Copyright

Notice
Rachit Singh.

This Book was first published in

Digital version at Amazon on
14th February 2017. Later, the
paperback versions were made
available. All parts of this
publication including ( but not
limited to ) text, images are
copyrighted property of author
( Rachit Singh ).

No part of this publication may

be reproduced, distributed, or
transmitted in any form or by
any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other
electronic or mechanical
!1
methods, without the prior
written permission of the
publisher, except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in
critical reviews and certain other
noncommercial uses permitted by
copyright law. For permission
requests, write to the publisher,
addressed Attention: Rachit
Singh, at the address below.

Rachit Singh

hello@rachitsingh.net

rachitsingh.net

!2
From the Author

Hey, My name is Rachit,

and I'd like to personally
thank you for purchasing
the second edition of my
book "Never on Rest." A
lot of effort goes into
these books, and at the

!3
end of the day, nothing
makes an author more
happy than people
appreciating his work. I
hope this book would
stand up to your
appreciations.

Never on Rest is a fictional

series of books that
portray Roman a young
and passionate detective.
The first part was able to
make it into the list of
best-sellers, all due to the
love & appreciation from
readers. I hope the same
for this book as well.

!4
You can send your
feedback to
hello@rachitsingh.net

Once again,
Thank you for purchasing
Never on Rest

!5

CHAPTER 1

Divulge

M an, Ive been cooped up in the

hospital for a long time. Can you
imagine being in a hospital bed with
one leg hanging up attached to
support? Neither could I until I was
there in person.

Well, you know what they say, every

good thing must come to an end. But
what they dont tell you is that every
bad thing must also come to an end.

I always prefer looking on the bright

side,And in this case, my bright side

!6
was the beautiful nurse I met
with.Also the fact that my 100% track
record didnt break.

Well, lets leave the past behind. I am

happy to be out of that ward. It feels
so good to roam around in the fresh
air on the streets again.I wont be
able to gain the confidence to walk in
front of a car with a female driver.

I was sitting in my favourite coffee

shop, which was less than 5 minutes
from my apartment. I went there
every morning. Not only they gave me
one free coffee, but they also allowed
me to sit and do my work there. They
did as a thank you gesture after I
helped them get out of extortion
racket. Also, since one coffee wont
ruin their business, I didnt mind it
either. I always like the shops that

!7
have power outlets. If you want a
top-notch investigator to visit your
coffee, make sure your shop has a
power outlet.

I was enjoying my coffee and the view

outside when my phone rang. It was
Mr. Rampson. This guy just loves me I
guess, because who else would call
you at 7 in the morning?

Without using my brain, I decided to

pick up the call.

Hello, Mr. Rampson. Top of the

morning to you. It is not only the
caffeine; I always had this much
energy.
Top of the morning indeed. How are
you Roman ? came his reply.
As good as gold Mr. Rampson. How
may I help you ?

!8
Roman, I have a confession, his
voice became a bit dull.
Keep going; Im listening, I said

I want you to know that I consider

you as an integral part of my
business and my team. Not only
work, but I also adore your
personality outside work as well, Mr.
Rampson sounded sad.

Wait, I think I should give you a visit.

If its a secret, I dont believe we
should be discussing it over the
phone. For all you know, someone
might be monitoring. I knew
monitoring isnt a childs play. But I
wanted to get to Mr. Rampson in
person. I dont like when people
sound sad.

Alright Roman, come over, He said.

!9
Ill be there in 15 minutes, I said as
I got up from my table and started
packing my laptop & charger in my
backpack.

I looked into my coffee cup; It was

half full ( not being optimistic here, I
just checked in how much coffee was
left). I wore my bag and took the
coffee cup as I walked out from the
cafeteria.
Sir, anything bad? Is the coffee not
up to the mark ? asked the guy
inside the counter table. I held the
door, turned back Oh no, nothing
about the coffee, Just have to hurry,
some work is pending. I comforted
him.
I drank the remaining coffee in one
sip and threw the cup in the dustbin
outside the shop. I walked towards
!10
my small car. I didnt have an
expensive car, although I could afford
one with ease. But I didnt want
unwanted attention. I wanted people
to admire my work, not my
extravagant lifestyle.

