Chapter 34

Chapter 21 :

Saakshi entered the conference room with her coffee mug & settled in a chair. She took a deep breath & sipped her coffee. Liza entered that time.

Liza : So you are still alive !!

Saakshi : Haan, seems my stars are with me. You finished your work?

Liza : Just handed over the corpses. Mrs. Vadera was asking for you.

Saakshi : What did you say?

Liza : I told her you are busy with something. Now tell me, how did you escaped?

Saakshi : Just applied basic survival rules.

Liza : What?

Saakshi :  Didn't you read Jim Corbet? When you meet a large carnivourous big wild cat, don't panic, look straight into its eyes, start talking to it slowly in a calm voice, then took slow steps backward, and when you reach a safe distance, run away.

Liza : it sounds different, Corbet wrote something else.

Saakshi : Yeh Saakshi version hain. And trust me, it always works (winked).

Liza : You're impossible, saakshi.

Saakshi : I know...

Arjun entered, went to the counter and poured some tea in his small glass. He settled into his place and looked at the astonished ladies.

Arjun : What ?? Liza, woh deadbodies...

Liza : Done sir.

Arjun : And Shree?

Before anyone answer, Shree entered & stopped on his tracks seeing Arjun sitting at his usual place.

Shree : Sss..sir?

Arjun : Found something?

Shree : Sir, Hydrabad police se report aaye hain. That Y. Mehra resident there is an NRI and he only comes once in a year with his wife. Has two son, they generally not accompany them. Neighbors saw them once or twice.

Arjun : Any photographs...

Shree : From passport copies, here; It's shocking.

Arjun saw the photograph and shocked to the core.

Liza : Sir, how it could be possible? He was dead !!

Arjun : No, he's not at all. This man fooled everyone for last 23 years. We have to nab him at any cost. Shree, prepare a warrant against Maya & NC.

Saakshi : But Arjun, right now? We don't even know if this man is in the country or not. If now we arrest them, their lawyer will inform their sons, and Yatin would be alerted...We should...

Arjun : Ask Sonali to find How Maya contacts with Yatin...(phone buzzed he took the call)... I'm going to meet Chotu.

Arjun left. Shree exhaled a long breath that he was holding for a long time.

Liza : Arre Specky, dheere, woh  sunn lega.

Shree : (passed Liza a hard glare and then looked at Saakshi) Saakshi? You are Alive?? (he poked her cheek)

Saakshi : Ouch!! Shree, yeh NC & Yatin main kuch garbar hain.

Shree : What garbar? Maya is cheating both...

Saakshi : no...something else..(she picked up Yatin's photo & placed it beside NC's on the fact board)...they have no match...but (wrote something on the board)...Shree, ek kaam karoge?

Shree : Itna saara hain,unme tera ek kaam aur kitna waqt lagayega, bol.

Saakshi : NC & Yatin ke fingerprints & signature match karke dekho. I think they are one.

Liza : Aisa kya hain?

Saakshi : Hain kuch, confirm hoke bataunga.

...

Rathod and Aisha was returning to the office. Aisha got a call from Shree. She took the call and listened.

Rathod : What happened?

Aisha : Shree got the names and addresses from Cornworth's daughter.

Rathod : Ask him to massage those, that we can go and meet them.

Aisha : I've told him already, sir.(her phone beeped) here we are. Three names are here. One is nearby, on the next left turn.

Rathod : Let's go.

He speeded up the car.

...

Arjun met Chotu near the Docks.

Arjun : Where are they?

Chotu pointed towards a small house.

Chotu : Sir, four people are inside. Nakul and three others.

Arjun pull out his gun and signaled Chotu to be prepared. Chotu signaled the police came with them. They broke into the house and found three people bend down on some paper. They took them into their custody.

Chotu : Sir, where's the fourth man?

Arjun : Search the place for him.

They search the entire house but found nobody else.

Chotu : Nobody saw him leaving, then how he escaped?

Arjun was bending over an empty packing box.

Chotu : Sir, Nakul brought this box.

Arjun : And now it's empty. Isme jo vi tha uss aadmi le gaya.

Chotu peeped inside the box.

Chotu : Sir, isme toh feathers and dirt...

Arjun : Isme pigeons tha... Chotu, that ship..

Chotu : We informed naval securities to keep an eye on it. They said this ship is damaged and sent to workshop for some repair. So it can't leave the port for upcoming 3 months. & all the crews are on leave.

