BALI 100 KM (Book 1) ✔

Chapter 44

Bandu awaited Samar's reply as to why he had to go and meet miss Sakhi.

"Even I don't know. My job is to get you there today, so be ready. We shall move in some time," Samar replied and walked out of the house with his mobile.

"Mother, today I am not going to the shop. I have to go and meet Miss Sakhi again," Bandu informed his mother as soon as Samar was out of sight, somewhat disheartened.

"Don't fear the truth, Maan. Truth never really hurts anybody. Speak the truth, and I am sure god up there will look after you," mother advised him.

"The truth! If only I knew..., And...," Bandu got distracted when Samar entered the room, ending any further discussions between them.

Bandu, along with Samar, reached Bali with much trepidation. He was aware of the fact that he was not at the intended place. They entered an old two-story structure named the police headquarters amid the city. The building was buzzing around with lots of people, some of whom were uniformed, so it was arduous to identify police personnel's from ordinary citizens. Samar took the stairs to the topmost floor, where they knocked and entered a cabin with 'commissioner' displayed on the door. Bandu wanted to ask Samar several questions, but he gulped it down when he saw Comm. Seth seated on the chair in front of him with a grim face.

Unlike inspector Sarathi, Comm. Seth was not a smiling person as much of his feeling was expressed through his tone. Samar saluted his senior.

"Bandu, please be seated," indicating to the empty chair in front of his desk. He fidgeted with the papers on the desk that was already neatly stacked up.

Samar cleared his throat, not a respectful gesture, but that seemed to bring out awareness from the person seated in front, passing a look at Samar first before landing at Bandu.

"I see that no serious harm has come to you with yesterday night's mishap," he drawled.

"No..., just scratches. The car sped off so fast into the darkness that we couldn't even see the model of the car, forget the number plate," Bandu elaborated.

"Hmm..." was his absentminded reaction, his gaze fixed on the papers in front of him.

"I...I was supposed to meet Miss Sakhi," Bandu put in.

"Miss Sakhi...yes," he began, "Actually, Bandu, we have a new problem in our hands," he continued in a low voice, "The masterminds in the Bali case are an impatient lot and want things to happen their way quickly." He said, looking up at Bandu, "They are always one step ahead of us. We have received another note from them yesterday night,"

"You received it? That's surprising. Why would they send any warning note to the police?" Bandu's eyes widened.

"That's not the case here. We found it at Miss Sakhi's residence last night," Inspector Seth responded.

"At Miss Sakhi's...residence...," there began a dull ache in his heart as he stumbled on that piece of news, and with much foreboding, he put forth his next question, "Is...is Miss Sakhi...alright...?" and waited with bated breath for the answer.

Inspector Seth's intense stare unnerved Bandu, "She has been kidnapped, Bandu," he declared.

"Kidnapped?!" Bandu repeated loudly and felt something breaking inside him.

"Her elderly neighbor reported her missing yesterday. Our team responded immediately. 

According to their statement, they found it quite unusual that the main door of miss Sakhi's house stood wide open. Duty-bound, the couple went in to check up on their unwell neighbor. When the repeated ringing of the doorbell yielded no results, they ventured into the house, only to find the maid unconscious in the bedroom and her employer missing. They then had rushed out to report the matter,"

"But...sir...she was under attack once before too, and you still left her unguarded?"

"You are not accusing us of negligence are you now?" commissioner Seth reacted pointedly.

"No...sir...but her safety was utmost until the case was over,"

"That was precisely why we had posted two guards at her house,"

"Then how was she abducted?"

"The team on searching found the guards behind the house unconscious. Then they revived the maid who, in a state of frightened delirium, narrated about the kidnappers. How they, after forced entry, held her at gunpoint and was asked to be led to Miss Sakhi. On reaching the bedroom door, they rendered her unconscious with a blow to her head. We also found the note on the bedside table," Comm. Seth informs him.

Bandu had difficulty in believing that such a thing could happen to her. He never really disliked her but only wanted to stay away from her peering questions about his life. He felt miserable as her vulnerable and terrified face loomed in his mind.

"Why did they have to kidnap her?" Bandu asked indignantly.

"We have formed a theory to that Bandu. You see, it was her research papers that went missing. So the logic behind her abduction, as we theorized, was that she could provide them some insight about what the papers contain." Comm. Seth replies.

"So then, after she provides them the necessary information, they will set her free?" Bandu asked hopefully.

"That was just our theory, Bandu. We don't know what exactly they want of Miss Sakhi," he replied in an argument that dashed Bandu's hopes and at the same time made him realize that something worse was yet to come and he was going to be at the receiving end.

"Then if they kidnapped her...then...why am I...here...to meet...her?" Bandu asked hesitantly in a low voice. He saw the paperweight on the table had begun to spin under Comm. Seth's hands and then it stopped with a thud.

"Bandu, the kidnappers have demanded a ransom," He uttered finally.

"How much do they want?"

Comm. Seth shook his head resignedly.

"They don't want money, Bandu," he said, staring intensely at Bandu, making him nervous. Bandu braced himself for the commissioner's words.