The Arrangement

Chapter Twenty-Two: Mourners

Warning: suicide mention.

I stood outside with a blanket wrapped around me.

I wasn't sure how or when I got here, but as the cold seeped into my bones, I became aware of someone's arm around my shoulders, of the flashing lights of police cars and ambulance that lit up the night, the voices of people around me.

Some officers were walking out of the apartment building, following by paramedics leading a stroller. A white sheet covered her body, but I had already seen it all. I had stood there staring at her blank face until the first responders arrived. When I heard the sirens, I had made my way to Nabhitha, whose cries had softened from exhaustion. I picked her up, tried to soothe her. And then someone was there, taking her from me, more people came to see the body. From there, someone must have led me out.

Someone was speaking next to me.

"We need to take her to the police station to ask her some questions."

I dimly registered Farhan's voice reply. It was his arm around my shoulders. "I don't think she's in any state to talk right now. Can't this wait?"

A murmur as the officers spoke to each other then, "She'll need to come to the station with us. There we can give her some time until she's ready to talk."

The officers walked away. Farhan squeezed my shoulder. "Aditi?"

I looked at him. "Vivaan," I whispered. "Where is he?"

Farhan hesitated. "He was here... and then he left. Said he needed to be alone."

The weight on my chest grew heavier. This must've destroyed him. His little cousin... gone.

"And Preeti?"

"We... haven't told her yet. She still isn't back from-."

And then there she was, running towards us with wide eyes. I heard Preeti ask what happened, the panic in her voice clear. Farhan looked at me, asking if he should be the one to say it. In response, I pulled away from him and walked away from the two of them, not wanting to hear it. As I walked, unaware of which direction I was heading in, I heard Farhan answer her question. I heard Preeti's cries.

I let it all fade away behind me, wishing I could disappear into blissful oblivion.

*

"Are you ready to tell us what happened?"

The Sub-Inspector was a woman, her hair tied back in a severe bun, not a strand out of place. Her badged read Aarushi.

I swallowed, and turned my eyes back down to the desk, noticing the small grooves in the worn wood, the chipped corners and pen marks. The station was quiet at this time of the night, with a couple of other officers working at their desk, writing under white desk lamps. Two of them, men, stood behind me, Preeti and Farhan. I was sitting between the two of them.

I could feel Preeti's eyes on me, wanting to know. When I took too long to speak, Farhan took my hand in his. He squeezed it. The pressure and warmth from his palm helped ground me a little.

"I... went inside. The first thing I heard was Nabhitha crying. I immediately felt something was off. Sanj- she- she would never let her cry like that. I went to her room-." I squeezed my eyes shut, the image flooding back. Her feet swinging in the air. Her horrified face. I didn't need to finish, the police had already seen what I saw.

"And nobody else was home at that time?" Aarushi asked.

I shook my head.

The woman sighed and shuffled through some papers sitting in front of her. She picked one up and read it. "The manager, Khan, told us that two men had come asking about Sanjana. When he told you about them, you seemed to panick and ran to your apartment. Can you tell me about that?"