Memories of a Shadow ~ A Short Story Discontinued - Page 2

~Chapter 4~

3 days later:

Forensic lab:

Tarika walked into the forensic lab with a sheaf of papers in her hand. She saw Vaibhav and his assistant standing by her station. They looked up hearing her come in

"Dr. Tarika??"

" Uh... I was looking for Dr.Salunkhe.."

"He just left to see ACP sir"

"Oh Ok...I will go to the bureau then thank you"

As she turned to leave, he said

"I am sorry for that day, Dr.Tarika, I really did not mean to hurt you. We did our best with the evidence we had."

"Hm , it's ok"

He walked close to her and said softly

"You were my mentor when I was here, more than that you were my friend, can I ask you a personal question?"

"What?"

"Do you still love him?"

She shut her eyes the feel of his lips still fresh on hers.

"Why do you ask??"

"I saw your face when ACP sir suspended Abhijeet sir. You still love him don't you?"

"I don't think it's anybody's business"

"It's not... I... uh... I just wanted to know"

"Great, I'll take your leave"

As she left, he took out his phone and sent a message

"She is still on his side. I don't think I can extract much from her. I can try pitching her against him though. "

*****

Somewhere in Mumbai:

The sun trying to penetrate through the thickly veiled room cast the shadow of a man playing chess on a faded wall. The man struck the knight down and said

"The pawn is gone, the rook slaughtered, the bishop slain, the knight is useless. Oh Well, I still have my queen. You ready, my pretty darling?"

"As ever, my king"

He laughed bitterly

"I am not your king, you know that pretty well"

"You rescued me. I can dare to hope."

He pulled her towards him, carressed her face and whispered softly

"You will be rewarded when the task is complete. You are the only one I trust now."

"I won't let you down"

*****

Bureau:

Daya rushed into the bureau and directly into his boss's cabin.

"Sir, I have it... here it is..."

"Daya?"

"Yes sir, you asked for proofs, here is the proof"

"Proof?"

"Yes... we... uh... I took Shreya's help..."

He turned around and Shreya walking in calmly with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, sir... Task complete..."

"Task?"

"I asked her to help... now tell me what have you got?"

Daya lifted an eyebrow at Shreya and she just winked at him. Nodding his head, he turned to ACP and said

"Sir, here is what happened in 7 minutes, Abhijeet left around 20.55, he then stopped at the nearby tea shop at 20.58. It was at the main road and the traffic cameras there captured him sipping tea and chatting until around 21.20. He then left in his car in the opposite direction of the crime scene, he has received a message at 21.23 and at that time his cellphone location was 7 kms away from the crime scene. There is no way he could have killed Ravi"

"But the bullet shell?"

"Was fired atleast 4 days before the victim's murder"

Said Tarika, entering inside the room. Dr. Salunkhe looked at her and smiled

"I knew you would be successful"

ACP sir heaved a sigh of relief

"Let me call Abhijeet..."

"Did you call me, sir?"

Abhijeet entered the cabin

"Abhijeet?"

Daya grinned

"I called him as soon as we were sure of the proofs... He can have his badge back can't he?"

ACP smiled.

"Of course... Abhijeet... I... uh... I am sorry..."

"Sir, no... please, I know you never suspected me... not even for a bit."

Pradyuman pulled him into a hug.

"Sorry, Abhijeet... really sorry... Know that I will protect you always... I will always have your back..."

"I know sir... I know..."

He pulled back and gave a warm smile as Pradyuman handed him his gun and his badge. Daya smiled happily

"Come, bhai let's celebrate"

And so everyone except Salunkhe, Pradyuman and Tarika left the cabin

"Sir? Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, Tarika?"

"Why do you have to protect Abhijeet?"

"Huh?"

"You said you will protect him... why? He has been cleared right?"

"Of course, Of course... I told that just like that... Now go and celebrate, I guess they are going to the cafe downstairs"

Not very convinced, Tarika left the cabin. Dr. Salunkhe looked at his friend

"You know that you didn't tell her the truth"

"I am not very sure Salunkhe, what do you want me to say?"

"The truth perhaps?"

"I won't let it touch him... I'll do whatever it takes to keep him safe"

"Pradyuman? I really don't know what you are hiding but how are you so sure you can protect him? Life isn't certain... you of all people must know it"

"I know Salunkhe... I know... But one thing is certain, come what may, it will be my life before his... always. The past, the truth, I want it to stay buried."

"You know it won't stay like that forever"

Pradyuman sighed, of course he knew.

"Let's wait until the storm actually comes Salunkhe. Let my boy breathe in peace till then"

Salunkhe didn't look happy

"I need to go to the research center, I have some tests to do... we will talk later, Pradyuman. I still feel you are wrong."

Saying so, he left.

****

Cafe:

As the team entered and gave their orders, Shreya pulled Daya aside

"You didn't tell the entire truth?"

"Of course not... lets investigate a bit deeper before we let the team in"

Shreya said nothing but felt vaguely uneasy. She couldn't point out but it was as if she had some premonition that something wrong would happen. A soft voice interrupted her thoughts

"Hi Shreya"

"Tarika.... come... where were you?"

