Chap 6: Lost
Priyanka heard someone banging the front door and jumped. Her heartbeat fastened. Did the creepy man come back? She shakily went near her door and peeped through the hole. It was Ranveer. She opened the door; she was going to ask why was he banging on the door so hard. What she didn't expect him to do was to run inside and closed the door, before hugging her as tightly as he could. Priyanka hugged him back, taking in his warmth. She needed it. "Everything ok?" She asked, worry grazing her voice. He pulled away from her, and put some raven strands behind her ear. "You're ok right? Nothing has happened to you right?" He asked, his voice shaking. "I am ok Ranvir, what happened" she said, frowning. "Babydoll, tell me honestly, you're ok right?" he asked, cupping her cheeks. "I am fine. Ranvir you're scaring me. What happened?" She asked. Ranvir sighed. He was hesitant to tell her about the call, maybe he'll break it down to her a bit later. He should, however, tell her to not to leave without calling him or unless it's an emergency. He probably should send one of his men to her, if she needs to somewhere.
Then again, it will raise her suspicions and she would bombard him with questions. How would he handle the situation then?
Priyanka set the table for dinner, humming a song the movie Beauty and the Beast, for it was her favourite. She heard the land phone ring, and went to pick it up, forgetting about recent events. "Hello," she called out, waiting for an answer. "Why hello there, is the ACP home?" a man asked, his voice holding a tone that caused Priyanka to shudder. "He's busy. Who are you? Is there any message that I could pass on?" she asked, trying to push out the fear that was creeping up her spine. "Well, you could let him know that I called. To warn him about something, and as for you, sweetpie, I got my eyes on you" he snarled. Priyanka suddenly felt bile rising up her throat. Her heartbeat fastened and she thought she couldn't breathe. Who was this man? Why was he threatening them? What did he mean by what he said? Priyanka's hands were shaking. Was he after Ranvir? Why?
Priyanka's voice quivered, she asked trying not to let her emotion get the best of her "Who, who are you?" She asked, the man laughed, "well, you'll find out soon enough" he said and cut the call.
Priyanka felt numb, she somehow caught herself and sat down on the bed, her hand on her chest, trying to calm her agitated nerves. Was Ranveer is danger? Was she is danger? She couldn't let anything to happen to her family. What would she do now? Who would she go to?
Ranvir stared at the water flowing from the faucet, his mind drifting somewhere else. He was freshly out of shower, now in a pair of sweatshirt and sweatpants. His hair was wet, water dripping down to his back, soaking the sweatshirt. He suddenly snapped out, for his phone rang. He turned off the faucet and answered his phone, before grabbing the towel to dry his hair. "Hello," he called out, as he was drying his hair, rubbing the towel on his head. "Hello there. ACP Ranveer Singh Randhawa" said a voice and Ranveer stiffned. He knew that voice. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice dripping disgust and venom. "My my, someone is cranky. Are you always like this Randhawa?" he asked, mockingly. Ranvir gritted his teeth. The man now spoke before Ranvir could speak out. "I called. Your wife answered. She has a nice a**" the man said. Ranvir cringed. How dare he talk like that about his wife? "How dare you?" Ranvir said, his voice cold enough to make even the cruelest man shudder in fear. "How dare you talk about her like that?! I'll find you and I'll murder you!" Ranvir said, not caring if he was crushing his phone under the ferocity of his grip. "There there. Why so cranky? I was being honest" he said and laughed. "You f******g b*****d!!!!" Ranvir said gritting his teeth. His blood was now boiling. "I'll kill you you f*****g son of a b****!!!" Ranvir said. "We'll see about that. Good luck ACP. You remember the first meeting? Pipal tree? It took you such a long time to track me down. What do they call me again? Oh yes, Tattoo Monster," he laughed and continued, not letting Ranvir speak up, "Remember, you don't see me but I see you! Your pretty wife too!" and cut the call. Ranvir threw his phone, thankfully it had a cover on, otherwise it would have broken into pieces. He rubbed his face with his hands. The case was beyond his control. The serial killer was now after his wife!
