The Longer View

6. AMIDST THE SEARCH

With a slightly reluctant hand, I reached out to knock at the door. Of course, Sarthak clearly wasn't the kind of guy to be thrilled at having uninvited guests over, but I hoped he wouldn't mind me.
Just a few seconds, and the door clicked open.
“Hey, hope I'm not-”
“Interrupting? You certainly are,” Sarthak interrupted, a teasing glint in his eyes, as he leaned against the doorframe.
He looked… way too laid back- his hair tousled in a way that seemed almost deliberate; and his casual, somewhat messy attire suggesting that he might've been… well, unpacking?
“Excuse me?” He snapped, getting me to quickly lower my gaze, when realization drew over me that I had been staring for over a minute.
“Oh- Sorry, it's just… I had a conversation with the Agrawals, and… Just thought we should talk,” I suggested.
“Oh, sure. Actually, your timing couldn't be better," he remarked, gesturing for me to follow him inside.
"Oh, cool, then?" I casually followed him, as he led me towards Aadhvii's bedroom, a concerned expression on his face, as he showed me a bear plush toy, and a suspicious looking... thing, right next to it on the table.
"I was trying to keep myself busy by unpacking, and maybe rearranging the stuff around. And that's when I noticed this in Aadhvii's room," he spoke up, his tone grave. “A camera…”
"In her bedroom? I mean... She might've installed it!" I tried to reason, which apparently added to his frustration.
"Idiot! It was inside this soft-toy!" He argued, much to my surprise.
"This... This plushie? It's her room; why would she hide the camera? Clearly, it must be someone else!"
"Exactly. But who...?"
"Navin? I mean... I don't mean to judge, but maybe he just wanted to... you know?"
"That's more creepy than anything, Aadi!"
"I know, but... Who'd even want to install a camera at Aadhvii's place without her knowing?"
"Whoever is behind this will surely have to pay the price..." He clenched his fists, his knuckles white from the rage.
"My parents used to have this kind of camera earlier, to watch over me, sort of. They're of high video quality, and highly confidential, and can only be accessed through one connected device. So I don't think it's our cup of tea to find out more about it, unless we accidentally run into the device connected to this camera, that is..." I remarked, examining the camera, as Sarthak let out a sigh of dismissal, collapsing onto the chair.
"Leave it for later; what're you here for?" He asked.
"I talked to Manisha earlier this morning."
"What did she say?"
"She did say... a lot. But I don't think that's of our business. She mentioned that Navin had gotten into a fight with someone named Tarun, in Pastry-lious. And that he and Aadhvii were kind of close friends. So it clicked me... What if we try asking her friends from her workplace?" I suggested.
"Tarun Rajput? I never got along with him, but not a bad guy, yaar..."
"I kinda had a feeling you won't get along," I remarked playfully, just when my phone buzzed.
It was a text from Manoj, a reply to my earlier message asking how the police interrogation went.
"It was all fine. They were quite cooperative, so went smoothly."- said the message, as quickly reacting to it with a thumbs-up, I turn my attention back to the conversation at hand.
"Yeah, so... A cup of coffee in Pastry-lious?" I suggested.
"I'm not much of a cafè person, but sure!" He agreed, getting up. "I'll just go get ready."
"You don't look that bad," I remarked with a smirk, my eyes, again, admiring his rugged charm.
"You think I can show up like this with you, dressed in that, in tow?" He raised an eyebrow, as I looked down at myself for the first time, realizing that even having dressed up in a hurry, I hadn't kept my formal outfit aside.
"Sure, go change," I remarked with a chuckle, as he smirked back, casually heading into his room.
My amusement still lingering, I return to my phone, my gaze drawn to a file still pinned on my screen. A draft of my letter to Aadhvii, whose print still rested in my bag, alongside my planned wedding gift to her. Going through it brought a glisten of tears to my eyes, but I quickly managed to mask it. “You can't afford to give in to your vulnerability now, Aadarsh,” I told myself, straightening slightly, as Sarthak returned, dressed in a more polished attire.
“Let's go?” He suggested, as I gave him a nod of agreement.
We made our way to Pastry-lious, on his bike- and with his speed which I was quite used to, by then. And we managed to reach our destination sooner than expected, as we get down, making our way in.
