If there were no bad people, there would be no good lawyers.
- Charles Dickens.
"What do you want Ammu? I am ready to get anything for you. I can ask permission and arrange something." Ajay asked eagerly as he cupped her cheek.
"It is not a thing...You know... I asked you before and then never got a chance to do. I want to shave your beard." Amrita pouted.
"That?? Seriously!! Is that all you want Ammu? Are you sure?" Ajay chuckled and kissed on her forehead again.
"That is what I want. No more excuses this time Ajay."
"Your wish is my command Majesty. We will do it straight away. Let me go and get my kit. I will be back in 2 minutes." He grabbed her lips quickly and sucked them till she protested, and then rushed out of the room.
****
When Nitin reached Vikram Chaudhary's home, Pramod Gupta and other lawyers were already there in deep discussion.
Vikram Chaudhary looked at Nitin and greeted him.
Pramod Gupta approached Nitin and shook his hands.
"That was one hell of a performance today in the court Nitin. You paved way for the argument to turn our way so casually, it was so good."
"Thank you Sir, I did what I could. But it was your arguments that finally shifted the case for us." Nitin said to Pramod.
"But still a word of caution Sir, Khurana is not going to leave Pratapji out of the picture. I tried to gauge his mood just after the court session. He made it very clear that, he is going to pursue the case against Pratapji as well." Nitin said gloomily.
"That Khurana has become a nuisance. If I wasn't a politician, I would have seen to it that his body floated in the nearest river long time ago. Sadly my hands are tied now." Vikram said menacingly.
"Don't worry Vikram Ji. The case against Kamal is getting stronger. We will ensure that the focus of all the arguments throughout the trial stays that way. But to be sure, we are going to pursue from our end, whatever we can do, to disassociate Pratapji involvement in this. And we would never let that bloody Khurana come even 100 metres near you." Pramod assured.
"Hmm, keep me posted on the latest developments every day. Not just trial days Gupta." Vikram demanded.
"Sure Sir, will do it every day." Pramod Gupta took the hint and rose to leave.
Vikram too got up and strode towards the balcony of his big conference room.
Nitin slowly approached and stood behind Vikram attentively.
"Nitin, find out what other evidence Khurana is holding against my brother. I am not talking about official evidence in files. Do you understand?"
"Of course. I would need to spend some time with him and gain his trust to do that, but I will do it." Nitin replied promptly.
Vikram turned and looked straight into Nitin's eyes. His eyes were unflinching, cold and frightening.
"Were there any finger prints on that girl's body?" Vikram asked.
"No Vikram Ji, that was the first thing I checked. Your brother was clever enough to wear gloves that day."
Vikram's gaze relaxed.
Nitin continued eagerly.
"Also nothing in that girl's room could be linked in any way to your brother either. They did a thorough job. It's just that CCTV footage that ruined the whole thing."
"Hmm... they should have been more careful. But we never thought it would come to this. Kamal always did a splendid job in these sorts of things. Pity!!! Why the hell did he try to backstab me like this?" Vikram finally snapped.
"Vikram Ji the more I think of it, the more I began to realise that there is a lot about Kamal Sir and this case, that I don't know. I mean the money part I can understand, he benefited heavily due to your kind support but all that secrecy, and his inability to control or stop Ajay in early stages. That whole shooting incident of your brother... I am sure if he tried hard enough, he could have prevented it.
It just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth." Nitin retorted furiously.
"What do you mean?" Vikram's predatory eyes were boring into Nitin again.
"According to S I Sarang, once they entered the factory, he and the constables went one way, and Kamal Sir and Pratap ji the other way, trying to catch Ajay. Sarang was busy trying to chase and catch that girl who was with Ajay. So he arrived at the scene only after Ajay shot your brother. But there was a lot of time in between. What were they all doing ? As I said I don't know." Nitin said frustratedly.
"Oh that! Yes Kamal explained to me. It seems Ajay was hiding behind a pillar, so they couldn't shoot at him clearly. There was a bit of to and fro fire. But yes I agree, it could have been prevented and I would never forgive him for that. If only I reached there earlier, I could have saved my brother." Vikram became emotional.
Recovering himself, he said to Nitin.
"You concentrate on what you need to do now. Understand?"
"Sure Vikram Ji. I will see you again soon." Nitin took his leave and decided to go back to the station, and do more digging into Kamal's life.
