A Clue
15: Chapter 15
A Clue
A Clue
It was another day and Scorn was busy with his meetings with an overseas client over the video call.
Opel stood next to him, giving out clear instructions about the issues and providing suitable solutions to Scorn.
“Fine!
Send me the details in three days and I’ll try to make the necessary amendments, if possible.” Scorn was talking to the client over the video call.
BEEP!!
BEEP!!
Opel’s phone vibrated inside his pocket.
Instantly he stepped a few inches away and took the call.
“What?
Where?
Is it from the reliable source?
Ok!” Opel disconnected the call and rushed towards Opel.
He whispered something into Scorn’s ear.
Scorn’s face had a sudden change of colour.
He looked at Opel and nodded his head.
Then he looked at the monitor screen and spoke to his client, “Lets adjourn the meeting.
We’ll get back soon.” And he disconnected the call.
Scorn looked at Opel and asked, “Are you sure this time?” There was some kind of hope and distress in his eyes at the same time.
“Not one hundred percent but we can’t risk to ignore it.” Opel answered.
“I asked my men to reach there soon.
Don’t worry!
I myself will go and inspect about it.” Opel bowed his head and turned back and walked to the exit door.
He took his car and rushed out to the place where he told his gang members to meet.
Inside the office room Scorn stood up and went near his bookshelf.
He brushed some of the edges of the books with his fingertips and then held a book and took it out of the shelf.
It was actually a rectangular box that looked like a book from outside.
He opened it and there was a little key inside it.
Grabbing the key, he came back to his table and put that key into the keyhole of his drawer.
He sat down on his chair and opened the drawer.
From inside the drawer, he took out a newspaper; faded prints, torn edges, yellowish as it got degraded due to humidity and time.
As he looked into the newspaper, his eyes got teary.
There was a column in the newspaper for the missing persons.
After two pictures, there was a familiar picture of a girl printed in black and white.
The torn and weary newspaper was published years ago.
Scorn kept staring at the same picture.
“Where are you baby?”
Soon he threw back the newspaper back into the drawer.
He locked it again and stood up.
He walked lazily to the hall through the stairs.
He looked gloomy enough to make people think that something wrong has happened to him.
Every one of his members present there, stood up, “Boss!”
“I’m going to take some fresh air outside.
No need to come with me.
I’ll be nearby.” Ordering his subordinates, Scorn walked out of his safe house.
Walking on the pavement, he kept on sighing continuously.
His mind got stuffed up with things of the past that were affecting his present.
DASHHH!!!
Suddenly a girl came running from the opposite direction and collided with Scorn.
“Hey!
Are you ok….” Scorn asked the girl massaging his arm that got knocked by her head.
But then he stopped suddenly looking at her.
“You!” He shouted in surprise.
“Sir…It’s you.” The girl answered looking surprised too.
It was the same girl he met few days ago when she was about to get killed by some gang.
“What are you doing here, girl?” Scorn asked looking concerned.
“Are you again teasing them by making some kind of videos?”
“No…not them…” The girl answered huffing.
VROOOOOMMMMM!
Suddenly a car stopped beside them.
Two goons came out holding hockey sticks.
They approached them tilting their head as if showing some kind of superiority and were chewing tobacco.
As the two men approached them, one of them instantly recognized them.
“Mr.
Tsunami!
Is that you?” The man asked with raised bows.
Scorn smiled and nodded his head.
“Mr.
Tsunami!
Please hand over this bit*h to us.” One of them demanded.
“No please!”The girl yelled.
“Sir please save me.
They’ll kill me.” The girl started to plead holding Scorn’s wrist.
“Hugh!”Scorn sighed.
“How did you offend them this time?” He asked the girl.
The girl tightly gripped Scorn’s wrist with both her hands and spoke, “Sir!
My friend took 100 dollars from them few months back.
She returned them 50 dollars with interest last month and told them that she’d pay the rest in the following month.
But now when she’s returning them the remaining 50 dollars with the interest, they told her to pay more.”
“More?” Scorn asked her.
“Yes!
They said that she has to pay interest for that 100 dollars she took before and also the interest of the other 50 dollars that she didn’t pay last month.
Sir, you tell me.
Does it make any sense?
How can they take interest this way?” The girl asked Scorn locking her eyes at him.
“What’s the issue, boys?” This time Scorn asked the boys.
“Mr.
Tsunami!
This is how we give loans to everyone.
It was already made clear to her before she took the money.
Now she can’t refuse it.” One of the boys answered.
“Hmmm…”Scorn nodded his head thinking hard.
He looked at the girl and removed her hands from his wrist.
“Girl!
If your friend already knew about the terms and still took money from them, then you are no one to get in between them.
It’s her fault.”
“But it’s not right.” The girl opposed.
“Tell me, where’s your friend now?”Scorn asked her.
“She….she…”
“She fled last night.
When we went to her house we saw this girl.
Now she must pay for her friend.”
“She didn’t flee…she…”
“Of course she did.
And infact, she made you the scapegoat.” Scorn answered.
“Mr.
Tsunami!
Hand over her to us.” One of the boys spoke.
He came closer to them and held the girl’s hand.
“No….Stop it!
It’s not right.” The girl started to yell.
But the boys came and grabbed both her hands.
They took her away from Scorn, dragging her on the pavement floor.
“But!”Scorn spoke.
Both the boys stopped walking and looked back at Scorn.
“I know it’s her fault for trusting her friend blindly.
But now that she’s here for my help, I can’t ignore it.” He took out his purse and threw a bundle of cash on the road.
“Take this and leave her.”
Instantly the boys threw her aside and ran to grab the money.
They took the money and went back.
Scorn looked at the girl who was still sitting on the floor, weeping.
He went her and stood next to her.
“Did you try to call your friend?” Scorn asked her.
She nodded, “I called her numerous times but she was busy.”
“Girl!
No one is that busy.
It’s just the matter of priorities.
Remember that.” Scorn spoke to her.
Then slowly he moved away and kept walking forward in the pavement.