CHAPTER 23
There was an announcement that the delayed flight to Mumbai was due in another fifteen minutes. The announcement distracted Arjun and he saw Rathore walking towards them, which made him withdraw his hand from hers. Riya followed Arjun gaze and saw Rathore approaching them. She composed herself.
"Abhi abhi Inspector Shiwde ka phone aaya tha. Woh aadmi jisne Bhagwat pe goli chalayi thi, usse pakad liya hain. Shiwde ko ye kaam sopna sahi tha," Rathore said.
"Wahan koyi sunsaan building nahin tha Rathore, isliye uss aadmi ko woh apartments ko use karna pada. We were lucky, usse uss watchman ne dekhliye. Aur mujhe shak hain ki Aditya ko Mumbai mein hi maarne ki planning ki gayi thi," Arjun said.
"Inspector Rathi ka phone bhi aaya tha mujhe, bas thodi hi der pehle. Case local crime department ko transfer ho gayi hain. Yahan ke MPs ka case jo hain. Ab solve bhi tho ho gaya hain. Baaki proceedings woh samhalenge. Aur haan, tum sahi ho. Devilaal ne ab jaakar apna mooh khola hain. Rathi keh raha tha ki Aditya ko maarne ka pakka plan kardiya tha unhone. Mumbai me hi kaam khatam hone waali thi. Aditya pe attack hua tha Mumbai mein, Saumya ko school se pick up karne ke do ghante pehle. Goli se maarne ki koshish. Lekin woh bach gaya. Uske driver neb hi ye confirm kiya hain. Woh driver sach mein gaun jaane ke liye hi chutti lit hi. Kal shaam ko apna gaun jaane wala tha. Lekin kal subah 9 baje ke kareeb usse Aditya ka phone aaya aur woh Aditya ki madad karne chala gaya. Uska bahut wafadar jo tha."
Arjun was surprised, "Lekin Vikram net ho iss baare mein kuch nahin bataya, apne confession mein," saying so he frowned.
Rathore smirked, "Ek ke baad ek dheere dheere apna mooh khol rahe hain woh sab. VIPs hain, aur tum jaante ho kaise hote hain ye log. Lawyers ki fauj khadi hogayi hain wahan. Vikram confession ke time pe 'Bhool'(sarcasm) gaya hoga bechara. Varna.."
"Aditya Mumbai se Ajmer kyun vaapas jaayega? Jab uske upar Mumbai mein attack hua, tab jaake Aditya ne plan banayi hogi Mumbai mein nahin, Ajmer mein hi chup ne ki; Devilaal ki madad se. Right?" Arjun asked Rathore with a smirk.
"Haan. Devilaal usse mana nahin karpaya. Agar karta tho Aditya ko shak ho jata aur woh haath se nikal jata. Aur haan Aditya ko bhi hosh aa gaya hain. Uske treatment hothe hi usse custody mein le liya jaayega," Rathore gave Arjun all the information he had received from Inspector Rathi.
Riya was listening to their conversation with widened eyes, "Ab unn sab dandho ka kya sir?" she asked Rathore.
"Sab bandh ho jayenge. Har ek ko apne ganah ki saza milegi. Yahan ka sarkaar bhi bahut serious hain iss mamle ko lekar. Purushottam Bhati ruling party ke bahut important aadmi the. Aise controversies government ke liye bahut badi head ache hain. Aur iss waqt, jab opposition unpe kichad uchalne ke liye bilkul tayyar hain, woh isse jald se nipatlenge," Rathore said to Riya, "Case ko solve karke saare proofs unhe saup diya hain. Dekhenge kya hoga."
By now even Shree and Chotu had joined them. The final announcement was made and the team left to board the flight.
***
The next day morning:
Arjun woke up to continuous buzzing of his mobile. His eyes still shut, his hand searched for his mobile on the side table. He squinted at the screen to seen an unknown number flashing on the screen. He wondered who it was and answered the call.
He listened for a moment and cut the call with very 'pleasant' "Wrong number."
It was about 3 o' clock in the morning that he could finally get some sleep or whatever that was supposed to be. He looked at the watch to realize that he had overslept. It was already 9:00AM and that never happened before! He got up immediately and was about to get down the bed when he remembered Riya. He had made sure Riya reached home safe and sound. He was worried for her as she stayed alone. But something surprising was waiting for Riya and Arjun when they reached her place. Her Chaacha and Chaachi welcomed her into the house.
"Chaachi, aap log kab aaye?" Riya asked quite shocked to see them so suddenly.
"Kuch teen ghante pehle. Tumhare makaan maalik ne hamein chabiya dee hain. Tumse milna jo tha," her Chaachi said as she hugged Riya.
The man standing next to her turned towards Arjun and introduced himself estending his hand forward, "Kailaash Mukherjee, Riya ke Chaacha. It's pleasure to meet you ACP Arjun Suryakanth Rawte," he said Arjun just shook his hand and nodded, "TV mein dekha tha uss resort ke baare mein."
