Death and Dishonor

by Abhimanyu Saxena

  “Protection? I am a police officer. I can handle myself, and no evidence points to me-”

  “I have intel that Arjun is still roaming free. The department still isn’t close to finding him.”

  “I can handle him on my own.”

  The voice got irritated, “Like you have been handling things? You told me yourself that you found Aditi’s phone with a call dialed to him and he might have heard the whole thing. That was a terrible slip-up. He knows it’s you, and it won’t be long before he figures things out and comes after you.”

  The voice continued post silence from Ajeet, “We have to move slowly with this and be careful. Let the police apprehend him, and then, we can move forward from there.”

  “Listen, let me take care of him, I will do it quietly and careful-”

  “You listen to me now,” the voice sounded angry and impatient, “Don’t be a dumb idiot and don’t forget that this is greater than us. You do realize you had failed the primary objective to retrieve the cargo. They are not happy. This is not just about you. One more slip-up and they could hang us all from a noose, and I would not have that. Also, the good developments aside, we should not underestimate Arjun.”

  Ajeet started pacing again, “Please see this through quickly, I am dying here in this crappy warehouse. You even starved me tonight.”

  “You have been there for one day, and it’s not my fault you went through all the day’s food in one go. I thought it was best that the guards not leave you tonight. It’s just a matter of few days and trust me, that crappy warehouse is a safe place for now. I will have extra food sent in the morning.”

  “Fine, more beers too.”

  “I will call when I have new updates. Don’t expect me to call every now and then.” The call cut off.

  “Arjun! Arjun! Arjun! I will kill that bastard,” Ajeet screamed and kicked a chair. Then he calmed himself and lay on the couch thinking, ‘And what the hell could that cargo be for which everybody is ready to kill?’

  HOMECOMING

  “I have a plan.”

  “The one that is going to get you arrested or worse, killed.”

  “That’s not gonna happen, John,” I hurriedly checked my messages and phone logs. There was no update from Tia, but there were multiple calls dialed to Pratap since that morning.

  John bit his lip, “Maybe you can inform your ACP friend -”

  “He is not picking up; I have been trying since morning.”

  John started to come up with something again, but I put up my hand, “Look, Aditi left a clue for me. I have to follow that up. She left a note saying follow your heart, and that is exactly what I am gonna do.”

  We had reached the corridor leading up to my room. John stopped me in my tracks, put his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye, “I am going to say something which us believers often say at the time of peril,” I thought to listen closely for a second to what was coming but, “Don’t follow your heart.”

  “COME ON! I don’t think so,” I went past him, starting to get annoyed. John spoke again, “Don’t do this madness.”

  “It’s not madness,” I turned to face him, “After I lost Shikha, I was in so much disarray that I had never thought to collect any belongings she might have been carrying at the time of the accident. I get the message. She was my heart. She was everything for me.” I could see John trying hard not to burst into tears. “If I have to follow my heart for this one, I would start by getting those items out of the police station evidence locker to find the thing which has turned our lives upside down or any clue to it. Now, I tried to reach Pratap, but I don’t know where he is or if he can even help me. All I know is that I can’t waste any more time here just lying and resting for a week. I have to break into the evidence locker myself.”

  John recovered from his current state, “Do you even hear yourself?”

  “Well, you are trying harder that I don’t,” I said back angrily.

  “Yes, he is the one planning crimes in this holy place, and I am the bad guy now.”

  “I have to find answers, John. You know the situation. Apart from any information Tia is getting, we don’t have any at this point. We are not even sure where Ajeet is holed up or even if he could be found or not. But I know that he was searching for something at Aditi’s place, and if I could reach it before him, it could lead him directly to me.”

  “Alright son, so what is this master plan of yours? I figure it might be ironclad if a fugitive wants to break into the last place on earth – a police station.”

  “It’s not the last place if a cop wants to be in it.” John looked puzzled. “I still have my old uniform. I just have to spin up a new name tag and it would be ready. Then some tweaks to my face and we are done.”

  “Just like that, we are done,” said John, shaking his head in disapproval. “We are ready to break into the biggest police station in South Delhi.”

  “I know how to blend in and I have a good chance today. There is a political rally going on around here, so most of the officers would be there because they have to be vigilant in case the famous fugitive murderer attacks it.”

  John looked worried. “Nothing will happen, John. I know that place like the back of my hand and it will be less crowded. I will just go in, do my thing and get out. Now, I got to go and get my disguise ready. No need of delaying this or I will lose my window.”

  I left John in the corridor, went in and closed the door to my room. On a small stool lay the tools to lay in my facial disguise. There was a small mirror. I picked it up and looked for a moment at myself. I was looking older than my age, the same feeling I had when I was at Tia’s place at the time of the phone call.

  Starting from the shabby, unkempt hair to the thick beard ear to ear, there were dark spots around my eyes, they being bloodshot too as I had not been sleeping much. My face also had turned a slight shade darker, and I looked ill. This was not what I had expected when I had been spending my nights and days drinking away my sorrows.

  I set down the mirror and began.

