I could have sworn that he was lying to me. You could just tell these things. Bahadur usually made eye contact when he spoke but when he responded to me this time, he deliberately looked away.
‘Okay, but do you have his address?’
‘I have a general idea,’ he said hesitatingly.
Did Bahadur not want to give me the address? I wondered why.
‘Ok, then. Thanks.’ I decided to not press him any further. I would find out another way to get Shyamji’s address. As I was walking back towards my workstation, I almost collided into Pappu.
‘Oh, Madamji. I was just looking for you. Bahadur has come in to work today.’
‘I know. Thanks, Pappu. I just had a word with him.’
‘Did he give you Shyamji’s address?’
‘No, he couldn’t go to his place because his nephew wasn’t well.’
Pappu looked a little confused. ‘Nephew? As far as I know, he has no family in Delhi. Only a younger brother back home in Nepal who is in high school and he has no other family. He lost his parents when he was very young and I have never heard of him talk of a relative here . . .’
‘Okay, thanks.’ I cut Pappu short. I needed to get away and think things through.
One thing was clear: whatever was happening, Bahadur was somehow involved in it. But what was the nature of his involvement and what was he hiding from me?
He had had way too much to drink the night before. He had overslept and was groggy. He needed to get his hands on those files but how? That nosy Tara guarded them with her life. It had been so much easier to access the files when that other girl was handling them.
Then he had a sudden idea that brought a smile to his face. Maybe there was really a way. Maybe, just maybe, he could get hold of them on the night of the party. The office would be deserted and he could quietly steal his way inside and get the documents. That would be the end. He would stop after that.
Now if only he could get an extension from Senior.
The rest of the morning went off smoothly. I opened my bag to take out my cell phone and there was something gleaming inside. I pulled it out. It was the lighter I had discovered earlier that morning. A chill ran up my spine when I held it. What if he had wanted to do more than just scare me? There was no way of knowing and it was frightening just thinking about it.
Just then I saw Bahadur approaching me for the second time that day. It was almost evening and getting dark outside.
‘Madam, there is something I remembered that I’d like to tell you,’ he stammered.
For the first time, I noticed that Bahadur was not looking quite his cocky self—he looked almost scared. I stepped outside into the corridor with him. It was empty.
‘Actually, Madam, I have some information,’ he continued.
Just then his face changed and a look of fright came over it. I noticed that he was looking at something or someone behind me. I turned around to see what it was and could spot a quick movement in the shadows about a few feet away from me. The corridor in which we stood led to a smaller passageway where the washrooms and back staircase were. Without thinking I ran towards the disappearing figure but my limp slowed me down. By the time I had got to the passageway there was no sign of any movement. I checked the women’s loo—there was no one there. Unless someone was hiding inside the men’s.
By this time my excitement had abated a little and I felt fear in my stomach. I decided to go back to Bahadur first before investigating further. I didn’t want to get hurt again, like in the morning.
When I returned to the spot where I’d left Bahadur, he was no longer there.
This was strange. I went back inside the office to find out where Bahadur was. Nobody seemed to know. I felt that familiar chill run up my spine. I really did not know what to do or think any more.
15
‘TARA! ARE YOU going to Mr Kapoor’s party?’ Riya asked gaily. I thought she was taking the day off but had shown up around 7 p.m. to collect some files to work from home.
‘I guess I am. Do we really have a choice?’
‘Great. We must go shopping to pick out the right outfits. I want to look my best.’
‘Sure, Riya,’ I replied in resignation.
‘You must be wondering how come I’m so happy today?’
Honestly, I had been concerned about Riya but since I had so much on my plate, I hadn’t paid her much attention today. I looked up at her in a quizzical fashion from my desk.
‘Well, I spoke to Jay and . . .’
This was typical Riya. She loved overdramatizing her life.
‘And?’ I said, trying to be patient.
‘He’s finally agreed to meet me and he’ll be coming with me to the party.’
‘That’s wonderful! But isn’t it better that you guys talk things out first?’
Once I had said it, I regretted it immediately because her face clouded over.
‘Yeah, I know, but until now, he wasn’t ready to meet me even. At least now he wants to.’
‘Good point.’ I didn’t want to pursue the subject. She was an adult and could make her own life choices.
‘Oh, Tara. If I only knew what was bothering him. At least it’s not another woman.’
Just then we heard Banner calling out to Riya. She was working on a couple of transactions for him. He walked toward us.
‘Riya, I am leaving for the day. I have sent you an email. Please do the needful.’
‘Yes, sir.’
I was always intrigued by how, when you worked closely with someone, a word or two could explain exactly what they wanted and how they wanted you to do it. I was a little surprised the way he spoke to Riya—he spoke almost in a whisper. When he was out of earshot I asked, ‘Riya, didn’t you notice something strange?’
Riya was looking at her cell phone.
‘Strange. What’s strange?’ she said, not looking up.
I was getting mildly irritated because she had switched off from our conversation.
‘I mean, didn’t you observe something strange in Banner’s behaviour? Wasn’t there a bit of an edge in his attitude?’