"Chaachaji, lekin baat kya hain?" Riya asked, praying that it must not be about Anurag.
"Mujhe ab chalna chahiye," Arjun said and turned towards Riya. She nodded and said, "Good night sir." He returned the pleasantry and left.
He called her up without any delay. She wasn't answering his call. With every passing second his became more and more impatient, "Phone uthao Riya!"
He called her again and this time to his relief the call was answered, "Riya? Why weren't you taking my call?"
Riya on the otherside was quite startled by his outburst, "Sir, woh main.."
"Khair woh sab chodo. Kahan ho tum?" he asked.
"Sir, main kisi personal kaam se bahar jaa rahin hoon. Maine Rathore sir ko inform kardiya hain ki main aaj dopahar ko duty join karungi."
"Theek hain," he paused for a moment and asked, "Are you fine?"
"Yes, sir. I'm fine," she hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, aap theek hain?"
"Haan. Main abhi rakhta hoon," he said and cut the call.
There was a sense of awkwardness all of a sudden. He wanted to ask her where she was going, why she was going. But he couldn't. He had to talk to her and he would. He sighed and got up from his bed to get ready for work.
Around 2:00PM in the afternoon:
"Sir, woh files jo aapne mange the," Shree said placing two files on the table with multiple folders in them. Arjun looked at those files and his blood started to boil. He got up from his place and moved the file that had Sikender's name on it. Rathore was eyeing him cautiously. Arjun's eyes were filled with so much anger and loathe for that person, that Rathore feared the possible distratrous outcome of Arjun-Sikender encounter. He sighed and tried to distract Arjun from that file, "Shree mujhe woh Sikender ka file pass karo."
Shree who was standing beside Arjun gulped and let out a meek, "Sir, ye file.."
Arjun shoved that file towards Rathore took the other file. He returned to his seat, his gaze fixed on the papers he was turning but his mind elsewhere.
That was when he heard the door open and Riya entered the room. The tension in the room increased ten fold and she could feel the vibes. She smiled at Shree who looked pretty worried. The team relaxed, seeing that Riya was feeling a lot better now.
Her eyes then fell on those files and it struck her that Sikender's case has finally come to them. She looked at Arjun. Arjun was trying real hard to control his anger, and didn't look at her.
Rathore decided to break the silence, "Ab sabhi yahaan hain tho.." he saw Arjun still uninterested in any discussion, "Yahan dhayan de tho behtar hoga. Main har kisiko invitation nahin dene wala hoon."
That grabbed Arjun's attention. He threw the file onto the table and stared at Rathore with a blank expression. Riya took her seat and so did Shree and Chotu.
"Riya and Shree, I want all this information segregated. Koi research karni pade, tho Riya tum dekh lena. Shree, Sikender ke file mein kuch naam hain jo marked hain," Arjun interrupted Rathore, "Isme bhi.." he said and pushed the file he was going through towards Shree. Rathore continued, "Unke baare mein jitna bhi information collect kar sakte ho karo."
Arjun had another file with him. He opened it and pulled out a paper, "Chotu isme kuch naam aur details hain. Tumhare informers ko alert kardo. Agar kahin koyi bhi movement hoga, tho sabse pehle khabar inhe milegi. Right now, sabhi chuhon ki tarah chupe huye hain. Lekin bahar zaroor aayenge."
"Yes sir," Chotu said taking the paper from him.
"Aur iss resort ke case ke reports phirse kholo. Usme ek naam aaya tha, Anurag. Uske baare mein pata lagana hain. Sikender ke case se hi juda hain woh naam bhi. Pakki information hain," Rathore said.
"Rathore, tumne kahan ki movement akhri baar Kolkata mein trace hua hain, uske baad kuch nahin. Hamein wahan se bhi investigation shuru karni padegi. Inn pandrah dino mein kuch tho hua hoga," Arjun said.
"Orders pass ho gaye hain. Wahan ki Crime Branch hamari madad karengi isme. Agar zaroorat padi tho hamein split hona hoga, ya phir Kolkata jana bhi padega. Aur haan, wahan ek slum mein kal raat ko ek bahut badi aag lagi thi jisme ek bada godown aur aas paas ke kuch ghar jal gaye. Koi casualties nahin huyi aur talashi lene par unn godowns mein kuch mila nahin, sivai kuch burnt containers ke. Wahan ke crime branch ne pehle se hi apne kuch informers ko alert karke rakha tha. Unhe mili information ke hisaab se wahan kuch illegal firearms ko chipaya jaaraha tha. Police uspe raid karne hi waali thi aur ye sab hua," Rathore briefed his discussion with the Commissioner.
"Zahir si baat hain. Force main koi hain jo unn criminals ki madad kar raha hain. Crime Branch mein. Aise mein hum unpe viswaas kaise kare aur usse bhi important baat, uss gaddaar ko immediately pakadna hoga," Arjun said with a frown on his face.
