Chapter 18 (installment 1):

All gathered at the monitor of interrogation room and observing the man sitting in the chair inside. A man around 50, average hight, & roly-poly body structure wearing an exclusive Varsachi silk collction.

Saakshi : Guys, he looks like a frog on staroids,doesn't he?

Shree and Aisha started giggling, Rathod had also a smile on his face, but Arjun glared at them.

Arjun : Stop it. Rathod, let's go, come.

Mohan Sharma was looking around the interrogation room, it was a small room with a oneway glass window, a staircase and a door, decorated with a simple table and two chairs. He was uncomfortable looking at those simple furniture and the only glass full of water which were evidently cheap in his eyes. He mentally cursed his luck that brought him in this ordinary & cheap place a well as his decision to put on this exclusive suit.

Arjun and Rathod entered the room and Mohan adjusted himself on the chair to face them. Rathod took the only empty chair and Arjun sat on the table,putting his gun in front of them.

Rathod : Well, Mr. Sharma...

Mohan : (in angry tone) I didn't anything illegal, then why you people are harassing me?..I've informd my lawyar and until his arrival I'm not answering any of your questions, officer.

Arjun : Great !! A guilty conscience needs no accuser. Rathod, we didn't even introduced and he started crying. So Mr. Mohan Sharma, what are you afraid of? Did you kill Yatin Mehra?

Mohan : Yatin Mehra? Who is he?

Rathod passed him a photograph. This is an old party photo of Yatin's party.

Mohan looked at the photo, surprised.

Mohan  : This Yatin?

Arjun : Yes this Yatin, did you expected anyone else?

Mohan remained silent.

Rathod : Now, tell us, Mr. Sharma. What do you know about him?

Mohan : Look, officers, He died about 20 yars ago, & he was not so promising actor, as far I remember, he died in an accident.

Rathod : Not so promising !! but you wrote yourself these articles on him & you are the one who named him " The man with million faces"?

Mohan : maybe I wrote it on some outstanding performancs by him.

Arjun : How was your relationship with him?

Mohan : I used to know him,met in some film launch party, then went some of his parties, and it was in late 80's, I don't remember much about him.

Arjun : Achcha? But in this picture you're looking so close to him.

Mohan : It's just a picture. It doesn't prove anything.

Rathod : he's right Rawte. This picture proves nothing.

Arjun : haan, toh Sharmaji, tell us about those parties you attended at his place...specially those Saturday ones.

Mohan : What Saturday?

Arjun : The Saturdays that you didn't missed once until his death.

Mohan : I only attend those parties where I'm invited, and I hardly remember him, so plz...

Arjun : Mr. Sharma. Don't you dare to play with us; we know everything about your connection with Yatin Mehra and the secret coven. We've already talked with other members and they told us everything, so now give only true answer of our question or your lawyar will come here to collect your broken bones only. Samjhe ya Samjhaun?

Mohan stared at Arjun for a long moment, sighed and straighten up a little.

Mohan : Ok, what you pople want to know?

...

In front of the monitors, three pair of eyes were thoroughly enjoyed the scne was playing inside. The saw how the ACPs broke that self- conceited man into pieces.

Shree : saakshi, teri frog ka to sari hawa nikal gayee.

Aisha : Haan kaun kahga yahi admi thori der pehle tak kitna upar urr raha tha. Arjun sir iska parr hi kaat dia.

Saakshi : Frogs don't fly in the sky, Aisha darling. They croak & jump.

Shree : Ladies, concentrate plz.

...

Rathod : Start it from the bginning, Mr. Sharma.

Mohan : Well, I started as a film journalist and used  to write  reviews on films, thus I met a lot of people in the industry. I met him on the screening of his first film. Then we ran across each other in some more places, got along with him gradually & finally were hand in glove with each other. We had some common likings like bedtime horror stories, mysteries, whichcrafts, planchets, black magics etc.

Rathod : So you both involved in black magic? You had a coven?

Mohan : (became cautious) Coven? Coven is a team of wiches. And we were not wiches at all.

Arjun : Yes, we know. But you knew him closely. So did it really exist?

Mohan : Not at all. It was a fun, Yatin threw parties on Saturday nights so that most of his frinds and colleagues can join.

Rathod : Do you know some of them?

Mohan : Yes, I know, In fact I was one of them.

Arjun : Take some names...

Mohan : plz, don't tell me to do that. Many of us have high reputation in the society now. And it's not important who joined that party or not. We all were young, enrgtic, & experiment loving. It was a stress reliver for us. In tender age, we all do some blunders and we learn from it. it's natural.

Rathod : What's important or not , it'll dsided by us Mr. Sharma. Names plz.

Mohan : (pointing on the photo) His fiencee, Maya. She was our medium. That girl actually belived in these & Yatin also used to put fuel in it. Then this girl, Ruhi, makeup artist. This girl, Nitu, Maya's friend & an actress, she wasn't so regular, died of blood cancer, it have been more than ten years. It's Yatin's lawyer, name...

Arjun : Jagdish Mahatre.

Mohan : Right, this is his bird doctor name may be Shetty, this one Mr. Mohali, antique dealer. Mehra mansion kii maximum interiors inhi ka meherbani hain. yeh, yatin's assistant, we have same surnames. This is our magitian Cornworth. This man,I saw him but..

Arjun : Dino Pareera.

Mohan : Haan, & this is our MP Soham Bose. That's all.

Arjun : And the 13^th one?

Mohan : Who?

Arjun : The one isn't in the photo.Kaali.

Mohan : OH !!He was brought by Yatin. I don't know anything about him, In fact I never asked Yatin about him. He didn't evn talked once, non of us heard him to talk.

Rathod : What did you people do there?

Mohan :  Nothing that you are thinking of officers. We met, wished good luck each other, ate fresh and healthy foods, and performed some rituals those are not harmful, mostly performed planchet, fortune telling things, read tarot cards, practice some silly voodoo arts. But we avoided those sacrifice things. Instead, we used oranges and lemons as offerings. It was  mere fun.

Arjun : And Kaali?

Mohan : He was our pandit actually, & he was a great hypnotizer. He used to hypnotize Maya or any of the girls for planchets and fortune telling sessions.

Arjun : Did kaali had an assistant?

Mohan : I always saw him alone.

Arjun : And other people came to the meeting?

Mohan : They were our scapegoats. We always brought someone interested or some non-bliever, to play with us. Actually, the Saturday night was an open secret.

Arjun : What about Yatin & Maya? We heard they were engaged.

Mohan : Haan, In fact, they got engaged in our Saturday night.

Rathod : Why did you stopped arranging parties after his death?

Mohan : Actually nobody invited us. Yatin had chosen her incharge for everything. But Maya was scared after his death...& she just left everything and shifted with her mother.

Arjun : What scared her?

Mohan : (a bit tensed) I don't know, she didn't told us. Well, I think I've cooperated much officers, now, may I leave?

Arjun : One last question Mr. Sharma. Did you met Maya  or her husband in last 20 years?

Mohan : Just once, when she came back with her son and husband. I didn't met her husband. However, I saw their family photo.

Arjun : Do you think, Yatin can left Maya for any of his...

Mohan : He loved her. He could left everything but Maya.

Rathod : Ok, thanks for coming. But If we need you again, we'll call you.

Mohan : with pleasure.

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I don't know what I'm writing...but felt it was necessary for the story.

Let me know how it was.