Shadows of Kasauli Ch 7

The interior of Aashraya felt different now that Arjun knew its walls held a secret. He followed the ledger’s cryptic notes to the library of the bungalow—a room that smelled of cedar and rot.

"The hearth is the heart," the 1952 notes had whispered.

Arjun knelt before the massive, soot-stained stone fireplace. He began tapping the stones with the butt of his heavy flashlight.
 Most produced a dull, solid thud. But near the base, a heavy granite slab rang hollow. He wedged a crowbar into the seam, the stone grinding against stone with a screech that felt like a scream from the past.

Behind the slab lay a rusted metal box. Inside wasn't money or gold. It was a stack of letters and a secondary deed—one that had never been filed with the Kasauli municipality.

A shadow fell over the doorway.

"Looking for something, Malhotra? Or just playing in the dirt like your grandfather?"

Sameer stood in the entrance, looking absurdly out of place in his polished loafers on the dusty floorboards. Behind him stood two of his "security" men, their presence a silent threat.

Arjun didn't stand up immediately. He tucked the small metal box behind his leg, shielded by the shadows of the hearth. He rose slowly, wiping the soot from his hands onto his jeans.

"I heard you were interested in this land, Sameer," Arjun said, his voice dangerously calm. "I didn't realize you were desperate enough to trespass."

Sameer stepped into the room, tapping his expensive cane against a rotting floorboard. "Trespassing is a matter of perspective. In this town, the law is what I say it is. I’m here to offer you a graceful exit. A check for ten times what this ruin is worth. You leave tonight. You never look back. And you certainly never speak to my wife again."

Arjun felt the heat of the fireplace, even though no fire was burning. "Vanya isn't a piece of property you can include in a land deal, Sameer."

Sameer’s smile didn't reach his eyes. It was a cold, jagged thing.
 "In Kasauli, everything is a transaction. Vanya chose stability. She chose me. If you stay, you aren't 'saving' her. You’re destroying her family’s reputation and her father’s health. Is your nostalgia worth that much?"

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a hiss. "I know you were at the library. I know you took a ledger. Return it, take the money, and disappear. Or I’ll make sure the only place you ever film again is the inside of the prison."

Arjun looked at the man—the person who had claimed Vanya’s life like a trophy. He thought of the slap he suspected had landed on Vanya's cheek, and the "unwell" message at the library.

"I'm not taking the money," Arjun said, stepping closer until he was chest-to-chest with Sameer. "And as for the ledger... it told me a very interesting story about how your family and the Khannas stole this spring's water rights. I think the local papers would love a story about a 'prominent businessman' whose wealth is built on a seventy-year-old fraud."

Sameer’s face paled for a split second before hardening into a mask of fury. "You’ve made a mistake, Arjun. A very loud, very final mistake."

He signaled his men. "Search the house. Find the book."