under the wraps

The Innocent Face of Evil

"Sweet words rot slower than bodies, but they poison far deeper."

— Rudra Malhotra

Suddenly, someone ran out of the house from behind—someone who had probably been hiding before we arrived.

Rudra sprinted after him instantly.

Moments later, Mohit came rushing in. Before I could even speak, I told him to take care of her—she was still alive—but he was already pale, panic written all over his face. He lifted her into his arms without a word.

Only then did I realize.

She was his fiancée.

There was no time to ask anything. I had to move.

I ran after Rudra.

I called him while chasing. He told me the man had run down the valley. Instead of following the same route, I took a shortcut.

I spotted him—but he was fast. Too fast.

My lungs burned. My legs screamed.

Then I saw a half-filled water bottle on the road. Without thinking, I grabbed it and threw it at him. It hit his leg. He stumbled.

That was enough.

Rudra came from the front, taking a different route, and kicked him hard. The man fell.

We handcuffed him.

There was no doubt.

It was Sushant.

After some time

Rudra punched him again.

"Listen to me," Sushant cried out. "You're getting it wrong. I didn't kill her."

Pain or anger—I couldn't tell which spoke louder.

For two hours, he remained in custody—accused of killing his girlfriend, multiple victims, and attempting to murder Mohit's fiancée. She was in the ICU.

The letter had been right.

He wasn't targeting just me.

He was targeting everyone close to our team.

"You ran from the crime scene," Rudra said coldly. "That's more than enough evidence."

"Please, listen to me."

"We'll listen in a courtroom," Rudra replied.

At the hospital

Mohit stood outside the ICU when Mansi arrived, breathless.

Mansi: "How is she?"

Mohit: "Still in the ICU. We can't say anything yet."

Mansi: "I heard she's your fiancée. I'm so sorry. I should have told you earlier."

Mohit: "Don't say sorry. Because of you, we reached on time. Otherwise—"
He stopped. "Thank you."

Mansi: "I still should have told you sooner."

Mohit: "It's okay."

Mansi: "I haven't reported anything officially yet."

Mohit: "Thanks."

Mansi: "But are you sure he's the killer?"

Rudra: "We have more than enough evidence. We got a search warrant. From his house, we recovered a diary—pages soaked in blood, fingerprints of multiple victims, and detailed accounts of how he killed them. We also found a painted nail in his room."

Mansi: "Oh God... I didn't know he was actually a psychopath."

Mohit: "Who would have thought someone with such an innocent face could be this sick?"

Mansi: "Yeah... who would have known."

At the station (Vera's POV)

"Tell me why you killed them," I asked again.

"I'm telling you—I didn't," he shouted.
"And she was already stabbed when I reached her house."

"Then why did you run?"

"Because you wouldn't have believed me."

"Why did you go to her house?"

"To protect her."

"From whom?"

"From the real serial killer."

"Do you think we'll believe this nonsense?"

"I knew you wouldn't. That's why I went alone."

"What about the diary we found in your house?"

"It's not mine."

"Do you think denying it will help?"

"I knew you wouldn't believe me—that's why—"

"That's why what?"

"Leave it. You don't trust me. And I need your trust to tell you everything. I was this close to catching the real culprit. You people ruined it."

"Why do you want to catch him so badly?"

"Because he killed my girlfriend," he screamed.
"And I couldn't do anything. Neither could your useless police. The case was closed as a suicide—but I knew her. She wasn't a coward. I begged. I screamed. No one listened. She was from a poor family. My father buried the complaint I filed. So I started investigating on my own."

His voice echoed through the station. Even the dim lights couldn't hide the rage on his face.

"You're lying," I said. "We have evidence."

"That diary isn't my handwriting," he said calmly.
"Get it checked."

He didn't look afraid.

He looked... certain.

That was what unsettled me.

I stood up, walked closer, and met his gaze.

"Fine," I said quietly.
"I'll recheck every piece of evidence myself. But if all this denial is just an excuse—and you did kill them—then believe me..."

I leaned in.

"I'll kill you before the court even gets the chance."