by Shreya Faria
Harvey was zapped as he saw Rachel knocking on the door with a sardonic look. The look which was already making Harvey a little embarrassed. He took a long pause as he prepared to defend himself with something which makes him sound sensible.
‘Hey, I was waiting for you only to leave from there. I had seen you when I called. But since you were busy I didn’t want to bother you at that moment,’ said Harvey, with the embarrassment vanishing from his face, his excuse sounding quite sensible.
‘Hmm. I hope that’s true, I hope you are not spying on me ... are you sure you are not stalking me or something, Mr Detective?’ asked Rachel with a smile, which didn’t seem very warm.
‘No ... why are you thinking that?’ asked Harvey blankly, not knowing where to lead this direct conviction.
‘Well, just kidding ... chill, so want to come home for dinner?’ asked Rachel.
‘No, next time, tied up with some work, will go home,’ said Harvey.
‘Okay then, I will get going. Need to reach home for some work, bye,’ said Rachel and left.
Harvey breathed in relief as she left and drove out towards his home. He was not expecting any of this.
Chapter 51
‘We should be more careful now on, Harvey could have seen us today,’ said Rachel on the phone as she was getting out of her car. Rachel looked around in all directions before getting out of the car. Just that, she did not know that Sam had already heard what she had said as he was in the parking area and had hid himself to hear her conversation. But there was nothing more, it was a closing line to her conversation, and she had soon disconnected the phone. As usual, Sam’s curiosity was fired, and he called Harvey as soon as Rachel went inside.
‘What happened today? Whom did you see with Rachel, and where? Tell me everything Harvey,’ said Sam.
‘Oh, so she told you that I was spying on her,’ said Harvey sarcastically.
‘What? No. She did not tell me anything. I overheard her conversation with someone over the phone as she was getting out of her car. She was talking about being more careful as you could have seen them together ... so what has been happening?’ said Sam in a state of panic.
‘What? Did she say like that? She told me it was related to work when I met her outside a café, and I was not able to see with whom she was, though I tried,’ said Harvey.
‘Which means that it had nothing to do with her work. It was something else,’ said Sam.
‘Yes, if she said like this, then it seems something is fishy here. I need to find out,’ said Harvey.
‘Oh, when? You are saying you will find out, but you have not been able to find out anything till now,’ said Sam. His sarcasm was not needed for Harvey at all at this moment.
‘Chill Sam, just chill. This will end soon. But as of now, you have no clue at what all is happening. The blackmailers are driving everyone crazy, it’s a mad scene outside Sam; just give me some time,’ said Harvey.
‘Okay fine, as of now, I don’t know what to say to Rachel once I get inside the house. I am feeling so pissed with the fact that she is hiding something from me,’ said Sam.
‘Just relax, I will check her call logs right away and see if I find something fishy and then call you back; till then please stay calm and act normal at home,’ said Harvey, and they disconnected the phone.
Sam entered the house and tried acting normal, but anyone could make out that he was trying hard to be normal. He saw Rachel keeping her stuff on the table near the sofa and saw her surprised look as he entered.
‘Hey, I thought you were already inside,’ said Rachel.
‘Yes, I forgot a file inside my car, so had gone back to get it,’ said Sam.
‘Oh, I didn’t see you in the parking then,’ asked Rachel.
‘Hmm, maybe because it’s too dark outside,’ said Sam. Rachel sensed something was off with him and was worried if he had heard anything. She asked Sam indirect questions to find out from his tone if something is wrong with him. But all she got was cold responses to whatever questions she asked.
‘Sam, why are you sounding off, is there anything which is bothering you?’ asked Rachel. Sam was still standing in the hallway when she asked her this question. The question hit his nerve, and he wanted to tell her that everything was wrong, and he wanted to burst out with all his emotions, but he didn’t. He sighed and sat on the sofa. He held his head in his hands and tried to calm himself.
‘Hey, are you okay?’ asked Rachel.
Sam took a while to answer and remembered Harvey’s words to stay calm and act normal. He then looked at Rachel and said, ‘Well, I don’t know what to talk to you after that day.’
