"Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win."

― Stephen King, The Shining

IB Headquarters, New Delhi.

Rajiv plucked up courage and spoke in a steady voice.

"Sir, I wasn't there when you spoke to Sharmila and Monty about the tragic incident at Villa, but I have a copy of their witness statements here. Can you please go through this and confirm if this is what they told you?"

"Rajiv, do you think I have time for all this? What is going on? Just state the facts, instead talking to me in this roundabout way!"

"Sure Sir, I will stick to the bare minimum facts and you can make your own conclusion. As per the statement here, Sharmila said that when she saw Victor, he was already injured in his elbow, shot by that Tanvir guy with AK47. And then she clearly said that, she kept shooting at Tanvir to give cover for Victor, so that he could escape from there towards the street. After Victor escaped, she heard not one, but multiple gunshots. Do you agree with me?"

Ajit Duval sighed and said "Yes I remember clearly, that's what she told me too."

"Now, here's the thing Sir, the surgeons who operated on Victor thankfully found just two bullets in his body, one in the elbow, and another just below the rib cage which luckily escaped most vital organs. And neither of those bullets match that of AK47. One bullet from a different gun is understandable, because Sharmila had already captured the AK47 from the gunman in the backyard, so whoever shot Victor in the street would have used a different gun. But both? And this is the interesting part. Victor's gun was found dumped in a ditch, few metres away from the Villa and both the bullets in Victor's body match those from his Gun. There was still one bullet left in his Gun"

"Victor's gun?" Ajit Duval asked with burrowed eyebrows, as he bent forward on his desk.

"Yes Sir." Rajiv let out a tiny sigh, glad that his boss wasn't dismissive anymore and waited for his reponse.

Ajit Duval picked up a paper weight on his table and spun it around for sometime, as his gaze became unfocused.

"Hmm... it may look strange but it is perfectly possible. All Sharmila said was, Victor was already injured when she saw him chased by that Tanvir guy with AK 47. So, she must have assumed that he was shot by the same gun. But, Victor might have been shot by his own gun after he was disarmed inside the villa. And the same person might have shot him again in the street too. What about the bullet in JP's body? Does it match any gun?"

"No Sir. We found no other gun at the crime scene except Victor's and Nanda Sir was shot by a different gun. I admit, what you said about Sharmila's assumption is a possibility too and that thought did cross my mind, but the other evidence at the crime scene made me change my opinion."

"What other evidence?"

"Blanks Shells sir, of all the things! There were 5 to 6 blank shells found on the street right next to the car and here's the most damning thing. That upstairs room where Monty was supposed to be fighting two other guys, that room had at least 7 or 8 blank shells too along with shells of real bullets from a different gun."

"What?" Ajit Duval's deep voice reverberated in the chamber.

"Exactly. Why would a criminal, who had taken so much pain to plan and kill Victor and let us assume Nanda Sir too, use blank bullets? It just doesn't make sense. And this is what put their whole evidence in doubt. What if they were fabricating the whole thing?"

"You mean... " Ajit Duval stopped himself, as if he didn't like where the conversation was going.
"I know it is very distasteful to think this way Sir, but as in charge of the internal investigation, it is my duty to suspect everybody till I am proven otherwise. At the moment I am doubting every statement that Sharmila and Monty have made. What if they were in league with the mole and tried to kill Victor. Perhaps Nanda Sir got in the way, and they had no choice but to kill him."

"Are you crazy? We are talking about Sharmila here, his niece!!" Ajit Duval rose angrily, and began to pace the floor of his chambers in a restless manner.

"This is why I hate young officers like you who don't use their own intellect or sense and depend heavily on evidence. Evidence can say hundred different things, but at the end of the day there is always the human element. And we should never forget that!"

"Sir, trust me when I say this. I went through every possible theory before showing this report to you. If Sharmila is not lying then Monty definitely is. How can anyone explain the presence of blanks there? Why would hardcore criminals who carry AK47 guns and had no hesitation in shooting Nanda Sir and Victor would shoot blanks and real bullets at him, that too as he says "just to stall him" That theory is so bizarre. Stall him from what exactly?"

