đ Hi Guys
So here is the update. Sorry about the delay. I had finished the chap before I left home, but I forgot my back up drive. My husband joined us here today and brought it along with him. I just finished editing and its4:00am here. Please excuse the errors. I hope you guys like it.
CHAPTER 12
"IG Sir, called you 'AMY'. Isn't that a girl's name?"
"Oh Lord, he groaned. Why me? Kiss baat ki sazaa de rahein hain mujhe? Aisa maine kya kiya? Unless this is payback for what I did that time when Arman took me with him to visit his Uncle's farm. Par uss samay toh I was only 17-18 years old. And then too what I did was not that bad! That poor bull looked so unhappy standing in that big pasture all by himself. And usske upar se he was looking so wistfully at all those cows. Like a kid peeking into a candy store, knowing that he had little or no chance of ever being able to get one. How was I to know he was the neighbors bull, and Arman's uncle had already arranged for a stud services, and those were his breeding cows. Main aur kya karta? I couldn't stand his pain, so I opened the gate and let him in. Mere jagah koi aur bhi hota, aap bhi, toh app bhi woh hi karte. I still remember how he raced into the yard, and how happy he looked going from cow to cow. Woh probably aaj tak mijhe duaayein deta hoga. And the cows didn't look unhappy either. And, to be fair, jab mujhe pataa chalaa ke maine kya galti kari toh I did apologize to uncle, hain na. And Baba paid the stud owners, and stopped them from suing Arman's uncle for breech of contract. End mein toh sab theek ho gaya tha. I don't think that I have ever done anything worse than that. Please help me Bhagwanji, aap toh jaantein hain na ke I can't let Nidhi find out the real story behind that nickname. She is my wife, kabhi bhoolne nahi degi... Please madad karo yaar, poori zindagi ka sawaal hai..."
" Yeh aap kya bole jaa rahein hain? Mujhe kuch sunayi nahi de raha hai."
" Kuch nahin Nidhiji. Bhagwan ka shukriya adaa kar rahaa hoon ke unki mere upar kitni meherbaani hai."
"Uh...par uss se mere sawal ka kya lena dena?"
Ashutosh pulled her down into his arms," Lena dena hai. Kabhi phursat mein bataaunga. Abhi bahut der ho gayi hai. Lets go to sleep."
"Lekin..."
" Lekin vekin kuch nahin! Please Nidhi, lets sleep. Bahut neend aa rahi hai, it's gonna be a long day tomorrow."
"In other words aap bataana nahin chahte."
Ashutosh drew back a bit and looked at her, trying to muster a hurt expression," Nidhi, maine yeh kab kaha. Par kaafi complicated and lamba chauda explanation hai, and abhi time nahin hai. Phir kabhi, hunh? Pakka."
Nidhi hesitated for a few seconds, then sank down next to him and nodded sleepily,"Hmm, theek hai, baad mein." She snuggled deeper into his arms, her eyes closing, as he pulled her close.
Ashutosh was up bright and early, and was almost ready when his phone rang. He grabbed it quickly, and glanced over at Nidhi. He smiled seeing her snuggled up under the blankets, oblivious to the world, glad that his phone had not woken her up, realizing that she was probably worn out after the events of the last few days.
"Hello. Hi Manny...Haan yaar aa raha hoon. I'm just about ready. I am sure Armaan is also. Haan bhai, just give me two minutes and I'll be on my way... Ok... haan sun raha hoon. Accha tujhe reports mil bhi gayi itni jaldi... Yeah... That is Great! Yaar yeh toh bahut acchi khabar hai. Haan theek hai, Rohan ko bhi lete aayenge. Alright, then see you in a few. Bye."
Ashutosh closed his eyes in relief after he hung up. Then he walked softly up to Nidhi and bent down to kiss the back of her head, which the only thing that was visible as the rest of her was covered up by the blanket or buried underneath the pillow. Ashutosh chuckled softly as walked out of their room and shut the door softly behind himself, feeling considerably lighter. Manny had just told him that he had gotten the reports from Ashu's PI, about Dr. Purab, which was going to prove to be extremely helpful. (He had called the private investigator yesterday, and asked him to send the reports directly to Manny.) Armed with this new information and the stuff Rohan had told them about last night, he was sure that they would be able clear Nidhi, and wrap up the whole sordid mess that very day.
As soon as he entered the living room he saw that Armaan was already there, having tea and talking to Baba.
" Armaan, tu tayyar bhi hi gaya. Kamal hai. Pehle baar hai, ke tujhe time par ready hote dekha maine."
"Of Course yaar. Why not? Meri Bhabhi ke liye. OK. Teri baat hoti toh shyam se pehle kamre se bhi nahin nikalta."
