They were getting ready to take the next available flight to Bangalore. And they needed Tyson's approval before they could book the tickets. They both knocked and entered the lions den. He was sitting in his trone like King Julian. Shlok almost lost it letting his imagination run a mock. For a moment Tyson was King Julian. Singing I like to move it move it...physically fit physically fit... "What you girls want now?" Shlok was brought back from the jungles of Madagascar. "Sir! We located the husband of Mary. The imposter. And we want you're approval sir" said Arjun. "What is this Seetha and Geethas' honeymoon get away" not the Nancy humour again thought Shlok. "If you girls want to go for a weekend getaway do it with you're own money. Gohkle you will go alone. Unless you want Agnihotri to hold you're pallu" Shlok wished he knew of a vanishing spell. Arjun didn't have anything to say. They where both scrambling to get out of the lions den.
"Agnihotri close the door and sit" said SSP Kannar. Arjun just looked at them and was gone. Shlok didn't know what he was into now. All I had to do was make few more steps and he would've been out of his shooting range. He wouldn't dare ask what it's regarding.
He did as he was told. SSP Kannar had the ability to make grown up men feel like fifth graders sitting in front of the Principle. SSP Kannar got up from his throne and started to pace in his room. This made Shlok even more nervous, He thought may be this is retribution for his antics in the interrogation room. But then again they deserved it. They were all criminals.
"Agnihotri, how long have you been working with me? "
"Six years!" Answered SSP Kannar himself. If you know the answer why the hell ask? Shlok was trying to calm himself.
"I know every damn thing about you. Not just you all, every single one of you. I know you. Who you're parents are...how much money you have in your bank account. Now Tell me what I don't know. What you're doing with Mrs.Almeida? For how long? What's the deal? You know the law the rules. I know it's not happened before...so why her? Why now?
"Sir! I know I screwed up. I don't know how or why or why her. But all I knew was she was the one. I have never even heard of her until that night when I went to investigate Almeidas murder. But now it's all over" Shlok said unable to meet his eyes.
"How the hell you let yourself got to bed with her before the case is solved?"
"I never planned for any of this to happen the way they did. Circumstances got the better of us. Sir, even the devil himself couldn't have planned it better"
"A man should plan for everything, every damn thing. You left her to suffer and your child paid the ultimate price for your momentary stupidity. You were careless and irresponsible"
"I shall live with that guilt for the rest of my life sir. My moment of weakness turned out to be the beginning of the rest of my life?"
"Don't give me filmy lines Agnihotri. Excuse me for not crying for your fate. I'm yet to come to office in skirts" he said taking his place back in his Thorne. "This doesn't change the fact that you had a motive to kill her husband. Prove to me you didn't, if you want to continue to be a part of this murder investigation. I have my doubts. It's my job to doubt. At least let one of us the job that we're paid for"
"Sir, my child is dead. What more proof do you want?"
"That just proves you were careless when you f***ed her. Not that you didn't kill him or helped her to do so"
"Sir, if you still think I'm worthy of your trust then you can believe when I say I had nothing to do with his murder and I have never ever met her in my life until that day. I don't have any tangible evidence to prove my innocence just my words sir. You can ask her"
"I fully intend to"
"She suffered when he died. I would never do anything to hurt her"
"You let her walk into that cell and get her beaten"
"I thought she was guilty"
"And I thought you said she was the one! Which is it Agnihotri? If she was the one there shouldn't have been any doubt. Trust is everything" SSP Kannar said thinking of his own love...his Janie Girl. When doubt almost separated them at the begging of their relationship. It started on a crowded Glasgow Pub and when he first laid eyes on his Fiery Red head almost 8 years ago. Thinking of her always brought a smile to his heart. His precious Janie Girl.
"I was a fool sir" heard he coming from the opposite side and Janie's Baby was back on Agnihotris Case.
"Yes you are. You f***** up big time. Now what you want to do?"
"Help her"
"How? To make another baby?" He was relentless with his sarcasm. But Shlok knew he's trying to show him his mistakes and make him do the right thing. He had always thought of his chief to be non-vindictive and one whos never says things with ulterior motives or malice.
"Help her how? Do you want to marry her?"
"She doesn't want anything to do with me. I'm dead to her"
"No one can blame her"
"Neither do I sir!"
"That's the first rational words i heard from you all day. How do you plan to help her?"
"Prove her innocence"
"And then what?"
"Let her live her life"
"And you?"
"I'll live mine too. I can't do this anymore sir... Knowing what I lost. This will be my last case" Shlok said looking at his Chief straight in the eye.
SSP Kannar knew without a doubt that his heart is in the right place and he is telling the truth. He really did love her and has nothing to do with the murder. He got what he wanted. And felt sorry for his Subordinates plight. He knew he didn't want to be in his shoes.
"If you still want feel the same way after the case is solved and want to resign then I will not have any objections. It's your life and you make it what you want it to be. You have a long way to go, you can start by being grateful for what you have" he said letting him know in his own authoritative manner that he believes Shlok.
"Thank you for your understanding sir!" He was about to get up
"I'm not doing you any favours. Agnihotri, you're mistaken, I dot understand you at all, I used to"
"No one does but her" SSP Kannar felt the disappointment in his voice.
"That is exactly the reason why I don't get you. You Let down the only one that did"
Shlok remained silent
"Go now. Do your job"
***************
He had just seen her in the pictures. But looking at her sleeping covered with the white sheet she looked like a school girl. He remembered his Myra. He felt guilty when the nurse woke her up. She stood up straight seeing the tall officer in his crisp ironed uniform. He removed his cap. Always the gentleman. The nurse went. He was glad the ward was almost empty and no body was occupying the adjacent beds.
