Into The Clutches Of Fate...

Team Maximus Dramaticus.

We Write To Thrill! :)

Read the eleventh part of the story here : The Flashback.

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~~~

Tara attempted in vain, to forget the entire sequence of events, resonating into her ears.

She had never liked the harshness in Madame S’s tone.  ‘

"What made Samantha call me and propose a meeting at one of the worse hotels in Paharganj?
How was she so sure that I would not be able to turn down her offer for Jenny's sake?", Tara pondered, "...and on top of that, how dare her threaten me with a secret concerning Shekhar! God knows what is in store for all of us!"

~~~

If there was a person on this earth whom Tara trusted more than herself, it was Shekhar Dutta.

She knew well that like all good, talented writers, Shekhar also had a sixth sense or power of intuition and once he has a foresight of some event - to happen in the near future - it is bound to…

Tara felt so helpless and clueless on how she should proceed to rescue Shekhar, who was her only hope in this world, the one who could solve all her mysteries and answer all her questions.

But, Shekhar's past was what Tara was unaware of, all her life.

And, that past was about to weigh heavily on the peace and harmony in her familial life.

Tara didn't know the other Shekhar.
His strong love for Tara and Roohi had become the biggest vulnerability for their family.

Someone was trying to destroy their family’s peace but nobody knew, for sure, so far who that person was, and what exactly his motives were.

And that vulnerability had forced Shekhar to incline towards Percival’s proposal and agree to his demands.

~~~

Shekhar had agreed.

But, for once, the thought of refusing to bow in front of Percival and his blackmailing tactics did cross Shekhar's mind.

"Let him tell Tara about my past", he thought. "Then it will be upon Tara, who will have to take a final call for the relationship between the two of us from then onward."

But, when Roohi's face flashed before his eyes, a bout of chilling shivers passed through his body in vertical current and that was enough to freeze his body, and mind for a while.

And, then he decided to succumb to Percival's trap and not risk their relationship, their familial life.
Tara's.
Roohi's.
And Shekhar's.

~~~

Meanwhile...


Jennifer was anxious to unveil Cy's thought process - behind his blog, interestingly titled ‘Reticence Finds Expression’ - which traced back to July 2012.

Tracing his beginning, Jenny opened Cy's first post.

And, she was stunned to see her photograph in the first post, on the blog, dated 3rd July, 2012.
They had never met at that time!

"That Debate Competition was held in September 2012! How come Cyrus’s utilized  my photograph?
That too, one of my Childhood Snaps?!", thought Jennifer, "...and that too in his very first post!"

Jennifer made it a point to scan through all his posts, spanning over the last two years, word by word.

She needed to unmask Cyrus's well - guarded secret!

Suddenly, her Cellphone started ringing, flashing Cyrus's name.

"I would talk to Cyrus only after I read all his posts!", Jennifer resolved and firmly disconnected the call.

~~~

Read the thirteenth part of the story here : Blood Is Red, So Is A Blush.

~~~

Me and my Team are participating in "Game Of Blogs" at Blogadda.com.
#CelebrateBlogging with us. :)

The Enigmatic Exploration!

Team Maximus Dramaticus.

We Write To Thrill! :)

Read the second part of the story here : The Blind Spot.

~~~

~~~

With Jenny's resolution to fly down to Delhi, Cyrus instinctively knew, his sorry state of affairs was set to improve.

Jennifer Joseph was to reach the Airport at 7 in the morning.

And, Tara made sure, she and Cyrus were there, well in time, to receive her.

Both of them were sleep - deprived, in any case, the last night.

The reason?

Need not be explained.

~~~

'Announcing the arrival of Flight IX-527...'

IX-527!

Cyrus heaved a sigh of relief on realizing that Jennifer's flight from Kochi had finally landed! :)

~~~

~~~

All of them were mature enough to understand the gravity of the situation.

So much so, that only a couple of glances were exchanged.

The age - old adage, Silence Is Golden, had donned an astonishingly new attire it seemed.

Without further ado, Tara, Cyrus and Jennifer proceeded to their current place of residence, at Chuna Mandi. 

~~~

While in transit, Jenny and Tara acquainted each other well.

While Tara briefly told Jenny about her stint as a Media Professional in one of the most influential Media Houses of the Nation, Jenny introduced to her how she had embarked on a journey, to create for herself, a distinct identity in the world of "The Ones With The Lens In Hand."

Jenny also had a lot of questions running through her mind.

Questions which demanded serious answers.

From Cyrus.

~~~

And she made it a point...

To make sure, that none of those Questions remained questions any more.

Once they reached 'home', that was.

Stepping into the true flair of an extrovert, that she was...

Jenny couldn't contain the intrigue any more...

And, so she found it best to confront Cyrus.

~~~

"Why Cy, Why did you not inform me at first?"

Cyrus stood tight - lipped.

Being the reticent gentleman he was, for this world at large, he found it almost impossible - A Herculean Task, indeed, to muster enough courage to offer Jenny, a plausible explanation.

Whatever be the discussion, Cy always had to gather himself before talking to Jenny.

After all, the admirer within him - always tended to give way.

~~~

Visualizing the layers of foggy Silence that had blurred both of their visions, Tara stepped in warmly.

She explained how Cyrus thought the entire episode to be a kiddish prank at first and how, later, this heinous act never failed to scare the daylights out of him, every single Monday.

