All the cases that Zaman had ever solved, this one was the most baffling one. Every now and then he kept counselling his fellows, telling them what to do and how to take steps making new strategies.
Abkaram was still looking for the person, Junaid had sketched. At his university, at market, on the way back home-everywhere he observed people's faces, their actions and how they talked.
It had been weeks since Nimra's murder and Zmaryal's suicide but they still hadn't found any obvious clue. The longer those rapists wandered outside, the more lives were in danger. And this thought kept Zaman awake at nights. He saw himself standing in the middle of a maze which led out to several paths and all of them looked worth taking.
Bazil was in contact with all the police stations, all the DSP's ever since the day. DNA of culprit found in Nimra's blood matched the DNA of nine more victims from across the laboratories of province which made the molester even more wanted.
***
At the basement of their apartment, all were called by Basil.
"So what was the announcement?" Zaman asked his best friend.
"I did my job Zaman. I with the help of several police men found the raper from Qissa Khwani Bazar. He lives in a distant village but works there in a shop as a naan bai."
(Baker.)
"He can help us reach other members of the group. Moreover this man's DNA sample wasfound in nine more victims."
"May be he leads."
"No one is sure about this right now. But one thing i am really certain about is that with all the sins he and his mates have committed, he cannot be castrated only. That's too little of a punishment for ruining ten lives."
"Was he unmarried?" Asked Jnuaid.
"To your surprise, he was. He even had a daughter and a son."
"God!" Zaman muttered underneath his breath. "What are these people even doing?"
"They have totally forgotten that there is a day to answer for all the sins they have committed."
"I don't know how can someone be molesting someone's daughter when they have one back in home. Like if she grows up how is he even gonna encounter her."
"What a useless father! She would wish him to be gone if she comes to know this ever."
"Women are so strong." Sighed Abkaram.
"Their rights are pushed aside, black mailed, blamed, abused, assualted, misunderstood but still above all the discriminations, they stand tall."
"Indeed. They are strongest." Zaman replied.
"After so many days we all gonna sleep peacefully."
After all, they had found the culprit they were looking for and which could lead to many more secrets.
***
Bazil punched the life out of him and by the end of his fourth day, starving to death he spat out some more names that were involved with him.
"Who guided you to do this or was it just wild desires that were insatiable."
"Latter."
Another punch landed on his already broken jaw which was followed by a blood curdling scream.
"How does it feel to scream in pain?" Bazil clutched his hair in his hands and jerked his head up. "The worst you had given to people."
"Let me go. I promise i won't do anything ever." He cried, the brutal hearted having tears falling down as his coldness melted.
Bazil stood up. Everyone deserved to repent, regret and rethink.
"Give him something to eat. I don't want him to die of hunger. He said so much for us to know." He said to one of the men standing outside the clink.
Within a few days, all four other men were taken mutely from their respective homes which were told by the culprit being arrested.
All five of them were beaten barbarously, to an extent where they begged to stop for they couldn't endure the pain of anymore.
Culprit number one, whose jaw had gotten broken by Bazil's punch was now twatted into his stomach until he coughed out blood.
"Do you have to do anything with Zmaryal?" Asked Bazil, wrapping around a piece of cloth around his hand.
They feared seeing him do the hand wrap, thinking their session of torment was about to start again.
"We don't know anyone with this name." One of them said.
"Oh yeah! Wasn't it that you also said you didn't know each other a few days back."
"Trust us. We don't know anyone named Zmaryal."
One of the other said, "we only had our concern with that girl. We didn't even know that her name is Nimra."
After a week was the hearing at court. Nimra's parents were there too. Mostly people wanted them to be hung in the middle of a chowk so that other could take lesson from their cessation. And Zaman, the mayor favoured the decision of people. But the M.N.A of that time preferred castration for these people would do at least one good thing which to take care of their families rather than being gone.
This would at least help in one thing that people doing anything out of boundaries would fear, fear of getting caught and losing their manliness. For people would stay loyal to their wives.
At night, as usual when he came home it was dark. Sensors in gate recognised his car as they opened. He said his Salam to the gaurd as he got down.
Today was a long taxing day!
He turned the lights on of the kitchen. He wasn't much of a fan of darkness. He warmed the food Bi gee had cooked and placed in fridge.
For the dinner, crickets joined him as they sang their night song for him.
How many days it had been since he has visited her street? It had been over a month.
In his room, at night he offered some nafal thanking his Lord for helping him solve the myth, for giving him honest friends.
But there was still an uneasiness in his heart.
Story of Zmaryal still needed to be unravelled.
YOU ARE READING
A hundred silent ways
Spiritual"Do you know? I still grab the cup of coffee and sit under the vast sky, stare at the stars like they know all my secrets and you know what do I do? I wait for you." Sordid reality of society is dawned upon Zaman when he takes the leadership of his...
