Chandni Bar - Updated 23rd Nov - Page 9

Thanks guys! I'm really happy that you enjoyed it!

Caught ya! Res for now :)
Edit:
My my! How I love Rathod. And Noor's words had me in splits.
I never watched the show but know who're who. The best part about not watching the show is knowing the dynamics of the characters through your words. One silly doubt. Arjun's Roshni and this Roshni are different right? Only their names match. Right?
Oh btw though I adore everyone's sarcasm in there, there's no one better than Rathod and his "Want music?" Dialogue.
Awesome Z. You got another Pankha for this fic of yours😃

Aiyyaa! 😲 There's no hiding from you, is there, S?

Welcome! 😆

^ Is that Rani's Aiyaa?😆
see am back with my PJs.
PS: Updated comment :)

Originally posted by: TheBrat

Caught ya! Res for now :)
Edit:
My my! How I love Rathod. And Noor's words had me in splits.
I never watched the show but know who're who. The best part about not watching the show is knowing the dynamics of the characters through your words. One silly doubt. Arjun's Roshni and this Roshni are different right? Only their names match. Right?
Oh btw though I adore everyone's sarcasm in there, there's no one better than Rathod and his "Want music?" Dialogue.
Awesome Z. You got another Pankha for this fic of yours😃

Correct, two Roshnis, one name.
Haha, I have become a bit of a Rathod pankha myself.
Thank you S. Now that the bhootni is here, my thread feels more complete :)

Originally posted by: MriduB

Loved ur updates! 😃
waiting for the next part! 😊

Thank you! 😊
There may be a few days' wait until the next part but I will try to make it worth the wait ;)

Nice to see Riya turn half a leaf about her bacteria-phobia :D

Chapter Eight

"Aye bhai," he called out. "Ek aur dena." ("Hey, give me one more.")

"Make that two."

He heard the scraping of the chair and looked up to see a tall figure sit down. As dark as the room was, he could just about make out the tired, moustachioed face of the man beside him. Their drinks arrived and he watched as the man reached forward and finished his in one go.

"Bad day?" He asked casually.

"The worst," came the sullen reply. "I just moved here a few weeks ago. I finally got a job but it turns out that the boss is completely crazy. He doesn't have a life of his own so he takes it out on the rest of us. Bloody kamina," he muttered.

He shook his head sympathetically. His boss sounded like his wife.

"I just need to relax, you know." He pulled on the beedi in his hand and savoured the taste with his eyes closed. "But I don't know where, if you know what I mean..." He looked at the man suggestively and exhaled the smoke with a satisfied sigh.

They sat in comfortable silence, the muggy afternoon heat and lazy atmosphere making them slightly drowsy.

"Say," he said suddenly. "You wouldn't happen to know, would you?" When the other man looked at him in confusion, he added, "Girls. Where's the best item around here?"

His companion chuckled nervously and he laughed in amusement.

"Ah, come on, yaar! Help me out here. It's been a while."

"Heh... I really don't..." He faltered under the intense gaze of the man beside him and, after some deliberation, finally relented. "Alright. You heard of Chandni Bar?"

The man shook his head.

"I'll give you the address. It's the only place worth going to in this whole district. The girls there...wow. And they actually have dancing skills on top of everything else too. It's not just a disguise," he winked and the man laughed.

"But why are you being so secretive about it?"

He looked around anxiously before leaning in and replying, "Have you heard of the Bhadras?" When the man shook his head, he continued, "You really are new here, aren't you? The Bhadra family are a powerful lot. They run this town. Bade Da, he doesn't like this sort of thing. He hates it, in fact. He thinks Chandni Bar and everyone associated with it are a disgrace. Bade Da's word is law here so you can see why nobody is willing to talk about them. It's also why you won't talk about it either. Samjhe?"

...ya samjhaun? Damn, he thought in irritation. That arrogant ass was in his head.

He shook his thoughts away and nodded. They said nothing for a moment before he leaned in on impulse. "Tell me, who should I ask for? Who's the best?"

"The best? You just missed her."

His eyebrows knotted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Roshni. Mm-mm." He sighed happily. "Now that was money well spent. But the stupid girl went and got herself killed. Such a waste. She was the newest too, barely worked there a few months. Before her... hmm... who was the best before her?" He thought for a moment before his eyes lit up.

"Bhai," he said with a grin. "Tere ko jungli billiyan pasand hai?" ("Do you like wild cats?")

He paused for a moment before nodding.

