Watched: Don't Say a word

by Preeti Singh

  “What happened to you, Maggie? Are you okay, baby?” asked Amber, concerned.

  “Yeah...I think I am okay now. I don’t know what happened after I ate some cheese. Maybe it was old and stale. I was vomiting, my head was spinning and I must have fainted.”Maggie replied weakly, trying to sit up. Amber’s paw immediately came behind her to steady her. She blushed and fluttered her eyelashes, shyly. His sudden care and warmth overwhelmed her.

  But Amber narrowed his eyes and asked in his typical detective tone, “Vomited and fainted? Are you pregnant, Maggie?” he asked astonished, with wide eyes!

  “Oh! God! You guys are just one track mind, Amber. Can’t a lady be unwell without pregnancy? Uff....You men! I am just feeling very weak.”Maggie sighed, grateful for his furry paw behind her.

  The next ten minutes, Amber filler her with the horrific details of the evening and how Kinjal had a miraculous escape. Maggie turned even paler and felt apologetic she was unwell, when she could have helped somehow.

  ***

  The following morning Kinjal was awoken by DIG Uncle’s call from Pune, where he was on temporary duty. But she could not talk with the same warmth to him, with so many doubts in her heart. Apparently, Milan had given him a detailed report on the attack on Kinjal. The DIG instructed her to take a few days leave, till she recovered and then pick up the threads of the case once again.

  Kinjal just listened quietly and accepted the leave but her mind was making other plans, as she thanked him, formally and said goodbye. Though her lips, head, back and arms were badly bruised, her soul was more shattered with last night’s assault. But it ignited the fire further in her, to find the jerk who dared to touch her in such a vulnerable condition. It was now time to send her soft self for a vacation and show the killer her true mettle.

  Kinjal finally decided to put to proper use, the leave allotted to her. Her heart completely and blindly trusted only Amber. Time and circumstances had proven to her the age old saying, that dogs are much more loyal than humans. They discussed her further plans while she was still tucked in bed. She confided each detail with Amber, took his valuable suggestions and began penning down each agenda, step by step.

  And then Agent Amber spoke. This time he was serious. He meant business.

  “KJ, that dog of a man would not have been able to attack you, if you had been stronger. So, from tomorrow onwards, daily, we will begin your exercise, work outs, push ups so you can at least defend yourself.” he said firmly.

  “But I am an agent, Amber; I don’t need all that now. I need to....”she said as she tried getting up wincing in pain.

  “Ghanta Agent! What if he had killed me and then attacked you, KJ...wouldn’t you be upset?” Amber asked angrily, knowing this would get her attention.

  The point hit home and it was decided Kinjal would need to brush up her physical strength and be ready if he attacks her again.

  Relieved, Amber went to give juice to Maggie who was still weak herself. Gosh! Looking after both these women is one hell of a job but am loving it....he smiled to himself as simply caring and giving unconditional love would give him ultimate happiness, even if he didn’t get it back with the same intensity.

  Kinjal and Amber made a schedule which involved her vigorous training early morning and the rest of the day would be devoted in connecting the loopholes of the case. Though she was off duty for 15 days, Kinjal was not the one to sit quiet, till she uncovered the truth. With doubts in her mind about DIG Uncle and now Vikash, too, she knew she had to move fast.

  Next morning began with Amber sitting on his hind legs sipping his Bournvita, watching Kinjal doing her push ups. Wow! See her curves, man; his saliva drooling all over. But soon he stirred himself out of his stance and got serious.

  It was his mission to make her strong once again so if he would not be there tomorrow, the lady could fight for herself. With time, Amber also believed in Maggie’s theory of living in the NOW and her repetitive phrase kal ho na ho!

  After her workout and a quick shower, Kinjal was waiting for Milan. It was time to have a serious talk with him about the stuff in his apartment. Amber had taken his shower under the garden tap and was ready to take on the day. It was time to get into action!

  Milan arrived confidently; totally unaware of the interrogation he was going to go through. He was just happy within, that Kinjal was safe after yesterday’s nasty assault on her life.

  “Hello Milan. Please sit down. We need to talk”, Kinjal said firmly, as she sat behind her office desk. Amber joined too and sat close to her. Both looked at Milan shrewdly, making him utterly nervous.

