Trust, Obsession & An Unexpected Deal

Inside the submarine den under the lake

‘Boss, we have sent out word to trace any suspicious, black market selling activity of the sword. We have covered all our bases. We have raised the stakes on the reward too. The sword won’t leave Fort Kochi at any cost,’ said the lieutenant to the boss. The lieutenant seemed like a man dedicated to performing clerical duties rather than someone fit to be in a Gangster setup.

 ‘If, it hasn’t yet left Fort Kochi already!’ summed up the Boss making his apprehension clear.

‘But, Boss, why are we so stuck with the sword. Can’t we resume production of the drugs as usual? Why stop operations for that sword?’

The boss looked around at some of the other gangsters in the room. They got the message and left the room. He looked at the lieutenant and said, ‘Binu, answer this one honestly, ok. Have you ever seen me fearing something or someone?’

Binu answered unhesitatingly, ‘Never, Boss. Never, ever! But, why are you asking something like this? I sense something amiss, maybe I’ll be able to suggest something.’

‘Have you ever heard of Don Marcus Mancini?’

‘Oh yes, Boss. He’s the head of the dreaded and the powerful Mancini family in Europe. They are the most powerful amongst the Gangster families. What do we have to do with them?’ asked Binu.

‘Exactly! That’s what I thought when I received this unexpected strange call from none other than Don Marcus himself. He somehow came to know about the existence of this sword, ‘Khopesh’ in Fort Kochi from his sources. I don’t know about what mystical or magical powers he assumes this sword possesses, but he asked me to get hold of this sword for him at any cost. That man controls all our export abroad and we haven’t got a chance at the market without his consent. He promised a huge stake in big markets for us if we delivered the sword. At the same time, its curtains down if we fail to deliver. I was thrilled to hear from him as having that family behind our back makes us untouchable. I was making a perfect plan to snatch the sword from the Museum when some bugger beat us to it. I’ve no clue who dared to snatch it without our knowledge in our territory.’

Binu looked stunned. Why would the most powerful Don in Europe suddenly fancy a sword sitting in a museum in Fort Kochi, so desperately? ‘But what has all this got to do with that girl, Charu?’

The boss took a sip of whiskey from his glass and replied, ‘Don’t even get me there. I haven’t a clue about her connection with the sword or the Mancini family, but I’ve got strict instructions from them only to keep out an eye on her until further instructions. All this seems so weird, right. Can’t make head or tail out of it. We keep an eye on her, maybe she’ll take us to the sword. Who knows what’s possible in this damn screwed up world?’

‘I’ll personally monitor this operation. But, Boss at least permit us to resume our operations locally. We might run out of cash and the boys could get distracted and lose focus. Also, while cutting deals, they might come across any info leading to the sword.’

‘Ok, Binu. You head this operation and keep me informed. I don’t want word to slip that the Mancini family is interested and involved in this.’

Binu nodded and left the room, smiling at his thought, ‘Dear Boss, you’ve already slipped the word to Me!’

At the Police Station

‘Hi Charu, what brings you here? You could have just called me, and I would have come to meet you’ said Abhay.

‘This brings me here,’ said Charu handing out a set of documents to Abhay.

‘Wow, his father’s still absconding, and you bring in his Bail papers. You do realize, right that he’s a prime suspect in a kidnapping attempt on you.’

‘Abhay, you’ve performed your duties as a responsible police officer. Let me do mine as a good friend. How could I trust Ruth’s word against Yuvaan’s? Moreover, we are yet to know his Dad’s version. Who knows, his dad might be a scapegoat and possibly in danger, right now as we speak?’

‘You have such a Big heart, Charu. But I wish you were more practical and sensible in your approach in such situations. Nevertheless, I accept the Bail papers. And please don’t forget, I have nothing against Yuvaan personally,’ said Abhay immediately regretting his last statement again. ‘Why do I always make a fool out of myself before her,’ thought Abhay.

Yuvaan came out of the cell and hugged Charu tightly. ‘I swear I didn’t do it Charu. I could never do such a thing to anyone. I am not sure where Dad is? I just hope he’s safe and not involved in any of this shit.’

Abhay went inside a cell and started thrashing a rowdy sheeter who had lit up a cigarette. (What a bad time for the rowdy sheeter to smoke. How could have he envisaged that he’d be a perfect punching bag for Abhay at a ‘Charu-Yuvaan-Embrace’ moment.)

