Arjun let go off her, but still crouched beside, looking to see whether she was alright. Mira was immobile for a minute. She had felt his arms around her, in that moment she felt safe, protected. She hadn't felt that way in a long time. And the fact that it was him, Arjun sir, who was always so annoyed with her...She snapped out of it and straightened up. "I'm fine Sir, Thank..."
Before she could finish however, he had gotten up, his face stern. "Pay attention and be aware of your surroundings, it's the most important part of this job Miss Sharma." With that parting shot he walked away, brushing away at his shirt, while she stared at him in disbelief. And...Curtainrod Rawte was back, she thought, as Rathod, Shree and Chottu rushed up to her.
Rathod- Are you ok Mira? Did the glass...
Mira- I'm ok sir, thanks to Arjun sir.
Rathod- Good. Thank god he was nearby...
Shree- What was he saying to you anyway?
Mira murmured under her breath- Indirectly telling me to grow a pair of eyes on the back of my head I guess...
Rathod- Kya?
Mira- Ah! Kuch nahi sir...kuch nahi!!!
Chottu brought over the guy who was responsible for the whole mess. He was staggering and stumbling even though Chottu held him firmly. They could see that he was drunk like a fish. He reeked of alcohol and sweat.
Rathod- Who the hell is he, and how did he get in?? Are there no constables posted at the back door?
Chottu- Sir, there was one, but he stepped away for a moment it seems...
Rathod looked like he would like to throw a few bottles of his own at the constable in question.
Chottu- And this is Joseph D'callo, the ex manager of this club.
Rathod-ex?
Chottu- Yes sir, according to the current manager, Samar Bhalla. He says Joseph was fired 3 weeks ago.
Rathod- Why?
Chottu- because of his...drinking problem...
Shree- If he was fired, what is he doing here?
They all looked at the man, hoping to ask him, however, they saw that at this point he wasn't going to speak much.
Rathod- Chottu, take him into custody, and keep a watch on him. We can question him only when he's sober.
Chottu took him away, as Arjun had walked over to join them.
Rathod- We have finished questioning everyone here more or less. Let's analyze what we know so far. Mira, the body?
Mira- No identification on him. No cell phone. All I could find where, a set of keys and this paper with the address of the club. He has a lot of blood on his undershirt, but no cuts or wounds anywhere on his body. The blood does look dried though and seems to have got on his shirt at different times, but I need to do the tests to determine anything further. There were traces of blood on his fingertips too, at some point he had blood on his hands, which he washed off. I also found a fragment of something on his shirt...
Arjun- A fragment of something?
Mira- Something yes.
Arjun- What is that something?
Mira- I don't know, which is why I refer to it as 'something' sir.
Arjun- Then it should be referred to as unidentified object, shouldn't it?
Mira- It's easier to call it something, so...
Arjun- It's not a question of easy or...
Rathod- Stop it both of u!!! This is not a debate ground!! Mira, the COD?
Mira glared at Arjun for a moment before answering. "As I was saying, I have to test to determine the unidentified object, but cause of death is the puncture wound on his arm I believe. He seems to have been injected with something, maybe poison. I found no syringe nearby, and as for time of death, I would estimate to be around 3-4 hours before...around 1 pm or so...but we can only be sure after the autopsy.
Rathod- Hm...Shree, send the body for autopsy...Now, for what we know from the club staff and the others...
Arjun-The club opens its doors at 5.30pm. However, the manager, DJ, bartenders, and some other staff come in at around 2.30 pm every day, to set up the club for the evening. Sometimes, some of the frequent customers of the club, there are called VIP clubbies or something to that effect, they come in early as well. Private lounge rooms are arranged for them, those 2 guys and the 2 women with them, they were today's VIPs. They were celebrating their friend's birthday and thought of having a private celebration before all their other friends came in for the party at night in the club. So by prior agreement, they came in with the staff, and one of the bartenders had just stepped behind the bar, to mix them their drinks, when he discovered the body.
Rathod- No one has been able to identify the body, they all say they have never seen him before. Nobody in the area saw him come into the club, he doesn't look dressed to be in this sort of a place either.
Arjun- But there must be some connection with why he was here. Why his body was here. That is what we have to find.
Rathod- But before that, the most important thing. Who is he. Shree, send his photo across to all the local police stations. Maybe someone has reported him missing. Aur Rawte, tum aur Mira, CG Corp ke offices jao.
Mira- CG Corp?
Arjun- It's the company which owns Club Mute and several other clubs in the city.
Rathod- Right. Talk to the owner and see if you can find something. Main aur Shree yahan ke baaki poochtaach karte hai.
Arjun looked rather reluctant to take Mira with him, as Rathod noted when they walked away. Shree too saw it, and he asked Rathod "Sir, maybe you shouldn't have sent them together. I mean...they don't seem to see eye to eye."
