IPKKND FF:Justice Comes At A Price[Epilogue Upd!] - Page 17

"Sharma, any news from the forensic department?"

"Yes sir. Cause of death is poisoning by strychnine."

"I see."

Inspector Kashyap nodded his head gravely. It had been forty eight hours since the body had been discovered but they had still not found any trace of any poison. And strychnine was not something that could be hidden from view for a very long time. They were bound to stumble on to it sooner or later.

For now he would have to wait for Shyam's personal case file to come into his hands. He decided to call up the Superintendent and make a special request for a search warrant for that particular file.

...

"Payal! I don't want you to associate with this man anymore. Your Bhaiya was very much against this relationship and I will not allow you to dishonor his wishes!"

Payal looked at Anjali with angry and accusing eyes. She had always been very understanding towards her. Why then was she being so mean to her now?

"But Bhabhi, you know how I feel about Akash. How can you of all people say that?"

"I was wrong to have supported you in the first place Payal. I realize now that it was a mistake on my part."

Payal couldn't believe her ears. Was this really her sweet natured Bhabhi who was acting in this harsh manner? She wasn't so sure anymore. In fact, she wasn't sure of anything anymore. All that she knew was that life was being terribly unfair to her and she wasn't going to let it remain like that for too long.

Anjali watched as her sister-in-law walked out of the room, uncharacteristically angry. She felt really bad for having to speak to her in that way. But she really didn't know what to do anymore. She was lost without her husband's steady and calm nature beside her. She felt like her sense of security had been robbed of her. She missed him so much that she felt that depriving Payal of her forbidden love would somehow bring her closer to her husband.

Love made one do strange things.

...

Arnav was not a man who lingered on a particular issue for very long. His quick brain was able to register facts very fast and he could grasp the situation very well and come up with a good solution in very little time. It was no wonder that his fashion house was flourishing so much.

His thoughts kept flitting to Khushi as much as he tried to stay away from it. He remembered how they had first met. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her hair was as black as the night; her skin was so soft and fragile that a mere touch could break it. And her eyes - They were mirrors into her soul. He could read every thought that crossed her mind just by looking into those bright, sparkling orbs of hazel. And then she had gone and spoilt everything!

He halted abruptly as he saw the object of his thoughts standing in front of the living room mantel piece, head bent low and examining something intently. He went closer to her curious to find out what she was looking at in that manner. When he couldn't get a glimpse of whatever was in her hand, he called out her name.

"Khushi? What are you doing?"

Khushi literally jumped out of her skin and swiveled around to meet his eyes. He noted the faint relief that formed in her eyes as she registered that it was him standing behind her. She quickly stuffed whatever she was holding into her kurta pocket and flashed him an uncertain smile.

"N-nothing Arnav. I was just admiring the beautiful artifacts on your mantelpiece. G-great taste, I must say."

"Khushi! Wait!"

Before he could complete his statement, she had rushed out of the living room. Arnav watched her leave, puzzled and slightly irritated.

...

"Di, I'm going to sleep now. I have an important conference call tomorrow morning. I have to wake up early for it."

"Alright Chote. I'll make sure your breakfast is prepared on time. Goodnight."

Arnav smiled at his sister before walking up the staircase. His room was on the third floor and his Di's was on the ground floor. By the time he had reached the second floor, he saw a bright green patch flash in front of his eyes.

That was definitely Khushi. She had been wearing a startlingly bright green outfit today and he wondered why she was on the second floor. Akash was staying in the guest room on the third floor, while Payal stayed in his Di's room with her. NK and Parvati were using the spare rooms on the second floor and as far as he knew, she didn't know them well enough to go into their rooms for a late night chat. Plus her room was right next to his own. What was she doing on this floor then?

Curiosity got the better of him and he went towards the first room which was occupied by NK and was relieved to see that there was no one there. The attached bathroom had sounds of water splashing which confirmed that NK was taking a shower.

He went out of that room and walked cautiously towards Parvati's room. He hesitated a little in front of the door for two reasons. One being that it was a girl's room and it didn't seem right to just barge in because he thought Khushi might be there. Second being that he couldn't stand the annoying brat! She had a tendency to cling to him whenever she got a chance and boy did he hate that! He was just about to knock when he heard Parvati's voice speaking to someone on the phone. That confirmed that Khushi was definitely not in there with her.

He was about to go up to his room when he caught sight of another door.

Of course! The study! How could he have forgotten about that?

He was about to walk in when his eyes met with a startling sight.

Khushi had turned over the waste paper basket and was sifting through its contents with an unusual vigor. Her small hands deftly ran through all the items before she placed everything back where it was. She got up and came out of the room, too lost in her thoughts to notice Arnav positioned at a strategically dark corner.

His molten brown eyes burned with a strange ferocity as he tried to make sense of her bewildering actions.

...

I know it was a little short, but I really can't help it. It's difficult to drag a story like this. One thing I can promise is that this story will be finished by the end of this week!

Chapter Six - Losing It