"Mrs. Almeida... I'm SSP Kannar from the Mumbai Crime Unit. I'm sorry for what happened to you while you were under police custody. But I'm not here to discuss that" he said calm and very decisively.
Astha knew who he was even before he introduced himself to her. She was glad to see him. For some bizarre reason she felt she could trust him and that he's not here to judge her nor with any hidden agendas. She was ready to hear what he had to say.
"Mrs. Almeida... I know what's been going on between you and Agnihotri. But I'm not here to talk about that either. Tell me...did Agnihotri help you kill your husband" he didn't know any other way to put it.
She looked at him straight in the eye she looked surprised. "No. Sir he had nothing to do with it. I didn't know he existed until James died" she said very calmly. "Sir...you too think I killed my husband?" She surprised him.
"No. But what I think doesn't matter. It's what the court thinks that's gonna matter"
"But it does to me sir"
"What do you want to do when all this is over?"
"I don't know. I wish I died with my baby. I have nothing to live for"
"Mrs. Almeida...I know all looks hopeless and you feel let down by everyone. But believe me when I say you're far better off than so many others. You still have so much to live for. So much to be thankful. You're alive, healthy young. There are people in much worse situations than you are in. Getting kicked in the stomach isn't the worst thing"
"Like you were sir? I was beaten for 5 minutes and you for 5 days"
"No! Worst thing is living without hope"
"I don't have hope"
"As long as you're alive you have hope. You have no right to think otherwise because you're more than alive"
"I'm just alive sir. I stopped living the moment I lost my baby and with it hope as well"
"Being alive is hope. Hopelessness is only in death. As long as you're alive you will also live. How you want to do it determines the quality of life you will have. So it's all up to you. In you're hands. Didn't you live before you became pregnant"
"I did sir...but this baby gave me hope, a reason to live. Now I don't"
"You were born beautiful and healthy. You still have all you're limbs and you're eyes and ears. Be grateful for gods sake. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Look around you child ... ... women are beaten by the same people that claim to love them and promise to protect, small babies are being raped by their own family members...girls are killed just because they are girls. They don't even get to see the light of day. And you feel sorry and wronged while standing here with all that you still have in your life. Excuse me Mrs. Almeida for not shedding copious amounts of tears with you seeing you're plight. Open you're eyes to the possibilities. Being healthy and having a sound mind is half the battle won. You have one more advantage. Financial strength. Sky is the limit for what you can achieve with you're life. So stop wasting away you're life feeling sorry for you."
"I'm done crying sir. I don't want anyone to cry for me either sir"
"Good. Be thankful for all that God has given you and. Use your brain to choose what you want to do with the rest of your life" he said urging her to believe in herself once more. He couldn't help but keep thinking of his own Little girl, his Myra. He would've said the exact same things to her as well if she was to God forbid face a similar fate. Fight for the life that you've been given. Don't let others dictate terms. Rise and fight. As long as you're alive you have hope. That's what kept him going when he felt all was lost. In his darkest hour. He lived by it and survived. He knows it works and he not only talked the talk he certainly walked the walk was well. He wanted her to rise and fight as well. Have hope. Have a second chance in life, happiness. Just like he did. When his Janie came to her gave that reason and hope.
"All that you need to live is within you. Inside you. You just have to look. You may not be able to see it the first time or the second time around even. But don't be disheartened. Keep looking. Trust me it's there. If I can see it in you standing five feet away ... then surely it is there. Just look"
"How you survived Sir?" She asked something he's never discussed with other than his Janie.
"I had two options. Keep lying down and die or get up and walk and give yourself fighting chance. I had none to loose and so much to gain. So I took option two. Your situation isn't half as bad as mine. You can downgrade the effect the intensity but what matters is you're still left standing at the end. You're still here. You are your worst enemy. Even though I had a rebel army after me. They didn't let me live. I decided I want to live. And they had no choice. Don't give others the power to make decisions for you. Be you're own master not others slave. Be like the fisherman whose boat capsized but was able to make it to the shore sitting on the other side thinking this side ain't that bad. I'd be able to make it to the shore. He didn't give up. Make the most of the situations that life throws at you" he said to her happy seeing the change in her posture and the sparkle in her eyes.
"Don't tell me you're dead. Dead people talk and walk only if we are at the movies. I will ask you one last time, after all this is over what do you want to do with you're life"
"Live"
"And Agnihotri?"
"He will live too"
" I'm sure he will. I have no doubts about it. You should too. I wish you the best. Rise and fight"
"Thank you sir. And I will remember your advise" she said trying not to look sad.
"Sir!" She said as he was about to walk away
"keep him alive"
"He won't be my responsibility for long. He's a grown man"
She just looked down. "But I will keep an eye on him" he said.
She looked at him with much gratitude and she knew he understood her.
Astha kept looking at the man walking away from him, it is said that there are no coincidences in life, everything happens for a reason. All Part of the big picture. Having this conversation at this particular juncture in her life was meant to happen. She was loosing her grip, her faith in life and people. And then out of the blue he comes along drags her back to be amongst the living. He made her realise all is not lost, yes she's lost much...but she's still left with so much more. She survived the odds. Now she must make the most of her chances. She's still very much alive and able just like he said. She realised, she has been given a second chance in life and she wanted to make it count. Be it as a free person or as a convict. If that's what awaits her. The more she thought about the things that happened to her...the more determined she became. She understood one does not need a man to give her a surname or a child to give her a title...she can be a person on her own. And she was going live not for anybody else but for her own self. Because she wants to live.
SSP Kannar, with the doubts cleared, actually he wanted to double check what he already knew to be the truth was on his way. He knew they both loved each other and it was not some physical infatuation but a deeper emotional connect they had and still have. Even though they both think it's over, SSP Kanner was confident that it's not the end of the road for them.
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