The next day, Nitish woke up and prepared breakfast for himself and Shringar. Shringar woke up after a while and saw Nitish standing in front of her with a comforting smile.
"Good morning. Ready for the day?" he said.
Shringar nodded with a smile. She felt that she did not deserve such happiness, yet she was deeply grateful for it.
While they were eating breakfast, Nitish told Shringar that he would be coming home late that night, so she should not stay up waiting for him. Shringar agreed.
She got ready for the day, and Nitish drove her to school. Looking at the school building made her feel a little anxious.
Nitish smiled and said, "You absolutely hated school. You are a bit different from others, and that's why you don't really have friends. The teachers don't like your rebellious nature either, so you never really feel welcome there."
Shringar looked at him, but she could not remember a single thing. Still, an uncomfortable feeling was always there.
At school, the teacher welcomed Shringar back after her absence, but she could sense that it was merely out of courtesy.
Otherwise, he did not seem particularly interested.
School felt unbearably boring. There was no one to talk to. Even when she tried to speak with others, her vibe simply did not match theirs.
After school, Gaurav and Lalit showed up.
"How are you feeling?" Gaurav asked.
"I am fine. Though I was wondering whether Dorothy sent the recording to the police or not," Shringar replied.
"I brought my phone to school and chatted with her," Lalit said. "She told me she gave the recording to Officer Rani this morning. She listened to the entire thing and said she would pass it to the Deputy Superintendent later."
Shringar frowned. "That's absurd. I thought this recording required immediate action."
Lalit placed a finger on his chin. "I agree. Maybe you should contact Officer Prakash and find out what was actually happening there."
Shringar nodded.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," Gaurav said.
Shringar noticed a pamphlet in Gaurav's hand. "What is that?"
Gaurav blushed slightly. "Well… it's for an art institute. After Isha's case, I started feeling low quite often. So I thought I'd try something new. You can join too. It's not that expensive. I have another pamphlet."
He handed it to Shringar.
Lalit laughed softly. "Our Gaurav is an all-rounder when it comes to art and culture. He plays the guitar, sings well, and now this. He's been into these activities for a while and he's doing great. And Shringar, you're already good at art. It might help you feel refreshed."
Gaurav left before them.
After he was gone, Lalit turned to Shringar and asked, "Do you remember your crush?"
Shringar looked confused. "What crush?"
"You had a crush on Gaurav before this whole incident."
Shringar was shocked. "I can't believe that. I don't remember anything about it."
"Yeah, I can tell," Lalit said. "I don't think it was that serious, which is probably why you don't remember. But you used to feel bad because he had a crush on my sister, Isha."
Shringar listened, but she felt nothing.
Gaurav looked like the typical rebel of the class. He usually wore leather jackets and tight jeans. Maybe she had once liked that bad-boy aura. But now, she did not feel any attraction toward him.
If there was any hint of attraction at all, she felt it slightly toward Sanskar instead. He was completely different from Gaurav. Thinking about him made her want to see him.
In the evening, she would be going to her counseling session. She would be able to meet him there.
Later, Dr. Nitish arrived and apologized for being late. The two of them headed home.
In the car, Shringar told him about the art institute, and he agreed.
"Well, the free counseling trial is supposed to end next month," he said. "So I think it would be good for you to participate in more activities."
After freshening up, Shringar took out her phone and messaged Officer Prakash about the recording Dorothy had sent to the police.
After lunch, Shringar checked her phone, but he had not seen her message yet. Shringar thought to herself, Must be very busy.
She sat on the chair at her study table, kept the phone on it, and started doing her homework.
On the other hand, Officer Prakash was getting a scolding from DSP Rathod for not getting a single clue about Ragini Tandon by hacking into her social media account. It seemed that he was frustrated at not having found much information in this case yet and was scolding everyone for that.
A new problem had also arrived: Raghuvendra Sinha was killed last night. He had suspended the two constables who were on guard at the time.
Rathod mocked Officer Rani for taking a holiday the previous day. Her presence would have been beneficial, at least in some ways.
He also scolded Sub-Inspector Puja for being an idiot, even though she had not done anything wrong.
