YOU’RE NEXT, BUDDY
PRE-NOTE:
Kindly excuse correct the grammatical mistakes. Thanks
in advance. :)
PART 2:
Prashanth looked at her again and he knew that she was the
one. She was the one for him. He had always considered himself immune to the
grand passion; even the most attractive of her sex had never meant more to him
than someone to sit in office’s reception and welcome him with a huge smile.
But at this historic moment misogyny, that crusted armor, inexplicably cracked
and fell away from him, leaving him defenseless to the delicate blade. And did
she just say that she was The Arrow?
“I don’t bother,” he replied. “Need any help in your
killings?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “So you say that you
love me even though you don’t even know my name?”
“I am sort of speechless otherwise I’d say yes.”
A dimple appeared when she pursed her lips. “You speak
awfully well for a speechless person, sir. But I don’t believe in this sort of
love. Love happens when we get to know each other well. What you have is a mere
infatuation.”
“I have one way of proving you’re wrong.” He still hadn’t
blinked and watched her for her change in reaction. ‘Ah, the concern, the faint
frown, the tensing of that cool still figure.’ He told himself.
“How?” She seemed amused.
“By making you fall in love with me without telling you
anything about me,” He said, rising.
Sylvia grinned. “I like the challenge. So we won’t even know
our names but we’re going to meet each other every day? I like it. Anyway for
the sake of easy communication, call me Priya – the most common name in TN.”
“Call me Vijay for the same reason,” he jumped up and began
to walk; it was not good to look at this woman too long.
She watched him cross the road and then distracted when her
cell phone rang. “Priya Calling…”
“Hundred years, darling.”
“Hello? Sylvia?”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s me. It’s me. But anyway I was just talking
about you. So…”
“You got friends already huh? How many? It’s just like one
day.”
“Two. Not exactly friends. One is my admirer and one is my…
well, patient.”
Priya laughed at the other side. “Tell me about the admirer
first. What’s his name?”
“I don’t know. But I am planning to call him Vijay and he is
going to call me Priya. See, that’s what I am talking about.”
“I don’t see, lady. What are you talking about?”
She sat on the bench and began talking about her experience
in the morning. “Oh my God,” screamed Priya. “I like the moody professor more
though. Is he good-looking?”
“Yes. But…” She did not complete her sentence as a flash of
movement caught her eye, a glittering something that cut through her hand that
was placed carelessly, whizzed past her, and stuck with a dull thud in the
tree’s branch. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the object
quivering in the tree. It was a small silvery dart.
She cut the call and laughed nervously. “Maybe some kids are
playing with dart guns.” She told herself, getting up. But no kid came looking
for their arrow. She rubbed her hands, sauntered towards the tree and pulled
the dart out with a clinical perfection. There was a paper sticking out at its
end.
‘Do not use my name to impress your
boyfriend.
~ The Arrow.
P.S. I don’t communicate with anyone
without blood. Hence I had to shoot you.’
The wound in her hand hurt more. Whoever threw it was right.
The paper was soaked with her own blood and flesh.
**********
Vijay looked around the airport for Bhargav in the jostling
mob and fought his way to the edges of the crowd, trying to spot him. When he
finally found him, he was leaning against one of the many pillars supporting the
building and was talking to a gorgeous girl with a big grin on his face. Vijay
hurried over to them. But Bhargav, deep in conversation with his new friend,
didn’t notice his brother-in-law. More importantly, he didn’t notice his
girlfriend Spadiha making her way through the crowd.
Vijay arrived about two steps behind Spadiha, raised his arms
in defense when Bhargav glared at him. Spadiha caught his chin and turned his
face towards her. “Oh, uh, hi,” his grin fading in embarrassment, “I was just
asking this girl how to get out of the airport. It’s really huge, you see.”
“Oh yeah. Apparently your brother-in-law doesn’t know what he
is doing.” Her voice was harsh and sarcastic.
Bhargav tried to look innocent. “I was lost, baby.”
“Who is this?” The girl next to him purred sweetly.
“My brother-in-law Vijay. He is an interesting guy. He…”
“Not him. The girl.” She pointed her long index finger at
Spadiha. “She is looking at you as though she is going to burn you.”
“Really?” He looked at Spadiha and then turned back to the
girl. “It’s Vijay’s wife’s brother’s girlfriend. You don’t have to bother about
her. Guys, go ahead, I’ll join you shortly.”
