Calming The Storm🌌 (#wattys2019)√

48. Juncture

"Junctures, conjunctions and turning points are a part and parcel of every story. Some junctures leave impressions deeper than the rest; those are what we call true turning points... Because they change the entire scenario."

-Elegiac_Damsel
___________
21st November

Indrayan's pov:

With the wedding inching closer, the house has been getting filled with wrapped gifts, lose gift items, giftwrapping-paper, cellotape and scissors! I have been tripping about the living room for a long time!
I had to go to the police station today. Raj Matthews, the man from the pharmacy said that he wanted to speak to me. I left the house at 10 a.m as I had to go to Byculla jail where he was held captive.

...

The inspector allowed me a supervised audience of 30 minutes. I set a timer in order to intimidate the man and to get answers. I also switched on the recorder on my phone as I needed audio evidence of his statements.

He gulped down the glass of water and looked at me visibly scared.
"What is it that you wanted to tell me?" I asked him

"Sir. I am really a poor man. I am uneducated. I was given this job by the government! I told you all that I could... Please get me out of here!" he said in a meek voice

"Tell me who offered you the job. If you sent in an application through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, then there must be records. And yes, you may have been uneducated, but are you that naive that you didn't understand that the things you were selling to the youth happen to be lethal!"

His voice quivered and he shivered at my voice.
"Ssii..rr I... Don't know who... Employed me! I had sent... In a ... Special request through the sarpanch of our village as I badly... Needed the job!"

"Why did you need the job badly?"

"Sir! My wife was pregnant with our 4th child! The first three are anyways starving at home! I needed the money to keep them alive!" he was on the verge of crying

"Who is the village head?" I asked him

"Mr. Aadesh Tripathi."

That caught my attention!

"You mean the Health Minister, Ramlal Tripathi's brother?"

He nodded vigorously.

I looked at the timer. There were 15 minutes in hand.

"Answer these questions quickly for me! Did you know anyone at the court when you came that day? Have you ever met the Health Minister? Who did you receive the medicines and the orders from?" I asked him in a hurry

He recalled for a minute and then said, "I knew Anya, Arpita maushi (aunt in Marathi), Arvind (Jena; the man arrested from Khopoli) and Ibrahim. I knew Anya's brother from newspapers.
For your other questions, I haven't met the Health Minister and the orders I received came from Anya. Sometimes, the sarpanch would pass on a few messages that he said came from a higher authority. And the medicines were delivered by Arvind every Friday."

Out of all this, only one thing caught my attention. Arpita maushi?

"Arpita maushi refers to Arpita Karune, right?" I asked him to confirm my suspicion.

He nodded.

There were just 10 minutes in hand. I had to utilise them wisely!

"How do you know Arpita?"

"Sir, my wife is a nurse. Arpita maushi has severe burn injuries on her body. They are years old but very sensitive. Once in a while, when she hurts herself in the burnt areas, she comes to visit my wife for a dressing. In fact, my wife is very fond of her and even sends the children to her when she needs rest."