The amber coloured eyes had surely settled inside my brain, the strange piercing cat-like eyeballs of the other attacker. He was the same man who had spilled the drink on Karan but his other companion was in the bathroom to shoot him. It was clearly evident that this strange eyed man was the one who used to remain outside while his other partner used to attempt to reach Karan for committing the crime.

"What was Karan doing here that day, Mr. Karthik? Was he here for some case?" I asked him, sensible enough to delve deeper into the mystery.

Mr. Karthik scratched his beards as he spoke, "He wasn't here for any case as far as I know because I am the one who allot cases to him. He has visited here a number of times and I think he visits here for donating money to the centre."

"But he told me that he forwarded cheques and doesn't go anywhere personally." I was trying to list the informative points.

"You are right madam, he doesn't visit here for donating money. He visits for a different cause," The head of the centre interrupted us before taking out a file from under his desk and holding it before us. "This file has the answers to all your queries."

I flapped through the pages of the file looking for hints and found that it was the case file of a particular psychiatric patient belonging to their centre. The reports of his treatment and medical tests were provided in it. It also certified that the psychiatric patient was admitted at the rehabilitation more than fifteen years ago and was still continuing with the treatment.

It read:

Name: Dushyant Luthra
Sex: Male
Age: Forty eight
Occupation: Businessman
Disease: Psychosis post TBI
(Traumatic Brain Injury)
Admission date: 30th November, 2007.

His address and other minor details were also included along with the medical reports. It was now the month of February in the year 2023 and the patient hadn't yet recovered from the injury incurred to his brain.

"This patient has been suffering from TBI and he was also in coma for five odd years. After regaining his senses from coma, he became a psychiatric patient. He's being treated for past seven years but he still turns wild sometimes." The head explained us.

"What does this particular patient have to do with our case?" Mr. Karthik asked him doubtfully.

I had already begun prophesizing if things were getting messier or we were really moving closer to the case. The surname of the person was hinting me to think because he was also a Luthra. The way his case had now emerged before us, there was something definitely reparable.

"He's the uncle of Karan, his late father's only youngest brother. We have known Karan since the age of thirteen. Karan has himself suffered from post traumatic disorders and is now completely cured, yet he sometimes faces inflammation of his nerves and fears from death. He needs proper care and medication." This was a huge revelation that the head disclosed before us.

I was now getting the heck of Karan's mysteries and the reason behind his tremendous fear. His behavior like a child was obvious because he had suffered from something very tragic when he was a child. As the head mentioned, he was completely cured of the disorders but something had been triggering him lately. I needed to uproot the matter from the base and free him of all dangers permanently.

"His fears aren't wiped out yet. Things are happening in real to him and his life is in grave danger. His disease can't only be the sole reason." I was hyperventilating this time. Karan was indeed becoming my first priority and a little harm against him couldn't be tolerated.

"What about the mysterious phone calls? The landline number was tracked somewhere here. Do you have any idea?" Mr. Karthik enquired before glancing over to me.

"What sort of threatening calls?" The head seemed curious.

I detailed him. "I have received only a single call and I don't know what other previous calls constituted of."

"The pattern of threats you are detailing us, it's most probably his uncle's way of speaking. He keeps murmuring such threats in his room as if he wants to take revenge on someone." The head shared his thoughts with us.

Could the fact be true in any way? Karan's uncle must have been calling Karan for many days over phone and giving him death threats, triggering his nerves every now and then. This was the reason behind Karan's weird behavior and
non-periodic mood swings most of the time.

I wonder if a psychiatric patient like Mr. Dushyant Luthra could be responsible behind a murderous attempt because he himself was a critical patient. He must have used secret arrangements of a landline at the centre and dialed Karan's number. But how could he attempt to kill Karan when he wasn't allowed to move out of the centre? Was there someone else working for him?

"Can I meet Mr. Dushyant once so that I can fetch him home with us?" I asked the head casually and the startled members inside the room stared at me as if they had encountered with a ghost.

"Madam! Are you out of your mind that you want to fetch Dushyant with you? It can mean risking Karan's life." The head looked at me with concern.

Mr. Karthik interrupted us. "Are you sure you want to do this, Mrs. Luthra? We can't keep them together when we know Karan's life is at risk from Dushyant."

"Can I discuss it personally? Just two minutes?" I requested and Mr. Karthik moved aside with me. Letting go such a major clue would be equally risky for our case.

"Do you having a separate plan?" Mr. Karthik muttered in a low voice only audible to me.

I shook my head vigorously. "What do you think where the case is heading to, Mr. Karthik? We witnessed the amber eyed attacker here, the threatening phone calls from Mr. Dushyant, Karan's hidden psychotic disease and the revengeful mindset of Mr. Dushyant. He might keep threatening Karan if we don't keep him under our watchful eyes. Or if he is only the real culprit, he'll continue plotting and sending his men to attack Karan."

I compelled Mr. Karthik to rethink over the case and he responded after pondering for a while. "You are correct to some extent. We should keep him under our careful observation 24x7. He wouldn't be able to attack or call Karan to trigger his nerves when we're around him. I think I should also be staying at the bungalow until the real culprit is caught. I can't let you now face every danger all by yourself because your protection is also necessary."

Karan's bungalow was already under strict vigilance and I was only a general informer to Mr. Karthik, protecting Karan with all my efforts. I was supposed to inform him of all the doubtful activities in and around the house and also cure Karan. If I put this responsibility aside, I know I wouldn't be able to protect him the way a crime branch officer would. I just possessed little investigation skills, a presence of mind and the intuitiveness to observe doubtful activities without physical ammunitions.

"If we can convince the centre to fetch Mr. Dushyant with us, you can also enter the house as their family friend." I advised Mr. Karthik.

