Eridanus ~ A Collection Of Short Stories

Collateral Damage

The sound of a file shutting brought me back to reality.

"We've filed an FIR, ma'am," Inspector Aman stated, leaning back in his chair. "We'll get back to you if we unearth any new information, but for now, Karthik Ray's death was simply a tragic case of a cardiac arrest," he continued with a sympathetic sigh.

I exhaled in mild frustration. My uncle had been one of those health-paranoid people who constantly checked their heart rate and number of steps walked, on their fitness watches, and couldn't start the day without measuring their blood pressure.

Although heart attacks were unpredictable things, my uncle simply couldn't have been a victim, having been certified with excellent health only a day ago during his monthly check-up.

"Thank you, Inspector," I replied with a smile that lacked conviction. The fact that the police department wasn't showing much enthusiasm in his post mortem made me all the more suspicious about the grounds of my uncle's death.

I glanced at my phone on the way out of the police station.

8:32 am.

I would simply have to sort it out after my work hours.

******

"You're definitely distracted," a voice jerked me out of my reverie. I looked up from my desk and was met by an inquisitive look from Arjun.

"You never use red ink for your sketches," he went on with a frown, glancing at the sketch of my new interior design project on my table.

I managed a weak smile. "I'm just... thinking, that's all."

"By the way, I'm sorry to hear about your uncle," Arjun remarked after a pause. "I remember you two were pretty close."

I nodded slowly with a wistful smile. Apart from being my colleague at the design department, Arjun was also a good friend, which was what I needed at the moment.

"The investigation revealed that he died of a cardiac arrest," I began, glancing at him. My voice trailed off, piquing his curiosity.

"But you don't believe it, do you?" Arjun enquired with an air of wisdom. I didn't reply, but my smirk confirmed his remark.

"We'll just have to wait and see," I stated, picking up a pencil to finish my sketch. He turned back to his laptop with a look of mild amusement.

******

I waited impatiently for the traffic to move on. The day had gone by in a blur, and the only thing on my mind was the mystery of my uncle's death, to which I simply had to find answers.

I turned off the ignition and restlessly dug out my phone. There was a new message from my mother, which prompted my fingers to swiftly tap on it, in the hopes of any new developments.

'No new developments from police. Post mortem reveals cardiac arrest as cause of death, as suspected.'

I let out a groan of annoyance. A post mortem report that I hadn't seen personally still didn't confirm anything.

Karthik Ray's death was anything but an accident, however baseless it sounded.

The traffic finally moved on, and I started the ignition once again, driving off with my mind lost in a dozen thoughts.

******

"I'd like to see those post mortem reports, so could you please mail them to me?" I asked over the phone.

The Inspector's assistant agreed to my request reluctantly, almost as if Inspector Aman had hinted to fire him if he did.

I hung up, and wondered just when I'd recieve that mail. Maybe I could plan to break into my uncle's apartment and get past police restrictions to see if I could find any clues?