Midnight Mist

It's Over..

There, in the middle of the frame, was Rishabh.The footage clearly showed him walking along a path near the school. Rishabh was heading towards the side entrance of the school, His demeanor was hurried, almost as if he was trying to avoid being seen.

Gagan’s heart began to race. He quickly scanned the footage again. The image was unmistakable. It was Rishabh.

He looked up from the computer, his expression darkening. The room felt colder now, and the tension in the air was palpable. "I have a question for you, Rishabh," Gagan said, his voice steady, but with an edge of authority. "Why were you in the vicinity of the school at the same night as the body was buried? It can't be a coincidence. And why didn’t you mention this before?"

Rishabh’s face drained of color as he slowly began to realize the gravity of the situation. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Gagan’s eyes were unwavering as he waited for Rishabh to answer. His face twisted with panic as he tried to deny the connection to the footage. “I-I wasn’t there. Gagan slaps him and he utters no more words.

He turned to one of the officers standing by the door. “Go and bring in the shopkeeper from the school area, with whom I talked in the very first day of investigation."

The officer nodded and quickly left the room, leaving the tension to simmer in the air. Rishabh’s breath hitched as he realized that the evidence against him was mounting. His eyes flicked toward the door, almost as if hoping to run, but the cold steel of Gagan’s gaze kept him rooted in place.

Moments later, the officer returned, this time with the shopkeeper in tow—a middle-aged man with a nervous but earnest look on his face. He stood at the door, waiting for Gagan’s cue.

Gagan glanced at the shopkeeper, “Have you seen this man before?

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, rubbing his chin, clearly trying to recall. For a second, he looked uncertain, but then his eyes widened as he seemed to remember something. He said with his slow and deliberate voice “Yes, I remember now. He came to my shop about a week ago. It was late in the afternoon. He seemed in a real hurry. I was just closing up when he walked in. He asked for a cigarette. I gave him one, and then, he handed me a 500 rupees note.”

"Do you have any more details to add?" Gagan asked.

The shopkeeper paused, his brow furrowed as he recalled the details. “He just grabbed the cigarette and left in a rush, didn’t even take the change. I thought that was strange, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. He was acting weird—like he was running away from something. I thought he might have been in some kind of trouble. I thought if he comes back to my shop I will return him the change, so I slightly remember his face."

Rishabh’s face tightened as he listened. He could feel the walls closing in. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. The mounting pressure was overwhelming, and Gagan could see the cracks beginning to form in Rishabh’s defense.

Gagan waited a moment, letting the silence stretch between them. Finally, he leaned in closer, his voice a low, deliberate whisper. “It’s not looking good for you, Rishabh. The evidence is clear. We just need you to come clean.”

Rishabh’s silence was broken by a shaky breath. His defiance crumbled, and he finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper, laced with guilt and tears. “I didn’t mean for it to go that far, but I couldn't resist myself.”

Gagan leaned in, his eyes never leaving Rishabh's face. “Why did you do that, Rishabh?”

Rishabh closed his eyes, as if trying to push away the memories that had been haunting him. “It was the money… He kept hounding me about it. The pressure was too much. I didn’t have it. I kept lying, saying I would pay him soon, but I didn’t have a way to get it. He… he came to me, that day. He was angry. I tried to brush him off again. But he... he didn’t stop. He wouldn’t let it go. That’s when I lost it. We fought. I didn’t know what I was doing. I just… I just wanted him to leave me alone.”