Missing Pieces of a Puzzle

  • 29 May - 04 Jun, 2021
  • Salaar Laghari
  • Fiction

Present Day

Zain’s narration ended. As Zain stopped speaking, the superintendent remained quiet for a moment and then asked,

“So, this is it?”

“Yup, that’s all that I have concluded until now.”

“And you are confident about it?”

“About what?”

“That your theory is very much accurate in this case.”

“Yes,” Zain replied firmly, “I am more than just confident.”

The superintendent leaned back on his chair and said,

“You know there’s one thing that is really difficult for me to understand here.”

“What?”

“Believing in your theory…”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Your theory does not sound quite believable to me.”

“Why? What’s wrong with it?”

“Wait a minute. Can you show me the list of those clues again?”

As Zain handed over the list to him, the superintendent officer read it out carefully in his heart,

A heart shaped locket with Kiran’s picture on one side.

Picture at an old party.

Wounds on Aaraiz’ chest.

Documents of Asad’s new car.

Aaraiz’ Text message.

House with no official documents.

Asad’s severe conflict with someone.

Gun in dead body’s hand.

Kiran’s testimony.

After paying full attention and completely reading the list, he said to Zain,

“So, your theory was designed out of these clues right?”

“Umm… Not only these clues.”

“What else do you have?”

“I also have testimony of other people with me. Their other friends.”

“But most of the part is generated through Kiran’s testimony?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… How very obvious of you!”

“What do you mean?” Zain asked getting a bit angry.

“Don’t you think that you have very less information regarding this case? Don’t you think that you will be needing many more and much stronger clues to crack this case in the first place?”

“Look, I know that there are many missing pieces of this puzzle, but I have literally tried my best.”

“Trying your best is not enough. I need the truth.”

Zain answered spontaneously,

“The truth is that what I have just narrated before you and it is all completely true. You have to believe it.”

“Okay, then prove it to me.” “Sure.”

“Tell me…were there or were there not any secret meetings in your theory? ……. Yes and how can you explain this? What explanation do you have about what happened in those private meetings.”

“Look, may be some of the minor details can be incorrect but that doesn’t matter at all. The conversations of these meetings were told by witnesses.”

“Who were these witnesses?”

“These were mostly friends. Third person in the room for example. Most of the people who were in the party that day also testified.”

“Okay and what about when the person was all alone in the room? You also told me about what the character in your theory was thinking and all.”

“Look, I’ve mentioned before, all of this is not hundred percent accurate. As there were my assumptions as well.”

“Assumptions? So, you are saying that parts of your theory were made out of assumptions?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Alright, I’m glad you were honest enough to confess this.”

“What do you mean honest? I am honest. I never lie.”

“Good, you better not lie especially to me.”

There was clearly tension between the two of them as their conversation was progressing.

After a moment, Zain said,

“Look, this is what I have designed through gaining all the testimonies. But if the witnesses are lying themselves, then I’m simply not responsible for that.”

“Lying?”

“What can I do? You tell me what can I do if they are actually lying? I simply have no control over this.”

“Do you think that they lied to you?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Zain answered confidently.

“Okay, that is an entirely different subject. We’ll discuss that later, but right now I need to know that everything you just told me was mostly through the testimonies of witnesses.”

“Yes.”

“You mean ninety per cent was through testimonies and ten percent were mere your assumptions?”

“Five percent were mere assumptions,” Zain answered in a very taunting tone.

“I see.”

“Well, anyways, I have everything that you will need. These clues are here in our office.”

“I know that, I don’t need them at the moment.”

“So, what do you need?”

“I need to see Kiran as soon as possible. Her confrontation is the most important aspect of this investigation.”

“With whom? You?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, we’ll go to her apartment.”

“We’ll not go there. She has to come here.”

“No problem. I’ll arrange that too.”

The superintendent officer stood up and walked around in the room.

Zain said in his heart,

I am stuck with this bossy old officer. I just want to get out of here as quickly as possible.

The superintendent officer asked him, while distracting him from his thoughts,

“By the way, tell me something though. Aaraiz is dead. Kiran can be traced at her home. Where is Asad in this entire situation?”

“I don’t know. I have really tried to find him. People are telling different things about him.”

“What are they saying?”

“Most of them are saying that may be he has left the city. Probably, it’s because of this case…”

“One can expect that to be possible.”

“However, we can trace him through Kiran.”

“Kiran… Tell me something, when you inquired Kiran, did she seem guilty or upset?”

“Guilty, no she wasn’t. But upset, yes she was.”

“I see.”

Zain did not reply as he did not feel like talking to him.

“Alright now look, you need to keep searching for Asad. He is an important witness in this case. We need him. We need to talk to him. Probably interrogate him.”

“Okay,” Zain said formally.

“And one more thing, I need to see that FIR. That stolen car’s FIR and warrant of arrest for Asad or whoever he was.”

“I have been told about the FIR but the arrest warrant… Alright fine, I’ll go for it.”

“Yes, do all of this. Make sure I get all of these on time.”

“Okay, I’ll see,” Zain said trying to control his anger.

“Are you okay?” the superintendent asked looking back at him.

“Yes, why?”

