Thank you reviewers :)
Aditi & Shubhangi's Abhi: you will get your answer in this chapter which I guess, you never guessed ;) Batana jhatka kaysa laga :P
Bidya: jee itna bhi achha kuch nehi hain yeh :P And all the credits of your liking should go to the brilliant brain of the plot giver :) Mere dabbe se investigative nikalna bahat mushkil hain. Agar itna achha contemporary plot contest ke liye diya na jata, main kahan se itna sab soch pati! Shukriya jee :)
Disha: about me! Kya beta? Main toh nanha-munna FF writer hoon. Aur kya kahun! Baki toh aap mere profile me se jaan hi gaye ho I think :) Enjoy the next update :)
NOW HAVE A HAPPY READING…
Next Day, ACP's Cabin
Same symptoms. Phir se wohi kidney aur liver nikal lena. Umar bhi wohi tees-paitees saal ke andar. ACP Pradyuman bit his lower lip.
Pahela murder pati-patni ka. Gaon se aa raha tha wapas. Daya muttered. Pati jewelry shop ka manager aur patni professor.
Dusra college goer premi dono. Chupke bandh factory area pe time pass karne gaya tha. Abhijeet wrote on a paper.
Tisra ek bachhi… footpath pe rehti thi. Raat ko kisi ne utha ke le gaya. Daya added.
Last wala Rangya… physical trainer… client se milne ja raha tha. Juhu Chowpatti ke piche wala gali se utha liya usko. Abhijeet finished.
Daya: gaur karne se dekha jaa raha hain sir, jis ko jahan se uthaya jaa raha hain, body wapas wohi pe daal raha hain ye gang.
ACP Pradyuman: chote clinics aur private hospitals saaf hain.
Abhijeet seconded his head. Haan sir. Sare jagahon pe humare khabriyan kaam pe hain. Chote jagah ka koi complain nehi. City Hospital bhi list me nehi aa sakta. Govt. hospital yeh. Daya ka khabri bhi hain udhar.
Daya nodded seriously. Aab raha aur char bare hospitals.
Abhijeet pointed a list containing some hospital names. Daffodil me already Sachin aur Purvi chapa mar chuka hain. Good Health me Freddie ka khabri hain kaam pe. Shak karne jaysa aab tak kuch mila nehi.
ACP Pradyuman rubbed his hands. Ho na ho R. Goyenka Medical Centre me kuch baat hain, ihan ka mahaul mujhe khatak raha hain.
Both Abhijeet and Daya jointly: kiun sir?
ACP Pradyuman: zaroorat se jada hi saaf hain ihan ka registers. Yeh koi super specialty hospital bhi hain nehi. Agar itna hi tej hain yeh, City Hospital ke baad hi iska naam nehi aata?
Daya searched something in papers. Yeh ek trust ka hospital hain sir. He forwarded a sheet. Garibon ke madat ke liye kaam karta hain yeh trust.
Abhijeet thought for a moment. Ho sakta hain nek kaam karte karte achanak kisi wajah se dimag ghum gaya ho? Mil gaya kisi smuggling racket se?
ACP Pradyuman scratched his forehead. Ho hi sakta hain. Isko main dekhta hoon. Pahele tum dono choutha hospital ka details nikalo… zitna zaldi ho sake.
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After 3 Days
Abhijeet was checking and rechecking NH-8's toll bridge's different footages for several times but ended up with empty hands.
He was just going to bang on table; suddenly a truck on monitor caught his attention. Hurriedly he played Gujarat entry point's toll naka footage and his eyes started glitter.
Kya baat hain Abhijeet, tumhare ankhen bata raha hain… kuch bada hath mare ho. Daya sat beside him smilingly.
