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Did I?... ( Part 3)
"If you have a friend, treat him as such
Never let him know too much
For if your friend becomes your foe
Then all the world your secret will know..
A limit for a friend too."
Can a thing like money even turn your friends into foes? Can money outweigh the greater good? Can money be valued more than love? Is there anything money can't do? All these thoughts kept running in my head. I had a lot of questions that I needed answers for. A couple of weeks ago I was as happy as the rest of the world but now I was roaming the streets fighting to live another day. I had to fight this battle on my own with only my shadow as support. I felt like I was playing a game of chess were every piece had to be moved with utmost intellect. I was not going to give up so easily and let someone else win by destroying my happiness.
At the outset, I had to make sure where the diamond was. Was it in the bank or was it really stolen. To do this I had to reach the safe and the only way was to disguise myself as a bank employee. I quivered at the thought but realised I had to keep my composure. I put my plan to action and cautiously forged my way through the bank to the safe. To my dismay the safe was empty - my diamond had indeed vanished. But how? I gained access to the security footage. What I saw added to my misery. I saw my wife and I enter the bank and collect the diamond. Alas, I did not remember the episode. It was the very evening I woke up with the bloodied knife in my hand. I felt my brain whirling and left immediately.
On my way back, I stopped at the crime scene where my wife was murdered. Tears filled my eyes as I visualized everything. Something caught my attention. The outline sketch of my wife's figure was unusually larger. What should have been 5'5" measured at 6". My wife was not that tall. Who was murdered? Who's body did the cops find? Why did they declare the victim as my wife? What led them to this conclusion? Where was my wife? My immediate instinct was that I would find the answers in Africa. With a fake passport and limited finance I arranged for my transit to Africa.
On the flight I debated with myself... why could I not remember any of the events of that fateful day. What could have caused this partial amnesia? On investigation I came across a drug called 'Benzodiazepines' which when consumed with alcohol can cause partial amnesia. Only a person with vast knowledge could use this drug. I recollected seeing a prescription for this drug in the trash can in my friend's house. He was a chemical engineer who I personally hired to help me in my mining project. I remembered the hotel manager telling me that my wife and I had ordered some liquor that afternoon. I was sure that was the only way I was given the drug. I stared out the window in hatred and disgust.
On landing in Africa I used the little money I had to get me as close as possible to the mines I had earlier worked on. Once there, I met a miner who had worked on my project and confided in him. I had helped him earlier when his son had fallen ill and he was now ready to return the favour. He invited me to stay with him for which I was really grateful. I had not visited this part of the neighborhood earlier and found it's condition pathetic. Africa was divided into two, the ones who do the work and the ones who extract the work. This part of the county was filled with hard working skilled laborers who were under paid. They could only afford a single meal a day after a strenuous day at the mines. The government monarchy did not allow any interference from outsiders. Despite their troubles the locals were people with big hearts and always wore a smile. I was now fortunate to be a part of their culture.
Further investigation revealed that the only way anyone could illegally sell that diamond was through the black market. I looked up a couple of websites like the darknet market and silk road that dealt in diamonds but found no trace of the diamond. The diamond was still in my friend's possession. I needed to know his whereabouts and looked to the miner for help. I covered my face to avoid being spotted and set out with the miner to gather information. We reached the house where my friend lived but could not move any closer as it was heavily guarded. I could not figure out how he became so influential. We stayed there a while trying to catch glimpses of those who went in and came out.
A few minutes later we heard a car honk. I could not believe my eyes. My wife drove in to the mansion with heavy security. As soon as she alighted she was greeted by my friend and they shared a passionate kiss. I was distraught. We immediately left that place without being spotted. How could I have been so blind? If she was alive how did the police declare the body they found as hers? What was happening around me?
The next day, we went back to the mansion to find a way into the house past the guards and to see who was helping them. We waited patiently in the hot sun without drawing any attention to ourselves. After a couple of hours a few government convoy vehicles entered the premises followed by a few mining lords. I recognized a few of the mining officials from the past. How were they involved with him? I had to find out. We waited there hoping for a chance to enter. After having observed the guards' routine we noticed that they took a 10 min break every two hours to ease themselves. We had to cease this opportunity. When the guards at the entrance took their break we succeeded in running in and hid ourselves. We now had to wait until the other guards took their break.
Once the next set of guards took their break we cautiously moved in and into the area where they all were meeting. My friend announced that he had found a buyer for the diamond and would complete the deal the next day. Once done they could start their mining project and asked that they get the labourers ready. There was rejoicing all around. All of a sudden the lights went out and we began to panic. One of the men present informed the others that such power cuts were common in the area and the power would return in 15 minutes. Using the darkness to our advantage we slowly moved out and luckily without being noticed.
We had to rethink our strategy.
