Chapter 3

Bloomie

@bloomie

Part 3 [NOCOPY][MEMBERSONLY]

Early next morning, Rathore briefed them about a new case. He threw open a file containing the pictures of the crime scene.

Rathore: kal raat Galaxy Heights se ek ladki ne suicide kar liya. Party uske dost Paresh ke ghar thi jo ek bade vakil ka beta hai.

Shree: ye toh wahi case haina sir jo aaj subah news mein tha, Kanika naam tha uska

Chotu: lekin ek suicide case ETF ko kyun?

Rathore: high-profile hai, un logon ko local police ki report par bharosa nahi hai

Shree: toh ab hume kisi aur ka kachra saaf karna hoga?

Rathore: sirf utha kar dustbin mein fekna hai, jaakar statements fir se lo, report banao and dustbin duty khatam!

Riya: sir waise complaint kisne ki, inquiry ke liye?

Rathore: pata nahi, commissioner sir ne kaha, kyun?

Riya: sir agar suicide par doubt hai iska matlab murder ka shak hai

Rathore: kya matlab?

Arjun: matlab bina aag ke dhua nahi nikalta, ab samjhe ya samjhau?

The others remained confused.

Chotu: kya?

Riya: are Chotu, agar unhe doubt ho raha hai ki suicide nahi hai matlab unke paas uski koi toh wajah hogi na ye sochne ke liye ki koi uska murder kar sakta hai

Rathore fell into thought.

Shree: ab ye toh waha jaane ke baad hi pata chalega

Riya nodded.

Rathore: Rawte, Riya aur Chotu tum log crime scene par jao, statement lo, main aur Shree uski family se milkar aate hai

The team nodded and they parted ways.

Galaxy Heights-

After recollecting statements from the watchmen and workers of the apartment, they headed to the flat where the party was being held. A police tape separated the terrace from the flat. They entered to see the place from where she had jumped. Chotu leaned over.

Chotu: itni unchayi se bachne ka toh koi chance hi nahi, gaadi nahi hoti toh bhi mar jaati, mujhe toh dekhkar hi chakkar aa rahe hai, woh kudi kaise yaha se?

Arjun: ye suicide nahi, murder hai

Chotu and Riya look at him in confusion

Riya: aap itne sure kaise hai?

Arjun turned to her: tum ladki hona?

She raised her eyebrow. He held up the photo of the dead body in front of her. She stares at it for a few seconds before realising what he meant. She sighed and left.

She arrived 15 minutes later wearing a short bodycon dress and pencil heels. Chotu who was waiting near the entrance safely away from Arjun, whistled on seeing her.

Chotu(horrified): sorry ma’am!!

Riya: ma’am? Come on Chotu please, mere saath aisa mat karo

Chotu(sheepishly): par tum senior hona?

Riya: are main permission de rahi hu na

He smiled: par mere abhi bhi kuch samaj mein nahi aaya

Riya giggled: zyaada toh mujhe bhi nahi aaya, dekhte hai unke dimag mein kya hai

Chotu nodded. They walked to him.

Riya: sir?

Arjun turns. His eyes fixate on her.

Riya: kya karna hai?

Her voice breaks his trance. He gestures towards the ledge.

Arjun: chadho

Riya(sarcastically): uske baad kudna bhi hai sir?

Arjun: chadh ke toh dikhao

She glanced at the ledge and nodded. She examined the footing and grip, there was nothing that could support her. Involuntarily, her hand reaches out to Arjun.

Arjun: bina haath ke

Riya: huh?

He steps away and continues to observe. Riya turns again and tries to climb but her dress didn’t help mv “come on Riya, think!” her gaze falls on the lamppost a few steps away.

A smile appears on her face. She goes towards it and turns to face in. Supporting her hands on the platform, she pushes herself to sit on the ledge. She lifts her feet together and swipes over, to put her legs on the opposite side. Taking support of the lamppost, she somehow manages to stand up straight and immediately realizes it was a bad decision. Half closing her eyes, she balances and walks the few steps she had taken to get to the lamppost from where Kanika jumped.

Chotu’s jaw drops to the ground. Arjun looks at her in shock. Half of his brain was screaming to make her stop while the other half was too numb to react.

Riya gives him a thumbs up while looking over the position of the chalk outline. She slowly faces them.

Riya(nervously): sir please, kudne ke liye mat kehna

Arjun comes out of his trance: Get Down!!!

Riya: ho gaya?

Arjun comes forward to give her a hand: Shut Up Riya Get Down!!! What Is Wrong With You?!?

She gets confused: aapne hi toh…

Her heel slips as she takes the step. Riya screams in fright. Arjun grabs her hand, pulling her to him causing them to fall on the ground. With her on top of him. Their eyes lock with each other. Her fear dissipates into trance. His panic flies in her safety.

Chotu froze. What the hell just happened? Shelve that! What the hell was happening?! Why weren’t those two getting up? Why were they staring at each other? Unsure of what to do, he cleared his throat breaking their trance.

Riya immediately got away from him. He blinks a few times as he stands up confused as to what happened to him. She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. An awkward silence hung in the atmosphere.

Riya snaps back to reality: ye definitely suicide nahi hai

Chotu: huh?

She turns to Arjun: aap sahi keh rahe the, aise dress aur heels mein upar chadhna mumkin nahi

Chotu: par… par tu abhi toh chadhi

Riya: ha Chotu lekin woh nashe mein thi, mujhe hosh mein hone ke bavjud seedhe khade rehne mein itni problem ho rahi thi, aur woh us, haalat mein lamppost se, us jagah tak chali kaise? Meri rayi mein toh use khade hote-hote hi gir jaana chahiye tha

Arjun comes back to his senses by now. Though, he hadn’t thought she would be able to climb, he added on to her point.

