The Racer
“Hurry up, we are already late.”
“Yeah, coming, why don’t you take the car out and wait for me near the gate?”
“Ok.”
Sandhya aka Sandy locked the front door of the flat and checked the door. It held. She then locked the grill door and checked the huge padlock. She did that out of habit. A habit steeped in her middle class upbringing. That was then, before, she had tasted stupendous success and became the face of the largest cosmetics company.
Sandy took the lift and hurried out into the front porch of the building with her small hand luggage. Louis Vuitton. Always. She was going away to participate in a fashion show in Paris. Sandhya Roy D’Costa, a Bengali by birth, world citizen by choice, had married Sam D’Costa when she was nineteen. Sam was a racer. He had now retired from the sport and managed an Audi showroom. He was a car enthusiast and had powerful friends in the city. Due to his celebrity status, he also had a lot of clout.
Sandy was going to Paris for a fashion show. As usual, she was the show stopper. The show was to launch the latest collection of her dearest friend, Ronny. This was Sandy’s last show. After this, she would retire and focus fully on her modeling agency. She was going away for a month.
Sam took his BMW X1 out from its customized garage and drove it out of the parking lot. The couple lived in a 3000 sq ft, four-bedroom flat in Poes Garden, Chennai. The other occupants of their apartment complex were equally well off and most of them kept to themselves. Sandy and Sam socialized with friends and went out on most weekends. Sometimes when they got bored of doing the party circuit, they would call over some friends and have a low-key affair at home. Their rave parties would go on late into the night and booze would flow like water. They always served Meth, marijuana, and Ecstacy at these parties. Sam had many friends who would supply the packets, always discreetly.
Even today, before going off to the airport to drop Sandy, Sam had snorted on a small amount of Coke to feel energetic enough to drive till the airport. He had promised Sandy that he would drop her off and he hated to see her unhappy. Sandy had insisted that Sam remain at home and she will call a cab. It was preposterous for Sam to let Sandy take a cab.
Sandy’s flight was at 12:30. It was 8:00 p.m. now. They had planned to check in early.
Taking the right turn from their apartment complex, Sam drove out to the main road and joined the slow moving traffic. After some time the traffic thinned down and the vehicular flow became lesser. The road to the airport was quite long. They had to take the Mount Road.
Surprisingly, the road was not so clogged as Sam had expected. He could easily put the X1 into top gear and zip through the traffic. Sandy, however, was not so much in love with speed, unlike Sam. She would, at all times, cling to the seat for support and wear her seat belt, diligently. Sam was a careful driver, but was prone to rashness when he had had a bit of Coke.
Sandy looked at her husband of five years and smiled. He was so good looking. God! She was going to miss him. However, it was only a month; she would return and they would live happily. She gently put her hand on Sam’s hard toned left arm. Feeling the soft palm, Sam turned and smiled. “I know Sandy, even I am going to miss you lots. Please do take care of yourself.”
“I will. I love you sweety.” Sandy declared.
Sam threw a kiss in her direction and nudged the machine harder. It flew under his able guidance.
They were already on the Great Southern Trunk Road. In no time, they whizzed past Hotel Trident and had to slow down to allow a herd of cows and mammals to cross. Sam was getting impatient by the delay. The signal had also turned red. There was no car in front of the X1 so Sam was revving his machine.
Suddenly, in a burst of anger, Sam accelerated hard, throwing Sandy back on the seat. The next moment there was a deafening noise combined with a fast rising smell of burning plastic, fuel, and human flesh and glass that fell on Sandy and some on Sam. Since the windscreen was made of bullet proof glass, the only glass that had taken an impact was the rear view mirror.
A small Maruti 800 taking a free left turn near the signal did not see the huge monster bearing down on it. The bumper of the X1 rammed and punctured the Maruti 800 from the right side, instantly killing the driver, an old man. There was a small girl, in the passenger seat. She suffered severe head injuries and would succumb to her injuries after three days.
Completely shaken, Sam kept staring at the crushed car on the left side of his beemer. The old man looked dead. Should he get down and try to help them? They would miss Sandy’s flight. However, there was still some more time to go. Sam’s brain was working furiously. The effect of the Coke was dimming, already. He had to be with Sandy, come what may.
