Disclaimer : I'm a huge KPop fan and you will come across names and photographs of KPop idols in most of my stories (The photographs and pics are downloaded from the internet and I do not have ANY intellectual property right over them). They are my muse and inspiration in so many ways. The incidents and characters are fictional and have no resemblance to any K pop idol in any manner.
After a morning that gave me one shock after the other, I decided to go back to the HQ and finish my pending work, if any. I would then plan the next stake out to catch the mysterious caller who used that public phone!
My purposeful strides led me to the Chief as I apprised him of the situation regarding the attack on Lucas Gomes. Looking at me thoughtfully, the Chief asked me if I had worked out any plan of action yet. I told him I needed some assistance and time to come up with a foolproof plan to catch the culprits red handed.
I called it ‘Operation Unknown Caller’.
The aim was to unmask the face behind those calls. As usual, I hired a car which looked like some minister’s official vehicle and parked myself outside the Secretariat to keep an eye on all those who entered the booth. What was really confusing was the fact that in this age of mobiles and smartphones, hardly anyone used public phone booths anymore! But then, that gave the caller anonymity and made him almost untraceable!
I did’t really know whether the unknown caller would call Lucas or Raghu or Gopal again but I had to start somewhere! Hoping my shot in the dark hit a possible target, I settled down to wait and watch. I had already told the 3 men to let me know immediately in case they received any such call and to record it if possible.
Minutes turned to hours but nothing happened. I was hungry, thirsty and needed to stretch my legs. I got out of the car, disguised as a chauffeur and headed for the phone booth. Before I could get in, a man stopped me and said, "Do you mind if I go in first? It’s an emergency!”
I looked at the man who looked about the same age as me, but his face mask made it difficult to see his face properly. He was a bit too suave and well spoken for his shabby outfit. He seemed harmless. I shrugged as he went inside. Since he didn’t close the door properly, I could hear his deep voice loud and clear as he spoke into the phone, "I know you met Jeon Jungkook. Don’t lie that you don’t know him! If you want to live, tell me the truth! Or this might be your last day!”
The moment he hung up, I received a message from Lucas on my phone-
‘Jeon, he called. I recorded it.’ An attached audio file replayed the same conversation which I had heard a few minutes back. Lucas sounded scared.
I already had an eye on the caller and saw him walk up to a small roadside stall as he ordered a sandwich and coffee. I redialled the number he had called earlier and heard Lucas on the other side, "What do you want now?”
I- Lucas, it’s Jeon. I may have found the unknown caller.
Lucas breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I thought it’s him again!”
I assured Lucas that I would ensure his safety. I kept my target in sight and hung up. I quickly made my way towards the man who had now finished eating and was walking away to the taxi stand. I followed him. He stopped outside a shabby looking book shop, unlocked it and walked inside. I watched him as he took a rag and dusted the counters and sat down on a chair. So, he worked here. Just as I was about to turn and leave, he took off his mask and left me stunned! He was a carbon copy of Lucas! A doppelgänger!
Was he related to Lucas or trying to take advantage of him?
Why was he trying to scare Lucas and threatening him?
Whatever I had seen so far, this man seemed too decent to threaten someone’s life!
And what did he want with me?
Why was he asking about me? Somehow, things didn’t add up!
This was weird and made no sense!
I made my way to a cafe across the road which gave me an excellent view of the book shop and ordered a cup of coffee. I sent a message to Namjoon to find out if Lucas had any siblings. I didn't remember Jin ever mentioning any sibling! Even the internet didn’t throw up that valuable piece of information! So much for information technology!!!
Sometime around 5 pm, after 4 cups of coffee and some sandwiches, I saw my target coming out of the shop. I quickly paid my bill and walked out as he locked the shop and walked back to the same food stall. As he was busy ordering some food, I realised that the man’s financial condition wasn’t good. He looked like he had seen better days and fallen on hard times. If he kidnapped or blackmailed Lucas, I could understand why, but calling him just to know how Lucas knew me, seemed so odd! Even his threats sounded empty!
My target had now started walking again towards a narrow lane with small shabby houses. This was probably where he lived, I thought as I saw him unlock a door and go inside as he switched on a light, finally closing the door. I turned and walked back towards my car outside the Secretariat.
I needed to think clearly. Maybe, going to Jin’s place would help! I could do with a drink !
(to be continued.....)
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