The Case Files

Chapter 8

The day was gloomy as it could be. The rain was pouring heavily and the clouds were thundering signalling an incoming storm. The raindrops on the window of a jail room were hitting hard against it waking the inmate inside it.

Why is there a storm all of a sudden?

Is something bad coming his way?

Arnav's thoughts were a mess. He couldn't guess the only answer to the intuitive feeling that he got seeing the change in the weather.

He had tried to think it from all ways, yet he couldn't fathom what could go wrong with him already in jail, so he decided to give his thoughts a rest and slept again.

*

Khushi, with files in her hands, scanned the entrance to the jail and then took a step forward and entered it.

She represented herself as Arnav's lawyer and then after a few formalities and a few minutes of waiting, while she checked her watch, they let her in.

Going through the corridors she saw how dimly lit this jail was. The walls had scratches all over as if souls were tormented here and their names just restricted to a number. She could feel the sadness and all things negative lurking in the shadows somewhere and hope seemed like a distant dream.

She clenched her locket and walked till the room allocated to her while chanting her favourite Goddess's name.

She sat on the seat assigned to her and waited for Arnav to come. She felt uneasy and uncomfortable with the surroundings as she placed her hair behind her ear and gulped hard. It was until Arnav came in.

Arnav smiled at her and a sense of relief washed over her seeing him and she felt suddenly at ease. She let him settle in his seat first and Arnav found this very amusing as she would speak before he would even sit.

"So," he started.

"I'm here to ask you some questions Arnav," she said clenching and unclenching her hands. She was feeling uncomfortable in such an environment and Arnav sensed that.

He kept a hand over hers and said,

"It's alright, there's nothing to worry about. This jail is not as bad as it seems. You get food to live whereas about hope," he said after a pause, "I can't say anything about that!"

Khushi knew what it meant. This jail was a silent killer. She had to get him out of here at any cost. Any cost. He was an innocent and didn't deserve to live here.

Khushi composed herself
"And what might that be about?"

"Well, first I went to meet Aman at AR and I was really shocked to know that he still hasn't stepped a foot inside your cabin for a minute. He seemed very much obliged to you for his career and respects you even know for it. He is handling AR pretty well, even though AR is not at the heights which it was at your time." Khushi spoke with full of fondness for Arnav.

Arnav had a small smile playing on his lips and adoration in his eyes for Aman and Khushi noticed that.

"But there was one thing which he said to me that is still lingering at the back of my mind," Khushi said while gauging Arnav's reactions.

"He said that he was hurt during the proceedings that happened during your trial and he barely managed to make it threw, and he also got a threat call so you told him to back off from meeting you. Why is that? Who called Aman, do you have any idea?"

Arnav was momentarily surprised that Aman had told such stuff to Khushi but he knew that things had to unfold as they were and things had to get darker than this.

"Erm, I told him to back off because I didn't want him to get hurt, I wanted someone to have AR's back when I'm not around. This was to answer your first question and to answer your second question, I have no fucking idea who called Aman."
Arnav said a little aggressively as he banged his fist on the table lightly.

Khushi noticed this too and got her answer. He was being adamant again, she had to break through his layers one by one. She had to know who called Aman to tell him to back off from the trail.

"Alright! No need to be this angry! We can talk calmly. By the way, I even went to meet Roy, he didn't want to discuss any details with me due to a non-disclosure agreement between the client and the lawyer. I think he is involved too now if he wasn't earlier."

Arnav's eyes fill with a malicious glint hearing Roy's name and Khushi is observant of that too.

"Well, I knew that brat ain't helping. Always sick for some cash!" Arnav murmured more to himself than Khushi but she did listen to it.

Roy is so going to get it from me when I get out!

"Then why did you send me to him?" Khushi asked astonished.

"To know how many people are going to be on my side when I get out!" Arnav said looking at Khushi with a straight face.

"Arnav, you got to really help me here. I need to know what to look for next," Khushi said desperately.

"You can look for the beyond Khushi yet find nothing. What you seek is within your reach." Arnav said and got up at the time they had been allocated got over.

"But Arnav, I need to ask you about Anjali--" Khushi ran after Arnav but the guard stopped her from following him.

Dejected, she moved her way out of the corridors of the jail.

You can look for the beyond Khushi yet find nothing. What you seek is within your reach!

What does it freaking mean?

Lost in her thoughts, she sat inside her car and started the ignition and drove past the jail.

*

"Hello, who is it?" Megha Rajput asked as she received the phone at the reception.

"..."

"Oh yes, actually before this Khushi Gupta had an appointment with Aman sir and now sir has gone for some work. Would you like to reschedule your appointment?" Megha asked the person on the call.

"..."

"Okay fine, I will cancel your appointment," Megha said as she struck out the name of the person on the phone of the notepad.

*
Khushi was driving lost in her thoughts, thinking about the line said by Arnav from all perspectives.

After a few minutes, she felt her car stop all of a sudden. She checked that it was the deficiency of petrol which made it stop.

But I had filled my tank in the morning? Why then?

Khushi got out of the car to look at her engine and then saw a trail of petrol at the back of the car.

That is when she didn't notice, two masked men came on a motorbike clad with guns in their hand and shot at Khushi one after another.

Khushi managed to cover herself after hearing the sounds of bullets but unluckily a bullet pierced through the left hand of hers.

And seeing the result the motorcyclists fled away from the scene.

"Ah!"

Khushi cried in pain and fear and asked for help but she could see no one in sight.

She walked a good two miles to spot a made-up restaurant with blood flowing from her wound. She couldn't help but hold her hand around the wound to stop the bleeding a bit but to no effect.

Khushi spotted a middle-aged man who called the ambulance and was off to the hospital.

*

Written by,

Saraa (xBadishx)
&
Shreya (Kiddo_Star)