Ashutosh laughed, and then going up to his father, bent to touch his feet," Baba aashirwaad dijiye, ke yeh mamla jaldi se nipat jaaye."
" Beta mera aashirwaad toh hamesha tum dono ke saath hai. Armaan ne mujhe sab bataa diya. Chalo tum dono jao. Go and wrap up this nonsense quickly. We will wait to hear from you."
" Baba Nidhi ghar par hi hai. Maine ussko kuch nahin bataya...Usse aaj ke plans ke baare mein kuch pataa nahin hai. Baba, I did not want to worry her. Woh so rahi hai baba, jab uthegi toh abhut gussa hogi mere se. Aap please..."
"Haan haan beta, tu phikr mat kar. Teri Bhua aur main Nidhi ko sambhaal lenge."
Arman patted him on the back,"Ashu, don't worry. You did the right thing. Agar tu usse bataata toh woh saath aane ki zid karti. Anyway, she will understand. Chal ab der ho rahi hai. Manny intezaar kar raha hoga."
Manny looked at the three of them, his expression absolutely serious, giving Ashutosh a clear glimpse of the IG persona of his long time friend. " Tum teeno ko samajh aa gaya hai na kya karna hai. Maine jitna kaha utna hi karna, aur waise hi. Khaas kar tu Ammy. Jyada hero mat banana. Let the police handle this. It will be better if we do everything by the book. I don't want that slime ball walking away on a technicality due to any mistake, or unnecessary act on our part. Samjhe!"
"Manny I am not an idiot. I know I need to leave it up to you. But Manny, come on yaar understand. Tere bhi biwi hai. I need to do something. I just can't stand on the sidelines and let you hhave all the fun. Yaar isne meri Nidhi ko bahut tang kiya hai."
"Lagta hai tune suna nahin mai jo bol raha tha. You cannot take matters into your own hand, not if you want this b******d put away for a long time."
Ashutosh Looked at Manny for several seconds before sighing and bowing his head in defeat. Just as he was about to get up to leave, Manny caught his arm," Oye Teher yaar! Ek idea hai. Teri bhi baat rahegi aur meri bhi. Sun..."
About an hour later, Arman and Rohan along with Manny, along with two constables, headed in one direction, whilst Ashutosh, followed by a police van with one inspector and a couple of officers, headed towards the hospital.
Ashutosh sat down at his desk and asked buzzed his secretary to ask Rangnath to come up to his cabin with Dr. Purab.
Five minutes later there was a knock on his door, and after hearing his terse "come in", Rangnath entered hesitantly, followed by a swaggering, smirking Purab.
Ashutosh barely looked up from the files he was looking at," Come in gentlemen. Take a seat I will be right with you." Saying that he went back to his file.
After 10 minutes, both Rangnath and Purab started getting restless. Whereas Rangnath had the presence of mind to keep quiet, Purab, feeling full of himself spoke up, "Dr. Ashutosh we have been sitting here for several minutes now, aap bataa saktein hain humein kyon bulaaya? Agar aapko apne files padne hain toh hum baad mein aa saktein hain." Saying that he started to get up.
Without looking up, and speaking in a tone laced with quiet fury, icy contempt, Ashutosh said," I am the Chief of staff at this hospital, Dr Purab.. If I choose to keep you here for an hour, then that's where you will stay till such a time as I am ready to deal with you. Now, sit back down, and stay quiet while I finish."
Sitting back down, Purab stared at Ashutosh resentfully, and choked down the words that were on the tip of his tongue, realizing that he could only push Ashutosh so far. And while he would never willingly admit it, he was also very nervous and extremely apprehensive regarding Ashutosh's icy calm behavior. Another 10 minutes went by, and just as Purab was about to speak up again, Ashutosh closed the files and looked up, glancing from one man to the other, before finally coming to rest on Purab.
"Haan toh Dr. Purab, aap kal Police station mein kya keh rahe the aap, zara phir se boliye toh please. I was a bit distracted at that time, what with my wife being arrested and all..."
Ashutosh spoke in a low controlled voice, but the quiet menace behind the innocuous words had Purab squirming. "So, according to the proof you were kind enough to provide for the police, my wife is the drug thief we have been looking for, hmm? Theek hai, ho sakta hai. Lekin Doctor, saath saath yeh bhi bataiye ke yeh proof aapko milli kaise. I am very interested in knowing how you got your hands on that tape Dr. Purab. I mean you are a senior member of the staff, and a depart Head, but you do not have the clearance to interfere with security issues. That has to be authorized by me, the MD, or the management. And I just had a talk to Mr. Bharadwaj, he said he had not authorized anything, and I know I didn't! So, just how did you manage to get a hold of those tapes Purab. Daksh was so wants the answer I think he is on his way here even as we speak..."
