My Mills and Boons Story

Chapter 2

Gerrold's Law:
A little ignorance can go a long way.
Lyall's Addendum:
... in the direction of maximum harm.

It started, as I implied, really innocently. It was just a dinner meeting to discuss stuff-as he called it. And I went along because I was curious and wanted to know why he wanted to spend time with me. SAR, in his various and frequent visits to the Arya house had never done so. He always just used to smile at me absent-mindedly whenever we had met.
SAR by the way is my short form of Shekhar Akhileshwar Raman. He is, though he does not look it, a top member of CBI and a very good friend of Mr Abhijit Arya. And by the virtue of being friends who are super powerful, they keep exchanging "menial" favours. Like when SAR's son Aditya graduated from some business school, Mr. Arya hired him and gave him a very good job at some very high post in his company. In exchange, recently, when some 3 million dollars had recently gone missing from the company offices, SAR, as a member of CBI had started investigating the case and trying to find the culprit for Mr Arya. Till date, no arrests had been made but there were expectations that the case would be solved soon. Like I said, small favours.
He didn't say much during dinner, just kept humming aey mere vatan ke logon quietly under his breath, in an annoying manner. It was while we were waiting for the bill that he broached the topic.
"Would you call yourself a patriotic person, Inaya?" he asked deliberately.
Unfortunately, I was rather slow on uptake, the splendid dinner having lulled me into overwhelming sleepiness. I jerk myself awake, sit upright and utter the uninspiring syllables.
"Mmmph ?"
"Patriotism ! Patriotism!" he says, moving his hands in agitation. "You know the zeal to do anything for the country. Do you or do you not believe in this concept of patriotism, this spirit of sacrificing your happiness, your resources and sometimes even your life for betterment of the country?" he finished, looking at me wildly and breathing in short puffs.
I gulped and said "Sure" heartily.
"So then" he pounced" you should not mind doing something which is in the best interests
of the nation and its proper functioning, not to mention the upkeep of the law and order prevalent in our country and also the rights of our citizens and others who believe in this country and its growth and development and whose investments, be it monetary or any other should be protected."
"Errr, yes....I mean, No, I mean....." I said, obviously not able to follow what this was leading to.
"Very good, very very very good. Our country so needs conscientious youth like you. I always tell my children, if every youngster in this country starts thinking patriotically, this country would be in a much better state. So that's that, then. You are going to work for us. It shouldn't be too difficult but you have to very cautious." He said smiling at me, his eyes soft, in a fatherly fashion.
"What???" I yelped, belatedly. He had finally managed to get my full and undivided attention. I finally gathered that he wanted something out of me and that didn't make sense. I totally expected him to start laughing, shake his head and say something about us impressionable young things.
"You will be working for us and will help us prove that Abhijit Arya has been falsifying the company's accounts so as to be able to claim that the company is worth more than it is in reality." He told, paying the bill and inserting the 10 rupees tip with flourish.
"What?" I say again, totally horrified now.
"Oh, don't look so frightened, Inaya. He is not going to kill you. At least not if you play your cards well" he said, pushing his chair back.
"Why would you think something like that?" I asked my eyes wide. SAR reads the panic in my tone and moves closer, pursing his lips slightly, like he was in pain.
"Inaya, the company has just announced that 300 million dollars have been stolen from its account. I am investigating the case and have found it to be impossible. There is absolutely no chance that somebody has stolen the money.
The only explanation is that Abhijit has been messing with the accounts. Probably he overstated the assets but now would like to pass the non-existent money off as theft. Aaah, the things people will do for money these days" He says, in a very pained manner like he has a stomach ache.
"Even if they have done it, why would you do this to him? I mean, isn't Mr Arya like your best friend or something?" I ask him.
SAR looks even more pained. "He is my friend, yes. But as a government officer, I don't have the option of keeping things quite if it can help my loved ones. Abhi is a very good friend, Inaya. But if he has done the wrong thing then he will have to be punished. It makes me unhappy. But there is no way out. Justice has to be done. I am bound by duty. "He finishes, sniffing dramatically.
