Something in their collective staring eyes told him he was no longer welcome under the Gupta roof. He had inkling why.
Sasi got up from his couch and headed in his direction. Not to miss a
beat, Shyam followed, causing ASR to back to the door due to a quick flash of
guilt and exit the front the door without explanations, even to Khushi. Sasi’s
glare stopped him.
“Agent Raizada!” Sasi said grimly.
Uh Oh, he knows.
“We treat our guests with respect and hospitality but we expect them
to follow our house rules. What you did is….” Sasi hesitated to form words,
utterly disgusted by the conduct of the agent and his daughter, “ unacceptable”
he settled on a milder reprimand.
“Unacceptable?” Shyam said in sheer frustration, “It is downright reprehensible!
Sleeping with my fiancé?” Shyam spilled it, drawing gasps of horror from everyone
around the room.
Sasi piped in, “Enough Shyam. The less we know about it, the better. I
realize my daughter wronged you. You are welcome to break the engagement.” He turned
to face a paper white Shyam. Shyam knew he had been cornered and if he did not steer
carefully, he’d lose his precious cover called Khushi.
“Well. Errr… its certainly not her fault, you don’t say!” he stuttered
and decided to shut up when he saw the smirk on ASR’s face. Shyam knew at that
instant, his little bargain with Khushi was not a secret with ASR and he chose
to seal his lips, too afraid to find out what else ASR knew.
ASR was relieved the man decided to shut up and not drag Khushi into
the conversation. What he had shared with Khushi was not a night of lust, he
knew that in his heart. It was more than that. It was a sanctimonious union
that defied a name at this instant but given time, it could evolve into something
beautiful. ASR wanted that chance with her and no Shyam would ever come in the
way.
Khushi stood in the hallway stunned at the ongoing exchange. She
strode in indignantly and slapped Shyam. “How dare you bring this up with my
family?” she trembled in anger. Shyam held his cheek rendered warm by the
sudden rush of blood where her hand connected with his cheek. He knew he was
losing grip of the situation, suddenly the tables were turned on him.
“How dare I? I should be asking you that question?” He spat back,
taking a step forward and towering over her, trying to intimidate her with his
sheer size. She didn’t back down. ASR wanted to reach out and kiss her, in
front of everyone. That would be rubbing salt into the wounds, he chuckled
inside. He was beginning to find the entire situation quite hilarious. He
decided it was time to bid adieu before things got out of hand but he wanted to
make sure Khushi would be ok amongst this band of lunatics.
“Khushi, Dr. Gupta, and others. I just wanted to let you know that I
am off the case. You don’t have anything to worry from me, anymore.” He laid it
out simply for them.
All eyes in the room landed on him.
“No longer on the case? What do you mean?” Sasi exclaimed.
“Oh no! What about the Sabres and my connection to them?” Khushi
quizzed more with worry of losing his company than the distant worry of Sabres.
Shyam laughed sarcastically, still holding his cheek.
“Well, Dr. Gupta, I am sorry for what happened. I cannot begin to
explain. Khushi is a wonderful woman and she is not to be blamed. This accounts
for conflict of interest, so FBI will find a replacement for me.” He explained
to the gathering that had moved around him in the hallway. Then he paused and
looked straight at Khushi, “I will be there for you, always, should you have
any questions. I can offer you my informal advice and moral support, just no
details about the case.” Their eyes spoke a million things as the room waited
for ASR to continue. He didn’t have much to add.
“Good bye everyone.” He picked his bag and left through the front door.
Khushi was sucker punched at the suddenness of his departure. The cold air from
the front door as ASR exited brought a chill to her core. She was afraid she
had lost the single best thing that had happened to her ever since the
unfortunate series of events began hounding her. She had to be with him.
*****
FBI cars cruised quietly, following the black sedan. Noam was getting
impatient as he couldn’t lose the tail. He was dying to be with Mariam to enjoy
a quiet evening with her famous pot roast and a glass of Kosher sweet red wine,
even though they did not celebrate Christmas. David kept checking the rear view
mirror and glanced furtively at Noam, unsure of his partner’s plan.
