...The cafeteria buzzed with the familiar chaos of lunchtime....
...Trays clattered against tables. Someone argued over the last plate of fries. A group in the corner burst into laughter so loud that half the room turned to stare....
...It was ordinary....
...Comfortingly ordinary....
...Rhea pointed toward an empty table by the window....
..."Come on. If we don't sit now, we'll end up eating on the stairs again."...
..."I actually liked the stairs."...
..."Because you're weird."...
..."I'm efficient."...
..."You're impossible."...
...As they settled down, Rhea immediately stole one of Kanishka's fries....
..."You know," Kanishka said without looking up, "you always steal exactly one fry before asking."...
...Rhea froze....
..."...What?"...
..."You've done it every single time since first semester."...
..."You seriously remember that?"...
..."I notice patterns."...
...Rhea sighed dramatically....
..."Remind me never to commit a crime around you."...
...Kanishka smirked....
..."You'd get caught before I even arrived."...
...Their laughter faded when Kanishka noticed someone across the cafeteria....
...A boy sat alone, his lunch untouched....
...His classmates laughed nearby, but no one invited him over....
...He kept checking his phone every few seconds before locking the screen again....
...His leg bounced restlessly beneath the table....
...Rhea followed her gaze....
..."What?"...
..."That boy."...
..."What about him?"...
..."He's waiting for someone."...
..."So?"...
..."They're not coming."...
...Rhea frowned....
..."How can you tell?"...
..."He keeps looking at the entrance instead of his phone. Every time the door opens, his shoulders lift for a second... then fall."...
...Kanishka paused....
..."He ordered two meals."...
...Only then did Rhea notice the second untouched tray....
...A few moments later, the boy quietly stood, threw the untouched food into the bin, and walked away without taking a single bite....
...Rhea stared after him....
..."...Okay."...
..."That's actually sad."...
...Kanishka lowered her eyes....
..."Loneliness is louder than people think."...
...For a brief moment, neither of them spoke....
...---...
...That evening......
...The rain returned....
...Classes ended early as dark clouds swallowed the afternoon sky....
...Students hurried toward the gates, umbrellas blooming across the campus like scattered flowers....
...Kanishka preferred walking....
...Rain helped her think....
...She slipped her headphones into her pocket and started toward the bus stop....
...Her phone vibrated....
...Unknown Number...
...She hesitated before answering....
..."Hello?"...
...Silence....
...Only faint static....
..."Hello?"...
...Then......
...A man's calm voice....
..."Miss Kanishka Mehra?"...
...Her footsteps slowed....
..."Who's speaking?"...
..."I have a question."...
..."...What?"...
..."If six people witnessed a murder..."...
..."...who wrote the seventh statement?"...
...The call disconnected....
...Kanishka stared at her screen....
...Unknown Number....
...No call history....
...No recording....
...Nothing....
...A chill crept down her spine....
...She told herself it was a prank....
...It had to be....
...Yet......
...How did the caller know her name?...
...---...
...Across the city......
...Inspector Dev Malhotra stood inside the forensic laboratory....
...His eyes remained fixed on the report lying before him....
...The paper recovered from the victim......
...Contained no fingerprints....
...No DNA....
...No printer marks....
...Nothing....
...It was as though it had appeared from nowhere....
...A forensic analyst approached....
..."Sir..."...
...Dev looked up....
..."We found something."...
..."What is it?"...
..."The paper wasn't the only thing recovered."...
...The analyst placed a small transparent evidence bag on the table....
...Inside lay a university library card....
...Dev frowned....
..."It wasn't on the body."...
..."No."...
..."It was under the sofa."...
...The name printed across the card made the room fall silent....
...KANISHKA MEHRA...
...Dev read it twice....
...Then a third time....
...He looked at the photograph....
...A young woman....
...Dark eyes....
...Calm expression....
...Student....
...Age twenty-three....
...He had never seen her before....
..."So..." he murmured....
..."Who are you?"...
...---...
...At that exact moment......
...Kanishka reached into her bag to take out her umbrella....
...Her hand froze....
...The library card....
...Gone....
...She emptied the contents of her bag onto the nearby bench....
...Books....
...Notebook....
...Wallet....
...Pens....
...Earphones....
...Everything......
...Except the card....
..."No..."...
...She searched again....
...Nothing....
...A strange feeling settled over her....
...She had used it that morning....
...She remembered placing it back inside the front pocket....
...She never misplaced important things....
...Never....
...The rain grew heavier....
...Thunder echoed above the city....
...Somewhere, in a police station she had never visited......
...Her missing library card rested inside an evidence bag....
...And somewhere else......
...Someone smiled....
...Because the first move had gone exactly as planned....
...---...
...End of Chapter One...
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