Abhijeet winked and eyed at screen and ordered Purvi to inform ACP sir. After his arrival, he started…
Sir yeh truck… Mumbai ke aaspass jitne bhi gaon hain, kahin pe bhi kisi ke pass aisa truck nehi hain. Maharashtra Govt. rest house ke baad 50-60 km Gujarat border tak aur koi insaani basti hain nehi… ghana jangle hain. Matlab udhar iss truck ka koi kaam nehi. Hum search kar cheku hain udhar. Aab baat yeh hain, jis din iss highway pe khoon hua hain… usi din karib sham ke chay baje yeh truck Mumbai toll naka par kiya hain. Lekin kabhi yeh Gujarat ke orh nikla nehi walki, wapas Mumbai check nake se idhar aaya.
Sachin jumped on his feet. Sir uss sab gaon me truck ghusne ka rashta bhi nehi hain. Hume hi highway se paydal chalke jana padha… Quallis tak ghusne nehi paya kisi rashte pe. Aur na hi hume koi bhari gari ka tire marks mila kisi gaon ke aaspass wala highway ka portion pe. Uss din tej barish hui thi… agle do din tak har jagah mitti gila hua tha.
Daya inserted his fingers in his pocket. Jahan pe bhi organ nikalne ka operation ki gayi ho… khule aam toh hua nehi. Kahin na kahin khoon toh tab milta hi milta hume. Agar kisi ambulance jaysa mobile operation theater pe kiya gaya wo, tab hi koi nishan pana mushkil hoga.
Abhijeet added: sham se ek bhi gari aisa nehi gaya uss toll nake se, joh Gujarat entry na karke wapas Mumbai lauta…. Agle subha tak. Lekin yahi ek truck hain… jisne aisa kiya. Aur toh aur yeh truck chay baje highway pe enter kar ke raat ke sadhe teen baje nikla hain.
Sachin supplemented his senior: Salunkhe sir bhi bataye the… Aakash aur Smriti ki maut karib dus se gyara ke bich hui thi.
Daya pointed his finger on screen. Murder spot Mumbai check naka se on an average 250 km duri pe hain. Truck agar 60km/h speed se chale char ghanta lag hi jayega.
Abhijeet turned his neck. Tab toh shak isi truck pe jaa raha sir. Kiun ki aur koi bhi murder spot se hume kisi tarha ki koi surag yah witness mila nehi.
Matlab joh kuch bhi hain, yeh truck hi majra hoga sare kamon ka. ACP Pradyuman told while thinking something. Pata lagao iss truck ka.
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Next Day
Sachin noticed his senior's silent face and thought to hit a casual chat. He noticed the time and cleared his throat.
His senior was still in his trance rubbing the corner of lips now and then with a serious face.
Sachin: sir!
The man on passenger seat didn't look at him.
Sachin called again a bit louder this time… Abhijeet sir? Sir?
Abhijeet's turned with a jerk. Haan Sachin? Some lines still were present on his forehead.
Kuch serious baat sir? Sachin hesitated and pressed the accelerator.
Abhijeet noticed the time and inhaled two-three deep breaths. Kuch calculation sahi se match nehi ho raha Sachin. Kuch chut raha hain humse lagta hain.
Sachin didn't get head or tail of his senior's words, so kept mum.
Ek baat batao Sachin… Abhijeet slightly changed his sitting position towards driving seat. Agar kahin pe koi bada accident ho kisi truck se, awaz toh bahat zor ka ayega.
Sachin nodded concentrating on road.
Phir kisi ne kayse dusra koi bhi accident spot me se koi truck ka awaz nehi shuna? Abhijeet placed his thought.
Sachin thought something. Sir humne aaspass ke area me puchtach ki. Lekin hath bhi kuch nehi laga. Aur uss footpath me rehne wali bachhi ka toh koi kuch bhi nehi bata paa raha hain. Kehta hain, kuch do-teen mahine pahele wo bachhi uss area me aayi thi. Uske pahele wo kahan rehti thi, yah phir uski past… kisi ko koi jaankari nehi.
He stole a glance of the experienced senior inspector. Sare khoon shun-shan ilakon me jadatar hua aab tak. Agar wohi truck joh apko dikha NH-8 ke footage me, sayad yeh dusre jaghon pe bhi tha. Lekin koi witness mil nehi raha hume.
