To be or not to be-completed(epilogue) - Page 8

I have so many questions but waiting for you to unfold everything in the upcoming chapters!

A humble request please make the next update longer or possible give a double update 😅😜

Originally posted by: Simiyy

I have so many questions but waiting for you to unfold everything in the upcoming chapters!

A humble request please make the next update longer or possible give a double update 😅😜

Sorry about the last update,I was half asleep when I wrote it and shortened it on purpose to reduce errors 😅

Will definitely try to make them longer or try double updates

Part twenty three

"I want everyone to pay attention.We only have this morning when everyone is at the Mongas to finalize Garry and Seerat's wedding to snoop around."

Ekam declared.

Kiara and Sahiba stares at the giant white board she'd snuck into the storeroom from Daarji's study.

"Are you sure this will work?"Kiara asked doubtfully.

"Where do we start Ekam?"Sahiba asked the younger girl,ignoring Kiara entirely.

Ekam sighed;the two of them had not spoken to each other since their argument following the announcement of Sahiba's pregnancy.

"I need the two of you to co-operate.Othetwise we'll be in danger."

"Danger?"Sahiba asked doubtfully.

"Ekam's right.Our target knows exactly what they're doing.If they get wind of what we're attempting, we're done for.And you are the most vulnerable person at the moment thanks to your pregnancy."Kiara retorted angrily.

Sahiba turned red with anger.

"Don't blame me just because you had to abort your baby."

Ekam was shocked.They hadn't expected Sahiba to stoop to such a level.She was worried about di who turned pale and left the room.She ran behind her,calling out closely followed by Sahiba Parjaai.

"Di,please don't leave me,I really need you."

To her relief,di stopped and turned.Ekam threw herself at her and started crying.

"I know it's really difficult for all of us but please,I really don't want the two of you to fight like this and leave me out of the loop.Mummy is already falling apart and I can no longer rely on papa to take care of her.Please,I need to know that the two of you are atleast alright.I'm not forcing you to be happy or anything,but I just want to be assured that we're there for each other."

"I'm sorry Ekam."Kiara di apologised."I didn't mean to shut you out.No matter what happens,just remember that I'll always be there for you.Even if you murder someone, I'll be there to bury the body."

Sahiba shuffled guiltily,"I'm sorry Ekam , Kiara.I lost myself there and I said things I'll regret forever."

And she joined their hug.

"I acknowledge your apology but I can't forgive you yet.But I won't let this hamper our relationship or our efforts to catch the attacker ."Kiara di replied stiffly.

Ekam pulled herself out of the hug and wiped her tears away resolutely.

"Let's get to work immediately."

*******************************************************

The three of them scrutinized the board ,eyes narrowed at the lists they'd come up with

Gurleen Kaur Brar

Jaspal

Inder

Yashraj

Daarji

Kiara

Jaspal

Inder

Daarji

Yashraj

Hansraj

Mystery attacker at night

Jaspal

Daarji

Inder

Hansraj

Angad

Garry

Veer

"I think we've gotten everyone Ekam."declared di.

Sahiba Parjaai scratched her head in confusion.

"Why haven't you included the ladies in lists two and three?"

"I clearly remember a man standing over me and as for list three, all of you were dead to the world."Kiara replied testily."How on earth can we narrow this list down?There are way too many possibilities.And there's no guarantee that the same person was responsible for all three attacks."

"Di....."Ekam started thoughtfully,"you and mummy have similar scars, extending from your shoulders to the middle of your chests , don't you?"

Kiara nodded.

"The edges are jagged,as if made with a serrated knife.I think it's safe to assume that they were made by the same weapon."

"That means we can rule out Hansraj phupha."Sahiba finished for them.

"But he could very well be the perpetrator of the third attack."

Ekam's shoulders slumped.They were running around in circles.

"Ekam, what about those notes you received?"Sahiba asked.

Kiara di whipped around,"what notes?"she asked suspiciously.

"I was about to tell you but mummy walked out of the room ,upset I hadn't told her."

"I think she assumed you had been assaulted as well and ended up blaming herself."Sahiba reasoned.

"Ekam,I am hurt that you didn't tell me first but let's focus on the issue at hand."Kiara said.

"Di,I have been receiving anonymous notes since that attack last week .Plus I have this strange feeling of being watched at all times."

Di stroked her chin ,lost in thought.

"Show me the notes."

Ekam dutifully produced the scraps of paper.