Sandy sat still, looking straight, with a horrified expression on her face. Hearing the loud noise, a few pedestrians and some bikers had stopped and were now staring, but, nobody attempted to rush and help. Sam knew a crowd would soon form. It was dark in that particular place, except for the signal.
There was no chance that anybody would have noticed his registration number…
Sam worked out the escape strategy within seconds and pressed the accelerator real hard. The impact turned the small car round and the beemer zipped past. It all happened within five minutes.
Sam could already see the headlines screaming, “A BMW hit an 800 and injured two. The police is looking for the driver.”
Sam always believed in complete privacy. He had used the blackest of black tint for the glass on his X1. There was no chance that anybody could even see who was driving the SUV. Sam kept checking for a police van or an enthusiastic biker wishing to chase him. None.
This was what he loved about Chennai, nobody bothered. He felt a bit sorry for the driver and hoped that somebody would take him to the hospital. Now that there was the 108 service, a prompt one at that, some guy on the road with a mobile would ring up the ambulance. In no time, the road would be clear of the debris; and in some time there would be no trace of the accident. He felt slightly relived after ruminating about the aftermath. Then he turned his attention to his silent passenger. She was looking pale and white. Her makeup had run all over her cheeks and was forming a small dot on her dress.
“Sandy, are you alright? Sandy, Sandy…”
Silence.
Sandy kept staring straight ahead. After he turned into the Chennai International Airport, Sam checked again for any followers. A lone biker was following him but he seemed to be bothered with his life and did not seem too interested in Sam.
Sam turned into his usual parking slot in the VVIP parking area and looked around for Selvam, the attendant. He was not there at his usual place.
Sam stopped the beemer in the slot and kept the engine running. Taking out the bottle of water, he took some in his palm and splashed it hard on Sandy’s face. She gasped and came to life. Sam stared at her and asked, “Are you alright Sandy? You have not spoken for the past ten minutes. Are you feeling ok?”
“What happened? Did we hurt somebody?” Sandy asked, her voice quivering. She was on the verge of tears.
Sam soothed her and promised that nobody was hurt and that he will take care of it even if somebody had got hurt.
“But just now you said, nobody got hurt.”
“Oh Sam, did we take a human life? Oh, god, please forgive us.” Sandy complained.
“Shhh, sshhh Sandy, no baby, we didn’t. There was nobody. It was just a stationary car I hit. I
promise I checked.” Sam lied.
“Are you…are you lying to me, Sam?”
“No baby, God promise.” Sam said.
Sandy was very devout but Sam was an atheist. It was easy for him to promise on God.
Sandy calmed down after this and agreed to wash her face inside the airport. Sam knew the manager very well and had decided to accompany Sandy till the Lounge.
Sandy appeared flustered and shaken. Though she had scrubbed her face and had reapplied make up she still looked pale. Having a creamy smooth complexion was not helping her case. She was looking white. Sam was now getting worried. What if they had to cancel the trip?
After going through the usual procedures for security screening and check in, Sandy’s luggage was deposited to the plane’s belly.
Sam had pulled enough strings to ensure he could spend some time with Sandy in the VVIP lounge.
The manager rushed to see his VVIP guests sans the usual procedures and took them through a restricted passage to the lounge. The lounge was empty but for a young woman, who was continuously checking her watch, and turning to look at the elevators. When Sam and Sandy entered the restricted private space, used specially for guests like ministers, families, celebrities and so on the woman looked up, hope filling her large eyes.
Sam and Sandy took a seat closest to the station that would let them out, to the plane’s VVIP entrance.
The young woman sat opposite to them. She just had a large envelope in her hand. No hand luggage, no hand bag, no book, nothing. Only an envelope. She was wearing black jeans, a white shirt, and had her hair cut in a very fashionable way. She was Sandy’s height and had a similar creamy complexion. Sam noted the last detail after he took a second glance at her. Sam was used to notice such things since childhood.