Arjun: aur sabse zaroori baat, nashe mein itni akal kaun use karega ki lamppost ka sahara le, ab kuch samjhe ya samjhau?

Still in shock, he nods his head. They head down the elevator. Riya’s hair again interrupts her. She pushes it back and realises her pin was no longer holding it in place. She turns to ask Arjun to go back up and sees it stuck on his shirt. She was about to speak when the elevator dinged on the ground floor. He left as soon as the door opened.

Chotu(walking out): are Shree ka message, woh aur Rathore sir yaha aaye hai

Riya: kyun?

Rathore: safayi khatam karne

Arjun: dustbin abhi door hai, its murder

Rathore: watchman ne use kudta hua dekha Rawte! Yaadasht kamzor ho rahi hai tumhari?

Chotu: sir, Arjun sir sahi bol rahe hai, Kanika waha se akele kud nahi sakti mera matlab chad nahi sakti, ho sakta hai ki kisine use suicide mein help ki ho

Riya: Chotu, suicide ke liye help kaun maangta hai? kisine use waha uthakar rakha tha, raat ka time tha obviously watchman ko sirf ledge par khadi Kanika nazar aayi

Rathore: Kanika terrace par akeli thi, isliye ye betuki baatein chod do aur Riya, maana ki party mein crime hua lekin iska ye matlab nahi ki tum bhi party mein chali jao

Riya(innocently): sir hum toh bas theory test kar rahe the isliye aur woh positive nikla

Chotu: ha sir! Riya ne chadkar dekha

Rathore/Shree: What!?!?

Riya: ha sir, isliye keh rahi hun, woh akele chad hi nahi sakti, main gurantee ke saath stamp paper par likh sakti hun

Rathore: lekin…

Arjun: tumhare liye kya zaroori hai Rathore? Mujhe galat saabit karna ya fir sachayi ka pata lagana?

Rathore glared at him: party mein jitne bhi log the sabko interrogation ke liye bulao! Shree us Inspector se kaho ki case close na kare aur Rawte! ye tumne apni shirt par kya lagaya hai? hatao ise, it’s distracting me!

Arjun looked down and saw a red rose clip stuck on it. He removes it and glances at Riya. She looks at him apologetically. Yet, he slips it into his shirt pocket before following Rathore.

Riya mv “are hair clip kaun confiscate karta hai yaar? Ajeeb admi hai. No wonder pura Department inhe khadoos bolta hai”

Shree comes up to her: ma’am…

Riya: are tum bhi shuru ho gaye

Shree: matlab?

Riya: Chotu beta, zara apne dost ko thoda gyaan dijiye

Chotu chuckles: uska naam Riya hai

Shree: ha mujhe pata hai…

Riya: toh naam use karo na, ye common noun kyun use kar rahe ho? tum bhi na Shree! main zara change karke aati hun

ETF Office-

Interrogation and investigation reveal two other names. One, Joy, Kanika’s boyfriend with whom she had had a fight a week earlier. When Riya and Chotu go to check on him they come to know that he is missing for a few days. No one knows where he is.

The second, Rajesh, from her hometown, Jaipur. He had been continuously calling and harassing her. In fact, he had met her a week before and had a fight with her as well. While Shree worked on getting his address through the phone company the team tried to delve into other possibilities.

Chotu: sir hum Rajesh ke baare mein pata toh kar rahe hai lekin party mein woh toh tha hi nahi aur khooni guests mein se hai toh kaun? Sabke paas alibi’s hai

Arjun: jiske paas bhi uska scarf hai

Rathore: what?

Arjun stands up and points to a photograph: ye tasveer 12:25 ko li gayi jisme usne ye pink scarf pehna hai aur 5 minute baad uske murder ke time, woh scarf gayab hai...

Rathore: oh please Rawte, ek scarf ke peeche tum kila mat banao, rakha hoga usne yaha waha, koi badi baat nahi hai

Riya went into thought: lekin usne woh scarf pehna hi kyun hai? uski dress blue hai, match bhi nahi hota. Agar usne sirf raaste mein cover karne ke liye ya fir thand ke wajah se toh gale par is tareeke se kyun bandha hai aur party mein aane ke baad nikala kyun nahi? in 5 minute mein achanak nikalne ka man kyun hua aur agar nikala toh kahi par toh rakha hoga aur uske marne ke baad police ne flat seal kar diya toh hume kyun nahi mila? agar nahi nikala toh fir jisne bhi use dhaka diya ya chadhaya, definitely usike haath mein ulajh gaya hoga

Hearing no response, she looks around to find everyone staring at her in bewilderment. Arjun alone looks amused.

Arjun sips his tea: itni si baat ko itna lamba karne ke liye thank you Riya

Riya: lekin usne woh scarf pehna kyun hai?

Rathore: Riya!

She cowers: sorry

He shakes his head in disbelief mv “women!”

Arjun: Rajesh ke saath jhagde mein haatha paayi hui thi (pointing to her body) uske gale par nishaan ko chupaane ke liye

Her face lights up on the explanation: lekin fir bhi, matching kyun nahi pehna?

Now he glared at her as well. She lowered her gaze. Shree and Chotu giggle silently.

Shree: sir, Rajesh ka pata chal gaya

The seriousness in the atmosphere returns.

Rathore: chalo Jaipur!.................................