The Other Side

by Shreya Faria

  ‘So you still hate him for what he did? You think you can ever forgive him?’ asked Harvey.

  ‘No, it’s not about hating him, Harvey. It’s about things which have changed between us, it won’t be the same again, in a hundred, tiny, vicious ways. Forgiveness is not frivolous here,’ said Rachel.

  Harvey realized the depth of her despair at Sam’s flirtatious infidelities with Lisa in the past. Sam’s insecurities related to Rachel were falling in place here. Harvey was not happy with the way things were turning for them. He always wanted Rachel and Sam to be a happy couple, but things were going dire, and Sam was to be blamed majorly for every silly thing which he did. Harvey tried to cheer up Rachel by changing the topic to the funny things happening in his life; he made up everything, just so that Rachel could smile a little and forget about Sam for a while. In reality, life was hardly funny for Harvey, he was so mired in Sam’s problems and circumstances over the Ashton Martinson scam. Harvey finished his drink and both he and Rachel had a quick dinner. It was late.

  As they were finishing up, Sam, who had gone off to sleep on the sofa in a drunken stupor also came to his senses. But Harvey left without having a word with Sam.

  Chapter 44

  The next morning was important for Harvey. He had made arrangements to talk to Troy with the help of Sahil and Kavish over Sam’s matter. Also, he had to meet the officer at the LAPD cybercrime department as they were tracking Sam’s number and movements. A lot of delay in solving the case was irking Harvey.

  Harvey was excited to have a visual conversation with Troy and was fascinated with his work. Troy was in his late 30’s and was an expert on internet security. Harvey was very impressed with the website he had created since 2013, ‘HaveIBeenPwned.com,’ which specialized in allowing people using the internet to learn whether their personal information had ever been stolen or exposed in a data breach. Recently hackers had pinched data from servers at Domino’s Pizza, Adobe and Tesco, among many other companies, and Troy had immediately trawled through the leaked data and updated his site so that people could quickly find out if they were affected. With the current scenario of Ashton Martinson, he planned to do the same. He had got numerous calls and emails all over the world for help, which he was readily offering.

  Harvey went to the washroom, washed his face with the facewash, which he generally disliked, set his hair with water, and checked his collar properly minutes before the video call, just when he remembered he had to call Sam.

  ‘Hey, morning. All good? Last night was rough for you?’ asked Harvey.

  ‘Yea, all good as of now. I wanted to ask you what happened yesterday, did she reveal anything to you about anyone in her life?’ asked Sam.

  ‘No, she didn’t reveal anything as such. And for that we will talk later, I need all of your email ids, and any sort of account details anywhere which you have made, right now within two minutes,’ asked Harvey.

  ‘Okay, I am sending you a text message right away. Harvey tell me briefly, what did she say?’ asked Sam curiously.

  ‘I like your curiosity Sam, now I know how serious you are about your marriage. But as of now, I can’t tell you, I have a video call conference with Mr Hunt to attend in minutes. Why don’t you meet me at eve and we can talk about further things,’ said Harvey and hung up the phone. Just then, his phone rang, and he prepared himself for the video call.

  ‘Hello Mr Hunt, how are you doing? I have heard a lot about you for the past few days,’ said Harvey as he greeted Troy. His excitement at speaking to Troy was easily seen on his face.

  ‘Hey Harvey, I am doing good. Just busy dealing with the victims of the Ashton Martinson scam as you know. So tell me, what help do you require?’ asked Troy.

  ‘Am working at a detective agency here in Los Angeles and several cases are coming up from the scam. All want to know about their blackmailer, and we are working on them. But my friend, who is a victim is being blackmailed in a completely different pattern from the others and he is stuck badly. So I just wanted some help in his matter; I will forward you all his email ids and other essential details; please see if you can find any common link between him and other victims or maybe any other clue which we can work on,’ said Harvey. Kavish further briefed Troy about Sam’s problem, and he said he would get back after verifying all Sam’s details and disconnected the phone. Harvey was very hopeful for some clues which he could get from Troy. It would move his case further.

