Authors: Aditya Mewati
The priest met the coffin at the door and lead it and the mourners into the church. Karthik, being a Hindu, had never been part of any Christian funeral before, felt little nervous. He pushed his way through the masses of people dressed in black. He craned his head and searched Sara Ford in the crowd. He felt more nervous after realizing that he was surrounded by the people higher than his status. Much higher. He spotted the Mayor few feet ahead of him and then a famous film star walking beside him. But there were no cameras. It was a private funeral.
Few minutes later, everyone had settled in the long pews. Warm sunlight poured in through the stained glasses. Karthik sat on the sixth row, still craning his neck, and he spotted Sara. She was sitting on the front row—he spotted someone else, Luke Tesla, who sat two rows behind her next to the mayor and the sight of him made Karthik uneasy. He stared at him until the priest started speaking.
"...For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord..."
The first prayer ended.
People, one by one, started moving up the aisle toward the golden ornate coffin to pay their tribute. Karthik realized he had brought nothing with him, not even flowers. He felt like not leaving his bench. But somehow he gathered his courage and moved up the aisle and toward the coffin.
The coffin's surface shimmered in the colorful sunlight, which filtered through the stained glasses. Karthik stood in front of it, wondering what to do next? Then his eyes moved up toward the photograph of Mr. Ford and a feeling of regret and misery settled over him and it felt like someone has run a bulldozer over his body.
His vision started blurring. It was like seeing a painted picture dissolving in water. He felt like crumpling on the ground and crying his heart out. But he fought back the tears. After a moment later, he walked away from the coffin and toward Sara. She stared at him with her moist eyes and she charged forward and flung her arms around him. Though shocked, he hugged back.
"I'm so sorry—"
"Where were you?" She said, tightening the embrace.
"I..." he stopped.
She moved away and scowled at him. He shrugged, not looking at her.
The Waverley Cemetery which had opened in 1877 is a cemetery located on top of the cliff overlooking the ocean at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. It is noted for its largely intact Victorian and Edwardian monuments.
The burial ground sloped down and merged into the ocean. Hundreds of tombstones jutted out from the ground.
After the burial ended the group of mourners started shrinking. Karthik silently stood beside Sara in the blowing wind. The sea roared below him.
"Take care..." the Mayor was saying to Sara.
She miserably nodded.
The Mayor patted her shoulder and started walking up the cliff. He stared at her for a few seconds.
"I'm so sorry," A voice said very close to him.
He spun around. Luke Tesla was holding Sara's hand.
"It's a great loss," he said.
Sara said nothing, she kept staring at the ground.
He squeezed her arm then let go of and faced Karthik. And for a moment, Karthik thought that he, Luke, was glaring at him. But then Luke held out his hand. Karthik shook it. He still could see a twinge of hatred in Luke's eyes. And without saying a word Luke stalked away.
Why the hell is he angry with me? Karthik thought, amused. More people came and bade their goodbyes to Sara.
The funeral ended. Sara and Karthik together trudged up the hill. Karthik had his hand around her shoulder, and was leaning against the wind.
They were now outside the cemetery. A gray sedan stood outside the gate. Karthik let go of Sara's shoulder. She hug him for a final time and moved toward the car. Her driver was already holding the door open for her. Karthik saw her moving and something struck his mind.
“Er-Sara,” he said.
"What is it?" she said, turning away from the car and facing him.
He took a deep breath and said, "I wanted to go though Mr. Ford's files and also his will. When should I come?"
"Why do you want to go through his files?" she asked scowling.
"I'm his lawyer. That's my job." Karthik said shrugging.
Her eyes widened. "You haven't read my message yet, have you?"
"What do you mean?" Karthik asked confused. “I haven’t.” He added sheepishly.
"I'm sorry. But, Karthik, you are no longer my dad's lawyer," She said.
Bolts from the blue struck Karthik and he stared at her, positively horror-struck.
She is kidding, right?
"You were not here," she went on, "And I needed someone to help me."
"So I'm not allowed go through his files?"
"No, I'm sorry, you're not. I’ve hired someone else."
