DESPERADO

On a spring evening Rikky Ronald strolls down a deserted lane all alone. Rikky seems to be downhearted with an untidy look. His overgrown moustache and beard are the evidences of his gloomy look. Pain and pleasure are two sides of a coin called life. Rikky is always blessed with only one side called ‘pain’. As a bonus he is straddled with bad luck. Despite his dreams, goals, ambitions and arrogance his life has been fallow and flat till the day he realized that he is subjected to sleuthing.

When Rikky is ambling down the lane he hears a whistle from the outlandish ghoul like heavy structure. Rikky is perplexed for a minute, but composes himself to walk towards. “May I help you?” questions Rikky. The stranger takes out a portrait from his pocket and exhibit to Rikky. Rikky takes a look on the photograph and queries “why do I need to answer you?” to which stranger takes out his wallet to show the ID card which reads “Aravind, Intelligence Bureau”. “No, I do not know him” replies Rikky. “So, who are you?” queries Aravind. “I am Rakki Ronald” mutters Rikky. “So you do not know him” taunts Aravind and shows him the photograph again. Rikky is confounded to see himself in the photograph and gaining his strength he replies “No. I do not know him”. “Oh okay, thanks for the information” drawls Aravind. Rikky turns back to start, “hope we shall meet again” yells Aravind. “Hope so” replied Rikky.

Rikky could not comprehend the story of surveillance all of a sudden. But he realizes something odd is going to happen. He tags it as “handle with care” situation. He starts trimming and finishes with a new look. Rikky now walks with a confident look, better than ever before as a sign of being ready to the upcoming consequences that he is expecting from Aravind. Again he hears the same vibration of whistle that he heard from Aravind. Rikky turns towards the adjacent direction, to his dismay he finds a stranger dressed in formals who is few feet from the ground. He asks same question to Rikky “do you know him?” as Aravind does. Rikky happened to reply with same answer as he does before to Aravind. When asked for identity, the stranger shows his ID card which reads “Samuel, Intelligence Bureau”. Rikky frowns and strolls back. Samuel yells “Hope we shall meet again”. “Hope so” answers Rikky.

Samuel and Aravind tend to become a shadow of Rikky. In pursuit of Rikky and his true identity, the cop duo goes everywhere which irks Rikky. The most sickening part is they ask the same question showing his photograph “Do you know him?” Rikky couldn’t even complaint as the people tagged with him are cops by profession, not the cold blooded criminals. Rikky felt like the cop duo tried to bear him down at any moment. On an evening stroll in the park Rikky happened to find Aravind standing ten meters away from him with the same photograph in his hand. Rikky turns back and sprints down the lane to the rear entrance of the park. Rikky adjourns his run with the glance of Aravind waiting at the rear entrance. Rikky moves to next gate to avoid insatiable scepticism of Aravind. Rikky raced to the gate but he stumbles with the glance of Aravind. “What the hell wrong with you people” pooped Rikky. Samuel comes casually in front of Rikky “you are the hell Mr. Rikky Ronald” answers Samuel with a brief grin.

Rikky is blindfolded and taken to an unknown place. When Rikky is relieved of the blindfold he is staggered to see cops moving all around posing themselves to be busy with various designations under the tag INTELLIGENCE BUREAU. Aravind flabbergasts Rikky by ushering him into the room with sign board SCRUTINY ROOM. Rikky is made to sit at one end of the table, on the other end Samuel checks the documents that he is possessing. Aravind on the other hand checks his magazine and loads the gun.

