As Sujan stepped out of Shefali's room, he had a smile on his face, but the moment he was outside, his expression hardened, and his eyes seemed to burn with anger.
"She wants to check the accounts," he muttered between his heavy breaths.
Driving his car from the hotel, he went straight to Kulwant's place. Kulwant had just woken up a while ago.
"What's the matter?" Kulwant asked as soon as he saw him. "You've come so early in the morning to congratulate me?"
"Not to congratulate, but to give bad news."
"What…?"
"The plan from last night failed."
"How is that possible?"
"Jaideep ruined everything. He arrived in time to help those girls."
"Who is Jaideep?"
"Umashankar's son."
"And who is this Umashankar?"
"He was the estate manager earlier. I fired him a few months ago."
"Oh," Kulwant nodded as if he now understood everything. "It's possible that your ex-manager was the one who instigated her. Maybe he even wrote something against you and sent it to America, which is why that girl has come back."
"And the moment she arrived, she started asking for the accounts."
"Then it's quite clear that this manager is working against you. But you mentioned some girls…"
"She has also brought a maid with her."
"Oh, I had forgotten about that."
"Now tell me, what should we do?"
"Delay the matter of the accounts for as long as you can."
"I can delay it for a few days, but not much longer. Something has to be done quickly."
"Relax. Something will be arranged. You're getting unnecessarily nervous about this girl."
"There is a reason to be nervous, man! The moment she arrived, she started talking about the accounts. That damned manager, Umashankar, must be provoking her against me. Now even his son is siding with her, probably pushing her to check the accounts."
Instead of answering, Kulwant lit a cigarette from his pack of India King.
"You…"
Sujan started to say something, but Kulwant stopped him. "Hold on, let me think."
Then, tapping the cigarette's ash into the ashtray, he spoke:
"Here's an idea—throw a party to celebrate her return."
"I'm already organizing one this evening. But what will a party achieve?"
"Did she invite the guests, or are you the one inviting people?"
"She hardly knows anyone here except for one schoolteacher. I have to invite everyone. You should come too."
"How many guests are you planning to invite?"
"I want to introduce her to the elite of the city. Not too many, but at least 150 to 200 people."
"Good. I'll give you the names of two more people. Invite them as well."
"Who are they?"
"Two of my guys. One of them is an excellent marksman—so skilled that he can shoot a flying pigeon reflected in the water."
"You mean… at the party…?"
"Yes, tonight at the party, that girl will be taken care of."
"In front of so many people? They'll get caught, and my name will come up. This way, you'll get me killed!"
"This is a perfect plan. It won't cost you more than a lakh rupees, and everything will be taken care of beautifully."
"But in the middle of the party…?"
"Yes, in the middle of the party."
"Sounds like the whiskey you drank last night hasn't worn off yet."
"You'll be thrilled when you hear the full plan."
"Fine, tell me the plan first."
"Whiskey will be served at the party, right?"
"Of course."
"Then here's how it'll go: One of my guys will pretend to get drunk and insult the other. The second one, also acting drunk, will hurl abuses back. A fight will break out, and in the heat of the moment, one of them will pull out a pistol. The other will grab onto him, struggling. Amidst the scuffle, a shot will be fired—hitting your girl directly. She will die on the spot. After that, the police will come. Most likely, the matter will be settled as a drunken brawl gone wrong. Even if there is some punishment, my guy will take the fall—he'll be paid a lakh for it."
"No suspicion will come on me?"
"Everything will be done so openly that no one will suspect you. You're a lawyer, and yet you're this scared?"
"My only fear is that your guy might talk."
"My men would rather die than betray me."
"Then the plan is excellent. I'll send the one lakh rupees soon."
"I trust you, the money will come."
"Alright, I'll get going now. There's a lot to take care of."