Endless Night

One night escapade leads to multiple situations out of which the protoganist has to wriggle out

Harry looked at his watch , it was 6 pm. It was Friday and the weekend was coming up. The next two weeks were going to be boring , his wife Jeanette had gone to visit her parents and taken the kids along. Harry mentally went through his list of friends and thought how he would kill time over the weekend. He ticked off everyone one by one. All his friends were good guys but dreadfully boring. They liked to laze around the house on weekends and rarely ventured out. They had to be coaxed to join for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner or meeting up at the Pub. He thought the best option was to finish reading novels. Harry was a voracious reader and did not get time to read as much as he liked to. Reading on weekends was not fun as he would lose track of the plot and the thrill and excitement of a gripping novel was lost in the Monday to Friday drudgery.

His Whatsapp beeped. Their was a message from Ronny. Ronny was the proverbial Bad Boy from College. He led a macho life and was always flirting with trouble. He lived the Wild Life ,slept with women, drank a lot and was petrified of his wife. Harry liked listening to his exploits and refused to join Ronny in his adventures. He did not fancy getting into trouble. Ronny asked him to join him in his weekly escapades. Harry thought , one night wouldn’t hurt anybody and he was always faithful before and after marriage. Ronny messaged the address.

Harry drove down to the address. It was a typical 7 storey building in need of paint and maintenance. Harry parked and was glad there was no security. He went up to the flat and rang the bell. He realized that the door was open. The lights were dim and their was soft music playing and fragrant candles lit….He was surprised that there was no one in the living room. He opened the bedroom door and….The lady on the bed was dead and had been shot in the head. Harry panicked, he was in big trouble. He clearly had not bargained for this kind of problem…He ran out of the flat, he paused for a moment. All the Cloak and Dagger novels that he had read came flooding back. He took out his kerchief and wiped all the objects that he had touched. He was relieved to find that there were no cameras inside the flat , outside the flat and in the building. As he approached the car he was stunned to see a Cop standing next to it. The Cop was looking at him. Harry looked at him and his stomach churned. He smiled meekly and got into the car. He hoped the Cop had not noted down his car number.

He started the Car and remembered he needed an alibi. He stopped at a panwallah and deliberately asked for a Cigar. The Panwallah gave him a confused look, he again asked for imported brands of cigarettes which were not popular in Mumbai. He finally settled for a Gold Flake. He hoped that the Panwallah would now remember him. He noticed lot of missed calls from Ronny. A thought occurred to him “Was Ronny involved in all this and was he using him? “. The thought though remote merited a think through. He called up Ronny , he sounded tense and was trying to sound chirpy. He asked him how it was going. Harry told him he had lost his nerve and changed his mind at the last minute. Ronny was panicking and urged him to go to the flat , he told he would never get this opportunity again. Harry informed him that he had forgotten his wallet. Ronny told him not to worry , the treat was on him. The more Harry refused the more upset Ronny was becoming. Harry was slowly becoming wary of Ronny. Something was just not right. Harry’s gut instincts were kicking in. Harry looked at the watch it was 9 pm, he was tempted to hang up. He had to engage Ronny and find out what was going on and why was he being dragged into this mess ? Harry decided it was time to change tack, the hunter had to become hunted and the hunter had to be hunted. Harry asked Ronny, “ Are you in trouble ?” Ronny was thrown aback , “ No” , he replied meekly. Ronny was now sounding desperate. Harry hung up.

Harry reversed his car and drove back and parked the car few streets ahead of the building. He walked to the building. He saw a couple of cars filled with thugs. Some of them were shouting on the mobiles. Clearly someone was hopping mad. Harry walked slowly and tried to catch a few words. A lot of money was missing , these thugs were after the money. The puzzle was falling in place , someone had killed the lady and made off with the money. Was Harry being made the scape goat ? Harry checked the location finder and traced Ronny. Harry decided to confront Ronny.

Harry looked at the watch it was 10 pm. He entered Ronny’s bungalow. Ronny was stunned to see him. Harry asked Ronny why was he trying to frame him. Ronny pleaded innocence and told Harry that he was neck deep in debts and if he did not settle them , he would be killed. A loud screeching of brakes was heard. The thugs broke into the house. Harry hid behind the bed. The thugs demanded money from Ronny and bashed him up. Ronny was bleeding heavily and he reluctantly handed over the money to the thugs. The Thugs started counting the money. The Thugs wanted money from Ronny but they got much more.

An argument ensued between the gang members on how to divide the loot. The argument started turning ugly. Guns were drawn. To make his point one guy shoots Ronny in cold blood. The gang gets divided into two teams and weapons are drawn. Bullets start flying and the thugs start falling. In fifteen minutes it’s all over. The shooting stops. The thugs are either dead or badly injured.

Harry makes his way into the living room and recoils at the sight of blood and the bodies. It was apparent to him that Ronny was dead. He catches sight of the duffel bags and finds them stuffed with cash. He is tempted to walk out and make a quick exit . He stops for a while retraces his steps and picks up the duffel bags. He puts the bags and speeds away. He thanks his stars for keeping his mobile switched off. The cops will not be able to trace his location. What an evening it was, too much excitement…Harry was wondering if his luck would run out on him….He looked at the watch it was 12 am…

He drove slowly and cursed his luck, there was Police check post coming up , their was no way he could explain the cash….how would he explain the cash and the murder and the gang fight?

The Cop asked him his name, Harry realized the Cops were checking for drunken driving , he gave his name and was waved through.

Harry reached home and his building security guard walked up to him. He dare not take the bags with him. He desperately wanted to check the cash in the bags. Harry smiled at the security guard and wished him good night. He tried to sleep but could not as he was terrified. The morning shift guards would come by 7.30 am and Harry rushed downstairs and emptied the bags into plastic bags. He wiped the bags thoroughly and threw them in the dustbin. He was sweating with excitement , he picked up the newspaper. Last night’s events were Headline news. He switched on the news channels. All the channels were reporting the same news.

Their was no hint of Harry in the news reports , but he knew the cops would check Ronny’s call records and trace him. Harry smiled , he had bought the sim by providing fake papers and he had disposed off the mobile on his way back.

Harry sat down to count the cash. He was stunned , he had enough money , tax free for his retirement. It was a cool Rs 5 crores.