Sam turned to Sandy and whispered in her ear, “Don’t you think the woman looks quite familiar? In fact she resembles you.”
“Uh uh, really?” Sandy looked up and saw cool black eyes staring at her, blankly. For all the young woman cared, Sandy could have been a wall. Sandy again slumped into herself and remain tightlipped.
Sandy was always game for a bit of gossip. Gossip always perked her up. Sam wanted Sandy to cheer up before she boarded the flight. He could not bear to see her grumpy face.
However, not today; Sandy could not forget the horrific incident, which had happened just a few minutes ago. She was still trying to forget the crash, the sound and the smells of the incident.
They had got up to board the plane when the announcement was made. They had spent the last few hours sitting silently. The only reaction Sandy had given was the slight nod of her head and agreed to have some coffee. The attendant standing near the lift had brought them coffee.
After sipping the coffee, Sandy brightened up a bit. She loved coffee and she could die for a cuppa. After that, Sam and Sandy proceeded to board. Sandy’s seat was comfortable, she was flying Business class; Sam knew the cabin crew very well. They assured him that Sandy would be taken care of very well. He then alighted and went back to the lounge to wave to Sandy. Being a VVIP, he could go anywhere in the airport without being questioned.
He had come and stood near the lady who was still ushering in latecomers. He could see the entrance clearly but could only guess where Sandy was seated. When the gates closed and the plane taxied off for a perfect take off.
There it was. A private chartered plane, suddenly appearing on the horizon, and was hovering dangerously close to Sandy’s plane. The ATC went crazy barking orders to back off. The pilot of the private plane started lowering his bird, if he lowered any more, he would hit the other plane.
Nobody knew where the explosion started. Some said, it was from a car parked near the hangar. A few others thought the pilot had thrown a bomb. The whole place went up in smoke and within a few minutes, the private plane, Sandy’s plane, and the nearby areas were charred. The air was thick with acrid smoke and people were going crazy to curb the raging inferno.
The lounge was hit badly by the explosions. The north side of the wall came down like a pack of cards and the VVIP lounge’s bulletproof glass came down shattering. The young woman with the envelope slumped under the weight of the shattering glass and since Sam was standing close to the plane’s entrance, he was blown away by the impact. He flew and hit the far wall of the lounge.
The VVIP lounge now smelt of death, acrid smoke hanging like the grim reminder of the limits of human ability. Sam kept his eyes open throughout the ordeal, seeing the two planes burning like two huge bonfires. The whole area was teeming with ambulances and sirens and in no time every able bodied and unhurt person was pressed on emergency duties.
Sam saw a man running towards him with a blanket. There was something burning. His flesh!
The vision dimmed and Sam gave up. The blackness completely enveloped him. Welcome blackness.
After a few months
“Sam”
“Sam”
“When will he wake up, doctor?”
“We are not sure, Sir. We are also waiting.”
“It is very important that he wakes up. He is the only surviving witness to the whole accident.
Somehow even the ATC has no idea what exactly happened that day.”
“So, has the woman spoken then?”
“That woman, no she died a few hours ago. So it is doubly important that Sam wakes up.”
“Oh, then you have to wait for him to open his eyes.”
The little finger of the sleeping man did a small twitch and tried to raise itself from its deep slumber.
The sleeping figure did not budge. The nurse came, checked his vital signs, and went away.
The inspector kept vigil. He took special permission and stayed at the hospital. The only change he made was his attire.
Exactly after one month, Sam opened his eyes. The inspector came rushing when the doctor informed him. His heart sank when he saw Sam’s vacant stare. The eyes looked haunted and lost. The inspector left the lonely man with his sorrow and returned to the station.
He called his deputy, a young recruit, and asked him to close the case. The deputy nodded.
After a year
The deputy inspector was now an inspector and had been assigned to find a certain Ms. Sandhya Roy, who had killed two people and had vanished into thin air. The case was lodged after a woman surfaced and claimed that a BMW had run over her father’s Maruti 800 and had killed him instantly. She had found out that the car was registered in the name of Sandhya Roy, the owner of an Audi showroom.