Tarika looked around and saw Abhijeet joking with Pankaj and Daya. The laughter on his face made her feel warm. She had missed his laughter and seeing it again made her realize just how much. He suddenly turned around and looked at her, seeing her looking at him intently, he gave her a warm smile and she felt her heart skip a beat. Her brain immediately showed her the image of his lips on hers and she felt her cheeks redden. His smile widened as he realized the effect he had on her. Shaking her head softly to bring herself back to the present, she turned to Shreya and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Uh... I.. woh... yea... I was just talking to ACP sir"

She lowered her voice not wanting him to know of her suspicions just then. He deserved some celebration, she reckoned

"Shreya, don't you think he is hiding something?"

Shreya felt her heart lurch but she swallowed her unease and said

"Well the past few days were intense, maybe that's why we are all behaving strangely..."

"Hmmm..."

Tarika looked around

"Where is Purvi?"

"Probably working on something? I called her today morning right after we got the proof, she sounded relieved. "

"I didn't see her at the bureau... oh no wait... today is his... isn't it"

Shreya quickly checked her mobile.

"Oh yes, how could I forget? She would be by the sea, just like always... let's go"

****

Bureau:

"Daya"

"Haan, Abhijeet"

"Can you come to my cabin?"

"Mmm hmmm"

They walked together into his cabin. Abhijeet shut the door.

"Ok... the truth, now"

"Boss, what do you....?"

"When Shreya came, her hands lingered on yours a tad bit longer than normal. I know you guys are a couple but she looked uneasy. Considering you were working on my case, I bet it has something to do with me. When you narrated the incident to Pankaj, you refused to look at me. Simple deduction says you are hiding something"

"Aha such a greate detective you are, boss. Let me also do some detective work. What was the silent glances you passed to Dr. Tarika? Heard she stayed at your house? Kuch kuch hua kya?"

Abhijeet slapped his arm

"Shut up... now tell me the truth... the full truth. What was Ravi hiding"

Daya sighed knowing his friend won't let him go.

"We found that Ravi was the one who sent the message to come early on your burner phone the day... uh... Freddy... was killed"

Abhijeet shut his eyes and said

"So we were setup..."

"Yes... it was not your fault..."

"Still my fault that I didn't check. He trusted me, I let him down"

"Don't... Abhijeet, don't go into that hole again. You won't be able to come out..."

Abhijeet said nothing but patted his arm and walked out. Daya sighed, for 3 years, Abhijeet has been beating himself up, if only he could convince his brother otherwise..

"Don't worry about me... In the rabbit hole, I'll become like Alice in the wonderland. You can come visit me anytime"

He winked at him, Daya was about to answer when Abhijeet said

"I need to talk... Yesterday morning I found this at my doorstep along with my newspaper"

He handed an envelope to Daya. He opened it and there was a piece of paper with something written on it. He read it aloud

'I tell you, there will be no crime in Mumbai. Every criminal would fear the sound of our names. We will be the invincible duo, brothers who bond for the sake of justice. Drug lords will shiver in fear when they know we are out on the roads. We will sniff them out like hounds and bring everyone to justice. When we...'

"Abhijeet this..."

"Yes it looks like my handwriting and it's incomplete so I don't know what exactly is the context. When I read this the first time, a sudden flash of a tall shadow calling my name came in front of me. It was there for a second and then gone. I have been racking my brains trying to remember but I can't. My memory... uh... you do know about it right... Daya, do you know anything about this? Did I write this to you, anytime? Although, I don't really recall writing any letter to you."

"No, we never wrote letters to each other... Boss, but I feel uneasy about this. Did you talk to ACP sir?"

"No... he has a lot on his plate right now... I will let him know once I get a clearer picture..."

"But..."

A sudden sound of people marching in made him turn. Looking around, he saw Chitrole back again

"Now what does he want? He is like a mosquito, you know... Just the sight of him makes me want to... grrrr..."

Abhijeet gave a sympathetic grin. He shared his brother's feelings obviously.

"Well, we need to find out what's his problem... uh... is that....?"

"Manisha Bhabhi...?"

"What's she doing here and why is she handcuffed?"

They both rushed out the stairs

***

Waiting For Chapter 5

Soon

Amazing chapter , waiting for chapter 5

~Chapter 5~

Seashore:

Purvi stood gazing into the wide open listening to the waves crashing the shore. The rhythm of the sea brought back memories she wanted to forget

"I love you, Purvi. You are my life."

His honeyed voice had lured her just like a moth to the fire. His handsome face and naval uniform did little to help as she had drowned in his caramel eyes.