After Nitin left, Vikram was in deep thought trying to analyse his words.
****
As promised, Ajay returned to Amrita's room within a short time. They both went into the washroom which had a decent space and washbasin. She was excited and bursting with anticipation. Amrita started to get everything ready and stopped as she observed the smile lurking on Ajay's face.
"What is it? Why are you suddenly looking so happy?"
Ajay slowly advanced towards her and she walked backwards till her back hit the wash stand.
He placed both his hands on either side of her on the wash stand and murmured against her lips.
"Well you know what Ammu? If you shave me here, it will get all messy on the floor and then I need change of clothes which I haven't brought along. Let's do it under the shower. All the mess will get washed away and I can fulfil my fantasy too afterwards."
Amrita tried to push him away.
"Gaawwd. Why do you have such single track mind all the time? You had to turn even my innocent request into something else, don't you?"
"Oh yeah! My oh so innocent Ammu. I know what you want to do once you shave my beard off." Ajay moved towards her, so she was now trapped between the wall and his hard frame.
"What? I don't want to do anything." Colour rose in her cheeks as she knew what he meant.
"Oh yes, you do! You want to rub your cheeks against my stubble and drive me crazy. So what am I supposed to do? Just let you do that and not react? I am going to react, and things will get out of hand, and then...Oh come on Ammu! Please say yes!" Ajay urged in his most seductive tone.
He began leaving feathery trail of kisses all along her cheek and down to her neck. He still had both his arms on either side of her on the wall and wasn't touching her. He slowly sucked on her earlobe and Amrita shuddered and grabbed his shirt for support. Ajay slowly lifted his head up and looked at her flushed face and closed eyes. As he waited, Amrita slowly opened her eyes.
"We won't do this if you don't want to Ammu, but why can't you be free with me instead of being so shy all the time?" He groaned.
"I can't be like that Ajay. If you were a girl, you would know why."
"You know what? Out of the 3 kids we are eventually going to have, I want two daughters and a son. And I will start praying to god right now that neither of my daughters be anything like you." Ajay smirked.
Amrita started laughing and snaked his arms around his neck. She slowly rubbed her nose against his and whispered.
"But I want our son to be exactly like you." She bit him on his lower lip and drew herself away, her eyes full of mischief.
Ajay rolled his eyes in frustration and controlled his impulses.
"Ammu I am still waiting for you to say yes."
"Hmmm... YESSS Mr ASR, let's do this and fulfil both our fantasies then."
She slowly lifted his shirt off and put it away, followed by his belt and Denims. She hid her face in his chest, her face reddened beyond anything.
He lifted her face with both hands and began a leisurely kiss. As she involuntarily opened her mouth, he accessed her mouth freely. As his lips sucked and tongue swirled around hers, he slowly removed her shirt and jeans so she was now left just with her underwear.
He grabbed the kit and lifted her in his arms and turned the shower to full blast. It was a tiny shower and not made for two people, but he enjoyed it more for that.
And so they began. Just watching her like this, so close and shaving him, was turning him on beyond anything.
Neither had any idea when the shaving finished and when their love making began. An hour later, as they lay exhausted on their bed, savouring the tender as well as rough moments, his phone began to buzz.
Looking at the caller ID, he became alert straight away and began to speak. Amrita observed him with keen eyes, and began to pull on her clothes.
After a brief exchange, he finished the call and looked at Amrita.
"Ready for another adventure?" He asked her.
Her eyes lit up as she nodded her head in assent.
He quickly got ready and they both left the room, ready to pursue the new lead they received for their surveillance job.
****
The same night Ravi Rajan met Kamal again in the jail, and gave a brief of how things went in the court. Kamal was disappointed, even though this setback was quite expected by them.
"We have to dig deep Kamal, give me any and all dirt against this Mehta Family. When did you meet this girl Amrita or Vidya for the first time? I need to know everything." Ravi Rajan implored.
Kamal thought hard to remember every detail that he knew and began to speak. Ravi took some notes from time to time, asking for specifics.
*****
Few days later, when the next court hearing session began, Brijesh and Dr Sharma met Amrita, Shyam and Sonali outside the court again. Mrs Sharma had left for the hometown previous day.
