The Lines of Fate

12: Eight of Swords!!

T/W: Some parts of this chapter may contain some triggering scenes. However, it is necessary for the plot.

The scene in front of her was making her puzzled. Again, a repeat of those scenes like in the resort. Everyone was in shock and fear. She could hear the crying, the whispers.... the way Ishaan was trying to make Keshav get up who had also gotten stiff like her...not moving a single bit.

What was the reason? Why were all these things happening now? They hadn't even been able to make much progress in Bristi's case and now another murder had taken place......

"Radhika!" Someone called her from behind. She couldn't hear it at first but turned around the second time to see her chief Mr. Das standing there.

...........

"You do understand this now, right? That we are at a close end." Vaarsh said, looking at Rishav and his forensic team near the dead body and his hands on his waist in frustration.

Radhika didn't hear him. Her concentration was on Dhruv who was asking questions to Ishaan even after she told him a million times that Ishaan was sitting beside her only. There is no chance for him to be connected to the murder. Ansh went to check the CCTV cameras and Mr. Das was talking with Mr. Jai and Keshav.

"What did happen?" Vaarsh asked turning at Radhika.

"Huh?" Radhika asked. "Oh! Everyone was watching the show when Keshav announced that he will show one of his favorite tricks and ordered his assistants to bring that wooden trunk." She said pointing to the stage.

"Keshav said he will enter the trunk. After opening, instead of an empty trunk, we found Mr. Langston's dead body, eyes covered with a cloth, body tied up with the wooden chair placed inside the trunk, and surrounded by eight swords. There are stab wounds, same as before."

"This is ridiculous!!" Ansh muttered as he came walking up in their direction.

Vaarsh asked, "What happened?"

"There is no freaking CCTV in the storage room, where the equipment was kept," Ansh replied. "The guy, Mr. Das sent to keep a close eye on Mr. Oliver saw Mr. Jai and Ishaan talking with him before he entered the storage room. Mr. Jai went backstage and Ishaan went to the green room where Radhika and Keshav were."

"Wait! Mr. Das sent someone to look at Mr. Langston?" Radhika asked surprisingly. "Why didn't I know about this?" She was annoyed that they didn't tell her about that.

"Umm...he w-wanted..." Ansh shuttered not being able to answer her. Thanks to Vaarsh, Ansh was saved from the situation.

"You have a very close connection with the people here so Mr. Das didn't tell you. If you knew about this, the others could have sensed something." Vaarsh said. "Moreover, he came himself with his family to see the magic show and see the suspects with his own eyes. The only thing was that we were not expecting another murder."

"The more surprising was that I found the guy unconscious who was keeping an eye on Mr. Oliver."

"WHAT???" Vaarsh and Radhika asked at the same time.

"Not hurt but he was lying unconscious inside the storage room. He could only say what he saw before Mr. Oliver entered the room. He didn't remember anything else. He mentioned Mr. Oliver was angry about something." Ansh said.

"Yes...Mr. Jai said he quarreled with Keshav. He told him to not participate in the show as he was not in so much stable condition after Bristi's murder but Mr. Langston didn't listen to anything and insisted on performing." Radhika said crossing her hands.

"Moreover, it will take ages to interrogate every guest. There are more than a hundred." Ansh said as he looked at the time on his watch.

"Everything happening here is not making any sense. Is there any serial killer who is obsessed with magical things or someone is doing this for revenge? What the hell does this mean?" Vaarsh snapped looking at the dead body.

"Eight of Swords!" Keshav said from behind. All of them looked at him in curiosity. The look Radhika saw on Keshav's face when he was on the stage had subsided. He had calmed down but still, there was some uneasiness in him.

Anyone would be after seeing such a thing so Radhika kicked those thoughts out of her mind, concentrating more on what Keshav said.

"The way the dead body is kept represents the Eight of Swords of the tarot cards." Keshav continued taking out three cards from the bunch he was holding and showed them one by one.

Mr. Oliver's looked like the 'Eight of Swords', Bristi's looked like 'The Hanged Men', and Radhika's father's body looked like the 'The magician'. The only difference was that Bristi's and Radhika's father's bodies were tied in the way the cards would look if inverted.

"How did you know about Mr. Sengupta?" Vaarsh raised an eyebrow, tone biting.

"I heard from Ishaan." Keshav blankly stated.

"So, what could all this mean?" Ansh asked, changing the question and sensing the tension forming between Vaarsh and Keshav. It could be easily understood that Vaarsh was suspecting him.

"The killer is either a magician himself or he is trying to mislead everyone by such gruesome ways of killing." Keshav said matching the same thought Radhika was having.

"So, what do we do now?" Ansh asked. They knew very nicely that they have to investigate but all of them at that point was at dead ends. The killer was too intelligent. He is not leaving any clues behind so if Radhika and her team had to catch him, they have to take steps before the killer.

They were all in deep thoughts which broke due to Rishav's sudden answer. He had heard the last question Ansh asked and replied, "We have to go home."

The four of them looked at Rishav in surprise.

"Shekar told everyone to go back home except Dhruv," Rishav said before walking out of the room. He didn't even utter any other words.

"What was that?" Ansh squinted at Rishav's actions. It was so unlikely of him to talk so less, say something without making any joke, making others crack up.

"He is tired," Radhika replied concerned. She noticed how it was the same for Vaarsh and Ansh too. They had just gone home from the station and then again had to come there."

"We too should better go...." Vaarsh said.

Everyone nodded before meeting the others and then left for their destinations.