"Purvi... help... I am in danger"

She shut her eyes as she recalled that day he had come before her all bruised and tattered. He had been dishonorably discharged by mistake he said. He couldn't go to a hospital fearing arrest. Not knowing whom to call, she had called up her best friend. She had come and being a doctor, treated him. Her mentor had heard the news from her friend and decided to keep it a secret. No one but them knew of his presence in her house while the whole country was searching for him. During his recovery, he had stayed with her, made love to her and was all that she had ever dreamed of. All had gone well until one day she had seen him snooping through her official documents. A sense of unease had set in and she had felt suspicious of him. Knowing that she ought to follow her instincts, she had dug deep without telling him and his truth had shocked her. The first person she told was her mentor. She remembered that conversation just as if it had happened few moments ago, every word was etched in her mind

"Abhijeet sir..."

"Haan Purvi"

"I need to talk"

"Yes?"

"I slept with a traitor"

"What?"

"He is a traitor"

"But you said that the claims were false"

"You knew he was a traitor?"

"It's obvious that I would know why he was discharged. But you said it was a lie, I was searching for proofs to clear him"

"I was blind. He lied. The blueprint he stole I know where it is"

"What?"

"It's right now hanging in my bedroom behind a portrait we painted together as a symbol of our love"

He had placed his hand on her head and proceeded to ACP sir's cabin. Within minutes the team had gotten ready to raid her home. He hadn't talked at all, just pulled out his gun and started running. There had been gunshots and a lot of chasing. She had pleaded with him to listen but he had refused and then she had done it. She, who had loved him, who had planned her entire life with him had taken out her gun and shot him right at the chest. He had fallen, she had run to catch him and in her lap he had whispered that she was the only one he had truly loved, then the caramel eyes had closed forever.

"Purvi?"

She turned around and saw her two friends standing beside her. Tarika put her hand on her shoulder and Shreya held her other hand. In their embrace she felt warm

"You know, I put duty in front of my heart 4 years back. Somedays I am sad, others not so... but never once have I regretted doing it. All thanks to you both for being there for me when I needed you the most."

"Where else would we be? You are our family"

She smiled although her eyes were wet. Family, that's what they were. For a moment, she forgot her pain. The sound of a cellphone ringing broke the silence. Tarika took out her phone and seeing the number immediately attended the call

"Yes, Dr. Salunkhe... what? What nonsense... That's impossible... I'll come right now... yes sir... ok"

Purvi looked at her

"What is it, Tarika?"

"Di... Manisha Di has been arrested..."

"What, why?"

"He doesn't know... seems Chitrole sir is accusing her of killing Ravi now, he just got a call from her neighbor who is an old friend of his. I need to go, Salunkhe sir was at the research center, he said he is on the way to bureau... Purvi, love you... I'll see you tomorrow"

"No... I'll come with you..."

"But?"

"You just said I am your family... Then when my family is in trouble, I need to stay right where I am needed"

Tarika just nodded and looked at Shreya who nodded too and together they left.

****

Bureau:

ACP Pradyuman looked at the handcuffs on his ex officer's wife's hands and muttered an expletive. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his retired boss who seemed to have taken upon himself to never leave him.

"What is it now, sir? Why is Manisha in handcuffs?"

Abhijeet and Daya came down and stood on either side of Manisha anger visible in both of their faces. Abhijeet held her shoulder protectively.

"Haan haan come everybody"

Said Chitrole as the rest of the officers gathered around. Abhijeet looked at him frustrated losing even the last bit of patience he had ever since he saw her in handcuffs

"Sir, would you please tell why you have brought Manisha Bhabhi here in handcuffs?"

"Patience, Abhijeet Babu... Uh... Come in, Inspector Zoya Malik"

An woman who seemed to be around Tarika's age entered in. She was dressed sharply, had a command in her stride and had sparkling clear brown eyes. She saluted smartly.

"Yes sir..."

Chitrole introduced her to the team

"This is Inspector Zoya Malik. The sharpest inspector at the headquarters. She found some details which lead us to suspect Manisha. Go on, Inspector Zoya"

"The victim Ravikiran of the open case number 7895 had been Senior Inspector Abhijeet's CI for the past 4 years. On the day of the shooting of Senior Inspector Freddy, the victim had sent an sms to official burner of Senior Inspector Abhijeet. Although the message itself is untraceable, it can be deduced that the message is related to the case."

ACP interrupted.

"That doesn't explain anything. Why is Manisha in handcuffs. I need an answer"

"Yes, sir... I am coming to it..."

"What's happening?"

In entered Dr.Salunkhe along with Tarika, Shreya and Purvi. Tarika rushed to Manisha.

"Di... Di... are you ok?"

Manisha nodded quietly. She was about to say something but Chitrole intervened

"Zoya... continue..."

"Sir, as I was saying, we went through the bank accounts of Ms. Manisha here. We saw that every month, she has been putting a hefty sum in her bank as fixed deposit with the nominee as Senior Inspector Abhijeet's daughter, Shreya. Based on this intel, we suspected that Shreya had killed the victim on Manisha's bidding..."

"What?"

Abhijeet and Tarika exclaimed simultaneously. Zoya looked at them and said

"Yes, yes we know it's not true, but her history with crime made us think so. She did live with a criminal in childhood"

"Dare you talk another word about my daughter like that"

Abhijeet growled in anger.

