I was asleep for almost a day before I woke up, Kusuma told me. My body felt numb from all the painkillers I was given. I felt something on my head. I tried to lift my hand, but I was so out of energy that even moving my fingers could cause me fatigue.
"Are you okay?" I heard a voice but could not recognise it. My vision was blurry, which added to the confusion.
"Can you hear me?" Same voice. I gave a minute's nod.
"Good." responded to the voice.
After a few hours, I was given some food to eat. It was so disgusting that roaches would not feed on them. But there was no option.
The same night, the doctor paid me a visit. I was able to move my hand and head and speak properly.
"No requirement for anymore medication. We'll discharge you after one more day of monitoring, okay?" He said.
I nodded.
At night, there was complete darkness in the hallway. It's about twelve at midnight. Then Kaira came in to check on me. She removed her coat and sat down beside me on the chair. I could not look at her because my neck was injured.
"How are you feeling now?" She spoke in a concerned tone.
"I'm better than before." The doctor said he would discharge me soon. I said.
"That's good."
"Where's the Advocate?"
"He had a hairline fracture, so he was not adjusted." She said. "But the driver is in a serious condition. He's had massive bleeding; he took a lot of damage to the head."
I closed my eyes and rested my head back on the pillow.
"Rey, how did all this happen?" She asked.
"A vehicle hit us from behind, and we got into an accident. It was an unexpected accident." I said.
"Are you sure?"
"That is all I can remember right now." I said. "I don't know if this is real or a dream."
"That is wrong." She wispered. "You were being chased by someone, and they hit you first. But you managed to slip by, so they fired at you, causing your tyre to rupture, and you lost control of your vehicle."
I opened my eyes, wide open. All of that came back to me—the chase, the firing, all of it. But then I realised, "How can she know all this? Kiara was not with me at that time, so how could she know all this?
I tilted my head slightly to see her. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her. It was not Kiara, nor was it anybody I expected. It was. It was Avani.
"I honestly thought you were dead. But you were fortunate; you lived. No bullet touched you, just a little injury on the head." She said this as she touched the bandage that covered the stitches on my forearm. "Unfortunately, the driver took it all for you. He hit his head, broke his ribs and arms, and also took the bullets that were meant for you. How brave of him! I'm sure he won't live. He's already struggling on the ventilator."
I started breathing faster as my rage increased. I began glaring at her, telling her, I'll kill you.
"Don't look at me like that; I did not do anything. I was at my office, doing my job." She lied. "I was just looking at all my clients and researching our case."
She gave out a laugh that mocked me, making my mistakes look like a blunder that was to be made fun of. She sprang up from the seat and walked towards the curtains that covered the windows. A television was running on mute, and a bedlight illuminated the room in complete darkness. She opened the curtain slightly enough for me to see.
"Look here. You're somewhere on the eighth floor. A fall from this height would be fatal, would it not?" She said.
I looked in a fearful state, like a deer that was told by the lion that he would eat it. Looking at me, she gave out another laugh. A black hat laugh, which was louder than the previous one.
"Man, that look on your face—it's just so good." She mocked me. "I would through you, but not right now. I want you to die more privately."
"Why are you doing this?" I uttered it after a long silence.
"That's the big question. Why does anybody do anything? For money, love, affection, and satisfaction, you're a psychopath. The answer lies in one of them."
"Why did you play with me?" I trusted you, and you just betrayed me."
"That's your mistake." She said it seriously. "You trusted me, and you fell for it. I just found an opportunity, and I grabbed it. What's bitter in it?"
"I saved you from those goons; did you just let it all go?"
"Oh them. Well, they were just playing with me. Even if you hadn't come, they would all be dead."
I gave up trying to persuade her. I came back to my original position and rested myself. She walked back to the seat beside the bed, and I was helplessly lying on the bed.
"Don't bother trying to find Dr. Khan." She spoke in a low voice. "You'll never find him."
"What did you do to him?" I asked.
"You still couldn't figure it out?" She sighed. "You see, you'll never find him because he's dead."
"You killed him?"
"No. He killed himself. He was just an actor whom I hired. He did something he was not supposed to. He tried to speak to your wife and tell her everything, and that's why he went missing after that. If he had done that, your wife would not be here."
"So, you were always the one behind all this." I said. "You were in disguise because you were supervising him. You were the impostor. You were never an investigator."
"I was an investigator. I was hired by my client. But I changed my path and did what was right."
I looked at her in rage and confusion. Still, she decided to keep her client a secret. Who is her client, and what did she do right?
"Who's your client?" I asked.
"You really want to know?" She stared at me. "Mary. Mary was my client."
I was staggered. Marry? Why was Mary her client? Did Mary hire her to invert herself? It did not make sense.
Suddenly, the door opened. We both looked at the foor, which I could see from the periferi of my eyes. It was Kaira, right at the wrong time. Avani looked at me. I was petrified. She smiled at me, then I turned around to speak to her.
"You must be Kaira, right?" She said.
"Yes. You're Avani if I'm not wrong?" She replied.
"I'm Mr. Joshi's partner in the investigation."
"I'm sorry to disturb you." I'll come later."
"I'm done here; I was just leaving." She said this and turned around with a malignant smile. "Right?"
I nodded. She departed. Kaira closed the door behind her and came close to me.
"Are you okay?" She spoke in a gentle and calm voice.
"I'm such an idiot." I said it out loud. "I'm a fool."
"Don't say that, please. You're no fool." She said. "It's alright. You'll be okay."
I was expressing my grief over my blunder that put us into this tangled web. But I could not tell her that because she was already in pain. I can see that. She clearly had lost a lot of sleep; she was stressed.
"I'm sorry for causing this trouble to you. I should have been more careful." I apologised.
"It's okay. You are alive, and that's what I'm grateful for."
She sat down on the chair beside the bed. Kept her bag aside and held my hand.
"I was so afraid." She said. "I thought I would lose you."
I was silent. I knew that she would be troubled by me. That is how she has been. Always loving and caring, she is considerate so much that she forgets to care for herself.
"I'll be alright." I said. "I'll be discharged soon."
I went to sleep, and Kiara departed home. The next day would be Sunday, so she would usually be at home. Now, things are different. It is time to put an end to my investigation and come to a conclusion.