hands, now chafed from the harsh disinfectant she had to use when she had washed down everything he had touched with his bloodied hands. It was imperative that she get Abhi to leave her apartment to avoid the trouble that would befall  her through their association. 

 She wiped her brow nervously.

 Abhi downed another portion of merlot.  He raised his chin to his co-conspirator.

"Well; tell me."

He raised his eyebrows at her continued silence.

"Dare I hope that he's no more?" Abhi queried with a smirk. He poured a glass of the deep red wine into a second goblet and slid it across the table in her direction. "That would definitely be worth rejoicing over."

 Some of the liquid sloshed over the rim of the glass, splashing on her coffee-table. Sonal's stomach roiled at the sight of the blood-red liquid: far too similar to the real thing for her liking.

 "Nay, but it was a serious injury," she finally answered.

"Incapacitated then, well that's still good news, isn't it?"  He edged the glass closer to her.

"Drink, Sonal; celebrate with me."

Sonal shook her head. "Nay, I think it's time for to you leave, Abhi."

The man scoffed, looking down at the bathrobe he still donned after he had showered the night before.

"Aacha? Dressed like this?"

"This wouldn't have been a problem if you had gone directly home, but no..."

"Well home is somewhat complicated, partly due to you my dear and your pills." He snapped. He reached for her, a gleam in his eyes, but stopped when she drew back.

"Aacha...I figured that I had come where I  a warmer reception waited, but it seems that is not to be. Have I worn out my welcome, love?"

He laughed at the discomfiture the woman was displaying with him, before continuing.

"But in hindsight, once one has had a taste of perfection, even a morsel; a woman as sullied as you no longer holds any appeal, Sonal dear. You did at least get the hospital room number from your doctor friend I hope?"

She nodded and relayed it to him. She then watched as he boldly looked to leave her flat dressed as he was. Recalling the bag of his soiled clothing, at the last moment, she grabbed it to give to him.

He turned cold eyes on her.

"Ah yes, we can't forget this can we," he mocked. "Funny thing: how easy it is for the evidence of your sins to be so easily left behind. I daresay even your fingerprints are now on this bag, Sonal, perhaps on its contents too. Keep that in mind while you decide whether you should walk away from our friendship. If for some reason I go down, rest assured I will not be alone."

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His father's stature in the community had truly never mattered much to Rajeev...until today, when Shailesh Agarwal utilized his contacts and resources to begin the search for his bahu and the capture of the felon who had perpetrated these crimes against his family. One telephone call was it all it had taken to circumvent the standard twenty four hour waiting period to report a missing person.  The area's Senior Police Inspector himself, was immediately notified and had personally attended the hospital within twenty minutes from that initial telephone call. From there a meticulous investigation plan made and put into action. Once statements were taken from both Kabir and himself, the designer had left in order to meet the team who had been dispatched, to meet him at his home in order to conduct a physical examination of the scene of the assault.  Another  team would contact both the airlines and the Airport security to ascertain Naomi's movements after she had checked in for her flight...they would pull out all the stops necessary to find her.

Today, at least, Rajeev was extremely grateful for this father's prestige.

They had to find her, Rajeev thought. Even if she now hated him and wanted nothing to do with him, as he so rightly deserved, he still had to ensure that she and their child were safe.

 

"Owing to the sensitive nature of the situation, we will do our best to keep the full scope of our investigation out of the media, however, mainly due to your son's popularity locally, we obviously will be unable to withhold the entire story. In order to keep the most ardent reporters appeased, I would suggest  that you allow us to release a statement that Rajeev was the victim of an unprovoked attack by an unknown assailant; which in itself is not too far removed from the truth. We will make no mention of the extent of our investigation. This will not entirely stop their pursuit of the story, but at least contain it while we conduct our inquiries."

 

"Rajeev..." His father had looked to him before responding to the official's request. Acknowledging his father with a nod, Shailesh indicated his agreement to the inspector.

 

The senior officer nodded, and regarded the family before him. He had only one further question.

"Before I take my leave, I need to know: given her emotional state at the time of her departure, do you believe that there is the remote possibility that Naomi may have been distressed to the point of taking matters into her own hands?"

 

He heard the feminine gasp of outrage at the implication of his question, before Mrs. Agarwal responded.

"A broken heart would not have weakened my bahu to the extent that she would consider taking her own life. She is a woman of character and strength. Her child means everything to her; she would do anything to ensure the baby's safety. How dare you even suggest..."

 

Rajeev grabbed his mother's hand, bringing an end to her tirade. He looked at her with tear-filled eyes and sent her a small smile in gratitude for her enthusiastic defense. Turning back to the policeman, he agreed with his parent.

