RIP

by Deva,Mukul

  ‘May I help with anything?’

  ‘As a matter of fact you can.’ She led him into the kitchen, clutching at his arm when two kids jostled past, almost bowling her over. But she did not let go of his arm even when that danger had passed. Then they were alone in the kitchen. It seemed like heaven after the hullabaloo outside.

  Krishna watched the door behind him swing shut. The touch of her hand was feeling fantastic. He impulsively drew her close and kissed her. She made no effort to pull back.

  For a moment the world around them ceased to exist.

  ‘Mom, we’re hungry.’ Azaan’s voice jolted them apart. They had a decorous distance between them when he blew into the kitchen with a couple of other kids in tow.

  The next two hours passed in a manic rush to get the cake cut, the kids fed and a dozen games played.

  ‘I’m so done,’ Reena murmured as the last of the kids left. ‘Thank god kids’ birthdays only come once a year.’

  ‘I agree.’ Krishna surveyed the dining and living rooms. Both looked as though a typhoon had just rampaged through. ‘Would you like help cleaning up?’

  ‘Oh, would I?’ she grinned mischievously. ‘Need you even ask?’

  They joined forces with the maid and began to clear away the debris. By the time they were done Sachin and Azaan had fallen asleep in his bedroom.

  ‘That’s that,’ Reena said as she switched off the TV the boys had been watching and surveyed the duo. ‘I don’t think you’re going to get sleeping beauty home today.’

  ‘No worries, I can carry him.’

  ‘Why bother? Let him sleep here. There’s no school tomorrow.’

  Krishna didn’t hesitate. ‘If you’re okay with it.’

  Before she could answer the maid came to ask if there was anything more for her to do. Thanking her and handing her some money, cake and food for her family Reena saw her off to the door.

  Then they were alone.

  But this time neither made a move towards each other. Somehow they both knew that if they did neither would be able to stop. They both wanted to, badly, really badly, but neither wanted to rush it either.

  Instead they just sat, within touching reach, and talked. And talked.

  As the night drew darker and darker, their hearts felt lighter and lighter.

  *

  ‘Goddamnit!’ Raghav pounded the table angrily. ‘Why didn’t I think of it before?’ He had spent most of the afternoon working the phones, trying to get hold of a source in the Para Records office, so that he could talk or bribe someone to part with the photos he wanted. It had been valuable time wasted. That is when the thought struck him.

  Leaping up he powered his laptop and waited impatiently as it booted up. Heading straight for the website of CORE, Krishna’s company he hit the OUR PEOPLE page.

  Bingo!

  In full colourful glory, the photos of K-Team leaped out at him. Cursing himself for this delayed enlightenment Raghav quickly right-clicked and copied the photos to his desktop and then emailed them to Ratnakar with a terse message.

  Show these to the witness and check if it was any one of them.

  Just to make doubly sure he also Whatsapp-ed the link to the CORE website.

  Then, unable and unwilling to wait, he called Ratnakar. ‘Did you get the emails?’

  ‘Just clocked in on my BlackBerry boss.’

  ‘Have sent you six photos? Show them to the bugger and call me back.’

  ‘Photos? Okay then let me use my laptop. That would be better than showing them to him on the BlackBerry screen.’

  Knowing Ratnakar was right, but fretting at the delay, Raghav began to pace the room restlessly as he waited for Ratnakar to call back.

  *

  The ringing of Krishna’s phone shattered the comfortable silence cocooning them. He saw Kunal’s number displayed on his iPhone and guessing it would be urgent, excused himself and moved out to the balcony.

  ‘Yes Kunal?’

  ‘We’re all pretty sure that there’s nothing we’ve missed. No additional security, no extra precautions.’

  ‘Everyone agrees with that?’ Krishna probed, keeping his voice low to ensure Reena did not overhear anything.

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Kunal sounded confident. ‘We all feel we should go ahead with it, as soon as possible. Before things change.’

  ‘I agree,’ Krishna said after mulling over it. ‘Sounds logical.’

  ‘So? When boss?’

  ‘Tomorrow.’ Krishna showed nothing in his tone, but he could not ignore the twinge of anxiety that began to throb inside him. ‘If he follows the same routine, then at the NOIDA location, otherwise . . .’