Spadiha angrily snatched the trolley from him and rushed off,
nearly knocking Vijay over. “Bhargy, I’ve got to talk to you,” Vijay said,
smiling at the girl as he took Bhargav by the elbow. “Excuse us a second.” He
pulled Bhargav around the pillar.
“You too, Vij?” Bhargav complained. “I can’t even start a
friendly conversation without everybody jumping on me.”
“That’s not my problem. But do you really have to make
Spadiha look like a real jerk in front of some girl you’ve been hitting on?
Make up your mind, Bhargy. Is Spadiha your girlfriend or not? Because I have to
explain the presence of her to my wife. And I am not going to do it if you’re
not going to make it clear.”
Bhargav seemed to be studying the toes of his shoes as Vijay
spoke. “All right,” he finally muttered. “Tell Indhu that she is my girlfriend
and I want to marry her.”
“Good. Now go and apologize to Spadiha,” said Vijay.
“Apologize? Why should I? Why did she have to make such a
life-and-death deal out of me talking to a cute girl?”
Vijay grinned. “It’s your fatal charm, Bhargy. It stirs up
women’s passions.”
“Very funny,” Bhargav pouted. “Okay, let me go and put myself
at the mercy of the passionate Spadiha.” He started walking and Vijay put his
head around the pillar. The girl widened her eyes as he said. “I have to borrow
this guy because my wife isn’t known to be patient. Sorry about that.” The girl
nodded and was about to say something. But he didn’t notice as he already
turned his head and followed Bhargav who was heading towards the nearest exit.
Once they were near Vijay’s BMW, he tactically stepped behind
leaving the lovers alone and started stuffing the luggage in the back of his
car. Bhargav opened the front door and faced the furious Spadiha. “I am sorry.”
She was looking behind his shoulders though. “You brought her
here.”
“What? I…” He looked confused. He wheeled around to see the
girl closing to their car. “Oh, god!” But to his relief, she went straight to
Vijay.
Vijay looked surprised. “You… you’re him.” She said with her
fear-filled large eyes.
“I am who?” Vijay searched for an answer in Bhargav’s face
but he simply shrugged.
“You’re him,” she said again. She looked torn. “Please,
please, please, look after yourself. You’re next.” She almost whispered, turned
to her heels and began running.
Both the men exchanged looks. Vijay decided in the last
minute not to go after her. “That was weird,” said Bhargav. Vijay nodded in
agreement as he took the wheel. Bhargav took the back seat as Spadiha refused
to look at him as she buckled the seat belt.
Vijay’s car soon picked up its speed in the main road.
Spadiha asked, “Yours is a love marriage, right, Vij?”
“You know our story, Spadiha.”
“Then why do you fear that Indhu won’t approve of me?”
The car tires screeched as Vijay braked it suddenly. “Who…
who said that? I don’t think... Indhu will be very happy, Spadiha. I assure
you.”
Bhargav leaned forward and placed his arms on the front seat.
“But you can’t afford to treat me badly like this in front of her. She is very
sensitive.”
Spadiha made an action as though she was going to catch his
throat and said, “I’ll kill you if you say one more word during this journey.”
Vijay chuckled. “It’s just that she thinks that your
boyfriend is a kid still and she is kinda sure that his choices are always
wrong. His choices of women scare her too. But trust me, he had done many
things in the past to prove her right.”
“I understand. But you’ll explain to her, right?”
Vijay gave her a reassuring smile. “Yes. I will. I am happy
that he has found someone like you. You’re adorable.”
Spadiha smiled back. Bhargav did a dance on his seat. “So all
settled, huh?”
Spadiha turned around sharply. “Nothing is settled between
you and me till I punch you hard on the face.”
Vijay laughed out loud and turned the ignition on. “I love
you guys.” Neither Vijay nor Spadiha spotted the car that continuously followed
them till his house.
***********
“What’re you doing here, Vasanth?” Sylvia asked in an
astonished voice when she saw him enter the clinic.
“Professor Vasanth, if you please,” said Vasanth, helping the
old lady he brought along with him sit in a chair. “I am okay. She said that
her heart beats fast. Could you…” But she was already checking the old lady.
Sylvia looked at the old lady kindly and asked, “Were you
climbing stairs?”
“Yes, it was raining and I had to take the clothes of the
boys…”
Vasanth looked shocked. “Aunt Ranjani, how many times have I
told you not to do any works? You’re the only living relative to us. And…”
“Hey, hey, hey,” said Sylvia. “Give her a break. She is fine.
She just needs some rest.”
“Thank you,” said Aunt Ranjani. “You’re very cute.”
