“Thank you, Varun, I'm flattered. I just don't know what to say.” Sonia felt a pale blush stealing over her hot cheeks.
“Sonia, I'm aware that you hardly know me, but I'd still like to say this: Will you marry me?” Green eyes fastened onto Sonia's honey ones.
She stared at him, stunned. Was this some kind of a joke? But the intensity of his blue-green gaze had set her heart racing.
“You're kidding, right?”
“No, I'm not kidding. And I don't want you to answer me immediately. Take your time. I'll call you when I return to Pune next.”
“But you don't know me at all! I mean . . .”
“I feel as if I've known you all my life! And poetry apart, I know more about you than you can imagine.”
She studied his profile, as he looked out at the beautiful landscape. A marriage proposal from a guy she'd met less than twenty-four hours before? Sure, he was the most handsome man she'd ever come across. Successful, intelligent, and wealthy. But she had to consider the negative and positive forces that she'd glimpsed in his horoscope. She knew nothing about them. Common sense buffeted against emotion, willing her to ignore her increased heartbeats.
He suddenly rose. “I've got to go. Think about it, Sonia, and don't be hasty in refusing my proposal. Take as long as you wish, I'll be waiting for you. And don't ever feel lonely. The sun will shine and we will see dawn. . . .”
Sonia's head shot up sharply. He stood for a moment, smiling enigmatically, and then he was gone. Sonia watched him descend with nimble, easy strides and then turn into a cream blur, to merge into the hillside. She felt cold and frozen, as if all the warmth in the world had suddenly deserted her. “The sun will shine and we will see dawn. . . .” And would his next words have been
you will be mine
? Those lines from the bouquet . . . Had he sent those flowers? Or had he simply repeated the lines he'd read by chance in her office? She ought to have asked him, but she'd been too shocked to hear him utter lines from the mysterious poem. She shook her head, nonplussed.
Sudden hasty footsteps made her turn around. To her great surprise, she saw Inspector Divekar and Mohnish running towards her.
“Hi! What're you doing here?” she called, astonished.
“Who was that guy with you?” Mohnish asked, gasping for breath.
“That was Varun Thakur, my new client,” Sonia replied, puzzled.
Mohnish and Inspector Divekar exchanged quick glances.
“You're lucky no harm's come to you. And I've been the world's worst fool! Why didn't I suspect, why didn't I keep a watch on you?” Inspector Divekar muttered breathlessly.
“What are you two talking about?” Sonia cried impatiently. “What's happened?”
“You've been interacting with the world's most dreaded criminal. Remember I told you about him? No one knows his real name or how he looks. He's smart, extremely intelligent, speaks several languages fluently, and has successfully given wide berth to the police for the last five years! His specialty is diamonds,” Inspector Divekar said.
Sonia gasped. “You mean . . .”
“Some months ago, the famous royal diamonds were stolen from the Kerkar Palace. There was only one person who could dare attempt that theft. The Owl. The diamonds just seemed to vanish into thin air. The police have been gunning for him for a long time and were on the lookout for the valuables. They were bound to come out sometime for sale. But they never did.”
“No, they were stolen from him, too. And now he's found them, thanks to me and my Astrology!” Sonia remarked glumly.
“Oh, come on, how were you to know that Varun Thakur is The Owl?” Mohnish said. “I spoke to Jatin yesterday and he told me about this handsome hunk of a man who was your new client.”
“And I didn't suspect a thing at that time. I didn't think, though I had the tip-off the night before last, that he's . . .” Inspector Divekar halted abruptly.
“He's what?” Sonia turned to him.
“He's taken a great fancy to you. Reliable sources wised us up that the Owl has been collecting information about you for a while now and would try to get in touch with you soon. So we secretly kept a watch on your house, quite positive that even he wouldn't dare show up at your office in broad daylight. But I was wrong. When one of my men, Suresh, saw you leave this morning, he immediately contacted me, and I sensed that something was wrong. So we followed you here. I met Mohnish at the foot of the hill and he accompanied me. Suresh is, at the moment, keeping an eye on your van. I even called the cell phone, to warn you, but there was no reply.”
