Friday, Afternoon
The stadium was buzzing with energy. There were over 20000 people packed into the small Solan Cricket Ground. Rahul Bedi and the Australian captain were standing on the edge of the ground, waiting for the match referee to walk out for the toss, which as always, was to be held 30 minutes before the first ball was bowled.
At the same time, the SMS gang stood in the lobby of Hotel Hilltop watching Rahul walk out to the middle of the ground and shake hands with his Australian counterpart as the match referee spun the coin. The look on Rahul’s face was desolate. ‘Heads,’ he said.
‘It’s tails,’ said the match referee as he picked up the coin from the ground. Rahul had lost the toss.
‘Come, guys. We don’t have a minute to lose,’ Akriti implored as she ran through the hotel lobby towards the side where the elevators were. ‘The match starts in 30 minutes.’
‘Where are we going?’ Kabir was struggling to keep pace.
‘I will tell you,’ Akriti said as she went to the lift lobby and pressed the button.
‘If you think Pingu is in one of the players’ rooms, you are pressing the button for the wrong lift,’ Aditya cautioned her.
‘I know what I am doing. Just indulge me.’
Aditya shrugged his shoulders and waited.
The exotic, antique lift came down in a jiffy and opened with a ding. Akriti entered the lift and waited for the others to come in. The moment the three of them were inside, she pressed the button for the top floor.
That’s when Kabir realized what she was up to. ‘Are you serious?’ he asked.
‘What in my actions gave you the impression that I wasn’t?’
‘Holy Moley!’ Aditya exclaimed.
The lift pulled up to the top floor and stopped. ‘Switch on the camera on your phone and keep it rolling,’ Akriti ordered Kabir as she stepped out of the private elevator into Anto and Lizzy’s penthouse apartment.
‘What if we get caught? Aren’t we trespassing on someone else’s property?’ Kabir asked worriedly.
‘No, we won’t. Anto, Lizzy and the entire staff is at the ground. The Pereiras are giving out the trophy after the match. So, right now, we are the only ones here. The whole house is ours.’
