‘What is it? You’re worrying me, woman!’ he blurted out, exasperated.
‘Abhimanyu, I … I…,’ her voice faltered.
He reached out and pulled her closer to him. ‘Pakhi, what is it, sweetheart?’
‘I … I can’t reach Papa,’ she said, trembling now.
‘Have you tried the landline?’ he suggested. ‘You’ve said a few times that he doesn’t answer his mobile phone.’
‘I’ve tried both numerous times. I even tried calling my driver. But there was no response from him either.’ Tears welled up in her eyes, and his heart broke. He couldn’t see her so fragile. The last time he had seen her like this was in Kolkata. But in no time at all she had turned into a rampaging elephant.
‘Pakhi, I’m sure everything is fine. Maybe the landline is dead, and he’s put his phone on silent. There are so many possibilities.’ He tried pacifying her as best he could.
‘Maybe,’ her voice was so soft, he could barely hear her.
‘We’ll be in Mumbai in a few hours. So don’t worry,’ he said, pulling her into his arms.
The airport was packed. It was the tourist season. Thankfully, Abhimanyu had been prepared for this and had made arrangements beforehand. Pakhi had been sporting a frown for the past hour and there was nothing he could do or say to make it disappear. At the hotel, she’d said her goodbyes to the restaurant staff and Gehlotji in a daze.
They’d just gone through security and were walking towards his jet when Pakhi’s phone rang. She answered it on the first ring. Abhimanyu watched whatever colour remained on her face drain away.
‘Hello, you bloody whore! What’s up?’
That voice. Pakhi would recognize that voice anywhere. It was him. He was back.
Before she could construct a response, she heard him say, ‘Your father and niece miss you.’
And the line went dead.
Pakhi’s entire universe crumbled around her. And darkness swallowed her.
By the time they landed in Mumbai, Abhimanyu had spoken to Shrikanth Dhar, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mumbai Crime Branch, and had apprised him of the situation. He also had a doctor on standby at the airport. Pakhi hadn’t so much as blinked since he’d revived her.
‘He has them. Papa and Abhithi are with him.’
These were the first and last words she’d uttered since the phone call. Throughout the flight, she’d looked like the life had been drained out of her. Abhimanyu had been at a loss for what to do. He’d coaxed her into drinking some water, but she’d refused to eat anything.
He’d tried asking her for the name of the guy she was referring to. But he couldn’t get anything from her. She just kept repeating the same words over and over again.
They were whisked out of the airport by the men Shrikanth had sent. He was Abhimanyu’s oldest friend. The two of them had gone to school together.
They drove straight to the Crime Branch in Lower Parel, and Shrikanth met them outside.
‘We managed to trace the call that was made to your phone, Ms Mehra,’ Shrikanth spoke directly to Pakhi. ‘We were able to track your father and driver’s mobile phone to the last point till their phones were turned off.’ Her eyes immediately shot up to Shrikanth’s. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. She turned to Abhimanyu and he understood.
‘Where is the bastard now, Shri?’
17
The little bitch had slept at last. Phew!
He looked around at the small, dank room he had rented from the old hag who sold him the rat poison. This one thankfully didn’t have rats. The old man and his faithful sidekick of a driver were lying unconscious in the other corner of the room. He hadn’t counted on the old man’s spirit. Along with his driver, the old man had chased him for quite a while. They’d caught up with him twice at traffic signals, but luck seemed to be favouring him at last. Just as they would get out of their car, the light would turn green and he would speed off again.
They’d followed him all the way to his old place. But he’d been stronger than them, in spite of his emaciated appearance. He managed to overpower them both, but the old man slipped down the flight of stairs. He punched the driver in the teeth when he’d tried to attack him.
The blood and gore that had spilled onto the floor and stairwell made it impossible for him to stay on. He had to leave. Shoving the old man, his driver and the little bitch into his Omni, he was about to take off again when a thought struck him.
He should call her.
She was in Jaipur with the hotshot hotelier. Bloody gold-digging whore. He knew now why she’d left him. Bitch!