The address was obviously false and she now wanted justice to be done. She shook the ministry with her plea for justice for her dead father and daughter. She claimed, her daughter could have been saved if somebody had taken her to a hospital immediately. She would continue to run after a dead woman for years and then give up.
The inspector looked down at the file he had received from the private detective. He could not believe what he read. He decided to pay a visit to a man, he had always believed was a criminal.
When the inspector rang the bell of Sam’s flat, it was too late. Immediately after the accident and the airport incident, Sam had sold the flat and flown off to Greece where he owned a gambling house.
A young woman opened the door. The inspector looked surprised but asked her, anyway, about Sam or the previous owner. She did not know. They had bought the flat from a lawyer. His name was not
Sam. His name was Fakhruddin. The inspector returned.
Somewhere in Greece
Sam aka Giorgos was busy manning the ten screens on the huge wall of his office. Everything was hunky dory and there was nothing to worry. It had been so close. He sighed and touched the power button. The screens went blank.
It was a perfect execution.
Only if Sandy had agreed to his plan, she would be alive and with him. Sandy. What a waste of beauty. Anyway, his life was the most important thing. The underworld goon had told him clearly that Sam had to cough up several millions in dollars else, he would be dead in no time. Sam had no choice but to agree to help blow up the planes, so that he could live. Sandy had happily agreed to carry the packet that contained the remote control device that acted as a trigger to the bomb hidden in the BMW that was parker precariously close to the plane. Investigators would never find any clues. They would look for the BMW (conveniently registered in Sandy’s name), try to locate him (the flat, the business, everything was in her name!), and finally close the case. It was just another freak accident involving a plane. He had spent considerable time living the life of a stricken widower before escaping to Greece.
Sam D’Costa was dead. His very existence was erased.
Giorgos sighed again and admired his reflection in the mirror.
The inspector had relentlessly pursued the case and had found some very confusing clues. Till the date of the accident and a few months after that Sam D’Costa was alive and kicking but now, exactly a year later, he was non-existent, it was as if the man had been swallowed by the earth. Where had the man vanished? Despite his instinct that told him otherwise, he finally closed the case.
“Yeah, coming, why don’t you take the car out and wait for me near the gate?”
“Ok.”
Sandhya aka Sandy locked the front door of the flat and checked the door. It held. She then locked the grill door and checked the huge padlock. She did that out of habit. A habit steeped in her middle class upbringing. That was then, before, she had tasted stupendous success and became the face of the largest cosmetics company.
Sandy took the lift and hurried out into the front porch of the building with her small hand luggage. Louis Vuitton. Always. She was going away to participate in a fashion show in Paris. Sandhya Roy D’Costa, a Bengali by birth, world citizen by choice, had married Sam D’Costa when she was nineteen. Sam was a racer. He had now retired from the sport and managed an Audi showroom. He was a car enthusiast and had powerful friends in the city. Due to his celebrity status, he also had a lot of clout.
Sandy was going to Paris for a fashion show. As usual, she was the show stopper. The show was to launch the latest collection of her dearest friend, Ronny. This was Sandy’s last show. After this, she would retire and focus fully on her modeling agency. She was going away for a month.
Sam took his BMW X1 out from its customized garage and drove it out of the parking lot. The couple lived in a 3000 sq ft, four-bedroom flat in Poes Garden, Chennai. The other occupants of their apartment complex were equally well off and most of them kept to themselves. Sandy and Sam socialized with friends and went out on most weekends. Sometimes when they got bored of doing the party circuit, they would call over some friends and have a low-key affair at home. Their rave parties would go on late into the night and booze would flow like water. They always served Meth, marijuana, and Ecstacy at these parties. Sam had many friends who would supply the packets, always discreetly.
Even today, before going off to the airport to drop Sandy, Sam had snorted on a small amount of Coke to feel energetic enough to drive till the airport. He had promised Sandy that he would drop her off and he hated to see her unhappy. Sandy had insisted that Sam remain at home and she will call a cab. It was preposterous for Sam to let Sandy take a cab.
Sandy’s flight was at 12:30. It was 8:00 p.m. now. They had planned to check in early.
