Time: back to present day, 8:00 PM
Okay, so what do we do with him?” I asked.
“Is he dead?” Yash said.
“I don’t think so,” I replied.
“Oh, so now you’re a doctor?” Rahul shot back.
“I mean, I felt a pulse—at the neck,” I said.
“Right. We’re touching now,” Rahul muttered, exasperated.
“Your prints are on him. You could go to jail for murder,” he warned, making me wonder if I’d been a fool to check whether this total stranger was alive.
“Stop jumping the gun” said Yash to Rahul
“Wait a minute what is this bag, is this yours?” asked Rahul
“Nope, mine is in the back seat.” I replied
“What’s inside” asked Yash
“I’m not looking, it could be a bomb” said Rahul
“Don’t be such a wuss,” said Yash as he opened up the kit
We stood dumbfounded for a moment
Staring back at us from the kit were bundles of money.
“Dude, this is messed up,” Rahul whispered, panicking and turning away from the car.
“He could be a hawala agent, there could be underworld kingpins looking for him” cried Rahul
“Whatever, let’s call the police” said Yash
“Right—and how do we explain the body and the cash?” Rahul yelped, clutching his hair like that would produce a solution.
“I am saying leave him and the money here” said Rahul
“But her prints are on him,” Yash reminded him.
“Well then, let’s bury him,” Rahul blurted.
“Who is burying whom?” came a deep, scary voice from behind, followed by the distinct click of a revolver’s safety.
We went rigid, too afraid to turn.
“Turn around,” he bellowed.
We turned slowly. The man Rahul had declared dead a few seconds ago stood there—very much alive, breathing hard, eyes blazing.
“Look, sir—sir—we don’t want trouble,” Rahul babbled. “We thought you were dead, you were in the boot, unconscious. Please, please don’t kill me. I’ll give you money!”
“I have money,” the man said, pointing at the kit.
“Fine! I’ll do anything,” Rahul gulped.
“All right—drop me at the airport,” the man said.
“Okayyy…” Rahul managed, unsure what to make of the request.
The gun came up again.
“Now… drop me—aaah!” he yelped, as Priya cracked the flashlight against his wrist from behind. In the panic we hadn’t noticed she’d gone to look for water and returned empty-handed—just in time to see a gun pointed at us.
We didn’t miss a beat. We pounced. The guys pinned him, and we tied his hands with Rahul’s tie and his legs with Yash’s scarf.
“Okay, kids—listen, listen. I don’t want trouble. I was just trying to scare you,” the man said, his voice suddenly softer.
“Please please drop me at the airport” he said
“You can take the money if you want” he said
“Ok first you answer some questions” said Yash
“Who are you?” Yash asked.
“My name is Chandrashekar. I help transfer money for illegal operations, don’t know the details, I’m just a collection and delivery guy” replied Chandra
“Ok why were you in the boot of my car?” asked Rahul
“I thought thugs were chasing me since a deal had gone kaput at the Residency hotel” explained Chandra
“Ok, how did you become unconscious?” asked Priya
“I am allergic to that perfume smell. I think I must have passed out before I could properly use my asthma inhaler” said Chandra. That seemed like a reasonable explanation.
“Ok what’s the money for?” asked Yash
“It’s money from the deal that just went kaput” said Chandra
“Please, please stop with the third degree. I have told you all you wanted to know. Can you please get me to the airport now” pleaded Chandra
“Said the man with the revolver” mocked Priya
“I am a decent guy with a family and we are flying to Muscat at 1 AM. Here, check my wallet. If I don’t go I will miss the flight and I will be stuck here. I have set up a business for myself there, a new life. Please help me out here” he pleaded desperately.
“Ok, I will look for the wallet” said Priya
“What you are now into guy’s butts now. Thought you didn’t swing that way” mocked Rahul
“Shut up Rahul” snapped Priya
True enough there was a nice photo of the guy with his family.
“Just get me to a phone booth. I can’t use my mobile, they may trace it. I need to make two calls. Then drop me off at the airport. I swear I will be out of your hair” he said
It would have been easier to leave him there but there was a long trail of evidence and if anything were to happen to him, we would be in the middle of one big mess. So we decided that we would just put an end to it by dropping the guy at the airport. We checked the knots on his hands and legs one last time.
“Ok guys, I think he’s safely tied up now” I said
“Let’s put him in the back seat between me and Priya and we can push off” I suggested
Once the flat tyre was replaced—Chandra wedged between me and Priya—we set off towards the city.
