The Tangram Murders

Professor Arjun Shrivastava was a well-known mathematician and a computer genius. He was a well-respected scholar and professor of mathematics in one of the topmost colleges in the city. Not only was he a scholar, but he was also an internationally well-known author. His book ‘Mathematics & Murder’ was an international hit and a best seller in many countries. This book was claimed to be a Bible for both the Police and the criminals! His fame was such that he had been called by the authorities in the past to help solve many complex crimes. He was also one of the most important celebrities to be called in talk shows, television programmes, radio shows etc. As if this was not enough, he was also quite handsome which hid his actual age and that worked like a charm on other people. Whenever he used to walk through the campus people would be impressed ever by his tall height, erect posture and his demeanour. Though he was old, he never looked old and he kept his goatee trim and always polished and he was all lean and muscular. With a straight jaw-line and a disarming smile, he was the heartthrob of all-female colleagues and young students alike. He was also an expert in cracking complex codes and solving puzzles. He had an in-depth knowledge of the world’s complex puzzles. However, the world did not know that there was a lot of pain, angst and loneliness hidden behind this amicable professor. There was also a dark side hidden in him and no one could have ever guessed that this highly popular man could be so devious.

Two weeks later, Tejpal Khurana, a famous criminal defence attorney was on his way back to his chambers after winning a successful case for one of his clients. The way he had put forward his points and arguments that even the presiding judge was impressed. Moreover, his moment of glory came when the public prosecutor, Rakesh Arora, congratulated him personally.

Rakesh “Tej you did well.”

Tejpal “thank you, sir. Coming from you means a lot to me.”

Rakesh smilingly asked, “how and from where do you get this entire panacea to hit at the right moment?” He was impressed.

Tejpal gave a smile in return and replied “Sir, this is a trade secret.”

Meanwhile, his client was very happy and congratulated him profusely. While walking down the corridor Tejpal was accosted by his fellow lawyers, people and his juniors, who all congratulated him for brilliantly handling the case and winning it. Some of his friends said “hey genius! Please lend us some part of your brilliant mind.”

Tejpal “hahahahaha...... You have to be me for this!”

In all of this adulation and praise showered upon him, Tejpal could not see a man who was discreetly showing a keen interest in him. This man also kept on following him from a discreet distance. But Tejpal was unaware of this and he was on his way to the parking lot as he had to attend a party thrown in his favour on his winning this case.

As he was about to unlock the door of his car someone called him from behind “Mr Tejpal?”

He turned around and looked straight into a masked man holding a pistol in front of him. Before he could react or utter a sound the man shot him point-blank in the face. Tejpal just felt blackness enveloping him while he started slipping down to the floor. His only question was “why?

The killer stood there and waited till Tejpal stopped breathing and then he just smiled and took out a small red triangular piece of wood, threw it on Tejpal’s body and calmly walked away. This wooden piece was very finely cut and chiselled. This would play a very important piece in the story ahead.

A few minutes later, Raju, the parking guard was on his rounds when he saw Tejpal’s body lying in a pool of blood and his vacant eyes staring upwards. Raju upon seeing the body panicked and rushed to inform the police and others. Naturally, word spread around the court and people started rushing to the spot and congregating. Inspector Abhimanyu Pratap Singh, who had become a well-known police officer after solving his first case, was just about to go home when he got the call. The first thing Inspector Abhimanyu did was to get a police cordon erected at the crime scene. Next, he asked, “who saw the body first?”

Raju “Sir, I did.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “when did you see the body? Did you see anyone else?”

Raju “Sir, I was making my rounds at around 11: 45 a.m. when I saw the body and no I did not see anybody else.”

Yudhveer Singh, the chief constable, whispered in Abhimanyu’s ear “Sir, he was a very famous criminal lawyer and he also had many enemies.”

Inspector Abhimanyu looked at him quizzically. Yudhveer Singh further said, “it is rumoured that he had a very messy divorce recently and his wife was after his insurance money.” He also quipped “this is going to be a tough one sir.”

This now got Abhimanyu’s attention and he said “call his wife and inform her.” “Also, get his case files here. I want to see what cases he was working on.”

Reena, Tejapal’s wife was also an advocate and a very successful advocate at that. She was also very beautiful but at the moment she came rushing at the crime scene crying inconsolably. Inspector Abhimanyu was mildly surprised at this excessive show of emotion especially when they were divorced. So he could not understand that Reena was genuinely distressed, or she was just making it up. He was also wondering that “why was she showing so much drama when she was the only nominee to his insurance policy and was about to claim an exorbitant amount from the insurance company?” Anyways, Inspector Abhimanyu knew that he had to do his duty. That he had to ask her questions at this point when she was distressed, inconsolable and very disturbed.

