Ravi slowly got into the police jeep.
The officer sat beside him.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Ravi looked through the window.
The entire colony was watching.
His neighbor's.
The elderly people.
The children.
Everyone.
The jeep started moving.
Ravi finally gathered the courage to speak.
“Sir…”
The officer looked at him.
“Why am I here?”
The officer didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he took out a small notebook.
Then he looked at Ravi.
“Do you know a girl named Jyothika?”
Ravi's expression changed.
The name sounded familiar.
But before he could answer, the officer asked another question.
“How well do you know her?”
Ravi stared at him.
“I… I know her.”
The officer watched his reaction carefully.
“Did you meet Jyothika last night?”
Ravi's eyes widened.
“Last night?”
“Yes.”
Ravi became silent.
The officer leaned slightly toward him.
“I'm asking you again, Ravi.”
He paused.
“Did you meet Jyothika last night?”
Ravi looked out through the window.
His mind suddenly went blank.
He remembered something.
Something he had been trying not to think about since morning.
His hands began to tremble.
The officer noticed.
“What happened?”
Ravi didn't answer.
“Ravi?”
Still nothing.
Then, very slowly, Ravi turned toward the officer.
“Sir…”
His voice was barely audible.
“I think…”
He stopped.
The officer waited.
Ravi took a deep breath.
“I met her.”
The officer's expression immediately changed.
“Where?”
Ravi looked down.
And after a long silence, he whispered,
“Near the old bridge.”
The officer closed his notebook.
The questions were just beginning.