After disconnecting the call, a raucous laugh escaped his throat. The little bitch stirred just then. He’d slapped her hard, making sure he hit her scar, hoping it would become even more prominent. She gained consciousness then, and an ear-splitting wail filled the car.
‘Shut up! Just shut up, you little bitch,’ he’d screamed. He’d slapped her again. Her wailing had become louder. He had quickly taken out the chloroform bottle from the dash and, pouring some more onto a napkin, had placed the damp cloth on her face.
Silence again.
He took off then. Turning at the corner at the end of the street, he spotted the old hag from whom he’d been bought the chloroform. He’d somehow known that she would help him.
And she did. She was the one who’d told him about this room in an old abandoned building. It was filthy. It even smelled foul.
Perfect.
‘We’ve managed to trace his location to this area.’ Shrikanth pointed at a spot on the map of Mumbai that had been projected onto the white wall in his office.
‘That’s Borivili, right?’ Abhimanyu asked.
‘Yes,’ said Shrikanth.
‘Borivili is huge, Shri. This won’t help us,’ Abhimanyu said, not sounding too hopeful.
‘But it’s a start, Abhi,’ Shrikanth assured him. ‘We’ve contacted the telecom companies. They’re helping us trace his location to the nearest tower. We will get more information soon.’
They had deduced that not only were Abhithi and Pakhi’s father with the SoB, but even her driver had been caught in the crossfiire. Subhash, however, did not have any family. He’d been with Pakhi’s family from the time her father had moved to Mumbai.
Abhimanyu snuck a glance at Pakhi. She had still not said anything. He wondered if it was just shock, like the doctor had told him at the airport, or if there was something else going on here. He needed to get her to open up. He had a feeling she knew who the kidnapper was.
He caught Shrikanth’s eye and signalled for him to leave the room. He needed to speak to Pakhi alone.
Once they were alone, he got up and walked to where she was seated. Sitting on his haunches, he took her hands in his and squeezed them gently. She looked at him, but Abhimanyu felt like he was staring at Pakhi’s ghost. Her eyes, which usually twinkled with delight at the smallest of things, were now blank.
‘Pakhi, baby,’ Abhimanyu started to speak but a single tear rolled down her cheek and he heard himself say, ‘Shit!’ as he got up and pulled her up from her seat and enveloped her in his arms.
And that was when the dam broke. Her sobs were heartbreaking. Her body trembled. And she held onto him like she would fall apart were it not for him holding her.
He waited for her tears to subside somewhat and began again. ‘Pakhi, sweetheart, listen to me.’
‘I know him, Abhimanyu,’ she blurted out.
‘I know, baby,’ he said as he continued to rock her back and forth.
‘He … he … he was my…’ She sobbed into his T-shirt.
‘It’s OK, baby. Just tell me what you know about him,’ he said, gently patting her on her head. She tightened her hold on him. And he knew what she needed. So he squeezed her tight and said, ‘Tell me, sweetheart.’
‘He was my fiancé.’
NAME: Rajeev Vijayan Ramaswamy
AGE: 37 years
HEIGHT: 5’
7’’
WEIGHT: 76 kgs
EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Unemployed
LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: C46, Avadhoot Apartments, Kodihalli, Domlur, Bangalore
LAST KNOWN EMPLOYEE: Trident Software, Bangalore – Sacked
REASON FOR TERMINATION: Sexual harassment of colleague
PARENTS: Deceased
SPOUSE: NA
CURRENT WHEREABOUTS: Unknown
Abhimanyu leafed through the scumbag’s bank statements and income tax returns. Pakhi had told him everything and Shrikanth’s men had come through in record time. The fact that she once had a fiancé didn’t upset him as much as knowing that the bastard was responsible for her current state. The son of a bitch was going to pay for it. Abhimanyu would ensure that.
Daji was on his way to the police station. Abhimanyu had told him there was no need for it, but the old man had been adamant. ‘I will be there in half an hour, Abhimanyu. End of discussion.’
At some level, he was glad Daji would be here. He needed the old man’s advice, though he would never admit it. Perhaps he could send Pakhi home with Daji. There was no way he was letting her go back to her own house. Shrikanth had men patrolling her neighbourhood, but Abhimanyu was not taking any chances. The lunatic was capable of anything.