Stay tuned for Did I?.... ( Part 4 - The finale)
Never let him know too much
For if your friend becomes your foe
Then all the world your secret will know..
A limit for a friend too."
Can a thing like money even turn your friends into foes? Can money outweigh the greater good? Can money be valued more than love? Is there anything money can't do? All these thoughts kept running in my head. I had a lot of questions that I needed answers for. A couple of weeks ago I was as happy as the rest of the world but now I was roaming the streets fighting to live another day. I had to fight this battle on my own with only my shadow as support. I felt like I was playing a game of chess were every piece had to be moved with utmost intellect. I was not going to give up so easily and let someone else win by destroying my happiness.
At the outset, I had to make sure where the diamond was. Was it in the bank or was it really stolen. To do this I had to reach the safe and the only way was to disguise myself as a bank employee. I quivered at the thought but realised I had to keep my composure. I put my plan to action and cautiously forged my way through the bank to the safe. To my dismay the safe was empty - my diamond had indeed vanished. But how? I gained access to the security footage. What I saw added to my misery. I saw my wife and I enter the bank and collect the diamond. Alas, I did not remember the episode. It was the very evening I woke up with the bloodied knife in my hand. I felt my brain whirling and left immediately.
On my way back, I stopped at the crime scene where my wife was murdered. Tears filled my eyes as I visualized everything. Something caught my attention. The outline sketch of my wife's figure was unusually larger. What should have been 5'5" measured at 6". My wife was not that tall. Who was murdered? Who's body did the cops find? Why did they declare the victim as my wife? What led them to this conclusion? Where was my wife? My immediate instinct was that I would find the answers in Africa. With a fake passport and limited finance I arranged for my transit to Africa.
On the flight I debated with myself... why could I not remember any of the events of that fateful day. What could have caused this partial amnesia? On investigation I came across a drug called 'Benzodiazepines' which when consumed with alcohol can cause partial amnesia. Only a person with vast knowledge could use this drug. I recollected seeing a prescription for this drug in the trash can in my friend's house. He was a chemical engineer who I personally hired to help me in my mining project. I remembered the hotel manager telling me that my wife and I had ordered some liquor that afternoon. I was sure that was the only way I was given the drug. I stared out the window in hatred and disgust.
On landing in Africa I used the little money I had to get me as close as possible to the mines I had earlier worked on. Once there, I met a miner who had worked on my project and confided in him. I had helped him earlier when his son had fallen ill and he was now ready to return the favour. He invited me to stay with him for which I was really grateful. I had not visited this part of the neighborhood earlier and found it's condition pathetic. Africa was divided into two, the ones who do the work and the ones who extract the work. This part of the county was filled with hard working skilled laborers who were under paid. They could only afford a single meal a day after a strenuous day at the mines. The government monarchy did not allow any interference from outsiders. Despite their troubles the locals were people with big hearts and always wore a smile. I was now fortunate to be a part of their culture.
Further investigation revealed that the only way anyone could illegally sell that diamond was through the black market. I looked up a couple of websites like the darknet market and silk road that dealt in diamonds but found no trace of the diamond. The diamond was still in my friend's possession. I needed to know his whereabouts and looked to the miner for help. I covered my face to avoid being spotted and set out with the miner to gather information. We reached the house where my friend lived but could not move any closer as it was heavily guarded. I could not figure out how he became so influential. We stayed there a while trying to catch glimpses of those who went in and came out.
A few minutes later we heard a car honk. I could not believe my eyes. My wife drove in to the mansion with heavy security. As soon as she alighted she was greeted by my friend and they shared a passionate kiss. I was distraught. We immediately left that place without being spotted. How could I have been so blind? If she was alive how did the police declare the body they found as hers? What was happening around me?
The next day, we went back to the mansion to find a way into the house past the guards and to see who was helping them. We waited patiently in the hot sun without drawing any attention to ourselves. After a couple of hours a few government convoy vehicles entered the premises followed by a few mining lords. I recognized a few of the mining officials from the past. How were they involved with him? I had to find out. We waited there hoping for a chance to enter. After having observed the guards' routine we noticed that they took a 10 min break every two hours to ease themselves. We had to cease this opportunity. When the guards at the entrance took their break we succeeded in running in and hid ourselves. We now had to wait until the other guards took their break.
Once the next set of guards took their break we cautiously moved in and into the area where they all were meeting. My friend announced that he had found a buyer for the diamond and would complete the deal the next day. Once done they could start their mining project and asked that they get the labourers ready. There was rejoicing all around. All of a sudden the lights went out and we began to panic. One of the men present informed the others that such power cuts were common in the area and the power would return in 15 minutes. Using the darkness to our advantage we slowly moved out and luckily without being noticed.
We had to rethink our strategy.
Stay tuned for Did I?.... ( Part 4 - The finale)