"But...But woh toh Mumbai mein hai. How..." Purab sputtered.
"I guess I forgot a tiny detail, I talked to Mr. Bharadwaj early this morning. He was really upset. Anyway, that aside, I need to ask you Dr. Purab, just how you got the tape."
Now, Purab was getting a little hot under the collar, he swallowed, "Sir you were not here, so the minute we found out that there had been another theft, I asked to see the security tape. I mean, I was the senior most staff here at that time. As soon as I saw who it was...Anyway, I called Dr. Rangnath, and we decided that it was too big to keep it under wraps. So I called the Police, and handed the tape over."
"So Dr. Purab, you are trying to tell me that the security guard just handed the tape over to you. Without questions, without even trying to contact myself, or any other senior members. You calmly walked into the security office, and and walked out with the tape in hand?"
"I just didn't walk out Sir. I requested."
"You're sure? I am asking because I have never heard of this kind of break of protocol every happening at KGH before. The management is normally really strict about these sort of things."
"Aap kya kehene ki koshish kar raahein hain Doctor Sahab? Mujhe par tape chori karne ka ilzaam laga rahein hain kya? Well, agar aapko mere upar vishwas nahin toh you can ask the security guard who was on duty that night. He is the one who gave me that tape. He did not seem to think that it was breech of security, or that I was overstepping my bounds".
"Woh confirm karna hi padega because it seems that everyone other than you has a different opinion on the matter. Phir yeh baat bhi hai ke yeh police ka mamla hai, and the charges against a staff member are also serious ones. So i am afraid that everything has to be verified." Without taking his eyes off him Ashutosh picked up his phone,"Zara Dharam Singh ko mere cabin mein laana please."
After about five minutes, there was a knock on his door. Ashutosh finally turned his gae away from Purab, and turned to the door. He waited patiently while a small nervous man, about 60-65 years of age was escorted in by a constable. Then,
"Dharam Singhji, Dr. Purab ka kehna hai ke aapne inko tapes apni marzi se diye the. Kya yeh sach hai? If so, I am surprised at you. Aap toh hamare iss hospital mein mere Baba ke time se kaam kar rahein hain na? Kya aapko yahan ki polices and rules ke baare mein nahin pataa? How could you do something like this? You know that you have marred your otherwise spotless record, and damaged your reputation irreparably. You know you are going to be fired, yes? And are you also aware that yahan se jaane ke baad aapko shayad hi koi dhang ki jagah par naukri milegi, pataa hai na aapko? Why? Please tell me. I want to know why you did this."
The older man was pale and shaking, his eyes were darting from Ashutosh to Purab nervously," Ji Sir... Sir woh... sorry Sir... Sir I am... I did not..." He stuttered nervously, looking a Purab.
"Dharam Singhji", Ashutosh said in a loud voice, causing the man to look at him, " Why are you looking at Purab? I am the one asking you the question. Please look at me and answer."
" Sir... " He stopped once again, his eyes full of fear.
"Dharam Kaka, aapko darne ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Bas meri taraf dekhiye, aur mujhe bataiye aapne aisa kyon kiya." Ashutosh spoke in a gentle voice.
The older had tears running down his cheeks as he stared at Ashutosh, "Ashutossh beta, kareeb ek mahine pehle main apni night duty khatm karke ghar jaane waala tha toh maine kamla ko hospital ke bahar khade rote hue dekha. Tum jaante ho usse, woh hospital mein jhadu pocha lagati hai. Bechari bahut dari hui thi. jagah jagah ghav the, aur neel pade hue the. Usse kai baar poochne par pataa chala uska pati ghar mein doosri aurat le ayaa, aur dono ne mil kar Kamla ko maar peet kar ghar se nikaal diya. Main usko andar le aaya aur ward mein le jaa raha tha, taaki jo bhi doctor ward mein ho woh usse dekh kar uska treatment kar de. Hum chal hi rahe the, ke woh bechari behosh ho gayi. Koi aas paas nahin dikha, aur mai usse uthane ki koshish kar hi raha tha ke Dr. Purab aa gaye. Inhone meri madad ki aur hum use OPD mein le gaye. Pataa chalaa ke woh maa banane waali hai. Bechari itni dari hui thi aur shayad usse yeh pataa hi nahin chalaa ke usne mera haath pakad rakkha hai. Dr. Purab ne kuch aur hi samaj liya. Tab se yeh mere peeche pad hain. Inhone dhamki di agar maine tape nahin diya toh ghar jaa kar sabko bataa denge ke mere doosri aurat ke saath sambandh hain aur woh mere bacche ki maa banane waali hai. Iss buddhape mein agar aisa kalak lag jayega toh main kahin ka nahin rahunga, phir tum toh jaante ho meri betiyan jawan ho rahin hai, meri badnami ke baad unka byah kaise hoga, kaun karega unse shaadi? Mujhe koi aur raasta nahin soojha. Par mera vishwas karo Ashutosh agar mujhe pataa hota ke yeh Nidhi bitiya ke saath aisa karega toh kuch bhi ho jaata, main aisa kabhi nahin karta. Nidhi bitiya ne toh meri patni ki jaan bachayi thi. Mere ghar aa aa kar uska ilaaj kiya, kabhi ek paisa bhi nahin liya. Jab mujhe pataa chalaa toh mai tumhare paas aa raha tha sab bataane ke liye, par isnein mujhe rok diya. Kaha ke agar maine munh khola toh naa sirf Kamla ki baat meri biwi bacchon ko bataadega, par Nidhi beti ko bhi nuksaan pahunchaayega. Iss liye maine..."