I turned on the radio and pulled my

puny vehicle out of the parking. Mr.
Rampsons office was 13 minutes
away from the coffee shop. His office
and my apartment being 20 minutes
away weren't a coincidence. He got
me that apartment. Also, since we
worked togetherfrequently, it
seemed only logical to be near.
I was thinking of what might be the
issue. Mr. Rampson never sounded
this sad. I was making assumptions in
my mind. Maybe his wife returned,
and he didnt get a gift for her.

!11
Maybe his family found out that he
wasnt an ordinary office manager,
but a reputed owner of a security
agency. Maybe his office was being
haunted by some ghost, or maybe he
lost some valuables.

In the midst of all these thoughts, I

didnt realise that I reached Mr.
Rampsons office. I parked my vehicle
outside the building.
Good morning Roman, Said the
security Guard.
Good morning to you too, Mr....

I paused while my eyes looked at his

name on the batch.
Mr. Watson.. I finished my sentence
as I looked into his eyes.

!12
I am sorry Mr. Roman, please
proceed, Mr. Rampson is expecting
you, He realised what he did.

I started walking towards the

entrance. I didnt like people calling
me without proper designation if they
are not very close or a supreme
authority. Well, nothing like I was not
friendly, I hanged out with Watson
many times in the coffee shop, but
right now, a detective was on duty
and no joking around when I am
working. Mr. Rampson had a huge
space, like gigantic. So much so, that
I had my cabin inside his office, but I
only worked from that cabin during
afternoon time. His office was all blue
and white. He had inspirational
posters almost everywhere.

!13
I reached Mr. Rampsons cabin and
knocked.
Mr. Rampson, can I come inside ? I
asked
Yes, Roman, please come inside,
came the reply.
I opened the glass door, Mr. Rampson
was writing something. I went to his
table and sat down. His desk was
immaculate and organised, and I
didnt like it. My table was always in a
mess although I knew where to find
things. Once, it took Mr. Rampson
half an hour to find a case file, at last,
I had to come over and find it only
in 45 seconds. I sat down on a chair
and stared Mr. Rampson; waiting for
him to initiate the conversation.

!14
Roman, everyone has a past. And I
am no exception to this. There is
something that I have kept inside of
me and told no one. Not even you,
nor the family, no one, He broke the
ice.

Okay, and ? I asked

10 years back, I did something
awful. That was the time when I was
struggling with the agency and
everything. I thought I could get away
with it. No one came to know about
it, except for one person. Since then,
from the last ten years, Ive been
paying a good amount to that person
to keep his mouth shut. If the word
gets out, It will destroy my
reputation, and you know, how much
reputation matters in our business,
Mr. Rampson explained.

!15
Okay, I get it Mr. Rampson. But if it
has been going on from last ten
years, Why did you call me now ? I
was curious, I smelled a new project.

I am fed up living with guilt. I dont

want to feel like I did something
wrong rest of my life. I want you to
end all this mess, Mr. Rampson said.

So, What do you expect me to do ? I

just wanted to make things clear, if
he wanted me to sort out the mess by
ending the person or something else.
Mr. Rampson stood up from his chair
and walked very slowly behind me. He
could even make a right eye to eye
contact. His face was down. He stood
behind me, and I could hear his heavy
breath.

!16
I dont know Roman; I just want you
to end this mess. You are the only
person I trust with this case. He
patted my back while saying this.

I knew what I had to do. But what I

didnt know was what to do right
away. Do I get up and comfort him, or
do I walk out saying I will start from
next day, or do I ask him about the
secret or ask about details to get
started right away? I was not good at
emotional matters, and I was
wondering what should I do next. I
stood up and held his hand.

Mr. Rampson, you are a beautiful

person. You can leave all this mess
on me, and I will get you free from
this as soon as possible. There is no
need for you to feel guilt, I patted

!17
his shoulder with one hand as I said
this.
Thank you, Roman, what do you
need to know before you start ? he
asked
Everything, came out of my mouth.
Now, he looked at my face. Took a
long pause and then a took a heavy
breath and walked towards his desk.

I am not sure I can tell you what the

whole incident is, but I can tell you
everything apart from that, He said.

