Twenty-Nine
26th March 2003
8:15 A.M.
Siddharth Agrawal was seated on the chair with one of his officers by his side, facing Himanshu Savla who was still under speculation. Agrawal had ordered a thorough inspection on Himanshu's profile. He knew that Himanshu was deeply involved, directly or indirectly, with "The Boss". He had placed a transmitter, with David's consent, on his suit and therefore had an extra ear to listen to their conversation.
At the time of the incident, he had noticed Himanshu's tone and response to Jeel's mention of "The Boss" being a suspect. His instincts had alerted him immediately. Another instinct was that the men who killed Jeel, could have also killed David and Himanshu, so there was somebody on board! Himanshu disclosed that he had placed a transmitter at David's villa, when David had ordered to change the carpets and the entire dining room. Himanshu had one of his known crew members place it discreetly at his villa.
'Your house was searched and a gun was found.' Siddharth said.
'I changed my mind and left the real gun behind and I bought a fake-'
'That's not my point, Mr. Savla.' Siddharth placed his hands on the desk. 'How did you get that gun? It was a professional shooting weapon. You can only procure such a gun if you have good contacts.'
'I took that gun from a dealer.'
'Illegal possession of weapons.' He read the charge. 'Who's the dealer?'
'One of "The Boss'" men.' The other officer jumped instantly, but Siddharth maintained his cool.
'Very well. Tell me the real identity of "The Boss"?' Himanshu chuckled.
'What's funny?' The other officer roared.
'You guys are so desperate to crown anyone as The Stalker.' He said. 'I'll tell you what, you will barely find anyone in this town who would be willing to testify against "The Boss."
Himanshu Savla informed them how "The Boss" had been in so many cases in the Shimla region, yet he was never caught. The reason was that some part of tourism and major services were financed by him. He had also helped a lot of businessmen maintain their businesses. Half of the department had knowledge about him, but they also had their families at gunpoint, same was for his men. His men were solid because of the high payment, and also because of their weakness, family.
He was loved, and feared, by all.
********************************
Akash narrowed his eyes upon seeing his guest arrive. Tall figure, rough face, harsh tone, Mr. Khatri. He was surprised when Mr. Khatri agreed to the meeting, but he knew the stakes were high. Mr. Khatri sat on the other bench of the park, adjacent to Akash.
'Never thought it would be so easy to convince you.' Akash scoffed.
'You said you had something important to discuss.' He said roughly, surfing on his new Nokia phone.
'I know who "The Boss" is.' Akash said, but Mr. Khatri maintained his cool and didn't look up. 'I suppose I don't have to tell you who it is, because you already know?" He kept his silence, never meeting his eye.
'I used to wonder how his men were so solid, and would never testify against him.' Akash explained. 'Now I understand why they never opened their mouths during interrogation, for the interrogator was You.'
Mr. Khatri looked up and made himself comfortable on the bench, pocketing his new mobile.
'So, if you are so sure about his identity, why don't you go ahead and catch him?'
'You know the reason.' Akash said. 'I don't have any proof yet.'
'The way things are moving, I expect the department would heed your deduction, even if it is a theory.'
'I asked you to meet me, because I am giving you the opportunity to help me with proof and let the name surrender itself.'
'No chance.' Mr. Khatri said instantly.
'Well, do you want me to hand over the name to the department?'
'Don't know, I am not really in a position to bargain.' Mr. Khatri said mildly.
Akash stood up and grabbed his jacket, turning his back to Mr. Khatri.
'Remember when I told you I would lock you up in a real prison? That will happen soon, your days are numbered, Mr. Khatri.'
'If you are walking on the path of proofs.' Mr. Khatri said, in his harsh tone. 'Let me tell you, friend, your road is too long and uncertain. You never know who you might end up losing, your loved ones, or maybe even yourself.'
'I'm prepared for that.' Akash said. 'I would advise you to forget about La Catedral and accept your reality soon.'
'Akash Paul.' Mr. Khatri stood up. 'You have four hours, either you find proof for "The Boss" or the cops will find your body dumped somewhere.' Akash turned his complete attention towards him, startled.
'And this condition comes directly from "The Boss'" behalf.' He said, leaving the park.
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26th March 2003
3:39 P.M.
'I guess my father made too many enemies than I could fathom.' David said, pacing around.
