Reshimbandh~Silken Threads

19. Retribution

Seven years ago

Roshni walked into the cafe to meet her friends. This was their second meet. She looked at Arjun sitting alone, this was their first meet without Sameer. She took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

"Hi!" She waved her fingers.

"Hello!" Arjun smiled. There was something about her that left him speechless. He was captivated by those eyes, enchanted by her lips and the way she could talk endlessly. 

She inquired. "Sam?" 

"Busy with an assignment. Might join us later." He replied.

"Oh, okay!" Her eyes sparkled as she leaned across the table. "Well, I just returned from Mumbai. Remember I told you about the NGO?" Arjun nodded. 

"It's run by teenagers! Their efforts are incredible. I met two of those kids and they are so passionate." She sipped her coffee. 

"You know, Arjun, I've decided that I'll be working with them. I met this girl, one of the founding members, umm..." She paused a moment to think and beamed in excitement. "Neha!"

Arjun's eyes twinkled with pride.

She gushed. "She's so kind and passionate about making education accessible to every strata. Working with her is going to be great. I'm so happy that we have such teenagers who are striving to make the world a better place."

Roshni continued talking about her experience with them. She paused to look at Arjun, whose expression, she couldn't understand. "Arjun? Where are you lost?" She snapped her fingers.

"Uh, nothing." He shook his head. "Would you like to know something?"

"Yes?"

"That's my sister." He declared proudly.

"Neha?" He nodded. "Wow! You must be really proud of her!"

"I am. It was a summer vacation project, actually. We didn't think she would take it to this level, making it a full fledged NGO. But I'm glad that you will be working with them, the kids are diligent. You'll be a good mentor."

"Indeed."

~

Next morning,

Neha woke up with a headache. She sat upright, a glass of lemon juice, water and a painkiller were placed on her bedside table. She gulped the painkiller and juice. After a few minutes as the pain became bearable, she stepped into the shower. Her knee was hurting.

Last night was blurry. She couldn't remember what they talked about. "I need to stop getting blackout drunk." She promised herself, once again.

~

ETF conference room

The team worked meticulously on the sparse leads from the old and present case.

They were able to locate the vehicle and it was found around a minister's house. One of the old cases had a DNA sample.

It was alleged that minister's teenage son and his friends had raped a 14-year old, few months back. But before further investigation could be carried out, the officers were all transferred and the case was closed. ETF team had been working hard to find evidence and those boys.

Sameer asked, "Any intel on our three suspects' whereabouts?"

"They are the culprits, why do you keep calling them suspects?" Neha sneered.