The Other Side

by Shreya Faria

  Harvey wanted to spend more time in India. He still wanted to visit so many places but the time didn’t permit. The situation for the innumerable victims of the US and Canada and other people worldwide were getting worse day by day. They were living in threat every day. While Harvey was busy with his last-minute packing, Sahil had got a call after which he sounded a little disturbed.

  ‘Hey, what happened? You are sounding low, is all okay?’ asked Harvey. He was noticing him for a while, especially after he got the call.

  ‘Yes, I am fine, Harvey, it’s just that you are going and I will miss you,’ said Sahil and smiled a little. Harvey burst into laughter, he knew it was something else.

  ‘Oh come on Sahil, it’s something else. It’s okay if you don’t tell me what it is, chill,’ said Harvey.

  Sahil had got a call from Tukaram, after which he was so disturbed. Tukaram had got a bit of news about Kabir Mehta. He said that Kabir regularly travelled to Ankleshwar as he had a production unit over there. What struck Sahil was that the bank account number provided by the blackmailer was in Ankleshwar. Could there be a connection? Or again, it could be a coincidence. He kept thinking, which made him look a little lost. Should he tell Harvey about it? Or should he not and investigate the matter later once he left? He was confused. He decided to speak to Harvey only if he found something fishy about the account. If he said anything now, Harvey would cancel his trip and there was a chance he would waste his time in India rather than go back to the US and chase any new developments in the case. He decided to speak to Kavish as soon as Harvey left.

  ‘Come on man, cheer up! I am leaving in some time, what’s the matter with you? Tell me, when are you planning to visit Los Angeles now?’ asked Harvey.

  ‘I am planning to come this year-end, but not sure as of now, let’s see if work permits,’ said Sahil. Soon it was time to leave for the airport. Harvey settled the hotel bills, and they were off. En route, they would catch an Indian dinner. Kavish would join them later. They passed Kavya’s area, and Harvey laughed about all the silly things he had done after suspecting her. Little ahead they got stuck in the traffic and Harvey saw a rickshaw driver spitting while waiting for the signal to go green. He felt annoyed after seeing it.

  ‘See, look at them, how filthy they are making the city; others suffer due to such people, I really hope Kavya wins PIL and gets some serious bans to make the place better to live in,’ said Harvey.

  Now, when Harvey was full of praise for Kavya, it was Sahil who was lost in thought. He didn’t feel like doubting Kavya’s image due to the little suspicion which had arisen about Kabir Mehta’s business in Ankleshwar. He strongly wished that it should again strike as a coincidence and nothing else should be linked to the scam.

  Harvey and Sahil went to Peshawari at ITC Maratha again to have dal Bukhara, roti along with the lassi. There was complete silence between them as Harvey relished the dal, eating with his fingers.

  ‘I am going to miss this for sure,’ said Harvey.

  ‘Oh yes, I never thought you would love Indian food so much; there are still so many dishes left out to try all over India, come soon for that,’ said Sahil.

  They met Kavish outside the hotel and left for the airport. Kavish told them that he had discussed the scam with Troy Hunt and that he would help with the matter. Harvey loved Sahil’s warmth and treasured the friendship. He liked how readily even his friends had got involved in helping him with his matter. He knew he would miss the little Indian ways as soon as he was back to Los Angeles. They chatted for a while before departing. Kavish had got Mumbai’s best vada pav for Harvey.

  ‘You are surely going to miss them,’ said Kavish. It was finally time to board, and they bid goodbye with a tight hug.

  Harvey finally left for check-in, and Sahil breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps he could tell Kavish about the Ankleshwar matter. He was holding on for till Harvey had left.

  ‘Bro, Tukaram called a few hours back. Kabir has a production unit of his factory in Ankleshwar,’ said Sahil.

  ‘Yea, so? What is the matter with him having an office in Ankleshwar?’ asked Kavish.

  ‘You forgot about that bank detail? The one whose detail was given to Harvey’s friend. That account detail is of a bank based in Ankleshwar’ said Sahil.

