chapter 28

Chapter 28Catching the culpritWhen he went back to the room, he noticed that Ishiqa was quite depressed. He sat by her on the bed and softly squeezed her hand. “I am so sorry, sweetheart. Never in my wildest imagination had I thought that that woman would erupt like this! Or I would never have let her enter the room,” and then caught his ears apologetically, smiling cutely as he did so.She smiled and squeezed his hand fondly. “My fiancé is so handsome and charismatic, the girls around you can’t really help it, you know?” They gently bumped their heads together and giggled. Their noses touched and they looked at each other lovingly. Ved jumped up as granny entered with much fanfare. He seated himself across on the visitor’s chair, pretending innocence. “Hi granny. I was umm umm…” he trailed off guiltily. “Comforting her?” Granny smiled with a naughty gleam in her eyes. “Yes. Yes comforting. No, I mean…” Granny teased, “You mean?” Ved got up blushing. “Granny, I have to go to the hotel; will be back in a while.” Granny and Ishiqa started to laugh out aloud. “My dear girl, how are you today? You are looking good and that blush on your cheeks becomes you well.” When Ved returned from work, he was shocked to see a distraught Ameesha sitting on the bench outside the ward with Darshan and another police officer who had brought her in.“What is going on here, officer?” Darshan ushered Ved into an empty cabin nearby. What Darshan had to tell him shocked him further. “Mr. Kashyap, this beautiful looking witch is your culprit. We sent an officer to her house and when he questioned her, she confessed when she realised she was cornered. As you rightly said, she has been suffering financially; she wanted to marry you for your property. She claims that she first realised she was in love with you during the Valentine’s party, where you refused to dance with her. She took it up as a challenge because she thought no man could ever refuse her. She claims she is madly in love with you. She thought getting married to you would solve all her problems, so when she saw Ishiqa in your arms that night, she was beside herself with fury. “She met your grandmother while you were away and tried to befriend her. I guess that is when she heard that you were engaged to Ishiqa. She told your grandmother that you barely knew Ishiqa and even tried to poison her against Ishiqa. Your caretaker confirmed that Ameesha had visited your grandmother in your absence. But when your grandmother fell ill during that visit, she panicked and left.” Ved clenched his fist, remembering how Ishiqa and he had had to rush back from the Maldives because his grandmother had been unwell. He should have pursued the matter then and there when granny confronted him.Darshan continued, “She thought her work was done, but she got the shock of her life when she saw the photos of Ishiqa and you in a newspaper, announcing your formal engagement. Her fury and jealousy knew no bounds and she planned to murder your fiancée. She hired two gangsters and gave them the address of Ishiqa’s flat. The rest, as you know, is history. You have to thank God that the bullet almost missed your fiancée and did not cause serious  damage.” Ved and the officer stepped out of the cabin.Ved glared at Ameesha with pure menace in his eyes, “You are a murderer. You tried to kill two of the women I love the most. I will never forgive you. If you needed money, you only had to ask, I would have helped you surely.” Ameesha sobbed loudly, putting her head in her hands. “Why can’t you understand, Ved, I love you!” Ved hit the door hard with his fist, making her jump. “Do you even know the meaning of love? Love is sacrificing your own needs and wants for others, not taking somebody else’s life to satisfy your own evil desires. You need to see a psychiatrist, you are mentally unstable. If I ever see you within a mile of Ishiqa again, I swear -” he stopped as Darshan interrupted him midway. “Relax Mr. Kashyap. Your fiancée is now safe and within a few days she will be leaving the hospital. But I am still confused about one thing.” “Shoot, officer.” “Dangerous thing to tell a policeman,” Darshan winked. “Forgive me, but who is this other lady that you were talking about…you said she tried to kill two ladies whom you love the most.” In spite of everything, Ved smiled, “My grand-mother, officer. After this woman here tried to poison my granny’s mind, she was very ill and had to be hospitalised. Mercifully she recovered quickly.” Darshan massaged the nape of his neck. “We have her recorded statement, Mr. Kashyap. We will arrest her and the law will take its course.”  Ved stared at the handcuffed Ameesha and then told Darshan, “Please take her away, officer. Thank you so much for your support.”  He stepped into the ward and announced, much to everyone’s surprise, “It was Ameesha! She tried to get Ishiqa murdered.”  Ishiqa and granny gaped in shock. “But why?” asked Ishiqa, quite perplexed. “I don’t even know her!”Ved explained the circumstances to her Ishiqa intervened, “Let her go Ved, she acted without thinking…” Ved quieted her with one stern look. “Don’t waste your sympathy on her, Ishq. Let the police do their work.”