ArHi FF! The Cult [Completed] - Page 71

Chapter 20:

"You knew your assailant," Keith says, not looking into Khushi's eyes. Of everyone, he seems to be most disappointed. He had stuck up an immediate repertoire with her and now things are corroding at the edges.

"I do...I mean did," she corrects herself. Keith looks up from his notebook and searches her face for some sort of repentance but finds none. After sharing what Deshmukh and I found about Khushi's community and Ranvir in process, we had revisited every bit of evidence we had gathered.

"But you didn't tell us."

"I didn't think it was important."

"That isn't for you to decide," Keith hisses. "It's almost as if you don't want us to solve the murders." I want to warn him, tell him to stop going that route but he isn't speaking anything outside what I have been feeling since the moment truth about Ranvir was unveiled.

Betrayed.

"No..." She falters, eyes wide and feeling helpless. "That's not...no, that isn't why I didn't mention. I honestly didn't think it was connected." She chances a look at me and I keep my face neutral. Keith is leading this interview, not me and I respect this temporary chain of command.

"I really want to believe you Khushi but this isn't the first time you have withheld information from us. If Shyam hadn't recognized the composite sketch, we still would be groping in the dark."

Khushi exhales loudly. "My life has always been in danger and I manage to escape from the mouth of danger at the nick of time. So I thought this was similar-"

"Have you killed anyone before?" I interject. My patience is over and so are my Nicorette gums. Temporary chain of command is flushed.

Khushi staggers for a moment. Shaking her head, she replies. "No."

"So this is the first time you are defending yourself and you don't hesitate to eviscerate a man." I am tired of this hypocritical bullshit. "You aren't an idiot. There was an attack on me and now there is an attack on you. Reason: we are poking in the right places. You are helping the cops for which there was some retribution. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. You lied about the whole incident."

Keith looks at me, admonishing my tone while Khushi pales. "I am honestly not lying here. This isn't the first time Ranvir has threatened me. It's almost a once a month ritual for past decade. I thought this was the same - try to convince to move on from my current lifestyle and he would give me the power he believes I deserve."

"What went wrong?" I ask. My fingertips are tingling. There is a buzz in my ears and restlessness creeps in. I wonder idly if I should heed Anjali's advice and consider some hypnotherapy for nicotine addiction. Some psychological mumbo jumbo may cheat my brain into thinking something else thus reducing the craving for heat in my lungs.

I miss that the most.

"He pulled a weapon on me. It was a ceremonial knife," she replies. This whole ritualistic nonsense is getting annoying. I almost miss cold blood murder by guns. "He was here to deliver a message to you via me."

"What did he tell you?" I am intrigued. I still don't know if she is telling the truth or spinning a story worth writing. I ask anyway.

She chuckles mirthlessly. "He would have left it only body Arnav. They believe in communicating via writing on skin. He would have carved it on my skin slowly and then would have killed me. It would be a warning to you."

"But you told me once that the cult leaves you alone as long as you remain...oh..." Now I understand. Khushi nods her head.

"What is it?" Keith asks, confused.

I am too jittery to sit down and explain. I start to pace, my mind busily putting things together. There have been too many gaping holes in this story and this has gone far too long.

"The cult had hope that one day Khushi would join them. But the scales were tipped when she started helping us and working against them." I bit out.

"They didn't attack me viciously before was because they believe as high priestess I hold authority over the entire community. In olden days high priestess held knowledge unknown to anyone else. The knowledge isn't written anywhere and it's the right of passage for the new high priestess of the clan." Khushi explains further.

"I still don't understand." Keith slams the notebook on table. Khushi and I exchange a small smile.

"The cult believes that they need a high priestess to be complete. They kept me alive in hope that I would change one day - with or without my consent." Khushi shrugs.

"And they don't need a high priestess?" Keith ponders aloud. I look at Khushi, intrigued.

Khushi shakes her head and chuckles. "There never really was a rule that it has to be a woman. We have had both men and women as priest or priestess in the clan. Thankfully my father forgot to mention them this tiny piece of info."

