unknown intentions.. Part 10

             Read Part 9
             We all ate dinner in silence.. The holidays were not at all going as we planned. The sleepover fun, the waterpark, late night movies... everything forgotten..
             It was midnight. The four of us were waiting for Red to come online. She didn't come online..
             Karan was out in the balcony. He was talking to someone on phone.
            "Hey.. why did you come here? Don't strain your ankles." He said.
            "Na..it's fine.. I m bored of sitting.." I said.
            " Was talking to Anuj... one of my school mates.. He traced the number Arjun had saved.. Belongs to some Keith Fernandes. You know anyone like that?" He asked.
             "No idea.. Let's ask the others."
             Arjun and Pradeeta were as clueless as me..
            "Couldn't it be a fake one? Do you have the address?" asked Arjun.
            "Yes he will text it any moment. We could check it out tomorrow morning. Good probability of it being fake." answered Karan.
            "I m very sleepy.. Exhausted with so much mental activity.. Guys can we just go to sleep ..Let's end this day.." Pradeeta pleaded.
            Pradeeta , I and Vinati occupied one bedroom and the guy adjusted in the other bedroom and hall in Arjun's apartment. The other apartment was kept locked..
           "Mili wake up.. wake up.." I rubbed open my eyes..
           Karan, Pradeeta and Arjun were staring at me.
           "What happened?" I panicked.
           "Red is coming online on Skype." Pradeeta said.
           "What time is it?" I could see it was still dark outside.
           "It's 3." Arjun said.
The four of us went to the adjacent apartment and closed the door behind us. Arjun had his laptop connected and when we logged in, Red was already online..
           She looked tensed. She must have cried before it looked.
          "Red you  have a boyfriend?" Pradeeta asked raising her eyebrows.
          The color of her face changed. She was not expecting this question.
"I wanted to tell you, but I had reasons.." she said in a sad tone..
          " Tell us the truth Red. Did you ask your guy to get the petrol? Were you involved in whatever happened so far?" Arjun chided.
           Tears strolled down her cheeks..
          " I am very sorry .. I didn't know all this would get so out of hand. I should have told you all this much before." she said.
          "Tell me everything.. I want to know all that is happening. Don't hide a thing and make it more complicated." I told her.
          " Shaan and me are in love. We had kept this under wraps because he works at the petrol pump. He didn't want everyone to know before he got a decent job."
          "Somedays back I got an email which contained some photographs of me and Shaan together.. We didn't want anyone to see us in each others arms.. I don't know how anyone could take such snaps. The mail asked me to do a small favor if I didn't want the snaps up on facebook !"
          "I was scared and so was Shaan.. The favor wasn't much but to just switch off the party lights when everyone was on the dancefloor. I would get a text message when to do it , the mail said. It was  a small thing to do and I agreed without even asking Shaan.. But when I saw how the small favor resulted I panicked. I knew the culprit was on the dancefloor so I was insisting on the frisking.."
         Now we remembered how she had argued about the frisking.
         "Shaan too had got a text asking for petrol.. Shaan had refused flatly but the risk was too great and the person wanted petrol without any receipt or suspicion. Shaan was asked to just keep it near the highway dustbin. As long as Shaan was on duty the petrol was still there.. The next day it wasn't..and next day Mili had the accident.." Red was weeping.
         "After your accident I texted that person to stop everything or else I would complain and I m sure that drug trap was just to teach me a lesson and keep me mum. I battled all the way on my journey with my conscience. Shaan too supported my decision to tell you all. I m extremely sorry.. My actions have resulted in so much harm." She broke down..
          "Red do you or Shaan know anyone who wears a rudraksh bracelet or any Keith Fernandes?"asked Karan.
          "No.. I don't think so.."she replied..
          After some more apologizing from her, we signed off.. Atleast now we knew one person out of the two involved.. The other one was yet to be known..

         Next day the four of us got ready and headed to the address of Keith Fernandes. Only Karan went up to the house while the rest of us stayed in the car. Nobody knew Karan here..
         After sometime he returned back.
         Our questioning look made him say, "Fake... Keith Fernandes has been dead for almost a year. Natural death that too.. Someone else is  using his sim.. or someone acquired sim in his number..We will have to check who is using this number."
        "Oh god! Anything happens now.. I think we should go straight to the police." I said.
         They remained silent..
         "Crap.. Mili do you know whose area we are in?" asked Arjun.
      I hadn't noticed at all where I was.. Now I realised... Could this be the connection?
         Karan made another phonecall..
       " Got the place from where the number was last operated.." he said with apprehension.
       "Where?" asked Pradeeta
       "Arjun's apartment.."

Whose area we were in? Who was the one blackmailing Redhanded? Who is using the number from Arjun's apartment?

Keep reading..