by ARKOPAUL DAS
THIRTY FOUR
As always, Ryan and Kevin wanted to drive Alan home but he refused gently. They went in separate ways and Alan soon walked out of the block, he thought of taking a cab once, but he chose walking over it.
The day was hot and humid, the evening was a lot cooler of course, but still not so cool that would make you shiver. It was still hot except the breeze, which was soothing.
He looked at the other side; there were a lot of people walking around in the sidewalks and the cars in the middle. It was only 7 in the evening, so naturally people were not yet so keen to return home.
Alan found a restaurant nearby and thought about buying some dinner but he soon remembered that there was an extra piece of large sized sausage still left in the refrigerator. That should do it for today. He moved away and headed home. Most of the shops were open so there was a lot of noise and light in the streets, at least the main roads that were always busy.
He tried enjoying this little moment walking, trying to feel fresh. But he felt just the opposite. Looking at all this blazing lights and sounds he felt a little weary in his head, he thought he might lose his balance or something. But he knew he would manage it to home. He had been in this kind of dizzy situation before after working for a full whole day, it was natural. Maybe Ryan, Kevin, Alicia they were also feeling this, except they were in a car, so there was no fear of tripping or falling down.
He tried to divert his mind thinking about the case. He could still hear the words, which Trevor said, were they true? That was the main thing left to decide, were they true or not. Probably true, because he could find no reason of why Trevor would want to lie to them. And if McRae really proves to be a lunatic then the case would take a sudden turn for sure, in such a angle that they would not have thought about that before. But maybe it will just make it more complicated, that’s all.
First things first, his mind told him. Let's focus on Donovan now. Ryan will check out what Trevor said tonight for sure, but it was Donovan with whom he would have to deal with tomorrow morning. He didn’t know if their conversation would go that easy like that day he visited him. Maybe this time Donovan would show his true nature, so it’ll be real tough making him say the truth. Perhaps he would try to kill him this time; he knows that he had enough gun power and manpower with him that should hold the cops for a while. Then he would escape.
Next thing was that how would he start talking about this topic. He could not just say ‘You’re a killer. I’m gonna arrest you’ that would be like welcoming danger to your home. It would be too direct for sure.
And he didn’t yet have no concrete proof in his hands that might help him this time. He would be all alone with a dangerous criminal or better say a maniac.
Another gush of breeze raced passed him and breaking his thoughts and asking him to focus on the streets.
There was more traffic here, more lights, more people, he wanted to be somewhere, where there was less noise and where he could be alone with no one breaking his thoughts, not even the cool breeze.
He turned left and started walking through the alleyway which he believed to be a shortcut. There were tall buildings on the both sides so the breeze was also less there. It was hot, but it was also a lot better than those main streets. This alleyway was quite and straight, it was bended at one place then it went straight again.
He walked for a few more minutes, perhaps he misjudged this alleyway, and maybe this was a long cut instead of a shortcut. But who cares? He was well inside now and it would take too much time to turn back. So better, follow this out.
Soon he came at a position where there were four sides crisscrossing each other, he could only guess which side he should take or which one should take him home. He took the straight one, but after three or four paces, he stopped. He heard sounds actually, sound of someone walking, he definitely heard noises, maybe too faint but it still reached his ear. He stood there not turning back, and waited for the sound to start again. It didn’t.
He started again when he thought someone was behind him and he turned back. Was someone following him? As he turned back this time, he caught a glimpse of a shadow moving away in that split second of time. There was someone in that two crisscrossing alleyways for sure.
He understood what was going on. Someone was following him no doubt about that. But there was only two question he asked himself. Why were they following him? And how much harm does they mean to him?
This time without walking or answering his own questions, he galloped swiftly, careful not to make much noise, he followed the streetlight on the other end. He didn’t want to escape, he would make an u turn and come back from the other side and will take him down whoever was there on that street.
He followed this straight path and went until the end .He wanted to catch that man, but he didn’t have to find him, or search for him. The man himself came running from the other side, got bumped with Alan as both of them collided heavily and fell down. Alan himself threw himself to the ground trying to dodge away the body of the man, but they clashed anyway.
The man suddenly jumped and stood up then again ran to Alan, Alan was ready, he moved away just in time to bare the wall, and the man could not save himself from getting hit in the wall.
The man again quickly regained his position and stood up, so did Alan, who seemed to be more swift in his movement than his opponent.
The man lurched on him, this time more intentionally. And Alan was ready as always, he seemed to have anticipated this move that was why he thwacked his face right on the tip of his nose, with his bony hands and his hard grip. It was a heavy blow for sure. And the man did feel the effect of the blow, he held his nose tight, not screaming but when he found out that he wasn’t bleeding yet which was the only thing he feared he decided to pounce on him again. Alan before he could duck away, got a hard punch in the head. It was hard for sure, but this man’s wrist and the fingers were not so bony, so Alan didn’t feel the same amount of pain the man felt.
