Spies & Spice (Completed)

Chapter 19

Jai Uncle can't be dead! She got so used to calling him as Nanda Sir nowadays, that it took her such a shocking incident to recall her real relationship with the man she loved, more than her parents!

Sharmila refused to believe that he was gone. She kept staring into his face, blocking out the ugly hole in the middle of his forehead. He seemed fast sleep, just like every other time he dozed off in front of the T V in their home, during his visits. Her phone kept ringing but she didn't answer. Monty answered on her behalf and made quick phone calls to all the relevant people.

She staggered around the car and collapsed next to Victor, and tried to calm her chaotic nerves. But watching his face and his ragged breath made her more guilty and helpless. She and Monty have undergone rigorous training on how to deal with situations like this, but she realized how ill prepared she was, and how badly they failed in their mission. How could they let this happen? They failed to protect Victor and even worse, they lost their father like figure and boss. At least Monty had an excuse, but she could have done more. Maybe she should have run after Victor, covering him and then all this wouldn't have happened. She has no right to call herself an IB agent anymore!!

Sharmila wasn't sure how long she sat, lost in her thoughts with an unfocused gaze. Something odd caught her eye. Victor's shoe laces were undone and one of the shoes was coming off. He must have run for his life so desperately when the gunman attacked him. She gently pushed the shoe back in position and tied the shoe laces. The mud from the boots stuck to her hands and she rubbed it away on her jeans. Her head was hurting so badly as she tried to control the tears and anger that were bubbling inside her. Why couldn't Victor listen to Nanda Sir and contact him, just for once? She and Monty tried so hard to convey the message to Victor and she was sure Victor knew it too. All this could have been avoided if it wasn't for his stubborn and rogue attitude. She got up slowly and moved away, as she couldn't bear to look at Victor's face anymore. The backup team was with them in no time and thankfully an ambulance arrived within five minutes.

Ajit Duval, Deputy Director and colleague of JP Nanda called Sharmila and Monty separately to offer his condolences and support. His deep baritone voice felt very reassuring to Sharmila and she muttered her thanks. He assured them that he was on his way to Goa, but strictly told them not to divulge anything to local police or any other investigating officer till he joined them, and they both gladly agreed.

They both knew how precarious the whole situation was. They had no clue who called Nanda Sir informing him about the threat to Victor's life, and their mission to keep surveillance on Victor was completely unofficial. How could they explain their presence to any investigating officer here? And they still had no idea who the criminals were, who shot dead their director and grievously injured their senior colleague.

The isolated villa and the street was now swarming with personnel from local police, forensics, investigating officers from CID and IB.
Forensics quickly took pictures of Victor and his surroundings and collected samples of evidence before letting Paramedics examine Victor.

As paramedics attended to Victor, Sharmila briefly explained to them whatever little she knew of the injuries Victor sustained. As she watched Victor put on a stretcher and taken away in an ambulance, an inexplicable anger and resentment rose inside her. But before she could lash out, one of the paramedics started fussing around her and Monty, checking for injuries.

Paramedics cleaned up Monty's injuries and bandaged the wounds, and he was forced to rest on a wheel chair, much against his protests. They forced Sharmila too to sit on a chair, away from the crime scene and gave them both some painkillers and refreshments. She didn't realize how parched her throat was, till she gulped down some water. One of the officers in uniform who were waiting to interview them, confirmed that a team of police officers accompanied the ambulance to guard Victor. But before they could proceed with their interview, the Police Commissioner of Goa, along with IB director Ajit Duval arrived.