Arjun's POV:

"You?" I exclaimed, flabbergasted.

Mehra's reaction was similar to mine, but I was more surprised. The man in front of us was Ramesh, one of my closest confidants. What the hell was his connection to AK?

(For those who don't remember who Ramesh is- in chapter 3, Arjun received a phone call informing him of the Karan Ahuja case and the person who called was none other than Ramesh.)

Ramesh was in his late forties. He'd been in this job for almost 17 years. I met him last year when I was newly recruited. We had quickly become close friends. He had a great sense of humour and was a funny guy. During my first year, he assisted me with numerous cases which eventually made me trust him.

He appeared tense all of a sudden. He scratched his neck and gave us a guilty look. He was trying to mask his uneasiness.

"I am sorry, sir," he said, looking down.

"Why did you call us here?" Mehra inquired, trying to remain as calm as possible.

"I know who AK is," he said solemnly.

We went downstairs to the cafe and sat at a table by the window. The cafe was lovely. The aroma of coffee wafted through the air. People were preoccupied with their daily activities. Some were sipping their coffee, while others were frantically typing on their laptops. The cafe was close to an IT firm. Perhaps that was why there were so many young people with laptops. There was a tense atmosphere at our table. Our coffee was also losing its warmth.

"Are you going to speak up, Ramesh?" I asked, irritated. We'd been sitting like this for 30 minutes and he didn't appear to be ready to speak.

"I am really sorry for calling you both here anonymously. But I didn't have a choice. They are powerful people. It won't be good if they find out about our meeting," he replied, terrified.

"Who are these people, and how do you know anything about them?" Mehra asked.

"I know about them because of my sister," he replied, his eyes welling up with tears.

"How did she find out about them?" I asked with curiosity.

"She used to work as a journalist on a channel. Two years ago, she was looking into a drug case to learn more about drug dealing in India, but she had no idea that she was dealing with a powerful mafia." His voice choked, and a tear fell, which he quickly wiped away. "She gathered a lot of information but was shocked to learn about the huge network and their influence in the government."

"What do you mean by influence in the government?" Mehra asked, perplexed.

"They have the support of government officials, ma'am," he responded with his jaw clenched. "I told her several times that she should stop her investigation because messing with those people was dangerous. But she didn't listen and continued on her way. She turned in her proof to her boss, but she had no idea he was with them. He betrayed her by informing those bastards." He paused and took a deep breath. He was on the verge of breaking. I'd never seen him so moved before.

"She did not return home that day. I tried calling her, but her phone was switched off. I contacted her colleagues, who informed me that she had left early. I was getting a sick feeling in my stomach as if something bad was about to happen. I filed a missing persons report at the station, and they promised to do their best. I waited and waited but got nothing. The next morning, I received a call from the police station asking me to come to the station and identify a body. I wished I hadn't gone. Otherwise, I might have hoped she'd return one day."

Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he whimpered. I felt sorry for him. This was not fair to him or his sister. He continued, trying to keep his emotions under control.

"The ring on her finger confirmed my worst fears, even after her body was half-burnt. It was the same ring I gave her on her last birthday." He stifled a cry. "They murdered her and even paid to have the case closed. I couldn't do anything. I was powerless." By now, he had begun to cry.

"I'm so sorry," Mehra said softly. I looked at her. Her eyes were moist with tears. He wiped his tears away and composed himself.

"Here are a few of her files for your review, ma'am. She still had a copy," Ramesh stated as he handed us a few files. They were a little worn and dusty.

"Thank you very much, Ramesh. I know we won't be able to bring your sister back, but I promise you that we will get her the justice she deserves," I said firmly.

"How did you know we were looking for AK?" Mehra inquired.

"I overheard you two talking outside the interrogation room. I wasn't eavesdropping. Sir was quite loud when he asked who AK was," he replied with an awkward smile on his face. I simply laughed nervously. Mehra would have killed me for my carelessness if this hadn't turned out well. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her half-glaring at me.

"But who is this AK?" I asked, or rather, whispered.

"Everything is in the files, sir," Ramesh admitted, "but I don't know who he is."

"Okay, Ramesh. Thank you very much for your help," Mehra said.

"No, ma'am. I couldn't help her but I think she'll get justice now," he said confidently.

"Yes, she will," I assured.

We arrived at the station and went into Mehra's office. Ajay met with Mehra to inform her that he had arrested the orphanage officials who had been molesting and abusing children, including Nila. Mehra instructed him to present them before the judge and get them what they deserved.

"I believe we should begin reading the files. Let's get over this," she said after Ajay had left. She took up a dusty file and rummaged through the yellowed papers inside. I followed suit.

A few hours later, we read through all of the files and took down important names but we still couldn't figure out who AK was.

"There is only one file remaining. Let's hope this is the one," she said as she picked up the last file. We were going through it when the file slipped from her grasp. When I bent to pick it up, I noticed a piece of paper with a heading.

AK

We finally got it. It even had a picture and a little information.

"Mehra, I think this is the one we're looking for," I said as I handed her the paper. When she saw the picture, her eyes widened in shock.

"I know him!" She exclaimed.

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