“So Rikky, from how many years are you in this field of dispatching narcotic drugs?” queries Samuel. “What? Sir I think you are mistaken” declaims Rikky. “To be specific cocaine” utters Samuel. “What do you mean by that, co—co—?” stammers Rikky. “Cocaine” corrects Samuel. “Yeah, cocaine” pronounces Rikky wholly. “A drug used in medicine to prevent pain and also used illegally, often in the form of white powder breathed in through nose” exhibiting the asperity of his behaviour. “A drug?” stuns Rikky. “Any naturally or artificially made chemical which is taken for pleasure, to improve someone’s performance of an activity, or because a person cannot stop using it” clarifies Samuel closing the dictionary. Rikky laughs out loud which irks the cop duo. “Cocaine, this terminology is quite new to me. If it is of that pleasure, can you arrange me sample to taste Mr.Samuel” consults Rikky. “So the sales” interrupts Samuel. “Sir, I am just a lay lad. If it is of that immense pleasure, I would like to taste it but selling and supplying is beyond my limit to think off damn it” yells Rikky. “Okay Rikky you can leave now, but tomorrow I’ll visit your apartment” declares Samuel. “Sure sir, I would love that” answers Rikky and he is subjected again to blindfold to return to his possession.

Post Rikky’s first enquiry the cop duo sits for a coffee and discuss the summary. “What do you say Aravind?” asks Samuel. “I don’t think your informer is accurate sir, this lad seems to be innocent” declares Aravind. “No, that’s implausible. This never happened before and will never happen at any point” affirms Samuel. “Sir, dossier of the culprit just matches with this boy but we are not sure that he is it” doubts Aravind. “But the contrivance?” questions Samuel. “Sorry sir, we don’t have any information on it” mutters Aravind. “So, let us find the missing information ” advices Samuel.

Samuel tightens the net around Rikky. He himself involves in the sleuth rather than a private eye. In an early morning jog, in the hot pursuit Samuel jogs behind Rikky such that holding a gap of ten meters minimum. Aravind watches the suspect far afield using binoculars. After a few minutes of jog, Rikky suddenly sprints sensing the aggravating nature of one of the cop duo. Rikky’s sprint alerts the cop duo and both start moving towards suspect. In a sharp turn Rikky hits a person accidentally and apologizes and starts sprinting down the lane. Rikky de-accelerates constantly. Samuel gasps heavily with the sprint he had after a long time. Aravind block Rikky’s path and the cop duo reaches suspect at the same time. “Hello sir, what’s up in the early morning?” croons Rikky. As heavily gasping Samuel couldn’t answer, Aravind takes the charge of responding. “We are preparing for the police games next month”. “Oh that’s great Mr.Samuel. Anyways guys I need to move. I need to make my special arrangements today for the special guest Samuel sir”. “No Rikky I may not be able to come today, I have some important meeting back at the office”. “Oh that’s an unlucky day. Okay sir will catch you some other time then” declares Rikky and slides away from the cop duo.

Rikky has a short nap after the lunch. Someone knocks the door. Initially he ignores it. The knock is severe as clock drifts. With the overblown sound Rikky rushes to the door to open the door and to his awe it is Samuel. Rikky couldn’t realize it is Samuel after the forty winks and he rubs his eyes to confirm.

Opening the door “Hello sir, Please come in”

Samuel is ushered inside the apartment. Samuel looks suspiciously all around to find something fishy.

“Please be seated, Can I get you something?” queries Rikky.

“What?”

“Coffee” smiles Rikky.

“Yeah sure” answers Samuel.

Rikky strolls away into the kitchen to get a coffee. Samuel starts searching for an evidence to detain Rikky. He checks everything possible and finally scrutinizes his cell phone lying on the table. Samuel replaces the cell phone hearing the footsteps of Rikky. Rikky offers coffee to Samuel and assails

“Did you find your evidence Mr.Samuel?”

“How did you know that?” mutters Samuel as he realized that he is caught on the wrong foot

Adjusting his cell phone to the previous position “I think you forgot the place you are seated before in a hurry” smiles Rikky.

“Anyways thanks for a congenial coffee”. Samuel strolls towards the exit and Rikky locks the door after his departure.

Samuel feels offended and the thoughts are brain storming about the narcotics disposal in the city. Samuel decides to take a severe action. But he couldn’t give Rikky a clean chit and arranges for a neighbourhood watch. Samuel couldn’t digest the sample delivery of the crooks in the early hours of that morning and he failed in hindering the events of accomplice. Despite several brain storming sessions with the officers, Samuel breaks for coffee. Samuel receives a note from his informer stating “10kg delivery-Haddens road-12pm-last deal-suspect changing base-post deal”.