Alan ignored this blow, but before he could do something, the man was on him again. This time he gripped his neck and threw him to the wall. Alan controlled himself from getting hit heavily, turned back and swung his legs high up in the air so that the kick landed straight in his jaw. Another hard blow, this time the man was bleeding, not too much, but a little for sure.
Alan tried looking at the face of the man, but it was all dark. He was wearing a hood a black one, which properly covered most of his face. And moreover, it looked more dark in this crescent moonlight, so did Alan’s face.
The man was up again and ready to pounce on him when Alan was busy trying to make out his facial features. Alan became more cautious when he found the man was circling him as if they were in a boxing ring. Then he took out something, a shiny piece of metal with a steep and sharp edge. He wanted to finish Alan soon, and Alan was not so foolish to not know what the thing was.
Then with the knife in one hand the man ran towards him, Alan knew the intention of his opponent. The knife was targeted straight towards his heart.
As soon as Alan saw that and understood what he wants to do with it, he tried to run him down from the left side and tried snatching the knife from him. He knew as long as the knife was in the enemy’s hand it would remain a danger. One minute you lose your focus and he will turn you dead for sure. But he failed to take the knife as the grip that the man had on it was too hard.
Alan tried moving the knife in a direction so that the man cuts his own hand and when he feels that pain, he would let go of the knife. But the killer had other plans, he knew he had to finish Alan or injure him fatally, and he also remembered that Alan was a cop or so he was told, and he should not take him lightly.
Alan moved on the left side again and tried grabbing the knife but as usual, he again failed to do so, and he didn’t try much as he might cut his own fingers as a result of his own mistake.
Alan pushed the man away just to get some time so he could catch his breath but this time some
one else came from the other alleyway and kicked Alan’s leg. Alan fell in a kneel down position losing his balance. He understood that there was not one but two men. Or better say two killer. He had his back to the killer, the other one, but he could of course understand that the killer was now taking out a gun.
Alan didn’t remain in that position much long, he acted like he had given up, so that the killer would not hurry to kill him but in turn he ducked away and jumped behind a trash can which was small for sure but enough to cover himself full. That was when the first bullet hit the sides of the can and bounced off.
More shots came, three, he counted. Alan knew he couldn’t stay covered behind this place for much longer. One of them will soon come around from the back and force him to stand up so that the gunman could get a clear headshot.
Just like he thought, the other killer with the knife was now gaining his position and was slowly moving towards him. Alan couldn’t have wasted this chance. Gun was more dangerous than a knife, or so he thought. He suddenly stood up and threw the completely heavy trashcan straight at the face of the man with the gun. The gun flew away from his hand as he fell back.
The other man also lost his focus. This was the chance. He crawled towards the man and suddenly snatched his knife this time in his third attempt as he was distracted and was thinking about what happened to his partner.
As soon as Alan got the knife in his hands, the killer now realized his mistake .This was just a trick, but it was too late, Alan had the knife and he knew what to do with it. He stabbed it right on the man’s thigh and did he hear the femur cracking or what?
The man moaned and gave a cry out of pain and tried taking out the knife, which was well inside the thick flesh. He knows that no matter how much he tried he would never be able to bring it out now. He would surely feel an amount of pain he would not be able to bear and he would pass out. Only more blood oozed out of the wound.
He felt an enormous pain when the man tried standing up again, he still managed to stand keeping his balance firmly on the other leg, and if you just poke him a little, he would fall down. This thought nearly made Alan laugh but he controlled it anyway.
Then the killer trudged to his partner who was also injured and was moaning, but only a little. He held his breath and the tried pulling up his partner. He failed at the first attempt but he succeeded at his seconded attempt only because his partner was also determined to stand up and escape.
With great difficulty, they both stood and then started limping away leaving a trail of blood behind them. Alan watched those two poor creatures until they turned left and vanished behind the walls.
Alan had some minor injuries like when he touched the forehead near the eye brow he felt a sudden pain. He also got hurt on his leg and his knee was wobbly but with two killers, a gun, and a knife against him, he could have suffered more injuries. He was happy that he managed everything quite well.
His head was spinning a little more now, which was the effect of this battle. Still he knew he could walk home anyway. This was just a little distraction to him, nothing more.
THIRTY FIVE
Ryan and Kevin were talking among themselves when Alan reached the precinct next day. Alicia was present there too so was everyone else. Alan woke up late with a headache today that was what made him late.
Ryan was sitting on his table checking out something from the computer screen, while Kevin was just standing behind him and it looked like he was giving Ryan some sort of advice.
Alicia was flipping her bags trying to find out something, while Trevor and Henderson were nowhere to be seen .As he went near his own table , Ryan turned to him and said ‘Hey Alan , so where are we gonna start today?’
‘You don’t look ok’ said Alicia as she left her bag half opened and joined them.
‘What? I’m fine’ said Alan and turned his face away.
‘What’s wrong with your eye?’ asked Alicia again making him face her.
‘What?’
‘There is a black patch just above the eye portion. Must be blood clotting’ she pressed her finger on that area as Alan said ‘Ouch!’. Alicia continued. ‘It’s also a little bruised, here’
‘What’s wrong Alan, did someone hit you or what?’ Ryan asked as he also saw his face.
