The Other Side Read online

  He tried to look as relaxed as he could. He stepped out of the house with a calm and balanced mind keeping off the tsunami of thoughts, which would otherwise drown him. His chauffeur got his car and parked in front of Sam. It was 11 a.m. by the time they left for their day. They had planned for a long drive accompanied by lunch on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Rachel was very excited about such a day with Sam.

  Just as the chaos of other cars and city roads ends, the real pleasure of Mulholland Drive starts. Years back, Sam would take her a little closer to him, holding her hand firmly and placing kisses on her hand. His other hand would go around her waist, feeling her all over from waist, thighs and neck. And the compulsion of taking a halt at some isolated place on the highway would rise as they involved in some arousing moments. The small pecks replaced by long lip locks and the space between them getting smaller and smaller till they realized that they had to keep moving as they were on a highway. The romantic songs playing on the car stereo would maintain the mood throughout the drive. And this is how their long drives used to be. But now Mulholland Drive rides were like ...

  Within the hour, Sam had got busy on the phone and Rachel kept fidgeting away wanting to get a word in. Conversation had been hard and it was only a while before he had got off the phone. There was a time when Sam and Rachel used to switch off their phones when out on a date, but the city and stressful life had taken a toll on them and their relationship.

  As they drove, Rachel wanted that Sam would hold her hand, as of old times or stop the car to grab a kiss or at least hold her while he drove. But nothing of this happened. He kept driving as if he was in a cold, formal relationship with his co-traveller. Rachel did miss the old times. Long drives then were filled with romantic moments.

  Mulholland Drive used to be their favourite destination when they had first begun dating. The loopy road flanked by greenery on one side never failed in giving them a sense of adventure; it had various make-out points that were a magnet for young and new couples. It offered outstanding views of downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood Sign hanging from the hill face. The route had many expensive and classic homes and hotels.

  They went to one of their favourite restaurants for lunch. The food and the taste were still the same, but something else was not. Sam had lost his appetite after the news. The interest and excitement had waned for Sam. Rachel tried initiating conversations, but it did not last long. Sam had tried his best, but Rachel knew it was not the best he was capable of. She was disappointed. She decided not to show it to Sam, but just stopped expecting things from him. Even after the conciliatory vibes of the previous night, she had lost hope.

  Sam cursed himself for the things that were going on right now. He regretted the moment when he had opened the account on the Ashton Martinson website. Sam wanted to meet his best friend Harvey who was present when one of those days, surfing on the web, on a sudden whim Sam had signed on the website. Harvey Derrick was the man who could always get the best out of Sam, though on that day even as he had warned Sam, his efforts had been in vain. Harvey worked as a private detective in Los Angeles. The two were childhood buddies having attended the same school and ever since shared a unique bond.

  Sam was waiting for some time alone to make that call to Harvey. At the same time, Sam could not help being restless, and kept scanning his phone. With Rachel next to him and out on a date, it would be inappropriate today.

  Then the phone beeped; yes, it was an email. This is what had kept him edgy all the while. He was wary about reading the mail at that moment. He longed to talk to Harvey. In this state of hysteria, Sam finally decided to check the mail. Taking a deep sigh, he read its contents. There would have to be a change in plans.

  ‘Rachel, sweetheart, we need to shorten our plan for today. I am sorry, but I need to fly to Vegas tomorrow for work, it’s crucial and urgent.’ Sam sounded apologetic.

  ‘Oh ... it’s okay Sam, we can move right now, as it is, I am done with the eating.’ Rachel tried sounding normal, as normal as she could.

  Sam knew this would freak out Rachel completely. She wouldn’t show it on her face, but there would be a tsunami of emotions within. She would think and plan of the extreme, she would act as if she was all alone in their marriage, and she would try not to look bothered at all from outside. Sam knew the pattern of reactions, but he was helpless at the moment.

