CHAPTER 7 - Part 2
Arjun inspected the crime scene thoroughly. He looked around
and examined every nook and corner. The only possibility for the blackmailers
to collect the money would be the wooden platform that was built into the sea.
So it had to be here that the money would be delivered. But, if it was about
the money then why were the people killed?
He and Riya returned to their room where Riya changed into
her casuals. She had removed the nuptial thread but not the Sindoor.
Arjun had carefully bandaged her hand and her ankle. He
ordered some pain killers for Riya that were delivered at their room
immediately. Riya was feeling much better. By the time they settled down to
dicuss the case it was 1 o' clock.
"Inhone tho subah se kuch theek se khaya bhi nahin hain!"
Riya realized.
She didn't care if Arjun would scold her or glare at her,
him eating his lunch was more important to her.
"Sir, lunch kamre mein hi order karde?" she ventured.
He looked at her surprised. She just read his thoughts.
"Sure, kardo," he gave her the menu card. Riya ordered
Indian food this time. Something Arjun would like eating. Arjun was also glad
that she wasn't experimenting on him with foreign cuisines.
Riya quickly opened her diary made a few notes and spread
them on the table near the recliner. She sat on the recliner while Arjun pulled
a chair towards the table and sat opposite to her.
Riya gave Arjun a quick recap of whatever they came to know
about the case until then.
"Riya, hum ek minute ke liye ye sochte hain ki murders aur
dhamkiyaan related nahin hain. Tho phir aisi kya vajah ho sakti hain un couples
ke maut ki?"
Riya was lost in thought about the same point.
"Shaayad unhone kuch aisa dekhliya hain jo unhe dekhna nahin
chahiye tha?" Riya suddenly said.
"Tumhe aisa kyun lagta hain Riya?"
"Statistics ke hisaab se 70% percent cases mein jab murder
ka motive unknown hota hain ya deaths meaningless hote hain, tab aksar yahi
kaaran hota hain uss victim ke maut ka. Iss case mein bhi vaisa hi hain sir,"
she said.
"Na hi unke jaan pehchaan vale yahaan hain aur na hi ye
traffickers ka kaam hain," Arjun said and brooded over it for a minute, "Maybe
tumhare statistics iss baar sahi hain."
"Ye tho hamesha sahi hote hain sir," she mumbled to herself.
"Tumne kuch kahaan Riya?" Arjun asked.
"Kuch nahin sir," Riya said when the doorbell rang.
"Lagta hain lunch aa gayi hain," she said and tried to get
up.
"Tum baitho," Arjun said and opened the door.
The lunch was served.
Riya picked her plate up and without a second thought ripped
the roti off and had the piece with some Malai Koftha she had ordered. Arjun
looked at her and smiled at her childish antiques. He served himself some Kadai
Paneer.
"Isse tho acha main banati hoon," Riya said pushing the
Malai Koftha aside. It was a little too sweet for her palate.
Arjun looked at her and her words pushed him back into his
recent past.
It was just two months
back. It was Chotu's birthday that day. Shree, Riya and Chotu had planned to go
outside for lunch. But they were busy with a case the previous day and had to
file reports of the case the next day. So, all plans were cancelled. Riya
remembered Chotu's liking for food, especially sweets. So she had planned a
nice treat for him on his birthday.
"Tumne khana banaya
Riya?" Chotu asked shocked. Even Rathore was surprised and Arjun was looking at
Riya with raised eye brows. Shree was about to crack a joke when Riya cut him
short, "Pehle khaake tho dekho. Phir kuch bolna," she said folding her hands,
"main sabke liye layi hun." She said looking at Arjun too. Arjun simply shook
his head and was about to get up when Riya opened the box that contained the
famous, 'Bharli vangi', stuffed brinjal. The smell didn't let him get up from his
seat. He was mortified. How could it be? It was impossible. To be able smell
that particular food again was impossible. He turned around and looked at Riya.
How could it be impossible? She was her teacher, wasn't she? That's what
Roshni had told him once.
Three and a half years
back':
"Aisa khana koi aur
nahin bana sakta hain Roshni, sivai tumhare," he said to Roshni, praising her for her
cooking. He loved his favorite dish even more, because of Roshni's excellent
cooking.
"Kyun nahin? Ek aur
insaan hain jo bilkul isi tarah bana sakti hain aur tum difference pehchaanoge
bhi nahin," Roshni said taking the utensils into the kitchen with Arjun
following her.
"Aur woh insaan hain
kaun?"
"Meri chutki," she
said lost in thought. It was her Chutki's birthday that day.
Arjun narrowed his
eyes with a smile still playing on his lips. "Hain kaun ye chutki, jise tum
kahin baar yaad karchuki ho?" Roshni was
quiet.
"Roshni? Tum theek
ho?" he asked concerned, wrapping his arms around her.
"Haan. Bas yahin
samjhiye ki agar aaj woh yahaan hoti tho aapko 'Jiju', bulati hogi, ACP Arjun" she said
with a smile.
"Main kuch samjha
nahin. Tumhari ek choti behen bhi thi? Tumne mujhe kabhi bataya nahin?"
"Thi, hain aur rahegi.
Bas ab hamare saath nahin hain," she said freeing herself from his embrace and
returning to her work. Arjun gave up his efforts to find about his wife's
little secret yet again. There was something she wasn't telling him. Something
that always made her sad. Something about this 'Chutki'. He would find out for
sure, he would.
He was brought back
into the present by Riya's voice.
"Arjun sir, aap
khayenge? Please?"
How could he refuse?
His urge to taste Roshni's cooking made him have the lunch along with them. He
regretted it later. Roshni was right. Riya's dish was exactly like Roshni's.
For a moment he wanted Riya's cooking every day! What was happening to him?
He had realized about
four months after he met Riya, that she was his Roshni's Chutki. He realized it
the day, Riya mentioned to him the very same words, the very saying his Roshni
used to tell him whenever he lost his temper or did something rash. He wouldn't
have suspected it if Riya hadn't told him that it was her 'Roshni Taayi' who
taught her that saying. The very moment he remembered the photographs he had
seen. The photographs of Riya and Roshni. Riya was about sixteen years old
then. She was twenty four now. Yet those similarities were striking. He never
thought about them, until that day. Her cooking today confirmed it yet again.
Right from that day he
made sure Riya never knew about Roshni, because he knew how important Roshni
was for Riya. His frequent warnings kept
her from digging his past. Riya didn't even know that his wife's name was
Roshni, her Taayi.
"Sir? Sir?" Riya said waving her hand in front of his eyes.
Arjun realized that he had been staring at her for far too
long.
"Kuch nahin bas case ke bare mein soch raha tha," he said and
continued to have his lunch.
He had to concentrate on the case now. They finished their
lunch and began discussing the case.
He stood up a looked at the notes on the table. Riya looked
at him.
"Kuch tho choot raha hain Riya," he said with his hands folded
across his chest.
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Here's Part 2! Thanks for all your wonderful comments on Part 1.
I hope you like the Part 2 also!
Yesterday's scenes between Arjun and Roshni inspired me to write about the pain Roshni might have experienced when she was killed... I'm glad it captured the feel...
I've revealed a Riya's secret in this chapter. I know you will get a lot of doubts as to why Roshni and Riya couldn't meet in the past eight years after Riya's Chaacha and Chaachi took her.
But, you guys have to wait! All will be be revealed but slowly, bit by bit.
So, relax and enjoy the ride. 😊
P.S. DO LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS! 😉 Chapter 8: http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3198907&TPN=34
Edited by ValleryWorks - 11 years ago
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