A Death in Kasol

Gunjesh Bond

ISBN 978-93-5559-017-6 Copyright © Gunjesh Bond, 2022 First published in India 2022 by Leadstart Inkstate A brand of One Point Six Technologies Pvt. Ltd. 123, Building J2, Shram Seva Premises, Wadala Truck Terminal, Mumbai 400022, Maharashtra, INDIA Phone: +91 96999 33000 Email: [email protected] www.leadstartcorp.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Editor: Sanjhee Gianchandani Cover: Swapnil Behere Layouts: Ashwini Rane

For all the working women of India and Vikram

The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly horizon for each day to have a new and different sun. - Christopher Johnson McCandless

ALSO BY GUNJESH BOND Breaking up the Shackles

Four friends are on a night out to celebrate the arrival of a brand new car that one of them gets as a gift from his father. They stop the car on the roadside on the highway at midnight. Two of them get off to buy some wine and weed from the only roadside shop. They return to the car to find one of their friends lying unconscious in a pool of blood. The fourth one is missing from the car. Where did he miraculously vanish, just within ten minutes, in the darkness of the city’s outskirts? Did he hit his friend and run away or was there something else other than these boys and the shopkeeper?

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About the Author

Gunjesh Bond is an Indian author and a former blogger. Gunjesh was born on 1989 and grew up in Bihar. He graduated from IP University of Delhi. He has published hundreds of short stories on his blog and a suspense thriller novel, namely Breaking up the Shackles. @gunjeshbond /gunjeshbond @gunjesh_bond www.gunjeshbond.com

Part – I Kasol

Chapter - 1 Arpana Sen switched her laptop off, slipped it into its bag, zipped the bag, threw it over her shoulder and excusing herself from the customers sitting before her on the other side of her table, she stormed out of her office. Two men waiting outside, peering into her office through the small transparent part of the door till then, started following her down the stairs, requesting her to listen to them, at least. Pretending that she was not listening to them, she continued walking down the stairs. Neglecting them, she kept repeating, ‘I’ll see it on next Monday.’ They trailed behind her with their palms joined between their breasts. They were requesting her to stop for a while to listen to their actual problems. Arpana had already heard them several times earlier. They had applied for new electricity connections for the residential apartments they had recently built. Their applications were rejected, for they had blown away almost all the rules of building bylaws and guidelines laid down by the Delhi Development Authority. Every third day, however, they would appear out of nowhere, roam outside her office and when they found her sitting alone in her office, they would slip inside, grinning with their palms joined on their chest. They would stand at the doorway for some time and when Arpana would look at them, they would ask her, ‘when is that office order coming, madam?’ ‘It may take few more days,’ Arpana would answer and pretend to look busy with other work so that they leave her office without wasting her time. They would stand there, looking at her, and leave, to turn up again after a few days.

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A Death in Kasol

Arpana Sen knew they would not be allowed any electricity supply as they had constructed unauthorised buildings. The Municipal Corporation had partly demolished their buildings twice, but they got the damage repaired and then roamed around the electricity department offices. At times they would be seen around the officers’ residences too. A fresh PIL had been filed against them through a selected member of the legislative assembly who had been rumoured to take routine bribes from the builders and hotel owners who kept all the building bylaws and National Green Tribunal guidelines at bay to make profit out of their business. And those who tried to slip off this politician’s clutch would face actions from the civic bodies against their unauthorised constructed buildings. These two were such victims. Every time they got an opportunity to talk to the lady officer, they would request her to come out of her office with them for two minutes. When she refused, they would ask her for her car keys for ‘only five minutes’. Arpana knew why they were requesting for her car keys. She never handed these over to them. At times, she preferred talking straight so that they would understand her point. ‘You just want to throw that bag into my hand and run away,’ she would tell them in gentle tone. Now, one of them blocked her way and said, ‘Madam, please spare five minutes for us.’ ‘Sir, I’m getting late for my bus. I’ll see what I can do for you next week.’ ‘Madam, everything is in your hands. The blessings of the poor like us will help you grow richer, and all the happiness of this world will kiss your feet,’ he said, looking at his partner smilingly. ‘Yes. And the God will get you a handsome rich man to get married with.’ His partner added. ‘Let the office order come,’ replied Arpana, returning their smiles. ‘We know the order will never come.’

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Gunjesh Bond

‘It will, Sir. The election is at hand,’ she said, pushing the door of her boss’ office. ‘I’m sorry, Sir, I could not knock. I’m in a hurry. I’ve my bus for Kasol this evening. I’ll re-join office by next Monday,’ she said, addressing her boss, who was busy talking to some customers. ‘Calm down. Please take a seat if you have five minutes.’ ‘Madam is always busy. She is so hard-working,’ one of the customers said, looking at Arpana jovially. Four customers were sitting around the boss’ table. One of them, who had just commented on Arpana’s hardworking nature, got up to vacate the chair for her. Arpana took her seat with her laptop still hanging on her shoulder. Before she could settle down comfortably in her chair, her eyes fell on a brown leather suitcase kept beside it. She had seen the suitcase earlier in her office. She turned to look at the four men. They smirked. She knew all of them. She preferred talking to her boss and leaving. ‘You did not tell me you’ve booked your ticket for Kasol. Why are you going there? The temperature is on the negative side. My son has just returned from there,’ her boss said. ‘Sir, I desperately need a holiday. I’m tired of over-working and listening to the same problem from hundreds of customers.’ The four men grinned. Ignoring the reaction of the customers, the boss began, ‘I know, I know. If I’m not wrong you were there in October as well,’ he continued. ‘If my memory works well, this is your fifth holiday in this valley in the last three years.’ ‘Sir, sixth,’ she corrected her boss. ‘Actually, I was looking for some other option in Himachal this time but due to our tight schedule I could not finalise a destination so I booked a ticket for Kasol.’ ‘Ok. Come when you feel you are out the work stress. Keep warm jackets. You will need them. It’s going to be extremely cold there.’ The boss suggested her smiling.

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