“Thank you Rawalji,” said Gautam enticingly, “but don't I know how the system works. Why, you are the king-pin here, aren’t you? I know you realize that I will put my wealth on line for my son’s release.”
“Saab, as I told you, Singhsaab has taken a personal interest in this case,” said Rawal feeling sad that he couldn’t avail of the chance of his lifetime. “If only it were in my hands, I would've surely given it a different twist.”
“But still… ”
“Saab, you better pull the strings at the top to see that your boy is not troubled by any,” said Rawal trying to ingratiate himself to Gautam. “Well, I'll call up the CIsaab only after you fix up things. And you too can speak to him a little later. After all, courtesy wouldn’t spoil, will it? Be assured, I'll not let a fly come near your boy. Why, I'll treat him as my own son.”
“Thank you, Rawalji,” said Gautam as he dialed the Police Commissioner's residential number. “You may know I’m not the one to slight those who help me.”
When Rawal in relief led him to Suresh, finding his son shell-shocked in the lock-up, Gautam himself was shaken to the core. When the son broke down seeing his father, the father could not hold back his tears either. But realizing that his nerves would unnerve Suresh even more, Gautam decided to put on a brave face.
To the approving nods of Rawal, Gautam averred that it was no more than a case of juvenile delinquency, and thus the courts were bound to treat it likewise. After all, there was no need for Suresh to worry over much for the sentence was going to be light. And to address his son’s troubled psyche as well, the father showed an understanding to his misdemeanor. And to assuage his son’s apprehensions on account of Sneha’s absence, Gautam said that she was hell-bent on accompanying him and that it was he who dissuaded her from coming. Anyway, it was difficult for any mother to go through all that and in his situation; it would be delicate for Suresh as well to face his mother. Gautam tried to inject a dosage of optimism into his depressed son with the assurance that all would end well as he would line up a battery of ace lawyers to free him from his predicament.
In spite of his own enthusiasm, as Suresh remained gloomy, Gautam feared that his son might sink into depression. And to avert its happening, he thought that he should spring into action without any loss of time. But on second thoughts, he felt it prudent to wait for Sohan Singh’s arrival. In time, when the fuming Singh made his appearance, Gautam needed all his suave to plead mercy for his son. However, it was Suresh’s countenance that softened Singh’s ire and that made Gautam heave a sigh of relief. Thus, leaving Suresh to Rawal’s care, Gautam rushed to draft in Vijay Mehrotra, the eminent criminal lawyer.