‘Yeah , you guessed it right’ said Alan. ‘Someone did hit me; I also had a slight limp last night’
‘Who’s that?’ Kevin became excited. ‘Who the hell hit you?’
‘I don’t know them; I also didn’t see their faces’ said Alan sitting down. ‘Must be some killers. Tried to kill me’ he said casually.
‘Someone tried to kill you?’ repeated Alicia.
‘Yeah, they tried with a gun, knife ...everything’
‘Why would they wanna kill you?’ asked Ryan.
‘How would I know?’
‘So it’s dangerous for you to be on the streets now’ Alicia said still checking out his eye portion. ‘They failed to kill you in the first attempt right? They will try to kill you again’
‘I injured both of them quite seriously’ Alan gave them most of the facts, and the descriptions of what happened last night. Then he said ‘I don’t think they will be coming back to get me again after this’
‘Oh...hey Ryan get the first aid box from the -- ’
Alan interrupted Alicia. ‘No no, it’s okay. I don’t need anything’
‘You need medication for this’
‘No, I don’t. That’s a silly thing. This happened naturally, it’ll go away naturally.’
‘Shut up.’ She said and urged Ryan to get the first aid box. ‘This might get badly infected’
‘Whatever’ Alan grinned.
As Ryan bought the box, Alicia quickly cleaned the wound with some liquid as Alan said ‘Now that hurts’.
She ignored him and continued her work. Then she took some band aid kind of thing and stuck it there.
‘Whoa! I look like someone who just had a brain operation or something. This doesn’t look cool’ said Alan. Alicia also understood it as she took it out and put a thin banded which covered only the bruised area.
‘How about this?’
‘It’s okay, but nothing would have been the best’
‘Yeah I knew you would say that’ she said.
Alan understood that they had some other works today. They could not just waste time like this.
He stood up and said ‘Now that this is over, we should get back to business’
‘You said you would give a visit to Donovan today’ Ryan pointed out.
‘Yes I did. That’s exactly what I intend to do’
‘You both shut up’ Alicia cut in. ‘Do you think he can go there with this type of health. He should not even be on the streets, let alone Donovan’s house’
‘No I can manage it okay?’ he asked and Alicia knew he would not listen to her if she gave any kind of advice.
‘So what’s your plan?’ asked Ryan.
‘Listen’ Alan told them in brief taking just 1 minute and 30 seconds only. After he had told everything, although he never got time to make a complete plan, just told them what his instinct told him to do, and then he added. ‘I will deal with this man personally until I need any help. Let me see how dangerous he can turn into’
Alan looked confident and determined. That was what made others strong. They were really up for this.
‘Ok? So we’re clear?’ asked Alan.
When they gave a node Alan walked towards the elevator, then the next minute saw him walking downstairs then driving Ryan’s car, which was a lower model of Santafe, not any cop car.
Later he was flying through the burning streets of Central Manhattan.
Another half an hour went by, he kept himself focused on the streets keeping the thoughts away for the time being. He had a headache and now if he loses his focus he might suffer an accident. And he wasn’t a good driver as well.
After he reached the place and parked the car in a safe place, he found hims
elf standing in front of the same old brick building, which was staring back at him with a ghostly face. The only difference was that this time he didn’t think about what he would find out once he enters the building. He already knew that.
He walked up to the door, and as usual, the door was ajar. As he went inside, he found himself looking at the same blue clear water of the pool, which was glowing.
There was a pin drop silence in the whole house. He could even hear his heartbeat.
Just like that, he was thinking about should he call out for Donovan or not, that was when someone said from the back.
‘Ah, so you’re back Mr. Smith’
Alan turned back and saw him, a perfect gentleman, wearing a black suit, a white shirt, his hands inside his pockets, his face was pale and white.
He flashed a smile at him, or better say the smile, that cruel one, which was always attached to his face.
‘Seems like you were expecting me’ Alan returned the smile.
‘Oh, as a matter of fact, yes’
‘But what made you think I would come?’
‘That’s what you’ll say now’ he said. And as always not a single answer he gives is straight forward and normal.
Alan nodded, understanding that Donovan wants to know why he came. But Donovan himself said ‘Whatever happened to your face Mr. Smith?’
‘I fell down the stairs and got hit by the door knob’ Alan said frankly.
‘Oh, pity’ he shrugged and twisted his lips.
‘We can start discussing the essential things now – yes?’
‘Anytime’ he said as he stood straight walking towards him relaxingly.
‘Yes, I’m afraid I need some more explanation rather than what you gave me yesterday’
‘That will be tough’
‘Really? And why?’
‘I don’t even remember what explanation I gave you previous day’ he said.
‘Good, then we can start afresh today’ said Alan. ‘Here’s what I wanna know first’
‘Shoot’
‘Tell me about the child’ he said looking at him carefully, trying to get some expression from him. ‘You said... you said that you will inform me about the child, where he is, or where your men kept him’