"Ammu, we are going back home tonight beta. Doctor had cancelled all his appointments to be with me, and I too can't be here for too long. Janaki Amma is all alone in the house. I thought I am strong enough for all this, but I am finding it difficult to hear all their nasty arguments." Brijesh choked.
Dr Sharma patted on his friend's shoulder affectionately.
"Ammu we both are so proud of you, Shyam, Sonali and the lawyer sahib . You guys are conducting yourself so well and fighting for this. If there is anything we can do here, we will stay back here of course." Dr Sharma offered.
"Baba there is no need for you two be here, and I hate you staying in that hotel even though we all are here. Khurana Sir is an excellent lawyer, and he will fight till the end, to ensure Vidya's case succeeds. I heard him say that after the next two sessions, there are holidays and the court will reopen after a week or so. If I get clearance, I will come home and stay with you. Please don't worry about us and relax at home." She assured him.
Just then, a wheel chair bound elderly Sikh gentleman. with a long grey beard and turban was passing next to them. His walking stick fell down from his lap and landed at Dr Sharma's feet. Both Dr Sharma and Brijesh turned around to look at the gentleman. With surprise agility for such an older person, he bent down quickly towards their feet from the wheel chair, and picked up his stick.
**"Jo Bole So Nihaal Sat sri akal!!" The elderly Sikh gentleman greeted them all with a shivering voice and folded hands.
Dr Sharma and Brijesh both folded their hands in greeting and replied "Sat Sri Akal"**
(**"Blessed is the person who says 'God is Truth'". Sikh greeting in Punjabi)
His attendant pushed the wheel chair towards the court room.
Suddenly there was a lot of buzz and all the media people gathered around, as two police vans arrived and Kamal Chaudhary was made to get out of one of the vans. Brijesh and Dr Sharma looked furiously at him. There was a lot of commotion, as photographers thronged to take pictures of him while he was led inside the court room by police. Amrita shivered slightly, trying to control her anger and hatred towards the man, who effectively sealed the fate of her dear sister. Sonali wrapped her arms around Amrita's shoulder, as all of them walked slowly inside the court room. They took their allotted seats in the gallery behind Khurana's table.
Soon after, Khurana too entered along with Kabir Khan; he was followed by Ravi Rajan and Pramod Gupta and his group of lawyers.
As Judge Thapar entered the court room, everyone stood up.
He looked down at the witness list submitted by all the parties for today.
"Mr Khurana you can start the cross examination of your witness now."
"Your honour, I haven't finished my cross examination of Ms Mehta in our last session. Mr Khurana hijacked my argument and forced me to start questioning the employee of NASSCOM." Ravi Rajan interjected.
"Your honour, there was no mention by Mr Rajan that he would continue the cross examination of my client. I would have prepared her better if I knew." Khurana objected.
"Prepare her exactly for what Mr Khurana? To tell the court more lies under oath? I don't think you will get away with it again." Rajan challenged Khurana with a nasty smile.
"Your honour, if Mr Rajan wants to cross examine my client again, he can go ahead. But I want to make sure that I get ample time to cross examine Mr Kamal Chaudhary." Khurana bowed to the judge and went back to his seat.
Amrita was called into the witness stand again. She was feeling slightly more confident today, as though the past ordeal made her believe in herself.
"Ms Mehta, let me just take your mind back to the events immediately after your sister's death." Rajan began.
"You arrived in India when exactly. What were your movements after you reached India?"
"I thought this trial was about what events led to my sister's death, not what happened after that. How is this relevant?" Amrita asked him, her temper still in control.
"Ms Mehta just answer my questions, to object and justify the relevance of the questions is the responsibility of me and this Court, not yours." Rajan fumed.
"Okay.... so let's begin again, when did you arrive in India and what did you do after you reached here?"
"I arrived in India a couple of days after my sisters' death. Our flight was delayed and we missed the connecting flight and there was long delay due to peak holiday season in US. I... I couldn't be there for the funeral either." She choked, suddenly remembering those awful times.
Shyam and Sonali looked worryingly at her. A lone tear escaped Brijesh's eyes.
"I am sorry for your loss, but I am asking very specific questions, and I would be very happy if you can answer me to the point." Rajan reiterated in a cold voice.
Amrita's face turned cold and expressionless again.
"I arrived 2 days after she died. How much specific do you want me to be?" she snapped.