"He is lying through his old teeth Dr. Ashutosh. Apne aap ko bachaane ki koshish kar raha hai buddha."
Purab said loudly, jumping out of his seat. He looked at the security guard menacingly, his eyes promising retribution as he glared at the old man.
"Please be quiet Dr. Purab, and sit back down. Kaun kya karne ki koshish kar raha hai is for the law to decide." Then he turned back to Dharam Singh, "Dhanyavaad Kaka, ab aap ghaar jayiye. Par suniye, aisi waisi koi bhi baat mat kariyega jiski wajah se main aapke paksh mein kuch bolne layak na rahoon. Mere upar vishwas rakkhiye, and zyada chinta mat karna."
With tears of gratitude in his eyes, and a ton of blessings coming from his mouth, the old guard walked out of the room. Ashutosh turned back to Purab, who looked at him with the beginning of fear in his eyes, yet he still managed to have a look of outrage on his face.
"You just let him go!!!! How could you? The great Dr. Ashutosh just let a criminal get away, Hunh. Well now I've seen everything. I wonder what the staff and your patients, and even the MD and the rest of the board will have to say about that."
"That is between me and my patients, the staff, and the board. Right now we are talking about you."
""Me!!! What about me? Yeh aapki uss drug dealer wife ki kari dharayi hai. As for me, yeah I admit I made a mistake when I went near her. Not that I am retracting my opinion about her, just that I made a mistake even thinking she was worth going after. Uss jaisi ladkiyan so mauke ki taak mein rehti hain. She was living with your family for 6 years, hain na? She knew you status, and your finances. Usko pata tha that you are stinking rich. And her being an orphan, and being without means, she seized the opportunity. Aapki family ke saath toh rehti hi thi, so pehele unko ko pataya, phir uski nazar aap par padi. She went from being a nobody to the wife of a rich and famous man. Usko iss baat se kya fark pada ke aap usse dugni umr ke hain. Usse toh aapka paisa chahiye tha, so mil gaya. And to be fair who can blame her. She is young, and the young have expensive tastes. They want to live the good life. Ab ek resident ki salary se kya hota hai, nahin? Its the classic rags to riches story. And then you being a middle aged bachelor, well of course having a wife like Nidhi, a YOUNG and beautiful wife like that... It must be quiet flattering I imagine. A middle aged man with a wife like that is proof of your masculinity, so who cares that she is just some two but wh..."
"That's enough."
Ashutosh's icy tone silenced Purab.
"Agar meri wife ke baare mein ek shabd aur bola toh I will not be responsible for my actions, iss liye apni khair chahte ho toh apna munh band rakkho. Nidhi kya hai yeh tum kabhi jaan hi nahin sakte. Uss jaisi ladki shayad hi hoti hogi kahin duniya mein. Khair I will not talk to you about her, or our relationship. But I will tell you this yeh jo aap baar baar uspe mujhse mere paison ke liye shaadi karne ka ilzaam laga raho na, well let me tell you something, that lowly resident, the so called penniless orphan you are referring to has enough money to buy this whole hospital, lock stock and barrel, and 10 others bigger than this one. And not with my money, with her own. You have heard of Nandini textiles and pharmaceuticals..."
Suddenly Rangnath looked up and spoke,"The multibilion dollar international firm that manufactures vaccines and cancer drugs, and also makes hospital equipment. They are huge the export of cotton fabrics, certain silks and synthetics. That one?"
Ashutosh smiled. He knew that Rangnath did not know that Nidhi was the major shareholder. Nidhi had told him that she had asked Anji not to reveal that fact to anyone, preferring to keep a low profile.
