One Rainy Night

Episode 3

Read the second episode of One Rainy Night here.

He ordered his men to make a dash for the first floor. Jack’s wife was securely bound to the wooden post. As Tan, the head of Roy’s gang made his way to the other side of the room he could feel his blood shooting through his veins, fear running cold through his body and chaos being let loose in his head. His mind started contemplating the consequences of not finding Jack’s daughter. To his horror he saw untied ropes on the floor. Just as he looked up from the floor he saw what he hoped not to see, a blank wooden post. The child was gone. The sight of the empty post haunted Tan. He flung his hands furiously in the air, he took out a part of his frustration by hurling a small piece of sharp rusted metal found on the floor just a few inches over Jack’s wife, Janis’ head. He stomped his way across the room. She stood blankly staring at the ceiling.

He called out to one of the woman in his gang to interrogate Janis. For the next few minutes the ropes were untied and Janis was manhandled. Every punch dug deep into her flesh and nearly reached for her bones, every slap could be heard miles away and every kick landed with a loud crashing thud. All that Janis said was “I don’t know”. The intensity of the interrogation was then stepped up, with a cane and a whip. The rough unpolished wood tore right through Janis’ skin. After a few minutes, Janis realized that her body was giving away, and finally there was a successful breakthrough in the interrogation. She said that her daughter Lucy had always had a blade in her pocket and that she used it to slowly cut through the rope. She also added that Jack was not at the hideout when the incident happened. Roy was patiently watching the entire sequence of events over video call, from the house’s rooftop.

Roy felt the need to contact Jack. However he had no means to, as Jack’s phone was inside the SUV parked in his hideout. Still he made the call. However to his horror, after five rings, he heard Jack’s rough voice. “Yes my dear brother”, he said, chuckling with laughter and the sarcasm in his tone was blatantly audible. Jack was in the SUV. Every word that Roy heard from Jack heightened the fury in him. Roy thundered “Ask your daughter to return to the hideout immediately. The deal we agreed upon was the safe return of your family and a twenty five percent share of dad’s money, if you took the blame for his murder”. Jack was overwhelmed to know that Lucy had escaped and everything was now going by his plan. Roy then sent Jack a video file of his wife being interrogated, in an attempt to emotionally weaken him. Jack realized that it was time to wind up the game — his family had taken one too many for him.

Jack was a wonderful actor and his experience in theatre during his college days was now paying off. He unleashed a tone of sadness and depression, and in the most convincing and deceiving manner told Roy, that he was sorry. He begged him not to hurt his wife. He also added that his daughter was a child of nine and could not be a potential threat to the operation. He said that she was just a playful child who would not like to be bound and asked him to continue with the operation. He also added that he was driving towards the house and would be ready to pick him up and surrender at the police station.

Roy removed the loose tile off the roof and the entire house was now visible in a bird’s eye view. He then took out the parts of the M19 bolt action sniper which he had fitted into the numerous pockets of his raincoat. Slowly he assembled part by part, screwing each and every piece into its place. The tightening of the silencer onto the firing end marked the end of the assembling process of the deadly weapon. Roy yelled over the phone to Jack, “Keep the line open”.

Roy took a look around before placing his fingers on the trigger. There was not a person in sight. However he was in sight of the lens of a Sony camcorder. The trigger was pulled and the sixty year old father of the two breathed his last. The gunshot was not heard directly by Jack, but was audible to him over the phone. Both men rushed into the house and Roy seized the insurance documents. They checked their father’s pulse and confirmed his death. Jack shed tears, but Roy was unshaken. “Shall we make a move?” Roy yelled. “Release my wife first and then I will surrender” said Jack. Roy saw no point in arguing further as he had got what he wanted and so he ordered his men to bring Janis to the house.

Janis arrived and Jack embraced her and cried to see the state she was in. He was infuriated but was waiting for his moment in order to have the last laugh. The party departed for the police station located on the next street. Roy whispered to Jack “It’s time to surrender, no tricks alright? We still have your wife with us”.

Jack entered the police station, with his hands in the air and accepted to have committed the heinous crime. He was put in a lockup and was to be transported to the prison the following day. Janis wept through the car ride back home and prayed for her husband’s and daughter’s safety.

After Roy’s team exited the police station, a nine year old girl walked in with the camcorder. The evidence was played and Jack was released. Roy was taken into custody and Jack’s family was given police protection.

Jack hugged his daughter lovingly and shed tears of mixed emotions, as he had managed to save his family, but had failed to save the man who was responsible for his very existence, his dad.

THE END

-This story was written for Festember: The Renaissance by R Rajiv