Ariya FF:'Deception,Intrigue...?' *Cont. in Thread 2* - Page 19

Readers, please read the author's note on the previous page. It contains something very important about the status of the story and future updates.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

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CHAPTER 3A

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17^th April 2013.

In the interiors of Club Z, 11:50 P.M.

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Arjun dismissed the random silly thoughts that had taken over his brain and got back briskly to business. Observing how Rathore seemed to be on the verge of bursting a blood vessel in his anger, he decided to step in and take matters in his own hand.

Listen! He told the manager in a low voice. I know that we do not have a search warrant to raid your entire premises. But both you and I know that a cop has some privileges, and one of them is that if he suspects criminal activity going on behind closed doors, he has the right to take stock of the situation and barge into the premises. So, if anyone asks us question tomorrow, we will tell them that we just happened to be on the spot and intervened because we thought that a rave party was going on. The ETF has a stellar reputation, both among the public and other law enforcement agencies. Do you really want to piss us off by not co-operating with us? There are a lot of wealthy customers here who'd never come back to this pub again if the media publicized how all of them were engaged in illegal activities. Notoriety is one thing, a bad reputation for trouble is another. Think of one thing- how is this going to affect your business? Do you really want more bad publicity after the Tina Shah murder? , he questioned the manager.

Okay, said the manager, gritting his teeth. What do you want?

Give me all the surveillance tapes from March 3, 2013, the day of Tina's murder, till today. And I mean, all of them. From all your cameras that you have installed across the pub. The murder did take place outside the pub, but maybe one of the cameras captured something important.You evaded us by giving only one tape when we questioned you after the murder. But we want all the tapes today.

Fine, conceded the manager reluctantly. He nodded towards one of his men, who went into a room situated beneath the main bar and came out with a big bunch of tapes. Handing them over to Arjun, the manager asked, I did what you asked me to. Now, can you please leave?

We are leaving now. And yes, make sure to evict that underage boy from the pub. Immediately. Arjun commanded manager Singh, pointing out to the scared teenager who in spite of his fear looked totally out of it. Take him home in a car, safely. And when you meet his parents, tell them what he has been up to, and ask them to get him some help.

As the members of the ETF made a grand exit from Club Z, Rathore huffed in silence while Shree, Ayesha and Chottu gave ACP Rawte looks of admiration. How wonderfully had he tackled the situation and prevented it from getting out of control, they thought to themselves. It's not like Rathore Sir is incapable of doing the same. He has so much of responsibilities on his head, it's just that he needs a quick-thinking person like Arjun Sir to support him sometimes, they thought to themselves.

However, the man in question was completely unaware of their appreciation. Arjun's focus was on other important things. He alone had noted that when he was telling the manager to help the boy, the man with the cap who was selling the boy drugs had quickly left the scene, nowhere to be found. He has made his escape right under our noses. I didn't even get a good look at his face. Something is very wrong here. Maybe we can catch him in the surveillance tapes, Arjun noted to himself.

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18^th April 2013.

In a white food delivery van parked in a dark, secluded street , 12:03 a.m.

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Boss? Boss?... Boss!!!?

The smooth and unruffled voice of Tim finally interrupted Riya's reverie. Turning to her worried colleagues, she made a conscious effort and gathered herself together. Now is not the time, Riya, she warned herself. She will not fall apart in front of her teammates.

Tim, M.K., how is she? Will she be all right?

She'll be fine, boss, assured M.K. in a soothing voice. I think she fainted from the trauma of being attacked. The guy almost got off strangling her. But you managed to save her at the right time; her breathing now appears to normal and uninterrupted, and her pulse is also steady.

But just in case, let's take her to a doc and get her checked out, suggested Riya. She will not have an innocent's blood on her hands just because she was anxious to protect her identity.

I think we can take her to Manini, M.K. suggested, hestitation colouring his tone. She trusts us, and won't ask unnecessary questions, he completed.

Oh ho!!! Toh yeh baat hai. Iss ladki ke bahaane apne doctor girlfriend se milne kii planning ho rahi hai, smirked Riya. Teasing M.K. was so much fun. The guy was so earnest and straight-faced, but when teased his blushing would rival that of a girl's.

At the precise moment when M.K. and Riya were about to engage in a slanging contest, Tim unexpectedly interrupted in an urgent tone.

Boss...Look what I found! This piece of paper was clutched tightly into her hands. Saying so, Tim showed M.K. and Riya a small scrap of paper with a name and address written on it.

As she and M.K. huddled closer to the note and read it, Riya's heart started thumping violently. Oh my God. I don't believe this. People who do good deeds do get rewarded after all, she bemusedly noted to herself.

With her eyes widening, she turned to her colleagues, who had similar looks of disbelief on their faces.

Guys, you know what this means, don't you? After we get the girl checked out, let's go to headquarters immediately and report what we found. This note changes everything. And the girl has some questions to answer as well. We have to tell him what we found and make plans accordingly.