When Daji walked into the waiting room, Pakhi ran towards the old man. There were no tears this time, however. She only said, ‘I failed, Daji. I failed my Bhaiya and Bhabhi. They put their faith in the wrong person.’
Daji sat her down, cupped her face in his warm hands, and said, ‘Pakhi beta, you have not failed. You are still fighting, aren’t you? Duniya mein aise log bhi hote hain, beta. But don’t worry. We will deal with this together. All will be well. Theek hain?’
Pakhi nodded and rested her head on Daji’s shoulder. The old man then signalled to his grandson, who was standing in the doorway, to come in.
‘OK, tell me whatever you know,’ Pratap Dev demanded.
It was half past midnight by the time the telecom companies provided the information. Their networks were congested because a couple of towers were having transmission issues. However, they’d managed to narrow down the kidnapper’s location to within a five-kilometre radius.
Damn! Abhimanyu looked at Pakhi who was seated in the chair next to his. Daji was sitting on her right, and he had his arm around her shoulders. She still wasn’t speaking enough, which worried Abhimanyu more than a little. But he knew the only way to bring his Pakhi back would be to find her father and Abhithi, and find them he would.
‘OK, so what is our plan?’ he asked Shrikanth.
‘Our plan,’ Shrikanth began, and his eyes darted to Pakhi, ‘is to make Pakhi call the guy.’
‘What?!’ Abhimanyu spat as Pakhi’s head snapped up to look at Shrikanth.
Three pairs of eyes stared back at the ACP, but the man knew what he was talking about.
‘Abhi, listen to me,’ he said, but his friend cut him short saying, ‘Have you completely lost your mind, Shri? No. Absolutely not. I will call the SoB.’
‘No, Abhi,’ Shrikanth returned. ‘The guy called Pakhi. He knows her. Communication with anybody else could trigger another kind of reaction from him.’
‘What kind of reaction?’ Abhimanyu demanded.
Shrikanth looked at Abhimanyu, then at Pakhi, and looked at Abhimanyu again.
‘Abhi, we don’t want the kidnapper to know that the police are involved,’ he said finally.
Abhimanyu nodded, but was still not convinced that Pakhi should call the guy. The bastard could say something that would upset her further. But he also knew that this was their only course of action. Too much time had already passed. They needed to get moving.
Having made up his mind, he turned to Pakhi and found her watching him. Momentarily taken aback, his eyes locked with hers. What he saw in them took his breath away. She was relying on him to pull them all out of this. She trusted him. Abhimanyu felt a small glimmer of hope as the realization sank in. He took her hands in his and, giving them a squeeze, very gently said, ‘Pakhi, baby, you know what you have to do, right?’
For the longest time she only looked into his eyes. Finally, she nodded and said, ‘Yes, Abhimanyu.’
He smiled. ‘That’s my girl.’
Shrikanth handed Pakhi her mobile phone which was now connected to a tracking device. ‘Ms Mehra,’ he addressed Pakhi gently. ‘You need to make sure you speak to him for at least two minutes. That will help us zero down on his exact location.’
Pakhi nodded. With trembling fingers, she unlocked her phone and dialled the number Rajeev had called from.
There was no response.
‘Try again,’ Shrikanth told her.
Again, there was no response.
‘Again.’
Pakhi dialled the number for the third time, her hopes dying further with every ring that went unanswered. The call was about to be disconnected when a deep, gruff voice answered.
‘Hello, whore!’
The words ricocheted within the walls of Shrikanth’s office. Pakhi cringed. Abhimanyu cursed under his breath. Shrikanth signaled him to stay quiet. And Daji placed his hand on Pakhi’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
‘It took you long enough to call back,’ the voice continued.
‘Rajeev … I…’ Pakhi began, her voice cracking.
‘Ah! So you remember my name, do you, whore?’ Abhimanyu’s fingers tightened around the arms of his wooden chair, turning his knuckles white.
‘Rajeev, please don’t hurt them,’ Pakhi pleaded with him.