Entering the sophisticated, air-conditioned dining area, I casually glanced around, my appetite returning for a moment ever so brief...
"Should we have something first?" I suggested, gesturing to an empty table.
"I think we should get done with our business first. What do you say?" He asked. And there was honestly nothing to disagree.
We cautiously approached the table, where a young man was seated, preparing to print the next bill, when I gently interrupted.
"Excuse me? May I have a moment?"
"Yes?" He looked up, a polite smile playing on his lips.
"I... My name's Aadarsh. I'm friends with Aadhvika Dalvi. You know her? She used to work here until last month..." I told him.
"Aadhvika? You mean... Viki?!" Grinning ear-to-ear, he extended a hand, which we both took turns to shake. "Nice to meet both of you. I'm Harshveer. And... Whatever we've heard about Viki so far, it's been... troubling to us as well..."
"I understand. We actually need to speak to her coworkers for a moment. It won't take too long, and it'll mean a lot to us…” I requested, hoping my best that he'd cooperate, though it was, of course, quite unusual.
Harshveer returned to his laptop for a brief moment, before looking back up, still wearing his smile. “Sure! Please come inside,” he said, much to our surprise.
“Are you sure?” Sarthak asked, puzzled.
“I very much am.”
Sarthak and I exchanged glances, before carefully following him inside. He quickly pulls out his phone to text someone, just as we entered a small room, surrounded by shelves stacked with supplies. Soon, we were joined by a few more people.
“Hey, Veer. You called for us?” A woman cheerfully asked.
“Yup. This is Aadarsh. The one Viki would always mention,” Harshveer introduced. And again, I was quite surprised that Aadhvii cared to mention me before her colleagues too, let alone ‘always’.
“Oh, hey, Aadarsh! And you are…?”
“Sarthak. Aadhvika's brother,” he replied, much to their slight surprise.
“Wow, Viki never mentioned you!” Remarked one of them, his tone light.
“Really? Of course, she won't find me important enough,” Sarthak countered sarcastically, only for Harshveer to laugh it off.
“Oh, relax, yaar! Viki… I mean, Aadhvika never told any of us about… anything personal! About Aadi, we only came to know about him over a game of Truth or Dare.”
“I'm Alia, by the way,” introduced the woman from before.
“I'm Samiksha,” added the other.
“Krishna. They call me Krish.”
“Nice to meet all of you,” I remarked with a smile, remembering all of their names from Aadhvii's personal diary, as Sarthak shared a similar expression.
“I- I'm sorry, I'm not really a… a people's person,” Sarthak clarified, his tone somewhat awkward. “But a pleasure to meet y'all…”
“It's alright, Sarthak. We all get used to people at some point,” remarked Samiksha playfully, as we shared a small laugh. “So what are you here for, by the way?”
“I don't know where to get started, but… You know everything, right? And Aadhvii… She seemed kind of troubled before the whole thing happened. So, do you guys have any idea, what might've been troubling her? If she had a problem with someone she knows…”
“As much as we ourselves tried to find out, I'm afraid, we have no idea,” replied Krish sadly.
“Are you being serious right now? Weren't you like… super close?” Asked Sarthak.
"Yes, it's true. We had a lot of fun working together, and even used to hang out quite often. But Viki... She never let us have a glimpse of her personal life. I didn't even know she has a brother until you showed up today," explained Samiksha.
"I... I understand," Sarthak replied, dejected.
"But trust me, guys, from whatever I know of her, it's really, really unlikely that she willingly ran away. I mean... If she was unhappy with the marriage, she would've just said it! She's not someone to gather that courage, but she'd rather take the effort to say it than run away!" Alia shared, and I nodded in agreement.
"That's true, dear. But I'm afraid we're already on the same page in that respect. By the way... From whatever we found out, she seemed really troubled with random phone calls telling her that Navin's been cheating. She mentioned something 'bout that?" I asked.
"She did! Probably around..."
"Around three days before she resigned," Krish completed it. "And the last time I spoke to her, she was still getting those phone calls, and she had no idea who's behind them."
"So basically, in conclusion..." Sarthak let out a weary sigh, running a hand through his tousled hair. "You guys have no idea about this either..."
"Not really..." Samiksha concluded, much to everyone's disappointment.
"Is the police even investigating this case? I mean... With all the pressure from the Savants, they're most likely not, but..."
