Chapter 90

Chapter #88

 

The group awaited Sareena's return from settling Sanjay for the night. They all had their concerns over how next to proceed, and wanted no-one's view point to be disregarded. The afternoon had yielded so much information that affected all of them, the paramount disclosure being Sanjay's revelation, and it needed to be discussed tonight. Thankfully it had not taken long for the young boy to drift off, now that he had been assured of the constancy of his Aunt's love.  She returned and took a seat in the open space between Jack and Vihaan, and as she had prior, took the lead in the conversation.

 

"I know that perhaps some of you felt I was too straight forward with Sanjay in revealing exactly why I could not come to his school yet, but had I not, there is the probability that we would never have got a confirmed connection between Sonal and Abhi. Aside from the fact that Sanjay's testimony could be deemed inadmissible in court, and given that things will be coming to a head any day now, I say we take another approach. Now would be the opportune time to use the knowledge we have on Sonal to our advantage. At the very least it will dissuade any counteraction she could take over the loss of custody, but- and this would be the best outcome- it could also provide the necessary evidence required to bring Abhi to justice."

"But can we trust her," Rajeev asked. "From what I've seen that is highly unlikely. She would rather stab us in the back then to aid us." His arm tightened around Naomi as she squirmed beside him, visibly upset by the direction the conversation was taking.

Kabir shook his head. "I have to disagree, Rajeev, not with the amount of evidence we can lay against her.  Before we even get to her role in Abhi's attack, who else would benefit from Rachna not attending the symposium but Sonal? Therefore she had to be involved in whatever surveillance was conducted in New York. Clearly she was the point of contact for Abhi gaining entrance into the house in order to install the listening device in Naomi's bedroom. Plus, she was present on the day that Abhi attacked; both in the studio, as well within the time frame that she must have been the one to have administered the drug that incapacitated..."

"Arrey; it was in the milk that I sent up before dinner! She was near the kitchen then," Daadi recalled.

There was another pause; as everyone realized the once thought of as unrelated instances: all unknown clues, were suddenly falling into place at once.

"Ha," Sareena added excitedly, "And with such incriminating proof against her..."

She stopped talking, when in the midst of her speech Naomi, her mouth covered, shot up and hurried for the stairs. Immediately, Rajeev stood to follow, but at a slower pace; allowing her the chance to reach the landing, before he made his way behind her. Certain that she was about to fall apart, he knew that her preference would be not to do so in front of everyone.  When he arrived at her door, he could not help but smile when he noted that it had been left ajar. Clearly she knew that he would not leave her alone for long. He had barely turned after closing it, before finding her in his arms sobbing against his chest. Sighing, he held her close and waited out her bout of tears. He led her to sit when her crying began to subside.

 

"She- Rachna warned me, and I thought she was exaggerating how evil that woman was. Every time I went up against her, thinking I was doing right, I just made myself a bigger target. Everything that happened is my entire fault; I brought this all on myself, and got you hurt in the process. I'm so sorry Rajeev."

"Bas, Sweetheart," Rajeev whispered tenderly. "You did no such thing; you have absolutely no control over the wickedness of either of them- or their actions. Put those thoughts out of your mind now..."

"But if any of it is true; she basically served me up to Abhi on a platter. How could one woman do that to another, Rajeev? What sort of hate do you have to harbor against someone to do that?"

Rajeev had no answer for her, and doubted that he ever could, but even before he could consider responding, Naomi continued with her musings.

"And Abhi...is it possible that he could he have actually entered our home? Did Sonal aid him in this as well?" She wiped her face and looked up at him. "We need to speak to Jack, to get his findings on his security check ...we cannot stay there if it's not safe, Rajeev," she began, shaking her head.

"Sonal had no part in Abhi gaining entrance; that I can assure you of. And I have spoken to Jack already. Yes, he did offer some suggestions, but he has confirmed that our home is safe. Both you and our children will be safe there, Naomi."

"So how could he have got in then, Rajeev," she keened. "Tell me,  what's to stop him from doing so again...and also why would you keep something this from me... how are..."

Rajeev cupped Naomi's face and lowered his forehead to hers. "Naomi, stop:  just calm down for a second. You can't lecture me like you did yesterday, and want to run scared today. We're together now, and I need you to remember that.  Do you trust me," he asked.

There was an edge to his voice that got her attention. She swallowed and nodded, and finally began listening, needing him to allay these new fears.

