THE HARBINGER OF NOR'WESTER

Prison Break

The constable almost threw the man with the thin body frame into jail.

"Just so you know," the drunken man grabbed the bars of the jail, "this is harassment, I am not drunk."

"No you just felt obligated to hit the lady cook to see if she could control thunderstorms!" the constable hissed and turned to Biraj, "hey, take this guy's inventory, we don't need another bookkeeping accusation!", the constable threw a leather wallet and a bunch of keys at the reception desk.

Biraj picked them up rather angrily, logging evidence so early in the morning was beneath him. Another thing Biraj didn't agree with Vaibhav, the correct procedure gets the wheels of justice rolling, and also fighting a walking natural calamity like a madman.

"Biraj," Vaibhav walked up the stairs holding a file in hand, "did you catalog the evidence 4A?"

"How did you get a serial number if I did not catalog it?" Biraj said exasperated, "you probably confused the files, again."

"Why don't you just arrange them in alphabetical order?"

"I don't know Dr. Roy! The judiciary system tends to view case history in chronological order!"

Vaibhav faked a smile and pursed his lips. He looked at Biraj who was keenly drawing margin on the register.

"You forgot something!" said the recently imprisoned drunkard, vying for Biraj's attention.

Biraj walked up to Vaibhav meeting him halfway in front of the jail and looked at his file.

"4A was that circuit thingy, right?" Biraj ran his finger over the file logs.

"You forgot something!" said the drunkard prisoner again.

"Biraj, that humongous machine downstairs is hallucinating me to explain it to myself, please don't force me to explain to you why the 'circuit thingy' must be 4A and why I must find it in the crate of evidence!"

"Hey, hey! Don't panic...," Biraj began.

"You forgot something," the prisoner spoke again.

"What?" Biraj was irritated and took a step forward to the jail bars.

"There is this hook in my pants," the drunkard lifted the casual he was wearing and fumbled with hooks of his pants.

"How is he drunk?" said Vaibhav suddenly.

"You are a scientist and the visual appeal of those blood-red eyes went over you!" Biraj pointed at the prisoner who was coming close to the bars now still fumbling his pant hook.

"Do you have something inside your pants, sir?" Biraj seemed interested and leaned on the jail bars holding them with his left hand for support.

"Yes, but...," apparently the drunkard was serious with struggling with his pants too.

"I mean yes, he has inflamed cornea and no observable torsional equilibrium...," Vaibhav began to explain until he saw Biraj looking weirdly at him.

"Bloody eyes and stoned!" Vaibhav corrected himself, "he still does not smell!"

"What?" Biraj turned his voice tone now the prisoner was still struggling.

"Organic alcohol has a class two reaction mechanism with stomach acid. It generates a heavy smell. Compared to how drunk this guy is coupled with his hygiene and sweat. The smell should have us wanting for a swift bail!", Vaibhav covered his nose, "however he is only wanting to make me puke!"

"What are you saying?" Biraj removed his hand from the bar.

Almost immediately a fist came at his left jaw, making his left hand free fall in a twist. Before Biraj realised it, the prisoner twisted Biraj's floating hand through the bar and behind his back. At the same moment, the prisoner pulled out a knife from his crotch and stuck it close to Biraj's throat.

"You forgot something!" the prisoner said clearly.

Vaibhav suddenly floated back to the speeches given by the sub-inspector about his lack of field experience.

"Hey doctor!" the prisoner said twisting Biraj's arm harder, the knife scrapped his throat.

Vaibhav raised his hands firmly holding the file. In his chaotic state of forced compliance that file was the cupful of order he possessed.

"What do you want?" Vaibhav wanted to sound calm but somehow he spoke the words with an astonishing apathy that seemed to surprise the prisoner too.

"Open this door, genius!"

"How?" Vaibhav asked the obvious question.

"I am busy threatening, could you feel threatened and figure it out?" the prisoner did not sound sarcastic.

Vaibhav looked around and found a bunch of keys on the reception desk. He looked at the prisoner and slowly walked to get the keys. The prisoner tilted his head hard ushering Vaibhav to hurry up.

"Where is Saikat?" the prisoner said as Vaibhav came back with the keys.

"Who?" Vaibhav was not even listening, he just wanted to keep the conversation going to prevent the prisoner from doing anything else.

"The Naxal, who is here!"

"He is...," Vaibhav began to say.

Then there was a sound, for a second Vaibhav thought it was thunder crackling, then he realised it was a gunshot. A gun was fired just behind him. Three things happened, Vaibhav swiftly turned around without thinking what the prisoner behind him could do, Biraj stumbled a few steps forward grasping his neck checking for wounds and Bimal stood there keenly watching the prisoner bleed from his right leg, spasming on the jail floor.

"You shot him!" Vaibhav exclaimed.

"And you will treat him, funny how life works!" said the inspector happily holstering his gun.