Death and Dishonor

by Abhimanyu Saxena

  “Aditi always believed in you, and I believed in her. What kind of a mother would I be if I don’t trust my daughter’s choices?”

  I hugged her and wiped her eyes.

  “Tell me one more thing Arjun, why were you at her place that time? I know you would never hurt her; I have seen the love towards her in your eyes.”

  “She was being held up by Ajeet and some men, and she was being blackmailed for something. Aditi had dialed my number, and I listened to their interaction. It was shattering to hear her screams and cries. When I went to her place, it was too late, and the Police had conveniently reached then only. There is a bigger play here, and I will get to the bottom of it. They are trying to pin this down on me and end any investigations in this case.

  She nodded. “I believe you. Just do one thing beta after you find her killer. Kill him.”

  I nodded. I surely wanted the same consequence for Ajeet. “Aunty, is there anything that could help me in investigating this? Was there anything that Aditi was investigating that could have landed her in trouble? Did she have any enemies?”

  “Wait here. I will bring a folder. All of her recent unpublished works are in there. I didn’t know about the enemies’ part; she was such a sweet child. How could people hate her to such an extent?”

  She broke down and wiped her eyes by the corner of her dupatta. “She was afraid the last time I had talked to her. She said that it was the biggest investigation that she had ever done – one which could change the face of the country.”

  Something must have gone awry during the investigation. She must have ticked off some bad guys, but why did Ajeet kill her.

  “Let me bring her folder; maybe you will find something there.”

  With this, she went inside, and I looked all around the dining room. It still was the same. The walls with bright paint adorned with family portraits with Aditi in them. She was happy, laughing and smiling in all the photographs. Her whole life was in front of her until it was taken mercilessly by Ajeet. There were some childhood pictures too and then I found one which I had never seen before. Aditi was posing with a guy with a ponytail. He had a muscular built and had a goatee.

  ‘Who is this guy?’ I thought.

  “Here, take this and leave quickly. Aditi’s father has called the Police – I believe he overheard us.”

  I nodded and took the folder with me and was about to leave through the back gate when Harish spotted me.

  “Where are you going? You bastard!” he shouted and caught hold of my arm.

  “Uncle, believe me, I am not her killer. They are wrongly accusing me. I was there to help Aditi.”

  He pulled me inside and slapped me hard right across the face. “Don’t tell your bullshit stories and don’t utter her name. You don’t deserve to say her name!”

  “Harish, he hasn’t killed her. He loved her, and he is trying to find out the real killer. Don’t you trust me?”

  “Shut up! You have gone mad, trusting this cold-blooded killer. The cops will be coming any second and this son of a bitch will be behind bars.”

  “Sorry, uncle! But I have to do this. Trust me I didn’t kill her, and I will get justice for Aditi.”

  With that, I sprung my legs up on his face and toppled him face first on the floor.

  “What have you done? He is bleeding,” shouted Seema.

  “Aunty, he will be alright. I have to leave now. Tell me if you find anything suspicious. You can come by the church in Defense Colony and ask for Father John.”

  She nodded and helped Harish in getting up, who was out cold with some blood oozing out of his nose.

  “Aunty, don’t tell the Police that you helped me. Keep playing their game – you cannot trust anyone.”

  “Beta, take care.”

  It has been an eternity since someone has shown me any affection. I was about to hug her when I realized that the cops were already inside the house.

  “Hands where I can see them Pastor!” one officer shouted.

  I looked all around me, and there was no way to go. I could have made a run for it through the back door which was mere inches away from me, but the two officers could have shot me in an instant. All of a sudden, Seema fainted in one of the officer’s arms, and this was my chance. I kicked the nearest chair over to the other officer who fell on the floor immediately as the chair collided with his right knee. I didn’t even wait for a second longer to see whether Seema aunty was faking it or she genuinely passed out. I closed the door behind me and ran like a maniac which I was used to now. I knew that this would be plastered all over the news with Rita just outside the house. But I had to get back to the church without any heat. I had gained some evidence from Aditi’s mom. But the next moment, I realized that my luck was indeed rotten.

