The next morning brought on another incidence of horror. A neat package was found at her doorstep.
"What is it now?" She muttered to herself as she picked it up. Some careless vendor or a courier? Or a bomb? A lone voice cautioned her. But too late, she had already opened it.
A small scream involuntarily escaped her at the sight of the contents, which were no less than a bomb.
A kitchen knife soaked in blood enclosed in a plastic bag. And a small note was stuck to the bag.
Good Girl, so finally you have done the job. Now show this to Inspector Wagle
Riya was shaking all over as she reached out for her mobile. As expected, it was answered at the second ring.
She quickly blurted out the incidence and outlined the fact that she couldn't come to the police station. Ms Wagle agreed to meet her at the Starbucks Cafe near her office late that day.
The cafe was unusually crowded for the hour of the day. Riya somehow managed to corner a seat near a window. Ms Wagle's words came back to her as she hastily covered the knife with her scarf.
"Dont worry, Riya. I will be there in plainclothes. And don't tell anyone about this...yet!"
She sat in the Starbucks cafe, sipping her coffee and staring out of the window. The blood stained knife lay next to her handbag, covered with her blue silk scarf.
"Hi...waiting for someone?" Riya whirled around and almost choked on her coffee. Ms Wagle was totally unrecognizable in a plain salwar-Kameez. Another plainclothesman officer stood nearby.
Riya quickly brought both of them up to date with the development. At one point Ms Wagle leaned forward.
"This person knows that you visited us? But how? Did you tell someone? Your parents?"
"No...I didn't tell anyone!"
Ms Wagle quietly confined the bag to a zipped pouch while her associate examined the chit.
"Nothing much from this chit. Standard Post-It, with message written in caps!"
"And the person knows my name, my address!"
The silence was broken by buzzing of Riya's mobile. Glancing at the display, her lips curved into a knowing smile.
"It's my Boss. I have to take this call..."
"Ok, I don't think we have anything further to discuss. I will get this thing analysed at the earliest. Maybe some insane obsessed person is behind this..."
The concerned voice of Riya broke through Ms Wagle's deduction.
"Hello Sir...hello! Please answer...the connection has gone!"
END OF FLASHBACK
"So thats about it. The call got disconnected in the middle. I didnt think much about it then as these things keep happening.."
"You didnt think about calling him back?"
Riya thought it over and shook her head. The matter they had to discuss had been done.
"No. The discussion was done. So thought maybe the next day I would catch up with him. And when we all heard the bad news in the morning, I felt sad but I still didnt connect the fact that the whole thing happened while he was speaking to me!"
"You didnt know it then?"
"No...I mean the phone just got cut. Afterwards the police came searching for my phone and then I came to know!"
Trisha was silent for a while. So it all fits in.
"And what happened to the stalking case? You getting those mails and all that?"
"The mails stopped after that. I mean, its been a week and I havnt got anything more!"
Raghav was carefully observing Riya. This girl is hiding something. He leaned forward.
"Mr Madhusudan's phone was reformatted sometime back. You know anything about that?"
Riya shook her head, her eyes averted.
Raghav's suspicions hardened into reality. This girl is definitely hiding something! But what? Shall I use my charm on her?
Across the room, Trisha caught the look in his eye. And shook her head firmly.
"Raghav...let's go!"
*****
"The case is officially closed!" Trisha declared to her team in the meeting. "A clear case of death due to cerebral hemorrhage..."
Dr Aarthi leaned forward with a moment of dissent.
"But then, how do you explain..."
Trisha raised an admonitory hand.
"I know what you are pointing out. But then, there is no proof that it was something more than an accident. Madhusudan was alone when it happened. As corroborated by the housekeeper. There were no signs of struggle. No case of poisoning...as per your report, we couldn't find anything out of turn in the autopsy report other than a fact that two vital parts of the brain were destroyed simultaneously. Maybe it's a rare phenomena, but the chances of it occurring is certainly not zero!"
