"I spy you!" - 39

“Can I come to your house and explain to your husband about your friendship with me?” she said to Amruta.

“No need for you to come. I am here. What do you want to explain to me?” came a gruff voice from the main door.

Both Amruta and Vasu lifted their heads. Amruta had a shock and Vasu had a surprise respectively on their faces.

He stood there. The man who was torturing Amruta. It was SahishNu, Amruta’s husband!!!

Vasu wondered whether things were going too fast!

"I spy you" - 38

She went near Amruta’s house to check why there was a delay from her side. She was about to knock the door when she heard a horrible scream from inside. Vasu’s heartbeat became faster. It was Amruta’s scream!

Vasu was contemplating whether to knock the door or retrieve to her home, when the door suddenly flew open and a heavily disheveled Amruta ran out. She did not see Vasu who was standing at one side of the door. She blindly rushed to Vasu’s house and started banging the door.

Vasu ran back to her home and steadied an almost falling Amruta. She opened the lock and took Amruta inside by putting her arm on Amruta’s shoulders.

She was about to close the door from inside when she accidentally turned her face towards Amruta’s house. There! He was standing. Amruta’s husband? Yes, he is the same person who was smiling in the photograph inside Amruta’s house. But now his face had a murderous rage. Vasu hurriedly closed the door and tried to pacify a sobbing Amruta.

Vasu shook her holding her shoulders. She then dragged her on to the sofa in the hall and made her sit. Then she went inside the kitchen quickly and brought a tumbler of water. Amruta drank the water little by little in between her sobbing.

After a few more minutes she calmed down. Vasu went and sat next to her. She had somehow started growing fond of this lady.

“Can you please tell me what the problem is? Did he hurt you?” asked Vasu in a very calm tone which smoothened the ruffled feathers of Amruta.

“He came and started bombarding me what I did all these days? Have I picked up any new friendship?” she sobbed.

“You should have told him that I am your friend and as far as I know you are moving with me!”  Vasu said and patted Amruta’s back as if to make her calm.

It did have a calming effect on Amruta. Slowly her sobs reduced and she wiped her tears and smiled at Vasu.

“See, this is why I come here running. Whenever I feel bad, whenever I have happy news to share, the first thing I think of is Vasu. Is it wrong? I now doubt the institution of marriage itself. There must be something very wrong in our pairing itself” Amruta was talking to herself rather than addressing Vasu.

Vasu’s heart felt full of compassion towards Amruta. ‘This girl is feeling down and out. I should pacify her and make her feel comfortable’ thought Vasu and got up to make coffee for Amruta. Even she was feeling little dull by the dramatics of Amruta. She too badly wanted a cup of coffee.

She thought what would be her next move now since Amruta’s husband, SahishNu has come back. Being so close to Amruta, would it be difficult to meet SahishNu? Was her first thought.

With the cups of coffee in a tray with some biscuits too being placed on it, she came and set the tray on the table.

"I spy you!" - 37

Vasu stared at the slip for a few minutes and went into the kitchen. She found a candle and a matchbox. She lighted the candle. She steadied the candle by pouring a little wax on the stone platform on which the stove was placed.

She then held the slip of paper little above the flame of the candle. After two minutes brown letters appeared on the slip. She read it and felt very uncomfortable.

The secret message was ‘You are treading on a dangerous ground. Please be careful. Destroy the message immediately after reading’.

She absent mindedly held an edge of the slip to the flame. The fire hungrily ate away the paper. She could let down the last slip of the paper just in time. Otherwise she would have burnt her fingers.

That was the power Pushpahaasa was having on her. Her mind to the message details. What did he mean, you are treading on a dangerous ground? Of course, the job never was a bed of roses. It is always full of thorns and sharp stones. I will be careful. And the last one, destroy the message. As if she would have kept it as a prized possession! She may not have been in great number of assignments. But she had been trained well or it can be told that she looked out for hidden lurking dangers.

‘Did he mean I should be careful of SahishNu, husband of Amruta? May be! So, I shall be very careful during the complete execution of the project, whether I have been warned by my own colleague’ was Vasu’s final thought.

After the excitement of the first day, the following days just rolled by. It was almost a formed routine. Amruta was coming to her home running. Does this lady not know how to walk? Thought Vasu smilingly.

Her strength was her non-stop talk. Most of the times the talk had no meaning. May be Amruta loved to hear her voice! Vasu very carefully listened to her talk. She was sure that she will get useful point in Amruta’s talk about her husband.