  ‘Don’t tell me that now you that you have again started suspecting them for the blackmailing stuff? You guys met them personally, they invited you guys for dinner and were ready to co-operate with everything. Moreover, Kavya herself is busy in that social cause and you think that again there is a chance?’ asked Kavish.

  ‘Yes, I too don’t think that they might do something this sort of, this can be just a coincidence again, and hence I have not said anything to Harvey until now, but then Kavish, generally don’t you think that the list of co-incidences is increasing in their case?’ said Sahil.

  ‘Hmm, okay, let me also check from my end. But till the time we don’t get any information which is sure or close enough to the case directly, we will not inform Harvey or bother Kavya,’ said Kavish.

  ‘Yes, I know that, and hence we cannot take direct help of police to find the details of the bank account in Ankleshwar, because in that case the news might spread till Kabir and we don’t want to bother them,’ said Sahil.

  ‘Don’t we have any other sources in police or the bank who can retrieve the details without informing anyone else?’ asked Kavish.

  ‘Tukaram could only manage to give the details that Kabir has a factory there, retrieving more details would require proper police action and this way Kabir would come to know,’ said Sahil.

  ‘It’s getting little complicated now. We will have to see through some other source; till then let’s retrieve more information about Kabir,’ said Kavish.

  Sahil told Tukaram to retrieve more information about Kabir and his factory in Ankleshwar. Yet he still did not believe that Kabir and Kavya were suspect, their records were so clean.

  Chapter 28

  Sahil decided to mop up all information on Kabir; after all, as a journalist that was something that owed his reputation. He planned a visit to Ankleshwar to check the factory by himself. He would at least get a rough idea if all was well with the factory. But how to get access to the factory was the question. Sahil thought of calling Kabir directly and ask him for a visit, but Kabir and Kavya had never mentioned anything about the Ankleshwar factory to them. He still took a chance.

  ‘Hey Kabir, how are you doing? I am Sahil, remember?’ said Sahil as he called Kabir directly.

  ‘Hi, of course, I remember you; am good, how are you doing?’ asked Kabir.

  ‘Am doing great, actually I am in Ankleshwar for some work, so thought of calling you. I have heard you keep visiting your factory here, so wanted a suggestion for some good restaurant here,’ said Sahil.

  ‘Oh that’s great, but how do you know that I have a factory here? Anyways, I am here in the factory; why don’t you come here and then I will take you for dinner? I am texting you the address,’ said Kabir.

  ‘Harvey had retrieved some information while he was investigating Kavya, that is how we came to know about your factory. Do text me the address, I will be there in some time,’ said Sahil. He was lucky enough to visit his factory when Kabir himself was present. He reached there within some time and met Kabir.

  ‘Hey come, have a seat,’ Kabir greeted Sahil as he saw him entering his factory. He was offered badam milk as soon as he arrived. The cabin where they sat was rather cramped and Spartan; there were no frills. Kabir took him around his factory. There were heaps of clothes and materials lying around. There were many sewing machines along with special machines for cutting the fabric and ironing the clothes. Many people were working. Sahil didn’t see anything that was a matter of suspect.

  ‘You have a big set up here, so you often come here to supervise the work?’ asked Sahil.

  ‘This is still small, this property is on rent; I have bought a plot here nearby, and there I am going to set up a bigge
r factory. I come here once in fifteen days, and at times I stay here for a few days to check on the work,’ said Kabir.

  Kabir was open with information and showed Sahil around without a hitch. Sahil didn’t find anything fishy with his behaviour. He started to think that the account number of the bank in Ankleshwar and the presence of Kabir’s factory might again be coincidence. He did not know what to do ahead. Kabir took him to a nice restaurant nearby, and post-dinner Sahil left for Mumbai, and Kabir left for his factory.

  Sahil called Kavish and told him everything. They both decided to wait for some more evidence before investigating Kavya and Kabir any further.

