They all sit tensely as they wait for Shyam Sundar to reveal what else he had seen that night. He runs his tongue over his lips, and starts speaking slowly:
He had, indeed, left the hotel after Anuj let him off from duty; but he had gone only a little way when he ran into a group of his friends. They were a little "high" already, and insisted that he join them in their drinking. SS had no cash on him, so he refused.
One of them insisted, "Kya yaar…..tu toh itne bade hotel mein kaam karta hai….wahaan se ek-do bottles utha nahin la sakta?"
SS: Kya baat kar raha hai…..sa'ab ko pata chal gaya toh naukri se nikaal denge!
Another pal (slyly): Kyun….tune aisa pehle kabhi nahi kiya?
SS had, in fact, many times smuggled liquor out of the hotel's bar, without Anuj being any the wiser. But he still refused, saying that the hotel was closed for the night and he could not get in again. His friends, however, were in no mood to relent.
At last he gave in and decided to enter the hotel by the emergency exit on the ground floor, which opened from room # 32. SS knew well that the exit was poorly designed and could be easily opened with a little manipulation from outside, something which he had taken advantage of many times in the past. He decided to do the same that night.
Sneaking back, he had just managed to enter room #32, and was checking whether the coast was clear for him to sneak out to the bar. But he stopped short in his tracks. In the darkened room, a man was lying on the bed.
At first SS was prepared to rush back the way he came, before the person in the room could discover him. Then he remembered that no guest had checked into this room. So who was the man in the bed? SS couldn't resist taking a closer look. It was then that he realized that the man was not asleep, but unconscious—and it was the same man who had come with CJ that evening: Samar Oberoi.
At the same moment, SS became aware of voices outside the room. CJ and Anuj were talking in urgent voices. Anuj was pleading, "Dhyan rakhna, sir ji, mujhe apne hotel mein koi gadbad nahin chahiye…..main family wala aadmi hun sir ji!"
CJ: (icily) Tumhe uski chinta karne ki zaroorat nahin….mujhe mera kaam karne do, toh tumahri biwi aur hone wale bachche ka future bilkul secure hai…. (sinister tone) nahin toh….
SS could hear footsteps coming towards the room. Alarmed, he lost his head and dived into the bathroom, closing the door. CJ and Anuj entered and switched off the light. Peering from a crack in the door, SS could see that CJ had a gun in his hand. Anuj was looking extremely scared.
CJ roused the man on the bed roughly. He got up slowly, looking shaken and dazed, but defiant.
Samar: Tumhe lagta hai ki main kisi bhi haalat mein tumahri baat manunga…..Dad ki saalon ki mehnat se khada kiya gaya empire, tumahre naam kar dunga? Kabhi nahin!!
CJ: (walrus teeth visible in an evil smile) Soch lo, Samar…tum mere bhai ho, sirf issliye maine tumhe itna waqt diya hai….empire toh mera kisi bhi haalat mein hoke rahega…agar tum aaram se isse mere hawaale kar do, toh isme tumhara hi bhala hai…..
Samar: Bhai? Tum mere bahi kehlaane ke laayak nahin ho! Maine company ke accounts check kiye hai…..tumne aur tumhare saathiyon ne, apne naam pe pata nahin kitne shares illegally transfer kiye hai…..Jeev, maine aur Dad ne tumhe hamesha apna hi samjha tha….lekin aaj tumne saabit kar diya, ki tumhe orphanage se laana, Dad ki sabse badi galti thi….!!
CJ's face was twisted in fury. He aimed his gun and fired a shot that went right through Samar's chest. Anuj blubbered in horror. In the doorway to the bathroom, SS was frozen in shock.
Monday: How to trap a killer?
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