An Imperial Affliction

Chapter 22- There is no hunting like the hunting of man

"Faulty wire." Chotu commented, "Old place, it's normal."

"No it's not." Rawte said, frowning, "If this place was abandoned for years, there should not be any electricity at all."

Everyone nodded slowly at this, grasping this piece of revelation, "So someone was using it." Sakshi said, "Criminals maybe?"

"Who else?" Shree said, "Though it's impossible to ID them without taking them into lab first."

"Anything else?" Director asked. They engrossed themselves in some more talks, while the ACP moved away from them, kneeling beside the body of one particular victim, her face unreadable. She stood up suddenly, impossibly still, as the CSU cleared up the area. She snapped out of it when her phone vibrated, and she walked out of the crime scene.

"A little warning would have been nice." She hissed into the phone. Vir sighed on the other side.

"I just came to know ETF is going to handle this case."

"Now what?" She asked.

"Now you and your team will do your job, find out who killed them." He answered.

She stood silent for some moment, "So we are going to investigate?"

"Yes." came the calm reply.

She cursed, and before his indignant reply can come she cut the call. Upon her return she found Forensics had already taken the body. After several hours later they all headed back to ETF.

Is she cursed or what? Anything she touches, any direction she goes, is destroyed. First Aslam, then that informer, and now Nasir. It's the second time she is directly involved in a case ETF is handling and she had to betray them like this, acting as if she knows nothing.

She closed her eyes in frustration when she realized what will happen when team, especially Aisha will know the body is of Nasir's. She already know she was after him, and now this. If somehow the word reaches to Raghu sir, which will surely reach, she is screwed. That Man doesn't like when things are hidden from him, and really, where is the moral code? He is helping her and she is building layers of secrets and lies. Already the IB created an awesome first impression with the Director, clearly warning interest in Nasir will not be appreciated. Now that ETF is handling this case, she can't disclose everything and reveal IB's involvement into this. Agent Rahane, the rule-book, won't approve.

The Bastard.

Leaving her to deal with the mess.

How she is supposed to deal with it?

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the doors of the SUV were closed. She noticed ETF had already come and frowned, annoyed at herself. She opened her side of door and found it locked.

She turned her head slowly and narrowed eyes at her Boss.

"You are distracted." He commented. Of course he noticed. Everyone noticed.

"I am." Really, what's the point of hiding? He looked surprised at the answer, clearly not expecting a straight forward reply.

"Do you know anything about the crime scene that we should?" He inquired, tilting head. This Man has two admiring qualities, he don't beat around bush, and he notices quietly, but sometimes, she would have appreciated a little bit of stalling.

She contemplated at the question, and then replied, "Yes."

His eyes widen in surprise, and she answered with a straight face, "We need to work harder."

He seemed to take some seconds to grasp the answer, and when he realized the mocking, his eyes narrowed, "Nice one."

She dramatically threw her eyes up in heaven and heard his huffing. He opened both the doors and they came out.