“I left it in the van when I climbed up the hill.”
“We saw you sitting on the ledge and we realized at once that something fishy was going on!” Mohnish told her.
“Can we go home? I haven't slept all night and this morning . . . I'm worried about Nidhi,” Sonia interrupted, a wave of fatigue swamping her.
“Of course,” Mohnish agreed readily, but he threw a quick glance towards the Inspector. His brow puckered with worry. “Are you sure you're feeling okay, Sonia?”
“Just tired. I think I need my bed,” Sonia assured him. She couldn't tell him that she felt like a duffer. She choked down the sudden tears that threatened to reveal her weakness. Conflicting emotions surged inside her. Anger bubbled like molten lava, along with a crazy desire to burst into laughter. She was gradually coming to grips with the fact that she'd just been proposed to by the Owl! Ought she to feel flattered? Honored? Or ashamed? Sonia Samarth—the levelheaded Investigator, who prided herself on always being at the helm of affairs, on finding her way out of every dilemma, had been neatly tricked by Varun. He'd chatted her up, dropped a few wonderful-sounding praises, and like a gullible novice, she'd fallen for his trap. So much for coolheadedness.
The funny side of the situation surfaced and laughter finally rose inside her. She'd thought that Mohnish was involved in some shady activity, that he was perhaps even the Owl himself, when all along she was being taken for a lovely long ride by Varun Thakur, the real Owl! She ought to feel flattered, she decided with a grin, as she drove back home. No girl on the right side of law had ever been proposed to by a dynamic diamond thief on the wrong side of law. What remained to be seen was if she would accept his proposal. The diamonds . . . Suddenly, an idea began forming in her head. Where had he found them? And why had her office been broken into? It had to be Varun, of course. Since she'd so categorically hinted at the office as a prospective hiding place for his diamonds, it was as good as an official invitation to ransack the place. And he'd certainly grabbed the opportunity, without losing precious time. Wherever he had found the diamonds, she'd led him straight to them. She sighed. Regretfully, no law stated that Astrology only worked for the good of mankind. It could also work for criminals. She'd have to live with the stigma of having assisted the Owl until she had a chance to settle the score.
Her cell phone rang and she parked the van on the side of the street. The number seemed unfamiliar.
“Hello?”
“Sonia, by now you're well versed with my true identity, right?” a deep voice asked.
“Varun! Or should I call you the Owl?” Sonia replied sweetly, dispensing with formalities.
“The Owl? Now, why should you call me that?”
“You are the famous International Crook—the Owl. Don't waste your breath denying the fact!”
“Okay, I won't, even if I'm not the Owl. Call me whatever you wish—the Owl or the Lark, it's all the same to me. But be rational, how could I reveal my real intentions to you? Admit it; you would've never helped me find the diamonds. Instead you would've laid a trap to catch me and haul me over to the welcoming arms of the police,” he drawled into her ear.
“You're absolutely right. I have no relish for ever associating with a criminal,” she stated emphatically.
“I know, you're a good soul. But we have some unfinished business, you and I.”
“Where are you calling from?”
He laughed. “I'm halfway to the moon! But don't worry, I shall never be too far away from you. And I'll keep in touch. Remember what I told you. Don't be hasty in refusing my proposal, even though now you know what I do for a living. We'll make a formidable combination—with my brain and your gift. . . . Think about it.”
“You really have some cheek! How can you even dream of such a match!” Sonia flared up. “You and I have nothing in common.”
“Oh, yes we do. We resonate with each other perfectly. We're both fiery, stung by commitment, spurred on by our love and feeling for people, hurtling toward a goal—”
“In opposite directions,” she chipped in.
“Sure, for the moment. But one never knows when the borders will be crossed,” he drawled enigmatically.
“I, for one, don't wish to be enlightened on that, either!”
