Bombay Shaman - episode 2: The Haunting Hunter

PART IV: Not a bystander

When the police arrived in the hospital, there was a small interrogation and investigation regarding the tragedy of Pankaj. Upon completion, the whole case was concluded as a suicide committed in insanity since they were unaware and incapable of perceiving or believing the actual truth rooted in mysticism. Knowing too well about this general mentality, Kumaran and Edha both only said what could've been bought as a valid and 'sane' answer by them.

For some unknown reason or formality, Shilpa was interrogated more. What she said, Kumaran didn't know nor did he care about. Even if she were to foolishly blame him, the CCTV footages clearly showed that Pankaj had jumped to her own death after the exhibiting monstrous oddity.

He sat with Edha near the entrance, waiting for Shilpa in order to fill her in on the facts she wanted to be oblivious to.

Some distance from them, across the reception, two police officers were talking in low whispers, holding paper cups of tea.

Kumaran's sharp ears suddenly caught on relevant words in their chit chat.

"It is strange, don't you think? This case. Feels ominous to me." One of them said as he gently blew at the hot tea.

"Hmm?" The other one with the bulged belly, he was definitely as sluggish in thought as in movement.

"You saw the CCTV footages? How she was crawling? She had lost it." The cop's frightened eyes swivelled around, brows knitted. "Oh Shiva!"

Kumaran immediately leaned back on his chair, pretending casualness, his arms folded, and his fist pressed gently against his curious lips.

"So?" The other one still had no idea what his peer was getting at. He was too busy slurping his tea.

"That was exactly how Sir Akshay looked like before he assaulted Das and shot himself."

Kumaran's eyes widened. Pankaj had assaulted Shilpa too.

"Oh that? Why connect that with this?"

"Because..."

"You're overthinking. Just shut up."

"You're not getting it."

"I said shut up! Are you a cop or a superstitious fool?"

The cop silenced, face sullen with shame.

"Drink your tea! How's Das, by the way?"

"Uh... He is fine... better than before. Will continue duty tomorrow onwards I suppose?" He said.

"Good."

That was the end of importance in the conversation. There was nothing meaningful in the rest of the talk, nothing but cheap gossips that the dense cop had hoarded in abundance inside his pot of a belly.

"Why is she being interrogated more?" Edha shifted in her seat and leaned close to Kumaran. Few strands of her dark brown hair slipped from the back of her ear and fell forward, curving softly like her cheeks.

"How would I know? Maybe it's 'cause Pankaj was her friend?"

"And maybe because she is a journalist?" She propped her elbow on the steel armrest of her seat and rested her chin on her palm.

"She is?"

"I heard that from one of the cops earlier."

"No wonder. That definitely explains her personality. 'I know it all' attitude and that arrogance she mistakes for being 'literate'." He quoted the air in annoyedly. "Fits well. Now I don't know if the job made her that way or she got the job 'cause she is that way."