"Yes Dr. Rangnath that one. Well it might surprise you both to know that Nandini was the name of Nidhi's mother, and her father established the company in her name. He was the founder of the company. My father was one of his partners, but due to some personal reasons, he had to sell his shares. Anyway, Nidhi's father bought him out, and Col. Verma became the, who was already a major shareholder, became owner of 70% of the shares. The only reason I am telling you both all of this, even thought it is none of your business, is because I want to disabuse the both of you of the idea that Nidhi is some waif of the street that my family took pity upon. When her father passed away he left everything he owned, all his assets, including properties and whatnot to his only child. Yes Dr. Purab, Dr. Rangnath, that's Nidhi. I am rich, and my father eventually did start another business, and it is modestly successful, but nowhere near the calibre of what Col Verma's company is. So you see Nidhi does not need anyone's money, least of all mine. What I have is nothing compared to what she has."
It gave Ashutosh great satisfaction to see that Purab with a stunned, sickly look on his face. Ashutosh had no sympathy for him, he knew that pinning the drug thefts on Nidhi had a lot to do with Purab's assumptions regarding Nidhi's finances. He also knew that it would have been a lot easier to get everyone to believe in Nidhi's guilt had she truly been a penniless orphan, which is exactly why Purab had played the drug theft card. Although Nidhi had had different reasons for wanting to keep her status a secret, Ashutosh was glad that she had. If she hadn't then Purab undoubtedly would have hatched a different scheme, which might have made it harder for them. In any case... Things usually had a way of working out in the end.
Ashutosh was also glad to see Rangnath's reaction. No doubt the young doctor was beginning to see the light. Although that certainly did not excuse him in Ashutosh's eyes. He was amazed that Rangnath had doubted Nidhi in the first place, knowing her as he had for several years, and also being one of her friends. Anyway, he would deal with Rangnath later.
"Weather Nidhi has money or not, is not the issue here Dr. Ashutosh. The fact that she stole those drugs is. So what she has money, so do the big mob bosses, and the drug kingpins. Whatever...The fact is she stole those drugs, and the police have proof of her guilt. The ramblings of an old man prove nothing. And besides, I have another more reliable witness, Nurse Jamuna. She was with me, and we saw the tape together. She is also a loyal employee, and as I understand, a long term employee. She will testify that Nidhi is the culprit, you see she happened to know that Nidhi was in the drug room that day, because she was in Dr. Dubey's office when Dr. Nidhi came to request him for the keys. Which is also against protocol, is it not Dr. Ashutosh. I mean none of the interns or resident doctors can take medicine out of that room without a written request from one of the senior doctors, or a prescription. And that too they have to give to the hospital pharmacist, who is the one who dispenses the medicines. Isn't that so? I wonder what you have to say about that, and how you will excuse her for this. Khair whatever... I did my duty by handing over a criminal to the police. And even with the evidence of hour wife's guilt staring you right in the face, you are refusing to see the truth. Let me call nurse Jamuna, you can talk to her yourself"
Ashutosh rolled his eyes, and leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, eyeing him with contempt.
"There is no need for you to do that doctor, because, even as we speak, the IG of police, along with my friend Arman, and Nidhi's friend Dr. Rohan, are on their way to Ms. Jamuna's house right now to pick her up and bring her here. Phir aap dono ko jo bhi kehna, ya safai deni hai aap IG sahab ke samne dena. I was told to have you here in my office waiting for him, and I have done my bit. And, by involving the police you have taken matters out of my hands anyway. So aap jano, Jamnuna jaane, ya phir police. All I am concerned about is that Nidhi's innocence needs to be proved.
Ashutosh had been observing Purab the whole time and he had the satisfaction of seeing Purab, go stark white as soon ass he had mentioned Jamuna being picked up by the IG himself. He had probably expected that Ashutosh would talk to her on the phone, and that would be end of it. He had underestimated Nidhi's support team, Ashutosh thought, grinning to himself.
Ashutosh looked at the time. He winced, "this is talking to long", he grumbled under his breath. He knew Nidhi would be up by now, and must have been told by Baba and Bhua what he was up too. "God help me", he prayed, knowing that by keeping all the information to himself, and swearing everyone else to secrecy, his goose was probably going to be cooked well and good. Oh well as long as she was safe and at home, he would bear her wrath, and do some heavy duty groveling. In private of course. The thought brightened his day. The prospect of private groveling in front of his ruthi hui biwi had the potential to be a lot of fun. He could "grovel" over and over again till she came around, "pati hone ke naate itna toh farz banta hi hai mera", he smiled at the thought.
