Arjun SS: A Case of Misidentity✅

That lingering feeling...

Arjun moved through the congested traffic, his brow furrowed in thought. Sameer glanced at him, sensing his unease.

"Sam, don't you think something's off?" Arjun's eyes flicked to his friend briefly.

"Yes, Arjun. It feels too easy, like there's a missing piece," Sameer replied.

"I think you should talk to Deeya again. Maybe she heard or sensed something. I feel like there's something she's not telling us," Sameer suggested.

Arjun shot him a puzzled look, but Sameer waved it off. "I trust her, but there might be something she knows that Rajput doesn't want out. Something putting her life at risk, there's been an attack already. Asking her might give us a clue."

Arjun nodded in agreement.

"As for the victim's body, she died of overdose from the same drug and the postmortem report mentioned her being sexually assaulted multiple times. And yet there was no external DNA, like her body was thoroughly cleaned off to leave no traces. And the apartment, too. Spotless," Sameer summarized, frustration evident in his voice.

Arjun hummed in contemplation. "But why leave the body where it links to Rajput? Shouldn't it be disposed somewhere else? They could've damaged her face so that we can't link her back to them. But none of this was done. It doesn't add up."

"Exactly. Someone wanted us to find her there, to make that connection. It was deliberate. But who, and why?" Sameer mused, the weight of unanswered questions heavy in the air.

~

Arjun returned home, noiselessly opening the door, he walked in. The hall was dimly lit with nightlights and reflections of streetlight fading in through the window. He saw a familiar figure in the dark, "Deeyu?" He quickly walked up to her, in the middle of the hallway. "Tum iss waqt yahan kya kar rahi ho?"

"Dau?" She lifted her hand to find him and hugged him.

Arjun frowned before putting his hands around her. "Kya hua?" He gently patted her head.

"Kuch nahi." Deeya mumbled.

"Phir raat ke 2 baje tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?" Arjun asked rather sternly, and immediately regretted the tone. "Sorry, I-" he softened his voice. "Is everything okay?"

She tightened her grip around his torso, "I - I was trapped," her voice was low and shaky, "it was a dark room or tunnel with not end. I could hear voices, of a-aai, Sunshine, baba," she took a deep breath, "but you weren't there. Where have you been?"

Arjun stroked her hair. "Sounds like you had a nightmare. Don't worry, I'm here now. We will sort this out. I promise."

She hummed and stepped back. Arjun led her towards the couch, sitting beside her.

"Are you feeling better now?" He asked gently caressing her hair.
She rested her head on his shoulder. After a few moments of silence, she asked, "How was your day?"

Arjun paused to think for a moment. "We caught Yash's murderers. His father paid them to do it."

"Father?" Deeya sat upright. "That sounds awful." She clicked her tongue.

"Honestly, though, he had it coming, the way he opened his mouth."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing much, just some lewd comments. I told him keep up and you are going to jail then he didn't bother me." She shrugged.

"Anything else?"

"Nope."

"Anything that you felt odd or -"