Dil Beparwah | ✔

twenty four

||CHAPTER 24||
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┊V A R U N┊

Smell of elaichi and cardamom wafted into the small cobblestoned landing, fresh pot of tea being brewed on the stove. The man behind the dilapidated wooden counter shrugged the raggy hand towel off his shoulder, rolling it over the rickety handle of the aluminum pot before raising it. Steady stream of murky brown liquid poured into the tiny kulhads moulded from mud.

Staunching over, the wrinkled old man held out the earthen pots. The wooden benches had been pulled inside, the blue rain cover of the tapri's roof extended to shade it from the cars splattering muddy water. Renuka stood at the threshold, over the elevated plank separating the road side from the main road, to avoid the puddles. It had been a torrential downpour until ten minutes ago, and with the surroundings chilly and cooled down, the hot tea was a very welcome refreshment.

Or, in my case, a celebratory one. She wouldn't have wanted to meet me so urgently had it not been something to do with her recent client. Of course, joining hands was still out of scope, but a subtle exchange of intel was still a step ahead.

"I'm assuming that the settlement didn't work."

Tassels of the stick holding her hair in a low bun moved with the shake of her head. "Definitely not a disappointment."

I held back a scoff, turning to the vendor for a loose cigarette. Kumar Sanu's 90s hits blared out of an old stereo from inside, competing with the periodic honks of local buses. "You don't appear very triumphant to me."

A sardonic smile caused her dimple to appear. "My client is receiving threats."

We had discussed that before. "Matlab... you're withdrawing the case now?"

"The other day you brought up Jyoti Negi," she blew on her kulhad with a shake of head, taking a sip.

"So she does have something to do with all this."

Like always, her expression didn't give much away. "She's got a bit more than something to do with it."

"The instigator?" It was a hunch.

Renuka was a lawyer-her answers always had a twist to them. "She's the reason we won't back off."

I knew she wouldn't let me in on the details, so deductions were the only way through. "What about Mr. Thakur? Kya woh continue karna chaahte hai? Settlement offers, threats... sabka repercussion toh jhelna unhe akele ko padd raha hai."

She nodded. "Isliye aayi hoon. He was being paranoid earlier, but now even I'm worried about the daughter. People might be... keeping tabs on his children."

"Hua kya hai?"

"Hua yeh hai ki all of a sudden, she has a throng of new hobbies and new friends." She tipped the small earthen pot in her palm, finishing off the remnants of the tea. "I'm worried because this resembles a pattern."

...if that doesn't work, then you can put your men to work... Now, that did ring a bell. Elaborate scheme. "Why doesn't he hire security for his daughter?"

She gave me an incredulous look. "Mahima is fifteen, Varun. In her rebellious phase. She'd rather run away than have someone around her all the time."

I had a niece who belonged to that age group, it wasn't difficult to imagine what she was implying. I took a drag, watching our reflection on the tinted windows of Renuka's hatchback.

"Moreover," she continued, "There's no evidence. Kuchh kiya bhi nahi hai unhone ab taq to raise alarms."

And she couldn't sue them without evidence, and it was hardly likely for Raman Oberoi to leave breadcrumbs second time round. Flicking the cigarette, I considered the possible options. Renuka had been reluctant about letting me in on her case, so the sudden change of mind must have some preceding intention. "What's the plan then?"