  “FUCK!!!!!”

  I hadn’t stopped running, and I looked at my right hand. The folder that Seema gave me was nowhere. I had lost it in that scuffle over at the house. All I had was a half torn document with a weird a symbol on it. I kept it inside my trousers pocket.

  “Only Arjun Rathore could have screwed this up.”

  This mystery was nowhere to be solved.

  ~*~

  I searched my pockets, but there was no trace of any painkiller.

  “Damn, I am out of painkillers!”

  Dejected, I closed my eyes waiting for sleep to engulf my body. John was glad that I was safe and sound. I turned on the TV, and I was the headlines. They ran the heading IMPASTOR, which was a nice pun indeed. But seeing Aditi’s parents in so much pain hurt me. If only I could have saved her. John went to his room wishing me good night. I still don’t remember the last time I had those. I could hear fireworks outside and some people wishing John a happy new year. I tried to drown out all the happy voices and the sound of fireworks but in vain.

  My mind was racing, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t let anybody else get hurt because of me anymore. Many have paid the price for my poor judgments and actions. Even I was putting John and Tia’s life in danger, but it all ends now. I had wanted to end my life for a long time now, but now I have to stay alive and kill Ajeet. I can think of dying after that. I was on the verge of tears when my phone rang. It was the same number that I had received a call from when I was outside the bank. I had forgotten that it was a non-traceable mobile phone given by Tia. It was Tia and she must have called me in the morning too. I picked up the call immediately. The duration of the call was short and to the point. She didn’t want to make any small talks. She said a single line and I couldn’t have been happier.

  “You moron! I have been calling since morning. I have found Ajeet. I am texting you where we can meet in the morning. I have got something to show you.”

  Maybe I could sleep peacefully tonight.

  WHERE-HOUSE?

  I waited and waited, but she was nowhere to be seen. It had been almost an hour, but Tia was not visible. My patience was about to wear off as I wanted to put my hands on Ajeet as soon as possible. She had asked me to wait in a dimly lit alley behind the church, and I had all kinds of fears creeping up in my mind. In a minute or two, I finally heard some footsteps. The morning sun had just set in, and John had literally kicked me to get up. I checked my watch; it was 8 AM.

  “I had been waiting for you for an hour.”

  Tia giggled, and her nose twitched. I hadn’t seen her smiling like this ever before. I lost my anger just seeing her pretty face still smiling at the man who nearly killed her father.

  “Why are you smiling like a buffoon?”

  “None of your business. Stay focused.”

  She pulled her I-Pad from the bag and powered it on. “You can put the hoodie back on; we cannot afford any screw-ups now!”

  I happily obliged and concealed myself in the zippered hoodie.

  “Tia, are you alright? You have been lying low too, right?”

  “Yes, I am safe. I have heard that you have been doing the exact opposite though. I am stuck in all this mess because of you, and you have
been enjoying.”

  “I have not been enjoying, all the trips were essential.”

  “Enough chit-chat. Now, watch this.”

  She clicked on the screen, and a video file started playing. “I have been monitoring this Traffic cam footage near the highway at Delhi-Noida border. A truck keeps stopping and unloading goods at this old warehouse.”

  Indeed, I saw several footages of the said truck unloading at the warehouse. “Maybe the warehouse is functional; we could be wrong about this.”

  “I thought the same but when I analyzed and enhanced the picture of this footage, see what I found. The goods are numerous packets of food items, liquor and sometimes women too.”

  I couldn’t fathom this, the corruption in the city had crossed the limits. “How come this truck wasn’t stopped at any Police check post when a freaking manhunt is going on?”

  “Arjun, we all know about the state of the Police department-”

  “You are wrong; not everyone is like this. There are honest cops as well. We all have a bad name.”

  She scoffed. “Right, thanks for the lecture asshole and thanks again for the bullet you put in my Baba.”

  My lips turned into a line. I had touched upon a nerve. I couldn’t do this without her. “Sorry Tia, I didn’t mean that I was good. I was just trying to say that there are some good cops too.”

  She nodded. “Then I heard something which caused me to act immediately.”

