CRIMES AT CORNERS – SEASON 3

  • 07 Sep - 13 Sep, 2019
  • Salaar Laghari
  • Fiction

Three Years Later

Karachi city, 11:00 p.m. Inside a dark room, a tall guy with long hair was lying unconscious on the floor. Someone came walking towards him and turned on the torch. He shone the light on his face.

It was Kevin Rollins. His forehead was bleeding. His eyelids were fluttering like he would wake up any second now.

“I’m sure you regret your actions,” said the guy standing next to him.

Kevin slowly gained consciousness and opened his eyes. His vision was blurred.

“Please do as we…” he managed saying with difficulty.

“Say what?”

“Please do as we agreed. Don’t kill anybody, please.”

“Get up!”

“I can’t,” Kevin tried but he couldn’t.

The other guy picked him up by his arm. Kevin screamed as he felt the pain reverberate in his body.

Next minute, he was sitting on a chair. His face expressions relayed that he was in pain.

“How are you?” the mystery guy asked.

Kevin was surprised by his question.

“How are they?” he replied.

“Don’t talk back to me. You know what brought you here.”

“I’m not embarrassed of what I did. They are nice people. Their purpose was not bad. Their intentions were not evil. But they are…”

“…Don’t!” the mystery guy exclaimed. “Don’t go there.”

“Alright, fine I won’t. Just tell me what you have done with them. Where are they?”

“They are here. But their breath is now in your control.”

“I’ll do what you’ll ask me to but trust me, the way you are treating them, no good will come out of it. You won’t get anything from it. Murdering innocent people!”

“You call those people innocent. People disturbing others’ privacy and exposing others’ secrets to the world are innocent.”

“Well, even if they are guilty of this, they do not deserve to die.”

“By the way Kevin, I must tell you that it was your mistake as well. All of you should have stayed out of it.”

“Out of what?” Kevin asked getting confused.

“You should have stayed out of Mujhtaba’s case.”

“We were only trying to do justice. We had no idea things would go this far.”

“Well, now it’s too late. You have no option but to take any one with you today.”

“What about the other one?” Kevin asked curiously.

“The other one shall stay with me.”

“What are you going to do with…”

“…That’s none of your business. Just tell me who do you want to take along?”

“Alright…” Kevin answered reluctantly. “You can keep Rehan.”

“I knew it. Anyway, you can see him for the last time if you really want to, because you’ll never see him again.”

**********************

One Year Ago

In Karachi city, outside an apartment, two friends were walking. One of the boys asked the other, pointing towards the gate of the apartment.

“Who lives here now?”

“A new couple has moved in.”

“Oh, recently?”

“No, it has been more than one year. They are very silent and ‘mind your own business’ kind of people.”

“I see. So they are not so entertaining neighbours.”

“Yeah.”

“What’s the name of the husband?”

“Rehan Riaz.”

Inside the apartment, Rehan was lying on the couch. He had grown quite a beard; it looked like he hadn’t shaved for six months. He wasn’t sleeping but was lying with his eyes open.

He heard footsteps from the other room. He didn’t turn to look, he knew it was Maria and talking to her was not something that pleased him anymore.

Maria who was walking in the room picked up her cell phone and read the text message sent from her friend:

“I think you both need to improve your relationship. Live like husband and wife instead of living like strangers.”

She’s right, she thought to herself.

Maria thought of replying to her friend but instead she locked her phone and kept it aside.

She walked towards the room’s exit and looked at her husband.

It’s so unfortunate that we don’t even sleep in the same room.

She shut the door.

Since that day and since he has lost his job, he stays on that couch all day.

Rehan who was on the couch sat up and thought to himself:

Maybe I shouldn’t stay like this. Maybe I should find a new job and… try to… and try to move on.

He then lied back and thought:

No, its not. It’s not that easy. Moving on from what happened is not easy.

He took out his phone from his pocket and searched for a contact number.

Job is a must. I can’t stay unemployed forever.

He dialed the number he found. His call was answered by a woman.

“Yes?”

**********************

Maria was talking to her friend on the phone.

“Maria, the two of you haven’t talked to each other for months. You guys need to put your differences behind and start a new life,” her friend said.

“There are no differences between us. It’s just that since the incident that took place a year ago, Rehan has changed. He is either too depressed or maybe he blames himself for what happened.”

“Look dear, you guys need to forget what happened. I think nobody is responsible for that. It was something that happened out of fate.”

“I know I agree,” Maria replied. “But what I need is that someone who is elder than both of us should come in between.”

“Come in between? That’s a strange statement.”

“What I mean to say is that a wise person who is elder than both of us should come and sit with the two of us. And then he must sort out the issues of between us.”

“Oh, now I get it. Well, you sure had a poor choice of words before.”

The two friends laughed.

“I hardly get to laugh like this, you know?” Maria said.

“I know. And I also know that it hurts having such barriers with one’s husband.”

“Really? You have been through this?”

“I sure have. Every married woman has. But our feuds do not last this long. I do my best to end these by compromising on whatever we have.”

“That’s good. Please pray for me too.”

“Sure, I always do.”

“Thank you.”

They talked for a while and eventually hung up.

