DEPTH

Chapter 10

Those two, who were captured in the hospital while they attempted to murder her, were really very tough nuts to crack. But police had their methods for every nut. Extracting any statement or any clue from the accused in such cases has never been a cake walk for the law enforcing officials. They were so tough skinned that physical violence would not work here. So the police had to use a different strategy. They first interrogated them together using physical force, then put them in different cells to avoid any sort of communication between them. Fear when used appropriately and indirectly would work wonders... Vikram's team used this psychological technique along with the age old divide and rule tactic. After almost two hours, they got one word "Dass".
Who was this? There was no police record for this name But Vikram's team was happy for this was no dead end. They got one clue. They were no longer groping in the dark, there was light at the end of the tunnel.

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Vel was travelling in his car to the site of the project. It was driven by his maid's husband whose services he requested for at the last minute for this trip. Driving through those winding Mountain required intense concentration and Vel highly doubted his ability to concentrate on the roads when he had so much going about in his head.

Vel's mind bifurcated and each had its own task. While one worried about Sri, the other was meticulously planing about landscape layout and such related to his passion that was landscaping...

A sudden hit from behind startled Vel. The highways department to ensure free flow of traffic and to reduce accidents had widened the roads and made separate roads for on ward bound and in Ward bound traffic. There was speed limit too. The truck behind was intent on causing an accident but more like a slip on Vel's part. It seeked to make it appear like a skid and slip into the deep ravine on their left. The driver tried to let the truck pass thinking that the truck was trying to overtake but no this truck was intent on killing.

One more hit and they were sure to fall off into the gaping deep ravine. This particular part of the mountain road was narrow and any escape was not in sight. What was more bewildering was that there weren't any vehicles to be seen in the vicinity. It was as though some one had blocked the entry. And since no vehicles would come from the opposite side, they were practically alone in this particular stretch of the Ghat section.

What would happen to his
Company, his projects, his staff, his Sri, all those people who were directly or indirectly dependant on him, if he were to die now? In those few moments, fear made him age a 100 years. If he died now it would be a natural death, death due to old age. It was evident that they were going to die. May be those last seconds were the time you prayed, sought repentance. Was there anything that he could change? Nothing came to his mind. Peace surrounded him. May be he should accept his death peacefully.