“Hey,” someone was waking him up, “why you slept in the canteen?”
Shyam opened eyes, slowly to see the canteen owner standing near him, “where am I?” he asked, still feeling dizzy.
“You are in the canteen,” he answered.
“What’s the time?” Shyam asked among a yawn.
“Five of the morning.”
“Oh! Sorry…” he apologized, “last night I came here to have a cigarette and then fell into sleep.”
“It’s okay.” Canteen owner smiled, again his crooked teeth shone in the fluorescent light of bulb, “let me make tea for you.”
They both smiled to each other.
*
The whole day he spent by walking in and out of the canteen, once for breakfast, second for lunch and the rest for cigarettes. He cursed founder of the smoke detector. If no one had invented it, he needed not to leave the guest room to have a cigarette.
At five o’clock he got instruction via phone to visit chief’s chamber.
When he entered the chief’s chamber, Divya Mishra and Charmi were already there, sitting on chairs, their backs to the door.
“Have a seated, gentleman.” The chief smiled.
“Thanks.” Shyam didn’t miss the chance to be diplomatic and got himself chair next to Charmi.
“Shyam,” the chief said to get his attention.
“I am listening, sir.”
“We have got some call recordings of Archana’s phone. We want you to listen to it with full attention.”
“My all senses are on high alert,” he smiled, “since I have escaped from the dark cellar.”
The chief switched on a tape recorder.
‘Hello! Reema, I am in a trouble.’
‘What happened? Why are you so feared?’
‘I can’t tell you on the phone, I am coming to you. I need your help.’
‘Okay. Come, dear.’
Divya Mishra switched off the tape recorder and asked, “can you identify the voices?”
“One is of Archana. Another is of Reema. I haven’t met her but Archana has told me about her. She had shown me Reema’s photo, too. I have once talked with her on phone but I am not sure about her voice.”
“Okay,” Divya Mishra switched the recorder on, “listen this one.”
‘Archana, I am Anjali.’
‘I’ll talk later.’
‘Please, don’t hang up. It’s urgent.’
‘What urgent?’
‘Victor has killed Shyam.’
‘Who Viktor?’
‘My boss. He has killed Shyam before three months and now he wants you dead.’
‘Why?’
‘I haven’t much time. I’ll tell you when we meet. Victor has tricked you and Shyam. I have just got it. He has sent his men to find you and you don’t know but if Victor wants someone dead, the person is already dead. They will be at your house anytime now. Abandon the house. I’m sorry. I don’t know the reality of my boss. Now listen, throw your phone before leaving your house otherwise they will trace you.’
That recording made Shyam immobile as if he isn’t animate.
“Shyam”
“Shyam…”
Charmi slapped the metal table to get his attention.
“Yeah..”
“Do you identify these voices?”
“One is of Archana and the other I don’t know,” he said, his voice pale, with no energy, his face crestfallen.
“But that girl knows you.” The chief said, “Hasn’t Archana told you about any Anjali?”
Shyam didn’t answer.
“One thing is clear. You and Archana have been tricked and used to get data from the home minister’s file. Now who has done it and how are the matters to us.”
Shyam still kept mum.
“Now we have the name of the kidnapper, Victor,” Divya Mishra said, “if we need anything, that girl Anjali.”
“But there is thousands of Victor and Anjali in India, how will we find them?” Charmi said. Her voice worried.
“Means, Archana is innocent,” now Shyam spoke, “I think someone has stolen data with her laptop.”
“How?”
“Many from his staff would use her laptop, even I use her laptop. Someone has done it.”
“Who can be?”
“Someone from her…one minute…Preetu. She also used her laptop. She has tried to commit suicide means she has done it.” Shyam said.
“That’s point, Mr Shyam.” the chief said, “someone has blackmailed her to do so and that’s why she tried to end her life.”
All were stunned. The knots of the puzzle were loosing now.
“We need to get that broken laptop,” the chief said, “as soon as possible. Can you understand Mr Shyam?”
“Yes, but I have couriered it to my friend and I don’t know he has got it or not.”
“Talk to him, now.”
“I don’t know his number.” He said, “it was saved in my phone.”
“Do you know his address?”
“Yes.”
“Write it down on this paper,”
The chief slid a notebook and a pen to him. He wrote the address on a blank paper. The chief gave that paper to Divya with some instruction.