"Sir, I know she is your daughter but as CID officers we need to take practical decisions and not think about emotional bonds"

Chitrole clapped his hands

"Well said, Zoya... well said... like a true CID officer"

The team grumbled, ACP sir gestured Abhijeet to be silent.

"Inspector Zoya, how did you know Shreya is innocent."

"We interviewed her at school today and she denied any knowledge of the money...."

Tarika looked livid

"What you talked to my daughter at school alone? Do you or do you not know the law that a minor cannot be questioned without the presence of a guardian?"

"Dr. Tarika, I know the law but it was kind of urgent and we didn't want her to be influenced by anyone. Although we did question Sr. Inspector Abhijeet's daughter in the presence of a teacher... Just so you know it wasn't your daughter we questioned."

Tarika felt her heart crush at her words. She shut her eyes trying to concentrate, when Abhijeet spoke,

"Shreya is her daughter in every sense. Just blood or bits of paper doesn't make a woman, a mother. Tarika is Shreya's mother. End of subject. People who don't know us need not talk about our family....."

Daya interrupted

"And she also has the right to know as a law abiding citizen of this great country wether or not the law has been followed"

Dr. Salunkhe said

"And Shreya belongs to our CID family. Everyone here would protect her. Whatever you did without our knowledge is wrong..."

Chitrole looked frustrated,

"Alright, Alright... as if you guys are so perfect... Go on Zoya, these guys have a history of intimidating anyone who dared to question their so called family."

Zoya nodded and continued

"Anyways, since Shreya had no knowledge of the money, we investigated Manisha directly and she confessed to the crime"

Manisha who had been quiet for so long said softly

"I did not confess to the crime"

"But..."

"You asked me if I had put in money in a fixed deposit and nominated Shreya, I said yes. You asked me if I knew Ravi, I said yes. You asked me if my husband knew him, I said yes. You asked me if I suspected he had any involvement in my husband's death, I said yes. Then you asked me if I met him on the day he died, I said yes. Then you handcuffed me and brought me here. That was all that happened. I don't believe I 'confessed' to any crime here"

Shreya pitched in

"Exactly... how can you do it... did you verify where she was at the time of death?"

"She said she met him..."

"She met him on the 'day' he died, she was at Tarika's house at the time of his death. You must've checked her mobile records before arresting her"

Pradyuman suddenly hollered

"Why is she still in handcuffs? As far as I am concerned, there is no evidence against her. Removed the handcuffs."

Zoya took a sheaf of papers in her hand and showed it to Pradyuman

"Look at her fixed deposit statements... she..."

Abhijeet snatched the papers roughly and said

"Remove the handcuffs and then we can talk"

Zoya looked at the team shooting daggers with their eyes and decided to do what they wanted. It would be difficult to have aby sensible conversation with an hostile team. She took out the keys from her pocket and removed the handcuffs

"Done"

Pradyuman looked at Manisha

"Manisha beta, are you all right? Sit down. Purvi get a chair. Daya some water please?"

Manisha sat down and drank the water Daya gave. She looked up guiltily at Abhijeet as he was going through the papers. As soon as it struck him, he looked at her questioningly

"Why, Bhabhi... I... uh..."

"I told you I didn’t need the money. You refused to listen"

She turned to Zoya.

"Inspector Zoya, you never bothered to ask me how I was able to put in so much money every month earning the meagre salary of a Montessori teacher. I assume you thought the worst of me. Well, here is how... I never wanted to keep it a secret. Ever since Freddy was killed, Abhijeet has taken it upon himself to take care of my every need. He does that everyday but in addition to that, he deposits a cheque every month. I have told him multiple times that I don’t need it, but he refused to stop. I couldn't return it to him so I did the next best thing. I deposited it in his daughter's name."

"Bhabhi it wasn't..."

She looked at him

"I know Abhijeet but I really don't have anybody else... that money wasn't useful for me, it may as well be used for Shreya."

Zoya shook her head

"But you said you suspected Ravi..."

Manisha sighed

"Ravi was Abhijeet's CI when my husband was alive, remember? A few days before he was killed, my husband told me that Ravi was behaving oddly. Dhenchu had told him that Ravi was meeting up with some odd people. He said he had informed Abhijeet and Abhijeet had confirmed that he was doing so to get information only.... still he told me he had a gut feeling that something was wrong. I didn't think much about it then but when Abhijeet was suspected in Ravi's death, I suspected that maybe Ravi was involved in Freddy's killing and so they are suspecting Abhijeet of taking revenge..."

Chitrole interrupted

"So, you thought Abhijeet killed Ravi for revenge..."

"Oh no, I did not... Abhijeet would never go against the law, had he suspected Ravi, he might have been angry but he wouldn't kill him, he would have made sure he caught him and got him the maximum sentence. I thought you would definitely suspect him if you thought Ravi had any involvement in my husband's death. You always think the worst of him, don't you... Chitrole saab?"

Chitrole grunted. ACP Pradyuman looked at him

"Well sir, since Manisha isn't a suspect and neither is anyone in my team, I guess you have a lot of plans for your retired life. Why don't you leave now?"

