Test Drive

#5

Present day, Sahil was having a shower in the bathroom. He came out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around his waist. The doorbell rang. He opened the door. Mahira stood there.

She asked, "Are you okay?"

He didn't speak, just nodded. She came in. She kept her sling bag on the bed. She turned around.

She said, "You look stressed, Sahil. Let me make you tea. You'll be relaxed."

He held her shoulders.

"Mahira, listen, the guy knows something."

"Something what?"

"He knows about me, who am I and what had I done."

"What had you done?"

His phone rang. He went to the side table and picked up the phone.

"Hello."

Abhinav said, "You came to my house. Did my tell something about me?"

"You know everything. But I am telling you, if you want to kill me, let's come face to face. Informing the police won't change anything."

"Yeah, it won't, because for them you are already a dead person. And which is why I don't trust the police, anymore. I'll call you again, I'll send you the location."

He hung up the call. Sahil stood still for a while. He sat on the bed. A humming sound came from Mahira's sling bag.

He said, "Mahira, your phone is vibrating."

"I am in the kitchen, must be a spam call, cut the call."

He unzipped the bag, took out her phone, the number was flagged as 'SPAM'. He disconnected the call. He hesitated, eventually he tapped on the i********: app in her phone. He tapped on the profile icon. There were no random pics of her which girls usually post but they were some flyers. He tapped on one of the posts. He read the text in the flyer, 'DETECTIVES AT YOUR SERVICE'. He scrolled to the next post having the text, 'WE PROVIDE PRIVATE INVESTIGATION SERVICES, CONTACT BETWEEN 9 AM TO 7 PM.' He pushed the back button and read her bio, 'LICENCED PRIVATE DETECTIVE'. He picked up his phone. He tapped on the google and searched for 'THE KIDS SCHOOL'. He tapped on the first website link that appeared on the page. The home page of the website displayed an image of Abhinav Kumar. A text was mentioned beneath his image, 'CO FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR'.

Mahira walked out of kitchen carrying the cup in her hand. Sahil stood before her, carrying her phone, showing her i********: profile.

He asked, "You are not a teacher."

She nodded.

"Yes, but I had to pretend to be the one of I had to get closer to you. I had to know the truth."

"That's why you prepared me the breakfast that morning to make me asleep."

He went furious.

He yelled, "You are a liar!"

He lunged forward, she spilled the tea on his face, he screamed, she kicked him, he fell on the ground. She took out her pistol and pointed at him.

"It's real and I have licence. I don't have to think even for a second to shoot you and I won't be answerable."

He said, "I loved you, Mahira."

"It's wasn't love, Sahil. It was your lust. You used me just for your s****l desire, like you did with Sanjana."

He kept seeing her. His phone rang.

She said, "Go to the room, and pick the call."

He picked up the phone and attended the call.

"I am listening."

"Good, now come to the location, I have sent you the one."

The call was hung me. He turned around.

He said, "He has called me to the location."

Sahil sat on the driver's seat of his car, driving. Mahira sat behind him with her gun pointed at him.

He asked, "What else do you know about me?"

"That you are a monster in the flesh of human."

He smirked.

Abhinav stood beside his car on a highway. Sahil arrived.

Mahira sat, "Step out of the car."

He opened the door and stepped off the car, followed by her. She kept her gun pointed at him.

Abhinav said, "I have a gift for you, Sahil."

He opened the trunk of his car. Jeet lay inside with his hands tied and mouth wrapped. He pulled him out. Jeet fell off the trunk. Abhinav made him to sit on his knees. He removed the tape from his mouth.

"Speak up, how did you help him escape the law?"

Jeet looked at Sahil.

He cried, "Sahil, everything is finished. We are in trouble now."

Abhinav yelled, "Speak up!"

Jeet sobbed.

Ten years ago, Sahil stood in the balcony of his flat, carrying a binoculars in his hand, gazing at the girls playing volleyball in the park. He adjusted the lens. He heard the doorbell. He put his binoculars down. He opened the door. Jeet stood outside. He came in and shut the door.

Sahil asked, "Why are you here?"

He turned to Sahil. He grabbed his collar.

"I warned you not to get into any trouble once you are out of prison."

"What happened?"

Jeet took out his phone and showed him the photo.

"Do you know who is in the photo?"

"It's me."

"I am talking about the girl who is standing beside you, moron."

"Oh, this is Sanjana. I have been sleeping with her for three months."

"Were you with her tomorrow?"

"Yeah, she was with me here. She told me that she was pregnant."

"So?"

"She asked me to marry her, I denied. She started threatening me that she would complain about me."

"Then, what you did to her?"

"I too told her that if she will speak to anyone about me I would leak her pictures. But what actually happened? Tell me clearly."

"She committed suicide, you moron."

"Oh, so what?"

"Are you insane? A girl has lost her life, the parents have lost their daughter. You could have just asked her to abort the baby, why did you threaten her?"

"Because I didn't want to marry her. I just befriend her so that I could play with her and quench my thirst."

"Where is the briefcase?"