Ashutosh was just about to pick up the tele phone to call Arman and ask him what the delay was, when there was a knock at his cabin door. Ashutosh looked up as Manny entered his office followed by Arman and Rohan. They were proceeded by Nurse Jamuna who was escorted by two constables, flanking her on either side. Ashutosh waited till everyone was in, before closing the door. Then seeing a small crowd gathering outside his office, Ashutosh pulled down the blinds, giving them privacy. He walked over to Manny and gestured to his chair, indicating that the ball was now in his court, and that he was in charge. Manny nodded and smiled as he sat, pleased that Ashutosh had followed his instructions.
"Aur Amm...". He stopped putting up his hands apologetically at Ashutosh who was glaring daggers at him. " Sorry..." He mouthed.
Then he turned to Purab, all business, no trace of the light hearted, easy going friend Ashutosh had known for so many years.
"Dr. Purab aap hi se milne aaye hain hum. So Please tell us what is going on?"
Purab shifted uncomfortably, sweat glistening on his forehead, and upper lip.
"Kya matalb aapka, what is going on? And mere se kyon milne aaye hain aap maine kya kiya hai?"
"Ab yeh toh aap hi bataa saktein hain na doctor sahab ke aapne kya kiya hai. Agar humein aapko batana pad gaya ke aapne kya kiya hai, toh I can guarantee ke aapko hamara bataane ka tareeka pasand nahin aayega. But before that let us talk to Ms. Jamuna. So Jamunaji this gentlemen says that you were there when he got the tapes, and that you were also a witness to the fact that Dr. Nidhi went into the medicine supply room, also that you can also verify that the person in the tape, even though she never once turned to face the camera, is Dr. Nidhi. Is that correct?"
The nurse looked nervously at Purab.
"Please look at me Nurse! I am the one asking questions, not Dr. Purab. Now please speak up."
"J..j..j..jee. Inspector sahab..."
"IG Sahab, not inspector. I am the inspector general of Police."
"Y..y..y..yes Sir. IG sahab."
"That's better. So now, please tell us is what Dr. Purab saying true?"
"J..J..Jee Sir. Sach hai."
"Are you sure? Because if you are lying..."
"What the hell, Man! Are you hard of hearing or what. The lady just said I was telling the tru..."
Before Purab could finish Manny had moved, and grabbed his collar in one fist and had lifted him bodily out of the chair, "If you dare talk to me like that I will forget all about due process and personally see to it that you are locked up for life without chance of parole, in a prison even the meanest and most seasoned of criminals dread going to. IS THAT CLEAR!"
Ashutosh would not have been surprised if Purab had soiled his pants at that moment. He was seeing a side of Manny that was as awesome as it was frightening. He saw purab swallowing hard, as he nodded in answer to Manny's threat.
Manny let go of him, and took a couple of steps back, looking totally at ease, once again, as he leaned back against Ashutosh's desk.
So I ask you again, tell us what you have been up to DR.PURAB, yeh hi hai na aapka naam?"
" I resent you talking to me like that Sir. I have not done anything wrong. And why did you ask me that question about my name. Of course, I am Purab, and I have not been up to anything as you put it."
Manny slowly leaned forward, his movements slow and relaxed, but at the same time, extremely menacing. The look on his face was that of a lion biding his time watching his prey, waiting for the right moment to strike. Ashutosh felt of shiver of fear go up his spine. He was glad Manny was on his side. He would not want to be in Purab's shoes now for all the tea in china. "Poor B*****d", he thought, "yeh toh gaya." Then his attention was diverted as Manny began speaking.
"Maine aapke naam ke baare mein isliye poocha tha kyon ke aapko mauka de raha tha sach bolne ka. Lekin lagta hai ke shayad aap sach bolna jaante hi nahin. Chaliye koi baat nahin hai, hum bataiye dete hain.. Hum police toh public servants hain, hamara toh kaam hi hai public ki seva karna. And kyon ki aap hindustaan ki public ka hissa hain, to zahir hai ke aapki seva karna bhi hamara farz banta hai. ( he picked up the file that was on Ashutosh's desk. The one Ashutosh also, had been reading a little while ago. Manny was silent as he perused the file for a couple of minutes, then he looked up and smiled) Sorry about that, kuch confirm karna tha. Haan toh hum kahan the... Oh yaad aaya, aapke naam ke vishay mein charcha chal rahi thi. So, Dr. Pu... Sorry, yeh aapka naam thodi hai, main bhi kitna bewakoof hoon itni der se aapse baat kar raha hoon aur aapko aapke asli naam se nahin bulaya. Ek minute,(glancing down at the file again) Haan toh aapka naam Pandey hai na... MR. PITAMBAR PANDEY. So Mr. Pandey ek baar phir poochta hoon, what are you doing here in lucknow?."
