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Chapter Three
The end of everything...
Throughout their journey to Malad, Daya could not help thinking about what happened last night.
Vikash, that' s what Abhijeet has mentioned has mentioned the name and that too so painfully. He has never heard the name of Vikash from Abhijeet's lips until yesterday.
What has happened in his past for which Abhijeet still feels pain even now?
Daya felt his eyes being threatened by tears which were trying to overcome his vision. It was as if he was feeling Abhijeet's pain and sorrow. Pain for the fact that he could not help his best friend overcome that grief which was caused by this so called Vikash many years back.
Never for a moment, he thought that Abhijeet is being betrayed by someone whom he trusted more than his own life. The way that Abhijeet carries himself is so perfect that nobody can suspect of his once loss. Perhaps, Daya muses, that even ACP sir did not knew until now. Why, even he himself did not know, being his closest friend until yesterday.
Wiping his tears discreetly, so that Kajal and Sachin won't notice notice, he vows to find this so called Vikash. But finding Abhijeet is more important now.
But what he could not understand was why Abhijeet has never told him about Vikash in all these past fourteen years. All this time they have been together but never even once has the name of Vikash passed through Abhijeet's lips.
Sachin and Kajal both noticed their senior, Daya who seems to be deep in thought, finally sharing a glance.
Kajal finally takes the initiative.
Kajal (curious) : Kya hua, sir ? Aap kuch pareshan se lag rahe hai ?
Daya (startled) : Kuch nahi, Kajal. Main baas aise hi kuch soch raha tha.
Sachin (curious) : Vikash ke bare mein ?
Daya : Haan. Yeh soch raha hoon ki Abhijeet ne mujshe kabhi kisi Vikash ke bare mein nahi bataya. Na hi main yeh jaanta hoon ki Vikash ke naam ka koi khabri bhi tha. Abhijeet ne kabhi bhi mujshe bataya nahi.
Sachin (surprised) : Aisa bhi toh ho sakta hai ki Abhijeet sir ne shayaad aapse kehna bhool gaye hai iss Vikash ke bare mein.
Daya (shaking his head) : Nahi, Sachin. Mujse aisa nahi lagta. Yeh kuch aur hi baat hai'.jo Abhijeet mujshe chupa raha tha'pata nahin kyun'kya who mujshe itna shaq ki naazar se dekhte hai?
Both Sachin and Kajal feels sad to hear the tone of sadness in his voice. Still they do not have anything to console Daya with. For a few minutes inside the car, a pensive atmosphere lingers.
Daya (talks to himself suddenly startling them) : Agar batana nahi chahte the toh theek hai, maat batayo, par aise gayaab hone ka kya matlaab nikale hum. Kaamse kaam kuch to bata kar jaate, aise kyun bina batakar chale gaye? ( More to himself) Tumhe pata bhi hai hum saab logo ko kitna fikaar ho raha hai tumahare bare mein'. Kaamse kaam ek baar to aa jaao' Sirf ek baar'..
Sachin (determined) : Sir, aap chinta maat kijiye. Hum log Abhijeet sir ke baare mein pata laga ke hi rahenge chahe humari jaan kyu na dene pare.
Kajal (also determined) : Haan sir. Hum pata laga ke hi rahenge.
Without saying word, Daya determinedly drives his quallis towards Malad, knowing fully well that none of them from the CID team will leave any stone unturned in finding Abhijeet.
''''''''''''''..
Here, outside the bureau, all the three are staring transfixedly at ACP Pradyuman, the three being Fredricks, Vivek and Nikhil.
Fredricks (shocked) : Yeh aap kya keh rahe hai sir? Abhijeet sir ne resign kar diya? Yeh kaise ho sakta hai or yeh baat DIG sir ko kaise pata?
ACP : Abhijeet ko pata tha ki main uska resignation letter kabhi nahi leta or agar leta bhi hoon, toh pharke waste bin mein phek deta. Isliye woh seedha DIG sir ke paas apna resignation letter de diya.