“Thank you to you too. And don’t let this boring professor
get into your head, okay?”
Ranjani laughed like a child. “I like you.”
Sylvia winked. “Really?”
“I like young women. Especially young women with nice eyes.”
She peered at Sylvia through her silver spectacles. “Whose eyes were they? Was
it your mother’s?”
Sylvia was overwhelmed. Ranjani was a rawboned old lady with
knotty farmer hands and eyes sharp and twinkly as snow in Christmas sunshine, set
in a face wrinkled and pungent, like an apple tree fall. Seventy-one years had
dragged everything down, a bosom still full, a great motherly abdomen—everything
but the spirit that touched the wrinkles with grace and kept her ancient hands
warm. Sylvia thought she had never seen a wiser, shrewder, kinder face.
“I never knew her, Mrs. Ranjani. She died when I was very
small.”
“Ah, that’s no good,” she said, shaking her old head. “It’s
the mothers make the women. Who reared you? Your father?”
“No, Mrs. Ranjani. I saw him last when I was no bigger than a
newborn calf.”
“Dear lord, what happened to him?”
“He’s dead, too.” She smiled a little.
The shrewd eyes examined her. “You’re stubborn. And I don’t
like your smile when you talk about death casually.”
“Sorry,” murmured Sylvia.
“It’s got nothing behind it. Are you married?”
“Heavens, no.”
“Ought to be,” Aunt Ranjani decided. “Some man would make a
woman of you. What do you do, Sylvia, apart from being a doctor?”
Her smile became wider. “You know my name. Did Vasanth tell
you about me?”
Vasanth shook his head. “Look, Sylvia…”
Her cheeks puffed when the corners of her lips stretched
farther. “You were enquiring about me as though…” She chuckled. “As though I am
going to marry your nephew. God, that’s why you ask me about my parents and
all…” By this time, she was laughing with tears in her eyes. “Aunty, you can’t
be serious. You barely know me and Vasanth and I are like north and south
poles.”
“Yeah,” Vasanth concurred. “But she thinks that you’re a good
match for my brother. Not for me.”
Sylvia’s heart ached a little when he said it so casually.
Didn’t he like me? Not at all? She closed her eyes and told herself, ‘You barely know him. He doesn’t know you.
Why should he like you? Why should he love you?’
Ranjani patted his arms. “Vasanth! Stop beating yourself so
hard…”
He swallowed hard as he remembered Supriya. ‘Professor, you and I are like north and
south poles. But that’s what I like about you.’
Sylvia changed the topic as quick as she could. “Vasanth, do
you know anyone around that park who plays with darted guns?”
Vasanth twisted his lips.
“My brother does.”
***********
“I don’t know any of The Arrow’s victims. Why would he pick
Vij out of everyone in this city? He is the nicest man on Earth,” said Indhu,
burying her head on her hands.
“Thank you,” said Vijay.
Indhu slowly raised her head and dazed at him. “We’re
leaving, Vij. Let’s pack to get ready to go to the airport.”
Vijay looked uninterested. “Come on, we just got back from
there. Can’t we just eat while we take time to think and discuss?”
“What’s there to discuss?” Raghav pondered.
“God, you’re encouraging her,” said Bhargav, rubbing his
cheeks. “Vij, the smell is killing me. Can we just move this conversation to
the dining table, please?”
“I am starving too,” said Spadiha, clutching her stomach.
“Come on,” Vijay led the way to the table and the love
couples followed him quickly.
Indhu looked at them and then looked at Raghav. “Can you
believe this guy?”
Raghav’s eyes were still on the other three. “Who’s that
girl? I don’t want a stranger hanging around with my friend right now.”
“Oh, relax. Bhargav brings one such girl every time. He’d say
that he really wants to marry her and I’d say no. He’d be furious but come
along after two days. And then after a month, he’d call me and say that I am an
angel and I saved his life. I am used to it and I don’t take credit for it
anymore.”
Raghav laughed. “Does Vijay approve of those girls every
time?”
“No. That’s what kills me.” She watched Vijay passing a bowl
to Spadiha. “Maybe she is different. But I don’t have time for this.” She stood
up, heading to the dining table. Raghav followed suit and both of them sat
opposite to Vijay and Bhargav.
“Give me the facts first before you say anything else,” said
Vijay, reaching for the tomato sauce.