I have been watching you

You are very beautiful

Your dance was exquisite

"This one came after the Sangeet."

You should be careful about whom you consort with

"I found this after I told Parjaai about the previous notes."

She finally produced the last note,her hands shaking.

Be careful, otherwise you'll meet the same fate as your mother and sister

"I think it's safe to assume that we're looking for a single person."Kiara di said grimly.

"So we have three suspects, daarji, Jaspal sir and Inder sir."declared Sahiba.

"We're forgetting one name."said Ekam.

The other two turned to her.

"Yashraj uncle"

Di frowned, sick at the prospect of dragging her father into this mess.

"But his name is not there on the last list."said Sahiba

"That's because he showed up after the attack."Kiara declared emphatically.

"How do you know that di?"Ekam retorted heatedly."The entire house was in darkness.He could've entered at any time and no one would have known .And even if they had seen him,why would they stop the father of the groom?

And do,think about it.Yashraj uncle was the one who instigated Angad paaji against ok Parjaai.Don't you think it's rather coincidental that this happened soon after we confessed everything to Parjaai?After all, wasn't she the one who encouraged us to look for the culprit and bring him to justice?"

"Really?"remarked Kiara di dryly."It seems the two of you have become best friends all of a sudden,leaving out little old me.

To Ekam's horror ,her di blanched and threw up all over the carpet,before fainting.

I actually really want to know who the attacker is

Can't wait for the next chapter

Originally posted by: themasked

Part twenty three

"I want everyone to pay attention.We only have this morning when everyone is at the Mongas to finalize Garry and Seerat's wedding to snoop around."

Ekam declared.

Kiara and Sahiba stares at the giant white board she'd snuck into the storeroom from Daarji's study.

"Are you sure this will work?"Kiara asked doubtfully.

"Where do we start Ekam?"Sahiba asked the younger girl,ignoring Kiara entirely.

Ekam sighed;the two of them had not spoken to each other since their argument following the announcement of Sahiba's pregnancy.

"I need the two of you to co-operate.Othetwise we'll be in danger."

"Danger?"Sahiba asked doubtfully.

"Ekam's right.Our target knows exactly what they're doing.If they get wind of what we're attempting, we're done for.And you are the most vulnerable person at the moment thanks to your pregnancy."Kiara retorted angrily.

Sahiba turned red with anger.

"Don't blame me just because you had to abort your baby."

Ekam was shocked.They hadn't expected Sahiba to stoop to such a level.She was worried about di who turned pale and left the room.She ran behind her,calling out closely followed by Sahiba Parjaai.

"Di,please don't leave me,I really need you."

To her relief,di stopped and turned.Ekam threw herself at her and started crying.

"I know it's really difficult for all of us but please,I really don't want the two of you to fight like this and leave me out of the loop.Mummy is already falling apart and I can no longer rely on papa to take care of her.Please,I need to know that the two of you are atleast alright.I'm not forcing you to be happy or anything,but I just want to be assured that we're there for each other."

"I'm sorry Ekam."Kiara di apologised."I didn't mean to shut you out.No matter what happens,just remember that I'll always be there for you.Even if you murder someone, I'll be there to bury the body."

Sahiba shuffled guiltily,"I'm sorry Ekam , Kiara.I lost myself there and I said things I'll regret forever."

And she joined their hug.

"I acknowledge your apology but I can't forgive you yet.But I won't let this hamper our relationship or our efforts to catch the attacker ."Kiara di replied stiffly.

Ekam pulled herself out of the hug and wiped her tears away resolutely.

"Let's get to work immediately."

*******************************************************

The three of them scrutinized the board ,eyes narrowed at the lists they'd come up with

Gurleen Kaur Brar

Jaspal

Inder

Yashraj

Daarji

Kiara

Jaspal

Inder

Daarji

Yashraj

Hansraj

Mystery attacker at night

Jaspal

Daarji

Inder

Hansraj

Angad

Garry

Veer

"I think we've gotten everyone Ekam."declared di.

Sahiba Parjaai scratched her head in confusion.

"Why haven't you included the ladies in lists two and three?"

"I clearly remember a man standing over me and as for list three, all of you were dead to the world."Kiara replied testily."How on earth can we narrow this list down?There are way too many possibilities.And there's no guarantee that the same person was responsible for all three attacks."

"Di....."Ekam started thoughtfully,"you and mummy have similar scars, extending from your shoulders to the middle of your chests , don't you?"

