EIGHT
'What the hell are you doing here?' Dexter asked, surprised, and suspicious. Staggering, he pointed his 9mm revolver at Akash, who dropped his gun, and with a smile, put his hands in the air.
'Shouldn't you be saying, "I'm grateful to you for saving my life, I owe you one"?' Akash asked. Dexter tilted his neck towards the television and the corner from which the bullet was shot. There was a small box in the corner, with a small hole, he assumed that the gun was placed inside that box. If Akash hadn't pressed the trigger at the right moment, changing the direction of the box, Dexter would have been dead by now.
'The string was attached at two ends.' Akash began, studying Dexter's eyes. 'The first end was attached with the television wire and the second was with the box. As soon as you tripped and fell on the floor, the first string switched on the television, which drew your attention towards it, at the same moment the second string, due to its length, took its time to reach the box and fire the bullet.' Dexter confirmed Akash's deduction by observing the small white string, which was hardly visible to the naked eye.
'How'd you know this trap? Is this your doing?' he asked pointing his gun at him.
'A basic trap, you will find it in many mystery novels.'
'I'll ask again. What are you doing here? Does this place belong to you? Were you the sender of that letter?' he asked him intently, cursing himself instantly that he slipped about the letter. Akash's brow raised; he was lowering his hands slowly.
'Which letter are you talking about?' he asked curiously. Dexter knew he had made a mistake.
'Answer my question!' he ordered firmly. Akash sighed and lowered his hands. He had a guilty look on his face, yet his ears seemed curious to know more about the letter.
'I guess you are well aware that I crave to be a part of this investigation. I figured out that the only way for SHO Syna to hear my plea was if somehow, I convinced someone she is close to. So, I was tailing you since yesterday, trying to find a circumstance where you could owe me one and hence, would return the favour by helping me join the investigation. Here we are.' That's when Dexter lowered his firearm.
'Then, you were the one at the back seat on the bus ride?' he asked and Akash nodded.
'What you're trying to do is useless. I thank you for saving my life, but there's no way I can help you. Now step away from this property, it is under investigation.'
'That's strange. My horoscope today says that all my longings would be answered and solved by today or tomorrow. Furthermore, which letter were you talking about?' Akash picked up his gun and placed it back.
'Maybe you should stop believing in them because today's not the day. As for the letter, it is none of your concern.' That's it, Dexter thought, any further and the conversation might have a negative outcome.
'Very well, young man. Although, an investigation without uniform, that means discreet and unofficial, furthermore an abandoned house, far away from town, a 9mm revolver with someone of your rank? What exactly is SHO Syna plotting? Who was the sender?' Akash fired his questions, but Dexter seemed in no mood to answer, he ordered Akash to leave the property and warned him that trailing him again would result in some unpleasant consequences.
***********
She returned from the search. The investigation went as she had thought, she found nothing except scrap. What annoyed her the most was that none of her assigned tasks were applauded with success. Mr. Khatri's team found nothing at Jeel's apartment, Syna's search team didn't find anything concrete, and neither did Dexter at the address of that letter, except for a modified gun and a few traps. It was a dummy address and someone had planned those traps, but there was no proof. She was glad that Akash had saved Dexter's life, but was also surprised to see how far Mr. Handsome could go to join the investigation.
Moreover, there was now a new character in the play who vexed Syna a little too much. The night when the killing took place was when Syna saw her for the first time, she knew very well that it wasn't the long blonde hair that made her envy her so much. There was something else, and now Syna knew very well what it was.
It was 8 P.M when she was returning to the station when suddenly, she was interrupted by a bunch of reporters. The blonde-haired woman, Catherine, asked to have a word in private. They sat facing each other, sans cameras.
'SHO Syna, I have a deal for you.' She said, smiling.
'What is it? Also, why isn't this conversation on record?' Syna asked firmly, trying to sound dominating.
'There's a reason for that. Since you cops have chosen to not pay any heed to the media, I have a deal which might help both of us.'.
'You want to increase your coverage and gain attention, isn't it?' Syna asked, and she nodded with a smirk.
'It is a mass-murder and according to our intel, the weapons used were similar to that of The Stalker. We want you to either confirm or deny The Stalker's involvement in the case. Here's the deal, you reveal to us the progress and details of the case, and in return, we will keep our lips tight about the investigation you carried out in the villas of Mysore colony without permission or notice.'
Syna was furious, what she said was logically absurd, it made no sense at all. The investigation was carried out with the necessary warrant and permission.
'What are you-? What do you mean without any permission or notice?' she asked, furious.
'You barged into Akash Paul's villa without permission, overlooking the fact that he is a detective.' Syna rolled her eyes in frustration. What was this bitch talking about? Even if she did investigate his house, she was not obliged to ask for anyone's permission! What hurt her was the idea of Akash being behind this deal. But she waved it off.
