The sun had just dawned. It was a beautiful day. Chief Inspector Ravikant Sharma was finishing his last lap of his jog. Jogging before the sun dawned was not just a routine, it had become a ritual. He was off for the next two weeks. He was going away for a holiday with his wife which he had been promising for a long time now.
His lovely wife had already packed for them. A call taxi was already ordered to come to drop them off at the airport. The passports and tickets were all in place. Nothing could now go wrong…..at least he thought so. He went out, to get a snack at the nearby store and get a fresh breath of the city air.
He walked along the pavement and watched the people, getting ready to open their shops and get down to business. Different types, young girls and guys, as well as older folks, all diligently at work. He passed them and walked further down. He passed a couple of stores, already open and ready for the day. A payphone in the middle made Sharma think. “Everybody has mobile phones nowadays…why don’t they remove this thing”, he wondered. Right on that moment, the phone started to ring.
Sharma had his doubts, but did pick up. A voice screamed: “HELP! 121, Turnbulls Road. Come quick!”
Forgotten was his snack… Sharma grabbed his phone and called the police station. In the mean time, he turned and started to run. He had to run back and take a sharp left, to get there. Ah well, it sure was good for his condition. Turnbulls Road was just two lanes down.
He climbed the stairs that brought him to apartment 121. A dog started to bark. When he passed the apartment and the dog started to jump against the front door. “Oh, shut up!” Sharma was irritated by the dog and kicked against the door. The dog didn’t expect that and ran away.
He arrived at apartment 121. Strange enough, the door was open. He went in, cautious for unexpected surprises. No one there… Not in the kitchen, not in the living room… The bedrooms of the children were empty as well…although the people who lived there were gone without taking a thing with them.
In the master bedroom, he found a knife. Carefully he took it up and put it in a plastic bag. It could be a potential murder weapon, but it looked clean. Work for the lab, he couldn’t worry about that. He opened the balcony doors and looked around…three children were sitting there in a corner. They shivered, while sitting in their pajamas. The looks on their faces were scared. The smallest child started to cry. Sharma felt very uncomfortable. Crying children always made him feel a kind of weak. More officers arrived and an officer took the kids over from him. Another officer grabbed some blankets to cover the children in. They were taken to the police station.
Sharma had his hands free again, and started his search. He found pictures of a nice looking lady together with the children. “She must be the mother”, he said. His colleague took the picture with him. Sharma heard him, giving orders to look out for the lady.
His lovely wife had already packed for them. A call taxi was already ordered to come to drop them off at the airport. The passports and tickets were all in place. Nothing could now go wrong…..at least he thought so. He went out, to get a snack at the nearby store and get a fresh breath of the city air.
He walked along the pavement and watched the people, getting ready to open their shops and get down to business. Different types, young girls and guys, as well as older folks, all diligently at work. He passed them and walked further down. He passed a couple of stores, already open and ready for the day. A payphone in the middle made Sharma think. “Everybody has mobile phones nowadays…why don’t they remove this thing”, he wondered. Right on that moment, the phone started to ring.
Sharma had his doubts, but did pick up. A voice screamed: “HELP! 121, Turnbulls Road. Come quick!”
Forgotten was his snack… Sharma grabbed his phone and called the police station. In the mean time, he turned and started to run. He had to run back and take a sharp left, to get there. Ah well, it sure was good for his condition. Turnbulls Road was just two lanes down.
He climbed the stairs that brought him to apartment 121. A dog started to bark. When he passed the apartment and the dog started to jump against the front door. “Oh, shut up!” Sharma was irritated by the dog and kicked against the door. The dog didn’t expect that and ran away.
He arrived at apartment 121. Strange enough, the door was open. He went in, cautious for unexpected surprises. No one there… Not in the kitchen, not in the living room… The bedrooms of the children were empty as well…although the people who lived there were gone without taking a thing with them.
In the master bedroom, he found a knife. Carefully he took it up and put it in a plastic bag. It could be a potential murder weapon, but it looked clean. Work for the lab, he couldn’t worry about that. He opened the balcony doors and looked around…three children were sitting there in a corner. They shivered, while sitting in their pajamas. The looks on their faces were scared. The smallest child started to cry. Sharma felt very uncomfortable. Crying children always made him feel a kind of weak. More officers arrived and an officer took the kids over from him. Another officer grabbed some blankets to cover the children in. They were taken to the police station.
Sharma had his hands free again, and started his search. He found pictures of a nice looking lady together with the children. “She must be the mother”, he said. His colleague took the picture with him. Sharma heard him, giving orders to look out for the lady.
They found her two hours later, walking down two lanes. She was completely in shock; her nightgown was covered with blood. Not a reasonable word was spoken, she shook with her head and that was it.
Sharma took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed his home number. His wife picked up: “Where are you? We’re supposed to go on vacation in an hour…” “I am sorry Sheila. I can’t go on vacation right now. I have a difficult case here…” “That is what you’re always telling me. I am tired of it. When you come home, I am gone…” He sighed…”You’re always threatening that you are leaving”, he said. “Go, if you need to…” After these words she hung up.
He went on with the search. There must be another person involved. One badly injured or maybe dead… Section by section they searched. Nobody was found in the streets. At the end of the day, they found the body of a man in the river…
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