As Varad left, Aastha hurried to Nalini's home and rang the door bell. But there was no reply. She remembered the maid had told her that Nalini and her mother-in-law would return after two days. "They will return tomorrow, I think..." She looked up at the sky and said, "How long are you going to make me wait?!"
Aastha returned home, upset. She sat down silently on the sofa closing her eyes. Her thoughts went back to the Agnihotri Mansion. Her lips curved into a smile as she thought about Shlok. This meeting was different... But Aastha didn't know what was so different about it. She felt relieved after seeing Shlok. She felt safe. She thanked God again for bringing Shlok in her life. "Bappa, please make Shlok get well soon... I can't see him like this... I can't see him in pain" her eyes watered as she said this. She then remembered her Baba. "Thank you Shlok... Thank you so much!"
Aastha closed her eyes again. Several thoughts were playing in her mind. "Ajinkya Kaka must be searching for me with the help of the police... I don't know what's happening there... I just hope Aditi and Karan don't get into trouble. Nalini aunty is also not at home. I want to know more from them. And the cigarette butts! Who was it?" Aastha had answers to none of these questions.
Biting her lower lip Aastha thought about something. She quickly got up from her place and walked to the back door. "I remember we always used to lock the back door from inside when we used to stay here. But yesterday, I didn't see it locked from inside... Or maybe I didn't pay attention. I will just go and check..."
Aastha reached the back door and saw that it wasn't bolted from inside. Aastha tried to push it open but couldn't. "That means this door is locked from outside!" Aastha analysed this and came to the conclusion that the person used the back door to enter the house and not the front door. "The main door lock seemed so rusty... It looked as if it wasn't used for years. If someone was entering the house frequently, the condition of the lock should have been better. Maybe that person used the back door" she said to herself thoughtfully. "If he had used the main door, the back door should have been locked from inside and not from outside..." Aastha rushed outside and went to the back side. She saw a big lock on the door. Aastha observed the door and the lock. The door was the same, but the lock seemed quite new. The shine of the lock was still intact. There was hardly any spot of rust on it. "This lock seems to be changed recently..." said Aastha holding the lock. "But who changed it? The one who changed it will have the key..." Aastha's eyes widened as she remembered something. "The key!" she exclaimed, "Is that the key?!"
Aastha ran inside to get the bunch of keys from her bag. She stared at the lone shining key in the bunch. It seemed new just like the lock. Aastha's curiosity rose as she went back to the back door. Aastha pushed the key into the hole in the lock and turned it in anticipation. Click! It worked! Aastha couldn't believe this. These keys were always with Avdhoot before the accident. "Baba?" Aastha whispered, "Was he the person entering our house?"
*****
"Please come with me... I don't want to go with them alone..." Aditi was telling Karan to go with her to Pune. Karan could feel Aditi's fear. "Please Karan" pleaded Aditi. Karan agreed to go with her. He told Ajikya that he wanted to go with them to find his fiance. Anjinkya reluctantly agreed.
Ajinkya, Karan and Aditi along with some 3-4 Ajinkya's men, supposedly his friends, left for Pune. Aditi was worried. How would she tell Aastha? Karan told her to relax and that they will find a way out. But Aditi couldn't stop worrying. Now that they all were travelling in the same vehicle with Ajinkya, Aditi couldn't even try calling Aastha or Shlok. "Oh God! Please help!" she whispered.
*****
Aastha still couldn't believe that it was Avdhoot who was coming to Pune every 3-4 months. "Why would Baba have come here?" thought Aastha. "He never told us... Or did Aai know?" Aastha was confused. "But what was the reason? Why did he come here secretly? And why did he have to enter from the back door instead of the main door?" Aastha was too tired to think about all this. And that she had had a sleepless night before, she didn't know when she fell asleep.
Aastha woke up to the sound of the door bell. She looked around and realised that she had fallen asleep on the sofa. The doorbell was rung again. Aastha missed a beat. "Who might it be?" she thought as she walked towards the door. She peeped in through the eye hole and saw Varad. She sighed in relief and opened the door.
Varad smiled at her as she invited him inside. "Hungry?" he asked teasing. Aastha just smiled. "Get ready soon... We will leave then.." Aastha nodded and went inside to wash her face and change.
*****
Aditi remembered that Shlok had called her from some other number which was not saved to her phone. "The other number!" she exclaimed in excitement. Karan's eyes widened at her sudden reaction. He told her through actions to keep quiet.
Ajinkya immediately asked, "Other number? What other number?"
Aditi was scared as she missed a beat. She looked at Karan knowing not what to say. In order to handle the situation, Karan said, "Aditi, did you find a way to contact you colleague? You wanted to inform her that you are not going to office, right?" He purposely said it louder stressing every word and indicated Aditi not to worry and speak on.
"Y-y-yes Karan! That's what I was saying... I remembered that I have her other number... Th-that's why I suddenly exclaimed... It would be a problem if I don't inform her..." Aditi managed to say.
"Then call her immediately!" said Ajinkya bluntly.
Aditi nodded. Ajinkya stared at her waiting for her to make the call. Aditi pretended to call her colleague and acted to speak over the call. She "disconnected" the fake call. "Finally I told her..." she said showing herself to be relieved.
Ajinkya smirked and looked ahead at the road. Aditi and Karan heard him tell the others that they would be reaching Aastha's home in another 20-25 minutes. They both exchanged glances. Aditi couldn't call now. She didn't know what to do. She decided to send an SMS to the number, but she had no idea it was actually Niranjan's number.
*****
Niranjan was in Shlok's room chatting with his son. He received a message on his phone. As Niranjan read the message, he jerked his head saying, "Crazy people... Don't even check whether they are sending message to the right number!"
"Why? What happened?" asked Shlok curiously.
"See this message..." said Niranjan as he unlocked his phone to read out the message to Shlok.
Shlok listened curiously as Niranjan read out... "Kaka and we all reaching in 20-25 minutes... Please do something"
Niranjan let out a laugh after reading but something struck Shlok. He snatched the phone from Niranjan's hand. He recognised that it was Aditi's number. "20-25 minutes?!" Shlok was shocked to know this. "Oh my God!" he exclaimed and immediately dialled Varad's number to inform him and Aastha to leave the place at once. But Varad had left his phone at home.
"Aastha needs me!" said Shlok as he got ready to leave for Aastha's home.
"Where are you going beta?" asked Niranjan confused. "You are not well enough to go anywhere yet..." he said, concerned.
But Shlok was already gone.
*****
Aditi was waiting for Shlok's reply to the message but she didn't receive any. "Bappa... Please take care of this..." she prayed knowing not what was going to happen.
*****
Shlok was driving the car in speed. He only had fifteen minutes in hand now. He had to reach there before Ajinkya did. There was a mild pain in his head. But he didn't care. He just had to reach to Aastha before it was too late...
*****
CID
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