Aise bachho ka khabar hi kaun rakhta hain Sachin! The sharp shine of CID sounded sad. Lekin Rangya ka case mujhe khatak raha hain. Use uthaya, uske bike ko thoka… phir uske lash ko bike ke pass daalke gaya… agar truck hi hain common sab me, agar yahi hain woh mobile operation theatre, kisi ko dikha kayse nehi! Jada raat bhi nehi hua tab… jab uska lash dikha logo ko.
Kahin Rangya ko behosh kar ke kisi dusri gari me uthaya toh nehi gaya sir? Sachin cut his own view within a second. Nehi sir, sayad nehi. Tab uska bika ko thoka kaise!
Hmm. Abhijeet bit his lower lip. Sirf ek hi chiz hath laga aab tak. Aur uska bhi koi aata-pata nehi. DCP sir jada din intezaar nehi karenge Sachin, Hume jald se jald koi aur tagra clue dhundna hi padhega.
Haan sir. Sachin agreed and halted his car.
Abhijeet looked outside and opening the door descended. Thank you Sachin lift ke liye. Daya khabri se milne me itna late kar dega, kya pata tha? Tum lift na dete toh ghar aane me aur der ho jata. He smiled genuinely.
Sachin also smiled big and turned his car towards his home after wishing good night to his senior.
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Boss tum khushi se pagal ho jaoge agar main kya kehna chahta hoon, shunoge toh. Daya attacked his buddy on face just opening the door.
Abhijeet frowned. Tab nehi shunna mujhe kuch.
Daya surprised. Boss kitna kaam ki baat bhae, don't under estimate me. Haan!
Now Abhijeet irritated. Andar aane bhi doge? Yah phir sara taza khabar aise darwaje pe hi de doge mujhe?
Daya bit his tongue. Amm… sorry. Aao. He gave a shy smile and forwarded a glass of water.
Abhijeet finished in one go and freely fall down of sofa. Bata kya baat? He asked raised his eyebrow.
Tum jis baat ka soch soch ke subha se apna BP badha rahe ho, uska prove mil gaya.
Aain!
Matlab ki Boss…. Daya took his seat beside his buddy. Hum aab sau taka sach maan sakte ki woh joh truck hume mila NH-8 ke footage me se… usi truck ko mobile operation theatre bana ke yeh gang kaam kar raha hain. Woh college wala bachhe ka lash jis area se mili hume, udhar ka ek rashta shortcut se jangal ke orh jata hain.
Kya! Abhijeet seated straight.
Haan Boss. Munna ko uss rashte pe aur uss area ki jangal ke mitti se thora bahat engine oil ka trace mila aur… Daya paused. Tire marks bhi. Raat ke andhere me sahi se dikha nehi mujhe, lekin kal subha dekhenge toh pakka saboot milega.
Phir pahele hume usi rashte ka pata kayse nehi chala yaar! Abhijeet surprised.
Woh shortcut bahat hi teramera rashta hain aur murder spot se teen kilometer duri pe turn leta hain. Sab se hairaani ki baat hain uss shortcut ka starting point usi bandh factory ke piche wala jangal hain.
Abhijeet's face color changed instantly. Humare ankhen dhoka kayse kha gaya yaar!
Wohi toh Boss, main bhi hairaan ho gaya. Daya showed him some snap shots of lightly imprinted tire marks of any heavy vehicle from his mobile.
Yaar uss factory ke aaspass kitna ghana jangal aise hi hain. Pichle dus saal se woh waysa hi bandh padha hain. Aab toh uspe case bhi chal raha hain kuch char-panch saal se. Main soch raha hoon, woh college ke bachhe kya soch ke udhar gaya tha! Aur koi jagah nehi mila akela waqt bitane ka! Sahar me amusement park ka kami hain kya!
Bechare…. Bekar me jaan gawa di! Abhijeet sighed. Kuch sochta nehi log yaar, bas apne khushi ke sapne me kabhi kabhi kayse sab hosh kho baythte hain. Kahan jaa raha hain, kiske sath… security ka dhyan hi nehi rehta!