  “Milan, I am grateful you saved my life yesterday. But there are some doubts lingering in my mind about you. Without ironing those doubts, we will not be able to proceed together in solving the case. I need you to be transparent with me in whatever I ask, so we can move forward. Are we on the same wavelength here?” Kinjal asked gently.

  “Yes, Ma’am. You will have my full co –operation. Please ask me anything” Milan replied, rather nervous.

  “Milan....I am sorry but without your permission, I broke into your apartment and found some disturbing factors.”Kinjal said slowly, carefully watching his facial expressions.

  Milan’s face turned ashen white.

  Kinjal stepped up from her chair and stood behind him, while Amber stretched comfortably watching Milan being so uncomfortable. Burey din aagaye Modi ji...ab toh sab golmaal hai bhai !

  “Milan, I found women’s clothes and a nail polish remover in your cupboard. I thought you were a bachelor. Care to enlighten me about this ‘woman’ in your life?”Kinjal asked crisply.

  Milan fidgeted. He was cornered and now had to reveal the truth. With Kinjal he knew, he could not play anymore games. Not because he was caught, but because he didn’t want to lie to someone he loved deeply. He decided to truthfully answer all her queries.

  “Ma’am..I am a married man but live separated from my wife and I have not revealed this fact to my parents too, as yet.” Milan replied quietly.

  “Does the police department know you are married, Milan?” Kinjal was curious to ask.

  “No, Ma’am, but few of my close officer friends know. Ma’am, please sit down, you yourself are not well. I will tell you everything in detail.” Milan stood up, held Kinjal by the arm and led her to a chair. Kinjal shrugged him off.

  Milan sighed and began, “Ma’am while I was training at the Punjab Police Academy at Patiala, I met this girl who ran a mobile recharge shop nearby. We fell in love and married secretly, hiding from our families, as she belongs to a lower caste. I could not reveal the fact to anyone as I was still a cadet and we are not supposed to marry during training. I took a room on rent and we would meet whenever I got time. But within few months of my marriage, I realised she was not the woman for me. Married life was hell for me and I felt cheated and trapped. As soon as I passed out from the academy, a posting in Chandigarh was a welcome change. I thought I would leave her there, send her money often, focus on my career and maybe with time she would mature up. But Jaya, my wife, showed her true colours.” Milan looked sad, as he gulped some water.

  “What did she do, Milan?” Amber asked, feeling sorry for this helpless so called husband.

  “Ma’am, she began blackmailing me, saying if I don’t give her my salary, a flat and regularly take care of her luxurious needs, she will declare I raped her, when she was a minor and forced her into marriage. The clothes and cosmetics you found in my flat belong to Jaya who comes once in about 3 months, satisfies herself, takes my earnings and leaves back for her one room flat, which I bought for her near PGI. Ma’am, she is a loose character woman, who entertains multiple men and is enjoying life on my income”, Milan said sombrely.

  “Milan, I hope you don’t expect me to believe your story without proof?” Kinjal interrogated him.

  “I don’t Ma’am. I am carrying my laptop and mobile with me and in that you can see the wedding pictures of Jaya and me.” Milan was now
desperate to prove his innocence and showed Kinjal and Amber his wedding snaps in a small temple.

  “But photographs can be fake too, dear friend. We would like to meet your wife in person.” Amber offered his valuable inputs, not trusting any man on earth now.

  “Sure. Ma’am, please note down her address and you can verify all details, yourself.” Milan said with full confidence without any shadow on his face, Amber noticed.

  “Okay Milan. Now, coming to your laptop. Pray tell me, why do you have my snaps all over your laptop and the store room of your house? Your wife, Jaya, does not object to that?” Kinjal asked angrily.

  Milan quietly bent his head and was looking at his hands. His face was red, but he gathered all the courage to speak up.

  “Ma’am, the moment I saw you, I fell in love with you!” he managed to say.

  Kinjal was not shocked but Amber twisted his head and said..ohhhh teri...yeh kya hua....kab hua...kaise hua ?