‘Hmm, okay. I understand, I am sorry about it,’ said Rachel. She sat next to him and tried to relax on the couch.
‘Wow, it’s like been ages that you are sitting next to me and chilling,’ said Sam. Rachel just winked at him and smiled a little.
‘I should have expected such sarcasm from you. I am so tired with all this, you know,’ said Rachel.
‘Good, relax then. So what were you sorry for? Sorry for putting me in this situation or sorry for our marriage?’ asked Sam. He waited for Rachel to reply, but she seemed in no mood to answer. Sam coughed a little and looked at Rachel intensely as if to seek her reply, but instead, Rachel just held his hand, which was just so unexpected for Sam at that moment.
‘Sam, I am really very tired, not physically but mentally and emotionally. I know I have put you in a weird state, but give me some time and I will tell you everything,’ said Rachel.
‘What do you want to tell Rachel, that you cannot say right now? We both are in our calm minds right now; after such a long time we are sitting next to each other and can probably talk anything we want to, then why not now? What are you waiting for? Please, for God’s sake, I will die with this suspense ... Rach, I am going nuts ... are you leaving me? Please tell,’ asked Sam.
‘Hey, it’s nothing like what you are thinking. I am not going to give up on us, and that depends on you. That’s all you need to know right now. Give me some time Sam; I am not asking for more, am I? You took so much time to confess about Ashton Martinson, was it easy for you to confess? So the same way I need to tell you something and I need some time for it,’ said Rachel.
‘What depends on me? You know I will never wish to leave you, right?’ asked Sam. He was perturbed, and he had no option but to stay with his turbulent emotions. He waited for Rachel to reply and realized she was not going to.
‘Okay fine. I won’t bother you till the time you are ready to tell me everything. Anyway, I am a little relieved after talking to you even as I am still anxious ... thank you so much, Rach,’ said Sam and held her hand tightly.
They chitchatted about random things for some time, had dinner along with red wine and watched some of their favourite series post-dinner. They had sat down in contemplative togetherness after a long time and were happy about it. Sam wanted it to continue forever; while he was worried about what Rachel had to say, it would let him take a call if he wanted to continue with the relationship ahead or no. Rachel went off to sleep; Sam, still restless about the thing which Rachel had to say gazed at her in sleep. How peaceful she looked; he wondered what might lie inside her which could create havoc in his life. Could anything be that massive that he might want to leave her? After wandering here and there for some time, he went to their study and opened his laptop. He checked the browser and the recent websites which Rachel was using. Something caught his mind and he called Harvey.
Harvey, on the other side, had opened his laptop to check his email and something else occupied him at that moment. The blackmailer had leaked another file of 19GB. Harvey saw Sam’s number but didn’t answer. Sam kept calling again and again, and Harvey’s line was getting busy with plenty of calls he was getting from his clients and his boss. He simply forgot to call Harvey back and worked the whole night trying to resolve certain issues. Sam was getting more and more restless on the other side. He was awake till midnight and sent a voice me
ssage to Harvey. He then went to make a peg of cognac for himself and dozed off in the study room. As soon as Harvey got free, he checked Sam’s voice message.
‘Hey Harvey, I had a huge conversation with Rachel today, which made me restless and so decided to check the laptop of the study room. I got some history of past surfing, and it was about how to delete your call records from everywhere permanently. I am getting more anxious and cannot wait for her to tell things directly. Please check the email and see what you find ASAP.’
Chapter 52
‘Sam, Sam ... get up ... how did you end up sleeping here? Are you okay?’ asked Rachel. Sam got up abruptly from his sleep and looked around to realize what he had done last night.
‘What were you doing the whole night?’ asked Rachel. Sam looked around again to make sure he had switched off the laptop and looked for his phone. He wondered if Rachel had checked anything. The phone was lying on the wooden desk next to the empty glass, and then he remembered how he had slept after keeping the phone on the desk and shutting the laptop screen down.
‘Well, I had some work I had forgotten about,’ said Sam.