  John was lighting candles in a room when I made my presence to him, “So, what do you think?”

  John scoffed, “So, this is your disguise? You just shaved and cut your hair,” he looked at my hair closely, “in odd places.”

  “On the contrary, this is all I need,” I smiled, “I have never been without my beard all my life. Hell, even I don’t recognize me.”

  “Don’t speak-” John started, then sighed, “Why do I even try? Where is that uniform then?”

  “At my home. Yeah, I have to go there first to get it,” I said, “I am sure the department might have someone patrolling or keeping watch there, and they might be in a civil disguise.”

  “That is a good start, son. Better practice breaking into your own home before the real thing.”

  “I know you are skeptical about this plan, John, but I know what I am doing.”

  “Be careful, son.”

  I left the church wearing a hoodie. I was a bit nervous as this was the first time I was out on my own since my escape from the police, but I didn’t face any problems getting to my home.

  I found a good spot for a view of my street, looking closely for any suspicious individual or any car roaming in a pattern. There were people walking by me, but it was not a matter of hiding anymore. As I would not be recognized easily, the more important thing was to not gain any attention towards me.

  I moved along the houses. Cars were scarce this time of the day as most people had taken them to their workplaces. My house was the fourth one in line from where I had reached. Till now, I hadn’t found a soul in those parked cars. I casually kept going ahead, walking slowly.

  I reached the house next to mine, and there weren’t any cars parked around. I tried to dart my eyes around for any other possible vantage points. I didn’t have to look longer as a man in a t-shirt and cargo pants came out of my front door with a constable. They talked about something, and he hurried down the stairs as the co
nstable went inside again. He unlatched the gate to my front lawn and came out to the very sidewalk that I was walking on. I didn’t stop walking.

  As I was about to pass him, I dropped my wallet from my back pocket just as he looked at my face.

  “Sir,” he called from behind, I continued walking. “Excuse me sir, you dropped your wallet.”

  I stopped and turned back. Clearing my throat to give myself a croaky voice, I said, “Ah! Yes, need to be more careful.”

  He picked it up and placed it on my hand, “Yes sir, there are thieves all over now. No one can be trusted for the safe return of your belongings.”

  “Yet I think I can trust you, my friend,” I said, nervously. He glanced at my house again. I kept the wallet back in my pocket and turned to look at the house too, “Nice home you got there.”

  “Thanks. I better go. You take care, sir,” he patted my back and went on towards the side he was going.

  I went the other way, deciding against going to my house as there were constables inside. I saw the man get in his car and drive away out of the corner of my eye. He was a new face here, but I could swear that I had seen him somewhere.

  I put him in the back of my mind now and shifted my thoughts to the real problem at hand. I didn’t have time to wait for the constables to leave my house. This meant I had no uniform to blend in at the station, but the rally might already have been started, and I had to make my move now otherwise I would lose the window.

  I took an auto-rickshaw, giving the guy a location nearby the station. I had to get him to tune in to the match on the radio otherwise he was looking suspiciously at me.

  I walked my way closer until I was on the opposite side of the road in front of the station. I waited for a bit for any routine changes or any fleet of cops going out before I could enter. The front gate was open with a couple of sentries stationed, then I could view the driveway and stairs leading up to the front door. I could enter directly through the front door in the pretense of filing a report, but I can’t go further in on that account.

  The evidence room was on the first floor.

  If you wanted to go to the first floor, there was a way either from the left side of the building using stairs or the right using the lift. First and second floors housed the more administrative part, grilling their papers and computers. It also had our IT department. Remember when I said that most of the cops would be at the rally today. Well, the other staff need not be there so the floor that I needed to go to would be just as crowded and there was one guard on either floor stationed outside the lift.

  Also, there were CCTV cameras on every floor, but I didn’t care. I would have to be quick about this. They wouldn’t immediately recognize me on the footage, maybe they do it post the fact when they review it, but that would only be the case if I had caused any alarms. There was also the vent system that I could take from the basement bunker up to the first floor, but it’s narrow and doesn’t lead directly into the evidence room, but to one of the rooms beside it. Then there is the matter of people being in the control room adjoining the bunker, and even if I reached the first floor somehow, it wouldn’t be a soothing sight for the staff to see a stranger stumbling out the door of a corner office on the first floor of a police building.

  No, I had to do something that would clear out those floors so that no soul would be there. I couldn’t put blind faith in my face not being made by an entire bunch of staff. ‘Damn it,’ I had to do the very thing that I needed to avoid. That meant there was a need to put the cameras out of commission as well and how could I forget that the important rooms in these chambers like the evidence room are protected by a key-code system, changed every other day.

  I checked my phone; there were no new updates. I hid it in my socks and crossed the road over to the other side.

  I reached the gate of the station, and a sentry came near me, “Sir, can I help you?”

  “My phone got stolen, I need to file an FIR.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad, let me just do a routine search, no need to be nervous,” he searched me, then pointed inside, “Go inside and get in touch with the reception desk, they will help you further.”

  “Thank you, officer.”

