Destined ✓

48 - Connecting the dots

Author's POV

There are various repercussions to some decisions, one of which might come back to bite us later. But when there’s obvious consequences of indecisiveness, impulse works wonders. 

That’s one of the few things Neil has learned in his almost a decade of service as a police officer. He is by no means a magician of sorts who can solve something that’s not even in his line of view. When you can’t see a door, what can you do? Will you declare its absence? Or will you make peace with the fact that the haze in front of your eyes is making it obscure?

So when he has to make peace, he doesn’t. 

Instead, he tries to get used to the darkness in the room, feels its texture, draws the map out in the back of his mind and dwells on the information that for him to be stuck somewhere he must have entered first. For a way out, there must be a way in.

“I think we got a clue about their boss.” DD relays the further message in, some odd words written in a clipped note in his hand which he holds out.

Neil looks up from the monitor screen he had trained his eyes to, leans to peek into the small piece of paper in his hands and throws a stern look on his face. "A strawberry and two cherries?" He pauses. "What's this rubbish?" 

DD gulps as he replies, "That's the only clue we could get out from them. They refused to say anything else. This is what they all know."

Neil runs a frustrated hand through his hair. "Fine. Look out for any minute details." He receives a nod. "And, get the team ready, we can't take any chances."

After an hour, he reaches the address of Avni's new home, the apartment she had bought a few months ago. He still remembers the argument they had, they weren't anything, but something, and now they were everything he could ask for. He still remembers the fact that he barely knew anything then, about her family, about his father which she gave money to from time to time. He has an inkling of suspicion somewhere but he pushes it into the back of his mind as the door opens.

The person in front of him makes him give out a sheepish smile. "Hello! Miss. Raichand."

"No need for formalities, Neil. Just call me Aunty." Krisha smiles, gesturing to him to enter.

He looks around the living room, the white colour of the walls gives a kinda classic yet minimal finish. The space is not compact but it's quite small as compared to her old flat which is currently still sealed for investigation.

"Some tea or coffee?" Krisha asks, coming around with a sweet smile.

"No, thank you." Neil says. "Um, I just wanted to check if everything's okay and you guys are settled in."

"Oh, of course, we are fine here. I saw that you arranged for security too and sent in the constables so thank you so much."

"It's just my job." Neil mumbles, hesitant and nervous as he continues. "Where's Avni? And A–Ali too?"

"She left early in the morning for a shoot." Krisha quips with a teasing grin, "I'm afraid your visit was for nothing."

Neil blushes a deep red as he shakes his head and tries to get himself out with a nervous laugh but Krisha beats him to it.