  Meanwhile, Harvey tried concentrating on the other cases, though he was not very successful. His eyes were glued to his phone screen, again and again, awaiting a call from Kavish or Troy for the result; just like a school kid waits for their annual result. It had been two hours since the time he had his last conversation. He kept checking out of the office window and fidgeted with every possible item in his cabin to divert his mind. Was it too early to call back? He kept thinking. It would sound too desperate, and moreover, he was worried what an Australian guy would think, that Americans were not capable of solving this problem. He dropped his plan of calling and slid his phone away, when the phone rang.

  ‘Hey Harvey, Troy here. I checked and verified all the email ids and accounts of your friend Sam. And it’s quite secured. None of his accounts or email ids are hacked. To my surprise, not even his account from Ashton Martinson has been hacked. There’s surely some other angle to his case. Someone is trying to take some sort of advantage of the situation,’ concluded Troy.

  ‘Oh, what are you saying, Mr Hunt? Not even his Ashton Martinson account? Well, that’s great news and thing to work on. You have no idea how much you have helped here with your expertise. Thank you so much for your help, Mr Hunt for the new angle and hint to work on,’ said an overwhelmed Harvey. He was excited like a child who had come first in his class.

  ‘You are welcome Harvey, I hope you solve your case sooner and that I am helpful again in future. Also, do let me know when you rest this case,’ said Troy before disconnecting the call.

  Harvey was very excited about the new lead. He had felt for long that Sam’s case was clearly different from the others. Now he knew where he had to work on precisely. He went to meet the LAPD cybercrime officer and inform him about what Troy had discovered.

  ‘Oh, so it’s someone from Sam’s circle itself. We will need to investigate him further for any possible person he knows who can do such a thing, we will have to continue to keep an eye on him and his movements,’ said the officer. Harvey agreed at the proposal.

  ‘So, I will get Sam here tomorrow morning, and we can further investigate this matter,’ said Harvey and left the cybercrime department. It was almost evening, and Harvey still had to inform Sam about everything. He called him over to a restaurant rather than meet in his office as he needed a few pints of beer to calm the excitement of the day. He had already reached the restaurant and started on a beer as he waited for Sam.

  ‘What’s up man, so much hurry that you didn’t wait for me to come? All okay?’ asked Sam as he was utterly puzzled with how Harvey was reacting since yesterday night.

  ‘All good, just need to settle certain hormones, so couldn’t wait. Anyways I have a lot of things to tell you. So order your drink so that I start with it,’ said Harvey as he sipped his drink.

  ‘Oh no, I am fine. I don’t want to drink today like I did yesterday night. I want to look sober when I reach home. I will just order a virgin mojito. You start with the news,’ said Sam as he made himself comfortable on the high rise seat. The music was loud, but that didn’t bother any of them. Sam’s ears were glued to whatever Harvey said about Troy’s investigation. To Harvey’s surprise, Sam was shocked to learn about it, as things went to a personal level. He was not able to digest the fact that anyone from his circle could do such a thing to him. He had no rival, at least as far he knew, and this news left him more puzzled.

  ‘And what about Rachel. Tell me what conversation you guys had yesterday?’ asked Sam.

  ‘Well, it was clear that she is still mad at you for y
our past transgressions. She cannot trust you anymore. She said something is missing from your relationship. Frankly, she didn’t sound happy. Your absence during the period when she was sick from tuberculosis has left a scar on her, which I don’t think can ever heal completely,’ said Harvey. His words sank Sam’s heart, and it showed instantly on his face. Harvey held Sam’s hand and assured him that things would sort itself out, but it didn’t do anything better for Sam.

  ‘So, is she seeing anyone? Didn’t she mention anything about it to you or give you a hint? Come on Harvey, what do you think? Were you not able to make out anything from her conversation?’ asked a desperate Sam.

  ‘No Sam, she only sounded mad at you completely. I could not make out anything else, nor did she say anything which indicated that sort of thing. Now I could just not ask her on her face whether she was seeing anyone. That would be so rude. She was anyways bristling after your drunk man entry,’ said Harvey.