Taking the right turn from their apartment complex, Sam drove out to the main road and joined the slow moving traffic. After some time the traffic thinned down and the vehicular flow became lesser. The road to the airport was quite long. They had to take the Mount Road.
Surprisingly, the road was not so clogged as Sam had expected. He could easily put the X1 into top gear and zip through the traffic. Sandy, however, was not so much in love with speed, unlike Sam. She would, at all times, cling to the seat for support and wear her seat belt, diligently. Sam was a careful driver, but was prone to rashness when he had had a bit of Coke.
Sandy looked at her husband of five years and smiled. He was so good looking. God! She was going to miss him. However, it was only a month; she would return and they would live happily. She gently put her hand on Sam’s hard toned left arm. Feeling the soft palm, Sam turned and smiled. “I know Sandy, even I am going to miss you lots. Please do take care of yourself.”
“I will. I love you sweety.” Sandy declared.
Sam threw a kiss in her direction and nudged the machine harder. It flew under his able guidance.
They were already on the Great Southern Trunk Road. In no time, they whizzed past Hotel Trident and had to slow down to allow a herd of cows and mammals to cross. Sam was getting impatient by the delay. The signal had also turned red. There was no car in front of the X1 so Sam was revving his machine.
Suddenly, in a burst of anger, Sam accelerated hard, throwing Sandy back on the seat. The next moment there was a deafening noise combined with a fast rising smell of burning plastic, fuel, and human flesh and glass that fell on Sandy and some on Sam. Since the windscreen was made of bullet proof glass, the only glass that had taken an impact was the rear view mirror.
A small Maruti 800 taking a free left turn near the signal did not see the huge monster bearing down on it. The bumper of the X1 rammed and punctured the Maruti 800 from the right side, instantly killing the driver, an old man. There was a small girl, in the passenger seat. She suffered severe head injuries and would succumb to her injuries after three days.
Completely shaken, Sam kept staring at the crushed car on the left side of his beemer. The old man looked dead. Should he get down and try to help them? They would miss Sandy’s flight. However, there was still some more time to go. Sam’s brain was working furiously. The effect of the Coke was dimming, already. He had to be with Sandy, come what may.
Sandy sat still, looking straight, with a horrified expression on her face. Hearing the loud noise, a few pedestrians and some bikers had stopped and were now staring, but, nobody attempted to rush and help. Sam knew a crowd would soon form. It was dark in that particular place, except for the signal.
There was no chance that anybody would have noticed his registration number…
Sam worked out the escape strategy within seconds and pressed the accelerator real hard. The impact turned the small car round and the beemer zipped past. It all happened within five minutes.
Sam could already see the headlines screaming, “A BMW hit an 800 and injured two. The police is looking for the driver.”
Sam always believed in complete privacy. He had used the blackest of black tint for the glass on his X1. There was no chance that anybody could even see who was driving the SUV. Sam kept checking for a police van or an enthusiastic biker wishing to chase him. None.
This was what he loved about Chennai, nobody bothered. He felt a bit sorry for the driver and hoped that somebody would take him to the hospital. Now that there was the 108 service, a prompt one at that, some guy on the road with a mobile would ring up the ambulance. In no time, the road would be clear of the debris; and in some time there would be no trace of the accident. He felt slightly relived after ruminating about the aftermath. Then he turned his attention to his silent passenger. She was looking pale and white. Her makeup had run all over her cheeks and was forming a small dot on her dress.
“Sandy, are you alright? Sandy, Sandy…”
Silence.
Sandy kept staring straight ahead. After he turned into the Chennai International Airport, Sam checked again for any followers. A lone biker was following him but he seemed to be bothered with his life and did not seem too interested in Sam.
Sam turned into his usual parking slot in the VVIP parking area and looked around for Selvam, the attendant. He was not there at his usual place.
Sam stopped the beemer in the slot and kept the engine running. Taking out the bottle of water, he took some in his palm and splashed it hard on Sandy’s face. She gasped and came to life. Sam stared at her and asked, “Are you alright Sandy? You have not spoken for the past ten minutes. Are you feeling ok?”
