"Why?" Mitra's voice was barely audible.
"I told you already. Because she hurt you." He smiled; a smile that was chilling and infuriating.
Mitra's brain was freezing again. The man she had been searching for all these years was sitting right in front of her and she wasn't able to do anything.
Why?
Because she was the reason of Lekha's death. The man who had decided on committing the crime and the hands that executed it were not hers, but she had unwittingly incited it.
"You saw me that night, didn't you?" Sashi asked playfully.
Mitra was already in a daze and his question brought back the real gravity of the predicament she was in.
"You saw me choking her to death, Mitra," he reiterated. "But you didn't do anything. You looked directly at us, when she was almost dying in my hands. Your eyes met hers. I was under the impression that you would give some sort of reaction, and yet you just turned away and left. Puff... just like that."
There was no way Mitra could deny it. Everything he said was true. And, it was all going on record.
"I had actually thought you would be happy to see her die. You surprised me a lot then; didn't have any expression on your face when you left. What were you thinking?" he looked curious.
"That you wouldn't really kill her," Mitra replied honestly, her eyes red and moist.
"Why did you assume that?"
"Why would anyone commit a murder with a witness alive and close?"
Sashi laughed openly. "You're so naive and foolish!" he spoke between his laughter.
"You really think all the murders in the world happen without witnesses? I have committed crimes with more than one witness in the audience, except for kidnapping you." He paused and asked, "Think about it. I left you as a witness, and what did you do? You told the police just half the story: that you had seen that girl with me. You didn't tell anyone that you had actually seen her being held in a headlock, being choked to death by me."
"That's because I was scared," Mitra defended herself.
"Exactly. Witness or not, crimes are hard to report for many."
"You were alone when I saw you. Where did the other two culprits come from? Did you call them?"
"Call them? How? Did we have cell phones back then?" he sneered. "Come on Mitra, think logically. I caught her for my personal vendetta. The others, not two but three of them, just happened to come across us, just like you did. Only, they chose to act upon it instead of going away."
"How come no one found you? Did you run away after killing her?" she asked, her horror deepening with each passing minute.
"No, I just got locked up in my house. You know my father. He saw I was being out and about a lot and got furious."
"Your father knew about what you did?"
Sashi pursed his lips in contemplation, as if he was hiding something. Finally, he answered, "Yes, he did; which was why I was imprisoned. Anyways, I did escape the next morning for a brief time, and I saw you sitting in the corner of a street near your school, crying. Tell me, why did you cry so much? I really thought you would be happy about the girl's death?"
Mitra's eyes were already flooded with tears of dismay and anger. She grabbed the water bottle lying next to her on the bed and threw it at Sashi's head, aiming to hit him severely. "Are you sick?!" she screamed in fury as loudly as she could. "A girl got murdered and you are surprised at why someone would cry about it? Where in that stupid head of yours are you sick?"
Sashi, who had narrowly dodged the bottle, got equally worked up. "You were each other's nemesis. She hurt you."
"It was a school kids' fight, you idiot! You would actually kill someone over something that trivial?"
"Yes, I would," Sashi spoke with a force that dumbstruck Mitra. "It's not trivial. It's not at all trivial, and I know it because I was hit on a daily basis. Every time my father hit me, I felt like killing him. I did far worse things than choking that girl, and none of them were wrong. You should be grateful; I did that all for you."
Mitra shook her head vehemently and said hoarsely, "No, you did that all for yourself, to satiate your bloodlust."
Sashi snorted. "If I had done things for myself, I would have killed that boyfriend of yours. What was his name? Vishal, right? I had planned a couple of times to kill him too because he was getting way too close to you. But I wasn't sure you would like it. So, I let him live."
Mitra stopped breathing, her chest tight in a knot of anxiety, her body going cold in fear.
Not him. Not Vishal. No.
"See," Sashi spoke in a calm tone. "I did it all for you."
"You..." The words wouldn't come out of her mouth. Mitra felt like her tongue was numb. "You... you are sick. You are a monster. If you so much as touch his shadow, let alone hurt him, I will kill you. I mean it."
Sashi somehow looked sad as he smiled. "I won't go near him now. Why would I when you are here?"
He got up from his chair wearily.
"Who are the other culprits?" Mitra asked, giving him an icy stare.
Sashi looked conflicted. To him, talking about the real incidents of the said night was a herculean task. He gulped, a shiver running down his spine. At last, he managed, "Are we still on this topic? I am tired."
He turned to reach the camera.
"I am warning you Sashi. Don't touch Vishal," Mitra was stern.
"I told you I won't. Unless he comes knocking at my door."
"He won't."
Sashi tilted his head to look at Mitra. She seemed earnest, decisive. It was like she was purposefully saying those words to be recorded. As if she was sending Vishal a message.
"Fine. I hope he gets your intention," he remarked and turned off the camera.