Kiara nodded.

"The edges are jagged,as if made with a serrated knife.I think it's safe to assume that they were made by the same weapon."

"That means we can rule out Hansraj phupha."Sahiba finished for them.

"But he could very well be the perpetrator of the third attack."

Ekam's shoulders slumped.They were running around in circles.

"Ekam, what about those notes you received?"Sahiba asked.

Kiara di whipped around,"what notes?"she asked suspiciously.

"I was about to tell you but mummy walked out of the room ,upset I hadn't told her."

"I think she assumed you had been assaulted as well and ended up blaming herself."Sahiba reasoned.

"Ekam,I am hurt that you didn't tell me first but let's focus on the issue at hand."Kiara said.

"Di,I have been receiving anonymous notes since that attack last week .Plus I have this strange feeling of being watched at all times."

Di stroked her chin ,lost in thought.

"Show me the notes."

Ekam dutifully produced the scraps of paper.

I have been watching you

You are very beautiful

Your dance was exquisite

"This one came after the Sangeet."

You should be careful about whom you consort with

"I found this after I told Parjaai about the previous notes."

She finally produced the last note,her hands shaking.

Be careful, otherwise you'll meet the same fate as your mother and sister

"I think it's safe to assume that we're looking for a single person."Kiara di said grimly.

"So we have three suspects, daarji, Jaspal sir and Inder sir."declared Sahiba.

"We're forgetting one name."said Ekam.

The other two turned to her.

"Yashraj uncle"

Di frowned, sick at the prospect of dragging her father into this mess.

"But his name is not there on the last list."said Sahiba

"That's because he showed up after the attack."Kiara declared emphatically.

"How do you know that di?"Ekam retorted heatedly."The entire house was in darkness.He could've entered at any time and no one would have known .And even if they had seen him,why would they stop the father of the groom?

And do,think about it.Yashraj uncle was the one who instigated Angad paaji against ok Parjaai.Don't you think it's rather coincidental that this happened soon after we confessed everything to Parjaai?After all, wasn't she the one who encouraged us to look for the culprit and bring him to justice?"

"Really?"remarked Kiara di dryly."It seems the two of you have become best friends all of a sudden,leaving out little old me.

To Ekam's horror ,her di blanched and threw up all over the carpet,before fainting.

I am intrigued now 😲

All the brars are covered.

Who can it be ??

Can it be Ajeet??

Because obviously his name is not there.

All the men are included except for Ajeet . 😲😲

Waiting for the next part!!!

Part twenty four

Kiara had known that her father was a suspect the moment they started writing the names on the board.But to have it in writing proved to be too much for her.The implication that her own father was ger potential assaulter was too much to comprehend.The girls settled her in her own room ,cleaning her up and changing her clothes while Sukhdeep cleaned the mess in the storeroom.Ekam had had the forethought to bring the whiteboard to her room to avoid awkward questions.

They sat in silence for a while.

"Let's look for the weapon."Sahiba said determinedly.

"Di is sick."Ekam said doubtfully.

"The sooner we get to the bottom of this ,the better. She'll get the closure she deserves."Sahiba replied.

Kiara nodded and the three of them set out,deciding to comb through the rooms.

"What exactly are we looking for?"asked Ekam.

Kiara thought for a moment when the memory came to her with electrifying clarity.

"A dagger,painted gold with jagged edges.It has a carving of a lion on its handle."

"But di,how do we know that the attacker still has the weapon with him?"

"Pretty simple actually,he threatened to do to you what he did to me and mami."

They walked through the corridors in silence.

Sahiba spoke up,

"Let's split up to cover more ground.Ekam,you take Jaspal sir's room,Kiara will cover Yashraj sir's room and I'll take Daarji's room.Once we're done,we can search Inder sir's room together."

They nodded and dispersed.

*******************************************************

Ekam meticulously went through her parents' room when the futility of the search finally hit her.If her father were the attacker,why on earth would he hide the knife in the bedroom,where her mother could easily find it?And didn't it hold true for the other rooms as well?The bedrooms were too obvious.However,she persisted in her search,hoping to gain a clue or two.As she went through the files in the closet,she changed upon her brother's birth certificate,when the the idea hit her like a ton of bricks.

She whipped out her phone and called her di and parjaai in a conference call.