He wanted to scold the hackers as well, but Officer Prakash gave him a good reason not to scold them. "Sir, our failure to find anything in the social media accounts shows that this person, Ragini Tandon, might not really exist."
Everyone looked intently at Officer Prakash, and he continued, "It shows that these are fake accounts created by a person with a fake name and email ID. It is imperative for us to work on finding the real person now."
Rathod's anger went down a bit, and he said, "Still, Prakash, it does not lead to much. We have to work quickly. Talking to the witnesses and victims also did no good for us. It feels as though we are just wasting our time. Everyone! Bring out any new information that seems crucial to you."
"YES, SIR!!"
Everyone proceeded towards their chairs and started working.
Rita called Prakash, and when he picked up his phone, he noticed Shringar's message in the notification bar, but he ignored it for now and received Rita's call.
She asked, "Sir, the DSP must be very angry right now, right? Does he want to meet us as well?"
"No, I managed that part," said Officer Prakash calmly.
Rita asked, "Sir, any new orders for now?"
Officer Prakash said, "Hack into and identify the original handler behind this Ragini Tandon masquerade."
"Roger that," Rita said.
Then Officer Prakash started writing an email to Chief Varnika on the computer about adding "Swara," the "Enigma," as a clue in the case.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nitish entered Shringar's room and said, "Well, I talked to a representative at the art institute, and then I submitted your registration card by email as well. Now I got a reply that you can attend starting tomorrow."
Shringar smiled and said, "That is really good news. Thank you. Thank you very much."
Dr. Nitish smiled, and his mobile buzzed. He noticed that it was Officer Rani's message. It was written on the notification bar:
{I did not give it to them. Tell me what to do now.}
Dr. Nitish smiled at Shringar and said, "I wanted to talk more with you, Shringar, but work calls."
Shringar said, "It is alright. I have to complete my homework as well."
Nitish went back to his room.
After pressing the send button, Officer Prakash felt a bit relieved. He sent the email to the Chief. The only thing he had to do now was wait.
Sub-Inspector Puja approached Officer Prakash. He looked up and noticed that her eyes were numb.
She said, "Sir, we found out about Raghuvendra Sinha's son, Rohit Sinha. I sent that information to the DSP, but he has not given any orders about it… He just asked us to continue our work."
Officer Prakash sighed. "Sub-Inspector Puja, you are not supposed to rely on the Deputy Superintendent's orders. He will only wait for the end results or give us advice. We have to do the rest. Talk to your immediate seniors when you need orders. You will notice your colleague, Sub-Inspector Chanakya. He is usually with Officer Rani since she is his immediate senior. He always takes her orders. He only goes to the Deputy Superintendent when he needs to consult him. You should also rely on her."
Officer Prakash filled his glass with water from the jar on his table and gave it to Puja, telling her to drink it up and wash her face in the washroom.
He added, "The public relies on the police. And the police need to be strong both mentally and physically. You are a strong police officer. Always remember to take only the positive part of criticism and not the negative part. You proved to be the strongest among all of us in our department, which is why we respect you."
Sub-Inspector Puja's eyes widened, and with a smile she said, "YES, SIR!"
Everyone looked at her because of her loud voice. Chanakya and Rani started laughing and made jokes about her. But, ignoring them, she went to the washroom.
Officer Prakash picked up his phone and opened Shringar's message. He read it intently, and in disbelief, he got up from his chair.
{Recording? What recording are you talking about, Shringar? And did Dorothy come to the station this morning?"}
Reading that text made her realise that something must be wrong. She had the feeling that Officer Rani had some problems.
Before messaging Officer Prakash back, she called Dorothy.
Dorothy picked up and asked, "What is it, Shringar? Do you need something?"
Shringar immediately answered, "I want you to tell me about this morning at the station. I asked Officer Prakash about the recording, and he does not know anything about it."
Dorothy got confused and started panicking.
She said, "What??? I... I cannot believe this.... I went to the station! And... and before entering, I found Officer Rani. She asked me to give her the recording. Using her earphones, she listened to the entire recording, and then she asked me not to worry about it. She would send the recording to the DSP. And then I went back."
Shringar asked, "You mean to say that you did not enter the station? This whole conversation happened outside the station?"
"Yes..." Dorothy said.
Shringar asked her not to worry and cut the call.
