The investigating officer sat alone in his office, staring at the case file.
He had questioned Ravi several times, examined the available evidence, and listened to the village representatives. Yet he still couldn't understand what had happened to Jyothika.
Something about Ravi's behaviour troubled him.
The young man appeared frightened, confused, and desperate to prove his innocence. The officer had seen guilty people deny their crimes before, but he had also seen innocent people break down under pressure.
He didn't want to accuse Ravi without knowing the truth.
But the evidence was making it increasingly difficult to ignore him.
Ravi's number appeared repeatedly in Jyothika's call history. According to the information collected so far, Ravi was the last person known to have called her.
But was he also the last person to see her alive?
And if he was innocent, who had murdered Jyothika?
Was there someone else in her life? Had a secret relationship, a personal dispute, or an unknown enemy led to her death?
The officer rubbed his forehead.
He needed answers.
And he needed them quickly.
He picked up the telephone and called the constable.
"Where is the post-mortem report?"
"Sir, we're following up with the hospital. We haven't received the report yet."
The officer's expression tightened.
"Contact them again. Tell them this report is important for our investigation. I want to know whether the examination has revealed anything that could help us understand what happened to Jyothika."
"Yes, sir. I'll check immediately."
The officer ended the call and leaned back in his chair.
The post-mortem report might provide crucial information about the circumstances of Jyothika's death. It might help establish when she died and whether the medical findings supported the timeline they were investigating.
But even that might not answer the most important question.
Who had killed her?
And why?
A few minutes later, the officer walked into the interrogation room.
Ravi was sitting on a chair, his eyes fixed on the floor.
He looked up when the officer entered.
"Ravi, stand up."
Ravi slowly rose to his feet.
The officer pulled out a chair and sat opposite him.
"Ravi, I want you to understand something. I'm trying to find out what really happened to Jyothika. I don't want to blame you for something you haven't done."
Ravi looked at him anxiously.
"Then please believe me, sir. I haven't done anything."
The officer studied his face.
"Then help me understand your relationship with her."
Ravi nodded.
The officer leaned forward.
"Were you and Jyothika in love?"
Ravi looked surprised.
"No, sir."
"Then why were you talking so frequently?"
"We were friends, sir."
"What kind of friends?"
Ravi hesitated before answering.
"We were studying at the same college. Sunday was her birthday, so I called her to wish her. We used to talk regularly."
The officer's eyes narrowed.
"You keep saying the same thing. You were friends. You studied together. You called her on her birthday."
He paused.
"But Ravi, I am not asking about your college life. I'm asking about Jyothika."
Ravi remained silent.
The officer continued.
"You said you were best friends?"
"Yes, sir."
"And close friends?"
"Yes, sir."
The officer suddenly struck the table with his palm.
"Then how can you tell me you know nothing?"
Ravi flinched.
"If you were really that close, you must have known what was happening in her life! You must have known if she was worried about something, if she was having problems with someone, or if something had changed recently."
Ravi shook his head nervously.
"Sir, I—"
"Don't interrupt me!"
The officer stood up.
"You expect me to believe that two people who spoke almost every day knew nothing important about each other's lives?"
Ravi's lips trembled.
"Sir, I told you the truth."
The officer paced around the room.
"Then tell me why you were the last person to call her. Tell me why your name keeps appearing in the evidence. Tell me what happened that night!"
"I don't know, sir!"
Ravi's voice broke.
The officer turned sharply.
"You don't know? Or you don't want to tell me?"
Ravi stared at him, unable to answer.
The officer grabbed Ravi by the front of his shirt.
"Look at me!"
Ravi raised his eyes.
"Jyothika is dead, Ravi! Someone took her life. And you are sitting here telling me that you know nothing about it!"
He shook Ravi in anger.
"Tell me the truth!"
Ravi struggled to free himself.
"Sir, please! I haven't killed her!"
For a moment, the officer held him there, searching his face for some sign that might explain the mystery.
Then he released him.
Ravi stumbled backward and caught the edge of the chair.
The room fell silent.
The officer stood breathing heavily. He knew his anger wouldn't solve the case. He also knew that fear could make a person confused, defensive, or unable to explain themselves clearly.
But he was running out of answers.
And every unanswered question was taking him back to Ravi.
Just then, the door opened.
The constable entered with a phone in his hand.
"Sir."
The officer turned.
"What happened?"
"Sir, I spoke with the hospital. They've given us an update about Jyothika's post-mortem."
The officer immediately stepped toward him.
"What did they say?"
The constable hesitated.
"They've found something that may be important to the investigation."
Ravi slowly lifted his head.
The officer glanced at him before turning back to the constable.
"What exactly did they find?"
The constable looked at the case file on the table.
"Sir, the doctor wants to discuss the findings with you directly."
The officer's expression changed.
After hours of uncertainty, they finally had something new to investigate.
He picked up his phone.
"Arrange for me to speak with the doctor as soon as possible."
The constable nodded and left the room.
The officer looked at Ravi one last time.
"Until I know what happened to Jyothika, I cannot accept your explanation without examining the evidence."
Ravi lowered his eyes.
The officer walked toward the door, his mind already turning over the new information.
He had entered the investigation believing Ravi might be innocent.
He still hadn't ruled that out.
But now, for the first time, he wondered whether the answer lay not in what Ravi had told him—
but in what Ravi had never told him about Jyothika.