*********

Sareena turned in the direction of her school-friend and smiled when he winked at her. Her feelings that, through her actions she had provoked this latest upheaval in Naomi's life, must have shown on her face, for Jack to have acted as he had.  Many times in their past her had encouraged with the same action - a quick squeeze of her hand followed by his trademark wink. She sighed loudly, grateful for his support, but still couldn't shake the impression that she was just creating more issues for all of them.  She looked across the room at Kabir and Rachna; the former who was watching her with interest. Rachna for her part, kept her gaze fixed towards the second floor.  Suddenly the young woman's worried visage transformed and a look of relief came to her face. She stood and walked past the others. Sereena turned, as the others had, to see the designer greet her friend who had returned with her fianc. She watched as Rachna spoke to Naomi first and then hugged her. The three friends then returning- to the gathering.

"I'm sorry," Naomi began.

"Perhaps, we should leave well enough alone, and let the custody order speak for itself. It is self-explanatory," Sareena offered, affecting a conciliatory tone. "I just thought that it would be possible to accomplish two things at once."

"And she's not wrong in her view, Naomi," Kabir added, "but plainly, we were over-zealous in our thinking, and forgot that these aren't abstract theories we are discussing, but your reality. Can you forgive us all?"

Her eyes still glassy, Naomi shook her head as she looked around at the group. "There is nothing wrong with my family and friends wanting justice for me; so there is nothing that any of you need to apologize for. Undoubtedly the whole truth would have to come out before we can proceed with bringing anyone to justice, but it is still shocking to learn level of depravity that both of them have resorted to..." She could feel her anxiety rising again and paused, before smiling ruefully when Rajeev pulled her closer into the crook of his shoulder. "After yesterday, I just wasn't ready to come out of my bubble just yet. But I also know that this can be dismissed either. " She then looked to Rajeev.

"Naomi and I will speak to the Inspector tomorrow to see how this will affect the investigation. I don't know how soon you are looking to meet with Sonal, but if the reporting of her possible involvement is able to aid in a quick resolution to the custody issue; then we want it to be available to you. I fear though that the authorities may wish to speak to Sanjay, so my thought was to contact the director of NGO that I am involved in as how best to proceed, since this sort of thing would fall under his realm of expertise."

Both the married couple and Sanjay's aunt nodded; appreciative for co-operation that was being offered.

"Don't worry, Pari," Rachna called out, "we will have you back in that bubble as soon as possible; just make sure there is room for all of us. I for one am definitely in the mood for some celebration."

**********

She didn't exactly bounce down the stairs, but there was a definite spring in Naomi's step as came down the next morning. Coincidently, she met Kabir as she reached the bottom rung and grinned when he gallantly held his hand out, as if to aid her down the last step. Instead he lifted her hand to examine her new bangle, which he had no chance at all last night, when the women in the house had gone gaga over it, shortly after Rajeev had presented it to her so theatrically on the staircase, just before he and Vihaan had departed.

" The Love bracelet by Cartier: 18kt white gold with colored gemstones - very impressive, if I do say, myself. "

"KT did you know about this?"

"Nay, but I recognize quality when I see it," he teased.

"He shouldn't have; but I love it so much - I've always wanted one, couldn't bring myself to make the investment."

"Aacha, I understand, so you let the man insanely in love with you know your desires, and let him do the deed then?"

"I most certainly did not, Kabir Tripathi, although I can't lie and say that I'm unhappy that he somehow found out."

Kabir began leading her to the dining room and sighed heavily, "So now you have another favorite stair, and your Rajeev has now made life very difficult for me."

Rachna smiled at the pair. "You make life difficult for yourself, by bringing my attention to such things and evoking my envy," she kidded before greeting her husband with a kiss on the cheek. "Come, both of you. Kabir you have your meal, and Pari have some tea at least before you meet your parents for breakfast, thik hai?"

 

Their plans established, the household progressed to their respective destinations.  Kabir and Sareena would depart with Sanjay to drop him off for one of his last days at school before the break. This concession was the best they could do under the circumstances, but it had elated the little boy tremendously this morning. Afterwards the pair would carry on to the Tripathi's attorney, who had agreed to act as local counsel to Sareena in the custody process.  Jack would accompany Naomi to the hotel where her family was housed temporarily to meet her parents and most likely her some of her extended family for the morning meal.  They would be finalizing the details of the Sangeet and Mehendi combined ceremony, that would be held at the hotel and then confirm her parents' move into the Tripathi house on the eve of the wedding. Stefan, who had remained in the UK awaiting the last few guests who had decided to make the second league of the trip to Banaras, was arriving today thankfully. His absence had been the only source of gloom in the surprise engagement, so Naomi had another reason for joy today: she was most definitely back in her happy space again.  Hopefully, hers and Rajeev's visit with the Inspector would not detract from this.  Daadi, already on the telephone finalizing the decorations at home, waved distractedly at the departing group, leaving Rachna to see them out.

