Monday, April 16, 2007

Chapter Twenty Six

This was not a coincidence. Someone had tried to convey something. He felt the pack was dropped there deliberately and it carried in it something very vital. He kept thinking what it could mean. But his mind refused to think. He realized it was more than three days since he had slept. Rest was a weapon. He understood that better than anyone else. His work demanded that.

The next morning he went to the hospital to inform Shiva about the happenings the previous night. He wouldn’t have done this normally. But he developed a liking for this boy. He told him about the cigarette pack. Shiva also thought hard about it. It was intriguing to him too. Shakthi prepared to leave. When he was about to exit the room, Shiva called him back by tapping his mobile against his cot’s steel structure; he couldn’t talk. Shakthi returned back. Shiva wanted to tell something. He gave him a piece of paper and a pencil yet again. Shiva wrote in it, “SR may be her initials. Shweta Rao! Please check out her house if possible. Have you enquired her parents about the guy who threatened them when they were in Mumbai?”

Shakthi stared at Shiva! HOW COULD HE HAVE MISSED THIS! When Shakthi had gone to Shweta’s place to investigate, her parents had told him they came to Chennai because of a threat in Mumbai. But he never looked into it much as they claimed they didn’t have any problems with that now. He suddenly felt that the missing part of the puzzle lay in her house! And he rushed there.

At Shweta’s house, her mother was still very emotional. She was crying when he entered. Her father was talking with two other people. Seeing Shakthi, he excused himself and came over to him. Shakthi wanted to know more about the incident in Mumbai and why they came to Chennai.

Shweta’s father briefed him again. He was a partner in a small firm manufacturing brake parts. His other partner betrayed and Shweta’s dad was left to rot. The money lender had threatened him to pay his money back or face the consequences. He had threatened to kidnap his daughter. The man had sent over a guy to their home and he threatened to take Shweta away with him. Mr. Rao managed to re-pay him with everything he had left with him, including his house and fled to Chennai with his family. And they hadn’t faced any threat from that person since.

Shakthi wanted to search Shweta’s room. Why he wanted to do it even he didn’t know. His brain commanded him. And he decided to go ahead. Mr. Rao didn’t object.

There were nothing much to find in her room. It was very clean and everything was in order. Finally, he checked her computer table. That was also in order. Not even a piece of paper was out of place. When he tried lifting the keyboard, he noticed something behind the monitor! He removed it from its place. It was a brown cover wrapped inside a plastic cover. When he opened the brown cover, he found inside that, two dozen papers. It was all dated and arranged chronologically starting from the oldest. The first one was dated three years back! It was written and signed in Hindi! Shakthi read it. It said, “I am here. You can’t try to escape me. I will get you somehow. Have this in mind. You are mine.” And it was signed, “Pankaj”. The remaining letters too conveyed the same. The last few letters were dated very recently. Three months back! And it contained Shiva’s name too! Pankaj had asked Shweta to stay away from Shiva!

Now it all made sense!! Pankaj was the ‘muscle’ man Shakthi was looking for. He had Shweta in his hold now. Mr. and Mrs. Rao were left speechless! Shweta had shouldered this threat all alone for just one reason; her parents’ happiness! Her mother started weeping uncontrollably. Shakthi’s mind raced. What should he do next?? He called up his friend in Mumbai and asked him to check out on the money lender who threatened Mr. Rao’s family. Time was running out. He had to act fast. Or the girl would be lost…

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