A police vehicle stopped by Command1's house. A team of policemen rushed out of the vehicle, went straight into the compound and surrounded the house. John was continuously in contact with his team on his walky-talky, giving them orders in between. After making sure that all his team members took the proper positions, he headed towards the main door with Sam. The door was open ajar.
There must be somebody in...
Both of them guarding each other entered the house, keeping their vigilant eye everywhere. There was nobody in the hall. He called two of his team members in, instructing through walky-talky. As the other two joined them, they got scattered in the house and started searching each and every room, but in vein.
John went to the steps, which was near the bedroom. As he was thinking to go upstairs, he happened to see below the steps. He saw adoor, probably to go in the cellar.
" Sam, Come here ... look... " John called Sam.
" And you ... look for the fingerprints ... at least we will come to know his peers " John instructed fingerprints experts.
John opened the cellar door ajar and peeped inside, to find nothing but the dark. John signaled Sam to bring the torch. Sam came out slowly, taking care to make no sound and then rushed to bring the torch. He handed over the torch to John. John vigilantly entered the cellar holding pistol in one hand and the torch in other. Sam followed him to guard him with his pistol. John raked through the cellar with the torch flash, to find nobody in the cellar. There were not many things in the cellar and even not a place to hide in it. Lastly he zeroed on his torch flash in the center of the cellar, where a computer was placed.
“ Don’t you think it's a difficult place to keep computer?” John said with surprise.
“ Seems to be some kind of conspiracy” Sam expressed his opinion.
Both went to the computer and had closer look at it.
" Will you put on the electric switch? " John instructed Sam.
Sam pressed the electric switch and John pressed the computer switch. Both were eagerly looking at the monitor, waiting for the computer to boot.
Initially white letters appeared on the black monitor, at the left side. Then memory test started and suddenly the message appeared-
" No boot disc found"
" Now what's wrong with this computer" Sam sounded irritated.
By then John's two more team members appeared there.
" What's wrong?" Harry, one of the two, who had just arrived, asked.
" Harry, will you please look into, why it is not going on?" John instructed Harry to inspect the computer.
Harry was computer technician. He tried again switching off and on. Again the white letters appeared at the left corner of the black monitor, memory test started, and lastly the same message-
" No boot disc found"
Harry put off the switch and started opening the machine with screwdriver.
" What's wrong?" Sam asked.
" Sir.. There is no other way to know other than to open it" Harry said, still continuing with his work.
When Harry opened the CPU cabinet, he started looking in surprisingly.
" Some problem?" Sam asked.
" Sir... the hard disc inside is missing." Harry said clearing the drops of sweat from his forehead.
" What? Hard disk is missing?" John and Sam said in astonishment.
" Who would have stolen it?" Sam said, as if asking to self.
" It means it contained some vital information..." John inferred squinting his eyes.
John again had a round in the cellar in the flashlight of his torch.
" Well... ask the finger prints experts to come here immediately.. Probably we could find the finger prints of the culprit who would have removed the hard disk" John instructed Sam.
Continued …
Original Novel by Sunil Doiphode
English Version by Mugdha Apte
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