Chapter 4 : The Moment of Truth Matured

Trigger warning : Mention of molestation, Dead body

Chapter 4 : The Moment of Truth

About an hour later, Riya reached the ETF. Shree looked at her entering her cubicle and followed her as something felt off. 

“Ri!” He greeted her with a smile which turned into a frown as he saw her swollen eyes and red nose. “Kya hua?”

“Kuch nahi.” She put her bag aside. 

“Bata na!” He nudged her side.

Riya took a deep breath and sat on the chair. “I met Arjun sir's wife. She- she's so pretty, bold and beautiful. Of course sir doesn't look at me or anyone else. Why would he? I've been so stupid. Why did I get a crush on him.” 

“That's sad but why didn't we know about it? Maana ke humne 6 mahine pehle hi ETF join kiya hai but batana chahiye tha na sir ne.” Shree pouted.

“I don't know what reason he has but hoga kuchh.. nevermind. There's something else that's bothering me more.” 

“Kya hua?” Chotu walked in. “Tu Deeya ka statement lene gayi thhi na.”

“Haan.” Riya nodded. “Sir ne bola tha ki unn drugs ki wajah se uski tabiyat thik nahi hai but abhi main gayi toh, wo bilkul thik thi. Thodi weakness lag rahi thi chehre pe, but she looked fine. What's bothering me is her statement. She's clearly leaving out important details.” She pulled out her tablet and played the audio recording. 

“Iss ko sunn kar ek baat toh clear hai,” Shree pondered. “Kuchh toh chhoot raha hai.” He rubbed his fingers imitating Arjun.

“Shree!” Riya chided him. “Let's go to the conference room and discuss. Sir bhi aate hi honge.”

The trio settled in their chairs and Sameer walked, greeting them. “Hello team! How have you been?” 

“We are good sir. How was your trip?” Chotu asked. 

Riya looked at the chief, he looked happier than usual. Her eyes fell in his hand, a plain diamond ring on it. “Congratulations on your engagement, sir!”

“Engagement?” Sameer frowned, looking at his hand. “Oh no, this is my wedding ring. I forgot to take it off.” 

“Matlab aapki bhi shaadi ho gayi hai? Hume ye pata hi nahi tha.” Shree pouted.

“Meri bhi? Aur kiski huyi hai?” Sameer looked at the three who looked just as confused. 

“Arjun sir?” Riya said, her voice was doubtful. 

Sameer chuckled, “Who told you that?”

Riya looked at him, trying to understand what was happening. “I went to his house and met his wife.”

“Who?”

Riya felt that Sameer was probably teasing her. “Sir, Deeya introduced her, umm Roshni, as Mrs. Arjun Rawte.

Sameer chuckled again, “Of course! Bola hoga usne, ye meri bhabhi hai.” He imitated her tone. 

Riya’s eyes widened. “That's exactly what she said. Aapko kaise pata?”

“She's been saying it for two years. Lekin ye dono pata nahi kis muhurat ke intezar mei hai.”

“Rathore? Tum kab aaye?” Arjun walked in, greeting his buddy.

“Thodi der pehle. How's everything?”

“Not good.” Arjun said. 

Sameer patted his back, “We'll get through it, together.” he assured. “Chotu, do cutting mangwa do.” Sameer sat down, scrutinising the case files. 

About an hour later, after going through the case details the ETF team sat together to discuss their theories.

“Sir,” Shree began, “I feel this has something to do with the drugs. Like, the people Yash has been getting his drugs from, might have felt that he's being a liability and tried to kill him off, maybe through the bartender or through Sumit. Might be a third person entirely but drugs are involved.” He paused for a moment. “Or, Yash was planning to expose his friends and they killed him before he could do that.”

“Seems plausible.” Sameer thought out loud. Arjun nodded.

“Sumit ne hi Yash ko maara ho, iska chance toh mujhe bhi lag raha hai.” Chotu added. “Even during his interrogation, he was giving answers jaise wo ratt ke aaya ho, use pata hai ki kis sawal ka kya jawab dena hai,” he paused to look at Arjun. “And my informers have told me that last week too, they drugged another girl and she's still missing. I've asked them to keep an eye out.” 

“That sounds like they have a history of this behaviour, bring in their other friends and ask them.” Sameer said.

“Yes sir.” Chotu answered. 

“I have a feeling that it's related to the MLA, someone is trying to get revenge from him. Underworld threats?” Arjun reasoned. 

“That's possible too. Ek murder ke itne motives aur potential killers, it's a lot shadier than we expected.” Sameer said.

“Sir,” Riya looked at Sameer and Arjun, “I have a slightly different theory. Please listen to it objectively, before reacting.” 

“Bolo.” Sameer said.

"I know it's difficult to believe, but Deeya isn't who she appears to be. There's more to her than meets the eye." Riya's tone was urgent yet composed. “What if she's the perpetrator, not the victim?”