  Milan continued, “Ma’am, my marriage was the biggest mistake of my life but falling in love with you gave me a reason to live life again. As for Jaya, she knows how much I worship you and she does not care as long as my salary reaches her account every month.” Kinjal saw his eyes. She could see only sincerity and no pretence.

  Undeterred by his love confession she moved onto her next doubt, “And what about the multiple phones in your store room, your bike with a helmet, the dupattas, pizza boxes and coffee sachets at your flat? Do you realize, Milan, each thing in your flat points as you being our UnSub”, she asked fiercely.

  “Ma’am, I am human and when you love someone, you imagine them to be around you, to kill your loneliness. Each time I would miss you, I would drape the mannequin in a dupatta, pretend she was you and would share my feelings openly. Those mobile phones are all repair material which my wife dumps each time she comes, because she does not want her boyfriends to know her various numbers. She is a very calculative woman who can use the law against me anytime, Ma’am.” Milan said softly. “I live like a bachelor and due to my duties; I don’t get time to cook, so I order pizza often. Regarding my bike, Ma’am what do I say? Half the city has black bikes with a helmet, Ma’am.”, he said slowly, unable to prove himself.

  “I can understand your agony. But I am not the killer, Ma’am, please trust me. Yes, you may have found pizza and coffee in my flat but Ma’am did you see any clue of the song left at the crime scenes?” he asked.

  Kinjal heard him but in the back of the mind, she kept thinking, maybe his wife and he are hand in glove in all this drama. The UnSub also used multiple phone sets and Milan’s wife used to run a mobile shop.

  “Okay and how do you explain that you were adopted and not the biological child of your parents?” Kinjal asked.

  “Yes, Ma’am, here is the address and phone number of my parents who adopted me. They are noble people who picked me from an NGO, as after having a daughter, they failed to have a son, who could carry on the family tradition of joining the Police Force. I do not know my biological parents and neither do I wish to find the unkind people who dumped me as a baby.” Milan expressed his grief, angrily.

  “Hmmmm Okay, Milan. I will verify all data you have given me, including meeting your wife. Thank you for being in love with me, but I am sorry I will not be able to reciprocate your affection. Regarding trusting you, kindly give me some time, till I have my answers.” Kinjal replied honestly but firmly.

  “Thank you, Ma’am. It is okay if you can never love me back; I never asked for it in return. I love you and will always try to protect you. But I hope you can trust me once again, like before.” Milan said with a genuine plea in his eyes.

  Nodding her head, Kinjal said, “I need time, Milan. You can leave now, please. Goodnight”, she said coldly and did not leave Milan to the door, like she used to do earlier.

  Feeling sorry for a man rejected in love, Amber escorted Milan to the door. Surprisingly, Milan bent down and hugged Amber as though he felt, this dog understood his feelings.

  Milan stepped out and looked at the moon again. “You know how much I love her, don’t you? Let her trust me again, buddy, will you?” he pleaded the moon.

  Kinjal saw him from her bedroom window. It felt nice to be loved by someone but she knew she had to verify all his details before believing in him once again.

  And once again, she saw, Milan had gone by on a bike, like the UnSub had. Sigh!

  Ensuring the bathroom window was tightly sealed, she stepped into her warm bathtub to release her stress.

  Meanwhile, Amber glanced at the guard outside the front door. The policeman was standing with his back at Amber with a rifle in his hand and his eyes were fixed on the driveway ahead.

  Satisfied, Amber also snuggled with Maggie. He was happy that at least Milan had lost his chance with Kinjal...now I can try my luck with the lady too.... he winked at the full moon peeping inside.

  Kinjal checked her revolver and crept into bed. She didn’t feel like talking to Vikash and the fact that he too didn’t contact her, raised her suspicions more.

  Tired, she slept instantly.

  A shadow outside, crept near her window and looked at Kinjal, while the police guard lay dead in the bushes nearby. The shadow was wearing a helmet, watching her menacingly and lusting over her slim frame sleeping, beautifully.

  CHAPTER 9

  Defeating Fear

  Joshi’s Villa

  Sec 12 Panchkula

  Motivated by Amber, Kinjal was consistent with her workouts. She would be up at dawn, go for a jog and return to do her push ups. Somehow, she was not scared anymore of the killer attacking her. She realised, the more she showed him she was terrified, the more he would try to scare her. Undeterred, she carried on her routine, though in the back of her mind she knew she was constantly being watched.

