The Hidden Diary

Chapter 3 - The Hint

The timeline swiftly shifts to the present, where Ravi, Ismael, Maya, and Daniel enter a street. As they enter, Daniel asks Maya, "Are you sure this is the place where that man lived?" Maya, with a determined nod, responds to Daniel, "Yes, this is the place." As they proceed, Ravi asks, "But how will we find his house?" Ismael responds, "Let's ask from the nearby houses." With a stern intention, they decide to locate this man. While inquiring about the man's location, their attention is caught by a funeral poster hanging on a nearby wall.

The atmosphere grew heavy as they read the details on the poster - it was the same man who had tried to harass Maya during that bus incident. Their eyes couldn't believe what was in front of them. They approached one of the residents on the street, from whom they learned that the person had suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away. Shocked and perplexed, Ravi, Ismael, Maya, and Daniel stood in front of the funeral poster, processing the unexpected turn of events. The investigation had once again hit a dead end.

With that failure, they were all returning home. On their way, they were all immersed in a heavy silence, each contemplating the twists and turns the investigation had taken. The weight of the unresolved mystery lingered in the air. As they were walking, Ismael broke the silence and asked, "Mr. Detective, we have already faced two failures. What's next?" Ravi, Maya, and Daniel clearly noticed that he is up to something. Daniel tried to stop him by saying, "Ismael, please, don't try to create any problem here." Ismael in response said, "Who, me? Please see through your eyes properly. It's him, the one who proclaimed himself as a detective."

Maya also tried to stop him, "Ismael, please try to understand." Ismael, in anger, replied, "Don't try to understand me. Understand that lunatic who is standing here. I don't know why he couldn't comprehend that Shruthi did suicide?" In that moment, Ravi broke his silence and responded, "Yes, I am not able to comprehend her death because I know each one of you very well. Few months ago, you all remember how my life was. I was seriously on the verge of losing myself; at that time, I got saved by all of you. I got my life because of you all only, and suddenly one of us is not with us. How are you expecting me to comprehend?"

Ravi further continued, "You know about Shruthi; she is not so cowardly that she does suicide. Not Shruthi as well, even if one of you happened like this, I would have reacted the same. You all are feeling disturbed, right? No problem, I will do it myself, and I have no problem that you are backing yourself." Daniel tried to mediate the situation, "Ravi, nothing like that. Ismael is just talking in anger." Ravi in response said, "You don't need to make an act now, Daniel. I know what you all are feeling inside. I will find out the truth. You don't need to worry me." With this, Ravi left that place. While he was leaving, he started remembering what happened 8 months back. The timeline then shifted 8 months back.

We see it was the month of January. Everybody in the class was waiting for the professor to arrive, like the refreshing sun flashing its rays across the world. At that moment, Ravi entered the class. He soon took his place beside Ismael and Daniel. As he took his place, he noticed Ismael and Daniel were discussing something related to cricket. Ravi, on the other hand, remained silent. During their conversation, Ismael asked Ravi, "Hey Ravi, what is your opinion regarding BCCI not choosing him in the recent test matches?" Ravi acted weird and gave his answer, "I don't know."

Ismael continued and said, "Hey Ravi, you are a cricket enthusiast. How can you say you don't know?" Ravi continued with the same answer and again acted strangely. This time Daniel noticed his actions with his sharp eyes. He asked, "Why are you acting strange?" Ravi tried to cover something and said, "I am not acting strange." Ismael noticed some liquor smell while he was speaking. He asked, "Why is there a liquor smell coming from you? Did you consume liquor or what?" Ravi responded, "Nope." Ismael continued to persist with the same question. After continued persistence, Ravi admitted that he consumed liquor.