TALAASH - Reliving the Past

45. Ideal Daughter

DKS: Personally interested? Why would she be personally interested in the case?

BU: SI Kainat JaiSingh
Says Barbie, sipping on a bottle of water and relaxing on the sofa.

Kaira, perplexed, questions,
DKS: I didn't get you. What does Kainat have to do with this case?

BU: I have a strong gut feeling that she's somehow connected to this murder.
Barbie states, stunning her colleagues in the room.

Kaira, her tone low yet intense, retorts,
DKS: Barbie, just because you have issues with her lifestyle and choices, you can't blame her for every bad thing happening in this world. She was with me the whole night. How could she go and kidnap or murder someone?

BU: (raising to her feet) Maddam Sir, I'm not saying she did it herself. I'm just saying she is somehow involved in this in a mysterious way. And you know how much DSP madam cares for her, almost like her own sister. So, it's obvious that DSP madam is trying to protect Kainat from the inquiry.

Barbie says in a polite tone, while Kaira averts her gaze, clearly irritated by her junior's claim.

DKS: You'd better consider a career as an occultist. It might be a better fit for you. I can't keep listening to your baseless intuitions.

BU: It's not an intuition, Maddam Sir. It's an observation. Didn't you notice her picking up a cigar lighter from the crime scene this morning?

DKS: It's her own cigar lighter, Barbie. It fell from her pocket while she was investigating the spot.

Kaira says in an irked tone, while Barbie shifts her gaze to Riya.

BU: Riya, what does Kainat madam do before settling at her desk every time?

RR: (after a moment's thought) She removes her cap and places it on her table.

BU: And then?

RR: She peeks into Maddam Sir's cabin. If Maddam Sir isn't there, she asks me about her whereabouts.

Riya's response leaves Kaira staring in shock, while Barbie rolls her eyes in annoyance. Head Constable Divaakar Pandey silently conceals his smile under the guise of rubbing his nose.

BU: What else Riya?

RR: She takes out her smartphone, wallet, keys, and handkerchief from her pocket and places them on the table for comfort..

BU: Have you ever seen a lighter or cigarettes on her table or in her pockets?

RR: (thinking for a moment) No madam..

BU: (shifting her gaze to DP) Pandey ji..

DP: No madam..

BU: (shifting her gaze to DKS) Maddam Sir... You spent almost an entire day with Kainat madam yesterday. Did you see her smoking at any point?

DKS: (recollecting for a minute) No..

BU: That's it. She doesn't smoke. She just manipulated the evidence to disrupt our investigation and protect the kidnappers.

DKS: Maybe she's not a regular smoker.

BU: (smirking sarcastically) Seems like the sleepover has changed everything in this station. No problem. (She shifts her gaze to DP.) Pandey ji, as soon as Kainat madam returns from her field duty, go and ask for a cigarette. If she has a pack of cigarettes with her, then I'll accept that she told the truth. If she doesn't, then... (She shifts her gaze to DKS.) Maddam Sir, you'll have to charge her with evidence tampering and request a departmental inquiry.
Barbie speaks in a straightforward manner, while Kaira ponders for a moment before nodding to Divaakar Pandey, who was waiting for her approval of the plan.