Chapter Ten

3 years ago

K-Shandra

@K-Shandra

It was at some unknown hour that the opening of their bedroom doors jolted him awake. Arnav had been a light sleeper ever since her disappearance and subsequent return, thus he quickly zoned in on the figure entering their room. Her movements were as familiar to him as breathing, but something prevented him from calling out to her. After all, he had no idea whether she was awake and actually looking for him or whether she was sleepwalking, thus he decided to wait her out.

Without hesitation or restraint, Khushi made her way to their closet in the dim light. She opened it and selected clothing from within, then turned towards their bathroom, switched on the light and disappeared inside. He lay looking at the door for some time, yet was not surprised when she reappeared dressed in a simple kurta, in preparation for bed. She turned out the bathroom light and made for the dressing table.There she, again without hesitation, reached for the box that held her mangal-sultra. Even in the dim light, he could see her fixing it around her neck.Once done, she ran through the remainder of her evening routine as she had on so many other occasions.

His breath caught as she approached the bed and without thought lifted the covers to slip under them. She shifted closer before seeking his hand and settling for the night. His heart raced while he tried to make sense of her actions, part of him shouted that it was absolutely normal – that they had shared the same routine for some time already… But the uncertain and doubtful voice in his head sought reason, it wanted to know why and how such a sudden change could occur. He remembered the doctor’s words, that they should take things at a pace she was comfortable with… he thought matters over, realizing that everything she had done thus far was well within her normal range of behaviours. But then with Khushi, normal was a matter of opinion. He looked at her, allowing the calmness and serenity on her face to calm his thudding heart. Her familiar scent reached him and her calm breaths soothed him in a manner he had not been soothed for some time. If Khushi was calm and comfortable, then he saw no reason as to why he should question her behaviour. He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that perhaps the worst was finally behind them.

He drifted off to sleep only to be woken when Khushi snuggled closer for warmth. It was something he was intimately familiar, and without thought he gathered her up as he has done so many times before. Things would right themselves. It was his last thought as he finally surrendered to sleep.

Arnav woke the following morning,his mind groggy, his body heavy. For a moment he was confused… His sleep had always been light and he woke long before the sun, but on that particular morning their room was already brightly lit. He shifted to look towards her side of the bed and then sat bolt upright. Her side was empty but appeared slept in. He reached for the area looking about the room, anxiously calling,“Khushi!”

Sounds from the bathroom eased his mind as he got out of bed. He checked the clock, and even on realizing that it was not that late, knew he had slept for a good two hours longer than he unusually did. His towel and bath necessities were neatly placed on the chair, a small action he had taken for granted before her disappearance. The door opened and Khushi stepped from the bathroom, yet he had no idea how to address her or what to expect.

But it was not the usual blabber he had grown accustomed to.

She stepped past him and indicated that he could use the bathroom. Her eyes seemed more lively, somehow, not quite his Khushi but not as far removed as she had been the day they found her at the hospital. He hesitated for a moment well aware of the awkwardness that hung in the air, he picked up his towel and goods and made for the bathroom. He kept chanting in his head that he should keep things as normal as he possibly could.Only it was easier said than done.

Arnav rushed through his morning routine and stepped out of the bathroom in time to see her finish her makeup.Her sindoor and mangal-sutra once again in place, reminded him just as to how much he had missed seeing them on her.

There was a knock at their door and he moved to open it. He expected it to be one of the family members and wondered why none of them had come knocking earlier.

He opened the door to reveal Hari-Prikash.

“Yes?”

“I found this phone in madam Khushi’s room.” He held the phone towards Arnav, “…it was ringing a moment ago.I came here looking for her so that I could give it to her.”

Confused, Arnav looked at the phone, knowing he had not yet replaced Khushi’s phone and wondered where this one had come from. Just then, it rang again and Arnav took it from Hari-Prikash. He checked the caller number, it was unknown, so he rejected the call.

“Where did this come from?” He demanded holding it towards Hari-Prikash, “…I did not buy it.

“Oh, I thought I heard Khushi’s phone.” Payal said as she approached their room.

“How did you know she has a new phone?” Arnav as good as demanded.

“I got it for her the other day,the number is the same as her old one –”

Arnav cut Payal short and demanded,“Why?”

Hesitatingly Payal replied, “I just thought everyone will like to speak to her again.”

“But it has not been sanctioned by her doctor.”

Payal stood taller, her false bravo obvious by the moment’s hesitation in her tone as she said, “I just thought mom and dad will feel better knowing they can easily reach Khushi again, they are still very upset about things. Besides, what harm could a phone do?” Payal looked past him and asked, “Khushi is with you, right?”

Arnav gestured in Khushi’s direction and placed the phone on one of the side tables.

Payal nodded and said, “Good. Breakfast is ready, do you want us to bring some up for you or are you going to join us?”

Arnav glanced towards Khushi and said, “We’ll be down in a minute.”

An air of hesitance and uncertainty hung in the air over breakfast. Arnav’s glare was enough to silence anyone who even attempted to interfere with Khushi’s morning routine. She got him his breakfast, as she had done most mornings prior, much to the surprise of everyone, but she remained silent throughout.

Afterwards, they returned to their room, where Arnav prepared to leave for the office. Khushi’s phone again rang. Arnav watched as Khushi reached for the phone and accepted the call. She lifted it the phone to her ear and then froze in place.