"Monty is a very good kid, I have known him since he was in high school. I trust him as much as Sharmila! And you are forgetting one crucial thing. Both of them volunteered to go there with JP because they feared for his life! They went there to protect Victor, not the other way round." Ajit Duval said fiercely, as he continued to pace the floor.

"Actually, that statement was a lie too, and that is what set off the officers begin to suspect their involvement in this whole incident Sir! There is no evidence to say they actually accompanied Nanda Sir to the Villa."

Ajit Duval stopped pacing and turned towards Rajiv.

"What do you mean?"

"The CCTV footage showed Sharmila and Monty leaving the hotel around 9pm. After ten minutes or so, Nanda Sir left the hotel in a hurry. Unfortunately there is no CCTV facing the carpark towards the street. So we don't know whether Monty and Sharmila accompanied him or not. What if they reached the villa before him, and he turned up there unexpectedly? Sir, I am not a bastard to think Sharmila planned to kill her uncle. All I am saying is, we need to consider them as suspects for now and ask them further questions till we are sure they are telling the truth. Or may be Monty is the mole, and he had cleverly tricked Sharmila to go towards the back of the house while he killed Nanda Sir. All he had to do was fire some blanks and create enough noise and distraction to make her think that he was in trouble. He could have shot both Nanda Sir and Victor, gone back to the villa and fell off the stairs to show for all those injuries. We are relying completely on these two rookies to construct what could have happened there. But what if they are lying about most of it, and something entirely different happened there?"

"But Rajiv, what about Tanvir and that AK47? Oh... you are saying that was part of the story too?" Ajit shook his head in frustration.

Rajiv nodded his head.

"Sir, once Victor becomes conscious and fit enough to give evidence, we will get clarity on lot of things. But till then, we have to keep everyone under suspicion. That's all. We have no choice. This was a clever plan hatched by a mastermind and it could have been only possible with inside information and help."

Ajit went behind the desk and sagged back in his chair. For a few moments he didn't say anything, but when he looked up, his face was as passive as ever. His eyes gazed over Rajiv's face dispassionately. Rajiv looked like a typical corporate employee with neat formal attire and hairstyle and his easy manners made most people trust and talk to him freely, while his cunning and thorough brain analysed and dissected every lie and façade of his fellow colleagues. He was the topper in his batch and went through rigorous additional training and vetting before he was chosen for the internal investigations team, as the senior management believed in his honesty and integrity, above all. He would have done his homework thoroughly before coming here.

But Sharmila and Monty... really? Ajit didn't know what conclusions to draw. Perhaps, as Rajiv said, no one is innocent until proven otherwise.

"What are you asking me to do Rajiv?"

"Sir, the current safe house they are in, we can fortify the security there and make sure it serves as their house arrest. We should warn them formally or informally and put them under custody till they confess the whole truth. We have already confiscated their phones. We should get permission and go through all their phone logs and web activity, physical activity for the past few months to get a better idea what they have been up to."

"Okay, before we do all that, I want to talk to both of them. This could all be nothing but a slight misunderstanding, some white little lie which has now become a liability. Or they could be innocent victims of a clever mastermind who is manipulating our system and method of work, knowing that we would find these clues and suspect the whole scenario."

"Of course Sir, please speak to them. Trust me, I don't want to see them as suspects either, but in circumstances like these, as you often tell me, our personal feelings should be put aside. It isn't what I feel and believe in, that matters here. We know that there is a mole in our department who has helped these scoundrels, so all these could be red herrings too, but ..."

"Are they both in safe house at the moment?" Ajit Duval asked, as he got up slowly.

"No Sir, Nandini devised a whole new disguise for both of them so that they could attend Nanda Sir's funeral. I understand they are at a crematorium. Do you want me to call Nandini and explain the situation?"

Rajiv too got up, and picked up the file, ready to leave.