"But I have to check it," Karthik said, "You don't understand. Your dad didn't give his speech. Something was bothering him. I need to find out—"
“Karthik,” Sara said firmly, “You were not here when I needed you. You left my dad in the coma and went to Egypt to have a vacation. I should be angry at you. But I’m not. You should be grateful fo—”
“I didn’t go for a Vacation!” Karthik cried indignantly.
"Sorry, Karthik. But I can't allow you," Sara said, "Goodbye." She disappeared in her car.
Karthik helplessly gazed at the departing taillights, getting tinier and tinier. And soon it was out of his sight. He cursed and stared at the ocean below him.
I really have to go through the files, He told himself. Maybe I can try later. She didn’t seem to be in a good mood. Maybe If I talk with her tomorrow, she will allow me to go through his files. Yes, That will be a good idea.
The cellphone rang while Karthik was taking a shower. He tug a towel, wrapped it around his waist, rushed out from the bathroom, and grabbed the Cellphone.
"Hello—" said he.
"Karthik," Piper's tired voice said, "Where are you?"
"In m..." Karthik said gingerly. His towel slid down his waist. He wedged the phone between his head and shoulder. Pulled his towel back to its place and said, "In my apartment."
"What? Why the hell are you still in you apartment?" Piper asked, positively sounding shocked.
Karthik wondered whether he should tell her about his meeting with Carl. He decided that he should. But what if Carl was now intercepting his call? No, no he can't do it. Not on the phone.
"I'm not coming," He said.
"Why?"
"I can't tell you that on the phone.”
"Karth—"
"Believe me, I have good reasons for not coming," Karthik said.
He heard voices in the background. He heard Jack asking Piper: Where is he? Piper told him everything Karthik had said to her. After that, he heard shuffling of footsteps, and Jack's voice spoke, "Karthik, is everything okay?"
"Yes," Karthik said, "Everything is fine. I just can't come there. What are you guys doing?"
"We just taxied onto Delhi airport.” They talked for a while.
“Take care man." Jack finally said.
Karthik was about to wish him goodnight but then realized that Jack was in the different time zone. "I'll see you soon," He said and hung up he call and returned to the bathroom.
A man wearing a red helmet zoomed on his moped in front of Karthik's apartment. He stopped and unmounted from his bike. He hoisted the helmet off his face and gazed at the building. He soon located Karthik's window. The yellow light was still pouring out from the window, which meant Karthik was still up. And it also meant that he will have to wait until he, Karthik, goes to bed. He pulled out his silenced revolver, cleaned it, and waited.
Karthik changed his clothes and hopped on the bed. He snuggled into the warm blanket and turned on the TV. He scrolled through the channels and finally stopped on a news channel. They were showing the news about North Korea's hydrogen bomb test. Then they showed about the full solar eclipse that will be visible from France. Then about a man from Columbia breaking the world record of the loudest fart ever.
Word record of the loudest fart ever? Please, someone, kill me. I should start reading hello kitty comics than wasting my time in watching this stupid news, he thought, shaking his head disapprovingly.
He turned off the TV and read a Law journal. Soon he started feeling drowsy and decided to hit the sack.
He placed the journal on the bedside table, turned off the lamp throwing the room into darkness, and pulled his blanket to his shoulder.
The light that came from the Karthik's apartment window went out. The man quickly got to his feet. It's time to make the move, he thought.
"Why is he not coming?" Lilly asked Jack.
"I don't know," Jack said shrugging.
They were now walking through a dim, orange corridor of a hotel in which they had rented a room for one night. Piper trudged behind them, her footsteps reverberating through the passage. The news that, Karthik will not be going to join them had made her upset. She was actually missing him.
"He didn't tell you anything?" Lilly asked.
"No, he didn't!" Jack said. Now he was sounding a bit exasperated. "I think something was bothering him—That's our room." He stopped in front of a dark door with "Room No. 153" itched on it. He opened the door with the help of a key, and said, "let's get some rest. We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow."
Karthik rolled on his sides. He had a strange dream: He saw himself running on an empty road, which he didn't recognize. But the worst part was that he was not running alone. A huge man, around seven feet tall, was chasing him.
Something creaked—Karthik's eyes snapped open. It took him some time to realize that the huge man chasing him was just a part of a dream. He again heard a creak. He squinted in darkness, and heard footsteps approaching his bedroom.
Someone broke into my house!
