CID Bureau – Next Morning – 7:30 AM
The usually busy CID bureau was abnormally quiet. Even Freddy, known for his early morning banter, remained focused. A red string now ran across a board in the briefing room, connecting photos of Komal Desai, the old city library, the typed letter, and a still from the intercepted radio transmission.
Nelakhant Swami stood before it with a cup of black coffee in hand. He didn't look tired, but his focus was unnaturally sharp—like a writer reading a draft in search of mistakes.
ACP Pradyuman (entering): "Anything new, Swami?"
Swami: "He left something behind. Not physical. Literary."
He pointed to the transcript of the radio message.
Swami: "The way he phrases things—'walls of wisdom,' 'truth dies every night'—those aren't random lines. They're references. Footnotes… hidden in the narrative. This killer is mimicking classic authors."
Purvi (reading over his shoulder): "Authors?"
Swami: "Yes. These aren't just metaphors. The phrasing is drawn from multiple sources—Sylvia Plath, Kafka… even a line similar to something from Tagore's essays."
Abhijeet: "So we're looking for a literature expert?"
Swami: "Not just an expert. A collector. A performer. Someone obsessed with words, but also with audience reaction. A murderer who kills not to hide truth, but to present it."
---
Meanwhile – A Hidden Apartment – Unknown Location
A man sat in a dark room lit only by a desk lamp. Books surrounded him—rows of them, from ancient Indian poetry to modern thrillers. He carefully threaded a new sheet of paper into a typewriter.
Killer (whispering): "Chapter Two: The Woman in the Photograph."
He smiled and began typing.
---
CID Bureau – 11:00 AM
Freddy burst in holding a brown envelope.
Freddy: "Another letter. Same typewriter, same courier service. No fingerprints. It was dropped off at a news station, addressed to 'CID.'"
Swami quickly opened it. Inside was a single page, and a photograph.
> "Behind the beauty of the portrait lies the lie of a death. She smiles, but not for long. The frame holds more than wood—it holds a secret you buried and forgot."
Attached was a 4x6 photo of a woman, elegantly dressed, smiling in front of a painting. On the back of the photo were the numbers: 7.9.03.
Daya: "Another riddle?"
Swami: "No. A trigger. He's telling us where to look, and who to mourn."
Purvi ran the photo through facial recognition. After a few minutes, the results popped.
Purvi: "Her name is Neeti Kamat. She was an art curator. Died in 2003. It was ruled an accidental overdose. Case closed… by local police in Matunga."
ACP Pradyuman: "He's opening cold cases. Ones where the truth was hidden… or buried too fast."
Swami: "And he's using his broadcasts to rewrite the official version."
Abhijeet frowned. "How would he know about these cases?"
Swami's expression darkened. "Either he was involved... or he had access to someone who was."
Daya: "So he's not just a killer. He's a collector of forgotten crimes."
Swami: "Exactly. And his next kill… will make sure one of them isn't forgotten again."
---
Matunga Art Gallery – 2:20 PM
The team visited the gallery where Neeti Kamat once worked. It was now abandoned, but a plaque on the wall bore her name. Swami walked inside, immediately heading toward the portrait from the photograph.
He ran his fingers gently along the frame. "No dust on the corners. It's been cleaned recently. Someone's been here."
Daya checked the side wall and noticed a sealed fuse box with scratches.
Swami approached it. "It's not a fuse box anymore."
He opened it slowly.
Inside was a torn page from a diary, yellowed and faded. Daya read aloud:
> "I didn't want to hide it. But the pressure was too much. The painting, the funds, the buyer... if anyone knew, it would destroy everything. So I kept quiet. I let her take the fall."
Purvi (stunned): "This sounds like someone else admitting guilt… someone who framed Neeti?"
Swami nodded. "And the killer wants us to find that person next. He's forcing justice by tearing open forgotten wounds."
Abhijeet (serious): "So who's next on his list?"
---
Back at CID Bureau – 6:30 PM
Swami pinned the photo next to Komal Desai's on the board. Under both, he wrote:
> Victim 1: Truth denied.
Victim 2: Truth rewritten.
Then he added a third line:
> Target 3: Truth suppressed.
Swami: "This killer isn't just committing murders. He's writing a book. A trilogy of truth. And the final chapter… is still blank."
ACP Pradyuman: "Then we need to write the ending before he does."
Swami (quietly): "The final clue is coming. I can feel it."
Just then, a CID officer rushed in with a message.
Officer: "Sir! A live radio transmission just went out—same frequency. The voice said: 'Tomorrow. Noon. The museum of forgotten people. Come find her... or she dies.'"
Swami (turning): "He's escalating. Chapter Three begins now."
To be continued…