"I spy you!" - 17

Vasupradha collected the phone from the Facilities department and called him. He asked her to meet with him, so she returned to the laboratory to meet Durjaya.

He was leaving for somewhere.

He said enthusiastically, “Come, I am to meet a person regarding his problem. You can join me. Junior Boss, I mean Padmanabha wants you to be introduced to our field operations”

She was thinking, this is better and better. I would know so many things!

She sat behind him on the bike when they came out of the building.

The bike zoomed past many buildings in the Nation’s capital and finally stopped near an old house. It was small group of houses inside a big compound.

He asked her to go with him. Just before knocking the door of a house, he hissed in her ears, “Just nod to whatever I say. Don’t have any surprised look on your face!”

She hardly had time to digest what he said when an old man opened the door.

“Namaste Sahib! I am back” he said smilingly and continued talking to the person after casually putting his right hand on Vasupradha’s shoulder. She cringed inwardly but put on a smiling face on the exterior, “And this is my fiancée”

The old man smiled from ear to ear. “Now, I have no problem to give the house for rent. When is the wedding beti?” he asked Vasupradha.

Vasupradha had understood the situation very fast. Durjaya wants a house in that compound desperately. So he had invented a lie that he is her fiancé. She did some quick thinking and said with a smile, “It is 2 months from now uncle!”

“Uncle!” he repeated and said, “Nice pair you make! God bless you”. He then handed over a set of keys to Durjaya.

Once they were inside the house, Durjaya locked the door from inside and said, “Thank you older sister! You are good in the job. You are very fast!” he admired her.

Vasupradha did not feel bloated with this praise. Her idea was to learn new things.

She said so to Durjaya.

He looked at his watch and sat down on the sofa there.

“All right. I will tell you. In fact, I shall tell you the whole background. Then you will understand my today’s action”

Durjaya could tell a story nicely.

Some six months ago a man of about 30 came from nowhere and started living in an independent house next to the compound of this house. A whistleblower came to know about a suspicious activity being carried out in that house and informed the Intelligence Office. A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department or private company or organization.