"No...No. Let them return from there. Just make sure Nandini gets a hint for now that they need to be back at safe house. We both will go and talk to them. I should have gone to JP's funeral too, but their family told us that they want it to be a private funeral with just the family and few close friends. And I didn't have the courage to face Mrs Nanda again. That day when I went to break the sad news about JP to her, I felt so shattered. Watching a parent cry over their lost child is a curse I wouldn't want even for my enemy!" Even as Ajit closed his eyes, Rajiv could sense the anguish in his boss's face.

"I will do as you say Sir and let you know when we can leave." Rajiv said and left the room.

****.

Nandini had to walk at half her normal pace as she talked in low tones with the elderly Sikh Couple Mr and Mrs Ahluwalia, at the crematorium.

Mrs Ahluwalia took her time offering prayers to the photo of JP Nanda, Director of IB, whose family was gathered there for his cremation. She looked at JP Nanda's mum and other family members who were still crying silently, and was tempted to run across the room and share their grief. But she steeled herself and walked back towards Nandini, who sighed in relief. Her husband, Mr Ahluwalia wiped his tears off in a flustered manner, and held out his hand towards her, which she was glad of.

"Shall we go now?" Nandini asked.

"Sure" Mrs Ahluwalia aka Sharmila replied in a choked manner.
As they were walking back slowly towards their car, Nandini subtly drew their attention towards two women who were waiting in the lounge along with Mohsin Khan and Sunil Khanna. Sharmila understood that they must be Victor's family. After they got transferred to the safe house, Rajiv broke the news about the sad demise of Victor's father and how IB had stepped in to provide security for Victor's family, fearing further attacks. Sharmila felt a wave of pity and compassion for Victor, even though she was still struggling with her hatred and resentment towards him.

"That must be Victor's Mum and Sister." Sharmila nodded her head as Nandini whispered in her ear.

"Can I ...? Sharmila began and then paused. She had this sudden urge to talk to Victor's Mum for some reason, even though she had no idea what to say to her.

"If you want to talk to them, make it quick. We don't want to attract any attention here." Nandini hissed. As Sharmila hesitated, the younger woman looked up at her. She briefly glanced at Mohsin who nodded his head in approval, before walking up to Sharmila.

Sharmila was caught off guard for a moment but then recovered quickly. She placed her hand on the young woman's head and blessed her.

"God bless you my dear! Have you lost a loved one too? I am so sorry! I will definitely pray for your family today." Sharmila said a in a quivering voice, which she had adapted for her disguise.

"Thank you, I am Arunya and that's my mother Nirmala." Arunya pointed towards her mother with a rueful smile.

Sharmila folded her hands respectfully towards Nirmala and was flustered even more, when the elderly woman walked towards her. Monty too greeted them both respectfully.

Nandini looked at Mohsin and Sunil and gestured towards an office room towards their left. Mohsin quickly checked that there was no one inside the room, and gave Nandini the all clear.

"Perhaps we can have a more private conversation inside, what do you say?" Nandini led all the three women inside the office room while Mohsin and Sunil stayed outside along with Monty.

The moment they were inside, Arunya turned towards Sharmila and asked, " You are an agent too, but in disguise, right?"

"Was it so easy to find out?" Sharmila asked with a slight disappointment.

"What's going on Aru? Who is this lady?" Nirmala asked confusedly.

Nandini thought it would be better if she intervened and explain the situation.
"Mrs Verma, my name is Nandini Chatterji, I am a colleague of Mohsin and Sunil who are with you right now. And this elderly lady in disguise is Sharmila Sethi, another colleague of mine and the old man outside is Monty. Both these agents have to remain hidden for a while, so they have come here in disguise to attend the funeral of our boss Nanda Sir, who also happens to be Sharmila's uncle. Perhaps you have heard... "

"Yes of course, I have heard. In fact we went and met the family some time ago and offered our condolences. I am so sorry Beti!! Nanda Sir was such a good human being and he had a special place not only in Victor's but all our hearts. And Mohsin told me all about you dear. You saved my son's life and I cant tell you how grateful I am, thank you, God bless you." Nirmala reached out to Sharmila and clasped her hands.