"Are you trying to chase me away? Don't be too happy. The headquarters called me from my retirement because they suspected you guys were involved in something shady. Now as per their instructions, I will be leaving Inspector Zoya here who would be monitoring your activities and reporting directly to me."

Saying so, Chitrole left the bureau. Zoya looked around at the team who were still looking at the door angrily and said

"Well that's that... Uh... you... Purvi, show me a desk that's free I want to setup my things..."

Daya intervened

"One minute..."

He looked at ACP sir

"Sir are you really going to allow this to happen. How can someone enter the bureau just like that?"

Before Pradyuman could respond, Zoya said

"Well you have too many open cases, cases gone cold without reason, cases shut by mindless encounters... The headquarters feel you really need someone like me to back you up."

Purvi looked at her in anger

"We do not have 'too many' open cases. At present there are only 3 open cases, 1 where Sachin has gone to Kolkata to investigate, 1 which came in yesterday and Pankaj is following a lead and the other Ravi's case is what we are all working together to get it closed. All cold cases are accounted for, we have the highest number of cases closed in India. Every encounter we did has been of a criminal and we have valid reason. It would be good if you do read some statistics before spouting nonsense."

"Wow... you do talk a lot, I heard you stopped talking much ever since you shot that boyfriend of yours... an encounter again... which this team carried out based on 'proof' you provided... Maybe you got tired of him, who knows? Anyways, for a heart that became a stone as the rumors say, you do show some pretty good emotions... rumors aren't to be trusted I guess..."

Abhijeet snorted and fisted his palm trying to control his temper throughout the sarcastic speech.

"We catch criminals here, Inspector Zoya. We don't gossip. Also we respect each other's private life. We don't go around probing or nicknaming people based on their private life. The proof that you talked about was solid enough for us to go after him. Inspector Purvi is a dedicated, hardworking and intelligent cid officer who is exceptionally good at solving cyber crimes. If you really have to comment then you are free to comment on that but dare you intrude her private life."

Daya looking thoroughly frustrated looked at ACP

"Sir, do we really need anyone else? Aren't we enough?"

ACP sir nodded

"Yes, I'll talk to the DCP.... Till then..."

"Of course, I'll stay"

ACP sighed, she looked like a piece of work. He had mentored a lot of juniors throughout his career and was known to judge every individual personality well. Knowing things will only worsen if they all simply stood together, he said

"All right everyone back to work. Purvi, I want you to talk to Pankaj and get updates. Salunkhe, you and Tarika can go back to the lab. Daya, Shreya come to my cabin and help me with the report. Abhijeet take Manisha home and I am sure you would want to visit Shreya. Go. And Inspector Zoya you can work on whatever task you are working with the headquarters. You aren't part of my team until I personally verify with the headquarters. You are not to interact with my team until I say so."

As everyone started dispersing, Tarika looked at Salunkhe sir. He gave a small smile

"I know you want to go see Shreya... Go... I'll manage"

Nodding, she joined Manisha and Abhijeet on their way out.

****

The car ride to Manisha's home was mostly quiet. As they approached her house, Abhijeet slowed down and looked at her

"Bhabhi... I... uh... sorry..."

"Oh come on Abhijeet, I am used to all this."

"But Bhabhi, had Freddy been here... he... uh... you know... he protected you... I..."

"He would have done the same thing, Abhijeet... stop beating yourself up. Tarika... talk to him na?"

Tarika nodded slowly but didn't reply. Manisha gave a sigh

"What is it, Tarika?"

Abhijeet looked at Tarika and said

"I guess she is wondering why you never mentioned to us about Ravi. I mean whatever you said to Zoya... I... uh... I mean we didn’t... know that you suspected Ravi until today"

"I guess it slipped my mind until today."

Tarika looked at her and shook her head

"You said you met Ravi didn't you?"

Manisha gave a short laugh

"Really? Come on... I sometimes wonder if he is the detective or you are"

"No Di... That's not it... It's just..."

"I know... You are scared... Tarika, I can take care of myself... and yes, I met Ravi 2 months back. He came to the supermarket near our house to shop for something and recognized me. He was pretty cordial considering the last time we met, he fought with my husband"

Abhijeet looked surprised

"Fought with Freddy? Why? Bhabhi, can you tell us what happened?"

"The fight was something really stupid. He came home drunk one night around 10 when we both were about to sleep. It was all of a sudden and you know how Freddy is, he hated to bring strangers home. So he was alrrady irritated and then Ravi started blabbering that you weren't paying enough and he asked for more money. Well, my husband got angry and shooed him. They had a war of words... That was all. I completely forgot about it until I heard that you were a suspect in Ravi's case. Since he visited us just few days before, yes it crossed my mind that he might have been involved in the shooting. Again, I didn't think much about it. I was more worried about you"

"Bhabhi, you could have told me. What if something happened? What if he had come after you?"

"You would have rescued me... Anyways, he was dead at that point and as I said I was worrying about you... Stop, Now, there's my home. I am a grown-up, I can very well take care of myself, you don't have to babysit me. Both of you, go on a date, have some fun and stop worrying about me. I'll see you soon, bye"

As she got down, Abhijeet called out

"Bhabhi... Bhabhi... one minute..."

