DEPTH

CHAPTER 13

Vikram's office resembled a fish market or may be worse. But this chaos was because his officers were working with a renewed vigour. While one team checked the phone records, the other checked the bank records. Some were coordinating with the informers.

Those arrested on Sunday had chirped a lot of names. You wouldnt believe some of the names were high profile too! How could people get so low? What Shocked Vikram was that some of those, he knew personally were in this list too. Checking on them in this connection was like being back stabbed.

Neeta was taken in for another round of interogation and she corroborated what Sunday's accused had said. "Oh! This is such a big and organised network." Vikram said to himself. It didn't require any geniusness to know that this was just the tip of the ice berg. And ridding the society clean of this crime was not going to be any easy, but this definitely was a major step in that direction. So far things were going good. But as soon as things would start getting public, media would go into a frenzy, sparks would fly, fires would rage destroying everything in sight.

Dass had made a very grave mistake by attacking his friend who was more a brother to him. Dass had hired a truck to trail Vel on his trip to the site office and bump him off at the oppotune time. The car's driver had narrated how the truck had attempted to push them off at the Ghat section. Vel had used quick thinking and had told to go for a sharp right turn. The truck revved up and was intent on pushing the car off the road and into the ravine on the left. The killer truck didn't expect this move by the car. The additional acceleration and late realisation instead threw the truck into the ravine. While The seat belt saved the driver letting him off with just a few bruises, Vel had no such luck. He had hit his head and suffered a concussion. The driver called his office and informed the police. He had also called for ambulance.

The truck's petrol tank during its sojourn into the ravine had ruptured. The vehicle and it's inhabitants as a result of the explosion had charred completely. The police had to use the toll records and the cctv footages in the toll plaza. More checkings and cross checkings revealed that the truck was stolen from a transporter of a smaller town. A complaint of the same had been lodged at that town's police station . The driver and the truck were missing. They were last hired by a Charandas . End of Dass was very near.

Vikram was happy that his plan worked, but sad that he had to resort to using her as a bait. Sometimes he would feel that in this war against crime he has made the most sacrifices. He knew for sure that Vel wouldn't be happy. There were chances Vel could see this as disloyalty. He didn't like Mark's idea of trying to put all this as dream. But he had no better plan.

It was a long day and he could very well do with some rest. At least a bath and change of clothes was necessary. He was looking more like a zombie than an ACP.
He reached home but was confused to see his door open. Maybe Mark was home. Though Mark had his own pad some 30 minutes from City, he would sometimes just crash in here.

Just as he entered the house he realised that it was dark. The curtains were pulled to that effect too. The silhouette of the person seated with his right leg over the left knee, head titled, hands resting on the cushion wasn't Mark's. Vikram's hand automatically to his pistol

"So now you would train your gun on your friends too?"

Vel! How is here? Wasn't he recuperating in the hospital?

"I came for my phone" said Vel interrupting Vikram's thoughts.
"That got damaged in Sunday's accident" Vikram replied without filtering his thoughts and realised his slip the moment he said it.

"I mean...um..."

"So You accept that this dream thing is a sham"

Vikram had no words.

"I won't ask you why. You have a ready made answer. Hope you succeed in this case. "

With that Vel left a stunned Vikram in a daze.