‘Maybe, but he’s always like that.’
It was 10 p.m. and I was exhausted. Almost everybody had left. Then I remembered the documents I had given Sailesh. I tried getting through to Mr Kapoor but unfortunately Suzy wasn’t answering the phone. So I thought I’d drop a note on Sailesh’s table reminding him to return the files to me the next morning. I had seen him leaving the office a few minutes back.
I made my way to his desk and saw that his laptop was switched off. But he had forgotten to lock one of his drawers that had been left slightly ajar. I saw something that caught my interest. I didn’t want to pry into his personal affairs but I really needed to know. So I looked around and not seeing anyone opened the drawer a little more and peered inside. There were some documents pertaining to Project Emerald, documents I hadn’t seen before. They seemed to contain highly classified information pertaining to proposed management changes which, to my knowledge, weren’t even a part of the board meeting’s agenda a few weeks from now. This was very odd. How come he was in possession of these documents and why did he ask me for basic information about the project when he obviously knew much more about it? Just then I heard a noise behind me.
‘Tara?’
It was Sailesh. I almost freaked out. I just hoped he hadn’t caught me prying into his desk.
‘What are you doing here?’ His voice was cold.
‘Err, I had come to meet you,’ I stammered out, but I don’t think I sounded convincing enough. Then I added, ‘I realized you had left. Your comp is off.’
‘I forgot my car keys, so came back to get them,’ he replied, looking at me directly in the eye.
He took out the keys, locked his drawer, then briskly strode out.
‘Good night, Sailesh,’ I muttered after him.
I was a little unnerved by Sailesh’s icy cold attitude towards me. But I guess I would react in the same way
if someone meddled into my affairs.
16
I WAS JUST about to leave office when I received a call from AK.
‘Sir, I was just about to call you.’
‘Have you left office?’
‘Not yet but I am on my way out.’
‘Wait for me. I will be there in twenty minutes. There have been certain developments I need to discuss with you, so stay where you are.’
‘Okay, sir.’
I was a little annoyed. Now I would not reach home before midnight. However, I had no option but to comply.
I needed to go to the restroom. Picking my bag up I walked towards it. The office was empty and I did not want my wallet lying around. I went inside one of the three WCs and locked the door. Over the flush of water I thought I heard a click but then there was silence, so I ignored it. I came out and was washing my hands when I decided that I needed to touch up my make-up. The scratch on my face was showing and I didn’t want Mr Kapoor to notice.
I opened my bag and was powdering my face when the electricity suddenly went out. It seemed the power back-up wasn’t working for the lights didn’t come back on immediately. I always freak out in the darkness. I decided to head out but the restroom door wouldn’t budge. Was it jammed or something? But it had been fine when I went in. I rummaged through my bag for my cell phone to call the guard downstairs to let me out. Then I remembered that I had left my phone on my desk to charge it. I could have kicked myself.
But it wasn’t that bad after all. My hand found the Zippo lighter. I flicked it on. I looked around and everything seemed pretty normal, until I smelt smoke. Was I imagining it or was something burning in the bathroom? I did know a lot of women liked to come and smoke in the bathroom. There was a big window in one of the WCs that could be opened so there was no fear of setting the smoke alarm off.
When I had entered the restroom, I was certain nobody was there. So where was this smoke coming from? I checked the WC right next to the one I had used. The door opened easily—there was nobody inside as far as I could tell although I could barely see with just the lighter.
Then I walked towards the third WC. The door was shut. I tried opening the door. It wouldn’t open.
‘Hello? Is anyone in there?’ I called out a trifle nervously.
There was no response. Was the toilet out of order and therefore the door had been shut for maintenance, or was there someone inside? The events of the previous day flashed through my mind—the unknown jogger in the park, the disappearing figure in the shadows—and my hands and legs turned numb. The lights still hadn’t come back.
Just as I turned my back and was again walking towards the exit, I heard a sound behind me.
Tonight there was too much traffic. He had told Tara he would be in office in twenty minutes but that was impossible. He was stuck at Chirag Delhi for over twenty-five minutes. It would take him probably another half an hour to reach office. It was best to cancel the meeting tonight and just head home. He could discuss things with Tara tomorrow morning. No point in making her wait indefinitely.
He picked up his cell phone to dial her number but there was no response. He decided to send her a text telling her to meet him first thing in the morning.
17
‘HELLO? IS ANYBODY in there?’ I spoke as bravely as I could. There was no response.
My knees were shaking with fear. I decided to bend down and look under the door. But I could barely see anything from the light of the lighter. Was that a pair of shoes peeking out? I wasn’t sure. Then I heard another sound. By now I was petrified. The smoke was getting into my eyes and making them watery. I started to cough. In panic I banged on the main door and started screaming. I thought I would faint when the main door burst open and a gust of fresh air came in. Standing in front of me was Bahadur.
‘Madam, madam, are you ok?’ he asked concerned.
I blankly looked at him. ‘Yes, I’m okay.’ I tried saying. Then pointing towards the closed WC door I stuttered, ‘There’s someone in there.’
