The Spy

London #2

Derek's car arrived near a one star hotel.

Vinod said, "Derek, you stay here."

"Okay."

Vinod and Anish stepped off the car. They walked into the hotel. They went upstairs. Anish rang the doorbell.

"Janice, it's me, open the door."

No response came from inside. Vinod knocked the door.

"Open the door Janice, we need to talk. I understand you are in trouble, but we are the only one who can get you out of this. You have to trust us."

No response. Anish rang the doorbell again.

"Janice, open the door."

Vinod said, "She is not responding."

He took out his gun and shot on the doorknob, breaking the latch from inside. He pushed the door open. He entered the room. Janice lay dead on the bed. Anish came in.

"Oh my God!"

Vinod said, "This shouldn't have happened."

He turned to Anish.

"What?"

Vinod grabbed his collar and pushed him to the wall.

"How did this happen?"

"What are you saying? I have no idea how did this happen."

"You were the only one who knew about her stay in this hotel. So, how did they reach her?"

"I don't know, I swear."

Vinod left him. He stepped out of the room, thinking. Anish came to him.

"Vinod, trust me. Okay, whatever happened happened. Now, we only have to figure out our next move."

Derek asked (over earpieces), "Vinod, is everything alright?"

"Janice is dead."

"What?"

Derek opened the door. He was about to step out when the car exploded. Hearing the explosion, Vinod rushed to the corridor. He saw Derek's burning car.

He muttered, "No, no, no, no, no."

He thumped his hand against the wall. His phone rang. He took out his phone and attended the call.

"Sir."

"What the hell is going on, Vinod?"

Vinod's handler Yashwant Sinha walked through the atrium of the intelligence agency in New Delhi. The TV in the atrium was broadcasting a news about shootout in London restaurant in which Vinod's face was clearly visible.

"Your picture has been widely circulated by the media. Do you have any idea about that?"

"Oh, ISI."

"Maybe ISI they are behind this, but you should have smoothly handled the situation. The local cops must be like for you now."

"Sir, try to understand..."

"Your cover has been blown!"

"Sir?"

"I have been ordered to abort this operation."

"Sir, you know, we can't. I am about to get close to Jaskeerat. I'll find him. Sir."

"Just abort the mission, Vinod, else the agency will have to disown you."

"I don't care."

"I can trust you, Vinod but the agency can't."

"If it's true that you trust me, then call Arvind and ask him to fly to London and wait for my message."

Yashwant hung up the call. Vinod twitched his cheek muscle. Anish came to him. He gently tap on his shoulder.

"Vinod."

Vinod turned to him.

He said, "You have to do a job, for me."

"What?"

Indian High Commission of UK: Alyaz stood inside the moving elevator. He walked through the atrium of the corridor carrying his briefcase. He walked out of the building. He drove his car out of the premises. While driving, his phone rang. He stopped his car. He took his phone. He looked at the screen and attended the call.

"Hello."

Alyaz's car was parked outside an open cafe. He sat at a table having his coffee. Anish sat before him.

Alyaz said, "What do you want to discuss with Hafiz? He works for ISI, why would he trust you?"

"That's the part of our plan. Where I can find him?"

"Well, I have no idea where does he live, but there is a man who might help you."

"Is he an Indian?"

"Yeah, he has been in police force for almost a couple of decades."

Vinod sat at a table. A laptop was kept before him. The screen displayed a CCTV footage in which a man stood outside Janice's hotel room. He rang the doorbell. Janice opened the door. The man pushed her inside. A few seconds later the man walked out of the room, kept his gun inside and locked the door. The man walked towards the staircase. Vinod rewinded the footage and paused at the moment where his photo was clearly visible. He zoomed in on his face. His phone rang. He attended the call.

"Hello."

Anish stood outside the cafe.

He said, "He just gave me a number. He told me to talk to him through his reference."

"Okay, send me the number."

The bus stopped at the stop. Vinod left the seat. He stepped off the bus.

Half a dozen of police cars were parked outside an apartment. The cops were arresting every man in the house pressing them against the wall and putting handcuffs and collecting the cash bundles that were stored illegally in the cupboard. Sergeant Sumit strolled through the living room of the apartment, supervising the operation. He came out of the house to the porch. Inspector Nancy came to him carrying a clippad in her hand.

"Sir. Eighteen arrests have taken place. No one is ready to talk. No one wants to talk about Sanchez."

"Take all of them in remand. The boss wants the court proceedings to begin as soon as possible."

"Got it, sir."

She went inside. Sumit took out his ciggerate, lit it and smoked. His phone rang. He took out his phone. He attended the call.

"Hello."

"Am I talking to Sergeant Sumit Kumar?"

"May I know who is it?"

"I got your number from Mr. Alyaz Ansari."

"Oh, Ansari. Then it must be something crucial."

"Yes it is."

"What is it about?"

Vinod stood in the balcony.

He said, "Hafiz Bin Mortaza."

Sumit didn't respond for a couple of seconds. Infact he was astonished to hear the name.

Vinod said, "I know you know Hafiz. You were the one who arrested him."

"It was twenty years ago, I didn't see him after that."

"You have only one hour. I am sending you the address. I will be waiting for you."

Vinod hung up the call.