The Poetry of Deaths(on Hold)

Chapter 3

Sidharth clicks on the last video of the second victim, Sameer Salunke. He carefully checks the video. He then starts looking at the last videos of all the victims one after the other. He runs his fingers through his hair.
"Sana needs to see this."
He pulls out his phone and gives her a call.

"Hi bebu! Missing me?"
"Yup, a lot. Can you come down to the office after some time? "
"Haye, ACP Sidharth Srivastava itna romantic kaise ho gaya? Mujhe office bula raha hai? Romance in office. How exciting!"
Sidharth smiles,"Nautanki ho tum, pata hai tumhe? Listen, I have a video to show you. When can you come?"
"It's related to the case, isn't it? Pata tha, ACP and romance? Not possible. Hmm.. I have a shooting till 6. And I was thinking about paying Dr. Anand a visit by 8. So I can come to your office on the way."

After a knock, Ranne enters the room. Sidharth signals him to sit.
"Okay.. I will wait for you then. Bye.."
"Love you."
"Hmm."
"Sidharth Shrivastava, yaar kabhi toh bolo tum pyar karte ho."
"Sana.."
"Don't Sana me.. unromantic. Room mein shayari and bahar ek I love you bhi nahi.."
Sana starts her fake cry and Sidharth rubs his temples.
"I am hanging up. See you in the evening."
"Tumhe meri kasam lage, agar bina I love bole phone rakha toh. Tell me love you then you will hang up the call."
Ranne whispers,"Is everything okay?"

Sidharth nods his head and stands up. He goes to the window and says,"I have a meeting now, everyone is here. I will tell you when you come here. "
Gaikwad and others join Ranne.
"Tell me you love me. Now."
"I do. Happy! I do a lot. Now please.."
"WORDS.. IN WORDS..say I LOVE YOU, SANA."
He looks behind and then whispers,"I love you, Sana."
"I couldn't hear you. Louder Siddy boy."
"Now it's too much. Rakho phone."
"I knew it. You don't love me anymore. "

Sidharth gives out a deep breath and says, "I love you, Sana. I really do. And Ma and Ruhani, they love you too. But you are always so busy. They miss you, that's why they are a little upset, nothing else. Please take some time off and spend it with them.."
"Haye! Yeh kya tha.."
"I said what you wanted to hear. Try and understand, Sana. I am hanging up now. Bye!"
Suppressing his smile, he hangs up the phone and turns towards the desk.
"Is everything alright Sir?"
Gaikwad asks.
"Yes. Just a tiny household problem. Nothing serious. Let's get down to work."

"We first need to find a connection between the victims. Apart from the fact that they were vloggers, do we have anything that connects them?"
Ranne says, "No Sir. They belonged to well-known families but they didn't know each other. They stayed at different places, studied at different schools and colleges and had different interests. Only common factor is their channels where they used to visit places that people term haunted."
Sidharth shakes his head, "No, there must be something which we don't yet know."
Gaikwad says, "The dates are not in a pattern. "
Ranne says, "Exactly. The second death happened around 20 days after the first one, the third one 15 days after the second, fourth 12days and the fifth 16 days. And now Tony died only 5 days later. Dates are not anywhere matching."

Sidharth stares at the dates written on the white board.
"What am I missing?"
He mutters under the breath.
"Places where they are killed have nothing in common except that people had died unnatural deaths there and they were a abandoned for years. There were rumors of these places to be haunted."
Kambli adds.

Sidharth looks at his watch and then says, "There's sure something that we are yet to uncover. Apart from the interrogation here that we will carry out, I want all the information that you can lay your hands on about the victims. Get me very tiniest detail, every incident on them. Talk to their friends, relatives and neighbours. Bhonsale, anything from the Khabris?"
"Yes Sir. One very interesting fact about Rajnish has come up."
Sidharth waits for him to speak.

A man in his early 50s, sits in the interrogation room with a woman a few years her junior. The man wears a linen white shirt and khaki colored trousers. He has short hair that has started to turn grey from the sides. He has an average height and health and wears rimless glasses. The woman has short hair, tied into a pony. She wears a white cotton salwar suit, a pair of diamond earrings and dark rimmed glasses.