𝐌𝐘 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑, 𝐅𝐄𝐔𝐃𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃

CHAPTER ➌ • The Three Musketeers

"Sardar Khan bula rahe hain. Kuch hua hai, aap jaldi mere sath chale." Mai informed Parthav. (Sardar Khan is calling you. Something has happened. You come with me)

Parthav was half asleep in the passenger seat of the Jeep when Mai jolted him from sleep. Sensing the urgency in her voice, Parthav wrote a note and sent a messenger to Anwar Khan who was heading the camps at Wahga Town Border.

Shock waves hit him as soon as he reached the spot. Shabnam was lying dead in the pool of blood and his Sardar Khan sitting on the nearby chair loading his Webley Revolver. There was no uneasiness in his demeanor. He was relaxed like any regular day of work.

As he moved closer, Murtasim looked up to him and said nonchalantly, "Clear this mess."

Mai was standing behind him, shocked to the core, when Khan Murtasim called her and asked to take him to Shabnam's room. Mai gulped her fear and guided him.

He closed the room door behind him as he entered. It was a small dingy room with only one source of light from a circular wooden cut open window. It was dark. He flicked his lighter and examined the room. It was a small circular room with one single wooden bed near the window. An earthen pot nearby the bed. Other than that, room had nothing except an iron trunk. He moved near the trunk and opened it. There were fancy clothes and accessories. As he dug further inside he found a red cardboard folder and a potli bag full of Ruppee coins struck in gold.

There were records of Khan Factories monetary transactions and manufacturing units along with the proportion of input and output of goods in the red cardboard file. There was nothing in the file that wasn't expected by him.

He was about to close the file when his eyes caught the thin piece of A4 sheet paper. It wasn't hard for him to ascertain that it was a written legal document of some property. It was hand written first copy of the draft. As he turned the page and looked through it, he stopped. He was perplexed as he read the name of the lawyer who drafted the document- Raj Nandani Singh, Batch 1935-38, Registered: Punjab Province.

Was she involved in this conspiracy..? Was she still in Lahore..? Hasn't she left Lahore years ago..? Or, they are targeting her too..? Is she in danger..? His stream of thoughts broke when Mai knocked on the door , informing him of the arrival of Anwar Khan . Murtasim immediately folded the manual draft and put in his salwar pocket and moved to meet Anwar.

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"Ye kya kar diya tumne Murtasim. Usko maarne kya zaroorat thi. Humare bich ye teh hua tha ki tum usse puch tach karoge." Anwar almost whined witnessing the current situation. ( What have you done Murtasim. Why did you kill her. It was decided amongst us that you will only question her)

"Gaddar thi. Toh maar diya ." Murtasim replied calmly. (She was a traitor. Hence killed her)

" Tum jaante ho mulk ke halaat kaise hain. British Raj ke baad humein Lahore mein humari sarkar banani hai. Agar humara Sardar ki logon ko maarne lagega, toh kese banayenge hum sarkar." Anwar tried to reason with him.
(You know the situation of the country. After British Raj we need to make our government in Lahore Province. If our Sardar will start killing people where will we stand in governance)

" Chacha Sahab, main kisike baap se nahi darta." Rebutted Murtasim with a smirk.
(I am not scared of anyone's father)

"Aur kisike nahi,, Lekin apne baap se toh darte hona." Anwar paused and then continued, "mera matlab Dilawar Khan se tha. Agar Bhai sahab ko pata chal gaya toh hum teeno ko nahi bakshenge." Anwar sat on the nearby branch with a deep exhale.
(Not anyone else's father, but atleast be scared of your father. I meant Dilawar Khan. If gets to know about this, he will not spare all the three of us)