Phone
The sunrays fell on his face and he closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts. A phone call woke him up at dawn and he has been awake since. It has been about 4 months since he came home from his mission. The woman in his arms was currently sleeping, snuggling deeper into his chest because the rays fell on her face. Ranveer had to admit that the current mission was the most complicated one of all. A serial killer was on the loose and it was difficult to track him down. He couldn't tell Priyanka about him, afraid that she would have nightmares, worry sick and probably not even leave the house. He couldn't do that to her. The harsh reality was, no matter what happens life goes on. He always tried to not let his professional life merge too much with her personal life, afraid it will create complications for his little family. He had his own demons haunting his dreams - the culprits he had put behind the bar could be free and come back to destroy more lives including his little family's. However, the last time he was out of the city was the first time he was scared for his own life. He couldn't share the reason behind with Priyanka. She and Ayaan formed his little home, where he could confide in, feel safe in. He couldn't let anything destroy his little home, no matter what happened.
He could still remember the look in the killer's eyes. It resembled those of a wild animal's, ready to attack its prey. He remembers how he charged at him at a lightening speed with a knife in his hand, Ranveer had dodged the attack but the killer was smarter, and stabbed him from behind. Randhawa had caught his hands on time, which slashed his palm in the process. The ACP was bleeding and he knew that he needed to injure the killer bad enough to making him unable to attack. So he kicked him hard and killer coiled on the ground as Ranveer got back on his feet. It was a miracle that Shinde had made it on time and shot the man near both his thighs, causing him to clutch both his legs and growl in pain. Ranveer had managed to get him arrested, or so he thought, until today. The killer managed to set himself free. Here he was, thinking that he got the killer imprisoned and that his last case was the longest one where he spent staying late for nights. How wrong he was! His last case was a success, albeit complicated and he silently thanked his little ladylove, because if it wasn't for her, he probably wouldn't have slept at all. However, what about the case that made a rebound and now was back in his hands again? Ranveer and his team had been trying to locate the man down for 7 years and had failed each time. Unfortunately, this time as well. Ranveer let out a breath. He was never scared of injuries but during his last mission, Priyanka's face flashed before his eyes and Ayaan's smile, pulling at his heartstrings. He had to go back to his little family no matter the cost. Ranveer knows that if he failed to get this killer arrested now, he surely would come back. Even more cautiously than last time.
He shuddered thinking how much it would have affected Priyanka. The killer was a rather slimy one, always giving his victims a bloodied tattoo right near the collarbone, after slitting their throats. No one knew who the killer was and the case had been driving him insane for the past 3 years. His last victim was barely hanging onto her life when Ranveer and his team reached her. The only words she uttered were "man," "scar," "eyes." There were many speculations about what the killer looked like. Some said that he resembled the joker from Batman; some said that he would change his look, making it hard for police to track him down. On one occasion he pretended to be a businessman, a very charming one at that from a well-known company. He had successfully made fake documents and an employee account to make his victim believe his words. The killer was a psychopath and was dangerous to everyone including himself.
Ranveer honestly had felt lost; the killer had a notorious reputation for not leaving clues behind and for being extremely smooth enough not to be caught. He would deactivate all cameras before he carried out any attack making it impossible to track him. Ranveer felt extremely frustrated. However, after the killer - Tattoo Monster as people called him, attacked his last victim, Ranveer had some clue, or so he thought. Even though he himself was attacked there was no guarantee that the killer really looked like how he had last seen him - as a monk near a Pipal tree, but those eyes! How could he forget those eyes! He could cover the colors of his eyes with contact lenses but not the look in this those eyes. Ranveer pulled Priyanka closer to him, an unknown fear slowly rippling inside his chest.
He heard his little wife yawn and saw her stretching one of her arms before she muttered a "good morning," planting a soft kiss on his cheek. He t smiled at her. He would do anything to protect his little queen, no matter what happens. He wished her a good morning before kissing her forehead, feeling all his worries fading. It amazed him how much he loved her, he never really knew that he was capable of loving someone that much. She got up, and put her hair in a messy bun. Ranveer stared at her, a soft smile adorning his lips before he got up himself. He extended his hand, an indication that Priyanka takes it, which she did after she put her bunny slippers on which Ranveer was thought adorkably cute. They both had freshened up; Ranveer being the first one while Priyanka went in to take a warm shower. The man thought that he would make breakfast today, for no special occasion, just because he wanted to.