‘Oh, I don’t know if I would want to believe it. You never mentioned that you had work while binge-watching TV, tell me what is it Sam?’ said Rachel. Sam’s turbulent emotions took some time before he said anything further.
‘Well, Rachel, let me be honest here. I am really getting anxious about the thing which you have to tell me, and because of it, I am feeling restless. It’s like something inside is killing me, and I feel so helpless about it,’ said Sam. Rachel took the support of a desk and took a deep breath. She looked at Sam intensely and took a paperweight lying on the desk to fidget and divert her anxiety.
‘Sam, okay fine, let me tell you something. I have done something ridiculous out of my frustration over our relationship. And I will make you meet someone today, and you will know everything that happened, and then it will be all clear from my end, now just wait till the evening,’ said Rachel and started moving out of the study. She didn’t want to face further questions from Sam, and she knew that this would make Sam even more curious now. But it was a matter of a few more hours, she thought and thus left. So Sam, as expected, was anxious to know what was cooking with Rachel. He got ready for office and tried to divert his mind as much as he could. He indulged himself with his favourite music and tried to be optimistic as much as he could. He finished most of his important work by the first half, and as soon as he got free, his mind started wandering again with anxiety. This suspense was intoxicating. He knew it would be better to relax his mind instead of getting hyper or panicking, waiting for the evening. He ordered coffee for himself and remembered all his special moments with Rachel. He remembered how they had imagined their married life while they were dating each other. How excited they were before marriage. He wondered where all those dreams had gone bust. What had led them to land here in this phase of life? What went wrong?
He was eager to start his life afresh with her. He hoped he will be able to make her wear the ring, and they could celebrate with the bottle of Remy Martin.
On the other side, Harvey finally got some time from all the hustle-bustle after the data leak and sat down with Rachel’s call details that he had received on email from LAPD cybercrime. At first, in general, he checked Sam’s number and was not very amazed to see the low frequency of calls between the couple. Then he found the most called number and an international number aroused his interest. He was shocked by the frequency of these calls to and fro. He checked further and was shocked to know that it was from India. It was a detail that caused considerable consternation for Harvey, and he took a deep breath and called Sahil. He was keen on solving this mystery today and gave the details about it to Sam.
‘Hey, bro, I will require your help to find details about a phone number which I am texting you,’ said Harvey.
‘Hey Harvey, all okay ...? What is it about, though?’ asked Sahil in a sleepy voice.
‘Why are you sounding like this? It’s from the call log of Sam’s wife, Rachel’s phone. I need to find out who the person is as soon as possible,’ said Harvey.
‘Dude, it’s 5.30 in the morning here. What sound do you expect? It’s good that at least I am answering and talking to you with a sane mind! So how is Rachel involved, it was all about Sam, right? Anyways you got to tell me everything later. I will help you with the details first. Give me a few minutes,’ said Sahil and disconnected the call. Sahil moved a little in his bed, checked the message on his phone and called constable Tukaram, who was probably fast asleep at that hour and did not answer the phone. And Sahil too slept off and forgot to call Harvey back.
Meanwhile, Rachel skipped office and went to meet the person she wanted Sam to meet. She was nervous about the evening and how things would turn out later.
Sam began to get restless and decided to wind up his work.
‘Harvey, what are you doing, man? Why does it take so long for you to revert to my message or open the email and send me the details?’ asked Sam.
‘I am working on the call log, Sam. I have checked the call log, and I have found one number from India, which has been contacted frequently, far more than Rachel and you speak. I have called Sahil, and he will give me the details soon,’ said Harvey.
‘How much more time, Harvey? You know tonight Rachel is going to make me meet a person. I don’t know what it is going to be all about, and I am freaking out here. If you are free then let’s catch up for coffee or a drink, or else I will head home,’ said Sam.
‘What? Rachel is making you meet someone? This is strange. I would suggest you not to drink in that case. It’s too early, and you might get zonked till evening if you start now and for now, I am a little tied up. So you go home, I will call you as soon as I get free and get the details of the caller ... so till then, you please try to relax, okay?’ said Harvey.