  She browsed in the mobile tablet for a second and played an audio file.

  “The package will be moved tomorrow at 5 PM.”

  Tia kept all her items in her bag and looked at me for further instructions. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “This audio was from yesterday, right?”

  She nodded and double checked the alley to ensure that we were not spotted or if someone was eavesdropping.

  “They are moving Ajeet at 5 PM today. I have to go there immediately.”

  “Calm down tiger! Plan and then act accordingly.”

  “Got no time for that, just send me the coordinates.”

  “Here you go!” she replied after entering those coordinates in my mobile. “One more thing, don’t die.”

  I smiled. “Now, don’t go soft on me.”

  “I am not going soft on you, but I want to get justice for Aditi. The common men have suffered enough due to the irresponsible actions of the Police.”

  “Let’s save this for some other day. I have an ass to kick.”

  “Okay, I will keep investigating further, we have to find out the person, who is pulling all the strings.”

  I nodded, mentally strategizing on how to capture Ajeet.

  “Are you even listening to me?”

  “Wha- what?” I hesitated.

  “Are you going alone or taking someone with you?”

  I chuckled. “Do you want me to take John along?”

  She smiled, and the conversation halted when her phone buzzed. She pulled a burner phone from her jacket, and her lips drew into a line.

  “Who is it?”

  “My Ex-boyfriend, Sid.”

  “Trouble in paradise, eh?”

  “None of your business Arjun!”

  “Hey, thanks for the help. One other thing, can you look into a mobile phone; it seems to be broken?”

  “Whose is it? I am in enough trouble already!”

  “My dead wife.”

  Tia didn’t say anything after that and I didn’t want to trigger my nightmares. I had many important matters in my hands.

  “First catch that Ajeet who pushed all our lives into a shit-storm, then I will look into it.”

  ~*~

  I hid behind an oak tree and kept a close watch on the dainty old warehouse. I checked my watch; it was half-past four already. I only had half an hour before Ajeet’s reinforcements would come up. I had utilized some time in scanning the movements of a trio of goons guarding from outside. I took a deep breath and quickly ran towards the front gate of the warehouse.

  “I am going to kill that son of a bitch!”

  There was a battered old iron gate at the front, and a lot of empty cardboard boxes were stacked up near the gate outside. An idea struck me, I picked up an empty beer bottle lying there and threw it at the oak tree outside to create a noise enough to distract the guy at the front gate. I cautiously smashed the bottle not to create too much noise and be caught like a sitting duck. I hid behind the cardboard boxes and waited for the guard to open the gate and come outside. I could have broken the old Iron Gate, but I listened to my brains this time. I couldn’t give Ajeet a heads up; I had a proper thrashing planned for him. In a few seconds, I could hear the sound of unbolting of the Iron Gate.

  ‘This is a piece of cake for me. The luck is favoring me tonight.’

  The guard was a middle-aged man with his belly protruding out and a small goatee on his face. He stepped outside and tried to find out the source of the noise. Little did he know that someone was waiting for him with fiber wire. It was a good thing that I had kept it when I invaded the investigation room at the Police Station. As soon as he stepped out, I jumped on my prey.

  AAARGHHHH!

  I applied more pressure, and slowly his faint cries died away. I could see the lights go out of his eyes and his dead body fell on the ground. The wire had caused a huge cut all over his neck and blood started oozing out of the gash. Usually, I tried not to take somebody’s life, but this was personal. Ajeet had stooped to a new low, and I demanded retribution. At that moment, I heard a noise.

  ‘Damn! This place is near the Delhi Noida border, and this is broad daylight. I am Public enemy number one with a dead body in my hand. I should think of something fast.’

  The footsteps of the other guards were getting closer. Suddenly I remembered the stacks of cardboard boxes lying there. I hid his body behind them and undressed him.

  ‘Now I have seen everything! Gross!’

  I started wearing his black shirt and grey trousers in order to avoid suspicion, but then I realized the fundamental flaw in my master plan.

  ‘Damn! The guy was fat as hell. How would I fit into them?’