He poured the chai in his ceramic cup and the minion mug Priyanka had since she was 14. He chuckled to himself, his heart filling with warmth at his wife's childlike innocence.
Priyanka tip toed towards Ranveer and hugged his waist from behind, and heard him chuckle for the latter was very much aware of his wife's antics but pretended not to notice them. He turned around and said "let's have breakfast now shall we?" before he kissed the tip of her nose and sat down on his chair. It was around 7 am, and Ayaan was still asleep with Laksh and Rudra. Ranveer had to admit that from the 3 Oberoi brothers, Rudra was his favorite. Underneath all that flamboyant charm, he was a kind and sensitive person with a heart of gold. He cared for his sister enough wanting to protect her but understanding enough to respect her choices. When Ayaan was born Rudra had been the first one to know and the look is his eyes said that his love and happiness knew no bounds. Ranveer had to admit that Rudra had always thought of Ayaan and Laksh as s his own, and so did Soumya. If worst comes to worst, Ranveer knew that Priyanka had a lot of people in her life that loved her limitlessly.
Priyanka searched his face and waved her hands in front of his eyes, trying to catch his attention. He snapped out of his trance and smiled at her, not letting his monsters scare him with the news he received earlier from Shinde about the killer escaping from prison despite the tight security he made sure is arranged. He couldn't tell Priyanka what was going on, especially when 2 of her favorite people were somehow tied into the mess - himself and Ayaan.
They had a peaceful breakfast because the kids of the family were still asleep. The duo chatted about a million of different things, from an incident from their childhood to any funny workplace incident.
Ranveer tried to keep the air light and happy, not letting his fears show on his face for Priyanka would know he was hiding something from her. He looked at the clock and decided that he was getting late for work.
He took a warm shower, letting the water wash away his exhaustion and worries. He sighed, clenching his fists. He needed a plan. He had to talk to Shinde and the Commissioner. This case was the biggest challenge of his life - professional life wise. He put a white shirt on, perfectly tucked in to his black pants, along with his suspenders, paired with pair of Oxfords and his hair was sleeked back. He came out of the room, but not before he put on his trench coat for it was pretty chilly outside.
Ranveer went inside the kitchen; Priyanka's was now in a pink oversized sweater, white pyjamas and her ever famous bunny slippers. He thought she looked gorgeous even now. She walked towards him upon noticing him; tip toeing to give him a chaste kiss on his lips, before saying goodbye. She and Ayaan were currently on a vacation for their school was closed. She hummed her favorite tune as she put the pieces of paneer on a pan to lightly fry them for her Paneer Butter Masala. She and Ranveer liked the crispiness of the paneer with the flavorful smooth gravy.
Ranveer was on his laptop, deep in thought. How did the killer escape? He needed to find out. "Shinde," he called out. "I need all the security footages from the prison, I need to check the cell the killer was in and I also need to know who the guard was last night. Right. Now" he said.
"His name is Samrat Khuarana, he used to be a professor at UCLA 20 years ago." "He used to be a brilliant student at one point," said the man in front of Ranveer, then continued "he graduated at 18 from Harvard," his eyes filling with tears. "He came back from Canada 10 years ago, then joined Delhi University. One day, I knocked on his door, because it was getting way past his lecture time; he needed to be at the university on time as his department was supposed to have a meeting, but no one answered. Then my brother, Shasant had to break in. He was gone. It has been 10 years since he is missing sir," said the man and sniffed. Ranveer furrowed his eyebrows deep in thought. Is it a coincidence that the killings started right after the said professor went missing? Was the self-proclaimed best friend hiding something from Ranveer? "Look Mr. Singh, we promise you that we will try out best, we shall leave no stone unturned," Ranveer said, his voice filled with assurance. The middle aged man looked up at him, and finally smiled. "Thank you ACP, thank you very much. I shall be forever grateful to you if you can find Samrat," he said.
Ranveer sipped his coffee, straight up espresso with no milk and sugar as he studied the documents in his hands. He rubbed his head, his frustration rising every second. Why did his instinct say that these two cases are linked? Could the killer be the kidnapper of the missing professor?
Gender: Male
Current Age: 55 (approx.)