In short galati humse hi hui hain. Daya nodded disappointed. Humne pahele socha nehi uss jangal me bhi hume koi surag mil sakta hain.
Hmm. Uss khandar me se ek pura ke pura truck gaya hi kayse main toh soch raha hoon! Abhijeet stood up putting off his coat.
Aur toh aur Boss, Freddie ka phone aaya thori der pahele. Kandiveli me jis bachhi ki hatya hui thi raat ko, woh area zadatar business complex hain. Phir bhi kuch multistoried building hain uske piche… upar residential hain. Freddie ko ek witness mila usi gharon me se… koi buzurg admi… nind nehi aata unhe akshar raaton me. Unhe kisi bhari gadi ka awaz shunai diya tha uss raat. Lekin woh truck hi hain sure nehi aur waqt bhi nehi bol payen. Phir bhi, humara kaam kuch toh banega nah isse Boss? Daya finished.
Khana laga yaar. Fuel bina mera dimag bandh ho gaya. Abhijeet started going upstairs with slow steps.
Tum fresh ho jao. Do minute me garma-garam khana at your service sir. Daya smiled and made his way towards kitchen.
Laptop bhi le jana mere room se… dinner ke baad pura case phir se ek baar cross check karte hain. Abhijeet shouted from his room. Pendrive le aaya nah yaad se?
A muffled distant hmm came and he shut the washroom door tiredly.
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2 Days Later
Freddie was lying on bed in his room. He looked at his sleepy wife beside him then at table clock… its half past 3 at night.
But sleep was far away from his eyes.
He was mentally calculating the six random murders occurred in last two week.
All the proofs, forensic reports, the truck matter… everything was disturbing him badly.
Lastly he got up from bed and drank a glassful of water.
A sheer restlessness was clear over his face.
Kya hua Freddie… itni raat gaye, tum jaag rahe ho? Manisha asked from behind.
Kuch nehi Manisha, aise hi… nind nehi aa rahi thi. Freddie replied simply.
Manisha gave him a look like is it so?
Kuch hath nehi lag raha. Koi break through nehi. Ek surag joh dikha hume, usse bhi koi kaam ka chiz hath nehi laga. Ek ke baad ek chay khoon ho gaya kuch dino me. Hum aise hi dekhte rahe gaye. Kisi se kisi ka koi link nehi. He thought in mind and sighed.
Suddenly the cell phone lying on table caught his attention. ACP sir bhi, order de diye koi social media follow na karen…. Kya yaar, aisa bhi hota hain kya! Relaxation naam ki koi chiz bhi toh hoti hain? But at the same moment his second mind said… ek sire se achha hi hua. Abhijeet sir sahi keh rahe the, bekar me dimag ka uljhan badh jata isse. Log bahat kuch keh rahe hume iss case ke liye… pata nehi kab hum iss gang tak pahauch payenge!
He went to open window.
Manisha softly: jaagne se thore hi case solve hoga? Pura din ghum rahe ho idhar se udhar. Raat ko thora rest karo.
Without answering Freddie picked up his mobile and sat on window pane.
After so many tag-of-wars between his brain and heart he touched his finger tip on log in button of Facebook home page.
Manisha: tumne hi kaha tha, ACP sir mana kiye social sites visit karne se. Agar unhe pata chale?
Freddie shrugged. Pata chalne se pata nehi kal kya haal hoga mera bureau me. Sab aise hi itna padheshan hain… lekin mujhe isme waqt bitane nehi. Bas ek baar dekhta hoon apna profile… aur phir log out kar dunga. His words remained incomplete noticing an image tag in his page…
Offff… ye college gang aur inn logo ka yeh groupie… hathon me sab ke sab modern mobile… kahin pe bhi selfie chalu ho jata inka! Freddie irritated to his core as who tagged him in those photos was his college friend's sister!
