His trail of thoughts was broken by Dr. salunkhe's phone call.
"ji doctor sahab - kuch pata chala?"
"Abhijeet pollen analysis ke liye central lab bheja hai."
"matlab abhi tak kuch nahi pata chala?"
"Abhijeet – "
"sir 7 baj gayein hain – ab humare paas sirf 24 ghante bachein hain."
"Jaanta hu mein – "
"toh kuch kijiye na doctor sahab."
"Abhijeet isme time lagta hai."
"sir time hi toh nahi hai."
NEXT DAY 4 a.m.
Abhijeet paced back and forth in the forensic lab.
"sir bas 3 ghante bache hain aur humare haath ek bhi clue nahi laga."
"yaar ab mein kya karu – central lab waalo ne haath khade kar diyein."
"na jaane Tarika kis haal mein hogi."
"sir," purvi said, entering the lab, "wo maneesh ke case mein aaj unhe undercover pakadne ka acha mauka hai –"
"MEINE BATAYA NAHI TUMKO KI DAYA SIR KO REPORT KARNA TUM?"
"I… I'm sorry sir – "
"KYA SORRY HAAN? KUCH DINO KE LIYE KOI CASE NAHI HANDLE KARUNGA – ITNI SI BAAT NAHI SAMAJH AATI TUM LOGO KO?"
"Sir mujhe laga ki aap lab aa gayein toh shayad – "
"Purvi," Dr. Salunkhe intervened, "jab sir bol rahein hain toh unki baat chup chap suno. Now go."
With this she left.
"pata nahi kya samjhte hain log apne aap ko," Abhijeet muttered.
"shaant ho jao Abhijeet."
"sir yaha itni pareshani hai – waha Tarika bechari akeli hai aur aap keh rahe hai ki shaant ho jao."
"sab samajhta hu mein beta par aise aapa khone se kuch nahi hoga – in fact mujhe toh lagta hai ki tumhe chote mote case solve kar lene chahiye."
"sir Tarika ka case important hai – usko kuch ho gaya toh mein kabhi khud ko –"
"usko kuch nahi hoga…aur ye bhi toh zaroori hai ki kisi ko kaano kaan khabar na ho iss baat ki ki Tarika ka distress signal tum tak pahonch gaya hai."
"haan sir shayad aap sahi keh rahein hain."
Dr. salunkhe nodded and carried on with his work. There was pin drop silence in the lab and doctor salunkhe seemed to be pretty used to it.
Abhijeet found it rather odd. His workspace was never this quiet. The bureau always had some interrogation going on, phone calls coming in, seniors shouting to get work done, juniors speaking to their informants and so on.
To sum it up, he was strangely accustomed to working against a background noise.
The only time the forensic lab had some commotion was probably when hasty CID officers entered it, demanding to know the exact cause of death, the time of death and every other possible detail in the split of a second.
Once again, his eyes rested on the old doctor who was now mixing some blue and pink liquid and nodding vigorously at the resultant colourless solution. He was lost in his own world.
"Purvi," the doctor now spoke on the phone, "voice changer aur costumes ready karke forensic lab bhej dena – ye case Abhijeet sir handle karenge… haan don't worry, mein baat kar lunga… aur haan Daya sir se baat kar lena… okay, okay….jaldi bhejna."
"par doctor sahab – "
"Abhijeet…thodi der pehle humne kya baat ki thi?"
"lekin – "
"koi lekin wekin nahi….thoda toh bharosa karo yaar iss doctor pe"
ANOTHER PLACE, 7 a.m.
A girl stood at the corner in a party. Her hair done up, her eyes adorned with mascara, she looked breath taking in a red gown.
"hello," a guy walked up to her, "badi achi lag rahi hain."
"excuse me?"
"gusse mein bhi achi lagti hain aap Miss – "
"Doctor Tarika."
"toh can I buy you a drink Tarika ji –"
"its Dr. Tarika," she said harshly, "and no… my boyfriend won't like it."
"aapka boyfriend kahi dikh nahi raha."
Her heart sank.
When would she be able to see him again?
"aapse matlab?"
"chaliye koi baat nahi – aap dance toh kar hi sakti hain na."
"dekho Mister – mein CID forensic expert hu and mera boyfriend bhi CID senior inspector hai – harassment ke liye arrest kiya na toh kam se kam doh saal ke liye andar jaoge."
"aap toh – "
Suddenly the lights went out and Tarika felt an arm being placed on her waist.
"chhodo mujhe – "
There was no response from the person.
Upon being lifted in the air, she hit the person who was carrying her. After a few hard punches, the person left her back on the ground. Proud of herself, she grinned as she felt something against her forehead.
Being the forensic expert that she was, she could tell immediately that it was a gun.
"chup chap chalo – "
"kaun ho tum aur kya chahte ho?"
"sawal mat karo… chup chalo warna goli chal jayegi – "
"andhere mein kaha - "
To this the person grabbed her arm.
"zyaada hoshiyari mat karo – bas chalti raho."
After about 5 minutes of walk, they stopped. Before Tarika could speak she was removed from gun point and blind folded and then kept on gun point again.
Soon, she was made to enter a car.
Or maybe it was a van – she couldn't tell.
She was still kept on gunpoint when she felt the her kidnapper undoing the zip of her dress. She tried to protest when she was reminded –
"hilo mat zyaada – goli chal jayegi."
Hehehe – cliff hanger. So here I stop. Do leave your precious reviews