One evening, as Kishan was making notes for his show, his phone rang. The number was unknown. He hesitated, his heart pounding, but answered.
"Kishan? It's Jiya."
Kishan's grip on the phone tightened. "Jiya. Where have you been? I... I got out."
Jiya's voice was low and urgent. "I know. I heard. Are you safe?"
"Safe? I don't know. They tried to keep me there. It was... it was worse than I thought."
"I told you," Jiya said, her voice laced with a strange mix of fear and determination. "They're monsters. Listen, we need to meet. I have information. Information that can help us expose them."
Kishan was attentive. "Help us? You said you and Kavita's friends wanted revenge. You didn't mention getting involved yourself."
"Things change, Kishan. After what happened to Kavita, and now what they did to you... I can't just stand by. I saw things too, working there. Not what Kavita saw, not the operations, but enough to know something is terribly wrong."
Kishan was torn. He needed information, but meeting Jiya felt like walking into a trap. "How can I trust you, Jiya? You sent me into that place, and you weren't there when I needed help."
"I tried, Kishan! I really did. But they're watching everything. I couldn't risk blowing my cover completely. But I've been digging. I know things. Things that can help you use that recording."
The recording. Jiya knew about the pen had recorded something at the time when Kishan's head was damaged during the struggle. This confirmed his suspicion that she was somehow involved beyond just being a grieving friend. But was she on his side or theirs?
"Alright,"Kishan said, making a risky decision. He needed to know more. "Where and when?"
They agreed to meet in a crowded public park the next day, a place where Kishan felt he could potentially spot any surveillance. He didn't tell Daya about the meeting, not wanting to involve him further unless absolutely necessary.
The meeting with Jiya was tense. She looked nervous, constantly scanning their surroundings. She confirmed that the hospital was indeed a front for a large-scale organ trafficking operation, targeting vulnerable individuals, particularly those with no family or connections like the patients in the de-addiction center. She revealed that the 'head doctor' who had visited Kishan in the hospital was one of the key figures, a man named Dr. Sharma.
"They move the organs through a network," Jiya explained, her voice hushed. "To wealthy clients, both here and abroad. Kavita found out because she saw a patient who was supposed to be recovering suddenly disappear, and then later, she overheard a conversation about a 'shipment'."
Jiya claimed she had managed to get access to some internal hospital files, encrypted but potentially containing lists of patients, transfers, and even financial records. She also had a contact, a dissatisfied former IT technician from the hospital, who might be able to help decrypt the recording from Kishan's pen and the files she had.
"He's scared, though," Jiya warned. "He knows how dangerous these people are. He'll only help if he's convinced it's safe and worth the risk."
Kishan felt a surge of hope, quickly followed by a wave of suspicion. Jiya's story was credible, but her sudden access to encrypted files and a willing contact felt almost too convenient. Was this a genuine attempt to help, or a sophisticated ploy to get the pen and silence him permanently?
He decided to play along, cautiously. He gave Jiya a copy of the corrupted recording file from the pen, keeping the original with him. He told her he needed time to think about meeting her contact. He also pressed her about the three lakh rupees.
"That was from Kavita's friends," Jiya said, avoiding his gaze. "They wanted to contribute to getting justice. It was meant to help with expenses, maybe hiring someone..."
Kishan didn't believe her completely, but he didn't push it. He left the meeting feeling more confused and paranoid than ever. He had a potential lead, but the person providing it might be an enemy.