"Ask for Noor."

* * *

He stepped out into the afternoon heat in an attempt to air out the smell of alcohol. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he found that he had a message.

Rathod, we have a lead. Let's meet.

- Arjun

He called Chotu and Shree, who had been making the rounds in a bid to find more information, and told them to arrive at the field before leaving himself.

* * *

"So...your lead is also the Bhadras?" Rathod's voice was laced with irritation. He hadn't spent half an hour in a hovel-like bar just to find out the same thing as Raute.

Before any more could become of Arjun's answering glare, Shree quickly stepped in between them. "So what do we know about them so far?"

When nobody spoke, Riya straightened up and began, "Sir and me overheard some men talking about Chandni Bar. They said that Roshni was just the beginning...they're going to finish them all." Chotu and Shree exchanged a worried glance while Riya continued. "When we asked the dhaba owner who they were, he said that they were the Bhadra sons. The Bhadras, apparently, are more or less the town's panchayat, royal family and gundas all rolled into one. They exact justice as they see fit but someone has yet to point a finger towards them for any of the many crimes that have been committed."

"So people are scared of them?" Chotu asked.

"Precisely."

"With their rigid traditions and opinions of right and wrong, they certainly can't have been too pleased about Chandni Bar. They would have hated them. Perhaps enough to want to get rid of them." Shree looked around him to see everybody nodding and so concluded, "I guess we have our second set of suspects: The Bhadra family."

* * *

"Man, Riya, I do feel sorry for you," said Chotu before ducking as her fist narrowly avoided his face.

"Why's that, little one?"

He grinned. "You're always lumped with the khadoos one. Easy, watch your footwork."

She repositioned herself before continuing with their kickboxing session. They had been back at the shack for a few hours now and Rathod had allowed them a little time off while he went outside to clear his head and work on their next move.

"It's not so bad," she said. "The trick is to completely ignore him." She aimed a kick at Chotu's midsection. "And it helps, of course, to occasionally beat the crap out of him."

"It only helps to beat a guy, Riya, if he is not willing to hit you back," said a voice behind them. "I, for one, do not suffer from that problem."

"Just about the only problem you don't suffer from," she muttered before turning to face Arjun. "Eavesdropping is bad manners."

"Haven't you heard, Riya?" He asked with a wink. "It's good to be bad."

She rolled her eyes, amazed at the narcissistic bullshit this man could spew. It was a wonder he could tear himself away from a mirror long enough to actually solve a case.

"And this is coming from a police officer. You know, Sir, with all the rubbish that comes out of your mouth, I fear my eyes will one day fall out of my head from the amount of times I have to roll them."

"One can only hope," he replied with a grin.

She didn't bother with an answer and instead turned back and threw a punch at Chotu's chest. Chotu, who had tuned out during the bickering, spluttered in surprise before smiling queasily. "Oof! Well done, Riya. That's the stuff." Clutching his chest with one hand, he motioned for a break before sitting down on a haystack.

A few minutes later, Rathod entered the shack, his face serious.

"We're going to Chandni Bar."

"When?" Arjun asked. Night had already fallen and the investigation was likely to go nowhere until tomorrow.

"Tonight. Now."

"Why are we going to go there now when we should be figuring out our strategy for the Bhadras?"

"Because they are not our only suspects," Rathod snapped. "We happen to have another suspect dancing around in Chandni Bar and she could be up to something this very second. And we have yet to speak to the matron."

"Dancing around in Chandni Bar," Chotu whispered. "Pun intended?" Shree and Riya heard him and, stifling their giggles, shot a look of warning towards their friend.

"There's an event there tonight. Some politician's birthday, apparently. A lot of people will be present. It'll be the perfect opportunity to snoop around while keeping an eye on everyone. Chotu and Raute, you will be with the guests while Shree and I have a look through the personal quarters."

"And that leaves me to speak to the matron. Done." Riya walked towards her bag and began opening the zip when she noticed Rathod looking at her strangely.

"No," he said slowly. "You won't be going anywhere."

Riya's head shot up in confusion and she looked around the shack to see the others looking equally bewildered. Arjun turned to Rathod curiously while Shree and Chotu mentally tried to understand Rathod's sudden decision.

"But Sir...why?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

"But Sir -".

"You are not going, Ms. Mukherjee, because I said so. And much like the Bhadras, my word is law." He turned away and walked towards his own bag before coming back to face the others.

"And yes, Chotu. Pun intended. Now get dressed."