Mr. Karan Luthra was a big name in the media and any important entry or exit from his bungalow would be questioned by the public. I had already suffered as a victim in the hands of the media and I was aware of it.

"Do you think the centre will approve us? After all, Dushyant has been their long term patient." Mr. Karthik was worried about it.

"When will we use our powers to our own discretion? I'm working under the government's medical board and you are the national security head. Who will deny us? In fact, Mr. Dushyant will be safe with us and receive proper treatment and care in his own Luthra bungalow. I'll speak to them." I explained before walking back to the wooden desk of the head.

"What did you decide?" The head enquired and Mr. Karthik gave me an agreeable nod.

"We have a request or rather an important proposal. I would like to see the patient Mr. Dushyant once before we discuss further on it." I informed him and showed my identity card. "I'm a reliable and reputed doctor of the government and I hope you won't deny me from meeting him."

"You are the representative head of the medical board and highly skilled doctors often pay a visit to our centre for timely inspections most of the time. How can we deny you, madam?" He told me in a convinced tone and I began following him to the room where Mr. Dushyant was. Mr. Karthik and Vikram stayed back with Karan to guard him while he was still fast asleep.

_________

The door to Mr. Dushyant's room was unlocked by a staff member and we peeked inside through the opening. An elderly man was going through a book, his legs crossed together as he sat on the bed and his brown round spectacles settled on the tip of his nose.

"Is he reading something? Can he behave normally?" I asked, amazed a bit by Mr. Dushyant's behavior.

"He can, madam. As I said, he is almost cured but sometimes turns wild when he's not having his medicines in time. He sometimes vomits out the tablets and capsules out of his psychiatric wickedness."

I shook my head and stepped into the room where Mr. Dushyant was seated. As soon as he heard of my approaching footsteps towards him, he lifted his head and put his book away in a fit of raging temperament glowing in his deep grey eyes. "Who are you, woman?"

"Dushyant, she is a renowned doctor and is here to meet you," The head politely introduced me and I smiled in a bright greeting gesture.

Mr. Dushyant frowned at first but began reverberating to normal when u rubbed his back. "Relax please. I am here to help you out of this captivated life and lead you into the open air. You'll be all cured in a magic spell when you find yourself amongst your family."

I only meant Karan as his family because I didn't know much about Luthra relationships and their family members. I crossed my fingers in the hope that Mr. Dushyant would agree to my attempt of convincing him and make my work easier.

As my words poured into his ears, Mr. Dushyant grabbed my palm and placed it next to his chest. His dry lips trembled as he murmured, "Are you really here to take me out of this suffocating place? Will I get to meet my family? Tell me, doctor."

I nodded in affirmation before brushing my palm across his shoulder length light grey hair. "Do you agree with me? It's only then I can speak to the authorities for you."

"I want to meet my family." Mr. Dushyant wept against the folds of my palms, caging my wrists tightly into his grip.

Detaching my hands gently from his clutches, I convinced Mr. Dushyant to allow me to leave for a few minutes. I strongly believed psychiatric patients needed treatment of love and care, not merely shock treatments. I possessed the tactics of convincing psychological patients skilfully, being a reputed doctor myself and having treated similar patients earlier too.

I called the head outside the room and explained him the matter. "He seems almost cured and will be totally free of the disorders if he is out of this psychiatric environment. This place is where he has spent so many precious years of his life suffering over a traumatic disease. He will feel at home in Luthra's bungalow and once he starts getting adjusted in the brighter and better environment, his health conditions are bound to improve."

"Maybe you are right. We don't know much about his family except for the fact that Karan is is nephew. He had admitted his uncle here many years ago but Dushyant has shooed him away. He could not recognise his nephew and possessed immense hatred for Karan."

"I will try settling all the old family scores for the better." I assured him. "Please get the discharge papers ready for Mr. Dushyant."

As the head left the place to complete the formalities, I chose to stay with Mr. Dushyant for the time being. I needed to get acquainted with him and for the next half an hour, we sat chitchatting on various topics. He narrated me the books he had read during his stay at the centre and I told him how I used to look after many patients in various villages. His behavior was so childish that no one would agree he could possibly be the culprit behind everything.

Mr. Karthik gave me a call soon after, informing that the papers were ready and the staff members would arrange for Mr. Dushyant to leave the centre after being properly dressed and his luggage packed.

"What about him? Has he woken up?" I asked Mr. Karthik over phone.

"Who? Karan?" Mr. Karthik chuckled lightly.

"Yes." I chose not to pronounce Karan's name loudly because Mr. Dushyant was intently listening to our conversation.

"He hasn't woken up otherwise he would have turned the world upside down upon not finding you next to him while he slept." I knew Mr. Karthik was remarking amicably and I frowned with a little embarrassment.

I disconnected the call and politely told Mr. Dushyant to get ready in a proper outfit and that I would return to fetch him home after some time. He looked happy while staring at me and his face lit up with an immense pleasure. He gently waved at me when I left the room.

Karan was fast asleep for the past one hour and we utilized the chance to leave with Mr. Dushyant as soon as possible. I couldn't afford to bring them face to face with each other unless both were completely cured of the disease and the hatred wiped out.

Sometimes later, I was seated comfortably with Karan in the backseat along with his driver while Mr. Karthik joined us with Mr. Dushyant after we had settled down. He sat in the passenger seat and Mr. Karthik became the driver for us.

As we drove away speedily in Karan's car later, I chose to cover Karan's face with the ends of my stole, his head resting on my lap throughout the journey. I was involuntarily loving the passion of doing things for Karan which I hadn't done for any other patient earlier, from staying closer to him to thinking only for his safety, I was prepared to do anything to restore every happiness for him.

_________

To be continued...