Crime Control Squad

Chapter 13

Leaning back on the seat and letting out a relaxed sigh, Ruby felt peaceful viewing the several green plants and extraordinarily tall trees racing one behind the other. The raindrops splattering on the window or the mumbling of the thunder made no significance difference to her. She loved the rains. She absolutely loved the chillness and the moisture in the air. She loved securing herself in thick jackets and becoming a part of the cold world, which people around her would rather give a miss. They didn't know what they are missing, she always told herself. An involuntary smile traced her face as she single-handedly enjoyed her journey to the City Prison. Single-handedly of course since her travelling companion seemed to be in a grumpy mood all throughout. Cursing the indomitable rain and the fury of the nature reflected on the roads, Vikram flew past Ruby's much appreciated view with a scorn. Due to the over slippery roads, he couldn't accelerate beyond 60kms/hr on the highway which he considered an insult to himself. An avid car lover and a stiff competitor to his boss in this arena, he valued every second of his driving time. But when things don't go according to his will and conditions, it was the worst time one could experience, not for Vikram but whoever was travelling along with him and this time unfortunately it was Ruby.

Ruby couldn't comprehend her senior's mood. She craned side glances, uncaught, to evaluate. She decided to remain silent. She was still sceptical about the way the argument had shaped between her and Vikram. She didn't intend to disagree with him downrightly but she was a person who would never accept something just because she didn't want to upset the other person. She completely understood what Vikram had tried to explain, but the problem was he didn't seem to understand what she was trying to say. He didn't even attempt to. She wasn't sure if he still had the argument circling his mind and was intentional being angry over all the other things around, showing his anger at everything else which in true sense should have been directed at her. Roads, rains, passing vehicles- everyone and everything developed quickly as his target. She was puzzled. She didn't know if she should talk about it. She didn't want to initiate another argument and spoil the pleasant journey of hers. At the same time, she realised she was still a newcomer and it was important for her to bend a little and get her point across in a way which didn't offend her team mates. May be her words were offensive? May be her tone? It couldn't be. She was careful. She was yet to understand each one's nature completely and she definitely shouldn't expect others to understand her. They were already a team and she had to take steps to become one of them. It all came down to understanding and rapport building. It would be ridiculous if she expected something like that to be built strongly in less than a week of her entry.

"Have they constructed roads or potholes?" barked Vikram as he landed his car slowly down a pit and pressed the accelerator harder to get the car safely out from it. The gear handle was at the receiving end of his anger as he charged at it to top the gear hitting the handle harder than needed. Ruby eyed him with interest which seethed him even more. He, of course, caught the side glances which Ruby wanted to keep unobtrusive. He was a detective and a very good one.

"Trying to assess my psych are you?" he asked gruffly before he could stop himself. He knew his anger and frustration was because of Ruby and her theories. Not exactly theories, but an additional path to be followed while investigating. If his boss hadn't stopped him, he would have definitely got into a much more heated argument to get across his point and force the other to accept and agree to it. He didn't believe in psychology and its methods. He was completely taken by surprise when his boss informed him that he had requested for a psychologist for the team. He couldn't see any reason why a psychologist was necessary while solving crimes. They weren't going to hypnotise and conjure a confession. The only person whom he was sure to fail against in his arguments was his boss, Vedant. He knew his boss would have a brilliant reason to bring in Ruby, one he couldn't really understand the depth off.