Priyanka ran inside the room, hearing her husband scream. Her eyes widened at the scene in front of her. Ranvir's phone was on side, and the lamp on the other. There were papers scattered around, and he was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head down with his hands covered his face. "Ranvir" she called out, and he jolted up so fast that Priyanka was afraid that he could dislocate his head. She was scared to see him like this. His hair was disheveled, eyes looked as they have sunken, his youthful glow now gone. She was horrified. "Are, are you ok?" she managed to voice out, the last sentence barely audible. Ranvir slowly got up and said, "Priyanka, I need you to be honest with me" Priyanka nodded in understanding. "Did someone call Prinku to threaten you? Was anyone following you" he asked, his eyes filling with anger and fear. Priyanka gulped. In her 7 years of marriage, she had never seen him like this. "Tell me honestly Prinku, did anyone call to threaten you? Is anyone stalking you?" he asked again. Priyanka didn't know what to say. "Please Priyanka. Please don't hide the truth from me" he said. She looked down and muttered a "yes," knowing well that Ranvir wouldn't let this one slide unless she actually told him the truth. "Yes?" Ranvir asked to confirm and Priyanka nodded a yes. Ranvir face palmed, and asked "Why didn't you tell me?" his voice slowly rising. Priyanka was silent for she didn't know what to say. "Priyanka why didn't you tell me?!" this time he yelled. His patience was now wearing thin, not because he was mad at her, but because situation was out of his hands and he was scared that he won't be able to protect her. She flinched at his tone, for he has never used a tone like this, not even when he was doubting her and holding her responsible for his sister's accident.
Ranvir was breathing heavily, trying to collect himself, he didn't mean to yell at her like that. Priyanka's lips quivered, her eyes now watering up. Ranvir was mad and hurt. She looked up at him now, and muttered "I am sorry." Ranvir sighed and went near her. He pulled her in his arms and kissed her head. "I am sorry Prinku. I never meant to yell at you like that," he said, kissing her head again, his hand drawing circles on her back. Priyanka sniffed, pulling away from Ranvir much to the latter's reluctance and said "I am so sorry Ranvir. I hid the truth from you. I never wanted to make you worried, You seemed so stressed out lately. I thought I could handle it myself." Ranvir sighed. He knew it. Priyanka would never tell him something if she knew he was preoccupied. He now said "Priyanka, I am ACP. I will always have cases up till my neck. I will always be worried. However, that doesn't mean you'll hide the truth from me." Priyanka nodded in understanding, feeling the previous weight from her chest finally being lifted. "I promise" she said, wiping her tears.
The duo had a hard time falling asleep that night. Ranvir was holding Priyanka tightly in his arms, her back touching his front, while his arms were draped around her. Priyanka could hear the man's steady heartbeat as she slowly dosed off, her demons now finally vanishing, even if it meant only for a short while.
"Don't leave the house alone. Do. Not. Answer the door unless it's me or someone you know. If you need to go anywhere, I'll come myself or I'll send someone," Ranvir said as he was leaving the house. "Yes, yes, I know. I will be fine Ranvir. You take care of yourself" she said.
Ranveer knocked on the door and waited for the door to be opened. An old woman opened the door, her nose holding a pair of glasses. The woman seemed to be in his mid 70s. She looked at the trio with her eyes, after she fixed his glasses with wrinkly hands. "Yes, can I help you?" asked the older man, furrowing his eyebrows. "Good day ma'am, I am ACP Ranvur Singh Randhawa, here to ask you questions regarding Samrat Khurana." As soon as Ranvir uttered those words, he saw the woman's eyebrows rose, like he had grown two extra limbs or something. She then looked down, frowning before she asked the trio to come in. The trio went inside, the interior, albeit old was stunning to say the least. The walls were white in color, adorned with paintings and pictures - mostly probably family members. There was a small hookah at a corner, completely covered in small engravings, and jewels at the top. Ranvir's eyes scanned the room, and he walked around, but he suddenly stopped for one particular picture caught his eyes. It was that of a young man's, most likely in his late teens, in his graduation gown. Ranvir's eyes flicked to the picture on the side, another man in the same attire which he recognized to be Samrat Khurana. If this man in the picture was Samrat Khurana, then who was the other one?
"Can I help you?" asked someone and Ranvir turned around. A man, around the same age as the woman was standing a few feet away, his eyebrows knotted together. Ranvir introduced himself and his team before the man asked them to sit. "What did you need to ask me about Samrat?" asked the man, unaware that his son was noted to be missing. "Sir, actually we recently got an FIR, that Samrat Khurana is missing," as soon as Ranvir uttered those words, the expression on the man's face changed. His eyes showed - hurt and anger, like someone had ripped his heart out and just stomped on it. Then he said "missing?" He paused then said "Samrat died 10 years ago." Ranvir's eyebrows shot up, if Samrat Khurana was dead then who the missing person? Then Ranvir took out a photo from his pockets, which he had believed to be of Samrat Khurana's up until now and showed it to Samrat's father. "That's Shashant Khurana, my other adopted son," he said.