Moments later, the phone slipped and fell from her hand. It crashed to the floor before Arnav could even reach her. He gripped her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. All heat drained from his blood when he looked into her eyes, they were as lifeless and dull as they had been the day they found her at the hospital. He shook her once desperately calling, “Khushi! Khushi look at me damnit! Don’t do this!” 

Her blank gaze remained unchanged, unfocused. He knew not which emotion prevailed, frustration or helplessness, but both gave rise to his all too familiar temper.

“Khushi! Khushi look at me, damnit!Why must you always do stupid things, what was the need?” Arnav looked down at the phone that lay on the ground. He angrily bent down to pick it up and was about to fling him when something stopped him. He looked at the darkened screen, and fought the urge to subject it to his rage. He looked at Khushi, fora moment wondering at the effect the call had had on her, realizing that it could have been the kidnappers, possibly checking up on her. Fear gripped him,for he knew he could not allow them near her again. He looked at Khushi for a moment before swinging around and gathering up his phone.

“Hari-Prikash!”he called as he exited the room, “Keep an eye on Khushi and don’t allow anyone who does not live here into the house!”

A startled Anjali called, “Arnav?”as he made his way down the first series of stairs, “What happened?”

“Everyone stay away from Khushi, I will call her doctor.”

An obviously concerned Nani asked,“But what happened Arnav?”

“I don’t know Grandma, but until the doctor has been to see her, we will better understand.”

“But Arnav,” Anjali called after him, “…where are you going?”

Arnav did not slow his progress,but replied, “I’m going to see the investigating officer. We may learn who is behind all this.” Arnav said as he opened the door. He did not wait for her reply.

The police station was busy,further angering Arnav. He approached the service desk and demanded, “I want to speak with the investigating officer in my wife’s case.”

“Do you have your case number?” The officer asked.

“Not with me,”

“Have you filed an F I R?”

Angrily Arnav replied, “ Look we’ve done all this. My wife was kidnapped, her kidnappers have possibly made contact again, I want to speak with the investigating officer.”

“Sorry, your wife is?” the officer nonchalantly asked.

“Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada.”

The officer remained silent for a moment but then shot up from his chair, apologetically saying, “So sorry, Sir.That’s Inspector Sengupta’s priority case, I will call him right away.” And with that he scurried around the table and out of the room. Arnav looked about the room while he waited. There was an assortment of men and women, some civilians and some in uniform.

The inspector with his white uniform came forward and greeted him, “Mister Singh Raizada, greeting, please come this way we will have more privacy to discuss matters.”

Arnav fell into step besides the man as they headed down the passage and turned into a room. “Please sit,” the inspector took his seat and continued, “I trust Missus Singh Raizada is recovering from her ordeal. The officer informed me that you are here because there might be some developments in the case?”

Arnav placed the phone on the table, “I think the abductor tried to make contact with her this morning.” He pointed to the phone, “My sister-in-law got her a new phone since the last one was never recovered. She kept the number the same as it would be easier for their parents to contact Khushi.”

The inspector picked up the phone,“I see… and you think the abductor tried to contact her.”

“Her phone rang several times this morning, I did not recognize the number so I rejected the calls, but the last one she picked up. And it” Arnav gestured with his  hands, “It changed her, she dropped it and….” Arnav had no idea howto put things into words.

“Do you know what was said to her?”

Arnav shook his head and said, “The phone was dead when I picked it up.”

The inspector looked at the phone and said, “We can subpoena the service provider for the records of the owner of the number that contacted her, but it is usually just easier to return the call.” The inspector pressed buttons on the phone to access the call log, “You say it was the last number that came in…” The inspector frowned, and dejectedly said, “That is going to be a lot harder.”

“What do you mean?” Arnav demanded.

“The number is long, indicating that it was is probably a generic message, recorded on a computer system… much like those marketing messages.”

“So it means nothing?” Arnav demanded.

“That depends on how you look at it.”

“What the!”

The inspector continued, “…if you look at it from an investigation point of view, if it were the people who took her, it means they are trying to re-establish contact with her.”

“I can’t allow that!”

“Understandable, but until we establish exactly who contacted her and what their purpose is, there is little that can actually be done. We have no idea who is behind this, so we have no idea how to respond. But if it was, them they will contact her again, and we can work from there then.”

Angry, Arnav shouted, “Are you mad?! There’s no way I’ll let them to speak to Khushi!”

The inspector baulked at that then held his hand forward in a calming gesture. “I did not mean that they should speak to her again, only that they need to think they are.”

“What do you mean.”

The inspector looked at the phone“This is one of the upmarket models, give it to our tech guru, he’ll program it to do all sorts of fancy things.”

“Like.”

“She’ll only receive certain calls,others will be forwarded and recorded. That way she can keep her phone with her and her calls can be screened without her knowing.”

“Is that even legal?” Arnav demanded.

“It is a grey area, I will give you his number and send instructions that all calls other than those approved be forwarded to your number to be recorded. That way we will also learn what they say to her.”

“And this would work?” Arnav sceptically demanded.

“It will allow those closest to call her and allow us to put a track on anyone not welcome.” The officer took out two notes, on the first he scribbled the number in the phone’s call log, where after he scribbled some details on the second note. “Give him a call, he’ll help you.” The officer extended the note to Arnav, adding “…meanwhile, I’ll have that number traced

Arnav took the details from the inspector and left the station.