Summer of '13

Chapter 13

"Pratishtha...What's in it?" I asked.

"I can't make out the content ..its doused with partially dry blood...but there's something written in the bottom.." Pratishtha replied, her expression serious..."It says ...'YOU WILL BE KILLED ..ALL 4 OF YOU.3171'."

"Are you feakin' serious...Do we belong to AL-Qaeda or taliban to be given such threats...??..What the f-" I bit my lip.I couldn't be standing here shouting cuss words.This was so not me.

I collapsed on the bench.

"Vishnupriya you did something..what did you do?Who are these 4 people? I am damn sure you and I are one of them...You have interfered in something dangerous.That mysterious woman hitting me,Rishikesh rae calling you....3171...Tell me." Pratishtha asked me.

I looked at her.Clueless.She was right. I did something wrong.I should not have interfered in the first place.Let Meetanjali die...why do I care? I feared for my life.For my friends' lives.Tears swelled up in my eyes.From an ordinary socially awkward teenager,I had transformed into a detective.What did I think I was? James bond 007? Or Hercule poirot? This was the worst summer of my life.

Summer of '13.

"It's Ok...I mean we can sort this out.We need to put the pieces together first.Please don't cry. I don't like my mother crying." Pratishtha smiled.

I smiled." OK Boobear....lets rewind everything.......

1. Meetanjali rae reported dead by Delhi times.

2.I find out that Meetanjali,Geetanjali,Rishikesh and Shwetanjali are sisters"

3.I call Rishikesh to ascertain that, on the pretext of CBI officer Demi lovato.He confirms it.Mentions about Meetanjali's daughter love affair and elopement.

4.Rishikesh rae calls me yesterday...mentions some letter and codeword 3171.Cuts the line.

5.I find you injured by some woman and then I find a broken bloody glass and this letter....Wait..a letter?"

"Vishnupriya! This letter is what Rishikesh rae was talking about...he somehow knew that we were being targeted..that's why he phoned you to warn you...He then cut the line which means someone was after him at that point of time." Pratishtha said.

"THAT MEANS SOMEONE WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM!" I screamed.

"Yes!...WAIT A MINUTE....He knew you were being targeted. But why us? I mean me? and the rest 2? and you told him you were Demi lovato the CBI officer,right?" Pratishtha asked me.

Finally the thing dawned to me. 

"I get that!..I get that....Rishikesh had told me that geetanjali had some property disputes with meetanjali..right? Maybe Geetanjali is the culprit. She must have killed Meetanjali but Rishikesh being the second heir it to was an obstacle to her owning the property..so she must be the one who was after him that day..she was trying to kill him..or maybe had killed him by now!" 

"OK...so you are basically saying that our geography teacher is a blood thirsty murderer?"Pratishtha asked me almost smiling.

"Yes" I said.

"but why you and me and others?" Pratishtha asked yet again.

"Simple. She somehow knows that we know about her family. She knows that we know about rishikesh.She knows that I was 'investigating' the case. What I feel is,Pratishtha,that...this woman was after his life  way before we knew them.That means we are the obstacles who ought to be removed as easily as she removed her sister.She will finish us...You and me..and the other 2 who know about them."

"You,me and ..Oorja? She is the only one who knows about them apart from us."

"Exactly. But I can't figure out who the fourth person is" I said.

"Maybe the code may help us ..3171..something seems peculiar about it." Pratishtha said.

"What does it say....uh? birth dates...address..admission number....roll number?" I started making random guesses.

Pratishtha eyes lit up at the word 'Roll no' and being the mathematical genius she was started trying out random anagrams and nos.. I helped her.

"3+1+7+1=12 who is the 12 roll no of our class ...kanak ..nah! no chance..!"

"3*1*7*1=21 ...who is that now uh?.....OORJA!!!! AHH!!!" I screamed

" and the funny thing is if you reverse 12 then also you get 21...so Oorja is undoubtedly one of the targets."Pratishtha added

"Ok....so 3/7 gives...oops! the ans. is in decimals."

"1+7+1=9...that 3(1+7+1) That is 39.....vishnupriya...here you go!." Pratishtha said. I swallowed.My roll no.39...great.

"3+1+7+1=12 * 3= 36....suveer ?...hahahah! That monkey can't be the one."

*3+1+7+1=12..reverse it you get 21..add 3 you get 24...Pratishtha here you go!" I grinned.She half smiled."and now who is the fourth one...we have endless possibilities...who is that?"

"3+1=4*7*1=28...Rashima?...I seriously doubt that"

"3171...uhm...whose the 31 roll no?..Shivam mehta?" We both started laughing and then stopped and stared at each others' faces. He was the one who who wrote article about us meeting Rishikesh rae that day. That means....who too knew who Rishikesh rae was...

"He only knows that we met him..he doesn't know all the shit of his being geetanjali's brother and all...How can he be targeted then?" I asked.

Just when we were contemplating it my eyes fell on the letter whose content was clearly vsisble now  as the blood had completely dried up. I took it and read it and could not believe what was written in it. The very first line took me by a nasty surprise. It was a long letter and after reading it..I gasped.

"Is everything OK..Vishnupriya?" Pratishtha asked me.

And all I could say was:

"Shivam mehta is Rishikesh Rae's son."