“Riya! How dare you say that?” Arjun seethed in anger . Sameer walked over to Arjun. “Let Riya put forth her theory, Rawte, it is part of the case, nothing personal.” Arjun tried to protest but Sameer blinked his eyes slowly, asking him to stay calm. “Apni baat khatam karo, Riya.” Sameer nodded at Riya.

Riya leaned forward, her eyes intent on convincing her theory. "Sir, what if Deeya's grief has driven her to seek vengeance? What if her parents didn't die in an accident, but were murdered by the MLA? And what if Yash's death was orchestrated by Deeya herself, to frame the MLA and avenge her parents' deaths?"

"But why would she do such a thing?" Chotu questioned, his voice tinged with doubt.

"Because she's desperate for justice," Riya replied. "Desperate enough to manipulate those closest to her, including Arjun sir and his family. The drug she took was to prove herself a victim, and a pawn in her game to evade suspicion."

Arjun's hands curled into fists, his knuckles turned white as he struggled to fight his anger. "Do you have any proof, Riya? To support these accusations and speculation." Sameer asked. 

"I'm following the evidence, sir. And it's leading me straight to Deeya. The way she answered in her statement, concealing more details than she revealed, her casual approach, her attitude to a person's death. The presence of her bracelet and broken glass bearing her lip-prints. All of it suggests her involvement. And if she's really innocent, why did she answer the questions only in the presence of her lawyer? Why would an innocent person need a lawyer?" Riya spoke intently.

Arjun counted backwards to calm himself down. If this was being said about an outsider, he would've accepted it. But his Deeya, no. She's not the kind who could do this, he was sure of it. Arjun gulped a glass of water and sat down on his chair. “Theory toh tumhari bahot achhi hai, Riya.” He took another deep breath, “but I'll give you some information. Deeya’s parents were killed in a drunken driving accident around 15 years ago. The driver was blackout drunk and it was an open and shut case. The driver is still in jail, I can provide you with the details of him, as well. About this being a revenge, Deeya doesn't hold grudges against anyone. And us going to that club was not planned. In fact, I chose that club, she didn't. Lastly, if she were to take a drug herself, it would be a simple one that wouldn't have lasting effects, not something that renders her blind, paralysed or dead. She would also have an antidote for it. So, your theory doesn't stand in light of these facts.” Arjun walked out of the room. 

Sameer looked at Riya. He wondered if what Riya just said was incredibly brave or really stupid, she accused Arjun's beloved sister for a crime and almost got away with it. Had it been some other person, they would be six feet underground before Arjun provided an explanation. 

~

“Deeya,” Roshni sat beside her. “Mujhe tumse poora sach jaanna hai, tell me everything that happened, every single thing that you remember.” Her voice was gentle yet stern. 

“Sunshine, I've already told everything I remember.” Deeya voiced softly.

Roshni sighed. “Deeya, I am a criminal lawyer. I can tell when my clients are telling the truth and when they're leaving out details. And if you're worried about Ajun knowing things, I won't tell him, if it's not important or relevant, trust me.” She held her hand. 

“It's not like that bhabhi. I really don't remember.” 

Did he molest you? Roshni asked directly. Deeya's eyes widened. Roshni registered the quick reaction and sighed. “He touched you and you don't want your brother to know about it. Right?” 

Deeya took a deep breath. “That's not what happened, really. 

We were dancing, when you called Dau, so he left. I was on the floor, enjoying my favourite song, when I felt someone tried to touch me. My hand. I ignored it, considering it was a dance floor. But then it happened again and this time he touched my shoulder, I held his hand and politely asked him not to touch me again. I turned around to face him and he- he grabbed my waist and pulled me close, saying something in my ears. I was too angry and shocked at his audacity to react so I simply went back to the bar and ordered another drink. I thought he would leave me alone there as I saw the camera was directly facing us there. While I was having my drink, he came again and introduced himself, which I ignored. I felt something was off with the drink and thought of throwing up, so I went to the washroom. I poured the drink out and tried to throw up but felt numb on the inside. Then I felt someone behind me and before I could react, I felt a strong grip on my boobs. I froze, in fear, anger and disgust. I freed myself from his grip, and pushed him away. He grabbed my hand and tried to pull me again. I slipped my hand and ran outside. My vision started to get blurry and I felt like I saw Dau near the bar counter. I quickly went to him and asked him to take me home. I wanted to run away and hide in a corner.” Deeya sobbed. 

Roshni quickly wiped her own tears and held Deeya in her arms. “I understand why you didn't want to share this with Arjun. He would blame himself for leaving you alone for those few minutes.” She knew he was already blaming himself for her condition. “Deeyu, do you think that when you pushed him, he could be gravely injured?”