"And you killed Ranvir because...?" Keith still isn't satisfied with Khushi's answers.

Neither am I.

"As I mentioned before, I had to kill him to save my life. Keith, these people aren't joking around. They will do everything in their power to stop us from finding about them. Remember Keith, they aren't dime a dozen Sadhus with just fancy ashrams and thousands of followers. They are secretive, ambitious and crave for power than popularity. It isn't easy to uproot such a thing that easily if their legacy of last three decades is anything to go by." Khushi replies.

There is uneasy silence in the room. I am far too gone to go back and it isn't in my nature to turn my back against atrocities of men who think that they can alleviate over the rest of the population with hedonistic attitude and blasphemous moral code.

"I need a smoke." The interview is far from being over but we don't want to continue further. I leave Keith and Khushi alone in the interrogation room and walk out.

I hear Keith's faint "I still don't believe you" followed by a reverberated slam of the door.

Last night Venkat gave us a list of names and addresses - people who can tell me what the f**k has been going on in the city for decades. It feels like a war has been going on for ages and someone decided to push me right in the middle of it.

I first have to figure out on which side Khushi is.

Eep

Edit: dude did you see that?? I am first to respond!!!! Eep indeed ;D

Ok now I am starting to see what Khushi is all about, but Arnav is right to be suspicious.

But for Khushi I think that she has been isolated her whole life, why should she start trusting people so quickly, if I put myself in her shoes, I would see Arnav & co as representatives of those in high places of power no matter how innocent or rightful their path isEdited by aysh05 - 10 years ago

Wow! another update !!

Has the cult come to know that  Khushi is not required?  Or was only Ranvir privy to this knowledge,  so khushi killed him to avoid spread of this information.

wow!!! another one...are we going back to the good old days of an update everyday by RB???

2 back to back updates...WOW
Sorry 4 not commenting on last part...i was out on vacations
Part 19: awsome update
              ranvir's entry came as a surprize n his relation with khushi was shocking
              Like arnav i too feel a little betrayed...actually i m unable to decide to trust khushi or not anymore
Part 20: another rocking update
              Keith interrogating kgushi was awesome n his questions were bang on
              This whole mess is getting more n more dirty n confusing
              Khushi's intentional or unintentional habit of keeping things to herself is getting on my nerves now
              I jst hope khushi is saying the truth now
              Like arnav i also want to find out soon abt khushi is on which side

Now waiting for next update
plzzz plzzz keep thus pace of updating goin
n welcome back once again
update soon

RB, I am loving the fast and furious pace of the updates!  You are back alright!  This is very interesting tidbit that they don't need a woman priestess so Kushi becomes dispensable to the clan.  So Ranvir knew this and wanted to kill her?  Is the sadhu her father or not?  If he is, I can see why she would be in the daze after the murder, I.e. Realizing that her dad wants her dead.  But I don't think he is though.  I am with the cops, they need to figure out whose side Kushi is in order to see if she is helping or hindering.  I personally think she wants an end to the crimes without exposing her people.  Thus she may be conflicted in how she 'helps'.  

Another update and I am not complaining...you have to see the smile to believe it.

The fact the head priest's gender is not an issue shows Khushi may not be required for the task the cult has taken up. The questioning was interesting and then it gave no answers and I too wonder which side is Khushi on?

Khushi is withholding information at every instant. Keith and Arnav's disillusionment with her is not unjustified. She claims to help them but still isn't forthcoming.

The whole interrogation scene was interesting but it didn't reveal much except Khushi"s reluctance , unreliability and the fact that the cult can have a male priest too.

Arnav's addiction is taking the better of him. His restlessness was palpable throughout the interrogation.

If Khushi killed for the first time how can she be so brutal. It appeared like some practiced killer's doing.

Thank you for the fast update.

Wow...its raining updates..not that I mind...A big thank you for giving us back to back updates..coming to the update, the whole interrogation scene is brilliantly written...I still cannot figure out khushi..she is an enigma...I'm done with thinking now I'll just wait for u to unfold this whole mystery... A hearty thanks n 🤗 .