Noam pressed the accelerator at a clear stretch of the road and zoomed
past a red light. Not to be left behind, the FBI car set a flashing light atop
the car and follow them without losing pace.
“Shit!” he cursed, “Didn’t see them in the premises at Isaacson’s.
Shit! If they catch us now, we are doomed.” He gnashed his teeth.
For the first time in his twenty years of working with Noam, David saw
a crack in the armor.
“Why not toss the weapon?” He suggested.
“No, I can’t. They are on to us and I think our game’s up. They must
have seen us on the scene.” Noam’s mind raced working out different scenarios
and conclusions to the current conundrum. He didn’t wish to call the boss, if
the lines were tapped, they’d find out who he was talking to. He had to make up
his mind fast. The flashing lights and sirens began chasing them as two more FBI
cars joined the fray. It was time to do the unthinkable, the much dreaded
ending he had always feared.
“David, do you have the confession letter?”
David nodded, his hands trembling at the sudden realization of what
Noam suggested. He opened the glove compartment and took out the letter. A
fresh letter every day, dated to match the day and time, a handwritten note
signed and sealed by them both, a ritual they performed every morning to keep
the letter current with detailed account of their activities thus far. A
confession letter that absolved everyone in their Jewish mafia brotherhood,
prepared just for such occasion when they found themselves in a cul-de-sac.
Noam called Mariam, “Hi Honey, Its me. Its time.” He whispered choking
on his words. The voice on the other side wailed a deathly holler as Noam disconnected
the call.
David watched the man driving the car crumble right before his eyes.
His heart went out to his partner and his wife and for a fleeting moment, he
felt sorry for Noam. As for him, he had no one waiting for him anywhere in the
world, a loner who had nothing to lose or gain except the sheer thrill of being
part of a brotherhood that had become his proxy family. And that family
demanded loyalty until the last drop of blood had drained out of his body. It
was indeed the time.
Noam shot another look at the rear view mirror. He glanced at David
and nodded. The two men each took out a small vial hanging from their gold
necklaces around their necks and simultaneously pried opened the lid of the
vials. A pause first, they nodded at each other, and emptied the contents of
the vials into their mouths.
“Holy Shit!” Kevin hit the brakes hard as the car in front of them
swerved out of control hitting the embankment of a flyover bridge and flew over
the rails into the traffic on the freeway underneath. The FBI cars screeched
all at once, fish tailing to gain control over the slick snow, finally coming
to a halt on the side shoulders. Kevin and NK got out of the car and rushed to
the bridge to discover the fleeing car, lay overturned in the middle of the
highway below the bridge, struck by a few passing cars in a massive accident.
Smoke and burnt rubber filled the air as minor explosions in the upturned car
set it ablaze.
Kevin radioed the emergency dispatch as he made way down to the
highway to contain the damage and stop the other vehicles. He ran as fast his
feet would take him to the site on the grassy slopes connecting the flyover to
the highway. He covered his nostrils with his shirt sleeve to keep the fumes
from his lungs and bent to check the upturned car through thick smoke and
flames. Two quickly charring bodies lay upside down, their heads hung
precariously over the asphalt held by seat belts and buffered by inflated air
bags. The passenger was holding a letter crumpled in his hand. Kevin pulled out
the letter, burning his hand but successfully retrieving it from the accident
site.
The sirens filled the expanse of the highway. More police cars joined
with ambulances, quickly going about the business of restoring order. The half
charred bodies were retrieved along with more evidence from the trunk of the
car. Kevin and NK methodically collected the evidence for safe keep. The two
were back at headquarters in the early morning hours of Christmas.
*****
Khushi spent Christmas Eve sulking in her room. She was livid at Shyam
and her family for tooling around her life at a time she needed a kind ear, a
gentle embrace, a loving word….an ASR. An involuntary smile crept up her lips
as she thought of their intimate night together. It had been beautiful and even
though, neither had confessed any true feelings, she could not get rid herself
of the loving tenderness he had showered on her. She had the strong need to
find out if there was more to it.