"But what if that's not the case. What if you are wrong?" I ask, frantically.
"I really wish, Inaya, that that is true. But the sort of reports that we have been receiving say something else. There is almost a conviction in the CBI that Abhijit Arya has been involved in certain malpractices. We just have to find some definite proofs now to make arrests." He sniffs harder and rubs his eyes like he is trying to wipe his tears or something.
I am sitting there with my mouth open. This is a huge shock.
Mr Arya was the only member of the family who I actually liked. He didn't notice me so unlike Ritu and Mrs Arya he was never rude to me. All this time, I had thought of him as an absent-minded, driven workaholic. I had never thought that he might be a criminal. I could not imagine him behind the bars. I mean, Ritu, yes, if there is a God, as Aunty kept insisting, making a note of all the good and evil things done by human beings, then mean and snotty people like Ritu totally deserves to rot in the jail along with her mother. But Mr Arya, that just did not go with the image.
"Mr Raman" I say, talking real fast now. "Mr Raman, that is just not possible. To do something like that, they'll need a lot of support from the auditors, the bankers and the board of directors."
SAR nods slowly and starts talking with exaggerated patience. "Yes, they would need a lot of help to carry out something like
this. But think about it, Inaya, the board mostly comprises of his family members anyway. They are going to support him. And the country is just recovering from recession, Inaya. The enormous losses caused investors to withdraw large amounts of cash from their investments.
Now is the time that people's dirty laundry is going to be aired on TV. If what I am saying has really happened, then Arya will lose his credibility if it is found that there are problems with the company accounts. Of course the auditors are involved and obviously they and his family will support him than try to expose him for a fraud that he is"
I process this information and find that it makes sense. SAR is right. The board members were mostly Mr Arya's relatives. They would have supported him. And, bankers and auditors could be bribed. It was plausible.
I feel really sad then. Oh, not for the family but for myself. I just had one year of college to go. I needed the money. And I also wanted to escape. I did not want to be involved in this scandal. It is selfish, but really they have too much for anyone to feel sorry for them. They would be able to get out of this somehow, even if they were responsible. The almighty, tough Arya could do nothing else. The disgrace wouldn't dare touch them. I would however get into serious trouble.
I look at him warily, wondering how to get out of this situation. SAR has gotten up and is moving towards the door. I hurry after him.
"What makes you think I am going to do it?" I say to him.
He stops suddenly and I almost bang into him. A waitress sneers at us condescendingly.
"I thought we just agreed that you, out of the spirit of patriotism, were going to do the Right Thing" SAR says, looking at me in a mystified manner.
"Why would I put my job and most probably, my life in jeopardy, just like that?" I ask, feeling very truculent.
"Inaya, you are probably in the best position to get hold of evidence. You, as the housekeeper, have regular access to the keys to the lockers. I have been told that you are going to have a business degree soon so you will be able to know what we are looking for. This way you'll be able to do your country a great service and also help yourself out." SAR says earnestly.
I hear this last line and my head snaps up. It is like through the thought clouds of "THIS IS SUICIDAL", these words are the only rays which penetrate.
"Help myself, how?" I ask, suspiciously. Okay, I might seem mercenary but not. Actually, I am. But, hey, I am not a millionaire. For me, every penny is important. It can be the difference between merely looking at something you want longingly and acquiring it.
"Well, I am sure the government could be persuaded to give you a part of the recovered money in return of your service. Also, think of the publicity you'll generate. "THE ARYA SCAM CASE SOLVED BY A CANNY EMPLOYEE". SAR says persuasively, smiling at me.
I can't help it. Even though I know it is completely stupid, I can't help imagining the pictures of me cast as a hero hitting the stands in Kasauli. My dad telling all the neighbours with tears in his eyes "This is my daughter, you know".
I say then, my eyes shining "I'll think about it. I'll call you, okay"