She texted Officer Prakash.
{Dorothy went to the station. But before entering there, she found an officer to whom she entrusted the recording. The officer told her that the recording would be sent to the DSP.}
Officer Prakash texted back.
{What is this recording about?}
Shringar answered.
{It was about our experiences and the tragedies that took place due to those ultraviolet-clad people and the connection to "Swara". Dorothy and Elina took the initiative to record the entire conversation because she was feeling well enough to talk.}
Officer Prakash read her message and thought, This might bring crucial changes to our case.
He replied back.
{Who did she entrust the recording to?}
The reply from Shringar popped up on Officer Prakash's phone quicker than usual, as if she was waiting for this question.
{Officer Rani.}
Officer Prakash looked back and noticed Officer Rani looking intently at her phone, as if she was also having a chat with someone. He asked Shringar not to worry. He would ask Officer Rani about it after today's shift ended.
Shringar went to the counselling session and got inside the lift. She went to the top floor and walked towards the roof.
The roof was filled with flower pots. The flowers looked pretty, and the evening sky made it look fantastic. The entire roof felt like heaven.
She came to the roof because she was feeling very lonely. She realised that school was not for her. It was a depressing place.
She sat on the floor and looked at the butterflies.
Suddenly, someone entered the roof. It was none other than Sanskar.
He smiled at Shringar, and she smiled back at him.
She asked, "Why are you here? The session is about to start, right?"
He said, "Well, I was feeling a bit lonely, and the counselling session is not that fruitful for me. I come here every day because I know I can meet you here...."
Shringar's eyes widened, and Sanskar realised what he had just said and added, "And also Elina. She is a really funny girl. I honestly love her jokes."
Shringar smiled and got up.
She asked him, "Did you read the message sent by Dorothy in our 'Secret Mission' group chat?"
Sanskar nodded and said, "Yes, this is strange. I wanted to talk to you and Elina about that."
Shringar said, "Well, Officer Prakash will confront Officer Rani about it. But I am scared that if she finds out about him being in contact with me, then what will happen."
Sanskar said, "Maybe he will have to explain himself to the higher-ups and will not be able to stay in contact with you."
Shringar took out her phone and messaged Officer Prakash.
After their shift ended, Officer Prakash approached Officer Rani, who was walking with Sub-Inspector Chanakya. She smirked and said, "Well, this is unusual. You never really approach me. What is it? Do you need something from me?"
Officer Prakash smiled a little and said, "Well, this morning, while I was having my first morning coffee, I saw from the window that you were talking to Miss Dorothy. Why didn't you bring her inside? What was she talking about?"
Officer Rani stopped walking, and Officer Prakash looked at her with a confused expression.
She said, "Well… well, it was nothing, really."
Officer Prakash smiled again and said, "Well, there must be something. She has PTSD, so I do not think that she would be interested in coming to the station just to meet an officer and have a chit-chat."
Officer Rani got irritated and said, "Yes, she did come to me. But she was here to ask me about the progress of the case because she was feeling better. But I told her that most of the details were confidential, so I would not be able to tell her about them."
Sub-Inspector Chanakya could feel the heated argument between the two Inspectors, even though they were speaking in calm tones.
Officer Prakash became serious and said, "I do not think you need more than thirty minutes to have that whole conversation with Miss Dorothy. And if she was feeling better, then weren't you supposed to bring her in for an interrogation? That was what Dr. Vanessa told us to do. When Dorothy feels better, we can conduct a full interrogation."
Officer Rani glared at him and said, "Now stop interrogating me. I know my job very well, Officer Prakash. She has not fully recovered yet, which is why she does not want to undergo the interrogation right now. Do you think I did not ask her?"
Officer Prakash stopped in his tracks and paused.
Officer Rani did not stop walking or look back at him but kept walking.
Officer Prakash broke the sound of their footsteps and said, "Cut the chase now. Where is the recording?"
Officer Rani stopped as well.
Sub-Inspector Chanakya felt scared because he could see that both Officer Rani and Officer Prakash had the same expression of anger on their faces, making them look really dark and intimidating.
Officer Rani asked without looking back, "Officer Prakash, I really do not have a single clue what you are blabbering about. What recording?"