Christmas morning dawned without the usual cheer at the Gupta mansion.
Khushi had kept herself to her room. Sasi and Garima had tried to talk to her
but she asked for some space and time alone. Her parents understood, her
parentage, ASR leaving abruptly and her own reactions were enough to topple any
applecart. She needed time to assimilate everything into her system
“Khushi, we need to talk.” A knock at the door brought her thoughts
back to the unpleasantness called Shyam.
“Really?” she stood up, refusing to feel intimidated by the
recalcitrant fool. She crossed her arms across her chest and ambled up to him
in deliberate steps, “Is there anything left to talk?”
Shyam hid his surprise well. He hadn’t expected her to turn things around
on him. He needed this engagement, now more than ever or else the carefully
cultivated life would crumble faster than a house of cards.
“Look, it’s a deal for us, you know that and I know that. So let’s cut
through the crap and get down to it. Stay engaged to me for another year and
then we forget any of this ever happened.” He cocked his head trying hard to
put a lid on his rising anger mixed with fear.
“Stay engaged! To you! You are nuts, Shyam!” She shook her head in
derision and looked away.
“Need I remind you, you need this as much if not more than I.” He knew
he’d have to remind her of the strong bargaining chip he held over her. She
glared at him and clenched her jaw, metaphorically grinding his balls between
her teeth.
“At this point, Shyam” she began, unfolding her arms and locking them
behind her, and walking up to him she poke her index finger into his chest, “You
need it more than I do. I have nothing to lose. I am a bastard child of a royal
father and Jewish mother, did you know that? I am fucking adopted and I don’t even
know my real parents. My life stands upside down and I am under death threat. The
last ray of hope I had of getting to the bottom of this, you got rid of him.
So, no Dr. Shyam Jha, I have nothing to lose. So go on right ahead” she poked him
again with her index finger, “Do what you have to do. This engagement is officially
and unequivocally, OVER” she poked again and lowered her voice,” Do…you…understand?”
She spoke through clenched teeth with anger dripping through every
word she spoke. Shyam coiled back, never having seen her this way. He was dumbstruck for a few moments but
recovered fast. A classic evil smile descended on his face before he left her
with his parting words, “You will regret this, Khushi. Watch me ruin you and
your family.”
She held her head high till he was out of sight. She exhaled and drew
in a few quick breaths to regain her composure when he left. It took the wind
out of her, but she had done it. She had broken her sham of an engagement and
suddenly she felt liberated. She needed to get some fresh air and she needed
her own space.
Khushi had packed her bags and loaded her mini cooper in the attached
5 car garage. She paused contemplating whether to say bye to Sasi and Garima,
her parents for all intents and purposes but she needed more time. She flicked
the garage switch and the singleton door creaked open fighting the weight of fresh
snow outside. She trudged out with a mini shovel to clear a small part of the
driveway. She noticed that there were no FBI agents in sight.
She dropped the shovel and trudged to the small guest house. She
knocked on the door but the place looked abandoned. No one.
She walked around the back. “Hellooooo, any body there?” she called
out hoping to see some agent standing guard in the woods behind the guest
house. Nothing.
She hurried back to the other side of the mansion and noticed the
security cameras were gone, the FBI cars were gone, and there were no agents in
sight. She felt a rush of panic upon the realization that there were no agents
guarding the house or her family. She took off her glove and dialed ASR’s
number.
His husky baritone voice mail cracked on the phone, This is Agent Arnav Singh Raizada. Sorry I can get to the phone right
now, please leave a message, I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Shit, ASR! Where are you?
She texted him and called him many times. Nothing.
She did not have Kevin or NK’s number. She kicked the snow in
frustration. “Aaargh!” She had to find ASR. She was afraid this was the end of
her and her family.
****
I will miss Khushi. But…first things first.
He dialed NK’s number. No answer.
He texted him to call him back.