By that time a couple of my colleagues who were still in office had gathered around me, attracted by the noise.
Bahadur pried the door open but it was empty inside. The window was open and there was a pipe on the side of the building. It was easy to escape. What surprised us even more was that the fire had been started by igniting rolls of toilet paper, most likely with matchsticks or a cigarette lighter. It was as simple as that.
I than followed Bahadur to where the main light switch was and voila! It was obvious someonee had deliberately cut the wires. It was a sloppy job and hastily done.
‘Thank you, Bahadur,’ I gratefully told him.
Things didn’t seem to add up. Did I jump the gun by thinking that Bahadur was a creep? But then how come he appeared in the most unexpected of places?
Bahadur was ready to leave.
‘Bahadur,’ I called out to his back.
He stopped in his tracks and reluctantly turned around and looked straight into my eyes.
I was right. Bahadur was definitely scared of something and for some strange reason I knew it had something to do with me. After holding my gaze for a couple of seconds, he left.
I stood shaking with fear. I wanted to stop him and talk to him but after all that I had just endured, I needed more time to compose myself.
It was a while since Mr Kapoor had called me. Maybe he was already in his office and annoyed at not finding me. So instead of going over to my desk I rushed to his room first and was relieved to see he wasn’t in as yet. I would wait.
At the back of Mr Kapoor’s office there was a back room that was like a private lounge. Whenever he wanted a breather, he would go and relax there. It was said that only two people had access to the room: Mr Kapoor and Suzy, who had to be present every time the room got cleaned. I was waiting when I heard footsteps and saw Banner walking out of the back room. He looked taken aback when he saw me but managed to compose himself quickly.
‘So Tara, how come you are here?’ He sounded unusually friendly.
‘Sir, I am waiting for Mr Kapoor. He’s supposed to be here for a meeting.’
‘Oh okay. Carry on then. Don’t stay too late.’
Boy, what is this weirdo up to now?
‘Good night to you too, sir.’
Was AK ever going to show up? I decided to go to my desk and answer my emails while I waited. Just then I checked my phone and there was a text from AK stating that he wasn’t coming in after all due to the traffic. I was relieved in a way. I was pretty disoriented and I needed to take a break and collect my thoughts.
Bahadur stood outside the office for a couple of minutes. He knew his life was in danger. By saving Tara, he had displeased his superiors and the consequences wouldn’t be good. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He wiped them off.
‘Hey Ranji bhai,’ he called out to another guard on duty.
‘Yes, Bahadur?’
‘I need to run an errand and it’s urgent.’
‘Bahadur, what’s up with you? You used to be so regular and now suddenly, every other day you are missing?’
‘I will explain things to you later. Right now I need to go.’
Why had he been so stupid? What if she had seen him? The consequences would have been disastrous.
He knew he was now on the brink of doing something that he had very little control over. He made a stiff drink and gulped it down in seconds.
He had to strike soon before things went astray, but how was he to do it? Killing her was never part of the plan. But something had taken over him today. He had only wanted to scare her and see the look of fright on her face. Instead, he had pushed it to such a point that she could very well have been killed.
Just the thought of it made him shiver with pleasure.
18
WHEN I WAS finally in bed that night, exhausted though I was, I knew sleep wouldn’t come. My head was in a whirl going over the events of the last few days. I didn’t know who to trust.
/> Everybody around me seemed to be involved in some way. Who was hiding in the bathroom and why? What was Banner doing in Mr Kapoor’s room? What was Gupta hiding? So many unanswered questions. I knew Bahadur was a key player in all this. I needed to find out how.
I just prayed that I didn’t lose my sanity. Maybe it was a good idea to talk to Riya. Two minds were better than one. I would give her limited details. Even though Riya was a big mouth, knowing that this was serious business she would remain quiet. I couldn’t hold all this inside me much longer. I needed to share it with someone.
‘Tara, are you ok? Oh my god! You look so pale.’
‘I am fine, Riya.’
‘Sorry to hear about last night.’
This was what annoyed me the most about office gossip—it spread like forest fire.
‘Riya, I would love to stay and talk but I am already running late and I really need to go talk to Mr Kapoor. I also have something to say to you. Are you free for lunch?’
‘Yes, love, of course. I have to talk to you, too. You do realize the party is tomorrow night and we have to put our ensembles together. Plus we have our spa appointment, remember?
‘Oh yes, of course,’ I said hesitatingly. I had completely forgotten about it.
‘No backing out. You really need to pamper yourself and I need company so it works for both of us.’
‘Okay fine,’ I said, happy that she was being firm. The break would do me good.
Then I walked towards the boss’s room. I bumped into a few colleagues on my way who kept inquiring about the bathroom incident of the night before. I was relieved that everybody thought it was an accident.
‘Tara, glad to see you are looking well. I heard about last night.’
‘Nothing to worry about, sir. I am doing fine.’
He was already looking down at some papers. Like he cared. It was just out of politeness that he had asked.
‘Tara, have you been able to find out anything?’
S.t.a.l.k.e.d. Page 5
