Song of the chapter is
Blue Madonna by Borns
-59-
-Zoya Afreen-
-Present-
___________
Malhotra Mansion
17 December, 2030
12:14 pm
Sunlight peered gingerly through the blinds, casting a strong shadow on my eyes.
I forced my eyelids shut, hoping for one more spec of sleep but to no avail. Rubbing them open, I turned towards the other side of the bed and found Ravi's hazel eyes trained at me already.
"Morning, beautiful."
His soft raspy voice cackled like a symphony in my ear. A lazy yet enticing smile appeared on my lips.
"Morning."
"You sleep good?"
"Mm." I nodded, leaning towards him.
"What about you?"
"Well, I slept next to you so, I had pretty good dreams." Ravi replied, his gaze intense and filled with desire. He leaned in, capturing my lips in a slow, sensual kiss. My heart quickened as our lips met, the taste of morning and desire mingling in the sweetest way.
Our kiss deepened, our tongues entwining in a passionate dance. My fingers traced a path along Ravi's jawline, feeling the roughness of his morning stubble. His hand caressed my back, sending shivers down my spine.
The morning stilled as we explored each other's mouths, a fiery hunger building between us. I pressed my body closer to Ravi's, the warmth of his skin electrifying my senses.
The faint sound of birdsong drifted in through the open window, a serene backdrop to the burgeoning passion between us. His fingers found their way to the nape of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine, and I could feel the soft, rhythmic beat of his heart against my chest.
With every tender exploration of our mouths, our bodies inched closer, pressed together in an intoxicating blend of desire and tenderness. His hands traced a delicate path along my arm, leaving a trail of electrifying sensations in their wake. The scent of his skin, a mix of his cologne and the faintest hint of morning dew, enveloped me, making my head spin with longing.
Time seemed to both stand still and rush by, a paradoxical sensation that only deepened our connection. Our kisses grew more fervent, fueled by an undeniable hunger for each other. The room, once tranquil and serene, now pulsed with the undeniable energy of our desire.
As he placed barren kisses on my neck, suddenly, a loud buzz broke the euphoric trance. We stopped in our tracks and exchanged a glance before he leaned over to the nightstand and picked up his phone.
"It's from the station." He said, without deigning me a look. "I gotta take this."
And saying those words, he was gone within a second. As I sat, dazed and confused, still processing what had just unveiled, a shy smile crept up my lips.
Damn this police department.
If it hadn't been for them interrupting at the worst moment, it would probably have been the best morning sex I had ever had.
Not that I had had many.
Well, three to be precise. But your girl doesn't kiss and tell.
I got up and sauntered towards the washroom. Cleaning myself up well, I brushed my teeth, combed my hair into a low ponytail and walked back inside the room. There was still no trace of Ravi so I decided to scroll through my phone for a bit.
As I scanned my eyes through the multiple chats left unread, my eye caught one in particular.
It was from an unknown number.
Seeing the word unknown, I decided to ignore the text for the moment. I didn't want to ruin my morning just yet, especially when there was a chance of Ravi and I continuing what we had started....
Ew, Zoya. It's been fifteen minutes since you woke up and the first thing you can think about is a man's dick.
Mentally scolding myself, I scrolled through the other messages and found one from V, saying that they were gonna drop by Malhotra Mansion in a while to pick up her stuff from here. After all, now that Himanshu had the world's time to spend with the love of his life, it was obvious he would not wanna be away from her for even a second.
I texted her a smiley face emoji and put my phone back on charge. As I did, a voice echoed behind me.
"Yeah, I'll do my best to get to the station as soon as I can."
I turned around and found Ravi standing at the door, his face tensed. My brows narrowed as he looked up at me once he disconnected the call.
"There's some good news and bad news."
"Ofcourse," I sighed. "How can any morning of mine ever go normally?"
He sighed exhaustively, walking inside and closing the door behind him.
"Give me the bad news first."
"Zayn escaped from our custody." He answered.
"What?" My eyes widened. "That psycho that was stalking Siya and also killed his girlfriend?? When? How?"