Divya knew what she should do. She left the chamber hurriedly.
“Now the puzzle has almost solved. Preetu has hacked the laptop. When Archana connected that laptop with home minister’s laptop, the software installed inside by Preetu collected all data from home minister’s laptop. They were almost succeeding in their plan but the same day Archana broke the laptop in anger before Preetu can collect the data from it. She has to abandon your house. And the plan went hell. Now Victor would be forcing Preetu and at the same time he was keeping watch on you and Archana…” the chief solved most of it.
“How he was keeping watch on us?” Shyam asked.
“It’s not hard for him. He has many men. When you and Archana left the house and fled, he gave more pressure on Preetu so she tried to commit suicide. Now Victor had just one option. He had to get your laptop so his men were chasing you where ever you went and you mistook them as policemen and men of Archana’s father. Here in Pathankot, they snatched your bag for the laptop but they took the wrong bag. The last thing when you escaped they kidnapped Archana to get that laptop.”
“Archana…” Shyam sighed.
“Yes. That’s the fact and you have to accept it even you don’t like to believe it.” The chief continued, “Victor has got some data and that’s why some politicians have committed suicide. The home minister has called me to his office and when I went there Charmi was with me. Victor’s men were even keeping eyes on home minister’s office and that’s why when I sent Charmi to CBI office, Victor understood home minister has given this case to the CBI and his men kidnapped Charmi. It was lucky for you. Charmi rescued you while escaping.”
Shyam was impressed by the chief’s logical thinking. In some minutes the chief got everything.
“You have said the last call on Archana’s phone was from a public phone booth,” Shyam said.
“Yes.” The chief nodded.
“If there is any CCTV around that phone booth, we can get footage and know who has called her.”
“Charmi is right.” The chief smiled.
“About what?”
“You can be a good spy if we train you.”
“Oh! Thanks but I just want to get out of all this. Nothing else.” He smiled, “Do you have database of criminals?”
“Yes, but criminals never have just one identity, they change it after some months or years. And the criminals’ database is too big to find data of any particular person. If we have fingerprint or photo, it will be easy otherwise criminals’ database can’t help us.” Charmi said.
“I think we should hunt for Rozy and Christy. We have seen their photos and...” he paused.
“And what?” Charmi was exited.
“And the female list wouldn't be too big to find someone.” he said, “I have enough time, let me give a week and I will give you Rozy and Christy.”
No one answered him
“Don’t you trust me with it?” he asked.
“We do,” the chief said, “and the database is read-only, you can only read it.”
“Thanks,” he said, “and I want Preetu's interrogation.”
“It’s hard till her mental health will be good enough but we’ll try,” the chief assured him.
“We should ask the home minister if he has ever connected his laptop with Archana’s laptop.” He added.
“We’ll but once we have Archana’s laptop. And such talks aren’t safe on phone. I have to visit his office again.” The chief said.
“Why not on call?” Shyam couldn’t understand.
The chief smiled and said, “in politics no one is good or no one is evil all are a mixture of the both. The home minister has collected all that data illegally to blackmail other politicians to be always as ruler. He is a good man but in politics, you need to be cunning.”
“I see,” Shyam whispered.
“Can I see a photo of agent Malik so I can know why they misidentified me like him?” he asked.
“I’ll try.” The chief rang the bell.
A peon came inside and as he got an order for tea he left.
Then Divya entered with the report.
“Our men will be on location in an hour,” she said and got herself a chair.
“Good.”
“Shyam, now you can rest in your room. When your friend calls, you know what you need to say him. The chief said and looked at Divya, “and I need delivery of laptop, hand to hand with foolproof protection, by air.”
“Sir, you should talk with Mr Gohil.”
“I’ll.” he said and dialled a number, “Gohil, my parcel is coming from Ahmedabad. It’s heavy so send your men to help. Talk with the airport authority and won’t send new labourers as the load is so heavy and sensitive material. Send some experienced labourers.”
Shyam left the room as the chief finished the call, thinking how the army uses code language.
*
When Shyam’s friend Jacky called him, Shyam told him to hand the laptop whoever has come to get it.
Shyam went to the canteen and lit a cigarette. Archana is in Victor’s prison. The fact made him stressed. The muscles inside his stomach tightened as he knew how dangerous Victor was. To find Archana wasn’t easy and he knew that.
***
To be continue...