  There was complete stillness inside the car on the way back from Mulholland Drive. Sam sent out a message to Harvey to call him back after two hours. On the way, Sam tried to hold Rachel’s hand knowing that she was way too disturbed from within and Rachel pulled it back, proving Sam right. Sam decided not to tell her anything and let the moment pass.

  After reaching home, Sam booked his tickets to Vegas and made some other reservations. He had to inform his secretary about his sudden plans and some other last minute preparations.

  Meanwhile, Harvey called Sam and since Rachel was not around Sam told Harvey the story about the email. Harvey was stupefied after hearing Sam’s story. He was bewildered with the thought of what to do next. They just waited for the next day.

  And the next day, early morning, Sam left for Vegas!

  Chapter 4

  15 JULY 2015

  It was almost night when Kavya reached Vegas airport. After landing, she booked into a hotel right in the heart of Vegas after completing other formalities. She collected her luggage and was waiting for her cab to arrive when her phone buzzed. For a second she trembled as her phone vibrated. She had not thought of what to tell Kabir about her Vegas plans. But then it was only a few general messages.

  She would soon have to think about what to do next with the situation she had created. The first thing though after reaching the hotel was to take a shower and relax.

  While travelling in the cab, a mix of emotions flooded her mind. She was exuberant like a person newly in love, she was nervous like one waiting for final results after a test, she was scared as one who was delivering a baby. The extremes of all emotions were displayed on her face. She had a little naughty blush and was also breaking knuckles out of nervousness. Her brown eyes showed a lot of sparkles. She had always wished for such a time, at least once in her life. She wanted to be a free girl all on her own. No responsibilities, no worries, amidst totally unknown people. No one could judge her, and she could carve her own space and be on her own.

  Kavya decided not to think much about her past life and the things she had been through. She decided to do all the random stuff which came up in her mind. She would not stop herself from doing anything, even if it be silly, she had decided. Kavya came through a fashion store on the way to the hotel and a dress caught her eyes. She immediately told the cab driver to stop the car. It was an emerald green satin silk dress which and she took a fast decision to try it on. It was an off-shoulder knee-length dress with short sleeves and a heart-shaped back. The dress fitted Kavya perfectly, it was as if it had been stitched for her. And we know girls, nothing can stop them from buying things which they like it with their all heart. And Kavya was here, as it is, to pamper her soul.

  She reached the hotel. The room allotted to her was at the lower level and did not have much of a good view. Her new soul which had been aroused led her to ask for a change in the room.

  ‘I want to upgrade my room from a standard deluxe to a suite on the higher floors. Please make sure it has the best view your hotel provides,’ asked Kavya of the receptionist.

  ‘Let me check Ma’am, our hotel is quite occupied currently, let me see if I have any vacancy which suits your requirement ... please have a seat Ma’am,’ a sweet voice came from the desk of the hotel.

  Kavya sat on the lounge and gulped the welcome drink which she was offered by the hotel. She fervently hoped that she would get the upgrade, she was dying to be in the room and relax.

  ‘Ma’am, you are quite lucky! We have one suite available in a few minutes. Our guest has just checked out of the hotel. Just give us a few minutes and you can check-i
n in the room,’ said the same voice.

  Kavya was excited. She had already decided what to do next after getting inside the room.

  Kavya’s room had the best view of Vegas. The nightlife of Vegas was displayed by the sparkling lights all around the area. Apart from the room, the best thing Kavya liked was the placement of the bathtub.

  Kavya loved relaxing in the bathtub during her vacations with Kabir. The bathtub was placed next to the French glass showcasing the beautiful Vegas. And that was the immediate next thing she opted to do; she would soak in the bathtub and relax. She had already arranged her luggage in the walk-in wardrobe and had removed whatever she needed for the night.