Nandini's phone buzzed just then, and she moved to a far corner of the room as she answered it .

The kind and soothing words from Nirmala moved Sharmila so much that all her pent up emotions threatened to overcome her. She muttered incoherent words and turned her face away, but as she tried to withdraw her hands, Nirmala held on to them tightly.

"I know that as agents, you guys are expected to control all your emotions, but don't let it harden your heart. There is nothing to be ashamed of, trust me. Feeling emotional in moments like these is perfectly normal and you shouldn't let your profession dictate your heart. And please don't worry about your disguise. It is perfect. My daughter Arunya has a very keen eye but for normal souls like me you look like a typical old Punjabi lady. One thing though, don't let anyone touch your hands okay. They are soft as butter."

Nirmala said with a smile as she finally let go of Sharmila's hands.

Sharmila looked up at Nirmala with welled eyes as a slow smile spread across her face. Arunya too touched her shoulder lightly.

"Yes Sharmila, you look perfect. And thank you for saving my Chotu, I mean Victor. Oops now he will be mad as hell at me for my slip up. Please don't tell him I called him Chotu in front of you, okay! Once all this settles down, please come and visit us with your colleague Monty. We have to thank him too. You both have been so brave."

Struck with a strange inability to say anything, Sharmila just nodded her head and pressed Nirmala's hands once again.

" Have you guys spoken to Victor..."

Nandini walked over to them just then and said "Mrs Verma, I am so sorry to disrupt your conversation." She turned to Sharmila and said, "we have to leave urgently. Rajiv is coming over and he wants you and Monty back at base."

"Yes, we have to go too. We were just waiting for the Crematorium in-charge who is currently busy with some other family." Arunya said, as she smiled at Sharmila.

One by one, they left the office room and Monty and Sharmila said their goodbyes, as Nandini led both of them towards their car.

***.
NOIDA City, 40 km from New Delhi.

4PM

Ashwin rang the door bell of his in-laws apartment in quick succession. Tanvir and two other men who dropped Ashwin stayed back in the car, before warning Ashwin in strict terms as to what would happen if he tries to act smart, or alert anyone about their presence.

Ashwin eagerly nodded to every condition they put, and rushed towards the lift.

After a few rings, the door was opened by his mother in law who was both pleased and angry to see him.

"Please come in Ashwin!! I am so glad you have come at last. What happened to you? Have you been sick? But why didn't you answer any of our calls? We were so worried. But then, we were slight relieved, when Mini said that it was quite common for you to be off the phone for a few days." Ashwin walked into the spacious living room which had an open plan kitchen on one side while a hall way in the middle led to multiple bedrooms.

"Yes Maa ji. I am sorry for causing so much worry, but I had no chance to pick up any phone calls for the past few days. Where is Mini? Can you please call her." Ashwin's eyes darted between the bedroom doors at the far end of the hallway.

"Please sit down. I will make some tea and I will wake up Mini too. She is having a nap."

As Mini came out of her bedroom, Ashwin unashamedly rushed towards her and gave her a  hug.

"How are you dear? I am so glad to see you again. So sorry about not calling you." Ashwin kissed her on the forehead.

"I am absolutely fine. In fact, I am resting a lot as you can see. My sweet mother doesn't let me do anything. What happened to you Ashwin? Have you not been eating? You look so weak and pale." Mini held his face in her palms.

"Nothing wrong with me, just had few restless nights, that's all. But now that I have seen you, I am feeling much better! Come, sit down." Ashwin led Mini to the lounge and made sure she was seated comfortably and dragged a foot stool for her.

"Mini, I will go downstairs and get some fresh desi snacks for Ashwin, he must be sick of eating sandwiches and bland food in Goa." Mini's mum cleverly thought up an excuse to give the couple some privacy, and left.

The moment the front door closed, Ashwin slid next to Mini and hugged her tightly from the side and kept showering kisses on her forehead.

"I missed you, terribly. Are you okay here? Are you taking the vitamins and everything the doctor has asked you?" He asked, in between.

