Intertwined Fates -- An IPKKND FanFic

Mystery Girl

It wasn't possible. It was all a fantastic, made-up story. Arnav read the letter that claimed Shyam was a murderer over and over, picking up the evidence provided in the files. The marriage certificates, the fake law degree, the photograph, the portraits and witness names.

He couldn't believe it. How could he be deceived so greatly, so easily, especially when it came to his beloved Anjali? How could she be deceived when she was such an excellent judge of character? How could his charming, loving brother-in-law be a murderer?

Lies, thought Arnav over and over again. But if it were true...the letter said that Anjali would be the next victim. It couldn't be true. But doubt, sharp as a knife, pierced his heart. He needed to be certain.

Picking up his phone, he dialed his lawyer.

***

It took only a few hours to verify the truth of the letter. At Arnav's instructions, the matter was kept discreet. The portraits were sent to various police stations so that the victims' families could be contacted and they'd all verified that this was in fact the victim's husband.

Arnav rushed home to his sister, held her in his arms while she wept in disbelief and again as she watched with swollen eyes as her husband of less than six months was handcuffed and taken away.

The investigation continued with gusto in the next few weeks. Arnav remained heavily involved, hiring the best lawyers to ensure that Shyam wouldn't make bail and exploiting his contacts at the police to see tapes of witness interviews. He wanted to see if the girl--the one who'd given him the file--would show up in one of them, but there was neither trace nor mention of her.

Who was she? At the very least, she deserved a thank you and some token of appreciation. He didn't understand why she wouldn't come forward; surely she understood that she could benefit from this situation.

A month and a half later after Shyam's arrest, the first hearing for Shyam's murder trial was held in court. Anjali, Arnav and the rest of the court listened with horror as the prosecution laid out the details of Shyam's crimes. How he'd select the girls, stalking them for months, before approaching them as their ideal man. How he'd lure them into marriage, only so he could entangle them further into his web of love. How he'd eventually give into the need to move on to someone new and so he'd decide to get rid of them. How he'd create an alibi, leaving town for a few nights, but then sneaking back one night to kill his wife. How he'd stab them all carefully so that if the dots were connected, they'd form the letter E, for Ekaant, the name given to him at birth.

The defense laid their case out in the second hearing, trying to show that the evidence was all circumstantial and that the most Shyam could be accused of was fraud due to his fake degree. That argument fell flat when the prosecution brought the victim's family members up to the stand and they all readily pointed out Shyam.

It took the jury less than half an hour to unanimously declare that Shyam was guilty, and upon the prosecution's urging, the judge sentenced Shyam to five consecutive life sentences. Thirty years were also added due to fraud, since he'd posed as a lawyer in multiple law firms and had used a fake name on his marriage certificates. He would never be a free man again.

And so it was done.

Anjali trembled slightly as Arnav led her out of the courtroom and into the open air. "Are you alright, Di?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm just...that could have been me, Chote."

He grasped her arms firmly, turning her so that she was facing him. "But it wasn't. And that's all that matters Di. I promise, I won't ever let your life be endangered again."