  * * *

  Messages started popping out on the screen as Harvey switched on his phone as he landed at Heathrow airport for his connecting flight to Los Angeles. There were twenty-two messages from his agency and other colleagues who were trying to get in touch with him. There were many messages from one of his clients who too was a victim of Ashton Martinson scam. And last but not least, it was Sam who had sent him several messages asking for his arrival date.

  Harvey called at his office first before calling anyone else. It was his boss, Antonio Miller, who wanted him to be present in the office as soon as possible. There had been a rise in the victims of the Ashton Martinson scam. Many of them had contacted the agency. They were those who were afraid to go to the police directly as it might disclose their secret affairs.

  Next, he called Sam to inform him about his arrival; Sam was rather upset at his absence. Harvey had expected this reaction from Sam. He assured him that he was on his way back and working on solving his matter. Next, he was calling his client who had messaged him several times, but before he called, something drew his attention.

  The distraction was a girl sitting next to him, who was busy on her phone, chatting with a group named ‘Global TB Support Group’. Harvey’s full attention was on her phone. She was chatting with many other TB patients from around the world. In one of the chat windows, he saw Rachel’s name and remembered something. The girl got up as soon as the announcement of the connecting flight to Los Angeles was made. Harvey too got up to join the queue and was standing right behind the girl. Out of curiosity, Harvey started a conversation with the girl.

  ‘Hey, I am sorry, but I couldn’t stop from checking what you were doing on the phone; the TB support group drew my attention because few of my close friends are also suffering from TB. Can you tell me something more about this group, are you also suffering from this?’ Harvey asked politely.

  ‘Yea, I am also a TB patient and have joined this support group as it helps a lot. A patient undergoes a great deal of psychological trauma things during the long tenure of medication. There are many questions that rise in a patient’s mind along with the side effects of the medicines. It is not possible to bother the doctor every time and discussion with the patients on the support group are very helpful. It gives us the patience to deal with the long duration of the course, and we all have become good friends here. People from all over the world share their experience and worries. And all are ready to help each other,’ said the girl who was based in the UK.

  ‘Hey, that’s really nice, I have a friend who is undergoing a long TB treatment, I will surely let her know about this support group, thank you for this information and really sorry to peep in your phone,’ said Harvey. They both talked for a while, and Harvey completely forgot to call his client who had messaged him several times. It was too late to call him now as Harvey had already boarded the flight for Los Angeles. He kept thinking about what to do next with the scam. He was waiting to meet his colleagues for some more information and update on the scam. He also had to contact Kavish for the Troy Hunt’s website and further assistance to check if Sam’s account was really hacked.

  ‘Sir, would you like to have some drinks?’ asked the flight attendant on the flight to Los Angeles. Harvey took a while to think, and after realizing that this was the only time where he could rest his mind, before he landed and got to work, he accepted a drink.

  ‘Yes, one whiskey with three cubes of ice,’ Harvey requested. He sipped his drink and decided not to think about any of the matters till he reached Los Angeles. He slept for a while, three whiskies down, with no idea about what was waiting for him at Los Angeles.

  Meanwhile, Sam was utterly annoyed with Harvey’s sudden visit to India. He was upset that Harvey had left him alone here in the crucial hour and had instead been troubling Kavya in India. Sam’s and Rachel’s equations were still askew. Rachel was still mad at Sam, and they both didn’t talk much these days. The ring was still with Sam. The right moment was still awaited. He was more dependent on Harvey’s arrival as it would reduce his pressure of thinking about the main problem – the email.

  Sahil and Kavish were waiting for his friend from Australia and the other details which Harvey was going to provide after reaching Los Angeles. Somehow Harvey played an important role for a moment in people’s life. Finally, after spending almost twelve hours on the flight from Heathrow airport, Harvey reached Los Angeles. He missed the earth’s aroma after rains as in India. He was back to his concrete world. After moving out of the arrivals, he saw Sam waiting for him and moved at a fast pace towards him. He gave him a tight hug knowing that he was mad at him, and the hug would calm him a little.