"I didn't get much details but," he stated. "It seems like he had someone on the inside helping him. They have officers looking for him everywhere right now."
"Fuck, man." I cursed under my breath as I paced around the room. "Well, what is the good news?"
He looked at me for a solid moment before saying, "The good news is...we might have an idea who might be helping him."
"Who?"
"Detective Gomez."
My eyes widened further. "What?!"
He nodded. "After Detective Gomez took over the case, I noticed his behaviour on a regular basis and I started to feel like there was something that he was hiding. He seemed to be too nonchalant with any other leads, but when it came to you guys, he was always very... eager. Almost like..."
"Like he wanted to pin the killings on us." I completed, joining the pieces. "Just like Yash did."
"Correct." He said. "So I asked one of my close associates to do some digging on him secretly. And he found some disturbing things."
"What kind of disturbing things?"
"Well, firstly, after the 2019 murders, Detective Gomez was out of job for a while. He left Delmore around 2024 but even after that, he didn't really have any particular cases that he solved. Just some petty theft and stuff. Slowly and gradually, he started getting violent and impulsive during his shifts, due to the frustration from his job."
"There were reports of him... harrassing younger officers and tampering with evidence, anything that could....create a ruckus so that he could be the person to solve it."
"That sounds like a very fucked up mental illness." I commented.
"That's the point." He stated, looking back at me. "According to one health report, he was....diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, back in 2026."
"So the man's basically crazy?" I asked, bewildered at the new information.
"Not exactly. But yeah, something along those lines."
"Why was he not admitted to a facility?" I asked.
"He was and he was a diligent patient there for a while. But then... something happened which caused him to lose it again." Ravi said.
"What happened?"
"His younger brother died in a car accident." Ravi explained. "Apparantly it was a hit and run case. The other person got the case buried with their influence and his brother didn't get any justice."
I hung my head low, placing the pieces together. It all made sense now.
It was Siya and Kartik who had hit his brother that night.
"Anyways, when Detective Gomez heard about the news...he went completely berserk. And ran away from the institution."
"Where was he admitted?"
"In Kerela, why?"
"Veronica was admitted in Kerela too. Is there any way we can confirm if they were ever admitted to the same place?" I asked.
"Yeah, we can." He nodded in understanding. " I'll ask my colleague to find that out."
I nodded, falling back on the bed. Seconds later, Ravi came and sat next to me.
"We should inform the others." He said.
"Yeah. I mean...if this is all correct, then...it gives Detective Gomez a huge motive to be pulling the strings to this entire ordeal. For all we know, Zayn could be working for him."
"Yeah but I still don't understand....why you guys? Why not anyone else? Why is he targeting just you?"
I swallowed visibly and licked my lips.
"Dunno." I lied. "Maybe...he thinks that we're the reason he was out of his job in the first place....which you know....basically started all of this...and so..."
"Yeah....that does make sense." He agreed, without further queries. I heaved a sigh.
Suddenly, the door bell echoed from downstairs, interrupting the silence that had persisted after his statement. I took it as an opportunity to run downstairs before he could, avoiding his eye.
God knew I wouldn't have been able to lie through my teeth to him.
As I reached downstairs, I found Himanshu and Veronica at the doorstep. V was carrying a big red box with a silver lace bow attached on top of it. She and Himanshu exchanged a worrisome glance.
"What's going on guys?" Kartik asked, looking at the seemingly obvious stressed out state of the newly married couple.
"Yeah, and what's with the box?" I asked, furrowed my brows.
Veronica breathed. "We found this at our doorstep as we were about to head out."
Saying that, she placed the box down on the living room table and opened the lid. The rest of us, excluding the duo, peered inside.
Bile immediately rose up my throat, threatening me to look away. I felt sick to my stomach and I hadn't even had breakfast yet.
"Oh my god, what is that?!" Saina almost shrieked.
"It's a pig's heart." Himanshu answered.
"It looks absurdly human." Ravi commented, covering his mouth. I followed suit as I looked back at the box.
The heart, once belonging to a pig, laid in the center of the box, its intricate carvings reminiscent of ancient tribal artistry. The crimson organ was delicately sculpted, with every vein and artery painstakingly etched into the surface, creating an eerie effect. Its deep, rich color contrasted sharply with outer cover of the box that cradled it.