Samuel calls Aravind to inform and alerts all the officers and the communication systems. Samuel picks ten top-notch officers for the operation. Team disperses to get ready for the operation in disguise. Samuel and Aravind moves to the location in advance to have a closer look. At 12pm sharp, when all the watch dogs are ready to hit upon, Rikky board off a local bus with a laptop bag in the hand. He strolls casually talking in the phone. Samuel alerts everyone on the board to watch out. Rikky starts sprinting down the lane, Samuel beetles behind Rikky. Samuel aims at Rikky, when he is about to shoot he realizes Rikky is out of range. Rikky hinders a blind man path and stumbles. Rikky apologizes and starts sprinting down the lane. Rikky slows down constantly and ten heavily built cops all of a sudden hit upon to incarcerate Rikky. They point their guns towards Rikky and Aravind rushes to frisk him, he fails to find any rather than a wallet and a cell phone with last call to customer care. Samuel checks his laptop bag and finds a laptop with hundreds of movies in the hard disk. Samuel remains silent after a thorough check up.

Rikky frowns “Are you people satisfied or still you want to check something?”

“Why are you sprinting?” queries Aravind.

“Irked right? Even I am with your bizarre behavior. I had sight of Mr.Samuel alerting you people. I am pissed off. This is the last one friend. If this is going to happen next time I am going to get your asses into the court of justice and screw you people. Mind it” warns Rikky and stroll away after grabbing his bag.

Samuel rests on the couch in the office and he is lost in the thoughts of the culprit. He receives a note from anonymous stating “HT apartment 405- culprit-narcotics dealer”. Samuel is dumbstruck as it is the neighbourhood of Rikky. He assumes it as a consequence of neighbourhood watch that he arranged. Samuels arranges a blitzkrieg and freezes the suspect and gets 1kg of cocaine bag under the bed of the resident. Samuel ushers forensic expert Michael into the crime scene and asks him to check with finger prints.

“Did you find any finger prints of Rikky, Michael?”

“No Samuel. I did not find any. I think you couldn’t let him go out of your senses.”

“Sir, we got our fish. Need not be sceptic on anyone anymore” smiles Aravind.

Samuel remembers the collection of Rikky’s finger prints from the chair on the first day of investigation.

“Michael just check with the database, see if the collected one’s are matching with Rikky’s” orders Samuel.

“Samuel, he is the one. All the evidences are collected. Now you can close the file” assures Michael

Samuel starts moving with his team with the detained felon. Rikky greets with warm smile and Samuel with a serious look. Rikky enters the apartment and locks the door.

“How can one feel when the person living in your neighbourhood is a cold-blooded criminal, it is really disgusting” thinks Rikky.

In the meantime Rikky’s phone rings and Rikky happens to lift the phone and remains silent as it is an unknown number. The caller on the other side bellows “deal 1: code SORRY accomplished, deal 2: code BONJOUR”

Rikky disconnects the phone and puffs a Cuban cigar and remembers the events of delivering samples and entire package. He happened to skip the sample from the sight by holding in the hand in the music player cover. He slipped in a planned hit in the turn and delivered to the customer. The package was placed in the laptop bag and when subjected to hit as before, Rikky and the customer exchange their bags in the meantime. The customer is asked to be a blind man in disguise by Rikky to accomplish his plan successfully. Rikky pity his neighbour as he is innocent. Rikky broke into his neighbour’s house on a deserted afternoon and places the bag under his bed. Rikky lost one lack in business but the strategy worked out was priceless. Rikky prepares everything to move on to the France to bed down the deal 2 design.

A human has both dazzling and the dark shades of life. Rikky chose dark side over dazzling drama where he is desperate to be a DESPERADO.

Rikky boards off the plane and ushered out after the thorough checking by airport security. Rikky happens to see a sign board of a chauffeur with his name stating “Mr.Rikky Ronald”. Rikky moves towards the chauffeur and identifies him to be Samuel…………………………