‘Yea, okay. Keep calling Sahil, till you get the details, and don’t forget to call me. I will be waiting to hear from you, okay? Bye,’ said Sam and disconnected the phone.
Harvey called Sahil again, and this time he didn’t answer. He assumed he might have slept off, and so he called again a few times, but all were failed attempts. Sahil did not answer. He went through the list again but didn’t find anything else which could help. Just two Indian numbers that were conspiring against him. More time passed, and Harvey wanted to call Sam with the details before he met Rachel. Like Sam, Harvey too was very anxious.
He called Sahil after some time again, and this time he answered.
‘Oh shit Harvey, I am sorry I slept after calling Tukaram. He didn’t answer the phone, and I feel he can give us the precise information, better than Truecaller,’ said Sahil in a sleepy voice.
‘First of all, Sahil you get up and wash up. I am worried you will fall asleep again. I really need to find the details as soon as possible. I have only a few hours left. Oh, and I forgot about the Truecaller, why don’t you check once in that also?’ asked Harvey.
‘Well, I am not a huge fan of Truecaller, because many numbers are not registered with the proper details which you require. Half of them are registered with certain companies or the workplace, and so you don’t get precise information about the caller Harvey. Still, if you want, I will try, and as is it is, I am planning to go to the police station and get some details,’ said Sahil.
‘Yeah, bro, please try. And I am really sorry for disturbing you this early morning,’ said Harvey.
‘Shut up, Harvey. Okay, now wait, let me check and call you back,’ said Sahil.
Sahil got up from his bed and decided to have a shower first before checking anything. He wanted to feel a little fresh as he was afraid he would go back to sleep again. After a quick shower, he took his phone in order to save the number Harvey had messaged him. He was still in his towel and as he was saving the number, he was shocked to see what he was seeing on his screen. Just to make sure, he checked again and blinked his eyes hard; twice to make sure
he was not in sleep or hallucinating. He sat on his bed with a wet towel and called Harvey.
‘Dude, you got to be kidding, right?’ asked Sahil.
‘What happened? Why do you ask?’ asked Harvey.
‘Did you not try saving this number on your cellphone?’ asked Sahil.
‘No, why? I was checking the email from the laptop and noted the number on the paper before sending it to you. Why? What happened?’ asked Harvey.
‘Dial this number on your phone, and you will get your answer,’ said Sahil.
‘Okay, wait, don’t disconnect ...’ said Harvey and keyed in the number on his cellphone while keeping Sahil on hold. He, too, couldn’t believe what he saw on his screen. The number was already saved.
‘What the heck ... I don’t believe this,’ said Harvey as he put Sahil back online.
‘Yea, exactly, I too was shocked. After this shock, I will certainly not go off to sleep. You inform Sam and let me know what happens next, bye,’ said Sahil.
‘Oh thanks, Sahil, I will surely get back to you later and update you, bye,’ said Harvey and disconnected the phone.
Chapter 53
Sam thought he would not get anxious and would go home not before sunset; but he could not wait for that long. He didn’t know what to do with such a wait, which had the potential to change many chapters of life. He wanted to stay calm so that he could understand what Rachel had to say in the evening. More than his point of view, Sam wanted to understand the situation from Rachel’s point of view. It would be one of the mature ways of understanding someone’s actions, especially when you don’t want to lose that person. It’s only when one is ready to lose a person one thinks only of oneself in the problem. One turns selfish.
Sam took all the long routes possible to avoid reaching home soon. He went around his favourite lanes in Los Angeles and looked around how things had changed drastically within a fraction of time. How all of a sudden, the density of their invisible distance had grown. He regretted certain actions and wanted to change everything if he could. Eventually, after all the time he could spend doing nothing, he decided to go home and watch television till the time Rachel came home. He picked up his favourite peri-peri French fries with a cheese dip to binge on. He was in that particular restless, low mood when he needed these French fries and watch T.V. As he entered his gate, he saw Rachel’s car parked in the porch.