Promises are meant to be broken

Chapter 16

July 19, Wednesday
1:30pm

Sandra Vegas was well known RJ working at All India Radio FM studio. Annika had quickly recognized her by her bouncy brown curls and refreshing brisk voice. They'd met once when Annika and two other female ACPs were invited to her evening show on women's day one and an half year ago.

But what she hadn't excepted was to find Sandra again at department office as Victoria's only cousin and bestie, standing along side the lifeless James. The way Sandra with her red puffed cheeks and bloodshot eyes, looked at Zoya was the same way a frightened rabbit would look at the lion who was yet unaware of it's presence around.

Minutes ago, when Annika had gone back to Zoya, the professor requested to be once given a chance to see James for five minutes and then she'd answer all their questions with honesty. Though Vikram didn't buy it, he eyed Annika to agree to it.

So now, they were standing outside Dr.Mehta's office besides the mortuary, with Victoria's autopsy report in Annika's hand.

Cause of death - Drowning in bath tub

This was written in bold on the front page of the report. No other injuries or scars. The report was completely clean.

Now the officers eyes were fixed on the three people in front of them. When Vikram had enquired Zoya and Sandra that if they knew each other, the former replied no while the later said yes at the same time. Then both of them explained that they got to know each other through James and not personally. Again, Vikram refused to believe them.

Annika was more busy in studying James. He was still in his previous day's ripped jeans and black T-shirt, showing off his muscles and tattoos. But his appearance made it feel like he'd just survived through hurricane. An emotional one for sure.

When Annika had interviewed him the previous day, she'd unearthed the gossip aunty behind his bad boy looks. But today, he was sitting painfully silent on one of the low quality brown wooden benches lined by the corridor wall from the time he'd seen his Tori's dead body.

She'd seen countless family members like James or Sameera's parents in her three years in-department service. Few silently crying, few standing emotionless, few blaming themselves or others for being unable to digest the fact that their someone important was gone and will never come back. One thing remained common, their agony.

From the beginning of their journey in police department, the officers had to learn to get used to other's pain and remain unaffected. Otherwise their judgment would be affected because of few exceptional actors. Though, one could never stop themselves from a being slightly sympathetic.

Zoya sat besides James, looking at him with soft eyes and delicate expressions. Slowly, she forwarded her hand, to touch his forearm. It was clear from her face that it pained her to see him so torn apart.

"James." She called him out, in such a gentle voice that made Annika and Vikram doubt if she was the same Zoya who kept snapping back during the interview. So it was a scene for the officers to watch.

James gave no reaction to Zoya, but when she actually touched him, he quickly jumped away from her as if her feather like touch charred him. Then, a loud gasp left her lips when he said 'Don't touch me' in a muffled voice.

Confusion lingered on Zoya's face for sometime before her eyes widened and she gave a reaction as if complete air was sucked out of her lungs.

"You blame me for Victoria's suicide, don't you?" She asked, driven to the edge of the bench.

Why won't he? Cause she was the one who started problems between them by sending his and Sameera's intimate photos to his wife.

All her softness and gentleness evaporated the moment he looked at her with dead eyes.