I will mind my own business, No

need to worry. Tell me all details so
that I can get started, I asked him.

!18

CHAPTER 2

Starting the Hunt

Now that I knew what I had to do, I
needed some details to get started. I
walked up and stood behind Mr.
Rampson, with my hand behind my
back. Mr. Rampson opened a file; a
nice thick folder indeed. He took out
a paper that blackmailers details,
numbers, possible location details,
and transaction details. From here,
the case got stiff. The blackmailer
took only cash, Mr. Rampson also
told that blackmailer scanned the
whole package before he took to
avoid tracking. He changed numbers
very frequently and kept changing his

!19
locations. All of this was usual for
someone who doesnt want to be
tracked, But he was now in the wrong
hands.

I want you to route all the incoming

calls on your phone to my cell as well.
I want to hear the conversations you
make, not the recorded versions, but
in real time. Is that okay with you ? I
asked Mr. Rampson.
Yeah sure, Ill ask my technical
support guy to do it in a few hours.
But dont speak, he might get
suspicious, Mr. Rampson said.

I wont. Also, from now on, you will

only say what I want you to tell, I
said.
Sure, no problem, Mr. Rampson said

!20
And I want your smile back, I tried
to make him feel light. He smiled and
thanked me. I picked up the papers
and went towards my cabin; it was
time to begin the hunt.
A part of me wanted to know the
whole case, and at the same time, my
other part reminded me of duty.
Before anything, Mr. Rampson was
my client, and I was supposed to
mind his privacy. But still, I was
curious what might have been the
case. At this point, I stopped making
any assumptions. I was super focused
on tracking the blackmailer down.
Maybe when I keep him at gun point,
I get him to spit the truth. I had
complete freedom from Mr. Rampson;
to even kill him if it is needed for
the case. I realized that this was the

!21
time I learn how to handle a gun.
Being a private investigator, I had to
slip from some big situations too. I
spent my next two weeks learning
how to use a gun. Due to my job
profile and excellent links, I was even
given a license to keep one with me. I
was still, more comfortable with my
knife. I was so sharp with my knife
that I can take down an apple from
someones head from far away.

All the day, I kept thinking of the case

and how to track the blackmailer. In
the night, I sat down in my cabin and
started reading the papers Mr.
Rampson gave me. There were more
than a dozen locations, and over 120
cell phone numbers ( the guy
changed the number every time ). If
he continued this habit, it would be

!22
very hard to track him. It was 2 am in
the night; I decided to wait until the
morning to call Silvestor and ask
details about the person who issued
this number. I started researching
about the locations.

The guy picked up remote areas to

get the money. These places had less
connectivity from the town, and it
was quite easy to get away if you
have a car. From online maps, I could
see that all of these places were like
large fields. If someone comes, you
can see it from several Kms far away.
The blackmailer must be doing this to
get away in case Mr. Rampson arrives
with reinforcements. He had 14
locations that he used in 10 years. It
was pointless to figure out whether
he lived near any of these sites

!23
because all of these were empty
desert like areas with a single road.
But, there was a strong connection
that I figured out by zooming out on
the maps. All these locations were in
a circle. In middle of which was a
small town Periyar. From direction
tracking, I came to know, that each of
these places was 10-hour drive away
from the town. There was a slight
chance that the blackmailer might be
living somewhere in Periyar. It was
late now; I decided to sleep and
continue the investigation from next
morning.
The first thing I did next morning was
to call Silvestor and ask about who
issued the sim card numbers for the
blackmailer. Silvestor was a trustable
police officer. I didnt like working

!24
closely with the cops, but in my
profession, I had to take help from
them now and then. Around 10 in the
morning, I called Silvestor.

Hello Silvestor, Roman here, I need

some help,

Hey, Hi! How are you and when did

you get out of the hospital? Tell me,
how can I assist you in ? he said
from the other end.
I have around 120 phone numbers; I
want you to find on whose name were
they registered and who issued them,
from where these numbers got issued
and when, everything, I want each
and every trace of these numbers, I
told him
Damn, it would be hard. But I think I
can manage it, he said

!25
Of course you can manage it, youre
Silvestor, THE SILVESTOR. I buttered
him a bit

Haha, stop it Roman, Ill let you

know as soon as I find the details,
send me the numbers to my official
email,
Okay, Ill send them right away. Take
care, I said and hung up the phone.