Inspector Abhimanyu “Mrs Shrivastava, I am very sorry for your loss.”

Reena just looked up at him and said nothing.

Inspector Abhimanyu “when was the last time you saw your husband?”

Reena “3 days ago when he called me up to meet him at a cafe near his chambers.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “do you know why he called you?”

Reena “Yes. He wanted to discuss something important. But when I reached the cafe he was not there.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “What do you mean he was not there?” “Didn’t he inform you where he was going?”

Reena “As I reached the cafe one of the waiters informed me that Tej had left the cafe in a hurry and asked him to convey his apologies to me.” “Later on, I also found a message in my phone saying that he was very sorry that he could not keep the schedule as something important had come up.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “didn’t you ask him?”

Reena “I did try to call him but every time it said he was outside network coverage and I also got busy.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “Mrs Shrivastava, I have to ask you some difficult questions.”

Reena knew what was in his mind and just nodded.

Inspector Abhimanyu “how were your relations with Tejpal?”

Reena “I think you have known by now that we were divorced and yes they were not the best at times.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “ Now, when you have said that you were divorced how come then Mr Tejpal make you a nominee in his Life Insurance Policy?”

Reena “That was a long time ago.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “do you know whether he had any enemies or any cases he was working upon? Cases where he could have got any threats or anything of that sort?”

Reena “He was a criminal lawyer. He was bound to have enemies. As to his cases, he had told me that he was defending this gangster!”

Inspector Abhimanyu’s ears perked up at that very moment. “What and which gangster?”, he asked.

Reena “I don’t know much detail. He only said this guy “Bunty Yadav” was guilty to the core and yet I am defending him.”

Abhimanyu’s eyes perked up hearing this and he paid more attention to what Reena was saying.

Finally, he asked the most important question at the moment.

Inspector Abhimanyu “Do you know what this red triangular piece of wood is. Have you seen it before?”

Reena was surprised and just shook her head.

At the same time, Inspector Abhimanyu’s assistant had come with case files of those cases on which Tejpal had been working upon. In one of these files, they found that Bunty Yadav, a dreaded gangster, with many ongoing criminal cases filed against him, was also one of his clients. Seeing ‘Bunty Yadav’s name made Abhimanyu seethe with anger. Every time they tried to put him behind bars, he would come out with a clean chit because of some legal manipulation by some defence lawyer like Tejpal!

Inspector Abhimanyu “let’s call this Bunty and see what he has to say about this.”

Bunty Yadav was a short, fat man. He had an oval-shaped head and his head bobbed like an egg when he talked. Though people and his enemies made fun of him; they were also very terrified of him. It was believed that he was more vicious than a psychopath when dealing with his enemies or, with informers in his gang. He was agile, swift and cunning which could be seen in his movements and way of walking. He also had a scar of a knife attack on his left cheek which he hid with a beard.

Anyways, Bunty

Yadav came with a deliberate stroll when he was called and he very well knew Inspector Abhimanyu’s animosity towards him as they had clashed previously also.

Bunty Yadav “Namaskar Sir. What makes you call this ordinary poor man?” He said this sardonically, with a slight curve of a smile on his face.

Inspector Abhimanyu “This is not a social call, neither this is an event to honour you. You have been called in a murder investigation enquiry. So answer the questions honestly.” All this Inspector Abhimanyu said with much seriousness and a visible sign of disgust in his voice.

Bunty Yadav “Sir, I am always here to help the police. You just have to say the word.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “Did you know Tejpal Khurana?”

Bunty Yadav “Yes sir. He is my defence lawyer. Why what happened?”

Inspector Abhimanyu “he has been murdered this morning.”

Bunty Yadav could not believe what he had heard. He was planning to make Tejpal his permanent lawyer and he was also planning to throw a party for him for making him victorious in the present case.

Bunty Yadav “when did this happen, sir?”

Inspector Abhimanyu “This morning. Where were you this morning?”

Bunty Yadav “ I was at my home sir. You can verify this.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “Since when did you know Tejpal Khurana?”

Bunty Yadav “Since the beginning of this case sir.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “You don’t tell me whether I will verify your antecedents or not. Anyways, can you recall any incident where Mr Tejpal was overly upset or worried?”

Bunty Yadav “ No sir. Rather, he was very jolly and always very kind when dealing with this poor man.” He pointed at himself again with a sarcastic expression on his face. Inspector Abhimanyu decided to overlook the expression and asked him again.

Inspector Abhimanyu “Bunty answer me honestly do you have anything to do with this murder?” “As I have come to know that Mr Tejpal was not happy working for you.”