Vivek : Par Abhijeet sir ne aisa kyu kiya or kab kiya? Abhijeet sir toh kaal humare saath hi-
ACP, Fredricks and Nikhil looks at him when they saw Vivek staring blankly.
Vivek (in a trance) : Tabhi toh Abhijeet sir jaldi''aur Daya sir'..
ACP (urgently) : Kya hua Vivek? Tum kuch kehna chahte ho?
Vivek(coming to his senses) : Sir, kaal aap jab shaam ko kuch kaam ke liye nikaal gaye the tabhi thori der baad Abhijeet sir bhi nikaal gaye the yeh keh kar ki unhe kahi urgent jaana hai. Daya sir ne kaha tha ki woh Abhijeet sir ko drop kar dega par Abhijeet sir ne saaf mana kar diya yeh keh kar ki woh akela hi chala jayega.
Fredricks (now remembering) : Haan sir, aur tabse Abhijeet sir bureau mein laut ke waapas nahi aaye. Hum sabko yehi lage ki shayaad Abhijeet sir apne ghar gaye honge. Humne Daya sir se poocha bhi tha par unhone yeh kaha ki shayaad Abhijeet sir kahi door gaye honge kyunki Daya sir ne Abhijeet sir ko phone karne ki koshish ki thi aur tab Abhijeet sir ka mobile out of range bata raha tha.
At Fredricks' answer, ACP simply sighs and shakes his head.
Nikhil : Kya hua sir?
ACP : Mujshe pata nahi tha ki Abhijeet kuch aisa karne waala tha aur woh bhi itna planning ke saath.
Vivek : Kya matlaab sir ?
ACP (looking directly in their eyes) : Vivek, Abhijeet aam aadmi ke taraah kabhi nahi sochta. Tum Abhijeet ko nahi jaante. Woh sab kuch poore planning ke saath karte hai. Tumhe pata hai usse itna jaldi Inspector se Senior Inspector kyun promotion mila. Issi dimaag ki liye. Vivek, Daya ko toh main samaj sakta hoon par Abhijeet ko abhi bhi samaajne mein thora waqt lagta hai. Usse harkaat to paar nazaar rakh kar bhi kehna muskil hai ki woh next kya karne wala hai.
Tumhe logo ko kya laga woh Abhijeet ka mobile out of range baar baar kyu dikha raha tha? Yeh Abhijeet apne paas ek phone jammer rakha hoga tabhi toh uska mobile out of range bol raha tha.
Aur rahi baat uski door jaane ki, yeh sab bhi Abhijeet ke plan hi hai. Taki woh ussi samay ke bich Delhi ja saake kyunki Mumbai se Delhi itna door nahi hai, sirf do ghaante ki doori par hai agar flight se jaaye toh. Haalaki mobile off karna parta hai plane mein, Abhijeet ka mobile out of range bata raha tha , iska matlaab yehi hua ki usne apna mobile kisi ke paas rakha hoga jammer ke saath taki kisiko shaq karne ka mauka hi nahi mile aur jise bhi usko call kare toh yehi lage ki Abhijeet kahi door hai kyunki mobile toh out of range hi batayega jammer ke kaaran.
After hearing ACP's explanation, nobody knows what to say. Suddenly ACP's voice cuts the silent atmosphere.
ACP (to the three) : Tum teeno Abhijeet ke ghar jao aur pata karo padoshiyo se ki kaal raat Abhijeet ghar pe aaye the ya nahi ? Aur haan, kuch bhi ajeeb baat pata chale toh mujshe toorant batana. Main yaha bureau mein rukta hoon, Ajay ke liye bureau mein toh koi na koi hona chahiye.
ACP is about to go when Nikhil's voice stops him.
Nikhil (hesitatingly) : Sir, hum baaki logo ko kya jawab denge ?
