CHAPTER 6: Shadow of the past
Ranveer and Abir were waiting in the commissioner’s cabin…. They were thinking what might be the reason that they had been called when they were investigating such an important case….
Was this the doing of the Oberois to stop the investigation…. Or did they want some other officers to handle the case…. Such questions raised in Ranveer’s mind since he knew how the Oberois had done similar things earlier also…. If they did it this time again, he would not back out…. He will find the real culprit either way…. He would not let that Shivaay Singh Oberoi rule over his work….
Abir was in other thoughts…. He did not pay much attention to the Oberois and their doings because he knew Ranveer would already be paying the needed attention…. He was thinking about Ishana…. How did she reach the hotel soon after they had reached…. Who would be her sources that gave her the exact information at the correct time…. She definitely had some reliable sources…. And he would one day definitely find them….
They both were immersed in their respective thoughts when the door opened and they came out of their respective thoughts…. They got up from their seats and saluted the commissioner who smiled at them…. Behind him entered a girl…. Ranveer was confused seeing her while shock would have been an understatement for Abir…. The girl looked at Abir and smiled a little…. Ranveer now looked at Abir who was extremely shocked by her behavior…. The girl stood beside the commissioner and smiled at Ranveer….
Commissioner: Officers, meet her she is ACP Mishti Agarwal, she is joining our team from today and will be working on the case with both of you.
Ranveer: But Sir, we both are already working, I do not think we need another officer. There are many other cases that may require her.
Abir: Yes Sir, Ranveer Sir is right; she can handle the other cases.
Ranveer and the commissioner both looked at Abir in shock, he called Ranveer as Ranveer Sir and not as Veer…. This was a major shock while the girl who understood the reason for their shock smiled a little…. Abir looked at her so she wiped away her smile and composed herself….
Commissioner: I know that there are many other cases to handle and also that you both will handle this case properly but this is a very important case as it involves the Oberois and Kapoors, so I want Mishti to help you both. This case can bring out many truths and so I want my best officers to handle them, and hence I have decided that you three will work on this case together, this is my final order.
Ranveer and Abir had no other option and agreed to what the Commissioner said…. The three of them took his permission and walked out of the cabin…. Once they were at a distance from the cabin Abir held Mishti’s hand and took her to the other side…. Ranveer was surprised by Abir’s sudden change in the behavior…. But he decided not to interfere and walked towards his cabin….
*****
Abir pinned Mishti to the wall…. She was surprised by his behavior…. She could see anger in his eyes…. This was not the Abir she had known for so many years…. Abir held her shoulders and pressed her more into the wall…. She was hurt and tears formed in their eyes…. Abir understood what he did and left her, he moved back and looked at the other side….
Abir: Why have you come here, what more do you want to do?
Mishti: I came here because Commissioner Sir asked me to join you both in the case. I did not come here for anything else.
Abir: Oh really, you think I’ll believe this stupid excuse of yours. I am warning you if you think that by doing all this you’ll come back in my life, then forget all that, you’ll never succeed in that.
Mishti: Abir, I have no such intention, I am here for work and I’ll concentrate on that only.
Abir: That would better for you, because if you don’t, I’ll have to make you leave.
Mishti: Why are you still angry, all that happened years ago and we both have suffered enough, why do you want to complicate things?
Abir: I am not complicating anything that is your habit.
Mishti: Oh really, that is why you dragged me here and asking all these irrelevant questions. Then let me also make things clear for you, I am here for work and you are just an officer who is working with me.
Mishti did not wait for Abir to answer back…. She wiped her tears and walked away from him…. Abir was angry and punched the wall which hurt his hand and it started bleeding…. He did not care and walked away….
Why does your past not let you live in peace in your present…. Why do you have to face the people you do not wish to see again…. Why do those memories come rushing back that you have buried deep inside your heart…. Why does it hurt every time you see them…. Why the tears you have kept locked in flow when they are near you…. Why do all the walls you have built around yourself break when they come back…. Abir and Mishti asked these questions to themselves…. Why couldn’t all the years of separation erase everything that existed between them….
