Raj sits stunned as he waits, almost involuntarily, for Neha to reveal the morbid secret of her past.
Neha is still speaking, her voice hollow:
"Yeh baat tab ki hai, jab main Nikki ko expect kar rahi thi……hamara ghar hotel ke paas hi tha…..lekin main wahaan kam hi jaati thi……uss raat, bahut sardi thi……"
Flashback: Neha in a nightgown and shawl, shivering. The lights go off.
"Ek fuse udd jaane ke kaaran, hamare ghar ki light chali gayi…….meri tabiyat waise hi theek nahin thi….usspar sardi……aur bina bijli ke heater bhi nahin kaam kar raha tha….jab mujhse bardaasht nahin hua toh maine Anuj se kaha ki wo mere liye hotel mein ek kamra khulva de…….kyunki wahaan bijli thi…….."
"Pehle toh wo maane nahin, par maine bhi zid nahin chodi…aakhir meri haalat dekh kar, wo maan gaye……main chup-chaap kamre mein aa kar so gayi….."
Flashback: Neha is sleeping in a room. Suddenly she wakes up and looks around. The clock shows 2 am.
"Pata nahin kyun, meri neend achanak khul gayi….bure-bure khayal aane lage…..main uth kar baith gayi…….ek ajeeb sa darr lag raha tha…….Anuj abhi bhi kamre mein nahin the…..maine socha, shayad reception par baithe honge……main baahar aa kar unhe dhoondne gayi…."
Flashback: Neha is moving slowly around the semi-darkened corridors of the ill-maintained hotel, looking apprehensive. She arrives at the reception but finds no one there. Puzzled, she starts moving towards the guest rooms, looking for him. Then, suddenly, she stops short in her tracks.
Neha shivers as she continues:
"Ek kamre se mujhe kuch awaazein aa rahi thi. Unme se ek awaaz mere pati ki bhi thi. Mujhe aisa laga, jaise wo bahut dare hue ho. Mera dil zor-zor se dhadak raha tha. Ek pal ke liye laga, ki shaayad unki jaan khatre mein hai…..main zabardasti kamre mein jaane wali thi…..lekin tabhi…..maine CJ ki awaaz suni….."
Raj sits bolt upright in his chair.
Neha:
"Wo Anuj se shaant Rehne ko keh raha tha…..keh raha tha ki agar wo apna muh band rakhenge, toh who unhe itna paisa dega jaisa unhone zindagi mein nahin dekha hoga……mere husband bahut buri tarah dare hue the……wo baar-baar kuch keh rahe the…."
Raj: (probingly) Kya keh rahe the?
Flashback: Neha is cowering in the shadows outside the room, listening intently. Anuj Shastri's blubbering voice comes out, "CJ sa'ab….meri baat mano, yeh kaam yahaan mat karo…..meri biwi hai, uska bachcha hone wala hai….meri Nainital mein kuch izzat hai….agar kisi ko pata chal gaya, toh main kahi ka nahin rahunga……"
CJ: (sinister tone) Shastri, tum mere dost ho….lekin kaam ke waqt, dosti nahin dekhi jaati….business dekha jata hai…….tumhare hotel se zyada mehfooz jagah mujhe aur nahin milegi…….yahaan koi aata jo nahin hai! (mocking laugh) Don't worry, Shastri….(drawling tone)…..tumhe koi nuksaan nahin hoga…….agar tum chup raho, toh main tumhe 20 lakh rupaiye doonga…..uske baad, tum apne biwi-bachchon ke saath kahin door jake, aaraam se rehna…….lekin….(voice changes from cajoling to threatening) agar tumne kisi ko kuch bhi bataya, ya rokne ki koshish ki…..toh main tumhare ghar se kisi ko zinda nahin chodunga….!
There is some more blubbering from Anuj, followed by an ominous pause. And then…..there is the muffled sound of a man's scream, followed by a dull thud.
Neha utters a little scream herself as she reaches this climax of her narrative. There is a stunned silence in Raj's office. Then Raj speaks, his voice dazed—
"Tum keh rahi ho…….ki uss raat…..CJ ne kisi ka khoon kiya??!!"
Tomorrow: Raj investigates
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Cricket