The door swung open and a shadowy human figure charged at him. The shadowy figure raised its arm. Karthik realized that the intruder was holding a gun. But even before Karthik could make any move, the intruder fired. A stab of pain pierced through Karthik's left shoulder.
The intruder again fired. But this time, Karthik plunged out of the bed and ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he dived forward at his attacker.
He tackled his attacker and succeeded in knocking the gun out of his attacker's hand. The gun dropped to the floor and was soon consumed by the darkness.
The man pushed Karthik aside and started groping the floor for the gun. Karthik scrambled to his feet and kicked in the ribs of his attacker. His attacker stumbled on the floor, hitting the table and crashing his alarm clock.
The pain in his shoulder was now beyond ignoring. Yet Karthik tried his best to ignore it. He again tried kicking in the ribs of his attacker. But this time, his attacker got hold of his legs and tugged him down to the floor. And, in a tick of the time, the man was squeezing Karthik's neck.
Karthik tried to free himself from the man's hold. But he felt the man's grip tightening around his neck. The pressure in his head rose, so did the pain in his chest. Karthik felt his consciousness fading away. He frantically moved his hands in hope of hitting the man's stomach or mouth. And his hand hit something hard on the floor. It was the gun, which his attacker had brought with him. Karthik grabbed it and fired in darkness. He heard a soft squealing sound.
The grip around his neck loosened.
His attacker was now standing up, holding his side and grimacing in pain. He turned and ran for the door. Karthik heard him stumbling in the hall.
Karthik also scrambled to his feet and howled as the pain shot up from his shoulder. He heard a loud bang—footsteps fading away—his attacker was running away. Pressing his hand against the wound, Karthik trotted across the bedroom. He burst into the hall and found the main door open. He went across the room toward the main door. He opened it and squinted in the darkness and listened. He heard footsteps. Uneven footsteps. He started descending the stairs.
When Karthik reached the ground floor, his attacker was mounting on his bike. Karthik shifted the gun from his left to right hand, aimed, and fired at his attacker. He missed.
His attacker kicked and the bike dashed forward. Karthik's hand was shaking. He again raised his arm, aimed, and fired. The man dropped from the crashing bike, rolled on the road for few seconds then stopped next to a traffic pole. Karthik went over to him and saw him stuck under his own bike. The man was severely wounded and was trying his best to lift the bike off his body.
Karthik aimed the gun at him, “Who sent you?”
“I-I don’t know. We only talked on the phone,” His attacker said in a shaky voice. Karthik aimed at his head.
“I-I really don’t know,” His attacker cried, “Please don’t kill me. I have a family to look after.” Karthik lowered his gun. He bent down and lifted the bike off his attacker. As soon as the bike was off his body, his attacker lashed on Karthik.
Karthik, although surprised, swung the gun away from his attacker’s reach. The man grabbed Karthik’s armed hand and tried to point the gun toward Karthik. Suddenly, someone pressed the trigger. Karthik and his attacker stared at each other for a second and then his attacker slowly dropped on the ground. Karthik panted, regaining his breath and looked around and spotted the hobo (who was an old man around sixty years old) staring at him. He approached the old man. And as Karthik neared the old man, he realized that the hobo was the same old man to whom he had given his burger.
"He came to kill you," the old man said.
"How did you know?" Karthik asked, squatting in front of him.
"I saw him waiting there with a gun," the old man said, "You killed him?"
Karthik said, “I didn’t want to do—” The street flared up. Karthik looked to his left and saw a vehicle coming in their direction. He gazed at the old man.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone," The old man said.
He nodded. "Thank you."
Karthik decided that his apartment was not safe. He got into his car. The car had returned from the repair shop just a few-hour ago. He drove to the Lilly's hideout
Lilly had told him where to find the extra key. The first thing he decided after entering the room was to get some rest. In the morning, he would call Sara and would try to pursue her in allowing him to get through Mr. Ford's files.
He first squeezed out the bullet from his shoulder. He had seen this bullet-removing-stuff in a Hollywood movie. He washed and dressed his wound and went to bed. He didn't sleep quickly. His mind was still racing. He was now very sure that someone close was behind Mr. Ford's death. And that very same guy also wanted Karthik dead. But the main question was why? Think about it, he drifted into an uneasy sleep.