"Inspector, my mother is absolutely correct; that is not an avenue worth considering.  Do not let her outward appearance deceive you; my wife to be is a much stronger woman than that."

--------

 

 Inwardly she winced; it hurt so much.

 

The combination of the pain from the prodding needle and her general feeling of malaise caused Naomi to give into her heart's weakness, and an intense longing for Rajeev immediately overwhelmed her. Simultaneously, tears gathered in her eyes. Neither was welcome and she closed her eyes against both the physical and emotional pain she felt. She was stronger than this; she would have to be. She had no choice, but to put the worst mistake of her life behind her and emerge stronger. And for her children she would go through any agony, so she willed herself just to breathe through the hurt.

"Hold on Sweetie, we almost have it," the nurse said. "Your veins are just a bit problematic due to the dehydration, but as soon as we get the IV drip started, we will get you on your way to feeling better."

Her eyes still closed, the young woman nodded.

Finally the pain subsided to a far more manageable level, and then abated completely.  She felt the slight tugging, as the connection of the tubing was made to the inserted catheter and the apparatus taped to her hand.

"There you are Naomi; we are all done. The doctor will be back in a moment."

It was less than that, when Dr. Khan, the obstetrician her physician in Banaras had handed her over to, entered the room what she assumed was her file.  The two women were former colleagues, and when Naomi had insisted that she would leave Banaras that same day for the UK on a later flight, Dr. Khan had graciously agreed to see Naomi as soon as she arrived in London when she had been contacted.  Naomi felt a moment of unease as she anticipated the news the doctor would impart, knowing that everything that happened to her lay in the file she was reviewing, but forced these thoughts aside. She couldn't afford to let herself be smothered by pessimistic ideas; she would deal with whatever fate had in store for her, one thing at a time.

 

The physician checked the IV and then nodded at the young mother-to-be.

 

"I've managed to receive copies of your records from my good friend in Banaras, and I see from them  that you had a bit of a surprise at that final appointment."

"That is putting it mildly," Naomi responded. "I just don't understand how my first scan could have missed it."

"It is unusual, but not unheard of. Sometimes that second baby can be overlooked in such an early scan. However because you are so tiny yourself, it was easy to notice that your fundal height was at a point you should not have reached as of yet..."

 

Naomi recalled her fright when the doctor had grabbed the Doppler and hastily ran it over her stomach. Then she heard it, the steady thumping of her baby's heart. Her own heart's rate settled and she cried in relief at the sound which affirmed that her baby was alive. But then the doctor scrolled the instrument further over her abdomen and the sound repeated itself.

"I thought I had gone crazy when I actually heard two heartbeats," Naomi recalled, and then suddenly yawned. "Oh excuse me."

"I can imagine you are very tired; you have had a long day of travel," the doctor answered kindly.  She referred to the chart again. "I just wanted to reassure you that other than the dehydration which we are addressing right now, that everything appears fine with your babies. I want you to try and get some rest tonight. We still haven't had the lab results back, but  hopefully when I see you tomorrow, and we will  be able to work out a schedule to get you and your twins safely back home, thik hai?"

Naomi nodded.

Twins...

This news should have been the icing on her happy ending, but in typical Naomi fashion everything had fallen apart. Pregnant with twins and dumped; when she messed up she definitely went for it wholeheartedly, all or nothing, for sure, Naomi thought pitifully . She still didn't understand how things could have gone so wrong. Could she have actually stooped so low to have betrayed everyone she loved? Despite all of the damning evidence, she knew in her heart that she was innocent. And even if she couldn't explain one iota, hadn't she deserved the benefit of the doubt, if not from Rajeev, at least from her best friend?  The reality that both her fiance and her best friend had turned on her was finally too much for her to bear. She sniffled. There would be no holding back her tears now. She could only bite the inside of her cheek, in her determination not to start crying aloud as she lay in the quiet maternity ward in the London hospital .

 

She was at least safe, but now she crying.

Wherever her location, she was sobbing desperately; Rajeev felt in his core. Just as he realized that the  sudden, acute pain in his hand that woken him was hers, so did he know that she was now totally distraught.

He was weak... his body tired, but knew he wouldn't be able to sleep... not now. Not when it felt as if her soul was crying out for his.  Logic should have him dismissing his far-fetched thoughts; that they were probably the effects of the powerful medications he had been given, but he knew better. They had been destined to be together; how could this forced separation not raise an objection.

"Forgive me, Sweetheart," he whispered  hoping somehow Naomi would receive his entreaty and find peace tonight.