Raghav placed his hands on the desk and said, “Okay, you
deserve information. It all started with the murder of the city’s famous
oncologist James Alwin, 56 year old, head of the department in our
multi-specialty hospital. Obviously he is a wealthy man and so we doubted his
sons. We didn’t even think that this is an outside job. He had so many bruises
in his body and so many wounds. He died because of too much bleeding.”
“His sons wouldn’t have chosen a painful death to his father
if money is the only motive,” said Vijay in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Yes, and both his sons, doctors themselves, cried like
little babies looking at the mutilated body of their father. Also their alibis
checked out. They both were in a medical conference related to some
chemotherapy. Both of them are unmarried and dedicated their lives in trying to
find a medicine for cancer. The elder brother is in love with a girl who is a
doctor and involves in various social service activities. The younger brother
actually plans to open a health care center that helps poor people get proper
cancer treatment as well.”
“All right. All right. We get it. His sons are not the
killers. No doubts on anyone else?” asked Bhargav, getting back to the subject
in hand.
“The old man was found dead in his own bed room. Nothing was
disturbed and so we expected that the old man admitted the killer himself into
the house. But no surprises there, lot of patients visited him before and so
the killer could’ve gained trust by saying that he is a cancer patient. He was
tied to his own bed and tortured to death. The whole killing process was
captured in a video and sent to the same address two days after. The video ends
with the arrow being drawn on the wall with the victim’s own finger and blood.
The finger was chopped off from the old man when he was alive.”
“God bless his soul!” said Spadiha. Indhu had to tap her
chest to keep it calm. “Cruel!” She said.
“Phew! All this was in the video?” asked Bhargav.
“Yes. His sons were completely broken after this, especially
the younger one. He is yet to come out of his house and see his patients. There
are no enemies to James Alwin and we didn’t get anywhere. We didn’t find the
meaning of the arrow as well.”
“You got an email with the subject ‘You’re Next, Buddy’,
right? But you ignored it,” said Vijay.
“Yes, the second murder was a pizza delivery guy Badrinath. He
was 25 years old, was doing a part-time MBA in mid of several troubles and
raised by a single mom. His mom died last year. This guy was an opposite of
James Alwin in everything. He was young, poor and had no family. There was no
connection between these two. They had never met in their life.”
“How did he die?” Bhargav put in.
“He was burnt to death. Not just that he was set in ablaze
but he was slowly tortured with fire and the wounds festered and killed him. He
was killed in an empty house with to-let board in front. The house owners were
in USA but we couldn’t pin the murder on them anyway. And our guess was that
Badrinath came to the house to deliver the pizza and was caught by the killer.”
“He has no family. So who got the video this time?” Indhu
asked.
“He had a girlfriend. We checked on her and she came clear as
well just like the sons of James Alwin. And no reasons to doubt her anymore
because she committed suicide a week after Badrinath’s death. She also had a
poor background like him and had no one to look after her. So his death
destroyed her soul.”
“The Arrow…” Vijay reminded him.
“Yes. The Arrow was made with the burnt flesh of this guy in
the wall.”
Spadiha choked into her juice. “Crap. Seriously?”
“For the first time, we began to doubt the existence of a
lunatic serial killer in loose. But the email led us to a men’s hostel. We
could not guard 200 men and we had no time to analyze the history of them.
Seventeen guys identified Badrinath as the pizza delivery guy, six medical
students knew James Alwin and we put some security around them even though none
of them knew both. Unfortunately the third victim was not one of them.”
Raghav continued. “His name was Gokul, 33 years old, a
software engineer and a middle class guy. He had a beautiful wife and they had
taken a 2BHK house for the lease. Their original house was supposed to be
completed by the time the lease was over but somehow it got delayed for two
months. They don’t want to take a new house for 2 months and so the wife went
to her hometown and he took the hostel temporarily.”
“A harmless story so far,” said Bhargav.
“It is about to get ugly. This guy was killed during the
office hours in third floor. Everyone was out and so the entire floor was
calm…”
Vijay looked disappointed. “But unlike the first two murders,
this happened in a highly populated area and not to forget the fact that it’s a
hostel with people running around. How the hell did they miss the screams?”
Indhu shivered for a moment and Vijay wished that he hadn’t used the word
‘screams’.
Raghav nodded and said, “This guy’s tongue was cut and so
there was no screams. But the real question is how the killer entered inside
the hostel. Our constables were guarding and then there is a watchman too.
We’re not sure how he managed to get in. Probably through the window – that’s
our best assumption. This guy was killed using the real arrows interestingly.”
“Interestingly?” Indhu bit her lips.
