9:52 AM, Near Mobile Medical Unit
Shreekant shot a nefarious glare as he approached her while she stood like a statue trying to accumulate courage to digest the fact that her game of lies was finally over. He darted at Amna with his dark brown doubtful eyes and not so impressed look.
Leaning forward and bulging his eyes, he spoke in a crude voice giving a sarcastic smile, "Guess who just called me early in the morning? Constable from the local police station, they have got a fax of missing complaint filed at the Bangalore Police Station by the management of the Savitri Hospital for Dr. Amna Biswas, who didn't return to work after 7th March. I was going to tell you immediately, but this problem happened."
Inhaling a little breath, he spoke again, "And because this problem happened I got to know what a proficient lier you are... Don't you have a little shame to lie to the woman who took your care for so long? Is this your upbringing?" Her mouth was gaping wide when he was questioning her.
She crossed her arms as she spoke angrily replying with equal rage, "Upbringing? Did you question my upbringing? Who gives you the obligation to question my moral education? Did you ever think about my side of the story? My reason behind lying? My problems or troubles? Why would you? Why would anyone?"
He knitted his eyebrows together and continued again, "Fine then... I am wrong, I shouldn't have questioned your upbringing... Tell me why did you lie? Tell me why did you lie to all of us? You even lied to the doctor and the police... Why?"
Amna could feel the heat of his annoyance and anger destructive enough to scare anyone but still managed to counter-question, "Okay, I lied, but I had no other option other than that. I can't tell you the reason and another thing, why am I bound to tell you anything? You are just a stranger," she said sternly looking back straight into his eyes with confidence.
He replied with a cold expression gritting his teeth, "Fine don't tell anyone but remember if by evening you don't tell me the truth, I will tell everyone about this and report about you to the police for misleading them, also get ready to leave the Old Age Home."
Both were glaring at each other and the invisible trance of staring into each other's eyes was broken only when they heard the siren of the ambulance approaching them.
On hearing his words, she was totally speechless and kept on staring at his face blankly. Just then the ambulance arrived, and Shreekant budged her aside walking out on her angrily to go with Vinod in the ambulance. They kept looking at each other till the ambulance went away.
5:00 PM, Old Age Home
It was the last hours of the day before dawn when she had to decide what she was going to do. Her life had already taken a drastic turn for many days and she kept on pondering over her situation again and again.
She sat in her bed silently considering deeply about everything that had happened today, "After so many days I felt at ease. I felt happy treating that person. I spent so many years becoming a doctor, and now I am in a situation that I have to hide my identity. Now it's becoming too much."
She wiped the little drops of warm tears from her eyes and thought to herself, "God, I understood your hint. I want to go back to my normal life. I will tell him everything. I just want to go back to where I belong. I will see whatever happens"
She rang the doorbell of Ratna's door waiting patiently for someone to open the door. The door creaked open and she saw Shreekant with his usual killer eyes standing in front of her with doubts still decked upon his handsome face. It looked as if the whole universe was conspiring and wanted her to tell him everything.
"I will tell you everything..." She said in a guilt-ridden voice gesturing him to come out of the house.
She took a deep breath and started, "Mr. Mhatre, on 6th March I treated your wife Anna but I couldn't save her", she then continued to tell him everything regarding the strange rope marks, the bruises around the injection like marks, the cover-up by the Forensic Department, about the pen drive and the deleted X-ray records of Anna.
She also told him because she went into the case more than she was told to, she was on the verge of death if he wouldn't have saved her that day.
He became tongue-tied for a moment, clenching his jaws, and tightened his fists in extreme wrath.
After a brief pause, he inhaled a deeper breath and uttered with his eyes closed, "So you are saying that my wife didn't commit suicide and someone tried to kill you because you suspected that..?"
"I have seen many patients who try to commit suicide and end up in the ER. That day Anna was fighting for her every single breath. I felt as if she wanted to live, she wanted to say something.
"Maybe I am wrong, but the circumstances in which all these things have happened are really very strange plus why would someone swallow a pen drive and commit suicide? I think she was trying to protect the pen drive details, the man in the brown jacket who tried to kill me that day, perhaps he knows something about your wife too..." She explained in a soft tone, trying to justify her thinking.
He hauled her closer by holding her arms and with angry bulging eyes asked, "Do you remember his face, slightest details...tell me?" He was grimacing in pain and could feel his lungs choking from within.
"No, I don't... It's too traumatic for me...oh wait, I remember something... The car... It was a grey-colored small car and it had a Z-shaped mark on the bumper, that's all I can recollect I am sorry" She said in a single breath hinting him to let go of her.