Tim and M.K. nodded their heads vigorously in assent, while Riya clutched the piece of paper close to her chest. Finally, a concrete clue to chase.

Now is the time to get your head in the game, Riya. It is just not wise thinking of people who don't give two hoots about whether you're living or dead. After all, they might not even remember that a girl called Riya had worked with them for almost 6 months.

All that was left of her in the ETF was the things she had left behind in her desk. Just a bunch of useless stuff, nothing incriminating or suggesting anything about her real identity. She didn't get the chance to clear them up, because after recovering in the hospital from the deadly bacteria, her superiors had told her to stay away from her former colleagues at all costs.

I am sure they have cleaned my desk and sent my belongings someplace. Now all I have left is my job, and nothing else. And I will do it properly as if it was my life on the line, Riya promised herself sadly.

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18^th April 2013.

ETF Office, 7:30 a.m.

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Shree groaned for the millionth time as he gathered the tapes of camera footage recovered from Club Z. After they had gotten back home from the pub around one in the morning, Shree had rubbed his hands in glee thinking of the six hours of uninterrupted sleep that he was going to get before he went back to work.

But no. When you have a work-obsessed, insomniac boss like ACP Arjun Rawte, sleep is nothing but a distant dream, Shree scowled to himself. He had been rudely awakened at 5 o'clock in the morning by the shrill tones of his phone, and when his haze was finally cleared, he was not really surprised to see who was calling. Apparently ACP Arjun Rawte wanted Shree to go through the camera footage immediately and get all the tapes sorted out by date and relevance before he came back to the office at 9:00 A.M. He and Rathore had to pay a visit to the Commissioner to report on the progress in the murder cases. But before that he wanted the work done so that he could find possible leads in the camera footage on returning to the office.

The man seriously needs to correct his work-life balance, Shree pondered. He liked and admired his superior, he really did. His razor sharp intelligence, his wit, his unmatched ability to observe and make the correct conclusions to solve cases, his dedication to getting justice for the victims and their families. But what else does he have in his life? After the death of his wife, there was only one person to whom ACP Arjun seemed to respond personally.

And that person was gone, Shree sighed to himself. Wiped out from their lives as if she hadn't been there in the first place.

Of their own accord, Shree's eyes drifted towards the empty desk near his table. Riya Mukherjee. Physically, maybe she was the weakest and most vulnerable member of their team. Yet, it was she had proved to be the strongest person mentally. His thoughts led him to the memories of six months ago. The X Zora II bacteria case. When she had given up her life willingly in the line of duty without giving it a second thought.

Shree finally got the courage to do what he had not been able to for the past six months since Riya's death. To clear her desk of all its belongings and acknowledge that she was no longer a part of the ETF. No longer a part of their lives. No longer alive.

Shree's feet finally made its way to the desk, and he bent down to clear its single drawer of all its belongings. Like Riya, who was an open book to everyone, the table was also unlocked. Looking at the contents of the drawer, Shree felt like laughing aloud.

Typical Riya, he thought to himself. A bunch of hairclips in different colours, especially bright ones like pink, red and even a flashy yellow. Three pens of her favourite brand. Some markers and pencils, both pink. Six! chocolate bars, all of which are probably stale by now. A file containing notes in her neat handwriting on several cases. Everything was arranged impeccably, each occupying its assigned space in the drawer. He took out each article as if it were a holy offering from a temple and placed it carefully in a cloth bag.

Shree's face had the bloomings of a grin as he turned his eyes over the last item in the farthest corner of the drawer. A book with a bright blue cover having a picture of a man cuddling a woman, proudly proclaiming "P.S. I Love you".

He knew it. That girl was such a closet romantic. Her choice in books is almost predictable.

After a moment of reluctance, Shree flipped open the book. The opening page read, "Do not touch. This is Rolu's property", in an untidy, almost childish handwriting. Shree turned over the pages of the book with a fond smile on his face. Suddenly, in between the pages, was a photo. Of two girls in bright party dresses and equally bright smiles on their faces. The elder one was about 19 years old, holding the younger girl in her clasp and laughing confidently into the camera. On the contrary, the younger girl, who was about 15 years old, had her face turned away to her companion, as if shying away from the camera's gaze.

Even then, the dimples on the sides of the chubby adolescent face and the slim build gave her away. The second face was Riya's, Shree recognized with a shock. The other girl was probably a friend or a cousin, he thought, since Riya had told him that she had no siblings.

This is a personal photograph, and I have no right to keep it with me. Maybe I should return it to her family, he affirmed to himself.

Shree was immediately pervaded by the memories of Riya's grieving mother on Republic Day, when she had received the posthumous award on behalf of her daughter. A mother has lost her daughter. She has nothing left in this world. At least she deserves to get back this photo; maybe it's something important. With this excuse, I can go meet her. Console her. Talk about the loss we both have suffered. But how can I ask her to forget her loss when I myself can't stop thinking of my best friend?

Shree closed his eyes for a moment before gathering the courage to take his decision. He then logged into the ETF database to gather Riya's personal details and fulfill his commitment.

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