“I felt something different in your tone, in your accent.”

Zain chuckled,

“I’m fine…”

“Good, now go and find Asad.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

Zain stood up quite angrily and then started walking towards the exit. He left the office all alone and he said,

This guy is like a wild dog who will keep on sniffing until he finds the bone. However, he is not too difficult for me. I have seen people like him. I have seen plenty of people like him. I can handle him very easily, on a lighter mode.

He then walked towards the footpath and saw some of the police constables of his own team standing.

“Good morning sir,” few of them said looking at him.

“Guys, can you do me a favour… Just go and find where Asad is. Can you do that?”

“Okay sir,” one of them answered.

“Wait,” another one interrupted in between, “how? I mean sure we would find him but we don’t know about his whereabouts.”

“Look, that’s exactly why I’m sending you. Go and fetch his whereabouts. The rest is up to me. Don’t bring him here. Just find out where he is. I’ll tell you what needs to be done further, afterwards.”

“Who are we looking for again? Asad?”

“Yes… If you want his picture you can get it from the head constable.”

“Head constable? Okay.”

“Now go!”

The team left one after another. Zain looked at them go and then said,

This job, this life is not easy.

I have to do something about it.

He then took out his cell phone and made a phone call to one of his friends. As his call was answered after few seconds, he said,

“Hey, what are you doing today? See, I am really stressed from work. And I need some company of friends.”

Meanwhile back inside the office, the superintendent officer said to another police officer,

“Look, I know that this guy is not lying. He is honest with me. However, the truth matters. I am not sure that whatever he just narrated was entirely true. But we need to find the truth.”

“Asad’s confrontation with Kiran, right in front of us is what really matters. If we can get these two face to face, then plenty of stuff can be resolved.”

“What if Asad has actually left the city?”

“If he is honest, if he respects the law, then he won’t do something like this.”

“What about Inspector Zain?”

“Like I told you before, I don’t think that he is making up stuff. But the limited numbers of clues are indicating that the theory could be wrong or misdirected.”

“Misdirected? Who would do that?”

“Aaraiz committed suicide, we know that for sure. But did he commit it because of Kiran, we don’t know that.”

“So, you’re considering the possibility that it could be because of someone else entirely.”

“Not someone else, some other reason,” the superintendent replied.

“I see. Now, I get your point.”

“Well, what could be the reason besides tragedy of love?”

“There can be plenty of other reasons. We need to identify them. There can always be a possibility of something.”

“Sir, don’t you think it’s strange that their parents are not taking part in this?”

“That is in fact, the strangest reality. I will do something about it, most definitely. But right now I am trying to find out what if there is a beneficiary. What if someone is benefitting from all this?”

“Who could it be?”

“Someone who is against Kiran and wants to see her in trouble.”

“Was there a suicide note of some kind?”

“I don’t think our team has discovered any. There might be but someone who is a culprit in all of this must have hidden it or torn it.”

“These kids? How terrible they can be? This is usually the outcome of these foul relationships.”

“Wait,” the Superintendent Officer said getting something in his mind, “That girl Mahnoor, we haven’t heard from her, I think we should do something about bringing her here.”

“You’re right.”

That moment Zain came back inside and said,

“I have already talked to Mahnoor. She’s the one who has testified about plenty of stuff.”

The superintendent officer looked at him and asked,

“So, you’ve been listening to us all this time?”

“Was I not supposed to?”

“No,” he chuckled, “anyways, so you were saying…”

“I was telling you that I have already talked to this girl Mahnoor. She testified that Aaraiz was in love with Kiran and was quite suicidal.”

“I see. If we can have her here, and we must have her, then our investigation can be easy.”

“Now, I’m expecting that you want me to bring her here,” Zain said sarcastically.

“No. You just have to bring Asad at the moment. And you better start working on it.”

“I have sent my team already,” Zain said trying to outsmart him.

“I know but that is not enough. You have to stay with them. You have to keep sniffing until you find him.”

Zain looked at him furiously and turned towards the exit of the room.

Meanwhile, the superintendent officer saw him leave and then read the list of all the clues again,

A heart shaped locket with Kiran’s picture on one side.

Picture at an old party.

Wounds on Aaraiz’ chest.

Documents of Asad’s new car.

Aaraiz’ Text message.

House with no official documents.

Asad’s severe conflict with someone.

Gun in dead body’s hand.

Kiran’s testimony.

***********

That evening, Zain was with his friend at some restaurant. Zain was quite fed up and was focusing only on drinking more and more coffee.

“Relax Zain,” his friend said to him, “no one is going to come here looking for you.”

“No, you don’t know what it’s like. I am literally regretting this job that I have chosen for myself.”

“Regretting? Oh, come on. People are dying for such position, and you are…”

“Just forget it. You will not understand this.”

Zain’s phone began to ring. He saw that the call was from the head constable. He answered the call with quite some frustration,

“Hello?”

“Sir, can you come over to this place? I think we have found Asad.”

“Look, Asad is not important in this case. Aaraiz committed suicide because of Kiran. Asad has nothing to do with this.”

“Alright, but we have traced Asad’s cell number.”

“Send it to me. I’ll call him myself.”

to be continued...

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