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STORY so far: Tarun is eager to get me on his side, to support his impossible ambition of taking over my company. During dinner in Park, I learn how the business strategy he and Jaanu are pursuing with no qualms about the means to be adopted. Even as Tarun offers me a few lakhs to get initiated into corporate espionage there is an urgent call from my boss who informs me about Chandru's plight in Jakarta.

Episode 16

There were no security cameras around, I noticed, except at the reception desk, and at the stair end. `An internal control weakness,' I thought, considering the many important people and foreigners who walk in and out of the hotel. Having read too many thrillers during college days, I was hopeful of finding some hidden cameras behind the huge paintings by Raja Ravi Varma on the walls, but there didn't seem to be any. How then did my boss know almost everything that was happening that evening, I wondered, as I resumed my seat in front of Tarun.

"Any problem, Swati?" he asked, looking perhaps at my confused face.

"Nothing, Tarun," I said cheerfully, "Will you pass me the supari?"

"That reminds me," he said in near whisper. "I didn't tell you how we tried to get a contact with Sooty Jackal."

"He's on the most wanted list," I exclaimed with a gasp. "There are at least 45 cases of murder, extortion and other heinous crimes for which the police dragnet is out there to nab him. And there was this talk of his hand in the Mumbai blasts too."

"Sooty is now in Imphal," Tarun said, "to see his ailing granny. He's available after that, we've have been told."

"To do what?"

"Well, the idea is only in the prelim stage," he waved me off. "I'll tell you later."

"That's okay," I said, though half of me said I should push him to spill the beans. But time was short for me to prepare for my long journey. There must be some silly plan to hire the Sooty goon to pump a bullet into my boss, I thought. The `cover' was still on the table.

"Lest they clear this along with the dishes," I said, taking the envelope, "I'll think of what you told me, Tarun."

"Take your time. How about a movie?" he asked. "The latest in town, Jism."

"Hold it for another evening," I said, "I have job to do. Don't bother yourself to escort me to the exit. I'll take a taxi, and you have a bill to settle. Bye."

It should have been abrupt for Tarun, I knew, but he was busy trying to re-total the bill. There was no other possible way to throw him off scent before I continued with my mission. I stepped out of the big glass doors and was wondering whether I should take the right or the left to reach the gate fast, but a taxi stood at the portico and a helpful driver was keeping the door open.

"Ji, memsaheb," I heard him say, and that should be some gori from the US, I told myself and began walking towards the gate. And when he called again, I looked back and it was Vikky at the wheel.

"You have been following me?" I asked in half doubt.

"I had to," he said. "Didn't the boss tell you?"

"Not that he put you as my personal security," I shot back angrily.

"I know I have to explain," Vikky pleaded, "but you'll have to get in fast, because there are three cars waiting behind me, cursing me and honking hard. Let's move and I have your ticket."

Oh, yeah, that's what the boss said, I remembered, yet everything seemed so intriguing. At least till Vikky told me the whole story on our way to Globus, where I had urgent shopping to do.

"You left you mobile in the car," he said.

"Ah, really," I said, checking my bag for the missing Nokia.

"I didn't notice till it started ringing when I was in the thick of Mount Road traffic," Vikky narrated. "When I pulled to the kerb to answer it, the caller wanted none other than Swati. I said, it's me Vikky, the cabbie?"

"That must have been my boss," I said, because very few people knew my number.

"I could know that much after a few minutes of slanging each other because he perhaps thought that I had stolen your gadget," Vikky continued. "I explained to him that I had just dropped a beautiful, confident, brave, educated and worldly-wise young girl at Park... "

"Quite flattering," I laughed, "though there is lot more to see around to be really worldly wise."

To save space, let me paraphrase the rest of the conversation that had happened between Vikky and boss. Boss had wanted Vikky to get where I am because there was an urgent message to convey. And the sardar located me and Tarun in the restaurant and sat at a corner table and finished off the entire stock of palak paneer and tandoor roti, giving in the meantime a running commentary of the `cover' business to the boss plus the look of perplexity in my eyes. It was then that the lobby supervisor had come to tell me about the waiting call.

"Okay," I said, "but you had money to pay for what you ate?"

"I asked the bearer to add it to Tarun's bill," he said coolly. "As per your boss's advice."

"Oh, that's why he looked at me dumb in visible shock, when he saw the amount," I remembered. "Where is the ticket?"

"We pick it up at the Agassi Travels on Jaden Street," he said. "And after that, you have about 90 minutes to do leisurely shopping."

"Thanks," I said. "You can go, but where is my cell?"

"It's here in the car charger," he said. "You'd need it heavily for the next two days, I understand. And I will be waiting in my car, chanting `Sachi Bani', praying for success in your difficult mission."

(To be continued)

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