CID: Servant Kartik or Prince Ruhan

THE TRAGIC ACCIDENT

"Did he have any enemies?" Shreya asked.

"No ma'am, he had a good relation with everyone." Rakesh replied.

Daya noticed one peculiar frame hanging on the wall and went to check it out. Seeing him, Shreya and Sachin followed while Abhijeet carried the questioning forward along with the others.

"What happened sir?" Sachin asked.

"This frame seems weird." Daya answered.

The frame was a family portrait of all of the elders sitting on the sofa while the young people stood behind their respective parents but Riya didn't stay completely at the corner, it was as if there was place for someone else to stand next to her while in her other hand stood Rohan and between them sat their parents.

"How sir?" Shreya questioned.

"Did you notice this gap here? As if someone is missing." Daya asked.

"The person missing is my youngest son." Rajesh replied from behind them. He went to them and looking at the picture he sadly added, "I have two sons and a daughter, sir. The eldest, Rohan. After him Riya and than come Ruhan."

"Where is he now?" Sachin asked.

"The place where all of us reach one day. Heaven."

"I'm sorry." Daya sympathize.

"If you don't mind telling us what happened?" Shreya asked.

"It was fourteen years ago; Reena and I were returning from a buisness trip in Kolapur and since Ruhan was three years old that time I didn't have school we took him along. That was the biggest mistake I made."

"Why is that?" Sachin questioned.

"We were on our way and suddenly we met with a accident on the highway. Some rambed our car from behind. I came out and got Reena out from the car, she was unconscious and while I tried to get Ruhan out, a truck knocked the car and drove off. I walked away with only three fractures but the car was burning by the trees. There was no way he could escape because of his asthama. The police did their best and after years they declared Ruhan dead."

"How old were Rohan and Riya?"

"Rohan was ten years old and Riya was eight."

"There isn't a single picture of his here?" Sachin asked.

"Reena hasn't taken care of her health for many years after that. The doctors told us to remove his pictures so that those memories can't come back."

They left from the bungalow and sat in their jeep.

"Fredy, Pankaj I want you'll to keep an eye of these people." Pradyumna instructed. "There's something I find off about them."

"Sir, what did you ask Kartik?" Abhijeet asked.

"I asked him about the ways he's treated there."

"Sir, we also came to know that he lives with his Uncle, their family doctor." Kavin continued. "They came here one year ago and before that they lived in Goa."

"Sir, Kartik doesn't know his parents or what happened in the first three years of his life. All he knows that for thirteen years he lived with Dr Veer Shetty in Goa." Purvi added.

"About this Gauresh, sir, he doesn't seem to have any enemies." Nikhil said.

"But there should be someone. Why would anyone kill him?" Vivek asked.

"Sir, about the royal family. Rajesh and Reena's youngest son, Ruhan, died in a car accident fourteen years back. Hit and run case." Daya said.

"Parents survived because they managed to come out and while trying to get Ruhan out a truck knocked the car and it caught fire." Shreya added.

"This happened when they were coming back from Kolapur." Sachin stated.

"Do one thing. Shreya, Daya, Nikhil, Fredy you'll go to Kolapur and find out about the accident. I'll send Abhijeet, Sachin and Rajat to Dr Veer's house. Kavin and Purvi, you'll come with me to Gauresh's house." Pradyumna instructed.

Abhijeet, Sachin and Rajat arrived at the flat of Dr Veer and they brought along Tasha and Kajal as well. They rang the bell and a man in his mid fifties opened the door.

"Dr Veer?" Abhijeet asked.

"Yes." The man answered.

"CID."

"Please come in sir."

When they came in they saw many paintings of beautiful beaches, churches and Portugese houses. Even on the walls they were painting of trees, and sunsets.

"What brings the CID to me?" Veer asked.

"Sir, were are here to investigate the murder of Gauresh Patel. The chef of the royal family." Rajat said.

"What!? Gauresh is killed?"

"Yes and we're here to investigate and also see that you're a great artist." Abhijeet commented.

"Sir, this is all Kartik's work. You'll must have met him." Veer answered.

"We did and we need some information about him as well. Where are his parents?" Tasha asked.

"To be honest sir, I found him laying wounded and unconscious in a bus fourteen years back when I was returning from Mumbai and coming to Goa. He didn't seem to remember much. All he told me that someone was after his life. So I took him to Goa and raised him as my own but I still asked the search authorities but they couldn't do anything."

"Where did you find him?" Abhijeet asked.

"In Mopa. Goa." Veer answered. "In a bus which was coming from Mumbai."

"What you did was a good job." Sachin stated.

"Indeed." Abhijeet added.

"Sir, just one request. I have seen him growing looking at children his age with their parents and I feel that he should also know what it's like."

"Don't worry, we'll find his parents."

"About Gauresh, do you feel that someone might have a reason for killing him?" Kajal asked.

"He did tell me once that he has found the blue jewel of the crown."

"Blue jewel of the crown?" Rajat asked.

"Yes sir. He hasn't told me anything else when we last spoke three days back."

"Can you try and recall something else. Maybe he told you something about this." Sachin said.

"I remember sir, for the past week he was on to something. He told me to not tell anyone that he lied to the royal family about taking a sick leave when he actually went to Kolapur and Mumbai and came back five days back."

"How did he go?" Kajal asked.

"By bus, sir. I booked his tickets."

"Call Daya and tell him that Gauresh had come to Kolapur." Abhijeet instructed.

After receiving the news, Daya and the other officers in Kolapur and they tracked the bus company.