He turned at his wife. Itne din ho gaya Akhil se hi koi contact nehi mera, aab iska yeh bahen… yeh college ke bachho ka relation ka koi parwa hi nehi rehta aaj kal. Bade bhai ke dost ko friend request bhejta hain. Chalo bheje toh bheje… aab apna doston ka photo bhi tag karta hain! Pata nehi, yeh log kya sochte hain… humesha show off… main ihan gayi, woha gayi, yeh mera naya dress…. He was scrolling down his profile page while blabbering. GOD! Nayi lipstick!
Freddie couldn't take more. Dekho Manisha, bachho ke karnamen toh dekho… bhai ke dost ko apna naya sandal ki pic tag kar rahi hain! Iske baad bhi tum kahoge inn logo ka dimag thik hain! He was really burning in anger. Koi tamiz nehi inn bachho ka… kise kya tag kar raha hain, kuch nehi sochte!
Manisha took his phone from his hand. Generation hi aisa ho gaya, hum kya kar sakte hain? Har koi show off karne laga hain…. gussa karne se kya fayda bolo? Isse behtar untag kar do…
Inke Maa-Baap kuch kehta bhi nehi! Personal life jaysa kuch hain hi nehi inn logo ka! Kahin pe bhi jayen, kuch bhi karen… sab status update karne pe lag jate hain… samne walo se baat karna hi bhul gaya log aaj kal… samne baythe rahoge… aur dusara wala mobile pe virtual friend se chat karte rahega! Freddie forwarded his hand. Do mujhe tum. Sare photo hatata hoon main.
Manisha took a sip of water. Aab so jao Freddie, subha hone ko hain. Tumhe sadhe saat baje Abhijeet bhai ke sath kahin jana hoga kal, nehi? Baad me tags hatana.
Hmm… wo bhi hain. Sir sharp saat baje aa jayenge. Kuch discuss bhi karna hain, bol rahe the. He was going to minimize the Facebook page; a colorful glowing thing in a photo caught his attention. Yeh kya? He selected the particular pic and maximized it.
Yeh… yeh… toh… Jesus! Manisha! Yeh toh wohi truck hain…. iss ladhke ke sunglass me reflect ho gaya hain! Freddie shouted in excitement.
Matlab? Kaunsa truck? Yeh toh bachho ka photo hain… ihan kahan tumhe truck dikha! Manisha perplexed.
Freddie switched on his desktop in a jiffy and log in his Facebook account. He dragged his pretty wife near the table.
Dekho Manisha… he pointed at a teenage boy wearing some branded goggle…. Yeh bachhe kahin pe ghumne gaya tha… groupie khicha…. Yeh truck… yahi truck hi ek aisa kadhi hain joh humare hath laga hain… yeh… yeh dekho… number plate dikh raha hain saaf… yeh left side head light bhi tuta hua… samne kahin khara tha… iss ladhke ke chashme me reflection aa gaya. Mujhe sahi se yaad hain, check post wala footage me hume yahi truck dikha tha.
He excitedly turned his neck towards his wife. Iss truck ka iss serial killing se jure renhe ka pukta saboot hain humare pass, murder spot se tire marks mila aur toh aur ek murder spot me kisi ne iska awaz bhi shuna hain. Lekin hum iss truck tak pahauch nehi paa rahe hain kisi bhi haal pe. Har koshish bekar jaa rahi hain.
He shuffled some more photos and shouted enthusiastically. Almost sare photos me truck ka image safai se aa gaya. Humare expert isse achha-khasa clear image bana lega. He pointed some human figure… yeh log bhi kuch aa gaya.
He jumped on his feet. Manisha… sir bhalehi gussa karenge, lekin dekhna isse hume case me madat hoga hi hoga. He downloaded all the photos and looked at wall-clock. Oh no! Sirf char-pandhra! Kab subha hogi, main bureau jaa ke ye sab ACP sir ko dikhunga. Hume isse lead milega hi milega.
He held his wife from her shoulders. ACP sir mere kaam se zaroor khush honge, tum dekhna.
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Mystic Morning