ACP turns and looks at them for a few seconds before turning back again and goes inside the bureau. Though ACP Pradyuman did not spoke a word, they could clearly see the pain behind his eyes at having to lose Abhijeet, whom he always cared and loved more than his own son.
''''''''''''''''''
After a silent journey, Daya, Sachin and Kajal reached Malad. After asking for directions from a paaserby, they finally reached the destined village.
From what they could see, it clearly shows that the village though quite small, looks quite happy and prosperous. Yet, for some reason, the trio could not shake the feeling that something is hidden deep within the greens of the village, waiting to be found.
Getting down from the car and finding no one around them, they decided to go to a nearby hut. Daya was just about to knock when they heard footsteps behind them. Turning back, they saw a middle aged man looking at them curiously.
Man (brimming with curiousity) : Aap log kaun hai ? Kisi se milna hai aapko ?
Day (looks at the man from bottom to top) : Haan...waise aap...
Man (smiling) : Mera naam Bhola hai, yaha paas uss ghar mein rehta hoon (points to a good looking house nearby). Boliye aap logo ko kis se milna hai ? Vikash se milna hai aapko ?
Daya (alert and suspicious) : Yeh baat aapko kaise pata chala ki hum log Vikash se milne aaye hai ?
Bhola : Yeh Vikash se milne sirf aap log hi nahi aaye hai. Pehle bhi, usse milne do aur log aate the.
The trio are shocked to hear the revealation from him. Daya shows the photo of Abhijeet.
Daya (urgently and showing the photo) : Kya unn dono me se koi ek yeh tha ?
Bhola (keenly looking at the photo) : Nahi sahaab. Yeh aadmi woh nahi hai. Woh aadmi toh koi aur hi tha. Dekhne me toh kisi aache ghar ke lagte hai.
Kajal : Aur woh doosra aadmi ? Uska kya ?
Bhola : Madamji, aadmi nahi balki larki.
Sachin (suprised) : Kya !!! Ek larki ??
Bhola (remembering) : Haan sahaab. Woh dono aksaar Vikash se milne aaya karte the.
Daya : Accha, aap aab yeh bataye ki kya aap ko poori aachi tarah se unn dono ka chehra yaad hai.
Bhola : Jyaada toh yaad nahi, par jitna yaad hai woh main aap logo ko bata sakta hoon.
Daya : Theek hai. ( To Sachin) Sachin, tum jaldi jao aur ek sketch artist ko bula ke lao.
Sachin goes off for his designated task.
Daya ( to Bhola) : Accha, kya aap yeh bata sakte hai ki woh dono Vikash ke saath kya karte the'.. mera matlaab yeh hai ki kaha milte the ya kya karte the ?
Bhola (shaking his head) : Nahi sahaab. Jab woh dono aate the toh woh Vikash ko hamesha aapne gaari mein kahi leke jaate the aur haan, hamesha Vikash teen ghante ke baad aapne ghar pohoj jaata tha. Vikash hamesha subaah 6 baaje unn dono ke saath jaate the aur 9 baaje waapas aate the. Usse subaah jaate huye hamesha mein dekhta hoon aur laut te samaay mein meri biwi dekhte hai kyunki main hamesha 8 baaje kaam ke liye nikaal jaata hoon.
Just then, Sachin comes with the sketch artist and in a few minutes, the sketches of both the persons are made.
Kajal (showing the sketches to Bhola) : Aapko poora yakeen hai ki woh dono yeh dono hi hai ?
Bhola (confident) : Ji madamji. Yeh dono hi the.
Daya : Accha, aap ek aur baat bataye. Aapne inn dono ko akhri baar kaab dekha tha ?
Bhola ( remembering) : Inn dono ko maine aakhri baar parsho'.haan, parsho subaah dekha tha.
Kajal : Aur ek baat. Aapne humse yeh kaha tha ki yeh do log iss Vikash se aakshar milne aate the, toh aakshar matlaab ? Mera matlaab hai, haar roz aate the ya kabhi kabhi ?