  ‘So how is Kavya?’ Sam asked soon after a hug from Harvey.

  ‘Dude I thought you would ask about me first, but you are asking about her first: how mean have you become without me,’ teased Harvey.

  ‘Oh, please Harvey you let it go, you must have had a gala time over there without me,’ Sam said in a very sarcastic tone.

  ‘So any new email from the blackmailer or that one was the last,’ asked Harvey.

  ‘No nothing from the blackmailer again as yet,’ confirmed Sam.

  They discussed what Harvey did in India and left for their home. The next day had got much work for them.

  Chapter 29

  ‘Harvey! Where are you?’ Harvey’s boss shouted as he managed to answer the phone with his half eyes shut. He tried looking out of the window to see the daylight and wondered if he had overslept. But it was only 7 a.m., and Harvey never got up this early for any of his work. Plus, the long journey had made him more tired and sleep-deprived. But as soon as his phone rang and he saw his boss’s number, he answered.

  ‘I am at home, Sir, in Los Angeles; what happened? Is everything okay?’ Harvey wondered if his own boss had now victim of the scam and needed help.

  ‘Our client who was under your watch had committed suicide; he had tried contacting you several times a day before he died, it’s all over the news and you are nowhere to be seen,’ said Harvey’s boss. His boss sounded very annoyed. He could land in real trouble, Harvey sensed from his voice.

  ‘Suicide? Which client are you talking about, Sir?’ Harvey asked in a very tensed voice.

  ‘The priest from Texas, Francis Murphy, remember he was also a victim of the Ashton Martinson scam; he wanted help when he was getting those emails, and the case was under you as you were solving many of them. That’s very irresponsible from your end Harvey, seems like you have completely forgotten your work ... am worried if we are getting into any legal trouble or police case. You better be here in the office as soon as you can, you might have to travel to Texas,’ said his boss.

  ‘I am sorry Sir, I am reaching office as soon as possible, I will look into this matter,’ said Harvey. He had lost all his senses for a while. He was unable to digest the news of the suicide, and the fact that the person had called him several times before he committed suicide. He thought for a while and recollected everything. Yes, he was getting calls and messages from his client while he reached Heathrow airport. He was also going to revert back but forgot as he met that girl in the airport who was chatting in the TB support group. Guilt took over, and he felt miserable. He could have saved this life. The heaviness of this guilt was too much to start his day with. He called Sam and told him about t
he incident.

  ‘It’s okay Harvey, it was unintentional. You never knew the person would do something like this, so it’s not your fault at all. Stop feeling guilty. And you had gone to India to solve some doubts regarding the same scam. It was a work-related trip. Just chill, nothing will happen to you,’ consoled Sam. But it was of no use. The news had clouded Harvey’s mind completely.

  ‘I know Sam, but I could have made a difference if I had answered his call or reverted to his messages. He was surely looking for help. I could have made a difference...’ said Harvey.

  Harvey got ready as fast as possible and left for office. As he sat in the car he noticed that even the sun was hiding behind dark clouds, and so was Harvey’s mind. This incident impacted him so badly that he forgot about all he did in India. The spark and the charm he had while returning from India were all lost.

  Meanwhile, in the US, many suicides were reported of the victims of the Ashton Martinson scam. The case of this priest he remembered, was a very secret one. To hide his identity from the list of the members of Ashton Martinson was very important for him. The leak of such names and other public figures would have created a major problem. People would not be able to digest if their priest had signed up for such a website. While driving, Harvey kept thinking of all the possible problems they would have to face after this suicide. He reached office and directly headed for his boss’s cabin.

  ‘Harvey, here you are. So now here is the new problem to be solved. Priest’s wife had called and even the police as they saw that the priest was trying to reach out several times before committing suicide. You will have to leave for Texas in an hour, here is your air ticket ... try to solve this case as soon as possible. If there is any problem, then call me soon. I have told a few people to help you out there. They will contact you as you reach there and try that they don’t drag the name of our agency into any news or something more complicated,’ said his boss, who sounded much calmer than before.