The Enemy Within

Chapter 18

The guys look at each for a fleeting second, realising they will need to steer their target toward the relevant information.

Sunny smiles patiently, "Sir, we are looking for something different... That's why this is a series where we are interviewing drivers that are absolutely out of the ordinary – like people who have driven through snow storms, or in deserts like you have."

Bakshi thinks for a long moment, and then shakes his head, "I can tell you about an incident that really shook me recently, but I don't think you can print it, since this is a border area and there are security concerns."

"If you tell us what happened, Sir, we can then decide."

"It was a weird incident really, and something I have actually never witnessed before in my 30 years out there. I was taking a select clientele on a dune bashing expedition at sunset just a couple of days back."

He laughs as Rohan and Sunny move to the edge of their seat.

"I took them a bit off the beaten path, away from the rest of the cars out there. On the way back, we saw a man rolling down a dune. We stopped to help and found that he was dead. I have never been so scared in my life."

"A dead man in the middle of the desert!!! What did you do then?" asks Rohan, keeping up the shock and awe pretence.

Bakshi pours himself another drink, "Do?? We ran... I have not run so fast for a long time. You see, this is a sensitive area, so my first duty is towards my clients – to ensure they are safe."

Sunny asks curiously, "But how did the man die in the middle of the desert? Did you get to see the body?"

Bakshi shrugs, "The other men reached the body first. One of them was bending over the body. Strange fellow, looked like an Indian but spoke like a foreigner. I think he was a doctor. He said there was no pulse. Then we all got scared and ran."

"Wow, that must have scared the pants off everybody for sure. Can you tell me who were the people with you? Maybe we can ask them for their experience too? Will make for good reading if we get reactions from the others too."

"Well, I don't think anyone will want to talk about it. And I'm sure they must have all left the city by now. We were all too scared. I just reported it to the border police and left it to them, didn't even tell my company. I don't want to get mixed up in all this."

"Of course, I can imagine. But if you can tell us who they were just for the sake of this story..."

Bakshi looks at his glass and ponders for a bit, "Okay, I'm not supposed to disclose their names. But you seem like nice guys, so make sure you don't mention you got the information from me."

Both of them nod immediately.

"There were two Indians, NRI types and two foreigners. The man sitting next to me was a construction tycoon here on some work. His name was Mr. Abdul Karim from Dubai. I remember him well as he had constructed one of the big malls in Dubai that I had visited. I don't remember the names of the others. One man was very quiet, the other man who I assume was a doctor was only clicking pictures and there was one Spanish singer."

Rohan looks at him confused, "Spanish singer??"

Bakshi smiles, "Yeah, it was surprising. But he was going on singing songs on the drive. Finally I asked him what language he was singing in. He said it was Spanish and that the beauty of the desert was inspiring him to create new songs. That's all I remember of them – can't remember any of their names. I'm sure the office will have all the details, if you really need it."

Rohan smiles at him, "Oh, that's ok... we might not need it. But that was an exceptional story. We will check with our editors if we can publish this or not. Maybe then we can approach your office with an official letter, if required. Can we get a couple of more anecdotes, if you have time?"

"Well, I'm due to meet some friends for a drink at our daily haunt. You can come back again tomorrow if you like."

Rohan and Sunny stand up immediately, "Thank you so much Mr. Bakshi, we will try and drop in again tomorrow if time permits."

They shake hands and leave.