Cid Vs The Eye

Chapter 8: The Footage

The bureau had gone quiet in the particular way rooms go quiet when everyone is watching the same clock. DCP Chitrole stood near the window, arms crossed, jaw tight.

DCP Chitrole: (to ACP, though his eyes stayed on the door) "Dekha, ab tak nahi aayi Poorvi. Mujhe pehle hi pata tha, nahi aayegi."

Behind that mask, a very different voice was pleading: Ab tak kyun nahi aayi Poorvi... please aa jao.

ACP Pradyuman: "Sir, mujhe poora bharosa hai, wo zaroor aayegi."

Daya and Abhijeet had been calling Poorvi's phone non-stop for the last twenty minutes. No answer. When they finally tried to track it, they got their answer — she'd left it behind at home. Whatever she was doing, she was doing it off the grid.

It was almost two o'clock.

DCP Chitrole: (glancing at the clock) "Ab aakar bhi kya karegi. Do baj gaye."

Someone near the door: "Sir, aa gayi... Poorvi aa gayi!"

She walked in with the same laptop bag she'd left with, but her face had changed — grief layered under something harder now, something close to fury held very carefully in check.

Relief and tension moved through the room at the same time.

DCP Chitrole: (still trying to sound unmoved) "Ab aakar kya fayda, Poorvi ji. Do baj gaye."

In his head, the voice screamed something entirely different: Bhagwan ka shukar hai, aa gayi.

Poorvi held up her wrist without a word, showing him her watch.

Poorvi: "Sir, apni ghadi repair karwaiye."

One minute fifty-nine seconds. Two seconds still left before the two hours were up.

DCP Chitrole: (clearing his throat) "Theek hai, theek hai. Dikhao kya laayi ho."

Poorvi: (to Pankaj) "Ye laptop screen se connect kar do."

She turned to ACP, and for the first time since walking in, her voice cracked slightly.

Poorvi: "Sir, main Shreya ko lekar aati hun. Uski permission ke bina main ye clip chala nahi sakti."

DCP Chitrole: "Kaun si clip? Kya saboot dhoondh liya tumne?"

Poorvi didn't look at him when she answered. She looked at ACP, at the officers standing around — everyone except him.

Poorvi: "Sir, kal raat ki CCTV footage. Goli lagi thi camera ko bhi, isliye poori tarah damage nahi hua — footage bach gayi. Bahut mushkil se backup nikala maine. Lekin blur hai. Jisne ye kiya, uska chehra clearly visible nahi hai."

She let that sit for a second.

Poorvi: "Ab main Shreya ko lekar aati hun."

She found Shreya curled in a corner of the small room, crying quietly, as if she'd run out of the energy for anything louder.

Poorvi: "Shreya..."

Shreya looked up and came straight into her arms, still crying. Poorvi held her, rubbing slow circles on her back, her own eyes filling.

Poorvi: "Shhh... sambhaalo apne aap ko, Shreya."

Shreya pulled back first.

Shreya: "Sorry."