  ‘Plan B.’ Kunal completed his sentence. ‘At the traffic signal, on his way out, soon as Mark comes up to the expressway.’

  ‘Correct. They will be slowest there.’ Krishna paused, trying to remember if he had forgotten anything. ‘I will link up with you guys at NOIDA.’

  ‘The same place?’

  ‘Yes. Everyone should arrive separately and park in different areas. Same buddy pairs. Same routes out.’

  ‘Roger that. And when do you want me to send out the warning?’

  ‘At the last minute only . . . just when we are about to execute. I will let you know. Why make things any more difficult for us?’

  ‘Agreed, boss. It’s going to be touch and go as it is.’

  ‘We do a final concall at 0600 just in case anyone needs to talk about any other contingency or clear doubts.’ Ringing off Krishna returned inside.

  Reena sensed the change in his mood and realized he was worried. ‘What happened? Some problem?’

  ‘Problem client.’ Krishna deflected her. ‘Looks like I will have to go to his office early morning. I’d better get going.’ He threw a glance at the room the boys were sleeping in.

  Reena misinterpreted his glance. ‘If it’s Sachin you’re worried about, please don’t. He is more than welcome to stay here. The boys will keep each other busy over the weekend.’

  ‘Thank you, Reena.’ Krishna was relieved that Sachin would be in safe hands. ‘I’d better get going.’

  ‘When will I see you again?’

  ‘Tomorrow.’ Krishna wished he could have been sure that tomorrow would come. He took her in his arms and held her close. The warmth of her breath whispered comfortingly on his chest. He could feel a wave of emotions sweep through him and knew if he did not let go he wouldn’t. Breaking loose he headed for the door.

  It was not the first time he was going into battle, but that did not make any difference. As the time to strike approached, a thin, angry coil began to tighten in the pit of his stomach. Fear. Uncertainty. They were present on every mission.

  Death was never far away. Just one little slip-up. Or an iota of bad luck.

  And bang!

  Unaware that the tide had already begun to turn against them, and of the CBI surveillance team still tailing him, Krishna headed home.

  *

  From the darkened doorway Reena watched him leave. She could still feel his arms around her. She wanted to call out and stop him, but something held her back. Perhaps the fact that Krishna was treading the exact same path that Raghav had taken the previous day. Even Krishna’s Scorpio was parked precisely where Raghav’s Merc had been. The similarities and coincidences were confusing her. Unsettling her. Making her want to cry.

  *

  ‘Are you sure?’ Excited, Raghav leaped out of his chair.

  ‘Of course I am, boss.’

  ‘Put him on the phone,’ Raghav commanded, unwilling to trust anyone but himself. ‘Are those the two men you saw?’ he asked when the ragpicker came on line, wishing he could see the blighter.

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Positive?’ Raghav was still unable to believe that they had actually made a breakthrough. The kid had identified Kashif and Karan. That automatically means Krishna is involved. Fucking K-Team doesn’t even shit without each other . . . everyone knew that. ‘Excellent.’ He thumped the
table happily when the kid confirmed. ‘My man will give you a big reward. Put him back on line.’

  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Raghav punched the air jubilantly as he waited for Ratnakar to get back on line.

  ‘What do you want us to do now boss?’ Ratnakar’s voice broke his thoughts.

  ‘Do? You first get to collect a big fat fucking bonus, Rats.’

  ‘Thanks boss. You’re an ace!’ Ratnakar grinned. ‘And now? Should I tell him to go to the cops and spill the beans?’

  ‘No.’ Raghav decided with a snap. This is personal. Very personal. He knew he needed to get Krishna on his own. He needed to ensure the bastard was nice and properly dead. ‘Do whatever you have to but keep the kid away from the cops.’

  ‘But why? It’d be easy for the cops to take them in and wrap up the whole lot . . . whoever these RIP buggers are.’

  ‘Don’t argue Rats. We have our orders. The cops cannot be allowed to take any RIP man alive.’ Raghav hardened his tone, cowing the other man down. ‘I want you to wrap up things there and get your men back to Pune. Take this blighter with you and keep him there till I tell you.’

