Love Happens With A Twist

29

Delhi






"The nose is slightly bigger than that. No, the eyes are lighter. A little to the left. Yes, they're curly. No, no. Darker." Riddhima was explaining to the sketch artist the people she saw a while ago who claimed to be helping her sister to get bail.

"Take a look. Are they the ones?" When he finished drawing the people she described on the white paper, she peeked, and they were exact replicas of them.

"They are." she nodded.

"I'm glad you agreed to report them. Believe me, this is better. Innocent lives will be saved." Abhimanyu was expressing how glad he was that she listened to him, but she got up, showing her disinterest because the only reason she accepted to report them was so that innocent lives wouldn't be dragged into the case. She would never support an innocent being hurt without any reason.

She stepped out, walking to her car in the dark night, where she intended to sleep until morning so that when her sister would be released, she would be the first one to be with her.

"Searching should begin immediately. There's no way we will let her be freed without approval from the court." Abhimanyu confided while signing a document containing his consent for the investigation.

"This was faxed here."

He collected the paper from the sceptical-looking officer, who also seemed tired and sleepy from the long day, then unfurled it open, scrutinising it with a blank face, refusing to be rattled by the threat it held.

"How do they know I'll be at the station by this hour? They're asking me to release Ms. Poonam, or they won't hesitate to kill all the people in their possession. They're giving me time until four in the morning to come to a final decision."

"What should we do? Should we still go ahead with the operation?" the inspector inquired.

"Absolutely. All these are empty threats. Make sure you search every nook and cranny in the city without making anyone frightened. I'm certain they're still within the corners of Delhi. We have time until tomorrow to have them arrested, which we will." He dismissed him through a wave he gave with his hand, and then he proceeded back into his office.

"They're fully aware the court would never grant her bail anytime; that's why they're trying to forcefully coerce us to give in to their demands, but I won't let that happen." He rumbled before answering his mother's incoming call.

"Yes, Mum?"

"Won't you come home tonight?"

"I guess I am not. Security has been provided for you guys tonight. But still, if you find anything suspicious around you, give me a call immediately."

"You're scaring me now. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. I'm just taking precautions."

"Alright. Take good care of yourself, I'll hang up." she did as she told.

He fell back on his chair, sighing, before he took his phone again to call the inspector. He wanted to know the progress they'd made, even though it hadn't been an hour since they left. He was restless. Not because of Poonam, but because of the innocent souls that were abducted.

"Jai Hind, sir!"

"Update?" He went straight to the point.

"We went to the location you told us about where the restaurant was located. The road ends after a kilometre, and there don't appear to be any suspicious places nearby. The area is full of commercial shops that have all been closed for the day."

"Keep searching. They must have left a clue somewhere in some spot. Or one of the victims has made one. Search carefully, but also don't waste time because we don't have any."

"Sir, one of them has been identified. He lives in old Delhi near the old temple." He listened to the light voice of someone informing the inspector.

"The old temple has been shut for centuries. Could they be there?" He voiced his thoughts and hung up immediately, grabbing his car keys and exiting the station to go there himself. He wanted to find out who these so-called supporters are and what their aim is when they get her released from jail.

He reached the destination at the same time as the other officers. They broke the lock on the door of the temple and raided the building, where they hoped was the location they were keeping the people captive. The others searched around the empty property while he roamed carefully, viewing every detail inside intently. Unable to find anything, he gave up hope that they were brought there. He turned, almost leaving, when his mind travelled back to what he had seen earlier on the dusty floor— so many scattered papers. At first, he had overlooked it, but he went back there and picked up each and every piece that contained one alphabet. Joining them together, they turned out to be a sentence.

"Poonam will leave the jail tomorrow morning with her head held up high, Mr. Commissioner."

"Officers!" he screamed, summoning all of them over him.

"We are not in the wrong place. They were here. They knew we would come here," he said, dispersing the papers with a flip his palm made on them. Anger shredded his eyes at the mockery they were playing against the law and the police.

"Poonam won't be leaving jail at any cost tomorrow without proper approval from the court. Even if we don't manage to free those people, she will still not be released."

*****

It was four in the morning, still very dark, and the light from the flashlight was cascading on the road as Abhimanyu and his colleagues tried to discern the location where they were holding the innocents. As the time ticked four, his phone rang, which got him to shudder slightly at the unexpected sound in the quiet hour. He got it out of his pocket and saw it was from an unknown caller.

"Who is this?" he spoke after he answered.

"Stop wasting your time and return to the station to sign her release papers. We're going to give you thirty more minutes to reach the station, or not only will the innocent people with us be killed, but your house, which shelters your family, will also be burned down. We're not scared of the police, nor are we scared of the government. They already know us, and they know we keep our words when we say them." The robotic voice threatened and cut the call the instant he finished.

He released a loud hoot that echoed in the silent neighbourhood to share his anger that one single soul—Poonam—was causing, which is affecting not just his life but others.

"The DGP wishes to speak to you, sir!" The inspector gave him the phone and left.

"Jai hind, sir," he muttered, aware of the reason behind his call at such an hour.

"Jai hind. I wish to know about Ms. Poonam's case. Any progress? Has the date for her first appearance in court been booked?"

"Yes. A week from now. She is still in custody," he said without interest.

"Good. Sign her release papers. From now till her appearance in court, she shall be under house arrest."

"Ho..." he was about to oppose when he cut in.

"We can't keep her in jail. She is a powerful figure. To ensure we maintain calmness in the state, she must be freed and should rather live under house arrest. I trust you'll send trustworthy officers with her, but we just have to do this."

"All citizens are equal in the state. Would you have said the same thing if it were a poor man in her place who was charged with drugs and murder?"

"But she is not a poor man. It is for the safety of everyone. I know people are held captive. I gave you the chance to change my mind from going with the last option, which is giving her a house arrest, but you failed to locate those that were kidnapped."

"What will happen if we set her free and they don't release them? Are you communicating with them? Did they guarantee you they would free them all?"

"I order you to give her the house arrest and treat this matter with immediacy. Jai hind!" he exclaimed. The phone beeped three times before it hung.

"I won't," he affirmed to himself, ready to lose his job if necessary, but he wouldn't let her go without facing trial.

Honestly, there's no motivation for me to keep writing this book. I mean, there are no comments. Please ensure to drop anything—your opinion when you read this. Thank you. Don't forget to vote, and yep, still comment.