Love….
Betrayal….
Pain….
Hatred….
Were indeed strong emotions and even four years of separation could not erase those from their hearts….
*****
Abir walked into the cabin and sat down on the chair…. Ranveer could sense that something was wrong with him…. He had never seen Abir getting angry like this…. Always he would be the angry young man while Abir was the happy-go-lucky guy who would light up the environment with his talks and jokes…. Seeing Abir like this was the last thing Ranveer could have imagined…. He had been observing Abir since Mishti had come and he very well understood that Mishti had a lot to do with Abir’s changed behavior….
Ranveer: Abir, are you okay?
Abir: Yeah Veer, I am fine. Leave all that, tell me what are we going to do further with the investigation.
Ranveer thought not to interfere in Abir’s matter now as he did not know anything about the problem…. He thought to divert Abir’s mind from Mishti to the case…. He was thinking when he heard a knock and Mishti entered…. He looked at her not knowing what to do…. He just asked her to come in and she quietly followed…. Abir ignored her and sat in his same position…. Mishti too did not want to bring unnecessary issues kept quiet and looked at Ranveer…. Ranveer looked at them and decided to talk about the case…. He briefed Mishti about the happenings till now…. She listened carefully….
Abir was looking at her…. She was not the carefree naïve girl whom he had met in college but had turned into a mature lady…. And for some reasons he did not like this changed version of hers…. He wished to see that same carefree Mishti whom he had seen in college, whom he had fallen in love with…. He hated this matured lady who had broken his heart for her dreams and aspirations…. He hated her a lot…. He pushed aside all his thoughts and concentrated on what Ranveer was saying…. But he could not and his gaze again travelled back to her….
Ranveer: So, we have to wait for the postmortem reports. Also we have to collect fingerprint samples from all the people related to the crime.
Mishti: Sir, till the reports come, we should gather the fingerprints and also any information from the hotel staff and the family members. It was an Oberoi wedding, obviously Mr. Oberoi would have had tight security arrangements, and still a murderer entered the premises and killed his fiancée, Ms. Kapoor.
Ranveer: You are right Mishti; we need to get answers from everyone there.
Mishti: So Sir, when do we start?
Ranveer: First we’ll check the CCTV footage we have received from the hotel, and maybe start with the enquiry tomorrow, anyways we’ll get the reports day after tomorrow so
we have time tomorrow.
Mishti: Okay Sir.
Abir: I’ll ask Shinde to bring the CCTV footage here.
Saying so Abir left the room…. Mishti looked at him going away while Ranveer could sense that Abir had gone himself just to be away from Mishti….
Ranveer: Mishti, I know I have no right to interfere in your personal matters but I would only say one thing, whatever it is you and Abir do not let it affect your work on the case. I am already seeing Abir getting distracted, I’ll talk to him but I am telling you not to let yourself get distracted. Whatever it is you both solve it outside the police station. Also I am sorry if I sound rude.
Mishti: I understand your point Sir and do not worry, I’ll not let my personal matters affect my professional work.
Shinde entered with the CCTV footage and Abir followed him…. Shinde played the footage and the three of them looked at the screen carefully…. Nothing seemed different or strange…. Tia entered the room…. After an hour Gauri came there…. And as Gauri had said she came out really soon and ran towards the dining area…. After few minutes the Oberois and Kapoors came with some hotel staff, Trisha and Soumya…. Gauri was standing outside…. Nothing different had happened…. They checked the footage once again but still nothing different could be observed….
Ranveer: We need to enquire them only, this footage is of no use. The killer would definitely not come from the front door.
Abir: We’ll have to get answers from them only now.
*****
AUTHOR’S NOTE: So here is the entry of our Mishti and thus begins the story of our lovely Mishbir.
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