“What happened? Did we hurt somebody?” Sandy asked, her voice quivering. She was on the verge of tears.
Sam soothed her and promised that nobody was hurt and that he will take care of it even if somebody had got hurt.
“But just now you said, nobody got hurt.”
“Oh Sam, did we take a human life? Oh, god, please forgive us.” Sandy complained.
“Shhh, sshhh Sandy, no baby, we didn’t. There was nobody. It was just a stationary car I hit. I
promise I checked.” Sam lied.
“Are you…are you lying to me, Sam?”
“No baby, God promise.” Sam said.
Sandy was very devout but Sam was an atheist. It was easy for him to promise on God.
Sandy calmed down after this and agreed to wash her face inside the airport. Sam knew the manager very well and had decided to accompany Sandy till the Lounge.
Sandy appeared flustered and shaken. Though she had scrubbed her face and had reapplied make up she still looked pale. Having a creamy smooth complexion was not helping her case. She was looking white. Sam was now getting worried. What if they had to cancel the trip?
After going through the usual procedures for security screening and check in, Sandy’s luggage was deposited to the plane’s belly.
Sam had pulled enough strings to ensure he could spend some time with Sandy in the VVIP lounge.
The manager rushed to see his VVIP guests sans the usual procedures and took them through a restricted passage to the lounge. The lounge was empty but for a young woman, who was continuously checking her watch, and turning to look at the elevators. When Sam and Sandy entered the restricted private space, used specially for guests like ministers, families, celebrities and so on the woman looked up, hope filling her large eyes.
Sam and Sandy took a seat closest to the station that would let them out, to the plane’s VVIP entrance.
The young woman sat opposite to them. She just had a large envelope in her hand. No hand luggage, no hand bag, no book, nothing. Only an envelope. She was wearing black jeans, a white shirt, and had her hair cut in a very fashionable way. She was Sandy’s height and had a similar creamy complexion. Sam noted the last detail after he took a second glance at her. Sam was used to notice such things since childhood.
Sam turned to Sandy and whispered in her ear, “Don’t you think the woman looks quite familiar? In fact she resembles you.”
“Uh uh, really?” Sandy looked up and saw cool black eyes staring at her, blankly. For all the young woman cared, Sandy could have been a wall. Sandy again slumped into herself and remain tightlipped.
Sandy was always game for a bit of gossip. Gossip always perked her up. Sam wanted Sandy to cheer up before she boarded the flight. He could not bear to see her grumpy face.
However, not today; Sandy could not forget the horrific incident, which had happened just a few minutes ago. She was still trying to forget the crash, the sound and the smells of the incident.
They had got up to board the plane when the announcement was made. They had spent the last few hours sitting silently. The only reaction Sandy had given was the slight nod of her head and agreed to have some coffee. The attendant standing near the lift had brought them coffee.
After sipping the coffee, Sandy brightened up a bit. She loved coffee and she could die for a cuppa. After that, Sam and Sandy proceeded to board. Sandy’s seat was comfortable, she was flying Business class; Sam knew the cabin crew very well. They assured him that Sandy would be taken care of very well. He then alighted and went back to the lounge to wave to Sandy. Being a VVIP, he could go anywhere in the airport without being questioned.
He had come and stood near the lady who was still ushering in latecomers. He could see the entrance clearly but could only guess where Sandy was seated. When the gates closed and the plane taxied off for a perfect take off.
There it was. A private chartered plane, suddenly appearing on the horizon, and was hovering dangerously close to Sandy’s plane. The ATC went crazy barking orders to back off. The pilot of the private plane started lowering his bird, if he lowered any more, he would hit the other plane.
Nobody knew where the explosion started. Some said, it was from a car parked near the hangar. A few others thought the pilot had thrown a bomb. The whole place went up in smoke and within a few minutes, the private plane, Sandy’s plane, and the nearby areas were charred. The air was thick with acrid smoke and people were going crazy to curb the raging inferno.
The lounge was hit badly by the explosions. The north side of the wall came down like a pack of cards and the VVIP lounge’s bulletproof glass came down shattering. The young woman with the envelope slumped under the weight of the shattering glass and since Sam was standing close to the plane’s entrance, he was blown away by the impact. He flew and hit the far wall of the lounge.