Bhola (remembering) : Nahi, madamji. Haar roz nahi, balki ek saphtah mein teen bar aate the yani ki ek mahine mein teen char baar aate the. Aur woh bhi hamesha alaag alaag gaari main.
Sachin : Accha, aap ek aur baat bataiye. Yeh Vikash karta kya tha ?
Bhola : Yeh Vikash kya karta tha koi nahi jaanta. Jab usse koi poochta tha toh woh baat ko taala deta tha.
Daya : Aur uska bhai, Aakash ? Woh bhi kuch karta tha ya aise hi'.?
Bhola (surprised) : Aakash ? Kaun Aakash ? Vikash ka door door tak nahi koi bhai ya rishtedaar tha. Woh akel hi rehta tha yaha.
The trio looks at each other surprised.
Kajal : Par yeh kaise ho sakta hai ?
Bhola : Haan madamji. Yehi saach hai. Vikash ka koi bhai nahi tha. Woh hamesha yaha akela hi rehta tha.
Sachin (whispering to Daya) : Tab toh sir, jaroor kuch na kuch garbaar hai. ACP sir ka khabri ne toh hume yehi bataya tha ki Vikash ke saath saath uska bhai Aakash ka bhi maut ho gaya hai.
Daya (also whispering) : Hmmm''. Daal mein jaroor kuch kaala hai. (Now talks to Bhola at a normal volume) Accha, who sab kuch theek hai, par kya aap hume uss jagah pe le ja sakte hai jaha Vikash rehte the ?
Bhola takes them through various twists and turns, finally reaching Vikash's house, only to stop dead in their tracks. They could not believe their eyes at the scene which was unfolded before them. Everything has been burnt down to cinders. Seeing the scene before them, all their hopes were dashed in finding anything which could lead them further towards this case. Still, they tried to find anything, but in vain. They could not find a single thing, like a piece of string or a button. Nothing, they could not find anything.
Sachin (to Daya) : Nahi, sir . Aisa yaha kuch bhi nahi mila jisse hum kuch pata lage saake ki yaha kya hua tha.
Kajal : Haan sir. Yaha toh sab kuch jaal kar khaag ho gaya. Haar jagaah dhoonda, par kahi bhi kuch bhi nahi mila.
Sachin (to Daya) : Sir, aab hum kya kare ? Hum toh phir se wohi pe aa gaye jaha se shuru kiya ha.
Sachin and Kajal both looks back to see Daya pulling his gloves in a trance, all the while looking at the heap of ashes of what has been once the house of Vikash.
Suudenly, Daya looks at Bhola.
Daya (to Bhola) : Aapka bohot bohot shukriya. Aapne humari kaafi madat ki.
Bhola (smiling) : Aare nahi nahi, sahaab. Isme shukriye kis baat ki. Yeh toh mera farz tha. Aaye, mai aap logo ko aapke gaari tak chorke aata hoon. Mana maat kijiyega.
Having no choice, they goes with Bhola.
Bhola (to the trio) : Waise mujshe yeh baat samaj me nahi aa raha hai ki koi bhala Vikash ko kyun marega. Woh larka toh kabhi kisi se saath jyaada baat bhi nahi karta tha. Phir koi kyun'''
Daya looks at the man. Though he looks to be simple, his mind seems to be sharp, but even he himself could not help thinking what Bhola has said.
No, perhaps they were missing something. Various questions arose in his mind like
1. What does Vikash has to do anything with Abhijeet ?
2. Who has killed Vikash and why ?
3. If this Vikash was Abhijeet's informer, then why did Abhijeet kept him as a secret from his closest friend ?
But one thing keeps on coming in his mind every now and then. Is Vikash's death somehow related to Abhijeet's sudden disappearance ? Now, as he muses that his mind is not able to grasp the sudden happenings around him but his heart seems to to be telling him that somehow Vikash and Abhijeet seems to be working on something together. And whatever they seems to be doing, it looks like that some third party also knows their motive. If they have wiped Vikash from their way, then most likely Abhijeet will be next on their list without any doubt.