As we reached the city limits, there were police checkpoints everywhere.
Yash rolled down the window and asked the driver in the next car what was going on.
“Oh, the Chief Minister is in the city for the PPL match. Standard procedure,” he said.
“Okay, a tied-up guy with teenagers could land us in trouble,” Priya muttered.
“She’s right,” Yash agreed.
“Can we take a detour?” I asked.
“Nope,” Rahul said. “I can park for a while, but they’ll reach us.”
“Ok I have an idea” I said
“Priya get your kit out, Yash give me your shades. Rahul, can you please pull over.” Rahul obliged by pulling onto a small gap we found among the cars parked along the pavement.
I got my school shirt and yellow skirt out from my bag. Turning to Chandra I said, “Ok, Chandra we are going to help you put this skirt on.”
“Emp…er..or school” Chandra tried to make out the name of school from the shirt
Looking at the yellow skirt, he winced and was quick to remark “I really don’t think that colour suits me”
“Oh, you know what might suit you, white with black stripes” I retorted
“Ok ok” he said having realized that making jokes wasn’t going to work in his favour in any way
“Wear this shirt, keep your hands down, so they don’t see it’s tied up, and now Priya, do your wonder with the make-up. Pull his hair down onto the front so that it covers the school emblem on the shirt”
“Sure thing” said Priya
“And now the shades” she said as she gave him the final touch
After a good ten solid minutes, we got back into the traffic and after another twenty minutes we were up for checking.
“Ok where to” asked the officer as we lowered the windows
“Towards Brigade road for a family get together” said Rahul
“Ok and that is” asked the officer pointing at Chandra
“My aunt, Chandini” replied Rahul
“Hello officer,” Chandra squeaked as if women sounded like mice
“Good evening madam” said the officer. He seemed to have taken a liking for Chandra. Priya was indeed a magician with her make-up brush.
“Off you go, kids,” he waved us through.
“Okay, next—phone booth,” Chandra said.
“There’s one. Pull over,” Yash said.
I went in with Chandra and dialed the number for him.
“Hello, Seth. I’m stuck—police all around. I have to be at the airport for security check,” Chandra said. “What do I do with the money?”
“Dispose it,” Seth said.
“Okay, Sethji.”
“Have a nice journey.”
“Thank you, Sethji.”
Next, Chandra called his wife to say he’d be at the airport in half an hour.
Back in the car, he said he was ready to go. We set his hands and legs free—after making him throw the revolver away—deciding he wasn’t a threat anymore.
He had one last thing to do: dispose of the money.
“Dude, I don’t know how,” Yash said.
“Wait, slow down,” said Chandra and as the car slowed down Chandra lowered the glass, and slowly dumped the money onto the box sitting on a cycle. The vicinity was crowded but they seemed to be gathered around something or someone and weren’t paying attention, which made the task easy for Chandra. Maybe some drunkard sprawled on the pavement, people loved a spectacle.
“Ok we are good to go.” said Chandra
“Thanks kids” he said
“Sorry if we don’t feel as happy about this association” remarked Rahul sarcastically.
“C’mon Rahul it did give us an adrenaline rush” said Yash
“Right I feel sober already” I added
“Good for you” quipped Rahul again
“So what are your plans in Muscat, Mr Chandrashekhar?” asked Priya
“Well, I always wanted to have my own chips business. You know the Kerala chips. I have enough money to live well but I still would like to have my own business” he said with a tinge of excitement
“What are you going to call it?” I asked
“Oh I have an idea, how about Hawala chips” suggested Rahul
“I take it your friend is still dissed at me. Well if you must know, I am going to call it Honest chips” said Chandra
“How appropriate” muttered Rahul
We pulled into the airport with a good one hour left for Chandrashekhar to check in
“I will never forget you people. Thanks for all the help. Sorry I had to scare you. Job hazard” he said as he bid us goodbye
“Bye, Chandraji!” we called out as the car rolled away from the departure terminal.
“Wow, now he’s Chandraji,” Rahul said. “Girls are all the same—one bit of sentiment and you’re floored. I mean, look at it: they love the psychopathic killer in Darr, they root for the handsome terrorist in Fanaa. Typical.”
“Yeah, Rahul—one more second and I’d have eloped with him,” I retorted.
“Will you stop bullshitting and take us home,” Priya said.
Time: 9:00 PM
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