  The hotel had provided aromatic bath bombs for relaxation in the bathtub. The first thing any human likes about the hotels in foreign countries is all the fancy collection of bath soaps and their aroma. Kavya too was excited. She prepared her tub of hot and cold water and placed two bath bombs into it. It created an instant fragrance all around the bathroom with lots of foam. She added milk in the bathtub, kept in her suite for making beverages, to make the lather milky and smooth. She took her laptop and played her favourite playlist of old and new songs. Now the atmosphere was all set to relax. She undressed and slipped into the bathtub. Soak. Relax and rejuvenate. Sometimes we just need to take some time like this for ourselves. It unwinds you like nothing else.

  After an hour of most heavenly indulgence, all the weariness of the journey vanished. And even her sleep. She decided to slip into that green dress and get ready to explore some of Vegas. She spent a little time on her phone checking for any updates from Kabir and some other messages. She called a cab and left for her ride for the night. Dinner and playing in a casino were on her mind. She had always wanted to play in the casinos of Vegas. Had Kabir been there, he would not have let her play much all alone. She took advantage of the moment and planned her night.

  Chapter 5

  Sam booked a hotel room near the casino mentioned in the email. Typically, when in Vegas, people relax and have a whole lot of fun. But with Sam, the case was completely opposite. It was his most stressful stay in Las Vegas. After reaching, he tried to relax for a while as there was still some time left to reach the casino.

  The email had mentioned that they had found his name on the list of Ashton Martinson users. As usual, it said that if he did not cough up money at a given place and time, they would leak all the details about his account. It also said that he was to wait for another mail for further details.

  Soon there was another email with a quixotic request regarding the blackmail amount. The blackmailer had asked him to reach the casino and lose money at playing. Sam was quite foxed at this odd instruction. In other cases, they were just being asked to transfer bitcoins. He could not fathom the pattern of blackmailing. It was so unlike others. Why was he being treated like this? And it was not a small amount. The amount which he was expected to lose was close to two million dollars.

  Sam had to be in the casino of The Venetian at table number 9 at 7 a.m. for a poker game with a lady who would be wearing a green dress. The description of the lady was provided in the latest email. Sam had to make sure that no one else was playing when he lost to her. Which was quite difficult.

  Sam forwarded all the details to Harvey. He anyhow wanted to get back the money he would be forced to lose and get a hand on this unique blackmailer. But there was not much they could do at that instant. He cursed the moment when he had opened the account in the Ashton Martinson website.

  ‘What were you thinking of while opening the account? If you wanted that much of spice in your life, you should have said so. Now enjoy the spice the scam has given you,’ said Harvey on the phone. He was laughing at the situation Sam had landed in.

  Sam was drunk the day he had opened the account. He had just been curious about what really happens on such websites. He never wanted to cross the fine line and cheat on his wife. He loved Rachel and was committed amidst all the ups and downs of their relationship.

  It was 6 a.m. and Sam started to get ready for the casino. He left the hotel premises by 6.35 a.m. and reached the table at The Venetian at 6.55 a.m. sharp.

  At 7 a.m. sharp Sam saw a pretty Asian lady dressed in a green satin silk dress arriving at the entrance of the casino and walking towards his table. He was not expecting someone with a great sense of style and class, a beauty with a lot of serenity. Sam had imagined his would-be blackmailer to be someone showing that extra cleavage, wearing bright red lipstick and a head of garishly coloured hair.

  The Venetian’s poker room had a different section in the casino. Its red and beige carpet looked elegant and classy. The beautiful crystals of the chandeliers gave the casino a sense of richness and beauty. The poker room was a little less crowded at that time. On a general basis it was tough to get a table for only two players to play. No wonder the blackmailer had called Sam at this hour.

  ‘Hi, I am Kavya. Can I join you for the game?’ the lady asked Sam, who was still admiring her beauty.

  ‘Yes sure, I was waiting for someone like you to start the game,’ Sam said to his beautiful blackmailer.

  Apart from these two there was one more person present at the table. The dealer. She was a short fat lady with a black bow on her white shirt. After a short conversation between the two players she confirmed with them if she they were ready to play.

