Chapter 40: chapter 40

MADHAV“Who the hell is this ‘Octopus’? Haven’t you still cracked the ID?” I ask the techie sitting before the monitors. His eyes have dark circles indicating that he has been working day and night. A lot of codes are open before him on the computer screens. I could make neither head nor tail about it. The only ever time, I used a computer was when I was in school and had to take a subject in it. Even then, I hated the subject. “I have nearly cracked it. Just give me a couple of days and I will have the full history of the person trying to harm your wife,” he says stretching his hands.“What about the one I killed in the parking lot?” I ask running a hand through my hair. ‘..... you are worse than that man who tried to kidnap me. That you are worse than the prep who is trying to harm me.’Sruthi’s scared voice keeps echoing in my head. I still can’t forget the look of terror and shock on her face. The last chance I had at changing Sruthi’s heart is gone forever. I can never change the image she has of me in her mind after this. She already hates me and thinks that I am a violent man. But, now, I killed a man in cold blood right before her eyes. What other proof does she need more than this? “He is known for kidnapping people. He is an expert at it. There is no record of him killing anyone. Only kidnap cases. His usual M.O. is to kidnap the victim using a chloroform-filled cloth. He then delivers them to the person who hired him.”'He wasn’t hired to kill me.'Shit! Sruthi was right. The man wasn't hired to kill her. “Who hired him this time?”“The same person who hired other men to harm your wife,” the techie answers clicking away on the keyboard. A chat box opens up, “I hacked into this kidnap guy's account and this is the last conversation he had with the ‘Octopus’.”I move near to the monitor to read the chat. My eyes quickly scan the chat details. Most of it is irrelevant as the guy keeps bragging about his kidnapping skills to the ‘Octopus’. The chat has no personal touch to it. It is purely professional. There are no clues that can be used to find who the prep might be. But, I can summarize from the chat that the prep is a man with a meticulous mind. He is very organised and careful. The text messages he sends are always punctuated and grammatically correct. That could mean he is an educated man. The chat is terminated with the kidnap guy agreeing to kidnap Sruthi today. The ‘Octopus’ has replied with one single ‘Thumbs up’ emoji for that. There is no mention of where the kidnapper would drop Sruthi or details of the payment. “Did you check this guy’s bank account?” I ask.“Yeah, I did. Just like the other accounts of the men you asked me to check, there is no unusual transaction that happened in the last week or so. But, this man did receive an unusual amount of money a month before. The money is transferred from a bank in Iohet.”“Iohet?” I ask my voice dropping.The techie nods his head grimly. Iohet is known as the city of criminals. It is the capital city for all the crime that happens in our country. There are rumours about it being the underworld for the criminals. I have been to that place and I knew all those floating rumours are true. Iohet is indeed the place where the underworld crime and mob bosses reside. “The one who is targeting your wife has got some very dangerous connections,” the techie says typing  on his keyboard. “I cannot trace the accounts back to the person. The banks in Iohet are very secure in their transaction.”“When exactly was the money transferred to him?” I ask. “It was on the 24th of last month.”24. The same day I went to the IYU hotel to sign a business deal. The same day, all four tyres of Sruthi’s car were punctured.  So, that means, this guy was already hired once by the ‘Octopus’ to kidnap Sruthi. If that middle-aged man hadn’t stopped to speak with Sruthi, then I am sure she would have been kidnapped that day. I am grateful for that middle-aged man. Though his intentions towards Sruthi were not pure, he is one of the reasons why Sruthi is alive and safe today. For that reason, I can forgive him for his indecent behaviour. Things seem to heat up. I have a gut feeling that I am near to finding the prep. Let that bastard enjoy his freedom. Because, once I find him, I don’t intend to let him live. Even, if Sruthi will hate me for it, I am going to kill him. “Give me a call as soon as you find out who is doing all this,” I instruct the techie. “I will,” he answers and returns to his work. I walk out of the place with a troubled mind. The bank transfer from Iohet only confirms my suspicions about the prep. He does not have any personal vengeance towards Sruthi. He has to be one of the persons I must have come across as Deathwhisper. It is high time; I visited the Enclave. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥“Sorry sir, but you cannot enter the Enclave without Vikram sir’s permission,” the security guard says.I frown at him, “What the hell? Don’t you know me?”“I know you, sir. But orders are orders,” the security’s voice is determined and firm. The Enclave is under the name of Vikram and only he gets exclusive access. Shit! I have never came here without Vikram, so, it was never a problem for me to get access, “Will you allow me if I make him talk to you in video call?”The guard nods his head. I dial Vikram’s number but the operator says that he is talking with someone else and that his line is busy. I hang up and text him to make a call as soon he sees the message. I exit the messaging app and the home screen appears. I stare at the photo of Sruthi’s smiling face. I can’t understand how she wants me to spare the man’s life who tried to kidnap her. That bastard was holding a knife to her neck. How can she see the good in people even after they have shown their worst of worst natures? Can she see the good in me too? Ha! I hardly doubt there is any good left in me. She is right in one way or another. I do have a hero complex. Initially, I was repulsed with what I was doing. But, with each life I took, I started to become immune to that feeling of repulsion. Heck! I even took pride in killing bad men.My phone rings and I pick it up, “Hey—” Vikram starts but I cut him off.“Grant me access to the Enclave,” I say getting directly to the point. I don’t have time to waste. I need to find the prep before the jewellery shop expo.“Huh? Did you find any clue about who hired the kidnapper?” he asks.“I have a gu—” I stop short and realize something, “Did you talk to Sruthi?”“Yes, I just got off the call with her. She told me about the incident at the parking lot.”“What else did she say?” I ask dreading the answer he is going to give him. I am sure Sruthi would have complained about how she hates me and wants to get out of this marriage. If Sruthi decides to leave me and get a divorce, then I will give her a divorce. I was still hoping for a chance. But, now, there is going to be none of it. I should let her go if that is what she wants but it not going to be easy for me. “We talked about a lot more but I am not going to tell everything to you. You see, it is a sister-brother talk. For now, all you have to know is that she is glad that you kept her safe but at the same time angry at you for killing that man. As the defence minister, I do applaud you for taking out another criminal in the city but as  your friend,  I think it was you should have more control than this.“I blow out a breath, “Yes, I know. It all happened in a nick of moment. I will make sure to keep my emotions in check here after.”“That is good to know. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. So, why don’t you quickly switch the audio call to a video one, so, that both of us can go on with our work?”I press the video icon and it takes a minute for the video to connect but once it does, my friend’s face appears. He looks perfectly put together and calm but I can see the tension in his shoulders and in the tight smile he gives me. His face is serious as he says, “No matter what happens, Sruthi must stay alive. Use all the resources you want to find the prep. Don’t kill him because I want to know why he is targeting my sister. Do you understand?”I nod my head, “I do. But, I can't keep the promise about not killing him."❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