  ‘Strange ... if she was angry or mad at me, then she didn’t tell me anything after you left. Rather, she asked me for food and made me lemonade for my hangover, all that without being mad,’ said Sam.

  ‘Hmm ... strange after what all she said to me. Maybe she was used to all this as she said and it doesn’t bother her to show that she is mad at you ... Or maybe she is over with you?’ said Harvey hesitantly. Which he realized later he should not have said. It broke Sam, and he seemed perturbed.

  Chapter 45

  Sam’s eyes had turned glassy with tears as he left for home after meeting Harvey. He realized how their marriage had lost its spark just because of him. He remembered the day when they were having wine on their balcony, and Sam confessed to Rachel about things that truly happened with Lisa. Things which he had kept hidden. Alcohol had opened all the bolted doors inside him. The potential of the secret he had kept made him feel guilty, and it weighed heavy day by day and so he just had let her know everything; about his coffee dates, about her proposing him, about how they kissed spontaneously in the car in the heat of the moment and then how she had tried to exploit him further. It was after Lisa tried to exploit her proximity, Sam realized the value of Rachel, and emotionally he drew closer to her. All these things made him feel very guilty and he didn’t realize how Rachel would feel after confessing it to her. Even though she knew about certain things, a husband confessing about such things always hurts. In her imagination, she pictured them together, and it started floating in front of her eyes every time she remembered it.

  The thing that affected them the most was their sexual lives. Earlier, Sam used to ignore her whenever she approached, and later after Sam’s confession, Rachel’s feelings and urges started diminishing. She thought of Sam as a philanderer in the back of her mind. Once seeded, doubt was almost impossible to dispel. Even after Sam tried to be transparent with Rachel, the efforts he was putting in, the spark of their marriage had begun to dim. Maybe, Rachel required some time; at least this is what he thought. And years had passed, but nothing changed, nor the fear of losing Rachel changed, rather it just deepened today.

  As he entered home, he saw Rachel talking to someone over the phone with some money-related issues. She was so engrossed that she completely ignored Sam’s presence. And how desperately Sam wished to talk for a while with Rachel that day.

  ‘Everything all right, Rach?’ asked Sam as soon as he saw Rachel had finished her call and noticed his presence in the living room. Even though she looked a little disturbed, she faked a smile as she saw Sam suddenly.

  ‘Yes, all okay,’ she said and left without saying anything to Sam. She was still busy with texting someone constantly as she moved away from Sam and went towards the library. Sam felt bad as she didn’t feel it important to discuss the matter with him, her husband or even answer him when he asked a simple question. He just felt more ignored, and he didn’t understand what to do about it. He followed her towards the library to try his luck again.

  ‘Rach, would you mind sitting for dinner together, it’s been a long time since we had a meal together,’ asked Sam. Rachel always wanted Sam to show genuine interest in her and when today Sam was showing it, she was lost in her own chaos. She had not expected this of Sam and was puzzled when he came up with this.

  ‘Yes sure, just give me few minutes to wind up,’ she said while she was still busy messaging someone. Looking at Rachel’s current busy state, he felt something fishy was going on with her, which she didn’t want to share. Sam waited for Rachel at the dining table, and Rachel came in after two minutes along with her phone, which she kept close to her on the table.

  Minutes passed by in awkward silence as they started dinner. Even the sound of chewing their food was so clearly audible. Sam’s eyes were glued on Rachel as she was all busy texting along with eating, and Rachel got a little conscious every time she saw Sam looking at her.

  ‘So how was your day at work, you still look busy?’ asked Sam. He expected an immediate reply, but Rach was so busy texting someone on her phone that Sam had to repeat his question.

  ‘I am so sorry Sam, just a little problem with office work, the day was good otherwise. You tell me what’s happening with you these days?’ asked Rachel. She didn’t seem much bothered about her behaviour as her eyes were still glued to the phone.