Officer Prakash replied in his monotone voice, "The one Miss Dorothy gave you this morning. I saw it all."
Officer Rani paused for a moment and spoke in her usual baritone voice. "You are telling me to believe that you saw the whole scene from the window above our heads while having your morning coffee? Not impossible, though. But I have never heard of you having morning coffee in the office. In fact, as far as I know, you never really eat in the office. Is it a new hobby of yours, just like visiting a plain coffee shop?"
Officer Prakash said, "I do not know what is going on with you. But tampering with evidence is a violation. You are not supposed to do that."
Officer Rani approached Officer Prakash and stepped a bit closer to him.
"Bravo. Listen up, I know everything. You got to know about the recording from one of your spies. I saw you chatting with that person. Who was it? Shringar?"
Officer Prakash's eyes widened, and he asked, "How do you know about it?"
She answered, "Well, yesterday I went to Tingle Coffee Shop and checked its surveillance cameras. I found you talking to Shringar about something."
Officer Rani and Dr. Nitish had gone to the coffee shop's manager after becoming suspicious about Officer Prakash's visit.
Officer Prakash said, "This is an abuse of authority, Officer Rani. You are not supposed to go around using your power as a police officer to obtain surveillance footage for your personal needs."
"I NEVER ABUSE MY AUTHORITY, OFFICER PRAKASH! DO NOT THINK THAT I HAVE ANY SORT OF INTEREST IN KNOWING ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE JUST BECAUSE I AM JEALOUS OF YOU!!"
Officer Rani screamed right into Officer Prakash's face.
The scream echoed through the empty alley, and both Officer Prakash and Sub-Inspector Chanakya were shocked.
Officer Rani continued, "I went to check the surveillance footage from all the shops around the pandal where we found Raghuvendra Sinha. I wanted to see if I could find anything else there. But I could not find many clues there, which is why I did not inform the Deputy Superintendent. That is where I found the footage of you with Shringar."
Officer Prakash stared at Officer Rani with the same shocked expression. However, he soon composed himself and said, "I really apologise for that. But since you hate me bringing your personal life into this conversation, I equally dislike you bringing my personal life into it.
"Talking to Shringar has nothing to do with this case. I knew Shringar's father personally, so she simply wanted to know about him. I only told her the parts I remembered and nothing related to the case. There is nothing more to it. Besides, the fact that I knew Mr Abhigyan Das personally is not really a secret. If I truly needed to contact a spy, I would have done it in a much more private way rather than sitting in a public coffee shop with a cup of coffee. So my behaviour is completely natural. Yours is not.
"You have to come with me to meet the Deputy Superintendent tomorrow morning, and I hope you will bring the recording as well. If not, then we can check the surveillance footage from outside the station at that time."
Officer Rani smirked and said, "Well, Officer Prakash, you really are amusing. But tomorrow you will still have to answer for having a pleasant coffee conversation with Miss Shringar Das in the middle of such an important case, where she herself is a crucial factor. You even left work early to meet her personally while off duty. Your behaviour will certainly be questioned tomorrow if… I… bring… that… topic… up. As you can see, my friend, both of our positions have loopholes. So it will be better if you do not bring this recording issue before the Deputy Superintendent.
"And Chanakya... don't you dare."
Sub-Inspector Chanakya nodded. Officer Rani continued staring directly into Officer Prakash's eyes with the same constant smirk on her face.
Officer Prakash let out a sigh and slipped a hand into his pocket.
Officer Rani frowned in confusion. When Officer Prakash took out his mobile phone and showed its screen to her, she was stunned.
Deputy Superintendent Rathod was already on the call.
He had been listening to the entire conversation between Officer Rani and Officer Prakash all this time.
Officer Prakash tapped the speaker button.
Rathod said, "Meet me at the office tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. with the recording, Officer Rani."
He then ended the call.
Officer Rani also noticed that the entire conversation had been recorded.
Her face turned pale.
Sub-Inspector Chanakya could not comprehend what had just happened.
"Officer Prakash, are you stupid? You will have to answer for this as well..." Officer Rani said.
Officer Prakash replied, "Officer Rani, I knew I could have simply recorded our conversation and sent it to the Deputy Superintendent. But I did not want to take that risk.
