"Yes, ma'am." Karishma is indifferent about what she has just heard although it is wrong in a way. However, it is not considered tampering with the evident when no one knows about the evident. That's the way they are doing it and it gets Karishma's better judgement to look the other way.
"You are dismissed, detective. Grab some donuts on your way out."
Haseena has just woken up from her sleep after the New York trip. She has woken up to the empty house where she can hear nothing but her own steps touching the floor. She has an interview later in the afternoon and that is probably the time when everyone starts showing up at her house. Karishma is also not here yet but she is more than certain that outside her gate, there are a couple of cops hanging around pretending to be whatever they could think of; a gardener, a postman or a random jogger. Haseena makes her way downstairs and starts exploring her fridge for something to eat as she dials her phone.
"Hey, love." Another end of the phone answers with so much gentle and love in his voice.
"Good morning, dad." Haseena greets back with a smile that automatically appears on her face when the familiar voice reaches her ear.
"Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine." Haseena answers and gets some leftover pizza out of the fridge. She rests it on the counter as she needs to raise something to her dad before someone comes and she would lose her chance.
"Dad, the detective that has been following me around."
"Detective Singh? Captain Lanna spoke so highly of her. Is there a problem?"
"No. No. She's been great. I was just wondering if you have her file."
"Her file?" Her dad's voice immediately changes its tone. His suspicion grows faster than the temperature in LA's springtime. "What is going on?"
"I... just figure that I have the right to know about the person who has been spending a lot of time with me." Haseena lands something that sounds like the truth in disguise. "It feels weird to be having meals with someone every day and all you know about her is her name."
"It'll be over soon." Her dad ensures with a simple sentence. He cannot give anything more and Haseena knows that well enough not to ask more. She has only one thing on her mind that she wants more than anything.
"But can't you send me her file? You can just put those little black markers on the secret info or something?"
"Hmm." Her dad is hesitant. He rarely denies anything from his daughter and he doesn't want to start now.
"I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, dad."
"Just make sure that you're with her if anything strange happens, love."
"Will do."
Once Karishma arrives with the wall she has been carrying around from time to time, Haseena begins to notice that Karishma rarely makes any eye contacts with her. She still watches her but not in a way she does in the past couple of days. She keeps her distance; physically and emotionally. Suddenly, everything becomes awkward.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Karishma finally asks when they are on the ride to make their way to a studio downtown. She feels Haseena's eyes on her but it is not the same type of sight she has been shooting at her. It is different. It is filled with some sort of sympathy that Karishma is more than an expert to tell when one is made.
"Like what?" Haseena quickly looks away and makes her hands on her lap something more interesting to explore. She hates when people know what is on her mind before she actually says it. She hates it even more when that person is Karishma. They have just met and she has already known a lot about her. "I wasn't looking at you like anything."
Chapter 4
Start from the beginning
