“You can do the last if you like, but you’re going to keep your pretty nose out of the first two tasks, Meher. And that’s an order,” I countered just as firmly.
She rolled her eyes in reply.
“It’s cute how you think you can order me around like I’m one of your men,” she sneered. “Listen up, army boy. I’ve spent the past eight years locked out of my own life through no fault of mine. Now, I’m seizing my power back, and I will stomp on anyone who gets in my way with my favourite steel-toe boots.”
“I would never have pegged you for a Doc Marten girl,” I mused, and she smiled. A dangerous smile that sent my heart tumbling all over my chest.
I’d really done it this time. I’d fallen in love with Meher all over again, and there was no getting over her this time. Whether she kicked me out of her life when my work was done, or she kept me on as a situationship until she tired of me, my heart would always belong to this woman. And there was nothing I could do about it.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Major Sahab. Now, get off your lazy ass because I have a solution to your first problem.”
“What’s that?” I asked as I walked to the bathroom.
“You need a private detective. I’ve called the best one I know. If there’s anyone in the world who can find out all the locals who are suddenly cash rich, it is her.”
I retraced my steps to glare at her.
“This is the army, Meher. We don’t outsource our work to civilians,” I said furiously.
“Umm, it sounds as if your old CO did exactly that,” she pointed out. “Are you an independent contractor for the army? And by that, I mean are they paying you for this mission?”
“No! I don’t need money to avenge my best friend,” I exclaimed, offended that she’d even ask.
“Then, they do outsource to civilians. Samrat, your problem is that you’re trying to do this the army way. When you can do it the easy way.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but I could think of nothing rational to say. So I said nothing. I just marched into the bathroom and slammed the door.
“There’s a war room meeting in the downstairs conference hall in thirty minutes. Refreshments will be provided,” Meher called out - on purpose, to provoke me, I was sure.
Nevertheless, I went downstairs and found Dheer, Ranveer, and Ranvijay waiting for me with a woman I did not recognise.
“Fellows, meet Raksha, the private investigator our firm hires for all our cases,” said Ranvijay, who was a shark of a lawyer. If he vouched for Raksha, she must be good, indeed. But she had no business being here.
“Guys, we don’t need a private investigator. The army needs to set up an investigation and action team that includes the local police as well as the Border Security Force, because we needto access bank records of a lot of people in a way that will be admissible in court,” I said bluntly.
“With due respect, sir, you won’t find anything in anybody’s bank statements. Large financial transactions don’t take place through banks in these areas. They are mostly done in cash,” said Raksha.
“Which means anybody who got paid for the use of their land got paid in cash,” added Dheer.
“How the hell can we find them then?” I demanded in frustration.
“Sir, I have a very strong network of confidential informants amongst the locals. Most of whom work for the local royals and zamindars in a domestic capacity. I can tap into them and find out who’s been throwing around a lot of money lately,” suggested Raksha.
“While you do that, can you also dig up some dirt on my sister-in-law, Nilanjana, and her brother, Sanjay Jhala?” I asked on a hunch. “I want to know exactly how much money she’s been stealing from our estate and transferring to her family. I know that she tried selling a few of our smaller properties as soon as my brother died. Luckily, I found out in time and put a stop to that. But she’s not the type to give up so easily. And I need something that I can use in court against her.”
If there was any way I could shut down Nilanjana’s gravy train after what she’d done to Meher and me, I wanted it done now.
“Sanjay Jhala?” she asked in an odd voice, her eyebrows going up in surprise.
“What’s wrong?” I asked in surprise.
“It’s just… well, I’ve been investigating him in relation to another case.”
“Is this the forest land dispute?” asked Ranvijay, and she nodded.
He turned to us and explained.
“One of my clients is being intimidated by a faceless corporation to vacate his land that abuts the leopard reserve.”