“Not yet, perhaps, but one day you will. You're like a glowworm, Sonia. You glow best and shine best in the dark. With me,” he said significantly.
Sonia paused, unable to react. Glowworm . . .
“I really don't care an atom for your opinion of me.” She finally found her voice. “What I'd like to know is why you broke into my office? I don't care a damn about your trinkets. I just want to know where Nidhi, my cat, is!”
“Nidhi's a nice name.” The smile in his voice was obvious. “But actually her name is Chinky. And she's my cat. But since I've been away on and off, I think she preferred to find a permanent home of her own.”
“
Your
cat!” Sonia exclaimed in disbelief. “You're lying!”
“Credit me with some honesty, Sonia. Just because I have a criminal record, it doesn't mean that every word I utter should be treated with the utmost suspicion.” Varun sounded hurt. “I love Chinky, but professional obligations made me neglect her. And I was truly amazed when I found her in your office. That's when I became convinced that we're destined together. Because my cat had already chosen you!”
“But you didn't come to me looking for your cat, you were searching for the jewels,” Sonia pointed out.
“Yes, the diamonds, which were in Chinky's collar. I'd kept them there for safekeeping. Unfortunately, before I could remove them from their hiding place, she took matters into her own hands. She didn't like my continued absence, so one day she just vanished.”
“And now you've taken her! Where is she? Is she hurt? There was blood on my office floor.” Sonia couldn't keep the anxiety from her voice.
“She's fine, don't worry about her. She just didn't like being woken from her cozy sleep and so she clawed my man quite badly. Well, Sonia, I've got to go. Thank you for everything. I'll be in touch.”
“Wait . . . !” But the line was dead.
Varun Thakur, or whatever your name is, if anything has happened to Nidhi, you're going to pay for this,
Sonia thundered. She turned the ignition key and drove home, her thoughts racing at supersonic speed.
Sonia paced restlessly. She'd taken a brief nap, but hating to sleep in on Christmas Day, she had returned to the office.
Jatin and Mohnish observed her silently. Past experience had taught them both that she took her mistakes very seriously. They impinged upon her sense of justice. Anger, along with a sense of helplessness, seemed to be on the rampage. She wouldn't be at peace until she had divested herself of her fury and frustration.
“Boss, does that mean you're not going to be a Chief Guest anymore?” Jatin asked innocently.
Sonia stopped pacing and glared at him. Then she burst into laughter. “I'd forgotten that! My chance of being a Chief Guest! The best part is that he seemed like such a gentleman. He was sweet-talking me and I
allowed
him to sweet-talk me.”
“Then you're lucky. Because he's known to be a man of few words and more action,” Mohnish remarked dryly. “I'm just glad that you came to no harm.”
“I don't think I was in any kind of danger, Mohnish. In his own way, he was quite genuine,” Sonia admitted.
“Genuine!”
“Yes, he didn't lie out and out. He did tell me about the diamonds. And I could read the negative traits in his horoscope.”
“Great!”
“And he paid a very fat cheque for the lead on the diamonds,” Jatin reminded them. “Not to forget the fact that he's so handsome.”
“I can't believe this. You two are actually defending the Owl!” Mohnish couldn't hide his disgust.
“He wasn't the Owl for us. He was Varun Thakur—attractive, charming, and intelligent, and as honest as he could be. And you know what's strange, he sounded quite surprised at being called the Owl!” Sonia recalled.
“He would be, of course,” Mohnish retaliated. “You don't expect him to come out in the open with his true identity, not after weaving an aura of secrecy around himself for years?”
Sonia frowned in contemplation. “It wasn't that kind of a denial—not the hot, defensive kind. It was more a casual brush-off, almost as if it weren't important, as if he really had no inkling of what I was talking about.”
“There he goes, fooling you again,” Mohnish commented grimly. “Varun Thakur
is
the Owl. There's not the least doubt about it!”
“I hope you're right. Anyway, enough about him. I've learnt my lesson. No falling under the spell of charmers. My main concern now is Nidhi and how to find her.”