  Sam observed all his opponent’s moves keenly. He was trying to implement the tricks he had learnt and heard about. Was his blackmailer a professional to have called him to Vegas? Generally, people who go professional in poker develop some styles. They stay calm and relaxed the entire time so as not to make their emotions obvious or reveal their hands. Some strong players feign disinterest and tend not to check cards post flop. They know what they have a simple hand to keep in mind, like AA, KK, QQ, AQ, JJ. Certain people tend to go silent if they hold a card with a straight potential. Some strong players who have a tighter range than others may attend to their mobile to portray an aura of calmness, anything other than the game.

  The most dangerous are the crafty players. They sit down calmly and then fidget with the chips and toss the cards into the muck. Their strategy is to confuse all other players with their moves. But finding a crafty player is also easy. If someone makes you scratch your head and keep you wondering of a move, then he or she is the one. Trembling hands and heart rate have the potential to reveal a lot about your cards. And a smart player will observe all your heart moves.

  Sam was prepared with all these tricks and started to decipher Kavya’s moves. On the other hand, Kavya was very excited to play at the casino and that too in Las Vegas and her excitement knew no bounds. This confused Sam. But then he thought, he was here to lose the money. Kavya’s emotions showed up. Everything she did showed on her face; if she got bad cards, she would give some obvious reactions and lose the game, and if she got good cards then her excitement would show and she would win. Sam wondered how long he would have to play like this; she seemed naive.

  It took a while too for Kavya to win the amount that Sam had to lose and luckily she won two games back to back. It was then that she decided to put all her money for the final bet. Now Sam was confused. He thought it was the last chance to save his money. It was easy for him to sense his opponent’s game through her expression and so he was sure that he would win.

  Kavya did the opposite this time. She pretended as if she would lose and then she actually won the game and won all the money. What a crafty player she was, thought Sam. All this while, she had been pretending only to win the last round. Wow. Sam was zapped. Kavya seemed to know that he would react this way, but how?

  ‘The best players in the world succeed because of their intuition. Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well,’ said Kavya and blushed as she was getting ready to exit. Sam was still lost in what she had said.

  ‘Hey, chill. I just read it somewhere,’ said Kavya and waving goodbye, left.
/>   Chapter 6

  Sam phoned Harvey as soon as he got out from the casino.

  ‘Dude, she took more money than what was decided. I am feeling like a fool, we need to track her and get all my money back,’ said Sam.

  ‘How come? Why did you play the next round with her to lose the money? You should have stopped once the deal was over. What were you thinking, Sam?’ Harvey asked his stressed-out friend.

  ‘She kept playing silly games initially but somehow managed to win the decided amount of money. In between, the game got interesting. Instead of her leaving with the money, she put all the money on the bet. And when I saw my cards, I was sure about my win and I gave in more. And I never thought she could get the triple ace and win over all the money because she played stupidly all the time. And now I have lost double the money in that. We have to track her and get hold of her, Harvey. You will have to do something,’ Sam said in a frustrated tone.

  Sam was clueless on what to do next. Should he tell Rachel? He had high hopes on Harvey as he worked in a detective agency and would possibly manage to find all the possible details of the blackmailer who had sent the emails.

  Harvey got on to the mission of finding Sam’s blackmailer. He first tried to get the IP address of the device from the mails which Sam had received. That was the primary thing he was expected to do as a detective. But Sam was not happy with just that detail. It was still difficult to get hold of the real person.

  Sam remained in Vegas hoping to locate his beautiful opponent at the card table. He kept visiting various hotels, restaurants and casinos searching for her. But in vain. He was in a real mess. Rachel kept calling to ask when he was planning to return, and the only thing he could say was that he would be back soon.

  ‘Should I go back and confess to Rachel about everything? She will never trust me again and what if she comes to know from somewhere else? My marriage will be screwed. And I will be a laughing stock of society. I don’t understand anything now,’ Sam confided with Harvey.