Akash pleaded with Syna to go along with him to David's villa. She readily agreed. Akash made sure that Syna felt like she was a part of his life, now.
'But why would "The Boss" swear his vengeance on you?' Akash asked. 'He had bad blood with uncle, not you.'
'That's how the culture is here, brother.' David said. 'They pass on their anger and vengeance. My father died peacefully, while here my life has gone all topsy turvy since Jeel entered my life.'
'She is gone, David.' Syna chimed in. She wanted to blend herself with every person Akash was close to, to know him better. She didn't mind even if that person was one of her former suspects.
'Not her memories! When you think about her, her innocent face.' He said, symboling with his hands. 'It is hard to imagine she would do something like that.'
'I understand brother.' Akash tried to console him.
'No, you don't!' David said sarcastically. 'You have just got into it; it will take you a few years to understand what I mean.' He winked, making Syna blush.
'Well, I hope mine goes better than yours.' Akash joked, before getting his leg bumped by Syna's.
'Now, you two are something. When I look at you both, I see intelligence, cunningness and competition.' He grinned.
'Alright now, stop flattering us.' Akash said. 'I want you to stay safe, and avoid moving out of your home.' David could feel Akash being overprotective. He'd already had police protection at his home, and a few other safety measures to avoid any danger.
'I have just been tipped off that people who are close to me are in danger. So, take care of yourself David.' Syna looked at Akash instantly, curious about what was going on in his head.
'What's going on?' She asked.
'I was given four hours.' Akash said. 'I've already wasted one. But I promise you this, in the next three hours, this chase is going to end!' He declared.
********************
2.30 hours to the chase
Syna was someone who never shared important aspects of her life with anyone, let alone discuss these things with someone she loved. She was an unreadable book. Yet Akash was the kind of person who made her feel that there were still readers who didn't judge a book by its cover. She was happy to embark on such a thought.
Akash expressed his gratitude to Siddharth for giving him his valuable time, on such a prompt request.
'Forgive me, but realizing how things are moving along we have no time to discuss or celebrate on the occasion.' Siddharth said eloquently, on acknowledging their relation.
'I don't expect any celebration, sir.' Akash responded. 'For all of us, the biggest celebration would be the end of this chase.'
'Indeed. We are trying to avoid any more casualties. You both did a fine job back there.'
'We were just following your sister's orders.' Akash said tacitly, and they shared a laugh.
'You are a lucky man, Akash.' He said. 'Not everyone is introduced to me, by her.'
'That's because of your profile.' Syna retorted.
'You need to earn it, sister.' He said feverishly. 'How long should we keep pretending about our blood relation?'
'I didn't want to jeopardize your position.'
'So, what did you want to talk about?' He turned to Akash. Akash flinched for a moment; he couldn't understand why he felt so nervous in front of the CBI.
'I have a request for you.' He said. 'I want one of your constables, Dexter, to join us for today, on some theories that we have been working on.'
'And of course, that includes your Zodiac element theory. I had forced him to bring us a copy along.' Syna said, crossing her hands.
'I already know about that.' Siddharth replied. 'You have been using my name as leverage way too much, haven't you?'
'As for Dexter.' He said, facing Akash. 'I'm afraid I cannot allow such a request. He was allowed on board only because he had a lot of details to provide with on the case you three worked on. However, I can grant you one lead which I'd followed.'
'I understand. I'll be grateful for the lead.' Akash replied instantly. 'The shooters who killed Jeel were found at a property near Malabar hills. We raided the property, turns out it was being used as a warehouse for "The Boss'" activities. We found a few guns and materials which weren't supposed to be there. Of course, those shooters are not willing to reveal his name right now, but you may find something credible from this information. To be more precise, that property was not far away from the address which you had found on the first letter of The Stalker.' He raised his brow.
Syna and Akash thanked him for his help, and bid him goodbye. Akash shook his head in disappointment, even the CBI had hunches on the similarities of The Stalker and The Boss. He suddenly felt Syna's nudge on his shoulder, motioning him to hurry.
'You don't want to miss the bus to Malabar hills, do you?' And he trailed behind her, once again.
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I used to wonder why our hearts lie on the left side of the body, and then I realized it was too afraid to be right, for humanity cannot bear the sight of what is right.
~The Stalker