The blackmailer was a talented dog;

he made things as nasty as he could.
I was in my cabin resting on my chair
with my feet on the desk with my
eyes closed. Suddenly my phone
rang. I checked it was routed call, the
blackmailer was calling and the call
was being routed to me too. I picked
it up immediately and kept it close to
my ears and listen attentively.

!26
Hello Mr. Rampson, Nice work you
did with the food court drug case,
the unknown voice said

It was Roman, How do you know this

? Mr. Rampson replied
That doesn't matter. Whats
important is that its your time of the
month, he laughed.

I know, But I dont have money to

give you. My business is in debt, Mr.
Rampson told

Well, Well, Well, if your business is

dying, wouldnt it be nice If I spread
the word out and it dies. Because it
has to die anyway right, the
unknown caller said

Why are you doing this ? Mr.

Rampson said helplessly

!27
Shut up Mr. Rampson, you didnt do
anything well, and if you dont want
me to spread the word, be ready with
the money, I will call you again and
inform where you have to send cash,
he said

But... Mr. Rampson was about to say

something, but the other caller hung
up.

I kept the phone in my pocket and

walked out of my cabin towards Mr.
Rampsons cabin. The door was open,
and I didnt bother to knock on an
open door.

This was the guy; right ? I asked Mr.

Rampson
Yes, this was the guy. He will call
again to inform where he wants the

!28
money to be delivered, Mr. Rampson
replied.
Alright. I am writing some points on
paper, next time he calls, you ask
these points, I told him.
Okay, Ill do as you say, Mr.
Rampson shook his head in yes.
I must have just turned a bit when my
phone rang again. Surprised, I turned
to see that Mr. Rampsons phone was
not ringing. I picked up my phone; it
was Silvestor.
Ive sent you the records for those
numbers. Let me know if you need
any further help, He said from the
other end.

Sure, let me check them, I said and

hung up the phone.

!29
I walked out of Mr. Rampsons cabin
and entered my cabin. I looked at the
condition of my cabin. One big desk
in the centre with a chair. The desk
had one monitor which stood up from
the rest of the mess. There was no
space on the desk, except for one
coffee mug. I had lots and lots of files
and pens lying around on the table.
My cabin also had one resting bed,
because I often spent the night in the
office.
I opened my computer, and my eyes
were searching for Silvestor's email in
my cluttered inbox. Rather than
reading it directly, I took print of the
records. I didnt want to read them
straight away; I preferred reading
documents while laying back on my
chair with my feet on the desk. The

!30
printing took a bit of time; there were
nine papers. I collected them once
they came out from the print tray,
filed them in a folder and laid back
on the chair.
There were 120 numbers in total; the
strange thing was all of these were
registered on either of these two
names Damian or Rodrigue.
Something smelled fishy, I entered
their names, and social number in
criminal records and the result were
blank. They had no previous criminal
backgrounds. Further, their records
suggest that these were ordinary
working guys. Also, I doubted that
there were two persons involved in
this whole blackmailing thing. In the
morning, I doubted whether or not
the blackmailer lived in Periyar. The

!31
papers confirmed that the person was
operating from there because all
these sim cards were issued from 10
different shops from Periyar. These
two folks, on whose name the cards
were issued, they worked on Periyar
as well. It was time to leave for
Periyar.

!32

CHAPTER 3

Periyar
Every evidence by far was pointing to
Periyar. It was in the center of all the
locations from where the blackmailer
collected cash, the sim cards were
issued from shops in Periyar, on the
ID of persons living in Periyar. I
needed to give Periyar a visit. Thanks
to my job, I got frequent
opportunities to travel. I downloaded
the recorded version of blackmailer's
call and kept all the paper with me
before boarding the flight.
During the flight, I played the
recording back and forth again and

