The Case of Known-Unknown

The 2nd Letter

Moreover, there was now a new character in the play who vexed Syna a little too much. The night when the killing took place was when Syna saw her for the first time, she knew very well that it wasn't the long blonde hair that made her envy her so much. There was something else, and now Syna knew very well what it was.

It was 8 P.M when she was returning to the station when suddenly, she was interrupted by a bunch of reporters. The blonde-haired woman, Catherine, asked to have a word in private. They sat facing each other, sans cameras.

   'SHO Syna, I have a deal for you.' She said, smiling.

   'What is it? Also, why isn't this conversation on record?' Syna asked firmly, trying to sound dominating.

   'There's a reason for that. Since you cops have chosen to not pay any heed to the media, I have a deal which might help both of us.'.

   'You want to increase your coverage and gain attention, isn't it?' Syna asked, and she nodded with a smirk.

   'It is a mass-murder and according to our intel, the weapons used were similar to that of The Stalker. We want you to either confirm or deny The Stalker's involvement in the case. Here's the deal, you reveal to us the progress and details of the case, and in return, we will keep our lips tight about the investigation you carried out in the villas of Mysore colony without permission or notice.'

Syna was furious, what she said was logically absurd, it made no sense at all. The investigation was carried out with the necessary warrant and permission.

   'What are you-? What do you mean without any permission or notice?' she asked, furious.

   'You barged into Akash Paul's villa without permission, overlooking the fact that he is a detective.' Syna rolled her eyes in frustration. What was this bitch talking about? Even if she did investigate his house, she was not obliged to ask for anyone's permission! What hurt her was the idea of Akash being behind this deal. But she waved it off.

   'I am not obliged to answer to anyone! And for your deal, you think you can blackmail me? How do you intend to present such an absurd, illogical theory of yours in front of people and increase your coverage?' Syna gritted her teeth in anger.

   'The coverage might sound illogical to a few commoners, but it will surely raise some news and issues for you. We are the media, all we need is an argument to light some fire, we don't have to worry about how it spreads.' She replied calmly, confident, and still smiling. Syna hated every quality that she possessed.

   'Whatever pleases you. I have one question for you, is Akash Paul involved in this deal?' she asked impatiently, to which Catherine's smile faded and she looked at Syna with equal hatred.

   'Akash isn't involved. He isn't even aware of it. I happen to be his neighbour and saw your team investigating. Later, I met him and he confirmed that he wasn't aware of the search party.' And that was it, that was where Syna's jealousy knew no bounds. This meant one thing, she was close to Akash.

Syna quietly stood up and left, without making any eye contact.

*********

David sat on his sofa, worried and irritated. He had ordered his servants to change the entire dining room, with a new carpet, tables, floor, and even a different touch of colour for the walls. And yet that horrible event never left his mind. His lawyer was with him throughout, he got him out of custody and stood beside him in his dark times. He had tried calling Jeel for many days until finally her phone was switched off and there was no way for him to contact her.