Purab's skin had taken on a sickly greenish hue, and it looked as though he was going to upchuck any second..
"Oye, Ashu, yaar issko koi balti valti de yaar, nahin toh tera saara office kharab kar dega ." Arman said looking disgustedly at Purab, who was swallowing repeatedly, frantically, to try and maintain what little bravado he had left.
Ashu looked over at Rohan, who nodded and ran out. He came back a few seconds carrying later a huge trash can in his hand, which he set down carefully in front of Purab/Pitambar."
" Hello Mr. PP..."
"Oye ab yeh PP kaun hai? Yeh kaunsa naya character aay gaya hai story mein."
Rohan gave an evil look to Arman,"Kya Armanji train speed pakadne waali thi, aapne rassi khainch di. Aur koi naya character nahin aaya. Iss story mein pehle hi kaafi character hain, aur abhi toh kai aur line mein. Sab entry marne ke liye wait kar rahein hain. Kissi naye bande ke liye koi jagah nahin hai. I was just trying to tell our villain here to make sure he does whatever he needs too in the trash can. And waise bhi, I don't think that there is room in the budget for more people. Haan koi free mein apna time volunteer karna chahe toh..."
" Yeh aap dono itni serious situation mein comedy ko kyon mix kar rahe hain. Please get to the point. Humein villainji... sorry I meant Pitambarji ko thaane bhi toh lekar jaana hai."
Everyone turned as the office door opened and Inspector Komal stepped in.
"Thaane!!!! Yeh Kya...I mean kaise... I am not going anywhere with you guys."
Purab sputtered in panicked outrage.
"Please be quiet Mr. Pandey. What are you doing here Inspector Komal?"
"Sir, the information you had requested just came in. I tried to call you but aapka phone nahin mil raha tha, so I thought that I should come and personally deliver this to you."
Manny opened the large envelop Komal had just given him, and took out the sheaf of papers that were inside. He made a quick scan, then looked up and smiled.
"Haan toh Pitamber Pandey, aapke puzzle ka ek aur piece. Ashutosh, not only is this man using a false alias he is not even a doctor. He comes from a small village in Punjab, and was kicked out of the medical program for cheating, and falsifying records. Uske baad he left there and went to jaipur. Wahan par issnein ek doctor ke office mein yeh bol kar job li, ke he was a medical student, and due to financial difficulties he could not finish his education. He told the doctor that he needed a job to save enough money to be able to go back and finish his studies. Anyway some months later the doctor caught him stealing drugs from the office, and also for forging his signature on prescriptions to get more drugs from the pharmacy. But, before the police could arrest him, he stabbed the doctor and ran. Uske bad yeh janab Dr. Purab banke yahan aa gaye. In sab baaton mein mujhe yeh samajh nahin aa raha ke yeh KGH mein HOD kaise bana. Tum log apne staff ki screening nahin karte kya Ashutosh?"
"Manny I am thinking the same thing. But you see he was already here when I rejoined a few months ago. Rest assured that I will find out who was responsible for hiring him, and make sure that something like this can never happen again."
"That's Good. Ashu yaar lagat hai ke this guy is not going to cooperate. Koi baat nahin, inki partner se poochne ki koshish kartein hain. Maybe she will cooperate. What say?'
Then turning to face the nurse once again, he said,
" Nurse Jamuna can you shed anymore light on the subject? Par ek minute, pehele yeh baat dimaag mein rakkhna ke mujhe jhoot bolne waalon se sakt nafrat hai. Chahe woh koi Naari hi kyon na ho, agar mujhese koi jhoot bolta hai toh he/she lives to regret it, So now please tell us, is Purab telling the truth?"
She gave Purab another frightened look, "Yes Sir. Yeh sahi keh rahein hain. Woh Dr. Nidhi hi thi."
"Theek hai." (Manny turns to Rohan) "Rohan..."
Rohan nodded and walked over to the desk and inserted a disc that had been lying there into Ashutosh's laptop. Then he turned the laptop around so that it was facing the room, and everybody could see the screen.
"Jab bhi ready ho Sir, just press play."
Manny smile and nodded,
"So Nurse, since you stand firm in your defense of Mr. Pandey, then maybe you can also explain how your ring got on Dr. Nidhi's finger."
He pressed play, and immediately several pictures came on screen. Each picture was a still from the hospital security disc, of the culprit from different angles, at the site of the crime. One of the frames was a blow up of the the culprits hand, which Manny zoomed in on. It was a very clear picture of the hand, and of the ring that adorned the ring finger of that hand."