"You are a smart officer. You realised that I might be recording this conversation on my mobile phone, which is why you kept moving closer to me while we were talking. I may be physically stronger than you, but together you and Sub-Inspector Chanakya could have overpowered me because your combined strength surpasses mine. You were planning to take my phone, delete my recording if necessary, and then edit the recording you were making on your own phone so that only the part where you accused me remained."
Suddenly, Officer Rani instinctively touched the phone in her pocket.
Officer Prakash continued, "That is why I had already spoken to the Deputy Superintendent and made this arrangement.
And regarding Shringar and me at the coffee shop, I had already informed the Deputy Superintendent about that today, just in case. He simply warned me not to do something like that again without informing at least one member of the task force."
He looked at them and continued, "I noticed you walking with Sub-Inspector Chanakya while keeping your phone in your pocket, which you never usually do, and that made me suspicious. You might have noticed me chatting with someone about the recording. That was Shringar, who simply wanted to know about it, just like Miss Dorothy, Lalit, and the others. I informed the Deputy Superintendent about that as well, so there is nothing to worry about.
I suppose, just as you know me well, I know you too."
Officer Rani clapped slowly.
"Bravo. Bravo. You are so accurate that you are actually starting to scare me. But you are not the bold type. You are more of a defensive kid. Where did you get the idea to do this? I am sure it was not your idea."
Officer Prakash replied, "I am no longer answerable to you. It is your turn."
He then walked away.
After reaching home, he freshened up and sat beside his window with a cup of coffee.
The rain began to fall, and he started thinking about his earlier conversation with Shringar.
[[Officer Prakash picked up his phone immediately when Shringar messaged him again.
{Are you there, Officer Prakash? I need to talk about something.}
Prakash texted,
{What is it, Shringar?}
Shringar was standing with Sanskar on the roof of the Devki Psychiatric Institution, surrounded by beautiful flowers. Sanskar was absolutely clueless about what Shringar was up to. She typed her message and sent it.
{If you confront Officer Rani, then there is a good chance that she will start searching for something about you in the future. And if our connection gets exposed because of that, then what will happen? Please tell me about Officer Rani.}
After a minute, a message popped up on her phone.
{Officer Rani is very intelligent. She is usually very aggressive when it comes to work. Very often, she overthinks things. I hate to say this, but she absolutely hates me. She claims that she is jealous of me. Though I would say that I am more intellectual than intelligent, she might have a higher IQ than I do. She likes to butter up the higher-ups. Shringar, even if our connection gets exposed, nothing much will happen. I will be able to manage it.}
Officer Prakash received another message from Shringar.
{Please tell me you are not going to confront her without taking any precautions... because, as you said, she is very intelligent and hates you. She might do something against you in the future. Right now, her behaviour is mysterious, so let us expect the worst. What if she has already anticipated that you or any other police officer might suspect her? Since her conversation with Dorothy happened just outside the station, she must have been alert the whole day.}
Officer Prakash looked towards Officer Rani, just in case. He had sensed that something was off throughout the day, but he could not quite put his finger on it. He texted,
{Well, I would say that it is highly possible. I guess I know her too well. She always looks for ways to taunt me or the lower-ranking officers, except Chanakya, who is a sycophant. But today was different. She did not do anything of the sort. Whenever she gets scolded by the higher-ups, she always starts badmouthing them. Today, the Deputy Superintendent scolded all of us, but she did not say a single thing about him. Fine, Shringar. I will record the confrontation on my phone.}
At first, Shringar typed, "OK," but after a second thought, she erased it and texted,
{Wait, I am not doubting you. But since you said she is smarter than you and you know her well, then she might know you well too. You should do something smarter and bolder. Something that will guarantee your victory.}
Officer Prakash asked,
{And what exactly do you suggest?}
After thinking for a moment, Shringar sent,
{Contact the higher-ups. Keep one of them on a call and keep your phone in your pocket. They deserve to hear your entire conversation with her live.}
Reading that idea shocked Officer Prakash, and he replied,
{This is really a bold move... not to mention risky. She might catch on to it. But I can certainly try it. So I am planning to record the conversation as well as keep one of the higher-ups on a call after making an arrangement with them beforehand.}
Both Shringar and Sanskar agreed with the plan.