"I've heard, the search is on..." Alia remarked.
Sarthak was the first to rise to his feet, as I followed suit.
"Thank you, guys. Really appreciate your time," I said with a smile, which the four returned.
"Yup, thanks a lot," added Sarthak.
"You're most welcome. Please feel free to have a bite before you leave," suggested Harshveer, much to my amusement.
"Like literally 'free'?"
"Uh... Unfortunately not!"
After a short extended conversation, we both head back to the dining area, finding ourselves a table to sit back and relax.
"Can I have your order?" The waiter asked, as I looked up from the menu.
"A peach tea. Don't add ice cubes," I replied.
"Lemon for me. Again, no ice," added Sarthak, glancing up only to be surprised at the face that greeted him. "Tarun?"
"Hey, Sarthak? Wassup, brother?"
"Don't call me that!"
"Come on, Viki dii's brother is like my brother too, right? Or maybe not when you decided to totally ignore her problems until she just disappeared one day!" He taunted, much to Sarthak's frustration.
"Really? Is that how much you know your... 'Dii'?!"
"Guys, calm down!" I interrupted.
"Aadi, stay out of this, man!”
"Come on, let's not get diverted from the matter at hand?"
"Fine..." He uttered through clenched teeth, turning back to face Tarun. "First of all, I'm not here to pick up fights with you. We just want to find out whether any of you guys know something about Aadhvii. Whether she... Whether she told you something-"
"Wow! You're with the Savants on this too? Already decided she ran away, and even expect her to have told us where she's going?!"
"Tarun, relax!" I cut in. "He means... You know what, we'll explain later. You noticed something strange with Aadhvii's behavior lately?” I asked him bluntly.
“Nope. Nothing other than her apparent discomfort since Navin The Great Savant forced her to discontinue her work here. ‘Coz he got into a fight with me, initiated by him, by the way,” he shared, much to my intrigue.
“Oh… What was that about, though?”
“Accused me of stealing his watch. Turns out, he had just dropped it somewhere behind the seat!”
“Aadi, who's diverting the topic now?” Sarthak interrupted.
“Oh, sorry. You know what- Just get us our drinks, buddy. Thanks a lot,” I ended the discussion, as Tarun nodded, heading inside to convey our order.
Within a few minutes, he returned with a tray carrying our drinks, which we carefully accepted, returning to our thoughts.
“Talking to her colleagues didn't help much either, did it?” He remarked with a frown.
“You're right… I-... I'm seriously losing my mind now!”
“Of course, you are,” a gruff voice intervened, as I turned back, finding myself face-to-face with a tall, well-built man, likely in his fifties. His bare arms were covered with tattoos, and his fingers with rings, giving him that typical intimidating appearance.
“Excuse me?” I asked, confused, as the man turned to Sarthak furiously.
“You… Can't you just heed my advice for once?!”
“Oh, I swear, Jayprakash, I have nothing to do with the Savants! They hate Aadhvii for her, not for their history with me, why won't you understand?!” Sarthak explained, his voice tinged with frustration; as I was trying to figure out what was happening.
“Oh? Did you just accidentally end up at Navin's private office when he was peacefully lying dead?” Jayprakash countered.
“Enough! What happened to all of your concern for Aadhvii, now?!”
“I am concerned! More than anyone right now!”
“Oh really? What about-”
“Guys, guys, relax! Sarthak, what's wrong, you just keep getting into arguments!” I remarked, trying to stop them, which was… quite successful.
“Who're you, by the way?”
“Aadarsh. A friend of Aadhvii's. I mean… ‘Viki's’.” I replied wearily, quite used to her new nickname.
Before Jayprakash could reply, Tarun returned, quietly placing both our glasses on the table, before turning to leave.
“Hey, wait?”
“What is it now, Jayprakash?!” Tarun asked him, frustrated.
“Just get me a cup of tea. On that table,” he placed his order, pointing to a table across ours, as Tarun nodded, preparing to head back inside. But he stopped in his tracks, his eyes meeting mine for a brief moment.
“Hey… Aadi, right?”
“Aadarsh, yes?”
“Uh-... Where did the police find her veil? You have any idea? You must've been able to talk to the cops, after all!”
“A few steps from Savant Sadan. Towards the backyard, that is,” I replied.
