Hello all…..i had my first practical exam on tuesday and it was so easy….. i am so happy…… my next practical is on monday….. hope it will be easy as well……
the plot tightens and mystery unfolds in this chapter….. the end is coming up…..
Second chance life…..
Episode 12: Hide and Seek
Jai khanna. Jai khanna. The name kept on repeating in arjun’s head. Jai khanna. A person he never suspected in all these. A legitimate businessman. A good samaritan. Hell, he even manage many charities for homeless kids and women. How can he be involved in all these? But matthew told him that they had traced the letter back to him and that the trail was legitimate. He must know something about these incidents. That’s for sure. The next thing matthew said was all the investigations about letters similar to this ended at deadends. So all they now had was vivek and jai. Now they have a reason to arrest vivek. He was on the run but will be found soon. Arjun was sure. And jai, they should tread carefully with him. They only had the letter trail to jai nothing more strong than those. Whatever they did they had to do it carefully and could not afford any mistakes.
Neil, after sam was discharged, took sam and manya to mishra mansion. He had asked sam to move in with him and sam wanted manya to live with them also. He had appointed some people to move their stuff from their house. Sam was now lying comfortably on his bed when manya knocked on the door.
Neil: hey manya. Are you comfortable in your room?
Manya: yeah radhika made sure about everything.
Sam: hey little sis. Come and sit by me.
Manya walked towards her and sat on the bed beside sam. Neil could see that manya was very disturbed. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. He decided to give some time alone for the sisters to talk their heart out to each other. Hence he excused himself and went to the drawing room only to see arjun sitting in the couch with his head supported by his hands. Neil sat opposite him but arjun was lost in his own world. Neil coughed slightly. No response. He smirked.
Neil: don’t think that i missed that little display of affection between my sister and you this morning.
Arjun noticably started and looked up into neil’s emotionless face.
Arjun: what… um i…. that was nothing. We fell asleep.
Neil: hmm do you think i am blind or fool. I know everything. You feel something for her.
Arjun: now you are being stupid. There is nothing like that.
Neil finally allowed a smile to crack upon his face.
Neil: uh huh….. whatever you say. But i like you both together. I can see my old radhika when she is with you.
Arjun: there’s nothing…
But he was cut off by the sound of door bell ringing. Neil opened the door and stared dumbly at the person before him.
Jai khanna stepped up to neil.
Jai: hello neil. Its been a long time since we talked last time.
Neil: jai…..
Manya was trying really hard to hold her sobs inside. She stared at sam and thanked god for umpteenth time for keeping her safe. Manya placed her head on sam’s lap and sam immediately placed her unbroken hand on manya’s head.
Manya: i am so sorry sam. I couldn’t do anything. I am useless.
Sam: hey my baby girl. Who told you that you did nothing. You saved me. You called the cops. I am alive because they reached on time. You saved me.
Manya: i was so scared sam. So scared. I thought you will also leave like everyone. Like mom….. like jai….. i just was so afraid that i will loose you too….
Saying this she sobbed uncontrollably. Sam kept quiet and just kept on patting her head soothingly. Manya had a lot of grief in her. She had to shed all those. She had to cry it out. Eventually her cries faded away to slight hiccups.
Sam: baby girl….. you are my sister. I love you so much. I will always look out for you. More over i will always be there. Looking out for you. Just let all the past pains go. Now we are starting our new life. Away from all the ugliness and pains. You have me. And we will have neil and radhika. We will be a family. Finally we will have a family.
A voice from the doorway interrupted them.
“Can i be a part of that family?”
They both looked up to find jai standing there smiling warmly at them.
Jai knew he had a lot to make up to. The biggest one was leaving his sisters and brother there with that monster. But he had to do it at that time. He could see by the expression on sam’s face that he was already forgiven without even saying anything. But manya. She would be difficult. The look on her face alone said that she want him miles away from them. But he will not forfeit so easily. He will explain everything to them now. He looked around. Neil was sitting behind sam radiating strong sense of protectiveness for all the three women in the room. His former best friend was a good man. He couldn’t wish for anyone more worthy of sam. Beside sam sat his baby sister manya. She had a defiant expression on her face like she already made up her mind to not trust him. But the strong hold she had on sam’s hand was opposite to her expression. It showed a heart breaking vulnerability. Now the next was radhika. The sweet little girl he remembered from his childhood days was now replaced with a broken doll. She sat on a chair with her shoulders stiff like they were aching from the burden of holding up herself. She had changed from that bubbly funloving always smiling girl to a cautious pain bearing stranger. Now the man who stood behind radhika with his fore arms folded intimidatingly acriss his chest. Arjun mehra. A homicide detective in LAPD. The brooding intensity from the man was spread around like a shield around radhika. A protective shield. That intense eyes of his never missed anything. Moreover he could sense that the big dangerous man had a soft spot for radhika. He turned into a teddy bear around her. He slightly smiled at the people gathered in the room. He just hoped these tightly knit group invited him into there group after hearing him out.
Jai: i will start from the beginning. Many of these facts may come as a shock to you all. But please let me say everything i have to say. Afterwards i hope you understand why i left my family.