"Di, Parjaai can you here me?No, don't say anything,we don't have time.Just listen to me carefully.Di,get a few strands of hair from Yashraj uncle's hairbrush. Parjaai,do the same thing in Daarji's room as well."

She hung up and hastily rearranged everything. Running to the dresser,she deftly pulled two strands of hair from her father's brush before running to her brother's room where she repeated the procedure. Carefully dropping them in ziploc bags and labelling them, she finally heaved a sigh of relief when the other two joined her as well,having taken a detour to Inder's room as well.

"Brilliant idea Ekam,"Di patted her on the head."The sooner we get the DNA test done,the better ."

"Let's go now.If they return and ask for us, Sukhdeep can tell them that I've taken the two of you shopping." Sahiba said resolutely.

The three of them piled into Kiara's car and made it to the lab in record time with di driving at breakneck speed.

"Wait,how do we keep this confidential? There's a chance that the hospital management might inform Angad or daarji."Sahiba asked nervously.

Ekam tapped her fingers on the dashboard,thinking for a moment before replying.

"Let's get the test done in Daarji's name.Let's tell the doctor that daarji wants this test done in absolute secrecy.Even if anyone at home gets wind of this test,no one will dare question Daarji's word and will keep their mouths shut."

"Unless my mother gets involved."Kiara said grimly.

"But I think we're missing something here.How will the doctor react to this? Remember, we're submitting Daarji's sample as well as a potential candidate to be Veer's father.Imagine what will happen if this news breaks out.Brar jewellers will be done for and we'll be buried ten feet under the earth. "

Sahiba said, distressed.

"Let's label the samples alphabetically and submit them without the names.We can tell them that daarji has requested absolute secrecy.If necessary I can pay them off as well."Kiara said confidently.

"Or we could just use a false name and pay them off."

Ekam said dryly.

"Oh,that sounds so much easier.I didn't think about it."

"No wonder you got caught after plagiarising Parjaai 's designs."

The three of them burst into laughter with Sahiba shaking her head exasperatedly as they entered the building.

The doctor gave them a suspicious look as they made their request but Kiara turned on her charm ,cooking up a brilliant sob story about a broken family she wished to heal and produced a huge wad of cash.He melted and got to work.

"Well ladies, I'm afraid it will take me a week to get the results .How about I give you a call and one of you come to pick them up?"

Ekam frowned and nodded.They had done everything they could ;now all they could do was wait.

*******************************************************

They returned home to absolute chaos. Unwittingly, they had walked right into the middle of one of the infamous Brar hall dramas.Sahiba was thankful that she wasn't the target this time.Manveer ma'am and Inder sir had ganged up on Garry for orchestrating his marriage with the one woman who had single handedly brought them a terrible reputation by running away on the day of the wedding,forcing Angad to marry an uncouth girl.Sahiba rolled her eyes as she she heard their accusations.They seemed to have forgotten that she had been forced as well, conveniently laying all the blame at her parents' feet when Jasleen ma'am had threatened them to go through with her plans.

She looked around for Gurleen chachi but to her surprise,she was missing.So was Jaspal sir.Ekam and Kiara had noticed it as well and signalled her to retreat to the storeroom.To her horror,Angad noticed her leaving and took it upon himself to care for her in their room.

"Sahiba, please don't stress yourself unnecessarily with all this drama.Come with me to our room.I'll spend the whole day with you and our child."

She glanced helplessly at her sister in laws as she found herself being led away by Angad.

Originally posted by: themasked

Part twenty four

Kiara had known that her father was a suspect the moment they started writing the names on the board.But to have it in writing proved to be too much for her.The implication that her own father was ger potential assaulter was too much to comprehend.The girls settled her in her own room ,cleaning her up and changing her clothes while Sukhdeep cleaned the mess in the storeroom.Ekam had had the forethought to bring the whiteboard to her room to avoid awkward questions.

They sat in silence for a while.

"Let's look for the weapon."Sahiba said determinedly.

"Di is sick."Ekam said doubtfully.

"The sooner we get to the bottom of this ,the better. She'll get the closure she deserves."Sahiba replied.

Kiara nodded and the three of them set out,deciding to comb through the rooms.

"What exactly are we looking for?"asked Ekam.

Kiara thought for a moment when the memory came to her with electrifying clarity.

"A dagger,painted gold with jagged edges.It has a carving of a lion on its handle."

"But di,how do we know that the attacker still has the weapon with him?"

"Pretty simple actually,he threatened to do to you what he did to me and mami."