When Officer Prakash was about to enter the Deputy Superintendent's office, he stopped. He thought that he should come clean about the one issue that might cause him trouble in the future.
Time matters. My contact with Shringar has a strong chance of coming to light in the near future. Let me clarify it myself before a third party does. If everything goes well, then tonight I will inform Shringar about everything that happened today. She definitely deserves to know the situation since she helped me.
Then Officer Prakash entered the Deputy Superintendent's office.]]
After remembering the events, Prakash focused on the sound of the rain, his coffee, and the sound of typing as he kept his promise to keep Shringar updated about the case through their secret chat, which could not be retrieved even by the owner of the app they used. Prakash slowly started to respect Shringar. He could see her father, Mr Abhigyan Das, in her.
On the next morning, before going to school, Shringar read all the messages on her phone.
Then, in the evening, after coming back from school, she found a note under her plate on the dining table. It read:
(I will be late tonight, so do not wait up for me. A driver has been arranged to take you to your counselling session and the art institute.
- Nitish)
Shringar smiled as she read the note.
She went to the counselling session, where Elina talked to Shringar and Sanskar about her anxiety.
"Dorothy was called to the task force by the police today after her classes at college. I am not sure what is happening there."
Sanskar asked Elina to calm down and listen to the counsellor.
After a few minutes in the session, she felt a bit relieved.
Sanskar whispered to Shringar, "These sessions are mostly fruitful for Elina. I am glad. I am sure Dorothy will tell us about today's events in our group chat."
It was 5:00 p.m. when the counselling session ended, and Shringar's art classes were due to start at 7:30 p.m. So, she left with the driver, who was an old and quiet man. However, he answered gently whenever she asked him any questions.
Both Gaurav and Shringar were in the same batch, but Shringar was not particularly excited about it. In fact, she felt a little uncomfortable around him after hearing the story about her former crush from Lalit.
Shringar reached the institute very quickly. She spoke to the receptionist, who took her to the classroom, where a few students were already seated.
A friendly girl waved at Shringar, so she went over and sat beside her, next to the window.
The girl introduced herself as Sophie Konar. She had long hair and a bright smile. She wore clothes similar to Elina's. However, for some reason, a few strands of her hair were white.
"Are you Shringar Das?" she asked.
Shringar answered, "Yes. I was about to introduce myself, but I guess I do not need to."
"Well, I saw you on the news... I am sorry for your loss, though. I never really expected you to be here."
Shringar said, "No worries, Sophie. But why did you never expect me to be here?"
Sophie replied, "Well, because I wanted to meet you in person. The news said that you live with your cousin, a doctor named Nitish Das."
Shringar nodded.
After a brief pause, Sophie continued, "It is just that I did not expect someone I saw on the news to be here. Will you be my friend?"
Sophie offered her hand for a handshake. Shringar noticed how Sophie had suddenly diverted the conversation, but she did not dwell on it. She shook Sophie's hand without any hesitation.
Just before the teacher entered, Shringar noticed Gaurav walk into the classroom. He sat down without looking for her.
Guess he does not really care about me. He must have forgotten that I was supposed to be here. But I am not really sad about it because he is part of my school, and I do not like school, Shringar thought to herself.
After the class ended, the driver was waiting for Shringar with a smile, and she smiled back.
Before she could reach the car, Sophie approached her and asked to exchange phone numbers.
So they did.
Shringar then headed home.
Sophie came back home and immediately approached her mother.
"MA! MA! You have no idea whom I met at the art institute today."
Sophie's mother looked at her in confusion. She looked a lot like Sophie, except that she never smiled. Instead, her face always seemed anxious. She was wearing a cream-coloured kurta, matching trousers, and an apron over them.
Sophie said, "Shringar Das. Yes, Ma, she is in my art institute. I even have her phone number now."
Sophie's mother was very surprised to hear that. She immediately started messaging someone named Dr Janki about the incident.
Then Sophie and her mother went down to the basement. It was just as beautiful as the upper floors; the only difference was that the basement was dimly lit.
Besides Sophie and her mother, there was another person in the basement. The person was bedridden and connected to a saline drip, medicines, and a vital signs monitor.