  He nodded, and I went up the driveway, drifting slightly towards the left side of the building having the garden landscaping. Sometimes on a busy day, this place got a little crowded with people coming in or going out and officers chatting there having the occasional tea and snacks. Thankfully, it was deserted today. I knew there was a small room attached to the left side of the building having the building’s mains switch and generator behind a locked door.

  I reached the door to find a rusty old lock. I looked around and found some stones lying beside the room. I found the biggest one and started to break the lock, careful not to make continuous noises and waiting for a few seconds before the next hit. I finally broke it in about eight tries. I went inside and cut off the power, then I used the stone to hit the plastic panel a few times, and the switch broke and caused a huge spark which caught my skin.

  “Argh!!” I came outside and slammed the door shut. When I reached the front door, it was dark, and I was already hearing a commotion and people enquiring about what had happened.

  “What the fuck happened to electricity?”

  “Hey man, I think the power went out. Could somebody be kind to get the generator running?”

  I entered just as the receptionist ran inside for something. The air had turned unusually quiet and eerie apart from the sudden echoing calls of any officer regarding the current loss of function. Somebody passed me to go outside with a bunch of keys in their hand. Then I encountered no one on my way through the dark corridor to the nearest fire alarm.

  A nasty screech killed the quiet as the alarm blew at the top of its ringing tone, followed by more shouts and barking orders.

  “SHIT! The building’s on fire.”

  “Oh my god, I smell smoke.”

  “Prabhas, get those people out.”

  “Everybody out of the building now.”

  “Fire department’s on their way.”

  My ears cut through the noise to catch the most important order, “Dharampal, go to the floors above, get the guards to evacuate all the people there, go now.”

  I dove down and hid under the first set of stairs just as Dharampal rushed upstairs. I waited for a couple of minutes until everyone was done coming down the stairs and then went up.

  I reached the evidence room and sure enough, the key-code system was offline switching it to a manual lock. It was time to go old school. When you have spent some time undercover with crooks, you tend to pick up a couple of things. I found Mrs. Sharma’s cubicle and doing a little search there, I wasn’t surprised. She always had extra hairpins handy at her desk for her marvelous hair buns. I grabbed a flashlight too while I was at it.

  A little bit of fiddling with those sharp things and the door clicked open. The room housed tall rows of steel shelves inside having numerous labeled boxes, half the room filled by Pratap and me in the good old days from all the cases we cracked. I knew exactly where I had to find what I needed. I locked the door from inside and went down the rows to one having accident cases, tracked down the box with the correct date range and finally found the packet:

  Case 113563 – Shikha/Arjun Rathore – Moolchand Flyover

  I opened the seal and poured the contents out.

  Most of it were contents from Shikha’s purse, and things stuffed in the Rover dashboard, half of them were burnt along with some pieces of burnt car debris. There were half-burnt documents which didn’t seem relevant. I took her cell-phone which also seemed to suffer burns and kept it in my pocket in the hope of finding something important there later. Then it happened, a glinty thing caught my eye.

  It was shaped like a ten-rupee coin, but thicker like those tokens Delhi Metro issued for traveling. It seemed like it was made of brass and had a name etched to it in a circle. I looked more closely with the flashlight,<
br />
  Fortune Bank of India

  Huh! Shikha never had an account at that bank as far as I know. She had never mentioned setting up any other account than the one she already had. It was like living with more questions than answers. My thoughts broke as somebody fiddled with the door handle a few times and then I heard footsteps moving away. They must have gone to fetch the keys, probably somebody paranoid doing a routine check as they might have found out the foul play at the mains unit.

  I kept the coin in my pocket and quickly sealed the packet back with all its contents and kept the box neatly on its shelf. I had to crouch behind a shelf as I heard keys jingling and fiddling in the lock and the door opened. I could see only a single pair of feet and a flashlight come in which was good. They started coming near me from my right-hand side. I kept veering to the left. I quickly moved to the other side of that shelf at the left side of the room as the man passed it from the right.

  The hide and seek went on for a bit until his flashlight seemed to malfunction and I couldn’t make out at that instant where he was. I took a wrong turn between the shelves, and he was now standing in front of me a few feet away, thumping the flashlight with his hand as the light blinked on and off. The door was right behind him. Thinking quickly, I grabbed the middle of the shelves on either side of me to make two swift ascends and reach at the top of the two shelves without making a sound as the room was silent apart from the commotion outside which was faint. I crawled along by my arms and feet between the two shelves as the man passed below me, finally getting back the flashlight and turned left to search the other side again. I came down slowly and went out the open door.

  I went outside the station front door and couldn’t believe it had gone so crowded in such a little time. Large crowds of staff and police officers were huddled up in several places with police officers maintaining order. One fire truck was standing inside the driveway and another pulling up outside the gate with an ambulance and what looked like a media van, already there to make it official. Several of the faces looked at me as I was coming down the big stairs and I had to do something to keep the attention away. Two officers came to my aid as I fell down the stairs. They picked me up, asked if I am alright and directed me to the ambulance coming in through the gate now. I passed them instead, went outside the gate and crossed the road to the other side.