!33
again. There must be some clue
somewhere. After playing the
recording for 23 times, all I got was
some ship honks and sounds of metal
being beaten upon metal. SO far, no
clue. Well, I reached Periyar and
rented a small apartment near the
airport. The apartment wasnt the
best I could afford but was enough to
get the job done.
It had a foul and damp smell inside. I
blamed the wooden interior for the
smell. It was covered with bushes
from one side, and the other was
open to sunlight and air. The owner
was obsessed with wood I guess,
everything was good. The interior,
the table, chair, bed, and even the
wall sockets. One thing was good I
couldnt get an electric shock here,

!34
but I was on the verge of burning the
whole place down.
The landlord wasnt the best dude
too. Fat and short, with lots of oil in
his head. I never bothered to ask his
name, and he never bothered to tell
it. I settled down fast, kept my bag
beside the chair and took out the slip
that contained addresses of Damian
& Rodrigue. I picked up my phone to
figure out the route via Google maps
but as soon as I held it in my hand, it
rang. This was again a routed call. It
was him!

Hello Mr. Rampson, he said

Hello, Whoever you are, can you
please tell me whether you need
ransom in $5 bills, $10 bills, $50 or
$100 bills ? Mr. Rampson was now
speaking my words
!35
What sort of question it is? And
where the hell is it coming from? I
need the whole amount in $100
bills, he said

Where should I send you the

money ? Mr. Rampson asked

Send it in Brahuss exchange road on

12th Feb at 11 in the night. And I
want no drama, he said

Fine, Ill do it. But since I am old and

busy now, my contract will bring you
the money. No need to get suspicious
of him, he knows nothing about the
deal. All he knows is you are a
detective whom I am paying monthly
payment, Mr. Rampson said

Okay, whatever works, I care only

about the money, he said and hung
up the phone.

!36
The blackmailer was now in for a
treat. I think because Mr. Rampson
had been feeding him from last ten
years, he took him for granted. But
this time, he wasnt getting away with
it. Well, there were still ten days left
to 12th Feb. I thought instead of just
catching him; I should first do some
research and get into his mental
state. So, I found routes to places
where Damian & Rodrigue lived and
left for the society. Strange enough,
both of these dudes lived only 3
minutes away from each other. There
was a great chance that they knew
each other as well. I reached to
Humilton society, the place where
they lived and inquired first about
Damian because his name sounded
cool. Some cute girls who were
playing hide and seek told me his

!37
address and I started walking towards
his home. There it was, his gate,
which said 897 on the door. I took a
deep breath made a firm knocked.

Who is it ...., came a voice from

inside
Its Roman, and you might be in
trouble, I replied
The gate opened and in front of me
stood a man in shorts, with shaving
cream on his beard and razor in his
hand, his beard was half done, and
half remained untreated. His hair was
messed up as well. It looked like I
disturbed his morning routine.

Whats it Mr ? he asked
Someones booking sim cards on
your ID, I said as I handed him a

!38
paper with records of over 70 sim
card numbers.
I havent booked any of these
numbers; I only have one number.
Trust me; I am not doing anything
shady, I am not trying to steal or rob
from anybody, I am just taking care
of my kids and wife, He was terrified,
from my appearance and the records.

I know, But these documents are not

fake either. If you didnt request
these numbers, then who did it? Also,
do you know any guy Rodrigue who
lives around here? I asked

Yes, he works in the same company

as I do. What is the issue ? he asked

Where can I find him? I wanted to

know

!39
10 minutes ago, he left for the cyber
cafe. I am sure you can find him
there. The cyber is in that tower, he
said while pointing a finger to a
building behind the society.
I am going for now, but you should
call telecom services and ask them to
block all sim based on your ID, or you
will be in trouble soon, I told him
and left.
I was confused. The only people who
could access his ID and documents
was the government, but why would
they use it to book SIM cards. There
has to be some link between all those
sim cards and him. I reached the
cyber cafe, and a guy was walking out
of it. I kept my hand on his shoulder

Rodrigue? I asked

!40
Yes, is there any issue ? He replied

Yes, I noticed some papers in his

hand. They were his ID; one needs to
submit the same documents to get a
sim card. What are these papers in
your hand? I asked with a firm
expression.
This is my ID, I need to get a new
bank cheque book, the procedure
asks me to submit my ID, so I went to
the cyber cafe to photocopy them,
he explained.
As soon as he said it, a bolt of
lightning ran inside my body. It was
the cyber cafe. They had access to his
photocopy, or someone who used or
managed their computers could
easily access the documents. Maybe
these guys printed out their ID, and a
copy was saved on the computer and
!41
misused. Things were opening up a
bit now.
I dont have time to explain, get it in
short. My name is Roman Advlock; I
am a private investigator, someone is
using your ID to book SIM and do
some illegal activities, please contact
telecom department and ask them to
block your ID temporarily, Move,
Move, Move. I shouted and ran
towards Cyber cafe.

