To read the previous part, click HERE.

By: Keyur Seta

Just as Tara somehow managed to produce guts to answer Gupta, her mobile phone ringtone stopped her. Pale and petrified, she glanced at the screen that read, “Shekhar … calling”.

Barely had she touched the ‘answer’ button that Mr.Gupta snatched the phone from her and listened in…

Without waiting for an answer, Shekhar excitedly but slowly spoke from the other line, “Tara, I have an important clue to Roohi’s kidnapping. Please come down to Hotel Descent at Lamington Road ASAP.” He hung up without bothering to listen. He wanted to keep the conversation short since he didn’t want to alert Cyrus and Aryan.

Gupta was alarmed as well as confused after listening to Shekhar.

“What happened papa?” Tara, in a panicky tone, asked but all in vain. Once again, sounds of the chimes due to the winds added extra tension.

Without saying a word, he went inside his room and returned a few minutes later after getting ready to go somewhere. “Come with me,” was what he told Tara in a strict tone and started taking long steps towards the main door. His tone and behavior added fuel to Tara’s already panicky condition. She obediently followed Gupta out of the house.

 

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After having a one-way conversation on phone, Shekhar once again concentrated on eavesdropping on Cyrus and Aryan’s conversation. “Did I miss anything?” he whispered to Jennifer, to which she just shook her head.

Aryan was continuing to speak in an authoritative tone. “I am sure you are just acting at someone’s behest,” Aryan pointed out.

“Yes,” said Cyrus in a tired tone.

Aryan’s angry voice thundered in the near empty hotel, “Do you want me to provide you a written request to disclose the name of the mastermind?” Despite not being at the receiving end, Shekhar and Jennifer felt a chill through their bodies.

“Speak up,” shouted Aryan as Cyrus was still struggling to speak.

Finally, Cyrus’ lips moved and he revealed the name of the mastermind.

Shekhar and Jennifer froze at the mention of the name. They could only cast a glance at each other as they were too shocked to speak!

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be,” Cyrus continued speaking.

 

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It wasn’t a long drive from Walkeshwar to Lamington Road. Gupta and Tara were more than half way to their destination but yet nobody had spoken. They were passing through the area just before Girgaon Chowpatty, which had a splendid view of Mumbai’s sea shore but, obviously, nobody of the two was interested in relishing the view. It was only when they halted at the long signal at Sukh Sagar junction that they started feeling the silence. Being more anxious than Gupta, Tara felt the need to know what was going on.

She mustered up some courage to speak. “What did Shekhar say, papa? And where are we heading suddenly?”

Gupta cast a grim look at Tara and said, “He said he has found an important clue regarding Roohi’s kidnapping and asked you to head to Hotel Descent immediately.”

This confused Tara even more. “Why?”

“We will get to know that soon,” said Gupta while turning left and entering Warerkar Bridge, which was just a kilometer away from Hotel Descent.

 

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Shekhar, with his head dropped down, was standing outside room number 202. Actually he was just leaning to the wall since his legs were trembling a bit. In fact, he felt all his energy being drained out all of a sudden, as if sucked out by some force.

Jennifer had put her left hand on his right shoulder while trying to console him. Although she too was aghast and shocked by the turn of events, she knew she can never feel what Shekhar was feeling at that time… after knowing that the mastermind behind the kidnapping… was his wife!

To read the FINAL chapter, click HERE.

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