No, as Abhijeet's closest friend and as a fellow CID officer, he cannot let that happen, no matter what happens. But the main problem is that no one, not even he himself knows wher Abhijeet is at this moment. For anyone knows, Abhijeet could even be kidnapped or dea-'
No, he tells himself firmly as he stops his train of thoughts. He knows that Abhijeet is not someone to be taken lightly. He is someone who can strike back at any time when given the chance, always waiting for the right moment. Why, many times, as far as he knows, Abhijeet has even come back from the jaws of death unscathed.
Now, squaring his shoulders, he makes himself determined to find out the connection between Vikash's death and Abhijeet's sudden disappearance .
Finally, reaching the quallis, the trio again thanks Bhola profusely, finally moving on.
Sachin (to Daya, noticing him deep in thoughts) : Sir, kya hua ? Aap kuch soch rahe hai ?
Daya : Pata nahi, Sachin, par mujshe kyu aisa lag raha hai ki humare haath se kuch choot raha hai par nazar nahi aa raha hai' Aisa kuch hai jo humare abhi bhi pakaar ke baahar hai'.Par samaj mein nahi aa raha hai ki aakhir woh hai kya ? Aur tum logo ne ek ajeeb baat notice kiya ?
Kajal (curious) : Kya sir ?
Daya : Pata nahi, par mujhe aisa lag raha ki shayaad kahi na kahi is Vikash ki maut or Abhijeet ki gayaab hona, kahi na kahi, jaaror koi baara coonection hai. Tabhi toh ek ki maut aur doosra gaayab'.
Aab mujshe dheere dheere yaad aa raha hai ki pichle kayi dino se Abhijeet ko haar roz kaafi baar bureau se nikalte huye dekha tha, jab koi case nahi hota tha tab bhi. Tab maine dhyan nahi diya tha, par aab aisa lag raha hai ki shayaad Abhijeet iss Vikash ko milne jaate honge. Lekin kis baat ke liye''
Sachin : Shayaad, sir, aisa bhi toh ho sakta hai ki Abhijeet sir koi case pe kaam kar rahe the.
Daya : Nahi Sachin, agar aisa baat hota toh ACP sir ko jaroor pata hota par ACP sir ko dekhar toh yeh nahi lagta ki Abhijeet koi case pe kaam kar rahe hai hume bina bataye.
Kajal : Haan sir, yeh baat toh hai. Aur ek baat, yeh dono hai kaun (and looks at the sketches). Kahi inn dono ka haath toh nahi hai Abhijeet sir ki gayaab hone mein ?
Shayaad yeh dono Abhijeet sir ko pakar ne mein kahi uss Vikash ke paas toh nahi gaye the ? Aur agar woh dono kuch aur hi kaam ke liye uss Vikash ke paas gaye the toh Abhijeet sir ko iss baat ki khabar the ya nahi ki jo aadmi Abhijeet sir aaksar milne jaaya karte the, ussi aadmi ko milne ke liye koi aur bhi aata tha.
Sachin : Haan sir, aur ek baat. Uss Bhola na hume kaha tha ki Vikash se milne do log aate the par kabhi Abhijeet sir ko uss mein jaate huye nahi dekha. Toh yeh baat toh pakki hai ki Abhijeet sir iss Vikash se milne kahi aur jaate the.
Par ek baat toh hai, yehi ki yeh do log Abhijeet sir ko jaante the ya nahi. Agar jaante the toh hai kaun woh dono aur agar nahi jaante the, toh kya Abhijeet sir ko iss baat ki khabar the ki unke khabri se milne koi aur doosra log bhi aate jaate the.
Not a word comes from anyone of them, each one realising that none of them have the answers to these questions.
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