  ‘Nothing great at all, I thought I would be having dinner with you and not with your phone. Anyways if you notice I have been wanting to talk to you for a long time, but it seems you are busy in your own little world,’ said Sam after finishing his dinner and getting up from the table, rather annoyed. And to his surprise, Rachel didn’t even stop her or justified her actions. She continued her dinner and texting away on her phone. Sam felt bad about the fact that she was ignoring him and not even bothered about the fact that he felt bad about it. Whereas Rachel expected him to understand, her being busy with work in the same way when he had expected her to understand his busy schedules in the past. Again the day ended on a sad note for Sam, and he went to sleep just like that. Whereas Rachel stayed in the living room busy with her work.

  The next morning, Sam got up early to visit the cybercrime department at the LAPD headquarters to meet the officer along with Harvey. As he dragged himself out of bed, he didn’t see Rachel anywhere in the room. He went for a shower and got ready; as he stepped outside his room, Rachel was still nowhere around in the kitchen or the living room. He went ahead to the library and found her sleeping there with the phone near her with many unread messages flashing up. He first thought of waking her out of concern, but the insecure husband inside him decided to check her phone. He successfully unlocked her phone using her thumbprint while she was sleeping and proceeded to read her text messages. He read several messages regarding money transfers of small amounts to the bank in India. He went ahead to check her WhatsApp messages to see whom she was busy with the previous night, but Rachel shifted in her sleep, and he immediately let go of her phone and kept aside.

  ‘Hey, you slept here the whole night? What’s the matter with you?’ asked Sam. Rachel was still sleepy, and could barely manage to open her eyes completely, and it took her a while to understand what Sam had just said to her.

  ‘Oh. I don’t know when I slept off; I was working and probably just slept ... hmm ... yea,’ said Rachel in a dizzy voice. As Sam moved a little ahead, he saw an empty bottle of wine and a glass.

  ‘You drank the whole bottle? Since when did you start drinking alone, I thought you always need company to drink, right?’ asked Sam in a mere shock.

  ‘Yes, earlier, but now I have started enjoying alone. I was tired, it gives you a nice sleep,’ said Rachel sheepishly. Sam adored the way she said out of full innocence, and he felt like kissing her, but before he could make a move, Rachel had risen from the chair, picked up her phone and gathered all her stuff which was lying there.

  ‘So, you all set to leave for work?’ asked Rachel.

  ‘Yes, have some work. Need to reach early. You please eat some good breakfast,’ said Sam and left from there, le
aving a little smile on Rachel’s face. She liked how all of a sudden Sam had showed a little concern towards her. Sam definitely missed that smile on her face. He wondered why Rachel had started drinking alone. She was never like that. Was there something he was missing out on her? What were those bank messages about? What was her connection with India? Was she really messed up due to the Ashton Martinson scam? Was she really being blackmailed? Did she really feel like having an affair and were all these things making her alcoholic? There were so many questions rising up in Sam’s mind on the drive to the LAPD. The thoughts didn’t leave Sam’s mind even after he had reached his destination.

  ‘Hello, friend. Why do you look so disturbed? All okay?’ asked Harvey as soon as he saw Sam moving out of his car. Harvey was excited to solve his case now, after knowing that Sam’s account was not being hacked.

  ‘Nothing is okay, Harvey. I feel someone is blackmailing Rachel. She has been transferring money to a bank account from India, and she is hiding it,’ said Sam in a very low voice.

  ‘Okay let’s solve your matter first, we will talk about this when we return,’ said Harvey and they both went inside the headquarters.

  Chapter 46

  ‘Good morning, Harvey and Sam, please have a seat,’ said the officer as they entered their cabin. He called for coffee and some snacks as it was quite early in the morning and also because, before any discussion, the officer needed a cup of hot coffee to concentrate better.

  ‘Thank you so much, Sir, so where do we start?’ asked Harvey. The officer looked at Sam as he was busy sipping his coffee and was not as involved as they were. Harvey too looked at Sam’s lost state.

  ‘So, Sam, what do you think? Do you have any rival who can do this to you and take advantage of the situation?’ asked the officer.