Arjun : & the captain?

Chotu : I've his address, but there's no one...he left for Shimla with his family.

Arjun : That Dino Pareera lives nearby, right? Uska halchal puch ke jaate hain. Chato.

...

Saakshi was working on some papers, when she got a text from Sonali. She rushed to Shree, who was really messed up with his works.

Saakshi : Shree...

Shree : Not now Saakshi..I'm very busy. Tera kaam hote he main tujhe bata dunga, but avi plz leave me alone.

Saakshi : Tere kaam ki baat karne aayi hoon. Sonali sent a text, NC is sending Vipul somewhere with a big packing box. And he was talking with someone, they'll meet day after tomorrow.

Shree : Ok, I'll follow them. ( he started working on his console).

Saakshi : And...( her phone buzzed again)...What is this? Shree??

Shree looked at the mobile screen and snatched it.

Shree : Yeh..yeh...Sonali ko yeh kahan mila? Saakshi, call her.

Saakshi : Not now, agar yahan koi aur hua, toh problem ho sakta hain.

Shree : Point...

Sakshi : But yeh tha kya?

Shree : An advanced radio control room. And it's in NC's place.

Saakshi : you sure.

Shree : (pointing at a screen) Your friend is still in NC's place, Saakshi. Therefore, it is quite presumable.

...

3.30 pm, Conference room.

Shree, Saakshi  and Liza were having coffee.

Shree : saakshi, tera assumption galat nikla, NC& Yatin ke vitals match nahi karte. They are two different persons.

Saakshi : And that photograph?

Shree : If this place is inside NC's place, than we are in trouble.

Arjun & Chotu entered.

Chotu : Haila !! Saakshi !! Tu zinda hain?

Saakshi : Chooke dekhlo.

Arjun : Bakwaas bandh karo. Shree, I want every detail about those men we caught today.

Shree : Here, it is sir... Nakul is Marmaid's first officer. He has no police records. But the rest two are interesting. They are professional drug peddlers. ...they just came out from jail...It's about a month ago.

Chotu : Haan sir, they can do everything for money. & they admitted someone paid them to get rid of Nakul after he delivered the package and message.

Saakshi : That means someone framed Nakul.

Arjun : Right.

Chotu : Sir, may be...

Chotu couldn't finish his sentence, as the door opened and Aisha entered along with the Chief.

Rathod : Achcha hain, sab yahan mil gaye, ( his gaze feel on Saakshi)... Saakshi, tum thik ho?

Saakshi : Haan ...kyun, kuch hona tha?

Aisha : Nahi, we thought we would help Liza to bring you out of...

Arjun : Out of what?

Rathod :  Nothing. You found something? Chotu?

Chotu : Sir, Mermaid is on repair and it's crews are on leave. & today, we arrested first officer Nakul.

Rathod : And others?

Chotu : it's little difficult...but I'm on it sir. And another thing, Mermaid and its crew are very famous in ports... For illegal connections, suspicious cargo  and involvement in some terrible maritime crimes. However, each time it gets a clear check due to lack of evidences or its owners connections.

Arjun : And who is its owner?

Chotu : A south American billionaire, Gabrielle Cicello Martinez.

Rathod : Hmm... Aur yeh repairing kyun?

Chotu : Actually sir, Mermaid ka scheduled arrival was about 2 weeks ago. And departure from here was tomorrow, but it arrived late, with a big hole, just over the water line. In the repair docks, captain reported that it was due to some submerged coral reef, but according to a senior worker in there, some canon shell did it.

Shree : And naval securities confirmed it. Near Sri Lanka Shore, this ship was warned by sea petrol, but they escaped instead of responding and the petrol ship chased it. In that process, the sea petrol fired on it.

Arjun : that means It had some illegal cargo.

Rathod : And they hid it somewhere near the shore, before sending it to repair docks.

Arjun : And now, they are trying to transport it.

Rathod : And NC gonna do it in a hurry...

Saakshi : Haan, someone is coming to meet him...

Arjun : & that time we'll be there.

Shree : Saakshi, woh...

Saakshi's phone ranged at that time. She took the call and her face became drained of colors. She tried to call someone and failed.

Saakshi : Shree, Sonali !! She's not picking her phone up!!

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Now, you know what to do.