He texted his sister Anjali,wishing her and family a Merry Christmas.
This was not his idea of Christmas Eve but he had sent his gifts to his two
lovely nieces and had gotten their pictures as a screen saver on his laptop. He
smiled at them as he rebooted his laptop. He took off his clothes and crashed
on his bed. He hadn’t slept like that in years.
Christmas began quietly outside the Lincoln Park neighborhood. A thin
layer of snow had covered the sidewalks and the road. ASR got up lazily and
checked his phone.
Khushi had left him many texts and voicemails. He sat up and called her.
“ASR! I don’t know what to do. There is no security detail here. I wasn’t
sure who to call. What happened?” her panic stricken voice broke his heart. He
wanted to be there for her and felt guilty leaving her alone.
“Khushi, calm down. I am sure there is a good reason for it. I will
call Kevin and find out. Where are you right now?”
“Well, I am driving to my apartment. I couldn’t stand to be in the
house with anyone.”
“Don’t go to your apartment, it’s not safe. Tell you what. Stop by my
place till I figure this out. It will be safer here and no one would know.” He rattled off his address to her and
immediately called Kevin.
“Ah! Agent, I was about to call you. We got a breakthrough in the
Sabre case!” Kevin sounded decidedly ecstatic and happy. ASR almost dropped his
phone at the announcement.
“What do you mean?”
“We got the entire mother lode of evidence. The Mafioso, the culprits,
lock stock and barrel, even the Sabres have been confiscated. Can you believe
it? They were sitting discarded in a warehouse in the outskirts of Zurich.”
“I don’t understand. Slow down and explain to me.”
ASR sat down with a pencil and began taking notes.
The two men chasing Khushi for the Sabres were Noam Lasky and David
Scholle, members of the jewish mafia with rap sheets as long as the Great Wall
of China. They had murdered Isaacson and since FBI was scheduled to meet Isaacson,
NK had caught tail of the two fleeing men. The men had died in a road accident
but the cause of death was ingestion of cyanide capsules – a suicide mechanism
common among organized crime. FBI had obtained a confession letter in which the
men confessed to the crimes on royal families. FBI also impounded a black book
with details on the murders of royal families and listing of all the Sabres stolen
from those families. Each Sabre had a serial numbers associated with it. The
numbers didn’t make much sense to the FBI and the FBI cryptographers believed
them to be a factory order number common in World War 2 era. The Sabres were
found locked in a warehouse, with nothing but a padlock protecting them.
ASR didn’t wish to kill the joy evident in Kevin’s voice but something
didn’t add up. It was all too convenient and too clean. Mafia was famous for
using fall guys and to ASR the dead men seemed like a convenient foil used by
the real brains behind the entire operation. This was perfectly convenient for
him. Now he could run his private investigation unfettered by protocols and
secrecy surrounding an ongoing investigation.
He had about an hour before Khushi arrived. He changed into his
running gear and decided to give himself a much deserved work out to clear his
brain to think of his next steps. A half hour later he was back in his
apartment and realized the sorry state it was in. He cleaned up the space, and
quickly dashed into the shower. He’d barely finished when the doorbell rang.
He pulled on a sweat pant and rushed to the front door, hair and torso
still sopping wet from the fresh shower.
“I’m coming!” he shouted as he sprinted to the door and opened it.
Khushi looked fresh as a bright Christmas light lighting up his
doorway. She had been away from him for less than a day and she’d forgotten how
handsome he looked. She stood outside the door, her mouth hanging open at the
sight. His own mouth hung open at the dewy freshness he left behind. A gust of
Chicago wind hit him, reminding him of his nakedness.
“Hi!” he greeted her cheerfully, “Come on in, before I turn into the
iceman!” he grabbed her forearm and pulled her in, shutting the door behind
her. She turned around and threw herself on him, enveloping him in a tight hug.
“I missed you!” her hot breath fanned on his wet chest as he looked on
with complete surprise at the most genuine and loving gesture he had ever felt
in a long time!