How he'd refused to believe that an innocent animal had been beheaded, and planted in his room.

How he'd suspected  ruffians and the ganja-smokers and opium-eaters of Pahar Ganj, behind an inhumane and sick joke and defied all certainty and reality behind the Killing, the Blood, and the Stench.

Also, how he'd been disturbed by the recurrence of the event. How he'd been disoriented and lost all faith in himself over the last Eight weeks.

And, how he could not even muster courage to inform Tara, let alone informing Jenny at first! :(

~~~

Tara sensed the need to let Cyrus retire to himself and relax his inner self, after the treacherous series of events.

She was quick to realize that Cyrus had to let himself be, to garner his confidence, in order to face whoever was behind all that had happened.

 So, Tara proceeded to discuss the entire plan of action with Jennifer, while she calmed Cyrus, and requested him to take rest.

They decided that they would first have to solve the riddle behind those eight pieces of paper.

How they'd have to request Cyrus to strain his memory and recount any unusual proceedings he'd observed on other days, apart from Mondays alone.
From Tuesday to Sunday, through the entire past weeks.

And, how they'd have to involve the Police and the Media, if they were indeed able to figure out the involvement of some Bigwigs behind all the mess.

~~~

The spotlight then focused on those eight papers, for the time being, though.

And that ominous line - "Her paintbrush is a razor, dear".

When those 16 words, and the ones presumed by Tara, were indeed arranged in the shape of a Razor...

They looked somewhat like this...

Not once | nor twice | nine times | we’ll kill

A bitch | always | but ninth | will fill

_____
__________

you

with a
dread 

that’ll

make
you

still!

~~~

Jennifer was quick to catch hold of Three Points.

One, The Ninth Monday was as far as it was near.

They had much time.

But, it was less too.

Second, The Razor was the weapon of attack.

Or so, it was framed to be.

'Dear' suggested that someone, an acquaintance probably, had attempted to caution Cyrus in the past.

Third, We'll Kill.

It was a Team Of Killers.

Or Was It?

~~~

Many questions still remained unanswered.

Why kill  Bitches?

Mute Animals.

Innocent Animals.

Why scare Cyrus?

Whoever it be, why was Cy being targeted?

Who must use a Razor as a paintbrush?

Apart from finding the choice quite unconventional, Jennifer couldn't help but applaud the Killer's creative side as well.

~~~

Jokes apart, this was a Do - or - Die for Cyrus.

Do something to crack the Mystery.

Or Die at the hands of fright and suspense.

On the other hand, it was a Do or Die for Tara and Jenny as well.

After all, they had to save Cyrus.

~~~

Just then...

Cyrus let out a scream...

And Tara and Jenny rushed upstairs!

His scream was laced with despair and helplessness.

And, the ladies knew that the situation had worsened.

~~~

The horrific sight they witnessed, was inexplicable.

While Tara had laid Cyrus to sleep an hour back, singing to him, like she sang lullabies to little Roohi, in order to divert his attention from the stress, tension and a state of self - pity, he'd surrounded himself with, she failed to understand what had happened! :o

Considering the mysterious series of events, even hoping for the better wouldn't have helped.

They failed to understand how Cyrus lay on the floor instead of the bed.

The glass of the window opening to balcony had been shattered.

Yes.

Cyrus lay on the floor, unconscious.

He'd suffered a blow on the head.

Probably hit by a heavy object.

He also had scratches on his arms and neck!

Probably, he'd resisted and retaliated to...

 An Attempt To Murder! :o

He also lay, in a pool of blood.

~~~

What was more intriguing was that there were no sharp objects except shards of glass, around.

The first thing Jennifer did was to call for the Ambulance, and take Cy to the Hospital.

And Tara, meanwhile, searched for clues.

She was imagining the worst, so as to say.

Having said that, her observational skills were powerful enough to spot a needle from within a haystack!

~~~

Sure, there weren't substantial clues inside the room.

But, she was yet to look outside.

When she looked in and around the Balcony...

Tara was quick to catch...

One, A Silken Cloth, tattered from one end, swaying mysteriously from one of the hooks of the porch.

The scene suggested a vain attempt to separate it intact, from the hook, and the attempt had failed miserably.

A White Cloth With Blood...

One of its corners soaked in nauseating Blood...

Second, Finger Prints on the Wall - adjoining the Balcony.

~~~

Half an hour later...

Tara called Jenny to inform her that both the Clues, had been sent over to the Forensic Lab.

Meanwhile, Jenny also had news.

Both the ladies' agility had proved fruitful.

On one hand, Tara had delved deeper into the Mystery...

On the other hand, Cyrus was out of danger.

But, he was to be kept under observation for another 24 hours.

Jenny hoped and prayed for Cyrus's condition to improve.

Doctors opined that he would recuperate soon, since not much blood had been lost and he'd been attended to, in time.

That was a Silver Lining in the Grey Cloud, for now. :)

~~~

Just then, Jenny glanced at her Notifications.

Her cellphone flashed 25 Missed Calls...

All from her 'Someone Special'...

Another 'Why?' demanded an answer.

~~~

Read the fourth part of the story here : The Warning.

~~~

Sketch Credits To Fellow Blogger and Team Member, Mr. Arvind Passey.

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Me and my Team are participating in "Game Of Blogs" at Blogadda.com.
#CelebrateBlogging with us. :)