BXBX NOVEL Chapter 96: Is it Him?
The phone on his desk rang, jolting him out of his thoughts. It was Neeraj.
"Sir, the initial analysis of the documents is done. There's something in here that you need to see immediately," Neeraj said, his voice laced with urgency.
"Bring it to me," Rohan replied, his heartbeat quickening.
Within minutes, Neeraj was in Rohan's office, a folder in hand. He handed it to Rohan, his expression grim.
"These documents are more revealing than we expected," Neeraj began. "They contain encrypted communications, lists of contacts, and some surprising references. But there's something specific that caught our attention something that might point to President Naveen."
Rohan's eyes widened slightly as he opened the folder and began skimming through the pages.
There were cryptic notes, meeting schedules, and financial transactions, all seemingly mundane at first glance.
But then he saw it references to meetings with someone referred to only as 'P,' someone who appeared to be at the center of several critical decisions.
Neeraj continued, "We believe 'P' could be referring to President Naveen. The notes describe high-level discussions and decisions that could only have been made by someone with significant power someone like the President."
Rohan felt a cold knot tighten in his stomach. He had already been suspicious of Naveen, especially after their last meeting, but this was something more concrete.
If the President was involved, it meant the conspiracy went all the way to the top.
Rohan flipped to another page in the folder and saw a list of dates and locations. Each one corresponded with a key event in the coup attempt, meetings, movements of funds, orders given to operatives. And each one was marked with the initial 'P.'
"What about these locations? Have we identified any of them?" Rohan asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
Neeraj nodded. "We're still working on it, but a few of the locations seem to be official residences places where the President would be expected to be during those times."
Rohan's grip tightened on the folder. "We need to be absolutely sure about this. If we accuse the President and we're wrong…"
Neeraj cut in, his tone firm but cautious. "I know, sir. Even though he is the nominal head of country but any allegation against him if not proven can result is wider chaos. That's why we need more evidence. We can't jump to conclusions based on what could still be circumstantial. But we also can't ignore the possibility."
Rohan leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. The implications of what Neeraj was suggesting were enormous.
If President Naveen was the Shadow, it would mean that the very person who was supposed to be the first citizen of the nation, the constitutional commander in chief of all the armed forces had been orchestrating his downfall all along.
But what if it wasn't him? What if this was a setup, someone trying to frame the President and throw them off the real trail?
Because if all these allegation are untrue then the chaos it will lead too. Rohan could already hear the voices of people calling him dictator and tampering with constitution, he is not sure if he can remain in power by then.
"We need to dig deeper," Rohan finally said, his voice steady. "Keep this investigation under wraps. I don't want anyone outside our immediate circle to know what we're looking into. If Naveen is involved, he might start making moves to cover his tracks."
Neeraj nodded, already planning their next steps. "We'll put more eyes on the President, but discreetly. I'll also start cross-referencing these documents with everything we have on the Shadow's network. If there's any link between 'P' and Naveen, we'll find it."
As Neeraj left the room, Rohan couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking a razor's edge.
The clues pointed toward Naveen, but something still didn't add up. The President's power was largely ceremonial, while Rohan, as Prime Minister, held the real authority. Why would the Shadow if it was Naveen risk everything when he didn't even control the country's executive powers?
Or this is the reason he did everything, he had no power, no authority so he wanted to control everything from behind the shadows
Rohan thought over these questions as he stared at the documents in front of him. If Naveen was indeed the Shadow, then the coup was about something about him slowly and steadily encroaching on the government and then establishing himself as dictator like in Pakistan.
The more Rohan thought the more he realised that Naveen has everything Motive, Power, Authority and Connection to orchestrate all this. That is why they also killed Pandit Rao because he was getting too powerful with succesful reforms.
The next few days were a blur of analysis and discreet surveillance. Atma, Neeraj, and Rao worked tirelessly, piecing together information from the documents while watching President Naveen's every move.
The President's schedule was busy, filled with meetings and public appearances, but there were also gaps times when Naveen's whereabouts couldn't be accounted for.
One evening, as Rohan was preparing to leave for the night, Neeraj called him again on the secure line.
There was an edge to his voice that made Rohan's heart skip a beat.
"Sir, we've identified one of the locations from the documents," Neeraj said. "It's an estate just outside the city. The place is owned by a company that has ties to the President's family."
Rohan's blood ran cold. "Have we surveilled it?"
"We've had a team watching it for the last 24 hours," Neeraj replied. "There's been movement people coming and going, but nothing that stands out too much. However, a car arrived late last night with diplomatic plates. The records show it belongs to the Presidential fleet."
Rohan's grip on the phone tightened. "And you're sure about this?"
"Positive," Neeraj confirmed. "The car stayed for a few hours before leaving. We couldn't see who was inside, but it's a strong lead."
Rohan paced his office, his mind racing. This was the first concrete link between Naveen and the Shadow's operations, but it still wasn't enough to confront him directly. They needed more something undeniable.
"Keep the surveillance tight," Rohan ordered. "And see if you can track the movements of that car. I want to know where it went before and after it visited the estate."
Neeraj agreed and hung up, leaving Rohan alone with his thoughts once more. The walls were closing in, but Rohan knew they had to be absolutely certain before making a move. If they were wrong, the fallout could be catastrophic.
Later that night, as Rohan sat at his desk, reviewing the day's findings, he received a message from Rao.
It was short but carried a heavy implication: "The President's inner circle has gone quiet. No communications for the last 24 hours."
Rohan frowned. Why would Naveen's closest advisors suddenly go silent? Were they preparing for something, or was it a sign that they suspected they were being watched? The silence was as troubling as any activity might have been.
The next morning, Rohan called an emergency meeting with Neeraj and Rao and Atma. They needed to discuss the growing suspicions around President Naveen and plan their next move.
As they gathered in Rohan's office, the atmosphere was tense. Neeraj laid out the latest findings, while Rao brought up the sudden silence from the President's advisors.
"What do we make of this?" Rohan asked, looking between them.
"It's possible they're aware we're onto them," Rao said cautiously. "If Naveen is involved, he might be trying to consolidate his power or prepare an exit strategy."
Neeraj added, "Or it could be a ploy to throw us off. They might want us to think they're on the defensive when they're actually planning something more aggressive."
Rohan rubbed his temples. "We can't act without solid proof, but we can't sit on this either. The longer we wait, the more time they have to cover their tracks."
"We could push a little harder," Rao suggested. "Maybe provoke a response. If we increase surveillance or take a few calculated risks, they might slip up."
Rohan considered this. It was risky, but they were running out of options. "Alright, let's do it. Increase the pressure, but be subtle. I want every move they make watched. And keep digging into the President's connections especially anything tied to that estate."
Neeraj and Rao nodded, already planning the next steps. As they left, Rohan stared at the pile of documents on his desk.
The pieces were starting to fall into place, but the final picture was still just out of reach.
Was President Naveen the Shadow, or was he just another pawn in someone else's game? The answer would change everything, and Rohan knew that whatever the truth was, it would soon come to light.