The VVIP lounge now smelt of death, acrid smoke hanging like the grim reminder of the limits of human ability. Sam kept his eyes open throughout the ordeal, seeing the two planes burning like two huge bonfires. The whole area was teeming with ambulances and sirens and in no time every able bodied and unhurt person was pressed on emergency duties.
Sam saw a man running towards him with a blanket. There was something burning. His flesh!
The vision dimmed and Sam gave up. The blackness completely enveloped him. Welcome blackness.
After a few months
“Sam”
“Sam”
“When will he wake up, doctor?”
“We are not sure, Sir. We are also waiting.”
“It is very important that he wakes up. He is the only surviving witness to the whole accident.
Somehow even the ATC has no idea what exactly happened that day.”
“So, has the woman spoken then?”
“That woman, no she died a few hours ago. So it is doubly important that Sam wakes up.”
“Oh, then you have to wait for him to open his eyes.”
The little finger of the sleeping man did a small twitch and tried to raise itself from its deep slumber.
The sleeping figure did not budge. The nurse came, checked his vital signs, and went away.
The inspector kept vigil. He took special permission and stayed at the hospital. The only change he made was his attire.
Exactly after one month, Sam opened his eyes. The inspector came rushing when the doctor informed him. His heart sank when he saw Sam’s vacant stare. The eyes looked haunted and lost. The inspector left the lonely man with his sorrow and returned to the station.
He called his deputy, a young recruit, and asked him to close the case. The deputy nodded.
After a year
The deputy inspector was now an inspector and had been assigned to find a certain Ms. Sandhya Roy, who had killed two people and had vanished into thin air. The case was lodged after a woman surfaced and claimed that a BMW had run over her father’s Maruti 800 and had killed him instantly. She had found out that the car was registered in the name of Sandhya Roy, the owner of an Audi showroom.
The address was obviously false and she now wanted justice to be done. She shook the ministry with her plea for justice for her dead father and daughter. She claimed, her daughter could have been saved if somebody had taken her to a hospital immediately. She would continue to run after a dead woman for years and then give up.
The inspector looked down at the file he had received from the private detective. He could not believe what he read. He decided to pay a visit to a man, he had always believed was a criminal.
When the inspector rang the bell of Sam’s flat, it was too late. Immediately after the accident and the airport incident, Sam had sold the flat and flown off to Greece where he owned a gambling house.
A young woman opened the door. The inspector looked surprised but asked her, anyway, about Sam or the previous owner. She did not know. They had bought the flat from a lawyer. His name was not
Sam. His name was Fakhruddin. The inspector returned.
Somewhere in Greece
Sam aka Giorgos was busy manning the ten screens on the huge wall of his office. Everything was hunky dory and there was nothing to worry. It had been so close. He sighed and touched the power button. The screens went blank.
It was a perfect execution.
Only if Sandy had agreed to his plan, she would be alive and with him. Sandy. What a waste of beauty. Anyway, his life was the most important thing. The underworld goon had told him clearly that Sam had to cough up several millions in dollars else, he would be dead in no time. Sam had no choice but to agree to help blow up the planes, so that he could live. Sandy had happily agreed to carry the packet that contained the remote control device that acted as a trigger to the bomb hidden in the BMW that was parker precariously close to the plane. Investigators would never find any clues. They would look for the BMW (conveniently registered in Sandy’s name), try to locate him (the flat, the business, everything was in her name!), and finally close the case. It was just another freak accident involving a plane. He had spent considerable time living the life of a stricken widower before escaping to Greece.
Sam D’Costa was dead. His very existence was erased.
Giorgos sighed again and admired his reflection in the mirror.
The inspector had relentlessly pursued the case and had found some very confusing clues. Till the date of the accident and a few months after that Sam D’Costa was alive and kicking but now, exactly a year later, he was non-existent, it was as if the man had been swallowed by the earth. Where had the man vanished? Despite his instinct that told him otherwise, he finally closed the case.
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