It was a few minutes before Vineet made any move from the couch he had slumped on. Other messages played on his phone, people wishing him a happy birthday and whatnot. But he just sat there, shaking a little in fear. He didn't know what to do. But after a few moments he decided he could only help himself by calming down. So he coaxed himself into clear thought. Was there anything he could do to avoid this? Was it possible that the man was right outside his house, waiting to nab him if he tried to escape? Was there any lead to pursue? Anything he could do? That's when Vineet decided to call the number back. Maybe he could talk to the man, convince him, or intimidate him with the considerable clout Vineet had. Being the editor-in-chief of a leading city magazine, he had a few contacts.
He dialed the number and waited with bated breath. On the third ring, it was picked up.
'Hello?' The voice asked courteously.
'Hello? Who's this?' Vineet asked.
'Whom do you want sir? This is a PCO.'
'Oh okay. Where is this situated?'
'Near the Masjid flyover sir. Have you seen the new Tectronix mobile showroom? Its right next to it, on the right hand side. Its a little provision store. Why sir?'
'Someone called me from this number, I wanted to know who it was. Do you keep any sort of record or anything that can help me know who it was?'
'No sir, too man people use the phone everyday. But the mobile store has a camera on its door which records whoever enters the store. This phone comes in its sweep. I know because I had gone in once and happened to notice my own..'
'Alright alright, I'll come there soon. I need to see who called, its pretty urgent. Thank you for your help. I might need you to come with me there, so I can ask to see the footage. I will be there soon.'
So saying, he slammed down the phone. He went into his bedroom and took out his Beretta from his chest of drawers. Stepped out of his house after a cautious glance in every direction. Everything seemed to be okay. He checked his car before getting in, and then drove off towards the Masjid flyover.
Masjid flyover, 6.30 pm.
Once there, he parked his car nearby and walked in search of the showroom. With a number of people from whom to ask directions, he found it soon enough. And just as he was told, there was the provision store right beside it. He made his way to the shop, deciding to take the man along with him to watch the footage. He had the timing of the call from the message, and just had to match it with the timing in the recording. He went up to the shop, and was met by a short, stubby man of about forty-five. He had an amiable smile on his face, and looked up at Vineet questioningly.
'I'd called a while back. About who used your phone?..'
'Oh yes yes. Tell me.'
'Yeah I wanted to check the footage in the showroom, could you come with me? They know you and all, so that might help.'
'Sure sir, I'll just tell my wife to mind the shop. Give me two minutes.' He went in and after a bit, came out and told Vineet to follow him. They both went to the shop, and the man explained the situation to the people. They immediately agreed to let them view the footage, and directed them to the room where the TV was located. The two men closed the door behing them, and Vineet began looking at the tapes. He fast forwarded to 5.14, the time at which the call was made. As he forwarded, he saw many people coming and going, seemingly moving at superhuman speed as the tape sped on. Then around 5.12, he stopped and pressed play again. He watched for the next two minutes, waiting to see who would come into the frame. It was not 5.14. It had to happen now.
It had to.
And then he saw on the screen, a short, stout figure get out of the shop, and it was the shopkeeper making a call from his own phone.
Before he could reach for the gun in his pocket and turn around, something heavy crashed into his head and he felt a creeping blackness on the edges of his vision. He fell onto the floor, limp, and struggled to look up at his assailant, who was tying him up and then hauling him onto his shoulder and taking him out another door, which led to an alley behind the shop.
He had fallen right into the man's trap. That was when he looked up, and saw those eyes again, flashing. His hands and legs now tied, there wasn't much he could do, except wonder how he did not remember those eyes earlier.
Then black.
The next thing he remembered was waking up. He was in place. He didn't know how or where, but he knew why.
Well, you know the rest...
P.S. The topic i'd gotten, which i somehow had to write on in 500 words, was- 'You come home and listen to your messages and freeze on the third. Start from here.'
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