"God I feel sick." I muttered under my breath. Ravi held my hand to provide me with reassurance.
"How did you know it was a pig's heart and not,...you know...a human's?" Kartik asked.
"A pig's heart has a classic 'Valentine heart' shape, reflecting its location within the thorax and to the orientation of the pig's body. The human heart, in contrast, has trapezoidal in silhouette, reflecting a person's orthograde posture." I explained.
The rest looked at me as if I had made the sun split in two.
"What? My parents were neurosurgeons." I enunciated. "I know my chemistry well."
"This is biology." Saina corrected.
"Touche."
Kartik shook his head at the absurd exchange that had just unfolded and asked Veronica, "So what do we do with it?"
"Well, usually when we receive things like this,...there is usually a note or a text." Veronica said. "But we haven't gotten any yet."
I blinked twice. "I think I got one this morning but I didn't check."
"Well, go on then!" Kartik scolded. I nodded, running upstairs and unplugged my phone from the charger and came back downstairs. Scrolling through the messages, I found the one I was looking for.
I tapped on the unread notification and several words came up on the screen.
"A wedding gift for the happy couple,
an expert knows best,
If you come looking for trouble,
you might just find a familiar guest."
"Seriously, what's up with this motherfucker and riddles?" I spelled out my frustration.
"Okay, let's think critically about this." Ravi said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "What could he mean by these words?"
"Wedding gift for the couple....Himanshu and Veronica found the box." Siya explained.
"Hm. Expert knows best?" Kartik asked.
"An expert of what?" Saina asked.
"Medical." Veronica uttered and then looked up. "I think the killer wants us to do something with the heart and for that we need an expert in this field... meaning...."
"It's Zoya." Himanshu completed. I looked at him in surprise.
"What?"
"Yes, it makes sense. You just said...your parents are neurosurgeons....which means you have some idea about this whole thing." Kartik nodded, understanding.
"Wait what?" I asked, bewildered at his suggestion. "Okay, just because I know a few medical facts and my parents happen to be doctors.... doesn't mean I can dissect an animal's heart! I took commerce for a reason!"
"Zoya, it's gonna be okay. You're just gonna have to make a little cut." V tried to convince me. "I'll do the digging."
I sighed and exchanged a glance with her and then with Ravi. I didn't wanna look like a coward in front of him. My impression in his eyes would totally be ruined forever.
"Fine." I said, looking back at the rest. "I'll do it. But I'm only doing a cut."
The rest nodded in acknowledgement.
Minutes later, I had my gloves and glasses on. With the sharp pocket knife that Kartik had offered me, I slowly and precisely made a slice in the organ, losing my appetite in the process.
Once I was done, Veronica wore the gloves and used her fingers to move the organ's insides to get whatever the killer had planted inside. After about several minutes, she said, "Give me the tongs."
Saina handed them over and Veronica used them to take out the small piece of paper that had been inserted inside the organ and stitched up for us to find.
"What does it say?" She asked as she handed it over to Himansu to decipher.
"I think it's an address." He answered, noting the visible letters down. Once he was done, he read out the note to the rest of us.
"Date:December 21, 2030
Time: Midnight Sharp
Venue: St. Maud Street, Building no.36.
Come join me for the most awaited reunion of the decade."
"This fucker has planned everything, hasn't he?" I asked, caressing my hair.
"Seems likely." Ravi agreed, saying. "Don't worry. This time we'll be more prepared than last time."
I nodded as he squeezed my hand tightly.
"Alright, then." I said. "Let's take down this son of a bitch, once and for all."
______________
see when I say I am the whole package,
I am not lying. For the first 400 words, I had you believing this was gonna be a smutty chapter but I did a 180° turn and poured all of my medical knowledge in the last 1000 words!
I am anything but predictable-
*smirking aggressively*
and so when i say, you don't have the slightest idea of what's about to unfold,
lemme tell you,
i'm not lying-
anyways, don't forget to vote, comment and share the book as much as possible!
love,
Bosedisha