"Certainly not zero in this case..." Raghav muttered under his breath. Trisha turned to him, annoyed.
"You said something?"
"Nothing at all..." Raghav had that look on his face which Trisha knew very well. Raghav was willing to throw the rule book away to get to the bottom of this case.
"Ok team...meeting is over. Let's file a closure report. And Raghav, can you see me in my cabin right now?"
The meeting was a very short one. The gist was also as expected. You are not going after this case, Raghav. At least not in official capacity. I hope you understand what I am trying to convey? On an individual basis, you are free man. You can do as you please, but please don't create headlines by crossing boundaries! This communication is on record.
"You know what, Trisha? You sound like the voice recording of a call centre. This conversation is being recorded and can be used for training and quality purposes..."
"Raghav...Out of my cabin. Now!" Trisha aimed her paperweight and Raghav ducked, raising his hands in a supplicating gesture, "Ok, Point taken, Boss...Now can I take a week's leave?"
"Sure. But leave your firearm and ID behind!"
******
The knock on the door jerked her out of her daze.
It had been a couple of days since the CBI team had left her home after meeting her. Or was it some sort of interrogation? She had told them everything. Well, almost...
The knock repeated itself. Who was it? At this hour? She peeped out wearily beyond the chain.
"Agent Raghav? What brings you here?"
"Am I supposed to answer that here in the landing itself? Won't you let me in?"
"Sure, come in!" She undid the chain and he walked in. She ushered him to the living area.
"So, now what can I do for you?"
He raised his hands as if she held a gun pointed at him.
"Don't be formal. I am not here in the official capacity! See, I am not even carrying my ID, forget about the personal firearm..."
Her face relaxed into an uneasy smile. "Then what? OK, before I forget my manners, what can I offer you? some tea or coffee?"
He smiled his gratitude. "OK, tea is fine. But provided you join me..."
The kitchen was a small and a neat affair. A small single stove, enough to cater to the culinary needs of a single person, was located on a small marbled top. One side held an assortment of materials required for daily sustenance, coffee, tea and sugar apart from the quintessential spices and salt in a small array. A small sink to one side was bereft of any soiled dishes; obviously she was a very good housekeeper.
Water was boiling and she hastily added the tea leaves. Leaves that initially sank to the bottom and then rose up to the surface; was that a reflection of her own feelings? And then the colour started diffusing in waves and she heard a small voice from the doorstep.
"Nice aroma. May I come in?"
She nodded her consent and he strolled inside.
"Nice setup. You stay alone?"
She handed him a mug and nodded. He took a sip and closed his eyes in sheer delight.
"Very nice. Assam Darjeeling?"
"You seem to have a flair for various flavours of tea?"
"Oh nothing like that. The flavour is slightly unknown. So..."
"Ohh I see..."
She was not going to be an easy one to crack. An experienced person from the corporate world, she was one who could speak a lot and yet convey nothing. They came back to the living area and he settled on an easy chair.
"You said you stay alone. What about your family? Your parents?"
"They are in another city..."
"Another city?"
She whirled around angrily.
"Is this an interrogation? I thought I told you people everything that I knew..."
Raghav met her flashing eyes. "I am not on duty and I think I declared that upfront. I am here just on compassionate grounds, especially on hearing that you have been a victim of stalking and all that. So please don't be defensive! And certainly not so formal!"
She deflated a bit.
"So this personal talk...?"
"Just a means to understand your situation. Now, let us begin again. You said you stay alone. So obviously you don't have a close family in this city. You told police that you are single. Obviously then the closest family means parents! Hence the query!"
She deflated completely. As was evident from her sagging shoulders. Sliding to the ground completely, she hugged herself and began in a small voice.
"Yes, I am single and stay alone. My parents stay elsewhere. I am an only child. I came to this city when I got a job in this MNC through campus placement. I have been in this company for the past five years. With Mr Madhusudan as my boss..."
