H for Hotchpotch

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“Sir, you are an officer with power, and you can do anything using that power.  Whatever I say might count against me, but you must listen to me even if I am an offender.  You should have called me to your office.”

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Arjun couldn’t let pass the question about the woman who played with him and his identity—he was a person in charge of law and order.  On Sunday, he decided to visit the lady—her address he got from her reports on the case sheet.  He had a case—how had the book he kept in his library ended up in her bag.  How has she got entry into his home?  If a fraud, she graduated in her art using the first person in charge of the security of the people in the area, and it would soon backfire on him and the system.  He should act before things reach such a worst-case scenario, and he has a bunch of clever opponents inside the police force.

Apartment 13B, Heather Pen.  13B winked at him from the display panel as he stepped out into the landing lobby from the lift.  A few steps to the right, Arjun reached in front of a door.  He pressed the button displayed below the camera’s eye.  The door screamed open.  A figure appeared in front of him, a security door between them.  She pulled aside the security door. 

He stepped inside without asking permission.  He justified his behaviour as his revenge for the rowdy way she acted at his home  

The room was in disarray, the sofa set draped with clothes, the coffee table dumped with teacups.  She scampered around to pull the stuff away for some time and drew the curtains.  “Sorry for the mess, she said.

She invited him to take a seat on the sofa.  Her confused look in her eyes and gasping voice pleased him.

“Is the case not over?” she gasped. 

“It’s not about the case.” He responded, watching her eyes enlarge, gesturing the question, then what. 

“How had that book ended up in your bag?” He gained an amount of pleasure in making a rough cut with his question.    

“I got it from Silpa.”  She stared at him, showing no hesitation, which he interpreted as a creative act around him.

“So, it was a set-up?”

“What do you mean?” The sternness in her voice irritated Arjun.

“You got my phone number from Silpa, and you called me that night on her instruction.” 

“Sir, you are an officer with power, and you can do anything using that power.  Whatever I say might count against me, but you must listen to me even if I am an offender.  You should have called me to your office.”

Arjun felt a cringe inside.  She was reminding her of something he failed to consider.  Is she a genuine case or a master performer?

“Yes, I must listen to you.”  Anand realised his voice was pitching down.

“You got confused.  Silpa allowed me to take that book to read.  When I visited her in your home, long before you two got divorced, I shouldn’t have taken it, your birthday gift to your wife.  I was looking for that book to read, was going to return it soon and then you know what happened.  I finished reading it and kept it in my car to return it to Silpa when she refused to receive it.  As she told me, she hated the book- it was not to her taste- and then your relationship took a turbulent turn.  Then it remained in my car… I didn’t know what to do with it.”

“And your telephone number she passed onto me for sending you a message when she got stranded on the road during one college strike.  She couldn’t get through to you, nor myself, and later, she sorted it herself.  The number I didn’t delete and considered it a blessing at that time when those men chased me—I was so separate.  It didn’t occur to me I was committing an offence—I was calling the law-and-order officer when danger came face to face with me.”

Arjun wasn’t sure whether to put trust in her or not or how to proceed?

This post is part of the #BlogchatterA2Z challenge hosted by Blog Chatter

You can read all my posts for Blog Chatter A2Z here.