stars in the sky

A Story by bhanuarora

A story about Unrealised Dreams

Story name - Stars in the sky

Life in London

The cool breeze of autumn seemed like healing touch on the skin. There was something fresh in the air. She felt like inhabiting in a place like this forever. That was the beauty of LONDON. An early morning walk here touched the stress free string of life in an easy way. Neha had come here as a tourist and was enjoying every moment of it. Travelling was her passion and she loved wandering alone curiously across places. Today was her last day in London. Past ten days seemed like heaven. Lush green countryside, Big Ben, Thames, London eye and most beautiful Kohinoor stole her heart away. After a brisk walk in the park Neha reached Hotel and picked up the newspaper. There was news of some strong political ups and downs in British parliament and change in public mood for the upcoming elections. Oh my god, politics is same everywhere…. Neha thought. There were also news of some petty crimes in suburbs in the local city page. She threw away the newspaper to change her mood and picked up a novel she had been carrying. This time it was George Bernard Shaw. Reading was Neha’s favorite pass time. Not a day would pass when she would go without any reading material. But today it was time to pack the bags and return to Delhi. She checks out early from the Hotel and heads for Heathrow Airport to catch Air India Flight to Delhi.

New Delhi-

Weather was hot and humid in Delhi. It was her final year in College. Quite a time has passed since she met her parents in Kanpur due to hectic college assignments. Her mother had sent her money to visit abroad as he knew her daughters ambitious nature and her desire to travel and even settle abroad. Six months back she had rented a new place near to her college in Model Town. She could not forget her previous rented place in Nizammudin Locality which was a Bungalow with land lady staying alone in the ground floor. Total Greenery, no disturbance, just sound of rattling of the trains from nearby railway station and the silence of trees coming out of Humayun Tomb next to the house which was again a perfect place for morning walkers. Only deterrent was distance to college which missed her classes. It was Saturday and her visit to Lajpat Nagar was due to update her wardrobe. Lajpat Nagar was a perfect spot for a middle class shopper .

She took a metro and reached Lajpat Nagar in the noon. After some exciting window shopping and few purchases she indulged in sumptuous street food of chatt papadi . It was already 6.30 pm and was getting little darker. Since Nizamuddin was nearby she thought of paying a visit to her old landlady to know about her welfare. She had been talking to her off and on. The landlady gossiped about everything with her and lately seemed worried about two boys who had recently rented her First floor which was vacant since Neha left. She took a three wheeler and left for Nizamuddin.

Murder

After getting down from auto she walked a few meters to the ladies house. Upon getting closer she noticed people gathered around the house. She sensed some problem as she could even spot Police Gypsy.

Hope Aunty is ok …her mind went up and down as she reached and enquired from people. The story was scary.

The old lady was away for some time to stay with her children abroad. She rented the first floor to two young men who she thought would also take care of the house in her absence. Today Neighbors complained of some foul smell coming out of her house and police was called. Upon opening the house police found dead body of one of the young men in the ladies bedroom. There was also strong locker behind a beautiful painting on the wall which was found broken. The old ladies son who was in his fifties had also reached from abroad. He revealed to police that before her mother came to him abroad, they had sold a Vasant Kunj property for Rs two crores where he got about one crore in cash and balance by cheque. The cash was kept in locker for the time being and they were still thinking of the ways to move the money abroad as he needed the same for his store expansion.

Why didn’t your mother come back along with you…police asked?

She is no more …. Said the son with eyes numb. I am just victim of bad luck. First my mother died in a car accident abroad and now this money is also gone. Please arrest the tenants as my mom were always suspicious about their moves and was about to give them a notice to leave the place. Neha felt shattered on hearing about ladies demise and felt like puking.

PLOT

Now Police was on lookout for other guy who was missing and worked in a famous lock manufacturing company as sales manager. The motive seemed very clear. Both the men had come to know about the locker and broke into it and took the cash. They got greedy and one killed the other and fled with the entire money. Or probably the man from the locker company broke it and other guy came to know about his intentions. He tried to confront and was killed by other. But police was already in hunt of the other person and even visited his village address in UP but he had not reached there. The son of the old lady also seemed a suspect. Police was trying to work out if the old ladies family had to do something with the money.

It is just matter of time. Said the local SHO. Don’t worry as this man would be caught soon. Neha who was also part of the crowd moved little back. Her mind flew to the conversation she had with the old lady about the shady nature of these two men. How one of them came to her house even in odd hours and asked about her well-being. Should she tell all this to Police or remain silent. But what if his son is involved. After all one crore is hell lot of money. You cannot earn so much money in your life time under normal circumstances. All sought of thoughts came to her mind and she left from there disturbed.