Height: 6 feet
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Green
Marital status: widowed
Profession: Former Biology Professor at UCLA
Former Biology Professor at McGill
Biology Professor at Delhi University
Missing since 2007
Ranveer looked down at the photo and frowned. The photo looked pretty old - at least 30 years old. How come this famous professor had no photos whatsoever on any of the university websites? There had to be something, lectures, and conferences that could give him some clue about what the man looked like currently. He looked at the photo again, this time very closely trying to figure out if he looked anything like the killer or not. He backed away and huffed. They sure didn't look similar. Then again, the killer was notorious for being a genius at makeovers.
He looked at his watch. He needed to get home soon. It was getting late. So, he packed his bag, took copies of the documents and told Shinde "take copies of these documents home and study them closely, ask Aamir to do the same." Aamir was a member of Ranveer's team, courtesy of the Commissioner. The latter insisted that in the worst case scenario, Central Bureau of Investigation will come to his aid. Ranveer thanked the commissioner and promised to track this hunter down. Not only because he was a threat to his little family and his nation but also because he could potentially become a threat to the world. "Serial killers traversing the globe in search for new victim is not new" he told Shinde. "Tomorrow, we will be visiting the missing professor's family and the University of Delhi," he said, his eyes holding a determined glint.
Ranveer knocked on the front door and was greeted by his wife, her hair in a loose ponytail and she in her PJs. She gave him a tight hug, which he returned, feeling his stress melt away. It has been a long and exhausting day for him and now he finally felt relaxed. She pulled away and closed the door. "Dinner is ready, go freshen up!" she exclaimed. He chuckled and asked "where's our little hero?" to which Priyanka replied that he was out with Rudra and Laksh. She didn't forget to add that Ayaan would be staying with Laksh, Rudra and Soumya for 2 weeks. Ranveer was surprised that Prityanka, being the mother bear she is, actually let her cub out for a bit like that. He was actually quite impressed. He smiled at her, letting her know that he didn't mind at all to which her reaction was smile filled gratitude. Parenting isn't easy and Ayaan being the first child the duo ever had, it felt ever harder to them. They were a team and knew that they had to stick together no matter what.
He freshened up and went inside their dining area, the air filling with the smell of aloo masala curry. The duo ate as they chatted about their day, Ranveer carefully skipping the serial killer part. He couldn't tell her about it. There were things he had witnessed as a police officer that was probably best left untouched.
Priyanka noticed the look on his face as they were lying down and could tell that something was bothering him. Ranveer was excellent at concealing his emotions but with Priyanka it was different. It's like she could see through his thick wall and could tell when something was wrong. So, she scooted closer to him and asked "Ranveer, is everything ok?" her voice filling with concern. He turned towards her and smiled "Everything is cool. Don't worry about it" he said. She was scared; Ranveer was definitely hiding something. He noticed the look on her face and said "babydoll, it's ok. Please don't worry about anything. I am fine and I am right in front of you" as he pulled her closer, her head on his chest and one of his arms draped around her. She knew when to break down his wall and when to back off. Priyanka knew that as a police officer, he had to witness things that people never had to. There were things his profession forced him to swore to secrecy from time to time and Priyanka couldn't tell him to explain those to her. She suddenly spoke out, "no matter what it is. Know that I am here for you. Please Ranveer, if there's anything eating you up, keeping you awake and giving you nightmares tell me. You're not alone in this." Ranveer looked at her, his eyes holding the limitless love he had for her, now accompanied with gratitude, as he said "I know that love. I will. Now, go to sleep. You had a long day and we both need sleep." He pulled her closer and she snuggled in, trying to fall asleep.
Suddenly their phone rang and Priyanka woke up for she was not asleep. The woman was confused; who could call so late at night? She looked at Ranveer and he was in deep slumber. So, she slowly got out of his embrace and reached for the phone, which was on his side, careful not to wake him up. Priyanka answered the phone but no one replied from the other side. There was a faint sound of someone breathing. So, she cut the call, assuming that it was some creep trying to get on the duo's nerves. She went back in Ranveer's arms and he pulled her close. She finally dosed off.
The duo was sleeping peacefully, unaware of the man at a phone booth, a few blocks away, suddenly flashing a sinister smile. "Well, well, looks like the ACP doesn't live by himself" he said as he came out in the dark and cold night, the streetlamp flashing on his face, causing his eyes to glow - one green and one black, holding a murderous glare.
Kumkum Bhagya
Anupamaa