Raghav poured a glass of water for him and said, “Sorry. But
it fits the arrow thing, you see. The victim Gokul was used like a dart board
and the arrows were all over his body. Even though we were sure, we ran a
background check on his wife and she was innocent. The video was sent to her –
I couldn’t watch the poor girl crying at all. Again we couldn’t place this guy Gokul
either with Badrinath or with James Alwin.”
“My bad!” said Bhargav.
“Next comes Juhi Sinha. This girl is so out of place in an already
‘out of place’ case. First of all, she was the first woman victim of The Arrow.
She is a North Indian and just a tourist. She was in the lonely beach resort
when she was killed. She was beaten to death. The Arrow was drawn with her hair
and blood.”
“The video?”
“It was sent to her cousin who was living in Chennai.”
“A video along with her ring finger,” said Indhu.
“Oh yes, I totally forgot that. Every video was sent with a
body part of the victim. It’s the index finger for James Alwin, the burnt hair
in case of Badrinath, the tongue in case of Gokul and the ring finger in case
of Juhi Sinha.”
“Horrible,” sighed Bhargav.
“By the time, something bad happened in my life as well.”
“What?” Spadiha’s right hand stopped in mid-air with her
chicken lollypop.
“The Commissioner called me in,” said the Inspector, folding
his hands about the glass, “and he told me he’d had the move under consideration
for some time. He’s creating a special Arrow squad. I’m in full charge. As I
said, top dog.”
“Caninized.” Vijay laughed.
“Maybe you find this situation full of yucks,” said his
friend, “but as for me, give me liberty and lots of it.” He drained what was
left in the glass. “Vij, I damn near told the Commissioner to his face today
that I am too young a bird to be handed a deal like this.”
“But you took it.”
“Yes, I took it,” said Raghav, “and God help me, I even said,
‘Thanks, Commissioner.’ And then I got the feeling,” he went on in a worried
way, “that he had some angle he wasn’t putting on the line and, Vij, I wanted
to duck out even more. I can still do it.”
For the first time, Vijay showed some emotions. “What? You
talking about quitting?”
“If it involves two of my best friends, I had to say no.”
“Who could protect us better than a friend?” Indhu asked,
sounding hollow.
“I don’t understand. I know James Alwin by reputation,
Badrinath might’ve delivered pizza to my home, never heard of Gokul and the
name Juhi Sinha seems familiar for no reason. Where do I come in?” Vijay wondered.
“It would be interesting to meet this Arrow character though.”
“What?” Indhu yelled, shuddering. “Do you have any such
foolish ideas?”
“I don’t want to get killed, if you know what I mean. But it’s
this address, how did you confirm that I am the victim? Why not Indhu?”
“We didn’t confirm that till Bhargav told us about the
airport incident,” said Raghav.
“I am not convinced. But for the sake of Indhu, I am ready to
leave. Book the tickets for the next flight.” He moved towards his room.
Indhu jumped. “I thought he would protest. Thank goodness.”
Bhargav smirked. “How well do you know Vij! I am impressed,”
There was a sardonic undertone in his comment. Indhu ignored it as she switched
on her laptop.
Shortly afterward, Vijay and Indhu stood at the airport
security checkpoint. They’d picked up their tickets, and their bags had already
been X-rayed. But a delay developed when an old lady in a wheelchair approached
the metal detector gate. The authorities stopped her saying that the wheelchair
wouldn’t be allowed without a proper check and she looked around helplessly.
Vijay came forward, “Indhu, you go. I’ll join you shortly.”
The old lady thanked him as he helped her get up and hold her
till the officers had to search her wheelchair. The security officers were
thorough, even checking the pillow on the seat for contraband. Vijay continued
to do his aid by making her comfortable back on her chair. The lady fondly
touched his forehead and gave him a big bar of chocolate. When he thought he
was all set, something in the chair scratched his hand sharply and he started
bleeding.
“Ouch,” he shouted, holding his left hand with his right
hand. The officer who allowed the old lady smiled. “No sir, you’re bleeding.
You’re not allowed in.”
“No!” His protests were useless as he was sent out.
Bhargav, Spadiha and Raghav came running towards him as they
saw him come out with dropped head. Spadiha’s face was suddenly shadowed with
panic. “My god!”
“What’s wrong?” asked Bhargav irritably.
She pointed the chocolate in Vijay’s hands. It had an arrow
symbol on top of it.
To be continued.
Comments and criticisms are welcome. :)
For previous parts, kindly check
Thanks & Regards,
Lavanyaa
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