Why not she record Amruta’s conversation so that she could listen to the talk more carefully for any possible clue? This was another idea Vasu had.

She could not find any bug in the room. She had quite relieved. Not that she had some secret meetings with her colleagues and what transpired among them would get transmitted. She felt happy because she had the practice of combing the whole area for any presence of a hidden microphone.

She was wondering what to report back to office if sahishNu does not turn up for the whole of three months. Her cover was that she was not well and the doctor had advised her to have some fresh air of the mountains so that she can recoup her health.

‘Oh, it is already 75 days!’ thought Vasu looking the calendar. Amruta had fixed a movie watch in the theater near the Mall Road.  Amruta did not turn up that day. Generally she would come at least half an hour earlier than she promised. 

"I spy you!" - 36

She did not get even one more word from him. This means, this case is more dangerous than the other ones till date.  I have to be extra careful, she thought.

She decided to go through all the corners of the house inch by inch to see whether any bug has been fixed. She wanted to remove and throw the bugs away if found.

But the next moment, she realized that, if she removes the bugs, whoever had placed the bugs would get a doubt. So, she had to leave them as they are and she should be careful about what she talks loudly and with whom. She had been walking for some distance while thinking. Then she found a restaurant.

She had a coffee sitting alone. Her thoughts wandered first about Durjaya, then the present case, Amruta and finally it got settled about Pushpahaasa.

She was attracted to many classmates during her college final year. She was attractive with a nice way of talking and behaving. When she compared in her mind the classmates with Pushpahaasa, the difference was striking. Her classmates were like young boys. Pushpahaasa was a man! Wow, what a man! His height, body, face, and walk – everything was attractive.

When she gave a serious thought she felt that he had never encouraged her in any fashion. But his touch on her arm when she tripped in the hotel was still burning on her arm. What should she call this fatal attraction? She thought.

She must have spent more than one hour there. She asked for one more coffee with sandwich when the waiter came again.

She munched her sandwich and washed it down with coffee. She waited for the bill so that she could pay the money and leave. The waiter who came with the bill put the bill in a small folder and suddenly signed her something. It took her 5 seconds to understand what he was trying to say.

When she realized his action, she thanked him and left the money on the folder. He took the money and left. She looked around very casually and opened the folder. There was a small slip of paper. She picked it up and kept it tightly in her palm and left from there. She did not feel anyone looked at her when she picked up the slip. 

She reached home, closed the door and opened the slip of paper.  There was a picture of a flower which was smiling. Flower – Pushpa, smiling – Haasa. Pushpahaasa! Her heart beat fast by seeing his name.

No other writing was there on the paper. Does it contain a secret message? Vasupradha’s sharp brain asked.  

"I spy you!" - 35

They came back after the breakfast. Vasu looked out for Pushpahaasa. She went on thinking about it on her way back home. Home! She should get used to the feeling of the new house being her home for the next few months!

The more she thought about the man she saw through the window, she was convinced that it was Pushpahaasa whom she had seen. If he was working on some other case, he could have said ‘hello’ to her. Why did he not do it? She had seen a sort of admiration and some other unfathomable feeling in his eyes during the short meeting they had on the day she had got made up as Charlie Chaplin.

So something else is cooking! Does that mean Pushpahaasa is following Amruta? If he is doing it, why pick on me? The best spy is there taking care of the case.

Her head started spinning. She reached her home and bade goodbye to Amruta.

“When are we meeting again?” asked Amruta.

“I will come myself” said Vasu and closed the door.

She went and slopped on the bed. She has been here just for a few hours and the case is already taken a curious turn.

She decided to call Durjaya. She found that he is the only one who could give her some direction.

She dialed his mobile number. He came on the line almost immediately. But his voice was cautious.

Why he is being so careful? She could not understand.

She said, “I have a problem. I came here and.....” her sentence was never completed.

He said, “Hold it! Cut the phone. Go to the nearest telephone booth and call me” and the line went dead. She shook her head and got up.

She went to the kitchen. Fridge was not required. The water in the jug was quite cool. She drank some water and took her bag and left the house after locking it behind her.

She came to the back of her house thinking about not being seen by Amruta. When she came there, she saw the difficulty in going to the marketplace that way. There was a small hillock behind her house! She was thankful that she was wearing Churidaar. She climbed the small hillock. She was gasping for air. She decided to start exercising again.

She found a booth and dialed Durjaya’s number. He came on line and asked “Hope no one followed you?”

“Hey, I just came and settled. How come you are asking such a question?” demanded Vasu.