  ‘What am I supposed to do with him?’ Ratnakar complained. ‘I can’t go baby-sitting ragpickers.’

  ‘Then kill him.’

  Raghav’s cold, matter-of-fact tone shocked Ratnakar. He went silent, wanting to tell him that killing kids was not what he had signed up for. It did not matter. Raghav had already cut the call and was activating his team in Delhi. Pretty soon they began to converge onto the Satbari farmhouse.

  With Krishna out of the way I will get Reena back. The thought sent a smile coursing through him. He savoured it. This calls for a drink. Rubbing his hands he headed for the bar.

  In the heat of the moment, consumed by excitement and the compelling need to get even with Krishna, Raghav forgot about the CBI keeping an eye on him.

  *

  ‘Sorry for calling so late, but I thought you would want to know.’ Nandakumar sounded apologetic when Vinod finally answered the call.

  ‘No problem.’ Vinod shook away the cobwebs of sleep. ‘Go ahead.’

  ‘Four men have arrived at Captain Bhagat’s farm in Satbari. The surveillance team covering him just called it in.’

  ‘Okay. What about them?’

  ‘These are a serious bunch. Our guys photographed all four. We have identified one as a good friend of Mahinder Singh the . . .’

  ‘The sniper who was killed near the judge’s house.’ Vinod was wide awake now.

  ‘The other three are no novices either. Two are ex-SPG and the fourth is a para commando . . . from Bhagat’s regiment. And,’ Nanda paused theatrically, enjoying this moment tremendously, ‘this bugger has also served in Athawale’s regiment for a bit. While the colonel was in service. So it’s possible there is a . . .’

  ‘Link between the two.’ Vinod suppressed the urge to say I-told-you-so. He felt a stirring of excitement, certain they had hit the mother lode this time. ‘Any idea what’s happening inside the farm house Nanda?’

  ‘It’s a pretty big place, sir,’ Nanda explained. ‘No way a surveillance team can get close without alerting them. But the ground floor is all lit up and that’s where they all appear to be.’

  ‘I see. Phone taps?’

  ‘Silent. In fact unusually silent.’

  Vinod chewed on that. He knew that Bhagat could easily be using an alternate channel; a SIM card not associated with him. He was a professional after all and could be taking such precautions. ‘Get hold of all mobile service providers and ask them to confirm if any other mobiles are currently operating from that farm. I want a list of all those numbers and I want them all also tapped.’

  ‘Without court sanction?’ Nanda asked.

  Vinod thought over that. He knew Nanda would log in this call. If anything went out of whack it would be his arse on the line. ‘No. You’re right Nanda. Get the numbers and have someone apply for the court order right away.’

  ‘Why don’t we move in and take them down?’

  ‘No. What proof do we have they’re involved in the RIP hits?’

  ‘Give me just one hour with that bugger Bhagat, and I’ll get you whatever proof we need,’ Nanda grated, aching to lay his hands on Bhagat. Just the thought of smashing that arrogant bastard’s face filled him with pleasure. He also knew that if he could get Bhagat to spill the beans on Karunakaran, he would be off the hook forever. By now, Nanda could easily guess why Karunakaran had gotten hold of Bhagat. . . he briefly wondered how he could warn Vinod, without letting him know about his own involvement with Karunakaran. Realized that was impossible.

  Forget it. Let’s see where this goes.

  ‘No.’ Caught up in his own excitement at this breakthrough, Vinod missed Nanda’s obvious animosity towards Bhagat. ‘Don’t get excited, Nanda. If they’ve come together then obviously something is about to go down. We step up the surveillance.’ He planned rapidly. ‘Send in four more teams and ensure whenever these four guys move out they’re also followed. But we’ll wait for them to make a move and take them in only when we have enough proof of their involvement. I don’t want to screw it up with any premature arrests.’

  Nanda acknowledged the order but did not sound enthused. He was loath to miss the opportunity to take Bhagat apart. Also, each 24x7 surveillance team had three men, a car and a motorcycle, working in eight-hour shifts, hence a total of nine men, three cars and three bikes per subject. So four more teams meant . . .