"What did you do after reaching here? Did you go straight to you hometown for the funeral?"
There was almost a miniscule pause and then Amrita answered "Yes."
Ravi Rajan pounced on it.
"So you didn't go immediately to your town, you spent some time here in the city?"
"No." Amrita answered in a much steady and firm voice.
"I went immediately to my hometown but by the time I reached there it was evening and the funeral had just taken place that morning. That's all."
"And then you stayed there with your family I presume."
Amrita looked into his mocking eyes, and decided to say the truth no matter what.
"No, my relations with my family were not good at that moment, so I returned back to the city same day."
"How was your relationship with your sister?"
Khurana was losing patience by the minute now.
"Your honour, I do not understand the purpose of this whole questioning at all except to waste court's precious time."
Judge Thapar agreed.
"Yes Mr Rajan, can you actually explain what you are trying to do here?" He asked impatiently.
"Your honour, I will come straight to the point. I am trying to establish my client's innocence here. Am I not allowed to establish the circumstances leading up to the murder, and the after effects?
The purpose of all this questions is that, although I sympathize with Ms Vidya's untimely death, I must be allowed to tell the truth as it is, no matter how hurtful it may sound.
From all the enquiries we had so far, and the client's own admission here on oath, Ms Amrita Mehta was a bitter lonely woman. Her engagement with Shyam Chand was short lived, and her childhood friend preferred to marry her sister instead of her. She was a woman scorned. She was highly jealous of her younger sister.
So she decided to do away with her, by hiring an assassin.
That assassin entered the Nalanda hospital premises by a route, where none of the CCTV cameras were working, and murdered Vidya and left by the same route. As my colleague Pramod Gupta said earlier, my client and Pratap were there at the wrong place and at the wrong time. They might have found Vidya's dead body near the IT lab and carried it to the hostel.
My client SP Kamal was doing what his duty demanded; treat the body of the deceased with respect. You must note that he had no Idea who Miss Vidya Mehta was, or how she was related to Ajay Rathore at that time. He might have thought of informing the kith and kin later that night or next day. Once my client left, the assassin must have come back and arranged Vidya's body to make it look like a suicide.
Now you see that all the facts can be seen in a new light your honour. Ms Mehta doesn't even come on time to attend her sister's funeral. I strongly suspect she met the assassin after she arrived here, before going to her home town. And as she herself admitted, didn't even stay back even for few hours at her home. Why? Because everyone in the family have already disowned her. There is no love lost between the siblings or between her and the father. It is a completely dysfunctional family."
"Don't you dare talk about my family like that!" Amrita snapped.
"You think I got my sister killed. Are you really as stupid as you sound? Or you are just so mentally unhinged that you will say anything as per your whim?" Amrita spat, looking murderously at Ravi Rajan.
Khurana got up slowly, but he got no way closer to Amrita, as Judge Thapar reprimanded Amrita for her behaviour.
Ravi Rajan bowed to the judge and continued.
"Your honour, this young generation is like that. They are very volatile in their speech. My daughter too calls me stupid sometimes because, it's the generation gap you see. Anyway Ms Mehta, so you claim that I am being stupid. But you know, I am just going by the facts as I see them. You are sitting here cool as cucumber, as if nothing really matters to you. If someone murdered my sister, my blood would be boiling." Ravi Rajan hissed with such menace in his eyes that Amrita flinched, and something finally snapped inside her.
"My blood was boiling and is still boiling now; but I want justice for my sister's death through the legal system. If it was left to me, I would have murdered that bastard long time ago." Amrita blurted out.
Khurana groaned and closed his eyes.
"But you did my dear. You have already tried to murder Pratap Chaudhary once or probably even twice. That day at the City Hospital, it was you, who was seen running away with Ajay, after trying to murder Pratap Chaudhary." Ravi Rajan shouted back.
There was complete hush in the court room, as Amrita looked helplessly between Ravi Rajan and Khurana.
Ravi Rajan looked happy to be in the court for the first time.
^------^
So Ravi Rajan finally achieved what he came for.
Breaking down the composure of Amrita and get her rattled.
What did you think of this chapter guys?? And as promised a looong chapter.
I struggled so much today writing this. But finally completed it as planned.
What is in store for Amrita and Khurana next?
Please give your valuable opinions and suggestions.
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Thanks a million.