Suddenly, Manny reached out and grabbed Jamuna's hand and turned it over so that everyone could see that the ring on the screen of the computer, was the very same one that was on her ring finger.
"Isn't this interesting. Rohan you were right, it is the same ring. You have good eyes my boy. I know that there has to be a viable explanation for this. Now the possible scenario's are very limited. Infact the way I see it there can be only two. The first one being that Dr. Nidhi borrowed this ring from you , and then went to steal the drugs. Then came back and returned it to you. How does that sound? (Jamuna stayed silent) NO, theek nahin hai? OK. Then the other explanation is that you both are long lost twins, and your parents gave you each an identical ring before one of you got lost at the Kumbh Mela. Better? Still No? (no response) Theek hai phir aap hi bataiye... You have you have already pointed out that the woman who was stealing the drugs is Dr. Nidhi, and I am ready to believe you. But before I do that, I need to know why Dr. Nidhi wearing your ring."
Suddenly, Jamuna broke down. Sobbing, she fell to her knees and hid her face in her hands.
"I am sorry Miss, I am afraid that I am one of those rare men, jinko auraton ke aansoon se koi fark nahin padta. And specially now that I know that those are not real but fake tears. Ab aap mere sawalon ka jawab dengi, ya main lady police ko bulaun. They know how to handle traitorous B*****s such as yourself. So cut the crap and start talking...( when she failed to comply) Theek hai phir. (he took out his phone and dialed) Hello... Haan this is IG Singh here. Please send 2 lady constables here to KGH immediately. I will be in Dr. Ashutosh Mathur's office. I have an uncooperative witness who needs some persuading..."
"No Sir, please don't...please...I'll...I'll tell you everything." Jamuna said getting up.
Manny disconnected and put the phone back in his pocket. Then he stared at her silently, waiting for her to start talking.
She swallowed and lowered her eyes,
"Sir the woman in the DVD was me, not Dr. Nidhi. I am the one who has been stealing drugs. Mujhe paison ki sakht zaroorat thi iss liye maine... Dr. Purab found out and threatened to turn me to the police in if I did not agree to put the blame on Dr. Nidhi and to testify against her. Sir, I really like Dr. Nidhi. I would never have done this if he hadn't forced..."
"Enough!!!!" Manny's voice thundered.
"Appne mujhe bewakoof samajh rakkha hai. Pehle toh aapne jurm kiya, phir pakdi gayi toh jail jaane ke dar se kissi aur ko apne jurm ke illzam mein phansaa diya. I know people like you. Iss liye mere saamne koi safai dene ki zaroorat nahin hai. You are no less than This imposter. And I will make sure that both of you get exactly what you deserve. Constables take these two away, and make sure that they are in the same van together, I am sure that they have a lot to discuss."
The two officers came forward, and were just about to take hold of Purab and Jamuna, when purab reach inside his jacket and pulled out a scalpel. Then grabbing Jamuna he held it to her throat.
"If you take one step towards me I will kill her."
Manny smiled and leaned nonchalantly against the wall.
"I mean it IG, I will kill her. You know my record. I will not hesitate."
"So, who's stopping you. Go ahead. mere liye toh accha hi hai, paperwork karne se bach jaunga. (turning to Ashutosh) Yaar aadat kharab ho gayi hai. Jab se bada officer bana hoon hukum chalata hoon. Yeh sab mujrimon ko pakadna, aise chote mote kaam apne junior officers ke upar chod deta hoon, and woh hi paperwork kartein hain. Lekin aaj tere liye phir se maidan mein koodke haathon ko ganda karna padaa. Dosti mein bhi kya kya papad belne padtein hain. Tujhe pata hai, kitne saalon ke baad is tarha mujrim pakde hain. Lekin ek baat bataun yaar, kuch mazaa nahin aaya. Sab kaam thande thande ho gaya, koi action, mere matlab, zaara si bhi maar dhaad ka mauka hi nahin milaa. (then turning back to purab who was staring at him in disbelief) And aap... Bhai jaldi jaldi kijiye jo bhi karna hai. You see either way I am going to win. Kill her I still get you, don't and I get both of you. So whatever you want to do...get to it man! I don't have all day. Aur bhi criminals hain aapke illava, jo meri attention mangtein hain."
"You all think you are very clever don't you? Theek hai le chaliye mujhe, I can guarantee I will be out within the hour. I have connections, jinka aap sapnon mein soch bhi nahin sakte."
"Unhe sochne ki zaroorat bhi nahin hain."
PLEASE DONT FORGET THE LIKE BUTTON
Edited by Libra - 12 years ago
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