The continued thrashing managed to cut down the embrace duration by a couple of seconds. Charu and Yuvaan saw Abhay’s rage and felt their hasty exit would be the only salvation for the poor soul.

Once they left, Abhay took out a cigarette from the thrashed person’s pocket, lit it up and handed it back to him, and said coolly, ‘Sorry. Smoke this and relax.’

At a Cafe at the City Mall

‘Enough is enough, Yuvaan. I’ve put you in a lot of trouble already. Let me dig into this on my own. I can’t let you suffer at my cost.’

‘Don’t act stupid, Charu. I am already knee-deep in it. This has somehow become my fight as well. I must trace out my Dad, first. Is there something going on behind my back? Why did Ruth take his name?’

Charu was about to say something when they noticed Martha speaking with someone at a counter. Charu rushed to her and brought her to their table. Martha was looking forlorn and lost.

‘Martha, there’s something we need to talk about. It's about Ruth. Do you know that he tried to kidnap me? Are you aware of it?’ asked Charu.

With a terrified and sad look on her face, Martha replied, ‘I am not sure what’s gotten to him, Charu. He had been acting weirdly these last few days. He wasn’t even speaking properly with me. I was doubting if he had gotten himself into some shady business. He wasn’t even coming home some days. I don’t know who’s he working with or what kind of work he’s involved in.’

‘Did he ever mention working for my Dad? Did my Dad come to meet him anytime at your house?’ asked Yuvaan.

‘No, as I said he never shared anything with me. I’ve never seen him with your dad. I even requested Vincent to intervene, but he declined to state that it was our family matter. I am sorry about what he attempted with you, Charu. It's beyond my reasoning why he’d do something horrible like that. I’ll have to rush off, now. I’ll let you guys know if I get to know something,’ said Martha and took their leave.

‘Hmmm… Not much help but at least it confirms that Ruth was acting shady for a few days,’ observed Charu. ‘We missed on our last attempt, but I strongly feel there’s something happening at the lake; or maybe inside it.’

‘Well, let me head home and go through my dad’s stuff. Hopefully, I’ll get a lead on something. We’ll stay in touch on the phone. Bye for now and thanks for believing in me, Charu. More than anything else, that’s a huge sigh of relief for me,’ said Yuvaan and clutched Charu’s hand affectionately.

At a faraway table, Abhay’s fists clenched. He realized he was obsessing more than ever, over Charu to a point that he couldn’t tolerate Yuvaan’s proximity with Charu. He had so cleverly taken Yuvaan into custody, though using the official powers he could have taken liberties. That ploy seemed to have gotten them even closer.

‘How the hell should I win her over? What the hell should I do with the damn ‘Khopesh’?’, he pondered.

As if fate answered his questions, his phone rang. It was an unknown number.

‘Hello Inspector Abhay, listen very carefully without interrupting. I won’t repeat myself. I have an offer to make. You quote a reasonably handsome price for the ‘Khopesh’ and I’ll ensure to close the deal smoothly without a soul knowing that you are involved in the deal.’

It seemed like a robotic voice as if someone was using automated voice software to hide their original voice.

‘Who the hell are you and what the hell are you blabbering?’ stammered Abhay hysterically trying to keep his voice as low as possible.

The voice at the other end continued, ‘I told you not to interrupt. I was just about to mention the bonus part. Not only will I ensure a handsome amount for the sword, I’ll also pass on valuable info to help you protect your ‘Love’ and win her over. This is a free offer; I won’t charge anything for it. Are you ready for a deal?’

‘How the hell do you know that I have the ‘Khopesh’?’ asked Abhay still shocked at how the other person found out his well-hidden secret.

‘Information is Wealth, Inspector; And how you capitalize on that information defines your success. It’s a long story how I know it. You just be glad that a reasonable person knows about it. You’d have been dead by now if someone else knew about it. Are you ready to strike a deal?’

A sharp chill ran down Abhay’s spine. He hadn’t felt such an icy cold sensation in a long time. It was a lot to process in such a short time, but it was evident that the person at the other end of the phone knew a lot of things. He couldn’t risk denying his proposal. ‘I am ok with a deal.’

‘Excellent. Wait for my next call,’ the voice snapped. Binu removed his headset, lit a cigarette, and threw the burner phone into the lake. He smiled at the prospect of how things would shape up. It was his time to move up, on the bloody ladder, and shine!