Bunty Yadav “Sir, if you want to pin this on me, you can. But, honestly, I never knew that and I would change him if he at any point of time had expressed his unwillingness to me.” He said this with a genuine shock and surprise on his face and it carried in his voice also. Inspector Abhimanyu chose to ignore his genuineness as he knew that Bunty was a hardened criminal.

Inspector Abhimanyu “Do you know anything about a red wooden block of a triangle found near his body?”

Bunty Yadav “No sir. I have never seen anything of that sort in my whole life. Now may I leave or do you want to hang me for his murder?”

Inspector Abhimanyu was ready to pounce on Bunty but controlled himself and said “you can go for now but cannot leave the city.”

“What do you think Sir?” Chief Constable Yudhveer Singh asked Inspector Abhimanyu.

Inspector Abhimanyu “Of what?”

Yudhveer Singh “Reena and Bunty Sir. Are they lying or telling the truth?”

Inspector Abhimanyu “I think either both of them are lying or both are being dead honest. Only time will tell. You put some people to watch both of them.”

Yudhveer Singh “Yes Sir.”

Days passed on as the police kept on searching for clues and interviewing more people about the case. Meanwhile, Aanya Paul, a famous fashion designer was launching her latest dress design in the public limelight. Aanya was also a pretty, tall girl. She was fiercely independent and hardworking, and this had won her many accolades over the last few years. She and Tina were also childhood friends and they cemented their friendship by together launching this fashion brand. Though every time she launched a new style, she used to get goosebumps as if she was the one wearing that dress and walking on that ramp, instead of the models!

This time also she was sweating and swearing like anything, despite being one of the youngest, most successful, adored and respected fashion designers of the country! She also had a dark secret that she kept hidden within herself.

Aanya “God! I wish everything goes well.”

Tina, her friend, remarked, “it will sweetheart, like every time.”

Aanya “How come you are so calm and relaxed!”

Tina “Because I know everything will work out just fine.”

Aanya “I seriously pray that you are right.”

Tina “Where is Sumit?”

Aanya “He will be coming in a while though he and I had a bit of a falling out last night.”

Tina “on what?” Tina knew that Sumit was Aanya’s boyfriend and he loved her more than anything else. Even Aanya loved him and that’s the reason they were fiercely independent of each other and also overly protective towards each other.

Aanya “oh, it was a very irrelevant topic. Forget about it. You just stay focussed on the event right now.” She said with a smile and winked at her.

Aanya was so nervous this time that she even could not understand what was going on! She had gone to the washroom umpteen number of times before the show even began.

Aanya “I have to go to the washroom.”

Tina “Again!”

Aanya “Yes, can’t help it.” With that, she hurried towards the ladies washroom. On the way, she met many people who congratulated her and wished her all the best. She just nodded politely at them and concentrated on going to the washroom. She, unfortunately, did not notice that someone was following her discreetly all this while.

As Aanya came out of the washroom, the corridor was empty and the clicking of her heels on the floor made her more nervous. As she was about to enter the auditorium, she was grabbed from behind by a strong pair of hands and a gloved hand clamped her mouth and started dragging her towards the fire exit. By the time Aanya realized what has happened to her she tried to struggle and scream. But no sound could escape her mouth as the killer had strongly clasped his hand on her mouth and was strangling her with the other hand. Aanya tried to struggle but she could not as the grip on her throat tightened! She even tried to throw her heels off so that somebody could hear, but again, to no avail. She tried even to scratch her assailant’s hand but he was wearing gloves. The more she tried to struggle or make a sound, the more tightening the grip on her throat was. She could not breathe and felt choking. Gradually, all the wind out of her body just flew. Her hands seemed heavy and flayed till there was no air in her. When the killer was sure that Aanya was dead and there was no feigning of unconsciousness on her part did he let her lifeless body fall to the ground and threw a purple shaped rectangular wood triangle on her body. Then the killer did something unexpected! He took Aanya’s phone and took out the Sim from it and threw the phone aside. This was something peculiar and later on, would prove to be very significant. He then looked at her with pity and went off with a smile on his face.

Tina meanwhile was looking for Aanya as her event was about to be announced. So she kept calling on her phone. Every time she called, it just said that the phone was out of coverage. This was something bizarre! Tina knew that Aanya would always return her calls at the earliest opportunity.

Tina “Aanya where are you?”

As she kept on calling Aanya but there was no answer so she called Sumit instead.

Tina “Hi Sumit. It’s Tina have you heard from Aanya right now?”

Sumit “Hi, why isn’t she there?”

Tina “she was here a moment ago but she has still not returned from the washroom yet.”

This was surprising news to Sumit as he knew that Aanya took very little time in the washroom.