  Point was who was watching her? Kinjal didn’t even know who to be scared of? DIG Uncle, Vikash, Milan or some other unknown entity. As her physical wounds healed day by day, she adopted a carefree attitude. Like Amber told her that morning..darr darr ke jeena...bhi kya jeena hai, KJ !

  Kinjal now just had one aim; to train herself to be so strong, physically and mentally, to be able to find the psycho who had destroyed her family and was now targeting her.

  Milan called to report to her about Suman Misra’s improving condition at the hospital. Kinjal replied politely, but he would not be off her doubtful radar, till she verified details about his wife and his parents.

  DIG Uncle also called Kinjal to ask her about her health. But she was guarded not to share anything with him now. She just politely told him she needed rest. Instead, he told her he was going out of station for a few days, but would be a call away.

  Then Vikash also called enquiring about her as they had not spoken for two days. Kinjal wanted to see his reaction when she told him about the assault on her. He sounded angry for not being informed earlier and wanted to meet her right away. Or was he a master pretender? She needed to find out.

  But Kinjal needed to remove Vikash from her doubt list first and only then she could take a step towards him further. Meanwhile, she led him to believe that all was well and she was taking a few days leave to rest. Vikash seemed satisfied and didn’t probe further. Rather, he was happy she did not doubt him.

  Well...that’s what he thought and carried on his routine with a smug smile.

  Kinjal then made a call to her sister Shivangi di who seemed the only person she could trust right now. Not wanting to worry her sister, Kinjal hid the fact that she was assaulted but revealed that she was getting closer to the truth and would find their mother’s killer soon. As yet, only Shivangi di had a right to know of Kinjal’s whereabouts.

  “Come on Amber, we will move in 30 minutes. Let’s get to the bottom of the truth now.” Kinjal called out to Amber as she packed her small bag.

  “Where are we going, KJ?” Amber asked, excited to see his KJ back in form and not scared and sulking anymore.

  “Dehradun, Amber. I need t
o do a background check on Vikash and clear all lurking doubts in my mind.”She said as she carefully loaded her revolver and tucked it in the holster.

  “Oh ok”, Amber said thoughtfully. But how could he leave Maggie behind alone? He was responsible for her too. Amber was in a dilemma now. But he sighed...maybe it was time for both the young ladies to meet each other.

  It was about time.

  “Hey KJ, ...er.. I need to confess something to you.”Amber said quietly.

  “What have you done now, Amber?” she asked in a matter of fact manner, zipping up her boots.

  “Please don’t be angry, KJ, but you know I have included a member in our team, without asking you. But you can be rest assured; this one has been a valuable asset to us.” Amber dropped the bombshell as gently as he could.

  Kinjal stiffened and stopped everything.

  “Agent Amber, are you trying to tell me that someone else is there too, who has all info about our case? And I have no clue about this someone?” her voice sounded icy and Amber was nervous.

  “Er..yes KJ. But you can trust my wisdom on this.” Amber said, confidently looking Kinjal in the eye.

  “Hmmm okay, Amber. Let’s meet your trusted person”, she said as she kept her bag aside and settled on the sofa.

  Amber took a deep breath, stepped aside and ushered Maggie to creep up the glass table. As expected, Kinjal squealed in shock. But she gulped slowly, not wanting to startle the duo.

  “KJ, this is Maggie, our very helpful team member. She has been living in your house since long and is very fond of you. In fact, many times when you looked for your socks or keys under your bed, she would push them closer to the edge, so you could find them, easily.” Amber said proudly, trying his best to stand by Maggie.

  Kinjal just sat there dumbfounded. Life had thrown so many unkind shocks at her; this one was a pleasant surprise. She used to hate mice once upon a time but with the arrival of Amber in her life, she realised animals could be more trustworthy than humans.

  “Hmmm no wonder the crime novels in my library have holes in them. And now I understand why the cheese I bought would finish so soon. No wonder, I could hear Amber giggling at night and I thought he was talking in his sleep. Hmmm”, Kinjal said thoughtfully, clasping her hands, equally nervous.