They walked through the corridors in silence.

Sahiba spoke up,

"Let's split up to cover more ground.Ekam,you take Jaspal sir's room,Kiara will cover Yashraj sir's room and I'll take Daarji's room.Once we're done,we can search Inder sir's room together."

They nodded and dispersed.

*******************************************************

Ekam meticulously went through her parents' room when the futility of the search finally hit her.If her father were the attacker,why on earth would he hide the knife in the bedroom,where her mother could easily find it?And didn't it hold true for the other rooms as well?The bedrooms were too obvious.However,she persisted in her search,hoping to gain a clue or two.As she went through the files in the closet,she changed upon her brother's birth certificate,when the the idea hit her like a ton of bricks.

She whipped out her phone and called her di and parjaai in a conference call.

"Di, Parjaai can you here me?No, don't say anything,we don't have time.Just listen to me carefully.Di,get a few strands of hair from Yashraj uncle's hairbrush. Parjaai,do the same thing in Daarji's room as well."

She hung up and hastily rearranged everything. Running to the dresser,she deftly pulled two strands of hair from her father's brush before running to her brother's room where she repeated the procedure. Carefully dropping them in ziploc bags and labelling them, she finally heaved a sigh of relief when the other two joined her as well,having taken a detour to Inder's room as well.

"Brilliant idea Ekam,"Di patted her on the head."The sooner we get the DNA test done,the better ."

"Let's go now.If they return and ask for us, Sukhdeep can tell them that I've taken the two of you shopping." Sahiba said resolutely.

The three of them piled into Kiara's car and made it to the lab in record time with di driving at breakneck speed.

"Wait,how do we keep this confidential? There's a chance that the hospital management might inform Angad or daarji."Sahiba asked nervously.

Ekam tapped her fingers on the dashboard,thinking for a moment before replying.

"Let's get the test done in Daarji's name.Let's tell the doctor that daarji wants this test done in absolute secrecy.Even if anyone at home gets wind of this test,no one will dare question Daarji's word and will keep their mouths shut."

"Unless my mother gets involved."Kiara said grimly.

"But I think we're missing something here.How will the doctor react to this? Remember, we're submitting Daarji's sample as well as a potential candidate to be Veer's father.Imagine what will happen if this news breaks out.Brar jewellers will be done for and we'll be buried ten feet under the earth. "

Sahiba said, distressed.

"Let's label the samples alphabetically and submit them without the names.We can tell them that daarji has requested absolute secrecy.If necessary I can pay them off as well."Kiara said confidently.

"Or we could just use a false name and pay them off."

Ekam said dryly.

"Oh,that sounds so much easier.I didn't think about it."

"No wonder you got caught after plagiarising Parjaai 's designs."

The three of them burst into laughter with Sahiba shaking her head exasperatedly as they entered the building.

The doctor gave them a suspicious look as they made their request but Kiara turned on her charm ,cooking up a brilliant sob story about a broken family she wished to heal and produced a huge wad of cash.He melted and got to work.

"Well ladies, I'm afraid it will take me a week to get the results .How about I give you a call and one of you come to pick them up?"

Ekam frowned and nodded.They had done everything they could ;now all they could do was wait.

*******************************************************

They returned home to absolute chaos. Unwittingly, they had walked right into the middle of one of the infamous Brar hall dramas.Sahiba was thankful that she wasn't the target this time.Manveer ma'am and Inder sir had ganged up on Garry for orchestrating his marriage with the one woman who had single handedly brought them a terrible reputation by running away on the day of the wedding,forcing Angad to marry an uncouth girl.Sahiba rolled her eyes as she she heard their accusations.They seemed to have forgotten that she had been forced as well, conveniently laying all the blame at her parents' feet when Jasleen ma'am had threatened them to go through with her plans.

She looked around for Gurleen chachi but to her surprise,she was missing.So was Jaspal sir.Ekam and Kiara had noticed it as well and signalled her to retreat to the storeroom.To her horror,Angad noticed her leaving and took it upon himself to care for her in their room.

"Sahiba, please don't stress yourself unnecessarily with all this drama.Come with me to our room.I'll spend the whole day with you and our child."

She glanced helplessly at her sister in laws as she found herself being led away by Angad.

Why are Gurleen and Jaspal missing??

I have doubts regarding yashraj and ajeet.

Loved your update!

I know that you just posted but still waiting for the next part😜😅