Chapter 27

27th December 2019

Renita's POV:

Though it was past twelve in the morning Vasudev didn't refuse when I requested him to take me to Noel's house. I told him I had a gut feeling that we would find something in his house that can lead us to where he is being held now. He didn't deny my opinion instead said that trying out wouldn't hurt.

His driving was pathetic, I never had the habit of buckling my seat belt but now I did. He noticed my reactions and told me that he actually failed his driving classes and bribed the police officers using his friend Vikram Khanna who worked in the RTO for getting a driving license.

It was a very short drive. It hardly took fifteen minutes to reach there. It was an apartment, though not a very luxurious one it looked quite good. We got down from the car and walked to a small desk at the foot of the building in which an old watchman was seated. The watchman was holding a small radio near his ear and was listening to the 70s songs. Hence he didn't hear us approaching him.

"Hello, uncle!", Vasudev banged lightly on the wooden table in between them catching the old man's attention. He lowered the radio from his ear before turning down the volume and leaned forward glancing between both of us.

"We are Noel Wilson's colleagues. Noel lives here in block D, fifth floor, Room 503. We need to urgently get to his flat and we need the spare key", Vasudev explained shortly.

He looked at me and him back to back and asked, "Why? Where is the owner of the flat?"

"He is missing since two days back", I blurted out as Vasudev's head immediately snapped towards me giving me that why-did-you-say look.

The watchman was shocked, "Missing? So it's that police case? I already got screwed up by the police during the investigation. I won't give you the spare key"

"Uncle, please! It's urgent", Vasudev and I started begging him together but he still kept shaking his head and refusing.

"I don't want to get into trouble again", he said raising his hands in surrender.

"Its no trouble. We will check his flat discreetly and leave just like how we came. You won't be involved in anything", Vasudev tried convincing him but it was futile. No amount of words seemed to work.

Vasudev stuck his hand into his pant pocket realizing that talking to the watchman anymore wouldn't help. Noticing which the old watchman got scared and was about to take the whistle to his mouth to alert the other watchmen in the apartments. But before that Vasudev pulled out two 'hundred rupees' notes. The watchman slowly lowered his whistle after seeing the money.

"Have this and give us the spare key please!", Vasudev placed it on the desk. The watchman looked up at Vasudev from the money before he nodded and snatched the money from the desk. Money worked so quickly than we thought. He looked around making sure that no one was watching us and said in a husky voice,

"I won't have spare keys, the apartment management would be having it. Though I know how to break a locked door. There are no proper CCTVs here. So I can do it for you. I was a thief before I dropped all the criminal activities and started working here", he said as he stood up and started walking inside the apartment followed by us.

"We are doing so much for this, Renita. Are you sure we will get something useful from his room?", Vasudev asked making sure that the watchman didn't hear him.

"I am positive Vasudev", I said as we got into the elevator and the watchman clicked the button five which turned bright orange.

"Uncle, Tell us something you know about Noel", I asked as the watchman who was staring at the elevator doors turned to look at me.

"I don't even know who Noel is. I don't know half of the people who reside here. I never paid much attention to them", he said carelessly giggling as the elevator dinged before halting and opened the doors on the fifth floor. No wonder that the police screwed him. We tiptoed silently to room 503 without creating much noise and seeking the residents' attention.

The old man started working on the lock with a bunch of keys from his pocket. He told us he didn't have the spare keys. Then why did he have this bunch? Maybe he didn't drop his first profession yet. But that was none of our business. Good or bad, he was helping us right now. That's what matters to me right now.

Vasudev and I made sure that there was no one around in the corridor. After a minute or two, the watchman opened the door for us. It was a clean job. He didn't damage the lock at all. He had opened it like he had the right keys. "I will stand here and keep a watch. You both finish your job and come out at the earliest", he said as we scurried inside the flat before thanking him.

We started checking every nook and cranny of his flat to see if we got anything that would tell us something about his past. I had a gut feeling that his past was somehow related to Victor Anand. I remember Inspector Paulson telling me that Victor's mother died in a fire accident. If Noel's parents too had died in a fire that too in the same place, was both the fire accidents the same?

Inspector also mentioned that another family in their neighborhood also died along with Victor's mom, if that was Noel's family why did everyone think that Noel was dead when he was still alive?

Almost twenty minutes had passed and we got nothing. Not even a photo frame was hanging anywhere. The house had only what is necessary like furniture, utensils, clothes, and so on, not a single extra thing that proves itself useful.

Vasudev had come into Noel's room where I was standing now, a couple of minutes ago saying that he didn't find anything useful and he doesn't think that we will find anything if we keep searching also. I requested him to try searching again as he frowned and nodded before leaving to the office room, which was next to this room.

His wardrobe had so many clothes which I wondered why he never wore. He always wore four shirts one after the other repeatedly that we thought the poor guy had only those four. One more thing that I noticed was the diary that I gave him was nowhere. I wondering whether he had it with him when he went missing. If that's the case it will be in his car which was said to be parked down the building. As my hands ruffled against the contents of his wardrobe I accidentally pushed a pile of folded clothes to the ground from a shelf.

As I was about to put them back in place, something shiny in blue color lying beneath the pile of clothes caught my eyes. I bent down and pulled it out. It was a blue color manila file. I opened it to see a bunch of sheets punched and threaded together. These were documents of some inherited property. My eyes which superficially scanned the papers froze when it saw the bold letters:

'VICTOR ANAND s/o VIJAY ANAND'

HAPPY READING!