"Wow!! If I knew that few weeks of separation does this to you, I should have come to my parents house much earlier." Mini chuckled and kissed him back, before adding "Just kidding. I am doing everything doctor asked me to. But looks like you haven't. Are you taking the medicines Dr Ghoshal asked you to? You have dark circles under your eyes."

Ashwin pushed himself away from Mini all of a sudden and bellowed "Don't take the name of that bloody doctor. He is the reason for all my ruin."

Ashwin got up front the lounge and helped himself to cold drink in the fridge.

Mini felt a shudder in her spine. She never saw Ashwin so angry and shouting for a long time. What was the matter with him?

"Ashwin, what has Dr Ghoshal done now? And why are you shouting like that for such simple matter? The way you react every time I bring up your PTSD issues, makes me even more determined in my thinking that you need help, and the sooner you get it, the better." Mini's nostrils flared as she tried to compose herself.

Ashwin looked at her upset face and cursed himself. What has he done to his precious wife!!

"I am sorry Mini, I am just.... I am under so much pressure last few weeks that it is taking a toll on me, that's all. Please, forget all my rants. Can we just talk about something else in the limited time we have got."

"What do you mean? Are you going away again? But my delivery is due in three weeks now and you promised me that you will stay with me in these last weeks, as it can happen any moment."

Ashwin staggered back to the lounge and sat at her feet and took her hands in his.

"I know... I know I really want to be with you , but I messed up Mini, big time. I have to go back to Goa by the night flight. I made some big mistakes in my mission, and I have a chance now to make amends, redeem myself, if I can. But it is just a matter of week or two.I will be back in NOIDA soon and I promise you, I will stay with you all the time. But I would have to leave for work, at least for few hours a day for the next few months. Situation in the office is quite critical right now. I can't explain, I don't want to explain and worry you further. Please try to understand. I am probably the worst husband in the world right now, but trust me when I say this. Everything I am doing, I am doing it for you and our baby. Once things settle a bit, I wont leave your side and take care of the baby too. Please, can you give me sometime? I beg you."

Mini sighed and kept looking at her husband's face. There was something definitely worrying him but once Ashwin was in this mood, she knew that he would never reveal it to her. What's the point in arguing about it right now, when they have only few moments together.

"Okay, I will give you the time. But promise me that you will come back soon. I missing you so much." She kissed him on the forehead.

"Thank you Mini. Now enough of our chat, let me hear what my baby is complaining about me." Ashwin said, as he gently laid his head on her tummy and tried to hear the sounds baby was making.

Mini smiled and ran her fingers through Ashwin's messed up hair.

****.
Arabian Sea Waters, South Goa. 6PM

Nikel was in a jubilant mood as he steered his boat back towards their village. He and his younger brother Filip had quite a good catch that day, and for once, he won't have to listen to his father's taunts about not earning enough for the family. He was a twenty year old now, but the way his father spoke of him... sigh!! Nikel forgot the sour thoughts about his father as he watched his younger brother.

Filip was still in school, but helped his brother on weekends. He had quite a knack to notice perfect spots where there was a good catch, but lazy as hell in doing other chores. As Nikel watched, Filip began to was tidy up the nets and transfer the fish into iceboxes.

Thankfully the weather was perfect and they were able to return back faster than expected, just in time for the peak sale time at the fish markets . He was sure that his catch will get sold like hot cakes today. The Sun was yet to set and the orange hues cast a perfect light on the dark grey waters giving him perfect view.

His happy thoughts evaporated as he caught his Filip slacking off again.
"Filip, don't mix the pomfrets with the king fish, how many times have I told you to put them in a separate box?"

"What difference does it make, seriously!!" Filip whined, but began to separate them anyway, as Nikel glared back.

As Nikel carefully steered the boat around a rocky stack, his old friend Jimmy and his boat came into view. They greeted each other loudly. Nikel rested back in his tiny make shift chair and lit a cigarette as he hummed his favourite tune.

"Oh God, Nikel look!! Isn't that a body?" He heard Filip's sharp cry and rushed to the front of the boat, after making sure the steering is stuck in a straight position.