“How are you so sure?” He questioned. I almost opened my mouth to disclose everything, but withdrew myself, deciding to play it safe.
“That's what they mentioned, right?” Sarthak spoke up, as I let out a slight sigh of relief.
“I know, right!” Remarked Tarun, agreeing with Sarthak for what I remembered as the first time. “Wish the truth was different. What can I even do there in the woods to find her, except morning sightseeing like the masses,” he murmured to himself, resuming his way inside, as Jayprakash too made his way to the seat he mentioned.
I relaxed in my seat, trying to get my head around the chaos I was just idly witnessing.
“By the way, who's this Jayprakash?” I asked suddenly, as he took a sip of his drink.
“Our society watchman… We grew pretty close over the years. But I actually know him from prison, though…”
“Wow…” I remarked to myself, subconsciously fiddling with my straw to watch the ice cubes float in my glass. “Sarthak?” I looked up suddenly, as he raised an eyebrow.
“Yes?”
“Tarun mentioned, people usually go that way for a morning sightseeing, right? Just in case someone had been there when Aadhvii was around?” I suggested, as he looked down in disappointment.
“Even if someone was, how are we gonna know? We can't go door-to-door, asking everyone if they were there that morning!”
“Makes sense… And why would they even bother about noticing ‘the Savant family's bride’ on their way-”
“Hey, were y'all talkin’ ‘bout some bride?” A random guy interrupted, a devilish grin on his face.
“Sorry, how may I help?” Sarthak asked him, slightly annoyed.
He held out his hand as if asking for something, his smile widening. “I usually charge higher for gossip, but seems like this is too important for you two. So just five-hundred per head will do!”
“What the-”
“I'm just offering! Take it if you want!”
“I'll handle him,” I assured Sarthak, who clenched his fists in annoyance, as I turned to the other guy. “Five-hundred, you say? Sure, I'll send you the location; go get your money there, will you?” I asked with a smirk.
“What location?” He countered wearily.
“Vaarigarh Police Station,” I replied, getting him hesitate a little.
“Wha-... Okay, listen, I thought it's just an insignificant matter. Didn't know it's so serious-”
Before he could finish, Sarthak grabs him by the hand, his expression furious. “Well, I believe, we never asked for your interruption, but now that you're here, just come to the point. And then leave!”
“Y-yes-” The man was clearly intimidated, as he nervously pulled out his phone, struggling through a bunch of photos. “If- if you go straight from the main entrance, and then turn left at Eastway Fork, that's where most of us go sightseeing. And to click photos-”
“Listen, I know all of that! Come to the point!”
“Yes, I-... My friends and I reached the Cabin Arena, we clicked a selfie together. We… But we didn't notice until yesterday that someone… photo-bombed us…” He explained, somewhat awkward with his choice of words, when he finally seemed to have found the photograph he was looking for.
He displayed it to us, carefully zooming in away from his photograph with his friends to somewhere quite far behind, but at a visible distance.
“Wha-?!” I was at a loss of words, unable to believe my eyes. A woman in her bridal attire, who was, though her face wasn't really clear, undoubtedly Aadhvii. She hardly looked conscious, leaning against the door of a white car, partly open.
“And… Who must that be…?” Sarthak wondered gesturing to the shadowy figure, seemingly of a man, half-visible next to her.
“Wh-where was this?! And how-”
“It's… I believe this is somewhere beyond Cabin-17 or 18…” The man clarified, getting me all the more anxious, hopeful, pleased, scared- all at the same time.
“Here! Just… Just please share this to my number, and take this…” I urged him, extending two notes of five-hundred rupees.
“Aadi, there's no need!” Sarthak tried to stop me, but my offer was extended.
Quickly taking the money, he reached out to scan my QR Code, and immediately sent me the photograph, along with a few more of the same thing. “Th-thank you. But please, make sure I don't get in trouble with the police for this. I… The Savants had restricted entry to that place, yet we dared to get there…”
“Dude, I…” Sarthak immediately clasped his hands, his eyes reflecting genuine gratitude. “Thank you so much! I- I promise, you'll be fine!” He assured him, before the man hurriedly thanked him back, and headed back to his table.
Having finished our glasses, and paid for it, we both quickly made our way out of the cafè, a new lead with us, though from rather unexpected means…