  Where the fucks am I going to find thirty-six more people at this hour?

  He knew he had a long night ahead.

  Nanda was about to put down the phone when Vinod added. ‘And yes, tell the surveillance teams to report in every half hour . . . or whenever there’s any development. If the vultures have gathered then something big must be about to go down.’

  Finally. A breakthrough.

  Knowing that Karunakaran would be thrilled to hear about any progress regarding the RIP, Vinod picked up the phone to call him. Then put it down again without doing so.

  Let something else come up and then I’ll do that. When I have something solid in my hands. Otherwise he will be badgering me every half an hour.

  Bogged down with the tasks given to him by Vinod, even Nandakumar forgot to call the minister. He had barely activated the new surveillance teams when the one already on site began reporting in. The number of reports grew as the other four teams also closed in on the target. They kept him so busy and frazzled that Nanda did not think of Karunakaran even once. Neither did Vinod.

  The night inched along. Slowly. Painfully. Stressfully.

  *

  The surveillance team still not featuring in his mind, Raghav excitedly hammered out his action plan and went through whatever contingencies he could think of with his team. He was feeling totally hyped up. Energized.

  ‘We may be in this for the long haul guys since we have no idea when they will make another move, or who they will strike this time . . . if they do . . . though I am sure they will, sooner or later,’ he warned. ‘So ensure you guys spell each other at regular intervals and I want everyone prepped to move instantly. Okay?’

  Nods all around. The money was too good for any of them to dissent. The promised bonus also loomed large in their heads.

  ‘You two,’ Raghav pointed, ‘ensure the colonel is under observation from the crack of dawn. You guys,’ he indicated two more, ‘spell them . . . work out the shifts between yourselves. Whatever happens, don’t let the bugger out of your sight. He’s the key. Now get some rest.’

  The men went off to the guest bedrooms to do just that. But Raghav himself was unable to sleep. His mind in turmoil he paced the darkened bedroom. But this time, knowing they could be moving into action any time, he steered clear of the whisky, though he craved for its soothing dullness. He was aching to take the battle to the enemy.

  *

  Krishna too did not get much sleep that night. The uncertainty of the next few hours, worry for Sach
in and Payal if something happened to him . . . and thoughts of Reena . . . kept him awake.

  He knew that this time the danger was really high. They were going to take on a target that was really well protected. The tiniest margin of error and some of them could die. And even those who survived could end up in jail for a very long time.

  Tendrils of doubts again began to echo in his head.

  Are we doing the right thing?

  Will we make it out of this alive?

  What will happen to Sachin if . . .

  Though he tried really hard Krishna was unable to push away the sense of foreboding enveloping him.

  Soon the night drew to a close and a new dawn began to lighten the horizon. But it was a steely grey dawn. Like a leaden coffin. Overcast. No hint of the sun.

  D-Day!

  THIRTEEN

  THE TWO MEN tasked by Raghav to keep an eye on Krishna had just driven up and were scouting a suitable parking when they saw Krishna emerge from his apartment. They watched him climb into his Scorpio and drive off. The man in the codriver’s seat was about to report to Raghav, when the man at the wheel nudged him.

  ‘Who’s that?’ he pointed.

  Both watched a nondescript, fawn Maruti hatchback pull out of the untidy rows of cars parked between the apartment blocks and fall in behind Krishna’s car, maintaining a discreet distance.

  ‘Looks like the colonel has a tail on him.’

  Excited the co-driver called it in; they hadn’t expected things to happen quite so fast. Then they also got into the queue and began to follow the car that was following Krishna.

  Neither of them spotted the third CBI watcher on the motorcycle emerge from the opposite lane and move past Krishna’s car.

  In their excitement neither did they spot the CBI team that had been tailing them ever since they had left Raghav’s farm.

  The now ridiculously long cavalcade of subjects and watchers headed out from Vasant Kunj.

  *

  ‘They have?’ Vinod asked the surveillance team following Raghav’s men. ‘I see.’ He wondered why the two men from Raghav’s farm had gone to Krishna’s house but not joined him. That would have been more logical, since he was pretty sure by now that Raghav and Krishna were in cahoots.