There was a man in the reception

table; I advanced towards him, took
out my gun from my pouch located
inside suit with my right hand, my ID
card with the left hand, pointed the
gun at him showed the ID card.
Freeze, My name is Roman Advlock, I
am a private investigator, and you are
in trouble. Now do as I say, or I will
!42
shut this cafe down for the rest of
your life, I locked him at gunpoint,
and with my other hand, I asked him
to get out of reception.

Everyone, get out and wait outside, if

anyone goes away, I will find him and
sue him in court for delaying my
case. I need to speak with this
gentleman, I requested everyone to
leave. Everyone left, and I closed the
door with my leg. I asked the owner
to sit and showed him papers.
These are IDs of persons who came
to your cafe for printout and their IDs
are now being used to get SIM card
that in turn gets employed in criminal
activities; Explain, By now, I had
lowered my gun and kept ID in my
pocket.

!43
I, dont know, I dont know sir. I
dont know how this happened, or
when this happened, he stammered.
He was nervous.

I need access to all your computers.

Someone printed out the same
document for 50-60 times; there
should be some trace left, I said

Sir, we secretly store our print

records, one copy is given to
customer, and a soft copy of when it
was taken and its digital image is
kept on my computer, he said

Show me what youve got there, I

asked
Sir, the last photocopy of these
documents was taken ten days ago,
he said

!44
This was exactly one day before when
Mr. Rampson got called.
Would you prefer closing down this
cyber cafe for next 15 days or the
rest of your life ? I asked, my gun
was pointed towards the board of his
cafe.
I got it; the cyber cafe would be
closed for next 15 days, he said

Smart. How many cyber cafes are

there in Periyar ? I asked

None, this is a remote place, quite

small as well. A cyber cafe needs a lot
of maintenance; thereby no one
invests in this business, he told
I took out a paper from my folder and
started writing.

!45
What was your name again ? I asked
as I wrote
Frank, He told

I mentioned his name and finished

writing.
Here, on behalf of the police
department, I request you to stay in
Periyar before this matter resolves. If
you try to be smart, I will pin you
down and lock you up, and I am sure
you wont like it. You seem like a nice
man, dont interfere in my hunt, I
said while handing him the papers.

Okay, sir. He said

I walked out of the cyber cafe.

Around seven people were waiting
outside.

!46
All of you guys, the cyber cafe would
be closed for the next 15 days, please
dont force Frank to open it. I hope
you guys understand, I said as I
adjusted my court to reveal my gun
resting in my pouch purposely.

I walked out of the building and

started walking towards a house
address. This was the address of the
person who printed out the IDs of
Damian & Rodrigue; I got it from
Cyber cafe records. This was the
culprit who was using the IDs to get
Sim cards to demand ransom.

!47

CHAPTER 4

Dead Person
Calling
I finally had the address of the person
who was using IDs to get sim cards.
Furthermore, I had locked down the
whole thing, no more he could use
those IDs, nor he could get more IDs,
neither could he leave Periyar. Things
just got heated up for him. Whoever
this person was, lived in a very
remote area.
I had to walk around 1km to get to
his house, more like his shed. It was a
wooden house with a tin shed. The
whole place looked like it

!48
surrendered to nature, there were
herbs all over tin shed, there was
dust all over gate, lawn, and car. The
lawn although had some fresh
footsteps. The windows looked like
they havent been used up from a
very long time. Only a small part of
the window was clean. It appeared
like someone used that spot to peep
outside. Birds were chirping in the
trees behind the house. The whole
thing was sending chills inside me; I
had seen in movies that it is never a
good idea to get in houses like these.
Not that I was a child inside, I decided
to use my megaphone.