"I don't believe this," Yaser said as he was sipping his coffee with cream and sugar. "Why would Shashant Khurana pose as Samrat Khurana? They don't even look the same!" He continued. "There could be a number of reasons Yaser. One: rivalry. Two: vengeance," Shinde said. "Vengeance? For what?" asked the younger man, as his eyes drifted between Ranvir and Shinde. "Maybe a payback for something that had happened as a youngster?" added Shinde. Ranvir now spoke up, "I think we Shashant had a strong reason for going as far as imitating his brother" he paused then said "Shinde, I need to see what would Shashant Khurana look like now, a fully detailed info on Shashant Khurana. Also, we need to go back to Delhi University. I have a sneaking suspicion that mut rat lied to our faces about the missing professor resigning."
Ranvir looked at the man in front of him; the man would probably be dead if Ranvir could literally shoot daggers at him. "Recognize that man in the picture?" He snarled. "Y-Yes, that's p-professor S-Samrat K-Khurana" he stammered. "Wrong answer," said the ACP and folder his arms, and tilted his head on the right. "Speak up. Now." Ranvir said, his voice ice cold. The man was shaking, his beady eyes now tearing up. "I don't know what you're talking about" he said, his forehead glistening in sweat. "Really? You don't?" Ranvir asked, quirking an eyebrow. Ranvir now said, staring straight into the man's eyes, "Samrat Khurana died 30 years ago." The older man stared at him, completely flabbergasted. "I-I" he muttered, his voice barely audible. "I, will tell you the truth, that's what you should be saying to me" Ranvir said. "This mistake might cost you your job, unless you come clean" Ranvir suggested. The man in front of him was shaking, and took a small handkerchief to wipe the sweat. "Sir, I am sorry. Forgive me saab. Only the Dean and I knew the truth. He said that he would kill anyone who knew. So, we had to lie, for the sake of everyone's safety" he said, his voice shaking. Ranvir furrowed his eyebrows. "He will kill anyone who knows his truth sir" the man said, his eyes filled with terror. Ranvir said "you have to tell me the truth. No one can cause you any harm if you tell us the truth" he assured. "Samrat Khurana was banned because of identity theft, " the man said.
"I knew that rat face was lying to me" Ranvir said, as the trio walked outside the university. "I knew the second Mr. Adhiraj Khurana said that his son passed way, that Shashant was banned from Delhi University; he never resigned" he added.
Priyanka was making some tea when she heard someone at the door. She turned off the stove and ran to answer it, but before she peeped through the hole to see who it was. It was a habildaar, Ranvir must have sent him, she assumed. "Hello ma'am, I am here because sir has sent me. I heard you need to go somewhere?" asked the man, eyes covered in a thick rimmed glasses. "Oh yes! Habildaar - " "Manmohan," said the man. "Oh right! Are you new?" she asked. The man in front of her inwardly gritted his teeth before saying "yes, ma'am. I am new. Follow me. I will take you where you want to go." Priyanka nodded and came out with her keys. She closed the door and followed him.
"Hello Ranvir?" Priyanka asked, and then continued "yes, the habildaar is here. I just left" she said, unaware of the pair of eyes staring at her through the rearview mirror.
"Sir, this is what Shashant Khurana would look like now," said Joseph, a new member in their team, who was also a tech guru. Ranvir looked at the photo closely and knotted his eyebrows together before pulling back. "What would he look like with different colored eyes and scar running down his jaws?" "Shinde, I need the mug shot of the serial killer who escaped recently," Shinde brought him the photo. Ranvir held the photo near the modified picture of Shashant Khurana. His eyes widened in realization. "The killer is a professor but the professor is not necessarily the killer," Ranvir said.
Ranvir's phone rang and it said UNKNOWN. "Hello," Ranvir said. "Hello ACP. Long time no talk" the man on the other side said. Ranvir was gritting his teeth. "I wonder what tattoo I should carve on your wife's neck" said the man and snickered. Ranvir froze. It could not be! He had sent a habildaar for his wife! "Aww, you must be thinking how did I manage to get to your home before your habildaar? I see you but you don't see me" said the man on the other side. "Where are you?!" Ranvir screamed. "My my, so arrogant. Just like your wife. You know I actually asked her about you. She told me to back off or I couldn't lay a finger on your as long as she was alive! So sad, little birdie didn't know that killing is not that hard" the man said. "I will end you if you lay a finger on her!" Ranvir yelled, his resolve broken, eyes watering up. "We'll see about that" he said and cut the call. He couldn't lose her. He needed to find where Prinku was. ASAP.
Guys, please don't kill me. If it makes you feel any better, there will be NO main character death.
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