Meanwhile, downstairs in a coffee shop, Rehan was having a soft drink. He was seated with his close friend. The two of them were talking as usual until Rehan brought up a new subject.

“Have you ever been obsessed?”

“Obsessed?” his friend asked.

“Yes, something you are so badly determined for?”

“I don’t seem to remember exactly.”

“Come on, there must be something.”

“I don’t know I mean I’m not very passionate. There is not much enthusiasm in my personality. I follow an easy course of life.”

“Well, what I’m trying to say is that there are times when one gets so obsessed with finding something that he becomes negatively devoted to it.”

“I know what you mean,” his friend replied. “I’m just saying that it has never happened with me.”

“Well in that case, don’t get me wrong please, but I think that the one who has not experienced obsession has not experienced thrill in his life.”

His friend chuckled.

“No seriously,” Rehan said. “I mean it. Being adventurous is one thing but risking your life for the sake of a mystery to be resolved is something beyond exciting and thrilling.”

“No kidding,” he replied casually.

“You might not believe me today, but the day you’ll experience it…”

“…Can you share your experience?”

“Well my cousin Yasir Javed was murdered. This happened a few years back. Do you know about that?”

“I know passively about it.”

“Maimoona Alam murder case. Do you remember that?”

“Yeah, I remember that.”

“Well, these stories are my obsession.”

“You mean you tried to solve these mysteries?”

“Not just tried to solve the mysteries. As a matter of fact I reached the conclusions. With the help of some others, but I did it.”

“Wow, that’s surprising.”

“You know, right now I’m waiting for another such mystery to be a part of my life. Usually I try to flee and escape when I’m halfway down these cases. But when it’s all over, I have exciting memories and pride.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

At the very moment, Rehan got an idea. He stopped talking as an interesting thought came to his mind.

****************

Next afternoon, Rehan was in his room. He was holding his cell phone and speaking to himself:

The only way I can make my life interesting is through this.

He dialed a cell phone number. The phone kept ringing for a while until someone finally answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Jahanzeb?”

“Yes, who am I speaking to?”

“It’s me, Rehan.”

“Rehan who?”

“Rehan Riaz.”

“I’m sorry, I need more.”

“Remember Yasir Javed?”

“Yes. Oh yeah right, now I remember you.”

“Good, thanks. So anyway, how are you?”

“I’m good. I’m fine, yeah. How are you?”

“I’m also good. Anyway, I just wanted to ask that are you guys planning to do another season of Crimes at Corners. I mean to ask is your channel planning to.”

“Crimes at Corners?”

“Yes.”

“But why?”

“What why?”

“Why are you inquiring about this?”

“Well, frankly speaking I am jobless right now and I want to do this.”

“You want to host Crimes at Corners?”

“Yes.”

“But you have always spoken against this show, haven’t you?”

“That’s not true. If I have ever said something, then I have only pointed those people who have been doing bad stuff.”

“What kind of bad stuff are you talking about?”

“Exposing false discoveries to the audience and manipulating the minds of the viewers.”

“I see. So what are planning to do?” Jahanzeb asked.

“I am planning to do this job in a better way than those who have done this before.”

“You mean by being honest?”

“Exactly.”

“Oh… well sounds good to me. Alright I’ll try. I’ll try and talk to the management regarding what you are suggesting. If they consider doing this third season, then I’ll call you.”

“Thank you Jahanzeb.”

“No problem. Just wait for my call.”

“Sure, bye.”

Rehan disconnected the call feeling hopeful.

Oh God I hope it turns out to be good.

Maria’s door opened. Rehan changed his sitting position and tried his best to avoid eye contact. But to his surprise, nobody came out of the room. He looked up and tried to see if she was in her room. He stood up to get a closer look and he couldn’t see her around anywhere in her room, and all of a sudden, he was worried. He walked straight towards the room but that very moment, Maria came out and appeared right in front of him.

Rehan shut his eyes the moment he saw her and turned his walking direction towards the left. Maria looked at him going away like this and she got upset as usual for what was going on between them.

****************

One Week Later

While Rehan was in the coffee shop downstairs, he heard his cell phone ring. It was Jahanzeb’s call, he answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello Rehan.”

“Yeah, so what’s up?”

“Well, Rehan the good news is that our channel is planning to air the new episodes of Crimes at Corners. But the news that might not be appealing for you is that they are looking for somebody else to do the hosting.”

“Oh… But did you mention me?”

“Yes, they are saying that they might interview you but since you do not have this kind of work experience therefore they might prefer someone else.”

“Oh come on, just tell them to give me a chance. I’ll prove to them that I’m the best choice.”

“I understand. But they need a celebrity or someone else.”

“Look, just make an appointment. Please just do that for me. I’ll come and try to convince them myself.”

“…Alright,” Jahanzeb said after thinking for a moment. “Alright, fine. I’ll make an appointment. Not an appointment but a job interview. If it works out for you, then good enough. And if it doesn’t then…”

“…I’ll be fine. Whatever happens eventually I’ll accept it. But what you need to do as a favor is just fix an interview, that’s all.”

“Alright, give me a day’s time.”

“Sure, I’ll be waiting.”

“Okay, bye.”

to be continued...

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