"Get up! Hey... C'mon, wake up! It's getting late, y'know?"
"Just a sec, babe. What's the big rush? It's Sunday, chill."
"Oh, yeah? So who's gonna do all the chores, huh? You'll be begging for tea in like, five minutes."
Shritoma and Avilash woke up, cuddling and messing with each other.
Avi yanked Shritoma to face him and went to plant a kiss on her neck.
"Hey, what d'you think you're doing? Mom already popped her head in here once," she muttered, clamping her hand over his mouth. "It's nothing, Shritu... just a quickie..."
The phone's ringtone blared.
"Aviiii.... Your phone's going of..."
After getting married, Avi made a new rule: at night, phones stay in the dining room. Period. Not in the bedroom. He was convinced that distraction was the number one marriage-killer.
"Ugh, seriously... Don't people have anything
better to do than call this damn early?" Avi groaned. "Hang on, Mom, I'm coming!"
Shritoma snickered. "Yeah, right. Take a look at the clock, big shot."
It really was late, 10 AM. Avi doesn't usually sleep in this late. But in the springtime, his... affection... tends to overflow a bit.
Still frowning, he planted a hard kiss on Sritoma's lips and got out of bed.
He checked his phone. A call from Kuntal.
He called back while putting toothpaste on his brush in the washroom.
Call connects
"Yo, Avi..."
"What 'Avi Avi'? Can't let a guy sleep in peace, for fuck's sake. Couldn't this have waited?"
"Whoa, why so jumpy? Don't get pissed."
"Yeah, whatever. Talk. What's up?"
"I'm guessing you haven't read today's paper yet?"
"Nah, I literally just woke up."
"There's been a murder. Broad daylight... I'm heading to the Department now. Read the paper, then get your ass over here."
Call cut
Avi is a history professor at the college. But aside from history, Avi's main interest is criminal psychology. On the outside, he might look like your typical 5'8", glasses-wearing "teacher"... but when it comes to theft, robberies, or straight-up mayhem, he's in a league of his own. People call him the "Historical Spy."
His friend Kuntal, on the other hand, finished his Master's in Arts with him, took the civil service exam, and joined the police. He'd always said, "Teaching brats? Not for me."
Ever since, Avilash sticks his nose into pretty much every big case that lands on Kuntal's desk. In fact, it's only because of Avi's sharp mind that Kuntal recently got promoted to the CharBazar area's intelligence department.
After his morning routine and a shower, he got ready and sat down for breakfast, grabbing the newspaper. The story was right on the front page.
It read:
SECTOR 32: DISMEMBERED BODY FOUND BY CANAL
March 12, 2013: A body was discovered on the bank of the canal running under the Sector 32 overbridge. The body was not whole; someone (or several people) had severed it below the waist. The lower half of the body was found nearby on the canal bank.
The victim is female. Signs were found near the genitals, and it was determined the woman was sexually active. The killer has sanded the lower half of the body, apparently with sandpaper, in an attempt to destroy evidence. A forensic analysis is underway to determine if any DNA is present in the vaginal cavity. The CharBazar Police Department is overseeing the investigation.
Avi quickly pulled up Google Maps.
"Okay, the highway runs from Sector 30 to 38... crosses 6 canals. 30 to 32 is 40km... they definitely used a car. So, if they get 10km/l, that's 4 liters of fuel. Max 8 liters, tops. If they're spending that much on gas, why the fuck wouldn't they dump the whole body in one spot? Is this killer loaded or something? If they started somewhere near 32, there are 2 canals on the way... We should check the others too. But... Sector 34 doesn't have a canal, just some rotten, swampy pond. If this guy's got half a brain, he might've dumped the other parts there..." he thought to himself.
He dialed Kuntal.
"Hey, I'm assuming your guys are already searching the other canals for the rest of the body, right? There's no canal near Sector 34, but there's a shitty pond. Get some divers in there, check it out. Failing that, by the highway at Sector 37, there's a break... leads into a jungle. Get a search party in there too. I'll meet you at the department in half an hour."
He finally got to the department at 11:30.
"What's the story, my dear Lestrade?" Avi said, walking in. "Any headway? Did you search those spots I told you about?"
"Yep," Kuntal said grimly. "Torso in the pond. Head in the jungle."
"Well, at least we found the whole... package."
"There's no blood in the body, Avi. And the head... fuck, it looks like it was cooked in a pressure cooker. What a goddamn mess. This is the most gruesome shit I've ever seen."
"Good god... what a circus. The head's going for autopsy, I assume? That'll take ages... they'll do their photos, it'll be a while. Break out the chessboard. We'll talk while we play. Oi, Harihar! Two teas and samosas from Mehboob's!"
"Right away, sir!"