 

Arpita stood at the door about to ring the doorbell when then group exited, and a happy exchange of greetings rang out. Rachna stopped so that she could meet her assistant, as she was keen for them to begin reviewing Sarla Sehgal's proposal which had been had delivered by Laksh late yesterday afternoon.  She was very interested in the details of the offer from this last company, Rachna thought, as she began fingering through the document. After a while she realized that she was still waiting. What could possibly be taking her so long?  She looked up and then drew back in surprise. Naomi stood outside, her expression a mirrored image of hers. The pair chatting away paid them no mind for a couple more minutes. Stealthily Rachna raised her hand and signaled Naomi to call her.  Outside, Naomi nodded before clearing her throat.  "Jack, we're getting late, and I'm starving."

********

The attorney welcomed the pair, and after an offer of tea or coffee began his conference with the clients.

"I think we all agree that it would be wise to approach this with a meeting between all interested parties. As far as it can be determined, everything; both the medical evidences as well as the court judgments are more than sufficient to make Sonal understand that legally she has no leg to stand on. Her lawyer, if he is worth his salt, will explain this to her immediately. However, should he be influenced by his client to object to what is a straight forward matter, I will do everything to ensure that an arbitration is the next step. Unless absolutely necessary, and specifically for the sake of the child, I will avoid filing in open court."

It was more than reasonable however they wanted to ensure that all of their bases were covered.

"And if it found that Sonal has been involved in any criminal activity, as we suspect," Kabir asked.

"The child would immediately be removed from her custody if that if that is the case; however this could only be initiated through the police. I would note however, that in light of an ongoing custody issue, the fact that the minor involved is the source of the allegation, then this could be argued as some sort of collusion against the mother. The ideal methodology would be for a totally independent source revealing any criminal activities by the mother."

Sareena spoke up. "I do not want to give her any avenue to oppose the custody issue."

The lawyer nodded. "That is understandable. That being said, we can actually schedule the meeting in the next few days or so if you would like to conclude the custody transfer sooner."

The pair looked at each other and then back at the attorney. "Nay," they both answered at the same time.

The lawyer was bemused at the response which was in total contrast to their previous urgency.

"We have a wedding at home, "Kabir explained. "And we don't want anything to take away from the bride's happiness."

"Absolutely," Sareena nodded. This can wait another day or two.

The lawyer smiled. "Your nanny's wedding, I take it," Kabir. "I recognized her immediately from the newspaper article a couple of days ago. Please offer her my best wishes. " He turned to his attention to his online day-planner, and then suggested an alternative date: two days after the wedding. When they concurred,he buzzed his PA and asked her to schedule the meeting with the opposing lawyer.

"We will call to reconfirm the appointment, but in the meantime I will order the cessation on the custody paperwork we had initiated, Kabir."

The designer swallowed and nodded with a sad smile.  Beside him Sareena dabbed at her eyes for the sake of the man beside. She could only imagine how painful this process was for him.  If there was any case for believing that family is not created only by blood, Kabir Tripathi was the perfect example.

***********

"She is still denying it, but I know what I saw, Naomi. Whatever he was saying definitely made an impression. He had to be flirting big time for her to react that way."

Naomi held the mobile up to her ear as she walked through the halls of the clinic. "Well Ra, the crazy thing was that he was actually stumbling over his words. I couldn't believe it: the infallible, impervious Jack Thompson was actually tentative and uncertain. I swear he was trying so hard to put his best foot forward - it was so sweet, which is never a word I would have ever associated with him. Dare we say destiny is afoot," she laughed.

Rachna joined her friend on the other end. "I don't know, but if the blushing I've been witness to is any indication..."

"Oh no, Rachna I have to go; I will see you later okay?"

"What is it; are you okay?"

"No...no...it's nothing like that. Rajeev's here and he's not smiling. I think Jack has set me up."

Rachna sighed. "Don't scare me like that...thik hai, I will speak to you when you come home."

Naomi hung up the phone and slowly put it into her handbag. Of course Rajeev called her on her delaying tactics immediately, before coming to the more important matter.

"You've come to the doctor without informing me; what is wrong?"

"Nothing; I just needed to discuss something with her."

"And that was what, exactly, if not about the babies?"

Naomi blushed, not prepared to disclose the topic. And then she looked down the hall and saw Jack coming to collect her as they had arranged. He was supposed return her to the hotel, so that Rajeev would pick her up as planned, and none the wiser as to her diversion to see Dr.Misra. From there they would go to the met the senior police inspector. "Wait a minute, if Jack is here, why did he call you to come for me as well?"

[NOCOPY]

crtkelly2016-05-28 01:51:47