CHECKMATE

Chapter 36

"She's dead." Informed the commissioner. "We just found her body."

"Shit...." Groaned Pratap. "Any clues?"

"None." Sighed the commissioner.

"Fine.." sighed Pratap and cut the call and looked at Siddharth who himself looked rather too dismayed.

"The woman who called you is also dead. Now what?" Asked Siddharth.

Pratap shrugged, he couldn't believe that Ranveer was so quick. "How exactly did he come to know that we are looking for the lady?"

"Often when there's a traitor it's easier for an enemy to take five steps ahead." Replied his friend with a slight shrug.

"But who is that goddamned person! I'll kill him..." Growled Pratap in irritation.

"First let's go and talk to the employee who was found with rats." Suggested Siddharth and they quickly zoomed off in the car to the police station.

Pratap sat in the interrogation room as a constable bought in the prisoner. The man looked ten times older and much more weary than before.

The man sat down on the rickety chair and looked at Pratap who's legs were crossed and his arms folded across his chest.

"I'll get straight to the point," began Pratap, "how were rats found with you?"

The man trembled for a moment and then said, "Someone..."

Just as the man was about to talk Siddharth entered and whispered something in Pratap's ear.

"Are you sure?" Asked Pratap.

Siddharth nodded and then left. Pratap narrowed his eyes for a moment and took a piece of paper and scrawled the words on it LIE.

The old man looked at it and frowned for a moment and then immediately mumbled, "I wanted to spoil the company's name...."

"Why? What did the CEO do to you?" Asked Pratap in a firm voice.

"He never acknowledged me nor my work." Wept the old man.

Pratap shook his head and walked out of the interrogation room to look for Siddharth. He saw his friend and the commissioner busy laughing about something.

Approaching them he asked, "What's the matter?"

"Thanks to your quick thinking, we found the traitor of the station." Winked the commissioner.

"Yes..." Added Siddharth and pointed to the constable who had been tapping on the conversation in the interrogation room.

"How exactly did you'll find out?" Asked Pratap curiously.

"He's the constable that bought the old man into the room," began Siddharth, "while bringing him in, this traitor threatened the man not to say the truth but the old man was adamant about telling you what really happened."

"Then?"

"Then...the constable said if he doesn't lie and take the blame of the rats on himself, if not his family would be abducted." Continued Siddharth making Pratap glower with rage.

"I'll make sure he vomits whom he's working for." Reassured commissioner Khan and gestured one of the inspect to call the media.

The media arrived and both the fraud constable and the old man were bought in front of the camera.

The old man began whimpering and said, "Vinayak Rathore said that if I didn't put the rats in the freezer he'd kill my family. What choice did I have...I had to save my family."

"And how exactly is the constable responsible?" Demanded a journalist looking fiercely at the old man.

"I'll answer that," offered Siddharth and stepped ahead. "This constable works not for the people but for those who feed him money."

Just then a huge bag of notes was bought in by the inspector who said, "There's a lot more in his apartment."

Immediately the flashing of cameras and the questions of the reporters began increasing.

New reporters rushed to the constables house where bags and banged of money was found.

Pointing at the constable one of the journalist literally yelled, "THIS IS THE MAN WHO HAS DISGRACED THE ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT."

Pratap, commissioner Khan and Siddharth stood a little distance away having hot tea in a clay glass and laughing hysterically.

"Damn it you crook where the hell did you get so much of money!" Exclaimed Siddharth looking at a smirking Pratap.

"It's fake notes." He winked and the commissioner smacked his forehead saying, "I can't believe I'm helping one criminal frame another."

Pratap sipped his tea saying, "It's like doing the wrong thing for the right reason."

"The old man is found innocent and now the commissioner is behind bars." Grinned Siddharth. "I think it's quite a slap on Ranveer's face."

"It's just a prick it's not a slap." Corrected Pratap. "The slap is when, we tarnish the reputation of that goody two shoes."

"What are you planning?" Asked the commissioner.

"I'll meet the ex CM first, Mukesh Chauhan." Replied Pratap and threw the clay mug away.

***

The main gate of Vinayak's house were filled with reporters who were shouting and screaming for him to open the door.

The watchmen and the guards kept trying to push the hooligans away from breaking open the huge black iron gate of the villa.

Vinayak placed the floor, back and forth and then forth and back until he smashed the phone in frustration on the ground shouting, "WHY THE HELL IS RANVEER NOT PICKING UP THE GODDAMNED PHONE."

Urmika too kept trying to reach Ranveer who's phone was rather too conveniently switched off. Fling the phone on the couch she shouted, "YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT RAT SHIT ONCE MORE."

"But Ranveer himself said attack when your opponent is weak. That's what I did!" Exclaimed an enraged Vinayak at his wife.

"But you oaf," she growled gritting her teeth and holding his collars. "Did you really have to use that old man only? Was there no other way to do it?"

Vinayak pushed the woman away and then said, "Call Indrajeet."

"Useless man." Muttered Urmika and rang up Indrajeet saying, "We got a problem."

"Yes I know I'm on my way." He replied and cut the call.

Indrajeet reached his brothers villa quickly and stood in front of the reporters saying, "I hope you realize I can sue you'll for trying to trespass into private property."

"Mr. Rathore, we want a statement from your brother." Insisted one of the journalists. "The employee who was arrested for the position of rats confessed that it was Vinayak who made me to this. Even the constable said so."

Indrajeet was about to say something when Vinayak stepped forward to the reporters who were still at the gate and said, "For a moment, I was lost in greed and envy but now I see what is the right path."

The reporters stood silently recording all that he was saying. Finally one of journalist asked, "Sir if you have completed your poetry could you give a proper statement?"

Vinayak stood still and frozen. He had tried to play his goodness card in front of the reporters and media staff but it didn't seem to work.