Jai: so mishras and khannas were family friends. Sharat mishra and vivek khanna was friends from childhood. My father vivek was from a wealthy family but sharat uncle was from a middle class family. Sharat uncle’s dad was my grand dad’s accountant. So my father and sharat uncle grew up together. Uncle was really brilliant and build up his business from scratch into wealthy famous mishra industries. Then he married anjali aunty. She was a really good women and they were maddly in love. But my father was a slacker. He distroyed all of grandfather’s hard earned wealth by gambling. He then married my mom priya malhotra whom he met through anjali aunty. They were best friends. My father only married mom for her wealth. He faked that he loved her and mom fell for his lies. But after the marriage father made mom sign all her wealth to him. She gradually realised he never loved her. But by then they had me and she decided to stick it out for me.
Jai: after sometime uncle and aunty had radhika and suraj. They also adopted neil. My father and mom had saral,sam and manya. Neil, suraj and i were the best of friends. Radhika used to tag along with us to everywhere. Then one day an argument happened between uncle and father. Aunty came to know about father abusing mom and told to uncle. He confronted father. My father who was always jealous of uncle accused him of having an affair with mom. Then one day mom disappeared and father said that she left because of affair between uncle and mom. He filled my sibling’s head with false stories about mom. But i have seen enough of my father’s behaviour to know he was lying. By then the two families lost allties between them and eventually moved abroad. While mishra’s moved to have a new start from all the drama my father moved because he wanted to get his hands on mishra’s wealth. Then i did some investigations through private detective for finding mom and got to know she was not found. One day i overheard my father saying that he had killed her and i was enraged. He is not a human but an animal. Cruel. Heartless. Then i decided to distroy him. I had to act like i didn’t knew the truth but it killed me inside to see that man everyday. So i lrft from there. I couldn’t take my siblings with me as they were underage and father had the right to them. I regret not taking them with me and will never stop regreting leaving them with that man.
Jai: anyway mom had setup trust funds for all four of us and once we are 21 we could use it. With the use of that i started my business and with hardwork and time started to succeed. All this time i kept an eye on my father to know if he was plotting against uncle. Then the accident happened. I was shocked and according to my sources father was not involved in that. Then recently i got to know that father was plotting against neil. So i propositioned him and made him believe that i was with him. The man stupidly believed that i was greedy like him. He told me to handle radhika and he will handle neil. But then i got to know about saral’s obsession with radhika and i send that letter anonimously to warn you all that something is going to happen to radhika so that you all will be on your guard. I couldn’t risk father finding out about my intentions so i decided to indirectly warn you. I slowly started collecting evidences against him and now i have enough information to end his sick hide and seek games.
Jai: by the way sam….. that man you saw that day with father was me. I saw you following him. I didn’t want him to find out so i intentionally distracted him from your presence and also knew where you were hiding that day. So my sister even when you though i was not with you…. i had your back. Always. But couldn’t be there for you fast enough that day he beat you. I got to know about it but by then it was too late. I will never forgive myself for that. If you can please forgive me….
Sam: bhaiyya after all that you have done for me, our family, and to bring justice for our mom…… how can i be mad at you…..
Jai: manya….. will you forgive me for leaving you? Please….
Manya: i can try….. if you will promise not to leave us again.
Jai: i promise baby girl….. i will never ever leave you alone….. in fact i wil be there with you always that you will get sick of me and ask to leave.
Manya and sam laughed and manya kept her arms open for him.
Manya: then i forgive you bhaiyya…..
Jai went forward and hugged both his little sisters tightly as if he would never leave them.
Neil came forward and hugged jai.
Neil: i got my best friend back after so many years. Welcome back….
Jai came to arjun.
Jai: i have all the evidences on vivek khanna. About the murder of mom and every other little things. I also know where he is hiding. The man blindly believed me and came to me for shelter. I have already given the details about his secret shelter to police. The other evidences i will forward to you.
Arjun nodded: thank you.
Then jai kneeled in front of radhika and took both of her hands in his.
Jai: i miss our old radhika. The one who laughed and breathed life into things. Please come back.
Radhika’s eyes filled up with tears and she nodded.
Radhika: i will try….
Jai: that’s good.
Neil: now no tears time for celebration. Mistery is finally solved. Vivek will pay for his crimes.
Radhika: but the first attack on me and also the man who shot mom,dad and suraj….. who did that?
Arjun: maybe vivek, he must have done it without jai’s knowledge….. we will find out….. don’t worry. Relax.
Later radhika went to sleep. She was so tired but also releaved that all the crisis was over. She went into a fitful sleep.
She was crouching beneath a table. She had her hands pressed on to her mouth to keep her ragged fast breath muffled. Sweat beaded on her forehead. When the set of legs passed by her she slowly and stealthily got up from there and silently tiptoed towards a darkened room. She got inside the room undetected and took the compact camera from her small bag. The sight before her brought tears to her eyes but she will bring them justice. She pressed record button on camera and recorded the awfull scene before her. Girls. Lying on the floor. Five of them. She could see three of their glazed eyes. Life has long left their bodies. She recorded every nook and corner of the room and terrifin scene in it. She went to an adjoining room and saw them. The cruel animals. The murders. They were all seated beside a large table playing cards. She knew what was happening here. Human trafficking. Those poor girls died due to over dosage of drugs. She was focusing the camera on these animal’s face when she bumped into a table sending a glass thrown to the floor. The men all looked up straight at her before she could hide. They menancingly came forward. She turned and….
Radhika woke up, drenched in her own sweat and struggled to take in breath. She had just witnessed the most terrifying event of her life again.
Next episode: Mystery Never Ends