‘Hurt them? You’re worried about them?’ he barked back. ‘You filthy bitch, I lost everything because of you and your precious niece.’
‘Rajeev, listen to me,’ Pakhi tried to muster up as much courage as she could. ‘Please. Don’t hurt them. You’re after me, right? I’m the one who wronged you, right? So, take me instead.’
‘I don’t care about you,’ he replied, his tone biting.
‘Then what do you want, Rajeev?’ Pakhi cried into the phone. ‘Please tell me. I will give you whatever you want.’
Silence. Nerve-wracking, nail-biting silence. They all thought he’d disconnected the call and Abhimanyu wanted to kill the guy with his bare hands.
But then he spoke. ‘I want ten crores. Keep the money ready. I will call you in two hours to tell you where you need to drop it.’
The phone line went dead.
‘Gotcha!’ exclaimed Shrikanth.
18
‘D aji, I think you should go home,’ Abhimanyu told his grandfather.
The police station was abuzz with activity. It was nearly 1.30 a.m. But nobody had gone home. Shrikanth was going through the plans with his men for the third time in his office. A lady constable was wiring Pakhi with a transmitter so that her movements could be tracked when they met the SoB.
Abhimanyu also had a wire transmitter attached to him. This was being done just in case things got out of hand and the SoB managed to overpower them. Abhimanyu doubted that would happen. The guy had been stupid enough to leave crumbs for them to follow.
‘Beta, Pakhi needs you. Don’t let her go,’ Daji’s voice was laced with worry. Abhimanyu was worried too. The next couple of hours were going to be critical.
‘Yes, Daji. I will be with her,’ he assured his grandfather.
‘Are you sure you don’t want me to take her home?’
‘Yes, Daji. She needs to be here. It’s the only way she’ll stay strong.’ Although Pakhi had remained silent for most of the time, it had dawned on Abhimanyu that her courage lay in her silence. He understood that she needed to be here. Knowing what was going on would help her remain hopeful and he needed her to stay that way. Some of her colour had returned when Shrikanth had zeroed in on the SoB’s location.
As he watched Daji’s car turn right at the end of the road, Abhimanyu went over the plan once again. They were not going to wait for the SoB to call with the drop-off location. Since they had tracked him down, they had the upper
hand; Shrikanth had assured Pakhi and Abhimanyu. Shrikanth and his team would first enter the building. Depending on the situation inside, he would send for Pakhi and Abhimanyu.
Shrikanth had told him to arrange for the money as bait. But no bank was open at that time of the night. Without telling Pakhi, he had sent Daji’s trusted driver, who’d been with the old man for nearly half a century, home for the property papers of Dev Intercontinental Mumbai. The hotel was worth at least a hundred crore rupees. But right then, Pakhi and Abhithi mattered more than any damn piece of property.
He’d assured Pakhi that he would take care of the money. But she’d immediately said, ‘How will I pay you back, Abhimanyu?’
‘Pakhi, it won’t come to that. Trust me, sweetheart.’ He’d tried to placate her as best as he could, but she cut him off half way.
‘I think I’ll just give myself up to Rajeev. He can do whatever…’
Abhimanyu had crushed her into his arms then. There was no way he was about to let that happen. No way!
‘Pakhi, you say that one more time and I…,’ he’d been in agony.
‘Abhimanyu, I’m so sorry,’ her voice trembled as she spoke. Her tears had already drenched the front of his t-shirt. ‘You’re in this mess because of me. I…’
He didn’t let her finish her sentence. He silenced her the only way he could. Pulling back only a little, he caught her chin between his fingers and pulled her up. He kissed her then. A hard, passionate, soul-stirring, all-consuming kiss. It was full of promise and assurance. It was his way of asking her to trust him. It was her way of telling him that she was grateful that he was with her.
Getting from Lower Parel to Borivali on a normal day easily takes more than a couple of hours. But that night, Mumbai Police took just under an hour to cover the distance.
Suspect holed up in last building. Left-hand corner. Dead end.
Shrikanth spoke into the wireless. There were twelve officers from the Mumbai Crime Branch and three constables from the station in Khar who would guard Abhimanyu and Pakhi as they waited outside.
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