Shreekant then stood apart from her and uttered in his usual hoarse voice, "I will kill him, why did he harm Anna? I will not leave him, whoever is responsible for all these. Why didn't you say all these things earlier to me...?" His tone sounded extremely enraged.
"I didn't have the guts to trust anyone after all that had happened to me, but now I have no option. I can't live in this fear anymore, it's way worse than dying.
"The only way I can return to my normal life is when the real culprit behind all these gets caught. I will help you in any way I can..."
Taking a little pause, she continued, "Anna was a Christian, right? Then her body must have been buried and not cremated... You are the family of the deceased, you can order for a second autopsy as you suspect foul play" She said decisively with her black eyes widened.
"Do you really think that will help in any way? If the case was covered up the way you are saying, it can happen again... My family is worried about their reputation more than anything. They can do anything to prevent the investigation from happening.
"We need undeniable hard evidence to prove our point. If I request a second autopsy the person behind all this might become more careful and we shall never be able to catch him" He said in a calm tone trying to make her understand.
"Mr. Mhatre is right... If the culprit was powerful enough to convince a Forensic expert to fabricate a report, he can do the same again" She thought after listening to his reply.
"So what are you suggesting?" She asked in a low confusing tone staring at him.
"We have to carry on our own investigation furtively. And only when we gather some proofs we will involve the government authorities." He replied in a deep, commanding voice with eyes full of numerous questions.
"Wouldn't that be very dangerous? After all, we both are armless civilians... Not some detectives or cops"
He thought for a minute and hissed, "I get your point, but after listening to your part of the story, I also don't think I can trust anyone regarding this matter... Further, I am not just a common civilian, I am well capable of protecting myself. I will particularly make sure that not even a single scratch befall you. The only person whom I can trust right now is you because you are the one who told me everything. So, will you help me?"
"Correct... He is not a common citizen like me, he is The Shreekant Mhatre. Although I am not fully sure if I can trust him or not, what option do I have now? Doing anything is better than hiding myself in the fear of that mysterious killer." She thought silently while listening to his words with the utmost concentration.
"Okay... I will help you, but I need something in return", she had made her decision.
He looked at her intently and she spoke again, "At no cost, you will leave me alone in this mess. I am an ordinary girl and I have some responsibilities. Promise me that until the culprit is caught, you will not abandon me"
He assured her and explained to her the next step, "Well, the first thing we have to do is to leave for Mumbai tomorrow itself."
She nodded in agreement but her mind was still in a fit of dilemma. Meanwhile, a man clicked Shreekant's and Amna's photo secretly and sent it to someone on his phone saved as "Madam"
6:30 PM, Disha's Home
Disha looked up regarding the Ambodi Case on her computer and thought to herself, "How is this related to Mhatre? What are you up to Shreekant? Are you anyway related to Anna's death? But she died a very untimely death. Was it really a suicide? Had someone accidentally pushed her? Or did someone intentionally murder her? How far can a person go hide his inner demon?"
She carefully turned her head to look at a photo behind her while her eyes brimmed up with tears, "These people can go to any extent for their greed. Nothing better can be expected from the great Mhatre family... But they will have to pay for their sins in this life only, I will make them pay for it. I am alive only to see their great glass castle fall and shatter into pieces... What they started will be put to an end by me." She clasped the handle of her chair with an infuriated look on her face.
She heard the incoming footsteps of someone coming towards her room and wiped her tears hastily with the back of her palm.
**********
The following day Shreekant told Ratna everything and left with Amna for Mumbai. Although she, Nimmi, and Mini were appalled by the turn of events, they could do was to warn both of them to be extremely careful.
As they left the entrance of the old age home, she opened the rear door of the car and placed her bag in the back seat. Biding a farewell to them, she settled herself on the passenger seat, fixing her seat belt, and finally, Shreekant started the car.
The intense heat of a stranger's presence for a long journey, that too just beside her was intoxicating and slightly uncomfortable. She was unable to put her brain anywhere else. She either kept playing with her nails or looked outside the window making sure that she doesn't sleep at any cost while he drove carefully.
All along the long drive, they hardly spoke to one another. Both stole a few brief glimpses of each other's faces without engaging in any sort of talks.
It had only been less than a day since these two, strangers were tied together in a mutual agreement of helping each other out. While one just wanted her normal life back, the other wanted to nab the neck of the person responsible for the misery of his life. Both were totally aware of what was at the end of this journey or what the future held for either of them.