"Haan?"

"Promise me you'll call if you feel uncomfortable about anything again. Big or small... anything that doesn't make sense... let me know"

"I will... Now go... Or I'll get a policeman to whisk you away from here"

Abhijeet gave a small smile

"You know, if something happens, I'll be the one whisking you away to wonderland and you'll have a nice tea party like Alice in Wonderland"

She said nothing but nodded and turned away to leave knowing if she didn't move, they would stay there forever trying to guard her. As she entered her house, Tarika turned to Abhijeet. He looked back at her, his eyes revealing more than what his lips could. She sighed understanding and reached out and took his hand in hers and squeezed it tight. He gave a small smile his heart comforted by her unsaid promises.

****

~Chapter 6~

Shreya's bedroom:

Tarika sat beside her daughter and seeing her looking disturbed she asked

"What is the matter, Beta... you said you were ok... but something is bothering you, isn't it?"

"Mumma... you won't tell Papa?"

Tarika took a deep breath

"Depends... I can't hide much from your father."

Shreya looked away. Tarika cupped her face

"What is bothering you? You know your Papa loves you very much don't you?"

Shreya nodded and signed

"I do... but Papa gets angry and he might make a scene at school"

"I'll take care of that... tell me what's wrong?"

"You know Diya? When police came to investigate me, she... you know how she is right?"

"I do... what did she do this time?"

"Well, she said adopted children are mostly criminals... especially children of criminals... Mumma, I don't bother about her much nowadays, me and my friends stay away from her but you know it sometimes hurts"

Tarika rolled her hand into fist and took a deep breath to control herself. The girl was a bully, she had been bullying Shreya for sometime. Tarika had informed her teacher when Shreya had first told her but since she was from an affluent family, the teacher hadn't been able to do much. Tarika had wanted to officially take it up to the principal but Shreya hadn't wanted anyone at school to know. Slowly, she had found her own group of friends and things had gotten better. She knew teenagers can be cruel without really meaning anything but the unnecessary interrogation done by Inspector Zoya was what caused her daughter's unhappiness today. She decided that the Inspector needed a lesson. Calming herself, she looked at her daughter

"Beta you are the daughter of the most respected senior Inspector of CID. He is one of the most loyal, dedicated and honest inspector in the country. Don't let anybody convince you otherwise. Anybody saying anything different just means they are either plain stupid or a liar. You should be proud of yourself. Hold your chin up high. Give me a smile. That's more like it. You look exactly like your father, kind, loyal and honest."

"And I look like you too, don't I? Pretty and confident?"

Tarika smiled, her eyes watering a little. She hugged her tightly and kissed her on top of her head. She pushed her away a little and signed

"You look prettier than me. You are the most beautiful person in the whole wide world. Mumma loves you a lot and so does your Papa. You are the best thing to ever happen in our lives. Love you"

****

Abhijeet sat in his sofa deep in thoughts when a long hand with a steaming hot cup of coffee came in front of his face.

"Shreya is asleep... she is worried about us... but she is brave... she said she will be ok... but I am not going to leave that woman for unnecessarily interrupting my child's peaceful schoolday."

He looked up and took the cup with a smile.

"Thank you, Tarika... we won't let it happen again."

She nodded and made herself comfortable in the chair opposite to him with her cup, the cup he had gifted her long ago which she had left at his home before she had left. She looked at him deep in his thoughts,

"What is it, Abhijeet?"

"No... I was just..."

"Just what?"

"Sorry for everything... I...uh..."

"Yes?"

"We haven't talked... I mean really talked... after... uh... after... that night"

She felt her cheeks redden and her lips tremble as she remembered the feeling of his lips on hers.

"Yes..."

"I... uh... I am sorry..."

"Sorry?"

"Yes sorry for all the mistakes I have done. And no... I am not sorry for the kiss."

Her cheeks turned a shade of deep red as she mumbled

"You said it that day"

"I did... but you didn't respond..."

"I stayed... and I am back..."

"So am I forgiven?"

"Mmmm hmmmm.."

She looked away.

"What is it, Tarika? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Mmmm I just wanted to say I am sorry that I never apologized..."

"Huh?"

"I have been thinking a lot over the past 3 days... and I believe I need to apologize for being rash too... You were going through a bad phase... I should have stayed... I... uh... I guess I gave up too soon"

"I guess we both gave up too soon... But the more I think, the more I believe if we had just talked, things wouldn't have gone this way."

She nodded, he reached out and held her hand in his and said

"I promise that it won't happen again... Promise me that you will never hesitate to tell me anything again. Promise me"

She looked into his pleading eyes and fell in love once again.

"Mmmm... I promise... if you promise never to have any secrets from me"

"Never"

He smiled at her, she grinned back her heart feeling much lighter. The sipped their coffee and she looked at him skeptically

"Ok... now that's done... What is it that you are hiding?"