Deeya shook her head. “No, I remember he stumbled a few steps back and came forward again. He might've followed me out even, I didn't pay attention but I know he didn't even fall. I didn't have that strength, my body was starting to feel numb. I'm glad I left when I did because if it had been another few minutes, I wouldn’t be here.” Deeya felt a pit in her stomach at the thought. “Bhabhi. Promise me, please, you won't share any of this with dau, or aai, baba. Please, I don't want them worrying about me.”

“You are really strong Deeyu. I won't tell them anything. And if there's another round of questioning, please remember what you said earlier and repeat it. Anything else, you don't remember.” 

“I wish I really couldn't remember any of this.”

Roshni consoled her, gently stroking her hair.

__

“Sir!” Chotu looked at Sameer and Arjun, “We've found a dead body. It's the girl that was missing.” 

ETF team reached the house that was filled with stench. The neighbours complained of the odour. 

“She's been dead for at least one day.” Riya said. The girl looked like she was peacefully asleep, some bruises on her hands and feet suggested she was tied up.  

“Lab le jao isse.” Sameer ordered. 

Arjun moved around the house, gathering evidence. 

Chotu walked up to him, “Sir, mere informer ne bataya hai ki ye ghar MLA ki benami property mei se ek hai.”

“Neighbours ne bataya ki yahan aksar kuch youngsters ate rehte hai, Yash aur Sumit ki photo ko ek do logon ne pehchana bhi hai.” Riya briefed,

“Iss MLA ke Ghar ka search warrant nikalo aur use bulao, interrogation ke liye.” Arjun said. 

~

Arjun, Sameer and Chotu thoroughly interrogated the bartender-Luke and Sumit. After hours of grilling, they finally confessed killing Yash.

“Sir” Sumit whispered in pain, “mujhe koi shouk nahi tha apne dost ko maarne ka, lekin uske papa Dinesh ne hume 5 crore rupaye diye thhe aur kaha ki wo Zinda nahi bachna chahiye. Jab wo ladki washroom se bahar aayi toh Maine dekha ki unn dono ka kuch jhagda hua tha, Yash bahot gusse mein tha. Maine chloroform dekar use behosh kiya aur kaafi baar zor zor se uska sar deewar pe patak ke use maar diya. Phir maine Luke se kehkar uss stall pe out of order wali sign laga di aur bahar se band kar ke hum employees wali exit se bahar aa gaye. Iss sab ke peeche Dinesh uncle ka haath hai.”

~

Arjun and Sameer reached the lavish bungalow of MLA Dinesh Rajput. 

"Mr. Rajput, let's not beat around the bush," Sameer began, his voice edged with authority. "We have found the culprits of your son Yash's murder. They have confessed you paid them. Do you agree about your involvement?"

Rajput's lips curled into a knowing smirk, a glint of defiance dancing in his eyes. "Involved? Oh, that's putting it mildly. I orchestrated the whole damn thing."

The officers exchanged a wary glance, taken aback by Rajput's brazen admission. "And may we ask why?" Sameer inquired, his tone laced with incredulity.

"Why?" Dinesh chuckled, leaning back in his chair with an air of superiority. "Because Yash was a hindrance, a liability. He lacked ambition, wasted his time doing drugs and girls. I couldn't have him tarnishing my reputation like that. Also, he wasn't really my flesh and blood either, my wife cheated on me and lied to me for all these years. I wanted to teach her a lesson too. Anyways it's election season and his death gives me sympathy votes as well."

His callousness sent a shiver down Sameer's spine, but Arjun remained stoic, his gaze unwavering.

"So, you hired someone to take care of him?" Arjun pressed, his voice steady despite the turmoil roiling within.

"Precisely," Dinesh affirmed with chilling nonchalance. "That bartender Luke and his friend Sumit. They made it look like an accident. It was good that your girl was there, we put in evidences to prove her guilty or that's what my lawyers would be preparing for. Since I wasn't sure how much she knew, I had asked them to make sure she's dead too."

Arjun clenched his fists. Sameer struggled to contain his disbelief, his mind reeling at the depth of Dinesh’s depravity. "You feel no remorse for what you've done?"

"Remorse?" Dinesh scoffed, his smirk widening. "Please. Yash's demise was a necessary sacrifice for the greater good. My good."

Arjun exchanged a knowing glance with Sameer, a silent acknowledgement passing between them. They had delved into the heart of darkness, confronting a man devoid of conscience, consumed by his lust for power.

"Well, Mr. Dinesh Rajput," Arjun declared, his voice tinged with a steely resolve. "It seems you've made your position quite clear."

Dinesh leaned back in his chair, unperturbed by the weight of his actions. "Indeed I have, Arjun saheb. And I'm not afraid to face the consequences. After all, in politics, one must be prepared to get their hands dirty. But don't you worry, I will pay the lawyers and the judge and nobody will ever know the truth. If you don't want to pay the price, leave this case as it is."

With a final, chilling smirk, Dinesh Rajput had his guards escort Arjun and Sameer out of his house. 

--

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