The Tranquil Predator ✔️

Chapter 18

Patricia's Pov

My journey back home was relatively quiet. Praveen couldn't accompany me back home because he had some work with Raghu. The cold evening breeze pinched my cheeks as I made my way uphill. Arjun's words kept ringing in my ears,

Who are my clients? Families of people who got brutally murdered.

Those words stabbed me like a dagger. I knew Neethu's death affected him the most. He couldn't save her. He couldn't even catch the beast although they were so close. This had affected him mentally. It made him vengeful.

When I finally reached home. I opened the main door and walked in with heavy steps. I wanted to talk to someone. My thoughts were buried inside me and occupied my mind. I couldn't focus on anything else apart from them. I needed to let them out of my system by talking to someone. But who? I had talked to Ruchika about this entire thing. She said what any best friend would say, "Come Back Immediately!"

But how could I? After Neethu's death, I didn't have the stomach to leave these people. I needed to support them. And so I decided to stay. To support Vinesh. These people had been nothing but kind to me. Running away instead of staying with them was not something I was ready to do.

Moreover, this wasn't just a holiday destination for me. This town was my ancestral home. My parents were born in this town. That made them my people too. I was sitting on my couch thinking about this when suddenly the doorbell rang.

Was it Praveen? Opening the door, a familiar face showed up.

It was the Detective. He looked tired and there was a shade of guilt visible in his eyes. Looking at me, he gave me a faint smile.

"Hey, I..um...wanted to talk to you", he said meekly.

"Sure, why don't you come in. It's super chilly outside", I smiled.

He nodded his head and entered. I motioned him towards the hall where he could seat himself and I would join him shortly. He did so without question. It was indifferent of him. The last time he came here, he stomped around the place as if he owned it. But now, he was as quiet as a cat. It was the change in personality that bothered me. The pompous man who thought he was the best at everything was gone. Now it more like a defeated soldier stood in front of me. One who hadn't lost the battle, not yet. But he had stopped fighting and given up.

He sat in the hall quietly, looking at the decor when I entered with two cups of hot chocolate.

"So, what did you want to talk about?", I asked handing him a cup and seating myself opposite him.

He cleared his throat and finally said, "First of all, I am sorry. I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. It was very unprofessional of me."

"Apology accepted. But tell me, what was the reason behind that behaviour? Do you need a break? Do you need to stay away from this for a while to clear your mind?"

"I wish I could. But I can't. I can't rest until this, this 'Tranquil Predator' is caught."

This man was a workaholic. Like me.

Taking a deep breath. I told him something. Something from my point of view which I thought he would understand. I said, "Listen Arjun. I may be an interior designer. Not even a fraction of my work has any similarity to yours. We are poles apart from the professional point of view. But looks like we both are equally dedicated to our fields.", I paused for a second to observe his face.

When I was certain he was listening to me, I continued, "And it is from experience that I am telling you, sometimes a break from your work is important. Even if it is for a few hours. Do something that energizes your tired mind so that it can function better. I have been here for nearly a month, just like you. Do you know why I was here in the first place? Because I needed a break. Believe it or not, this is my first holiday in years. I had started to hate my profession. It felt like I was compelled to do it. Clients after clients came, the cycle never seemed to stop. And after a point my mind became tired. When I saw I was losing interest in work and my performance wasn't perfect. I decided to come here. Take a break and relax. Once I would be ready, I would go back to the fast city life of mine."

"That's the difference between us. You can afford to have a holiday. I cant. The fact that every minute I spend 'relaxing' means he gets to move one step ahead. And that is something I cannot swallow. And this happens every single time. It's a never-ending cycle.", he blurted out. A teardrop escaped his eye as he looked at me. Rubbing it away he looked down at the half-empty cup of hot chocolate sniffling.

I knelt and moved towards him on my knees. Putting my palms on his cheeks I lifted his face and look at him directly in the eyes. Men rarely shed their tears. But it doesn't mean they don't cry at all. They just don't show their tears much. Maybe because they think it makes them look weak. In front of me, I saw a completely defenseless man. He was weak and wasn't afraid to show it.

He allowed me to caress his cheeks. Closing his eyes, he submitted to my reassuring touch.

"Maybe that is why you need a break. A mental one. You know your mind isn't in this case. Give that detective brain of yours a break. I promise you when you get back to your work. You will feel refreshed. You will be able to think better. Work better. No one in this town is as skilled as you. If anyone can catch him, it is you.", I whispered as I looked at him.

"Fine, if you say so Ms. Fernandez", he smiled warmly.

Both of us stood up and I remarked, "Not just a 'fine', I need proof. Want to hang out tomorrow? I can show you around the town."

"Alright! That sounds fun", he chuckled.

"Lovely, tomorrow 10.30 am meet me at the foot of this hill. Wear casuals. No badge or gun. Dress up like a tourist. We will leave from there."

"Fine then. See you tomorrow.", he smiled.

A/N:

Yeah, So the next chapter is going to be full of aesthetic beauty and lots of Patricia and Arjun interactions. Munnar is a place I visited when I was in 8th grade for holidays. It is a paradise. One of the reasons why I decided to make my story setting in Munnar, because this place is really close to my heart. So for all those people who haven't visited Munnar, I wanted to dedicate a chapter to this place to help you all visualise where the story is set.