A Dozen Ways To Kill

"Pomegranates": Part-1

Sourav took another sip of cup of tea as he sat on a three-legged-chair beside a roadside tea-stall. Alongside him sat Vikram and Adithya.

"I am telling you man; this guy is a proper psycho" said Adithya as he took a sip from his coffee. "All that he cares about is his food and stuff."

"It's just the fact that he can narrate such gruesome tales with a smile on his face" said Vikram. "I have never seen anything like it before."

"I've never seen anyone like him either" said Adithya. "Not in my entire time with the force."

"This guy is seriously messed up!" said Vikram.

Sourav took another sip as he listened to his squad mates' bicker. The tea was pretty good but his mind was wandering. He was still processing the newfound details in his head.

It must've been around half past five when the trio had decided to take a break from the interrogation. They had decided to take a tea break. Paul had told them three of the murders so far and it had been a very long day.

"Look at Sourav" said Adithya as he grinned at Vikram. "Deep in thought even when he's on a fucking break."

Sourav looked at Adithya and smiled. "Been a tough day. Lots of new information, lots to process."

"Chill Sir" said Vikram as he smiled. "Take a break. You've been working hard from morning."

Sourav smiled as he looked at Vikram. "Trust me. I'm trying."

Sourav didn't exactly know what was bothering him. There was something about Paul Mathews, something really different. Something that set him apart from all the other criminals he had seen so far. He seemed to be a person with absolutely no feelings. But on the other hand, there was something strangely intriguing about him; something that caught the eye. Maybe it was his unorthodox style, maybe it was his not-so-popular ideologies, but there definitely was something unique about him.

"Come on Sir" said Vikram as he got up and handed his glass back to the shopkeeper. "Let's go."

"Yeah."

Sourav got up and handed his glass back. The three of them slowly started to walk back to the prison.

Adithya and Vikram were rambling on about something while Sourav was still lost in his thoughts. He casually ran his right hand through his well-groomed beard.

Ah, the pimple.

He had actually forgotten all about it; the ugly little thing which had shown up on his face about two days ago. He gently pressed on it.

"By the way Sir" began Adithya. "We have sent officers to investigate the locations that Paul told us about." Adithya paused momentarily. "The so called 'Body locations'."

"Good" said Sourav as he looked on ahead. "Tell me when you hear from them."

The trio approached the tall gates of the High Security Prison. A guard at the gate let them in again. They walked towards the main building, where they were again greeted by two policemen.

One of them smiled at Sourav. The faces of the jail policemen were starting to become familiar now. This one was the guard who had walked them in that morning.

"How's the interrogation going Sir?" asked the policeman with a smile. "Is that mad fellow co-operating with you people?"

"Yeah, he is actually" replied Sourav with a smile. "Who could have seen this coming."

The policeman smiled. "Ah, that's nice."

Sourav looked at the badge of the policeman. 'Venkatesh Reddy'. Sourav was starting to like this guy. He seemed to be a nice guy and was being very polite. He was a middle-aged man and seemed to have a fair bit of experience in the force. Sourav then looked at the second policeman who was standing there. He, on the other hand didn't seem to be as pleasant as the Venkatesh and seemed to be slightly introverted. Sourav glanced at his badge as well. 'Karthik Sriram'.