'I am not obliged to answer to anyone! And for your deal, you think you can blackmail me? How do you intend to present such an absurd, illogical theory of yours in front of people and increase your coverage?' Syna gritted her teeth in anger.
'The coverage might sound illogical to a few commoners, but it will surely raise some news and issues for you. We are the media, all we need is an argument to light some fire, we don't have to worry about how it spreads.' She replied calmly, confident, and still smiling. Syna hated every quality that she possessed.
'Whatever pleases you. I have one question for you, is Akash Paul involved in this deal?' she asked impatiently, to which Catherine's smile faded and she looked at Syna with equal hatred.
'Akash isn't involved. He isn't even aware of it. I happen to be his neighbour and saw your team investigating. Later, I met him and he confirmed that he wasn't aware of the search party.' And that was it, that was where Syna's jealousy knew no bounds. This meant one thing, she was close to Akash.
Syna quietly stood up and left, without making any eye contact.
*********
David sat on his sofa, worried and irritated. He had ordered his servants to change the entire dining room, with a new carpet, tables, floor, and even a different touch of colour for the walls. And yet that horrible event never left his mind. His lawyer was with him throughout, he got him out of custody and stood beside him in his dark times. He had tried calling Jeel for many days until finally her phone was switched off and there was no way for him to contact her.
'You have no clue of her whereabouts?' His lawyer enquired. David placed his glass of wine on the table and shook his head. He didn't even have any alternative address or contact number.
'Try to remember. Has she ever mentioned any place or a relative?' His lawyer pressed him hard.
'That's it! There was this place she talked about. She had mentioned that she wanted to live there alone for a few months.' David exclaimed, smiling for the first time in a long time.
'Bingo! All we have to do is just confirm your doubt and find her-
'Don't. If the police get hold of that, we'll be in trouble. I have a different method by which the cops would catch her themselves, without any idea of who tipped them off.' David said, grinning and admiring his idea.
'And what's that?' the lawyer asked softly.
'A good friend of mine is a reporter who lives in this colony. Her name is Catherine, we can use the media. She will inform the cops that she received a tip about Jeel's whereabouts from an anonymous ID.'
**************
Akash scratched his head, forcing his mind to grant him some clue, some idea, or some lead which would help him be a part of the investigation, after all, his unethical means to have access over information got him nowhere. He cursed his horoscope! So far it had helped him, but this one seemed different.
He stood up, roaming about in his room, trying to think of any possible way by which he could join the investigation until he glanced at the window and saw a room ignited with light. He grinned at the thought that Catherine was still up. He missed those times, when he felt her all over him, it had been a while, but right now he had to emphasize on the case and not get side-tracked by someone he just had a physical relationship with. She could be useful though, he thought. Perhaps it was time to visit her as well. He saw the time; it was 3.30 A.M, trembling with a little fear, he decided to rest. He was always unsure about his fears of the dark, which gave him an uneasy feeling.
************
20th March 2003
9:20 A.M.
He woke up with a sudden push. Yawning, he opened his eyes and quickly got up as he realized that it was 9:30 A.M. He had to set up meetings with David and Catherine. A few minutes later when he was done with his essentials, he sipped coffee from his favourite mug. He opened the door and looked for the newspaper when he saw that an unannounced guest was waiting for him, a letter.
**********
Syna reached the station. Her mind was preoccupied with the various roadblocks the search parties faced, when suddenly,
'SHO Syna, Good morning. There is a letter with your name on it.' Constable Shinde informed her merrily. Syna's eyes and brows raised in uncertainty, she rushed towards her cabin and jolted in directly. Her heart beats had increased, she was frightened, heaving a sigh she slowly picked it up and opened it, there was no doubt it was from him.
Important!
The tug of war has commenced. The era is shifting, yet the progress you seem to have is slackening as always. I intend to serve as a helpline for either one of you. The circumstances have emerged a race. The race those toddlers talk about, the tortoise and the rabbit. But then, being sluggish or clever won't help you win this race, none of you can triumph without my aid. If you do, try to recollect just one thing, the place where the contest ends, is also the place where it begins.
Now then, which one is it going to be? Would you be the front-runner or should the culprit emerge gloriously? Either of you, serve as my entertainment at the finish. I shall wait for your response.
The media's coverage would acknowledge me of your answer, use this letter and my identity as your bait, and let the world understand the gravity of my return.
You have 36 hours of grace.
"They say I ruled a domain, I reckon that I owned an entire dynasty, but what's not mine is the ..."
~The Stalker
**************
It was happening! It was coming!
Wonder why our ancestors achieved more than us? Because they never kept a count of their victories.
~The Stalker