Wow Roman, you just happened to

carry a megaphone?

No, I take a portable one in my

backpack just in case I need to get

!49
out of crowded places to catch
places.
Hello, My name is Roman, I request
all the persons inside the house to
get out, with your hands behind your
head, please get out, I shouted on
my megaphone.
All the birds flew up from the sudden
noise, other than that; everything was
silent. Then, there was a sudden
movement. A young girl came out
with a woman in a wheelchair. I
lowered my megaphone and attached
to my backpack, took out my gun and
held it with both hands. The girl was
beautiful, but I guess due to no
proper take care, she was looking
shabby. Her hair, which would have
been blonde, looked like mud now.
Her clothes were old, yet maintained

!50
carefully. Her pyjama had a little hole
near the end, and she was wearing
fragile slippers.

Lose any possible weapons, I said

We dont have any, came the reply

from the young girl. It was very warm
and sad.
We have been living here since last
three years; we havent done anything
wrong sir, Please leave us alone, She
continued.

Someone gave me your house

address. I am on a case; someone has
been printing out IDs, registering sim
cards and calling my client for
ransom, I explained

Well, it was Allan, my cousin, he

lived with us, she said.

!51
There, I got the name. A spark of
happiness ran inside me.
Where can I find him now ? I asked
with some excitement

In the graveyard. He died five years

ago. Some guy shot him, She said as
a tear rolled out of her eye. Her
mother on wheelchair had no
expression, though.

What do you mean? I was confused

again.

Come inside please, She requested.

There was no chance she took me
inside her house, and someone was
waiting behind the door to chop my
head, but still, just as a safety, I kept
my hand on my knives. I was fast with
knives, guns; I can use them, but not
as fast as knives. But, I didnt think I

!52
would need to use them inside the
house.
We proceeded inside the home. She
carried her mom and placed her chair
near the window. She held my hand
and asked me to come inside. The
room she took me in, had pictures of
a guy, and some things kept on bed
rolled in paper.

This was Allan, she pointed towards

a portrait. He was my cousin, a
bright student, but he got involved in
some things. Ten years ago, he
started making a lot of money all of a
sudden. He told us that he got the
job in a big company. But, one day we
heard him demanding ransom from
some guy, I think he said Rampso or
something like this. This continued
for many years. But five years ago, he

!53
was shot near Humilton society. No
one knows who killed him, and why
they killed him, and she started
crying. Mother is here for only a few
days. She will leave me soon. and
she began crying heavily.

I went near her, gently held her head

with my arm and made her keep it on
my chest. She held me tightly and
locked her hands. I patted her back
with one hand, and her head with
another one. We hugged for a more
than 5 minutes. She took her head
out, I wiped her tears with my hands,
and she held her head near me.
Youre gonna be okay, ........ I
paused as I didnt know her name
Lanny, she got me

!54
Yes, You are going to be fine Lanny,
I comforted her.
Suddenly, my eyes found a group
photo. I pointed my finger towards a
man, and asked: what is he doing
here ?

Oh, this is the guy he blackmailed, I

told you, Rampso or something, she
said
This was Mr. Rampson. I was holding
the picture in my hands now. She was
behind me, with her hands on my
chest and head on my shoulder. I was
not sure what should I feel about it.
But I was too busy in analysing the
picture.
What did he blackmail him for ? I
asked

!55
I dont know; he never told us, She
said. I guess he never told anyone,
she continued.

and, who is this, I pointed to a face

that looked familiar.
Oh this is Frank, he runs a cyber cafe
in the Humilton Society, she said.
they used to be best friends.

What is this picture ? I was curious

My brother and Frank were in the

same college. The guy was a lecturer
there for safety equipment, she told
me. I got up, turned and shook hands
with her. I have been in the home for
more than 2 hours.
I have to go, I said

Oh, yes, she said while the kind

smile on her face vanished.

!56
Take care of your mother, I said

I do, she said.

I left the house and walked towards
the main street. I was puzzled. If
Allan was dead, who was
blackmailing from last five years?
What did Mr. Rampson do? I also felt
sorry for the girl. I know it was none
of my business, but I didnt feel good
about it.

!57