Rathod- Which is exactly why they need to be sent together. This is a team, and the sooner they learn to work with each other, the better...Come on now, we have work to do.
Shree- Right Sir.
Rathod- Wait, do you have the set of keys from the victim?
Shree took out the evidence bag which Mira had given him and held it out to Rathod " Here sir."
Rathod took it and checked through the keys, until he found the one he was looking for.
"A bike key"
Shree- Iska matlab...
Rathod- He must have come in on his own bike...which should be around here somewhere...and if we can locate it...then we can check the registration with the motor vehi..
Shree- And we can identify him!!!
Rathod- let's go Shree.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Arjun and Mira had arrived at the offices of CG Corp. The ride had been silent, with neither of them saying a single word to each other. While it was awkward to her, and she kept glancing at him intermittently, he stared straight ahead as usual for him, all through the drive. Even now, as they stood surveying the modern 4 storied building that housed the CG Corporation, they didn't say anything to each other, and walked inside.
As they waited for the elevator in the busy reception area, Mira finally gave up and spoke "Sir!!!" She had spoken a bit too loud on the spur of the moment and people around them stopped in their tracks to stare at the two of them. Even Arjun was slightly taken aback, and looked at her as if she had lost it. Mira realised what she had done and looked at Arjun apologetically. "Erm..Sorry Sir...Woh main..."
Arjun ignored her and got into the elevator, while she quickly followed him. Again they stood in the silence punctuated only by the music playing in the elevator. Mira tried again "Fol Chen's In Ruins...I haven't heard the instrumental version before...good choice don't you think?"
Arjun looked at her, and stabbed the level 4 button. Mira sighed and said "Sir. I just wanted to say thank you for what happened in the club, and sorry for...the reception thing...and who are we going to see?"
Arjun- C.Garewal, CEO of this company.
Typical she thought, that he would ignore all the other points in her sentence. "Does Mr. Garewal know we are coming?
Arjun- The inspector called ahead to let him know.
They stepped off the elevator, and as Arjun had said, they were expected. Garewal's PA ushered them in saying "Ms. Garewal is waiting for you officers.
Arjun & Mira both spoke at the same time "Miss?"
A voice spoke from inside the main office. "Yes, Miss Garewal"
The assistant closed the door behind them, and they sat across elegant and smartly dressed lady in front of them. She looked to be in her late twenties to early thirties, but there seemed to be a charm and maturity exuding from her, that was beyond her years.
Arjun- ACP Arjun Rawte, yeh Samaira Sharma. Hum ETF se hai.
Chaya- Mein Chaya Garewal, CEO of CG Corporation
Mira- So you are the C in CG, in C.Garewal...
Chaya smiled- Yes. You see, I realised when I started out, that people tend to give a woman less attention and less credit. In the business world, C. Garewal carried more weight than Chaya Garewal.
Arjun- Impressive, if I may say so. To be the head of a big enterprise like this, by the time you are just...
Chaya- 31...I started this company 2 years ago. I saw the potential in clubbing as a business and worked on the idea till I had the plan for Club Mute. Two of them opened last year, and 3 more this year. By 2015, it's expected to expand to Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, and most major cities.
Arjun- Except, there's been a murder at your latest club.
Chaya looked grim. "Though I have no idea about those circumstances, I assure you that I'll do everything I can from my side to help in your investigation. Even my name and the reputation of my business is at stake, and it is in my interests to clear it."
Mira- Do you recognize this man?
She showed Chaya the picture of the dead man, who looked at it closely and then shook her head.
Chaya- I have never seen him before.
Arjun- And you have no idea what he could be doing in your club.
Chaya- Not one. I understand none of the club staff recognized him either?
Arjun- That's right. We were hoping that you could help us to identify him.
Chaya- I am sorry I couldn't be of help.
Arjun- Acha yeh batiye, why did you fire your old club manager Joseph D'callo?
Chaya- He was a drunkard. On the job, off the job, he was almost never sober. I warned him a couple of times, but when I saw there was no change, I fired him, three weeks ago. Samar Bhalla is the new manager. He's quite efficient.
Arjun- Yes, we met him. One last thing Ms. Garewal. Do you have any business rivals, anybody who was threatening you or the like?
Chaya- no...There's no one like that...
Arjun- That's all then...we'll take your leave...
Mira- Thank you for your time..
Chaya- Of course..It's my duty...
At the door, Mira turned back "One tiny tiny thing...not related to the case, but..."
Chaya- Yes?
Mira- In the elevator, as we came up...I couldn't help but notice, the music, In Ruins...who chose that?
Chaya- I did, as a matter of fact.
Mira smiled- Ah. I see now why your clubs are such a hit. You have impeccably good taste.
Chaya smiled back- Thank you very much.
"Samaira." Her name flowed out from between his clenched teeth and
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
Bindi
786