---------

 

 When the mobile phone in the center of the table vibrated, not for the first time, Rachna pursed her lips. Her husband's attitude in not giving her space was borderline belligerent, and she couldn't help but admire his determination not to give her an inch in her efforts  to establish distance from him. As anxious as she was to see what news he had, she had to focus on the matter at hand, specifically the feedback she was receiving from Arpita over their dinner. Still her eyes strayed to the phone.

 

"Rachna, if you need to check the message..."

"Nay, Arpita...please continue."

The young woman hesitated, before her boss nodded for her to continue.

"I've even heard that it was quite possibly  one of the best marketing ploys ever exercised; that you've established an enigmatic persona for yourself, by not making an appearance. Therefore even more of them will be interested in you.  I don't believe that my lack of information helped any to dissuade anyone from this perception," she added almost apologetically.

"Thank you Arpita, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I... What I mean to say is that for nothing but the most serious of situations would I have left you stranded as I did. It was literally a matter of life and death."

Arpita indicated the mobile on the table. "I gather that the situation is still unfolding?"

Rachna shuddered and  dabbed at her eyes, before answering. "I'm afraid so."

"Then why did you return to meet me Rachna? I had everything in hand; I can't say that the presentation was as perfect as if you had given it, but..." she stilled.

"But, what...tell me Arpita, " Rachna commanded.

 

It would be better than nothing, Arpita had thought to herself as she  approached the dais, but as she continued through the well-done document, her confidence had grown,  and she knew that she would give a fair representation on behalf of Banaras Beauty. Rachna's work would  naturally speak for itself. Before she even realized it, she had reached the conclusion of the power point presentation, and had clicked on the final image: the collage of Naomi in her bridal lehanga surrounded by the entire family, with each of  image of the bride showing the beautiful lehenga from  a different angle. Arpita turned slightly to acknowledge the exquisitely poignant collage on the huge screen and stopped in shock. Thankfully her silence was interpreted as a moment of reflection, allowing the audience to partake of the visually beautiful scene...

 

It was so subtly done that Arpita hadn't noticed it at all on the hardcopies that she had handled over the past day or so, but there on the jumbo screen it had been blaringly obvious.

"Nothing, Rachna  the presentation was very well received. I'm certain that you will receive nothing but positive feedback in the coming days."

The designer lowered her head, almost appearing deflated by her comment.  Arpita rushed to reassure her.

"If nothing else I am sure that you will definitely be hearing from SarlaS, they in particular were quite keen to speak to you and specifically requested an electronic version of the presentation immediately."

"Please tell me you sent it to them."

"Ji Rachna, I figured you would want them to have it." She wondered at the designer's change of attitude. "I hope it helps, Rachna."

"You have no idea how much I do as well, Arpita."

 --------

10:00 PM

 

I won't believe any of it: that you harbor the real belief that either of us would betray you or that you want to separate our family. Not after what I have learned today. But I know you are operating at  your stubborn best, so this message will have to serve in lieu of the telephone call you would have received and rejected, Beautiful. Rachna, our friends need us more than ever right now, and you know that we work better as a team...whatever you think you will accomplish by this rift between us, will not work, so what sense does it make that you suffer alone. I know that you won't sleep any more than I shall tonight, so spend the night remembering that  I love you more than you can ever imagine.  Call me in the morning.

 

Rachna had to physically set the phone aside, lest she give in to the temptation of contacting her husband.  She just needed another day or so to see what would come out of her presentation, if anything. Then she would go home.

-----------

Sarla Sehgal paced her hotel room, destroying  her expensive manicure as she nervously chewed on her nails. She had expected for this trip to be one of discovery, but certainly not the one she had in front of her.  She was hesitant to pass on the information to Reena; she knew the many disappointments the young woman had faced in her extensive search for her nephew.  She sat back down in front of the screen and studied the older child in the photos; the boy. It had been so long since she had seen the little boy that she couldn't say for sure if the youngster in the images before her was actually him or not. For all she knew he could actually be the designer's son and not the child who had been  missing for so long. However there was no doubt that she recognized the face in the  far corner of the collage. Sonal was unforgettable, in appearance and by deed. And for some strange reason her face had been superimposed  on the bride's body, replacing her innate loveliness with the cruel beauty of the woman who had wreaked so much havoc in her dear friends' lives.

 

Sarla opened her email and began typing; she couldn't  afford not let Reena know. Her hope was that by the time she got a reply from London, she would have had the opportunity to meet with Mrs. Tripathi and had more information to give Reena. And then, just maybe this trip to India would be more successful than she ever anticipated. She saved the photo as an attachment, and set the message as high priority;   taking  one deep breath before she hit send.

[NOCOPY]

crtkelly2016-05-27 04:01:41