Raghav slid in the space next to her.
"Relax! I didnt mean to overwhelm you. Just wanted to convey that I can relate to you and the problems you would have faced so far. And the stalker hasn't yet been identified, hence there is an issue of your safety also. So just wanted to know more about you. And if possible even protect you. Do you trust me?"
She nodded, her eyes fixed on his. He extended his hand to her.
"...So what say? Friends?"
She took that hand after a bit of hesitation and he helped her to her feet.
"So, can we finish that tea? Must have gotten cold!"
*****
And that set the tone for the week to come. Raghav, who was officially on leave, found time to visit her whenever her busy schedule permitted. They treated each other to dinner which often ended in a long walk afterwards; no holds barred talks over endless cups of coffee that started with something and ended elsewhere. It was as if something had sprung up between them, with Riya even introducing Raghav to her colleagues as a close friend. Yes, they were close friends. Or even something more? No...Riya shook her head. Not yet. What did she know about him? Nothing apart from the fact that he was single and alone in this world.
But his demeanour...was something she had never encountered before. Eyes that indicated purity of the soul. A smile that indicated purity of intent. And for someone who had survived in the male dominated cut-throat world of corporate politics by sheer instinct, there was something else that made her put her guard down.
He was kind. Some sixth sense indicated to her that she could trust him. That could be made out by the fact that she had started smiling more often. One of her colleagues even commented as such.
"Hey Riya...you seem happy now. And also smile out of turn. Whats the matter? A new boyfriend?"
"Ohh come on...nothing like that. Just that projects are running without hurdles, so..." Her denial seemed hollow as evident by her reddening cheeks. Was she in love? Maybe...but what about him? Or was it too early?
A few days later Raghav dropped in as usual for tea. She greeted him as usual, disappearing in the kitchen for tea.
"That stalking case of yours...remember it?"
"Of course. How could I ever forget it?"
"Any more mails after that?"
Balancing a tray of tea and snacks in her hands, she shook her head. Indeed, after Mr Madhusudan's demise, there had been no more mails.
Raghav paused for a moment. As if debating on the next disclosure. Then he decided to go for it.
"I just ran into Inspector Wagle. She said that the IP address has been located!"
"What?" The tray slipped from her nerveless fingers and scattered everywhere. "Wh...who was it?"
Raghav smirked at her obvious discomfiture. You know a lot more than you have told the police. Right? So, what are you hiding? Come out clean..
Outwardly, he just brushed it off.
"No, nothing big. Let me make the tea again!"
As he sipped his tea, Riya's distractedness was not missed by Raghav.
"Come, let's go for a walk..." He placed the cup back in the sink and walked out of her apartment. She followed mechanically.
Walking for a while in silence they came to the seashore, one of their favourite places. Raghav climbed on to a rock and Riya perched herself on another one.
"I am going away tomorrow..."
"What? Going away means? Where are you going?"
A tiny splash could be heard as Raghav flung a stone far away in the sea. How he hated himself for doing this to her.
"I came here for a cause. To find out more about..." He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that the bitterness would be tolerable, "Madhusudhan's death. And about you...or better your connection with the bizarre event!"
She stared at him in sheer disbelief. "B..but you said you were on leave..."
"That's not entirely false. I wanted to investigate this case on a personal basis!"
She was silent for a while. "And what did you find out?"
He smiled sadly. "Quite a lot of things. First of all, you were hiding many things. This was clear from your body language. But what, we couldn't make out. See, a body language indication without any further proof doesn't mean anything. Hence Trisha closed the case. But I couldn't get over it. Hence the small foray into your personal domain. Call it investigation if you like!"
"So what's your deduction?" A small quiver gave away a lot of information.
Raghav leaned to her.
"Shall I tell you a story?
She nodded tearfully.
"The story of a naive innocent girl..."
Kumkum Bhagya
Tum Se Tum Tak
Sampoorna
Jhanak