"Lekin kisi bhi tarah ka evidence nahin jisse hum ye pata laga sake aakhir hua kya tha. Ye bhi possible hain ki ye godowns Sikender se related nahin hain. Jaise maine kahan tha, hamein wahan jaana hoga. Kaun jaayega ye decision Commissioner sir lenge. Kal subah 9 baje, Commissioner office," Rathore said getting up from his place, "Shree aur Riya, tumhare kaam pe lag jao. Fast. Main, Rawte commissioner office ja rahe hain."
About five hours later:
Shree finally collapsed in the chair and his fingers refused to touch the laptop no matter what. Riya closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. She had to take care of so many issues that morning and now she was completely exhausted!
Chotu also helped Shree and Riya with the files and paperwork. Finally, all the information was refined and ready to use!
Riya got up from her chair and and walked towards a particular folder she had separated from the stack. The name on the folder read, "Roshni Arjun Rawte".
Roshni Arjun Rawte, the name echoed in her ears and she felt dizzy. That was how it was supposed to be, if fate hadn't played it's cruel game.
Arjun belonged to her Taayi! She was trying her best to get rid of that guilt piling up in her.. It felt so easy for her, when she decided to never leave his side; when she accepted her love for him; when she was so happy to see that change in him.
But now.. she began to wonder if it was guilt that brought about such a change in Arjun? Also, now knowing that he was the man her Taayi loved made it all the more difficult for her. It wasn't getting any easier for her'
Arjun walked into the room and stopped in his path when he saw Riya staring at a particular folder. It wasn't difficult for him to guess whose folder it was.
She put it down and sighed. She turned towards the door and saw Arjun standing there.
Shree and Chotu arranged everything and were ready to leave for the day. "Riya, chale?" Shree asked Riya, as he hadn't noticed Arjun.
But when he did notice the both of them, "Theek hain Riya. Main aur Chotu chalte hain. Take care." He smiled and signaled Chotu to come with him.
After they left Arjun said, "Main gaadi mein wait karta hoon. Tum apni cheeze leke aa jao."
"Aap chaliye sir main aati hoon," she said.
In the washroom:
Riya splashed water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. All she could remember was her promise to her Taayi!
"Lekin kya main ye vaada nibha paaungi?" she asked herself.
"Kyun nahin nibha paogi?" she heard her own voice reverberate in the room. She looked around and then at the mirror.
"Jab tumhe nahin pata tha ki Arjun sir ki wife Taayi thi, tab tho tum sahin thi. Lekin ab kyun ye guilt? Kya Taayi nahin chahegi ki Arjun sir khush rahe? Kya tum nahin chahti ho ki woh khush rahe? Tum unse pyaar karti ho, koi gunah nahin kar rahi ho. Tum bhi ye baat jaanti ho!"
She splashed water on her face once again. Yes, her Taayi would want to see Arjun happy again! Of course she would, because Roshni loved him. And that dream, it was an indication, a sign! She shouldn't feel guilty about it! But, Arjun sir..
She had to talk to him, because all these thoughts and doubts were suffocating her.
And she didn't have her Taayi to soothe her pain. She wanted her back! Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Ye kaisi duvidha mein daldiya hain bhagvaan ne.. Why?"
She composed herself as she knew Arjun was waiting for her in the car.
She quickle left the office and got into the car, "Sir, chaliye."
Arjun was silent all along and so was Riya. Neither of them knew that they had the same thing on their mind. There were issues that have to be sorted out.
When they reached Riya's house what Riya saw terrified her. She knew this was coming, but didn't expect it this way. Specially not when Arjun was with her. Arjun saw the sudden change in Riya and followed her gaze. He saw a guy maybe in his late twenties sitting on the steps in Riya's portico, drunk with the bottle still in his hand. Arjun immediately realized that something had gone horribly wrong that morning which resulted in this.
Riya tried to exit the SUV, but Arjun stopped her, "Main bhi aata hoon."
"Sir lekin.." Riya tried to protest but Arjun had already unbuckled his seat belt and was getting out of the SUV.
PRECAP:
"Kyun? Aap achanak aise badal kyun gaye? Kyun fikar karte hain meri itna? Why?" she demanded him. She needed answers.
"Riya meri baat suno.." Arjun tried to pacify her.
"Nahin sir. Iss baar nahin. Aapko batana hoga..! Pata nahi kyun lekin darr lagne laga hain. Ek ghutan si shuru hogayi hain, jo pehle kabhi nahin hua. Mujhse ab bardasht nahin hota hain!" she said as tears welled up in her eyes.
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I'm extremely sorry for the delay. But it was so difficult to build a chapter that was going to introduce a new phase of the story. It took me so much time for me to write it! I kept writing and deleting; and finally decided to post this. I really hope you guys like it. If you din't I'm extremely sorry. But please leave your comments! (Sorry, if there are any technical errors..)
Anshul tweeted recently that food tastes much better after completing the script. I'm sure it does, now that I know how the feeling is.. 😉 I'm off to have my lunch and I hope you'd enjoy reading this chapter!
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