He smiled knowingly and put his hand inside his pocket and took out the envelope he showed Daya earlier that day. She read it in silence and looked at him. He nodded in negative

"No, I don't remember writing this. I am not sure of the context too. I talked to Daya and he confirmed that I didn't write this to him."

"When did you get this?"

"It was under my newspaper yesterday morning"

"Mmmm... I'll do one thing, I'll try extracting the ink and testing the paper, maybe we can get the time period? Looks like you wrote this when you were young... the writing is more cleaner than it is now"

"I thought so too... Yes do it Tarika, I am desperate for answers, now... something is better than nothing..."

He clicked his tongue and shook his head trying to process everything. She saw him looking lost and remembered he used to look the same whenever a lot of things were going on in his mind at the same time. She walked towards him and sat beside him like she used to do. He took her left hand in his right one. Softly caressing her hand with his thumb, he began

"You know the sms I got on my burner to come earlier... I talked to Daya, it seems Ravi was the one who sent that message on the day that... uh... uh..."

"Freddy sir lost his life?"

"Yes"

She looked at him as he faced away understanding how difficult it would have been for him to relive it again today. She squeezed his hand and said

"It's not your fault..."

"How are you so sure, Tarika?"

"Had I not been sure, I wouldn't have been here today. Let it go Abhijeet, it's time. If you don't it's going to eat you... Freddy sir wouldn't have liked you to live like this. He wouldn't have put himself in the line of fire had he thought you would be living like this. What you should be doing right now is finding who did this and put him behind bars. Don't simply sit here and drown in guilt. It isn't going to help anyone. Neither you, nor me, nor Freddy sir."

He knew she was right... as always.

"Mmmm... you know, I don't believe Ravi was working alone... He isn't that good at planning... also he does things for money... he never had any motive... I'll ask Purvi to trace Ravi's digital footprint tomorrow. How is she? Today must have been hard because of that boyfriend of hers. On top of it the new inspector was so annoying."

"You remembered?"

"How can I forget?... uh... Tarika..."

He shut his eyes. She looked at his pained face

"What is it, Abhijeet?"

"That case was reopened 5 months back, I heard from my contacts at the headquarters... they are reinvestigating... she doesn't know..."

"What? But why?"

"New evidence turned up... and from whatever the new inspector Zoya was talking, I believe there is more to the story... Tarika, how do we protect her? If... you know... if... something... it would kill her."

She sat quietly for a while. Purvi was more than just her best friend, she was more like her little sister. The incident 4 years ago had almost killed her. It had taken so long for her to get back to normal. Softly she said

"Well, we will protect her. Just like always. Let's cross that bridge when we get to it."

"I am scared Tarika... Terrified truly... My mother, Tasha, Freddy... How many more? I can't..."

He looked down as his eyes burned with unshed tears. She looked at him and in front of her, she did not see the rough and tough senior Inspector Abhijeet nor the sharp shooter rather, in front of her was her man, broken, scarred yet beautiful and completely hers. She knew he would never be this in front of anyone else. This side of him was reserved for her alone. Breaking the silence, she said

"Abhijeet... look at me..."

He looked up and skowly she brought her trembling hand to his cheek. He shut his eyes and took in a deep breath soaking in the warmth of her touch.

"It's going to be okay... I know there's a storm looming but trust me... we are going to brave this together... Just like always..."

"You'll stay?"

She removed her hand from his cheek and took her cup in her hand and said

"Don't tell me you kept this cup safe all this time without knowing the answer..."

"I hoped."

"The don't lose hope now... And not just me... all of us are going to stay... Daya, Shreya, ACP sir, Purvi, Manisha Di, our daughter... everyone... we are going to get out of this together... I promise."

He smiled and wrapped his hand around her shoulder holding her close and whispered

"How is it that you make everything better?"

She smiled back and rested her head on his shoulder. They had a long night ahead of them to plan and think through things but right now, this moment, was just theirs.

****

1 week later:

Bureau:

Abhijeet was working with Daya on a hit and run case when Purvi entered his cabin. He looked up

"Yes, Purvi?"

"Sir... can... uh... we need to talk in private"

She gestured at the open cabin door. He nodded and she shut the door.

"Sir... I went through Ravi's call logs 3 years back and found a single number he had called multiple times over the course of the week Freddy sir died"

"And?"

"Sir... even I couldn't believe it... I rechecked it multiple times... the number traced back to Sachin."

Daya and Abhijeet looked at each other in disbelief.

"Sachin? But that's impossible..."

"Did you check Purvi? It couldn't have been him... You know how close he was with Freddy"

"Yes sir, that is why I checked so many times. I even double checked the sources... Here you can see for yourselves..."

Abhijeet took the papers from Purvi and scanned through the timelines she had highlighted. Daya peeped over and suddenly exclaimed

"Boss... this can't be..."

"Huh?"

"Remember the week Freddy was shot, Sachin was away on a secret mission to Ludhiana... It was drug bust. He didn't have his phone with him."

"Haan yes, yes... I remember ACP sir tried to contact him and his senior... right... Daya he had left the phone at headquarters... Purvi, that's what we need to check... The cctv footage of the locker room... Can we get it?"

