kaaval kaaran

Chapter 4

The sun had barely risen the next morning when Siva found himself back at the police station, staring at the whiteboard where he had mapped out the clues related to Muthuraman's murder. The death threat was now tacked in the center, surrounded by names of powerful people, red lines connecting each one to the businessman's murder. It was clear: Muthuraman's death was not an isolated event. The deeper Siva delved into the case, the more tangled it became.

Siva rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of the situation. Vetri walked in, carrying two cups of strong filter coffee.

"Itha vechukko da, thevai padum. (Take this, you'll need it.)" Vetri said, placing a cup in front of Siva.

"Vara vara indha case innum perusa aaguthu da, Vetri. Ethukku intha oorukku mothalla vandhen nu theriyave illa. (It's getting messy, Vetri. Sometimes I don't even know why I came to this town.)" Siva sighed.

"Appidila solla koodadhu da, Siva. Neen ippove loose aagitena epdi? Innum neraiya irukku. (Don't say that, Siva. Are you going to give up already?)" Vetri teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Siva smirked, but the tension didn't fade. His mind wandered back to the letter - a handwritten note that implicated several names in town, each connected to political power or wealth. Whoever was behind this murder wanted control, and Siva knew he was walking on a tightrope.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Constable Murugan came rushing in, panting heavily.

"Sir, oru mukiyamana vishayam. Oora full-a ennammo nadakkuthu. (Sir, something is happening in the village. There's a lot of chatter.)"

Siva and Vetri exchanged a look. Murugan never rushed in unless it was serious.

"Sollu-nga murugan! Enna aachu? (Tell us! What happened?)" Siva asked, already standing up from his chair.

"Muthuraman veetukku nadakkura paathaikku pakkathula, adutha veetla oruthanum sethutaan. Adhuvum same mark thaan, strangulation mark. (There's been another death near Muthuraman's house. And there's the same strangulation mark.)" Murugan explained breathlessly.

Siva's eyes narrowed. Another death? Was it a coincidence, or was it part of the same conspiracy?

"Indha vishayam yaarukkum theriyakkoodadhu. Namma ippo anga yena nadanthurukku therinjukkanum. (Don't let anyone know about this yet. We need to figure out what's happening first.)" Siva said, his mind racing.

---

**At Rajamanickam's House...**

Back at the Rajamanickam household, things were as lively as ever. Dharani, as usual, was creating chaos in the house.

"Bhava, why are you acting like a secret film heroine?" Dharani teased, trying to snatch Bhava's phone.

"Dharani, unakku vera velaiye illa? Neeye oru waste of time. (Dharani, don't you have anything better to do? You're just a waste of time!)" Bhava retorted, hiding her phone behind her back.

Bhava's secret relationship with Ram was still under wraps, but Dharani's curiosity was relentless. Ever since the engagement to Siva had been arranged but never progressed, Bhava had kept her distance, much to the confusion of the family. Little did they know, Bhava's heart already belonged to someone else.

Just as their usual banter continued, Dharani received a call from Siva.

"Mama! Epdi irukkinga? Enga irukinga? Naanga la inga edho Jolly ah vilayadittu irukkom! (Uncle! How are you? Where are you? We're just creating a scene here!)" Dharani said with a laugh.

"Dharani, konjam pesama irukuriya, this case is getting dangerous. Oorla rendu murder nadandhachu. Nee veetlaye bathrama amaidhiya iru. (Dharani, stop joking around. Two murders have happened in the village. Stay home and be careful.)" Siva's voice was serious, a tone Dharani wasn't used to hearing from him.

Dharani frowned. "Rendu murder-a? Yaaru ippo rendavathu setha? (Two murders? Who's dead?)"

"Idha sonna nee adhaye thaandi pesuva. Just listen to me and stay safe. (If I tell you, you'll overthink it. Just trust me.)" Siva said before hanging up.

Dharani stared at her phone, a knot forming in her stomach. She knew Siva well enough to know that when he was this serious, something was very wrong.

---

**Back at the Crime Scene...**

Siva and Vetri arrived at the second crime scene. The house was smaller than Muthuraman's, but the eerie feeling was the same. The body lay in the middle of the room, a man in his forties, with the same marks around his neck. The crime scene had been untouched, and Siva could already tell there was no struggle.

"Inga kooda edhavadhu letter irukka? (Is there a letter here too?)" Siva asked as he scanned the room.

Murugan shook his head. "Illai sir, inga letter illa. Aana idhuvum adhe maari avlo neat-a irukku. (No sir, no letter here. But the place is just as clean as the other crime scene.)"

Siva knew this was no ordinary murder. Whoever was behind these killings was precise, leaving no trace. It was almost like they were daring him to find them.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Vetri, rendu veetla irundha marksaum neatness-um onna porunthutha? (Vetri, the cleanliness and marks in both houses are too similar, don't you think?)"

Vetri nodded. "It looks like the same person did this."

Siva paced around the room, lost in thought. "Idhu rendu murder mattum kedaiyathu. Idhu romba mukkiyamana plan-a irukku. Oorla Ulla neraiya periya thalainga ellarum idhula irukkanga-nu theriyuthu. (There's more to these murders. This is part of a bigger plan, and I can feel powerful people involved.)"

As they continued investigating, a local informant approached them. "Sir, ungala pakka yaaro oruthan vandhurukan, unga kitta pesanum-nu sonnaan. Avar paathukitte thaan irundhaar. (Sir, someone wanted to speak to you. He's been watching you.)"

Siva and Vetri exchanged glances.

"Yaaru? Yaaru pesanum nu sonnathu? (Who? Who wants to speak to us?)" Siva asked sharply.

"Enakku theriyala sir, aana aal paaka oru maariya irunthaan. Paathukitte irundhaan. (I don't know sir, but he looked suspicious and kept watching you.)" the informant replied.

Siva knew this wasn't good. Someone was watching their every move. The more they dug into the case, the more they were being pulled into a dangerous web. It was clear that whoever was behind these murders wasn't just powerful, but they were also keeping an eye on the police's investigation.

---

**At Rajamanickam House...**

Bhava was in her room, her phone ringing. It was Ram.

"Bhava, naan nalla irukken, aana inga situation konjam seri illa. Naa unkooda  pesa koodadhu-nu warning kuduthanga. (Bhava, I'm fine, but things are tough here. They warned me not to talk to you.)" Ram's voice was shaky.

"Enna? Yaaru warning kuduthanga? (What? Who warned you?)" Bhava asked, shocked.

"Adha naa sonna nee idhula maatipa. Enna avlo easy-a vidamaataanga Bhava. (If I tell you, you'll get caught up in this too. They won't let us go easily.)" Ram whispered, fear lacing his words.

Bhava was stunned. Was this connected to the murder Siva was investigating? She couldn't let Ram get involved in this mess, but she also couldn't sit back and do nothing.

"Bhava, idhu neraiya periya aalungala involve panra vishayam. Unakku ethuvum terinjirundha, Siva kitta sollu. (Bhava, this involves a lot of powerful people. If you know anything, tell Siva.)" Ram said before hanging up.

Bhava sat on her bed, her mind swirling with worry. What had Ram gotten into? And why was there so much secrecy around these murders? She knew she had to warn Dharani and Siva, but how could she do that without exposing her own secret?

---

The town of Karaikudi was no longer the peaceful place it once was. With two murders and more secrets surfacing, Siva found himself at the center of a conspiracy that threatened to unravel everything he

thought he knew about the village and its people. And with every passing moment, the noose was tightening around not just the village, but around his family as well.