Chapter 4

Dev ~

The rigid surface of the rock was jostling my skin beneath my back. The rock was substantial enough for me to sleep on it.

I squinted my eyes as the sun rays fell upon them before I was awake. My vision was blurry and the sun's light was faintly mixed with the haziness in my sight. I rubbed my palms on both my eyes and wide-opened them and sat awake on the rock. The sun was above me shining and glittering in its morning glory between the crowded trees. Quickly, I realised that I am beside the lake. The chirping noises of the birds distilled my ears and mind.

The lake was glistening by the sun's shimmery light, giving it a golden yellow colour tinted with silvery crystalline glaze.

For a moment, I forgot what happened the night before this amicable morning. Within a second all my memories crashed in my head like a truck hitting you unaware. My silent morning turned into a tense moment.

Turning my head behind, I saw my car still at its place with her seated inside, asleep. I sought relief, shutting my eyes.

I went near the courtyard of my house, detecting there was no one awake. I got the chance to hide her in my house's backyard. I trotted near my car. Opening the car's door, I pulled her outside and picked her in my arms while she was still asleep.

I admired her beauty for a  few seconds before locking her in my backyard. I opened the back door by kicking on it, creating a bit of noise. The shoving noise of the door caused her to wake up. Her eyes opened and she comprehended that she had me near her, carrying her in my arms. Coming to her senses, she tried to push me away but in vain. Hurrying, I came inside the backyard's room, still carrying her, I pushed closed the door behind us.

I shushed her again and put her down on the floor, she tried her best to evade. I untied her hands and grabbed her both wrists, before her future move. Her hair swayed as she struggled, making the strands fall all over her face, covering it. I took a big rope laid inside the backyard near the hunting tools and shackled her hands with it, tying the other side of the rope to the hook attached to the wall. I tied her legs too, with another rope.

My backyard is a place resembling one's storeroom. Everything was murky inside it. There were a number of tools lying including different types of guns, stock of bullets and different types of knives, big and small, containing choppers and pocket knives. All these were placed haphazardly on the table present inside one corner of the room. Apart from that, spades and rods were also kept leaning on the side walls. Ropes hanging on the hooks on the walls and various darts with tranquiliser bottles standing beside it were kept in the rack nailed on the wall. All other things like some unwanted materials and dust were occupying the vacant places in between.

I picked the lock and key of the door lying on the table, gave a smirk at her. Her eyes were swollen, red and puffed. I went towards her and sat near her.

"Look. No noise Ok. Remember your one word out and your throat is slit, like what you saw," I cautioned.

Giving her my deadly smirk again, I closed the door and locked it from outside. I waited there, reviewing her face when I warned her. She had closed her eyes, tight as much as she could. My eyes are not so scary, but aggressive enough to scare the hell out of her. I smiled to myself and turned behind to walk.

"Hey Boss here you are?. When did you finish the work? When did you return?", Asked Raghav my Right hand. He is a muscular man just like me, but a little short in height and with a darker complexion. He was asking me with his hands on his waist.

I flinched, hadn't he seen me doing this or bringing her in. No, it's not possible, he would have asked me then.

"Yes I finished the work, I killed that bas**rd," I uttered, pride inflating my chest.

"Woah! It's the time for celebration then. Come boss, let's tell this news to everyone," he exclaimed, clapping his hands. He ran to acquaint the other members of my gang. I glanced back at the door and elected to follow him, not to miss any chance of celebration after my victory as the reason to kill him was so freaking important and necessary.

~~

"What shall we do now sir," asked inspector Romil.

"I knew it, that dog hasn't gone anywhere. The news of his death was fake, just created to sway us from catching him.", Uttered the frustrated commissioner.

"Sir, One more thing. A girl is also missing from the asylum, from the same night, she is a mental patient with amnesia. I think her missing and the murder case is related," Suspected Romil.

"No, No. The girl isn't related to this thing, they are two different cases. She must have run away on her own as you said she is abnormal."

"I don't think so, but there's something fishy."

"And why do you think that these two cases are linked?"

"Look sir there's a high possibility that Dev must have made her go missing too, to put the blame on her that she killed the man. I asked the hospital staff, sir, the same day in the morning, the girl attacked the maid of the ward, she's not stable, so it was easy for Dev to put blame on her."

"That's not possible son. Because how would Dev know about her mental condition, that it's so bad. And like you notified, the wards are locked at night so, there's no prospect of her running by her own wish."

"I don't know sir, but Something's not right."

"You don't mix the two cases for now. First, let's find Dev, he should not roam freely, he's highly dangerous," Said the commissioner.