"We don't have access, of course... but I can try hacking it."

Abhijeet nodded and then thought of something and sighed. He looked at her and said softly

"Purvi... you do know it's against the rules... you might get caught..."

"I am smart enough to not get caught, sir."

Daya interrupted

"We need to do it in secret. I don't think we can trust anyone."

A knock at the door interrupted them. Through the glass doors, Abhijeet saw Tarika outside. He went and opened the door. As soon as she came in he shut the door. She raised her eyebrow and looked at hin questioningly. He shrugged his shoulders and said

"Can't trust anyone... what is it?"

"The ink I sent for testing came back... uh..."

"And?"

"It dates approximately 8 to 10 years befor you joined CID"

"8 to 10 years? Meaning I must have been in college"

"Yes..."

Abhijeet clicked his tongue frustrated

"Great... I have zero memory of that time"

Daya placed his hand on Abhijeet's shoulder

"Abhijeet... it's going to be fine. You..."

"How, Daya? How is it going to be ok? I don't remember anything and I have no clue what I was doing back then... Do you?"

"Well, we all know you were a straight A student and you cleared the police training academy with flying colors which led you to the CID training camp where you were again brilliant enough to be chosen for secret service"

"That's what is on paper, Daya. But do you really know how I was... What if I was a cheater? What if all those things I did wasn't really because of my useless brain?"

"Abhijeet don't overthink... whatever else you would have been, you couldn't have been a cheater. Remember what the doctor said, it was your memory that disappeared not your character. And I know very well what sort of person you are. Don't beat yourself up."

Abhijeet sighed and placed his head on his forehead where he felt a dull throbbing pain. Just thinking about his past hurt his head so bad. Looking at his unease, Tarika walked towards him and took his hand in hers

"Abhijeet, look at me... look here..."

He looked at her and she saw in his bloodshot eyes the turmoil he was going through. She squeezed his hand tightly

"Daya is right, Abhijeet. You are a loyal, hardworking, sincere, brilliant CID officer. That is what defines you... Your past is in the past... Let it go."

"How do I, Tarika? Its chasing me now... This letter, I know that shadow means something... If only..."

He suddenly stopped as he saw something. He gave a cynical laugh

"And there he goes again..."

Daya looked up and just in time saw ACP sir exiting the bureau

"ACP sir?"

"Yes, him... He is the only one who knows something but he refuses to talk to me. Heck, he doesn't even look at me nowadays. Have you ever seen him leave the bureau before telling me where he is going? Yet... see that's what he is doing now..."

Purvi said softly

"Sir, maybe he is busy... You know the new inspector wanted to check all our cases and..."

"He was never too busy for me before. He is hiding something. I know it's related to my past. I wonder if he trusts me now."

Daya butted in

"Abhijeet, you know you are the only one he trusts blindly"

Abhijeet sighed

"Yea yea... he... I know he is worried about me. He is just too stubborn to let me in. If only, he trsuts me enough to tell me the truth."

Daya clicked his tongue

"Let's talk about what we have now, Shreya has some contacts, I can try and trace your past friendships... maybe we can talk to people who studied with you and we might know something."

Purvi nodded and said

"Hmmm... sir, I can check the social media pages if any of the people who studied with you are active..."

Tarika, who hadn't left his hand throughout his venting, softly caressed his hand and said

"We will get to the bottom of this Abhijeet. Don't worry. Everything will be alright"

"Mmmm... alright, let's get back to work... here she comes... the one I can never trust... however much she tries to hover around me."

They looked up and saw Zoya knocking the door. Abhijeet nodded at her curtly and she entered in

"Good morning, sir. A case was reported at sector 47, zone 11. A fisherman was found with his throat slit in his boat. Shall we go?"

He said nothing but gestured everyone to move. He looked at Zoya and said in a professional tone

"What do we know about the victim, Inspector?"

"First responder was his best friend....."

As they moved forward and their voices faded, Tarika stood still deep in thoughts. She had remembered something. She quickly searched her pockets and fished out a piece of paper that had floated to her feet just as she was closing the door to her house. Recognizing the handwriting, she had immediately picked it up, just as she had been about to read it, she had got a call from Dr. Salunkhe and she had pushed the paper in her pocket and rushed to the lab. She clicked her tongue scolding herself mentally for forgetting about it. She opened the slip now and read it now. It had only two words written in the handwriting of the person she deeply loved

'Fiat Justitia'

She felt her stomach knot as fear crept up her heart. She knew enought latin to understand that it meant 'Let Justice be done'. She also knew that justice meant different things to different people. Years of being CID had taught her that justice didn't actually mean the right thing to many people. She took in a deep breath and resolved to protect him from whatever that was chasing him. This time, she wasn't going to let him go. Slowly, she walked towards the lab, to the one person who always protected her, her mentor... Dr. Salunkhe.

****

Hello people

Since there aren't any readers here for this story here. Will not be updating this one here anymore. However I will still be updating the story at the other site. Anybody wants to read this you can read it there. Thanks