Next day Neha was going through the newspaper and there was news about the incidence. Police was still unable to locate the missing person. The investigation had taken a different turn where it was found that the son of the old lady had a mistress in Delhi and he was undergoing a bitter divorce. Clearly a case of love angle leading to money tangle.

The investigation went on for some days and finally police could not frame any charges on her son on basis of lack of any evidence. All angles proved that other guy who was on the run has committed the murder and was still missing. An arrest warrant was issued in his name and the file for the time being was kept aside for want of further evidences and proof by police.

Neha was now on deep thinking mode. How easily some big money is stolen and a murder is committed but no one gets caught. Is the police so in-efficient? There has to be some solution to this. I must use my services to help the man-kind in such situations, thought Neha. After all this was her final year of Masters in Criminal Psychology. She thought and thought and a little smile covered her face . She left for a coffee shop to de-stress herself.

Flashback-

She sat in the Starbucks cafe, sipping her coffee and staring out of the window. The blood stained knife lay next to her handbag, covered with her blue silk scarf. ..Everything that happened in last 10 days was moving around her in flashback. How she planned her visit to London and how much tough it was to track down the old landlady in the early foggy morning to show it as an accident by an unidentified vehicle. After all the car rentals were good enough to offer Neha a used Porsche on Rent. Upon return to Delhi she visited her previous landlady’s house in Nizammuddin in the evening. During her stay as tenant she had managed an excellent repo with her and managed to procure copy of keys for the main door and the locker. Upon reaching her house she first met his classmate Ishaan who was from Kanpur and rented the first floor of the same house on her reference along with other working guy. Ishaan used to share everything with Neha in college about the lady including how she recently sold a property and has received lot of cash. It was very easy for Neha to finish Ishaan and waited for his working friend to come home only to be stabbed by a knife .After decamping with the entire cash from the locker she carried the body of guy she stabbed in his swift car parked in garage. As per plan she buried her body late night in a thick forest near Tuglaqabad and dumped the car near Bus stand .The abandoned car was later traced by police and it was very clear that he must have left the city . He was still untraceable by police.

Final Destination

Neha had a hearty laugh and finished the last sip of a strong coffee only to look for a place fine enough to dispose of the blood stained knife which could be a big evidence of her third murder. She paid the bill and looked at her new Raymond Weil watch. It was 10.30 pm. She lifted her TODs leather bag she bought a day before from Emporio Mall. The Bag contained the entire cash. A sense of high level of intelligence gripped Neha . It was a top of the world feeling. She comes out and starts her recently bought 2013 model BMW X1 which she purchased in cash with a very little amount paid by cheque . She was smart enough not to go for a new car as she had to shed lot of money in white as down payment. Additionally Neha was also lucky enough to find few gold coins and jewelry along with cash in the locker.

It was now twelve in the night and she was enjoying every bit of drive of her BMW. She turned the car towards Munirka and drove hard on a long stretch to Vasant Kunj. Now this is actual life…she thought. In all her satisfying moments she forgot to notice that her speed has crossed130 km /hr and a black Toyota Fortuner was racing along with hers. She immediately applied her brakes and so did the Gurgaon number Fortuner . There were few high headed Drunk men inside the car.

I am not going to take any nonsense this time..Neha said. She had suppressed her feelings quite enough since childhood as she lost her father when she was just seven and always opposed to her mother’s second marriage. She always felt her step father has not treated her mother well and one of the reasons of her rebellious but disturbed nature.

Neha came out of her car and yelled at them and threatened them of dire consequences and warned them to stop bothering her. The drunk men were laughing and fuming at her. Female talking on a high note was beyond their culture. They came out of Fortuner car and yelled back. Neha screamed. If you don’t apologize I will ensure u r in Jail. Now the high headed guys just could not bear this. One of them out of rage took out his Walther gun and BOOOOM……….the bullet pierced through her heart....

Neha lay lifeless in the middle of the road. As her eyes close she could see those beautiful stars in the sky. Why didn’t she notice them earlier? She had everything a person would wish to…BMW car, Branded Watch, branded Tod’s bag and an amount that could release her dreams .Was it worth it...Life was simple and beautiful. Why did she complicate it? The smell of the blood from her body surpassed the fragrance of Bvlgari. As she breathed her last all she could remember was lines from her last read novel “Man and Superman” by a famous author George Bernard Shaw “Criminals do not die by the hands of the law. They die by the hands of other men.” ―

Next day there was news in Times of India about a road rage incident near Vasant kunj and an innocent girl was found murdered. Police was just clue less and it seemed like another common incident of road rage in Delhi. All they found was a BMW car…………..the bag was gone.