“Elder Sister! Please listen to me carefully. When you go back take the bug detector from your bag and check for any bug. Second thing, don’t become friendly with anyone. Later you will face a problem if they have to be taken into custody. Thirdly, whenever you want to speak with me, please call from any booth ring twice and cut the call. I will call back” Durjaya was not wasting any words. 

"I spy you!" - 34

Amruta was talking nineteen to the dozen. It was evident that she missed people around. Especially as she mentioned, she had missed people of her age.

Vasu wondered whether it is a good sign to be friendly with Amruta when she has come to spy on her husband. She thought for a moment and decided that she will take it as an advantage to know the wife when tackling the husband.

How come she saw Pushpahaasa? Is he on a mission in the same city? Come to think of it! How many missions can happen in one city simultaneously? These questions bothered her. But she did not allow them to be distracted from her main job.

After listening to Amruta who was talking so much, she tried to budge in between. She did succeed after sometime!

“Where are you from Amruta?” asked Vasu in a very casual tone.

“Oh, did I not tell you? I am from here only. My parents migrated long ago. He was in a Bank here. He loved this place so much that he did not take any exams and he stayed here till he got retired” said Amruta with a dull tone.

“Why what happened?” asked Vasu with a concern in her voice.

“My parents died in a bus accident. The bus fell into a valley here” her voice got choked.

Vasu put her hand on the hand of Amruta which was resting on the table.

“Then, you found your husband here?” She probed.

“Oh, no! Ours was a love marriage. Before marriage full of love. Now even marriage is a farce. I don’t know what happened to him! He has changed completely” she had a sad look in her eyes.

“What change Amruta?”

“Ooh, I love the way you pronounce my name! I think I am going to fall in love with you....” Looking at the expression of Vasu, Amruta laughed and continued, “Don’t get me wrong. You are a good friend material, that’s all” she had a twinkle in her eyes.

What is real about this woman? She keeps changing her moods like the dresses of heroes and heroines in movies especially in a dream song!

“My husband is SahishNu. He does business. He keeps travelling a lot. I generally do not know when he comes back. I have a feeling that he spies on me. He is keen to know with whom I talk and with whom I move around. I have become recluse because of him. Fortunately you have come in such a time that he has not told where is going and when he is returning” said Amruta and lowered her voice and whispered “I have sent a message to the Intelligence Office and complained about him”

Vasu felt as if someone had hit her in her face. Is it right to spy on such a person?

This woman is blurting out everything! She looks so innocent. Either she is one or she is a very fine actor thought Vasu.

"I spy you!" - 33

She was wondering how to make the first move to get introduced to the woman, when there was a knock on the door. Vasu became alert. How anyone can know that she has arrived here?

She looked at the window. The woman, Amruta, was nowhere to be seen.

She now went to the door and opened a little.

To her surprise, it was Amruta who stood in front of the door.

She opened the door ajar and smiled at Amruta. She returned the smile and said, “Thank god! Finally someone of my age! I saw you coming in the morning. I was sure you would go to sleep. That’s why I took a chance now..”

Vasu let her inside and closed the front door. She motioned her to sit on a chair in the hall. She sat and said, “I hope I told you my name. My name is Amruta. Today I am free. That is why I came. Otherwise, my husband... ooh, I forgot my mobile! I will bring it. Otherwise, if he calls and I don’t pick up he goes wild” and made a face, got up, opened the door and rushed out.

Even when Vasu was contemplating what to do, Amruta was back in the house.

“If you have not prepared anything, better don’t. There is a Coffee House nearby. Let us go, come!” Amruta said and pulled Vasu’s hand.

Then Amruta left Vasu’s hand and slapped her forehead herself and said, “Oops, I am sorry! I was so overwhelmed by seeing you that I have not even asked your name!” and smiled sheepishly.

Vasu smiled brightly and said, “I am Vasu!”

“Vasu? Vasundharaa?” asked Amruta for which Vasu nodded her head half positively, half negatively.

Vasu got up and washed her face and came. She was feeling hungry. She did not have time to see whether some groceries are also stored in the cupboards in the kitchen. She decided to play along Amruta since her mission was to observe her husband.

The weather was good. It was a mixture of cool breeze and the sun which was trying touching the ground through the branches big Devdaar trees.

They reached the coffee house. It looked as if Amruta was a familiar figure there. They sat next to a window from which they had a nice view of some old buildings.

It was while eating a sandwich Vasu’s attention was caught by a small movement outside the window. She suddenly turned and color drained out of her face. She was not very sure, but her eagle like eyes were sure that she saw Pushpahaasa!