Without Notice (Book 2)

#19

PRESENT DAY:

Navika rang a doorbell of a house owned by Prithvi Pathak. The house was built in a colony. A maid opened the door.

She asked, " Yes? "

" Is Mr. Pathak home? "

" He'll be back in an hour. Are you Miss Navika? "

She nodded.

" It's me. "

" Please, be in. "

Navika came inside.

The maid said, " Please be seated. I'll inform him. "

Navika sat on a couch in the living room after which the maid went to kitchen where her mobile phone was kept. She picked up the phone to dial Mr. Pathak's number.

Arjun kept a laptop before Sakshi Mehra on the table.

Sakshi asked, " Is that hers? "

" I have recovered it from the collection of the dealer. We are fortunate that he didn't sell it to any buyer. "

" So, you should get it started. "

" Yes, I should. "

Sakshi gave a perplexed look.

He said, " The laptop has the security enabled feature. It has to be unlocked to go through the contents inside. "

" Did you talk any of our technicians? "

" I want to meet Kulkarni only for this job. "

" You know he is already annoyed with you? "

" Come on, I'll make him to get the job done. "

An experienced technician in his fifties, Gopal Kulkarni accessed Dipti's laptop in his flat. Arjun opened his refrigerator which was in the same room.

He asked, " There are three tetra packs. "

Gopal replied, " Take only one but not the orange flavour. "

Arjun took out a juice pack and shut the refrigerator. He came to the laptop.

Gopal said, " I am unable to crack the password. "

" Any other way to unlock the thing? "

" I am going to try the one but it might take a whole day. "

Arjun tapped his back.

" You are the only one whom I can trust upon for this job. "

Gopal chuckled, " Don't be obsequious, I am not going to forget about the bun. "

The laptop screen showed a progress bar after Gopal connected it with his own laptop.

" The process has been started. Once the software is loaded, the password will be cracked and the laptop will be unlocked. "

Arjun went near to the window. His phone vibrated. He read the message texted as ' 11:00 AM '.

Navika had conversation with Mr. Pathak who was in his early forties. His maid poured them tea on the table and left.

He offered her the tea.

" After you, mam. "

" Thank you. "

She picked up the tea.

She asked, " For how long you have been visiting there? "

Mr. Pathak had a sip.

" I have been going to gym for a couple of years. Vidyut had joined the gym four months after me as a trainer. "

" What had went wrong between him and Ravi? "

" When Vidyut was short of money, he used to borrow them from Ravi but when he realised that Vidyut was unable to pay him back, he began to use some tactics to make him pay. "

She nodded.

She asked, " Do you have any idea about Ravi's background? "

" I haven't heard any kind of allegations against him. But his extra marital affair had became a subject of discussion among the gym goers those who knew him. "

" Why? "

" Actually the girl, he was involved with was once accused of some kind of forgery. Due to lack of evidence the charges were dropped from her. "

" Do you know the girl? "

" She once used to be the client of Ravi but I haven't seen her for a long time. "

Navika fastened the seat belt in her car which was parked outside the colony. As she ignited her car she looked at her side mirror where the biker was behind her. She loosened her seat belt and slowly got her left hand on her holsters to get the gun.

She geared up the car to drive. She kept driving while keeping an eye on the biker in the mirror until he began to follow her. As the biker came near to her, she applied handbrake, came out of car and began to shoot at him.

The biker couldn't handle the bike due to the injury and speed which made him to ram into her car and fell on the ground. She came to him, removed his helmet and was stunned to see that it was Sadiq whom she had seen in the diner with Sub Inspector Amar Das.

A polo game was going on in the field which was organised by Niranjan Grover. He was sitting with Shivraj Patel by an umbrella food table. They were having fritters while enjoying the game. A few viewers were also present there who were too having snacks on their respective tables.

Rastogi was standing away from them with a distressed expression on his face.

Niranjan said, " The school has received a substantial amount of donation. "

Shivraj chuckled, " Leave the school, how much is going in your personal account? "

" If I tell you the amount, then you will ask me for partnership again. "

" Nah! I am not going to do it. I am used to Malaysian market now. I am able to get my clients. I don't even have to struggle to get the ones unlike the Indian market. "

" People here hesitate to take money out of their pockets especially when it comes to investment. "

Shivraj nodded and had a piece of fritter.

Azam came from the back and tapped Niranjan's shoulder and whispered in his ear. Niranjan stood up and turned around where Devendra Pandey came out of his car to him with goggles on his eyes.

Niranjan asked, " Mr. Pandey? "

Devendra looked at Rastogi who was standing away from them. Niranjan called him by a hand gesture.

Devendra said, " I am here to settle things that happened last night. "

As Rastogi arrived he interrupted him,

" I am not interested in your money. "

Devendra removed his goggles.

" I am here to apologize. Shankar got the reward he deserved. The party couldn't bear his actions anymore that's why he had to be eliminated. "

" You got him eliminated because you didn't want to get the matter disclosed before media. "

Niranjan interrupted, " Rastogi, what are you doing? He is saying that it was Shankar's fault. He is gone and you must leave the matter behind. "

" Mr. Grover, you know everything about him. Even if wants, he can kill me and my family too to save his career. "

Devendra said, " If I had to kill you I would have done it last night. But because Shankar was wrong, he got his gift. If you had filed a case against him, he might have used his lawyer and sources to save himself. "

Niranjan told Rastogi, " Try to understand Rastogi, Mr. Pandey has brought you justice. You should thank him. "

Rastogi kept looking at him and left.

Niranjan said, " He is a bit distressed. Mr. Pandey, please join us. "