It was indeed a body, floating across the choppy waters. As it came closer, they recognised who it was, Filip's wayward school mate Tony.

Nikel hurried back to the steering and slowed the boat down. He gave a long horn so that his friend Jimmy would look at him and signalled him to come closer.

"Filip you take care of the steering while me and Jimmy try to get Tony into the boat, okay?"

Filip nodded his head mutely and took over the steering.

Within few minutes both the boats circled around the body and came to a stand still.

Jimmy threw a rope and a hook and together they somehow managed to pull Tony's body onto their boat.

It was not an uncommon sight for them to find bodies around these waters. The north villages were full of drug dens and the cartel owners sometimes used brutal methods like these, to get rid of unwanted customers. But to see the Tony's young face like this was heart wrenching. He went and hugged his younger brother Filip who still seemed to be a in daze.

"Don't take it to your heart. I am not sure how much you knew about him, but he was a good for nothing lad, and a drug addict. He must have annoyed someone higher up very badly, for them to do this."

Filip wiped his tears off. " I knew that he was into drugs but I never knew that it was so bad. He was very irregular at school. But how can you blame him? His mom died long time ago and his father whipped him with a belt every day."

"Hey Filip, our father used to beat me too when I was a kid, but neither you nor me have gone to drugs, right? I know Tony had a tough life but it is still no excuse."

"That's because we have each other." Filip hugged his brother.

"Aah sorry to break this bro moment but we have another body here, but I am not sure if he is dead or alive." Jimmy declared.

"WHAAAT?"

Nikel and Filip rushed to other end of the boat. A chipped off broken piece of raft was floating on the choppy waters, and a man's limbs were wrapped tightly around it. They tried to pull the raft but it was too heavy.

Nikel tied a rope around his waist and jumped into the water. After many failed attempts, Nikel gave one final push upwards while Jimmy and Filip pulled the raft and the man into Nikel's boat.

But the moment they saw the man up close, they realized the futility of it. The man was dead, probably been dead for few days. They managed to pry his arms and legs off the raft which were stiff and lay him down on his back. There were pale brown spots at one or two places.

"Somebody shot this guy and probably threw him into the sea, to make it complete!!He might have jumped onto the raft to keep himself afloat, but it was too late." Jimmy said as he went through his pockets. Everything was empty. None of them could recognise the medium built man, who probably was in his early twenties but the bloated face made it impossible to say anything for sure.

"I really thought he was still alive, the way he was clinging onto that raft, poor guy!" Said Jimmy in a wistful tone.

"Hmm both of them are beyond our help, unfortunately. Jimmy, here's the deal, we have to get back home before the markets close and sell our catch first. And then go to the police station and report this, what do you say?"

"Agreed. Let's get that engine fired up." Jimmy jumped back into the water to reach his boat and soon after, both the boats began to speed away towards the coast.

****.

Victor's head felt heavy and fuzzy. He could hear soft whispers and sounds. He tried to open his eyes but found it hard to do so. Giving up, he tried to make sense of where he was instead. He was lying down on a comfy bed but there was a stale smell somewhere and the voices could be heard more clearly now.

"Doctor do you think our patient will be okay? It has been days since we removed the bullets but..."

He could hear a female voice asking in a nervous tone.

"Patience my dear! He is a tough guy, look at his muscle strength. And not just that... look at his hands and legs... they have been through the mill and survived. This guy is a survivor, all he needs is just a bit of a time and he will be okay. His body was fighting all the infections successfully for the past few days and if you check the charts, his vitals are coming back to normal." An older male voice replied.

It was good to hear someone praising his body even when he was wounded.

Victor pulled up more strength and opened his eyes.

^=================^

Dear readers,

I hope you find the new twist in the story intriguing. What do you make of it? Was Monty a mole ? And what about Sharmila? Who was that dead man floating in the sea.?
Some happy news at last. Victor is conscious. Yay!!!

Enough of me. As always, I will eagerly wait to read your responses.

Cheers

Sesi