  I changed my plan and decided to keep wearing my denim jeans; I just wore his black shirt.

  ‘This shirt stinks! He was sweating profusely.’

  The shirt was twice my size, so I kept it open. I pulled a handgun, a set of keys and some cigarettes out of his pocket.

  ‘Finally, something nice!’

  I lit one cigarette up and took a puff. I felt the pain and ache return to me as soon as the smoke entered inside me. I exhaled and entered the warehouse. I closed the iron gate behind me and saw another guard a little bit far off looking at me suspiciously. I waved at him, and he waved back.

  ‘Ajeet, your death has entered your fortress!’

  To my right, there was a path, and I started my slow, methodical walk there. The passage had a small wooden door at the end. It looked like it would open to the basement or a storage unit underground. I raced ahead to enter through the door but then saw another guard waiting there. He seemed to be asleep on a chair avoiding the scorching Delhi heat in the shade. I thought of evading him, but I sensed that his sleep was broken. I slapped his face lightly, and he moaned like a baby.

  “This will be your last slumber kiddo.”

  I tiptoed my way towards him. Then with two big steps, I stood right behind him and took out my trusted fiber wire once again. I extended the wire and quickly caught his neck in between. He would be in his late thirties and couldn’t understand what was happening.

  UGHHHHHHHHH-

  He elbowed me on my left eye, and my weapon of mass destruction fell from my hands. I had to act fast; any noise was a death wish for me. I quickly caught his neck and broke it by twisting it in a sudden jerk motion.

  ‘That was not neat, Arjun,’ I thought to myself.

  My left eyebrow was bleeding painfully, and I applied pressure to stop the blood. I didn’t want to leave a treasure map for anyo
ne to kill me.

  I never liked stealth kills. I was more of an In-your-face kind of a guy. But this situation required stealth so here I was – always adapting to my surroundings and situations. I was so engrossed with my eye and cockiness that I completely forgot that the guy, who I waved to was standing right in front of me.

  FUCK!

  He didn’t have a gun in his hands, which was a good thing. I started walking towards him, and he started stepping back.

  ‘Nice!’ I could smell the fear inside him, ‘You are about to wet your pants, son!’

  With a swift swing of my right hand, he fell to the floor immediately bleeding from his ear. My palm strikes were lethal. I punched his guts on the floor, and he started crying,

  “What the hell? Why are you crying like a baby?”

  But he didn’t stop, and I couldn’t get myself to kill him. He was younger than me and didn’t look like a goon. I clenched my fist and smashed him right between his eyes leaving him unconscious immediately.

  ‘You don’t mess with Arjun Rathore. I am back baby!’

  I saw another door which was the back entrance inside the warehouse. With a deep breath and my gun cocked, I cautiously entered.

  Upon entering, I could see some forklifts and a couple of loading docks. But all of them were dusty and looked old as they were not in use anymore. I quickly hid inside a forklift and looked around me. There were not more than ten guys inside the warehouse. There was a small room at the top. A fleet of stairs ran past it.

  “Maybe Ajeet is holed up inside there.”

  My attention diverted to a guy with a bottle of beer in his hand, right next to my forklift. I pulled him inside and snapped his neck in a second. Even I was impressed with my quick actions. I was in top form and punched the front panel out of excitement. Within a second, the forklift sprang in action with loud horns blaring ear-deafening sound.

  FUCK!!

  ‘Here’s to my stealth kills!’

  ~*~

  Devraj had a tilak on his forehead and wore crisp khadi kurta pajama. He was fifty-six years old but didn’t look his age. He knew that the time was ripe for an attack which would ensure his victory in the upcoming state elections and he would become the next Chief Minister. But his plans were being throttled by the current CM Satyendra Singh. However, this was the best opportunity that he and his party Indian Progressive Party (IPP) had in years. The election was in two weeks, and he could not afford any setback after Arjun had publically accused his nephew Ajeet of killing an investigative reporter Aditi. He checked his watch; it was time. Within seconds, he stepped up on the stage and took a mic in his hands. There were tons of people just waiting to listen to what their favorite leader had to say.