While Tina was growing nervous as the time neared by for Aanya’s launch, someone in the corridor screamed. This was a jolt to everyone. Even the announcers were stunned and stopped their announcement abruptly and everybody rushed to the spot where the scream had come from. There they found Aanya’s lifeless limp body lying on the ground near the washroom. Tina gave a sudden scream and fainted.

Inspector Abhimanyu, meanwhile, was busy trying to solve the murder of Tejpal Khurana, by interviewing all of his colleagues, friends, past clients, and family members. However, it was frustrating for him to not get a single clue. Even the constant surveillance of Reena and Bunty were also proving to be fruitless as they were busy with their lives. It was on one of these days that he again got the call. This time it was the famous fashion designer Aanya Paul. He blurted out in frustration “abbey Ek to solve nahi ho Raha, Ek aur musibat SAR pe aa Gayi.” His constable looked quizzically at him and then Abhimanyu asked him to contact the forensics department and asked him to take to the crime scene spot.

Again, Inspector Abhimanyu and his team had to cordon off the crime scene and push back the growing throng of shocked, surprised and curious onlookers.

“Who saw the body first?”, he asked

“I did sir.” Ruchi, one of the interns called out from the crowd.

Abhimanyu had to strain his neck and then he called her.

“What did you see?”

Ruchi “I saw that the fire exit door was open. So I went out of curiosity. It was then I saw her body lying there.”

Abhimanyu “did you see anyone there?”

Ruchi shook her head. Tina had regained consciousness and she went forward.

Inspector Abhimanyu looked at Tina and asked “who are you?”

Tina teary-eyed answered, “I am, I mean was her friend.”

Abhimanyu “Since when do you know her?”

Tina “we were childhood friends and we were the joint owners of this fashion company.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “What happened?”

Tina “ She was very nervous since morning and she went to the washroom many since the event started.”

Constable Yudhveer whispered something in Abhimanyu’s ear. He looked up with a raised eyebrow and asked “how did you know?”

Yudhveer “There is a rumour circulating and one of my known acquaintances who works told me about it some time back.” Abhimanyu looked at Tina and decided to ask these rather difficult questions at this moment.

Abhimanyu “Ms Tina, first of all, I am sorry for your loss. Now, I want to ask a couple of very important questions.” “Are you ready?” Tina nodded.

Abhimanyu “did you know that Aanya was a bi-sexual. And also where is Sumit, her boyfriend?”

Tina looked aghast and in a rage of indignation blurted out “That’s Preposterous! “How can you even say something like this? “Sumit is on his way here now.”

Abhimanyu expected this kind of reaction from her and said nothing in reply. By the time Sumit had also arrived.

Sumit “Inspector, I am her boyfriend and I demand to see her.”

Abhimanyu looked up at this tall handsome businessman and replied “You cannot demand anything and sit down as I have some important questions to ask you.”

Sumit was taken aback by this but he chose to keep quiet.

Abhimanyu “How and when did you meet Ms Aanya?”

Sumit “We were in love since college days and it was after college that I had proposed to her and she had graciously accepted it.”

Abhimanyu “did you guys have any fight recently?”

Sumit “I would not call it a fight but yes we had a slight falling out yesterday night.”

Abhimanyu “On what grounds?”

Sumit “Oh! It was nothing serious. She wanted me to stay back but I argued that I have to go to an important meeting.”

Abhimanyu “okay did you know that Aanya and Tina were business partners also?” “Also, something personal I would like to ask is that did you know that Ms Aanya was bi-sexual?”

Sumit “Yes, I knew they were business partners apart from being friends. No! I did not know this about her. Anyways, how does it matter?”

Abhimanyu “that only further investigation will prove whether it matters or not.”

Abhimanyu “One last question Mr Sumit. Did you know that in the death of one partner, the whole business concern would automatically be transferred to the surviving partner?”

Sumit “Yes I knew that.”

Abhimanyu “Thank you, Mr Sumit. That will be all. Please be advised that you cannot leave the city until this investigation is over.”

As Sumit made his way back Abhimanyu said to Chief Constable Yudhveer “he knew perfectly well that Aanya was bi-sexual and he was planning to take this business somehow.”

Chief Constable Yudhveer “How can you be so sure, Sir?”

Abhimanyu “I just know by looking at his face and expression. He did not have any emotional outbursts at knowing that his partner was a secret bisexual. How many people react like this?”

Chief Constable Yudhveer “I think you are right Sir. Shall we keep tabs on him and Tina?”

Abhimanyu “Not yet let’s see what happens next.”

Meanwhile, these two gruesome murders had created a lot of concern amongst the public. Even the media, through all its channels and newspapers, were creating sensational headlines which read like the following

“A SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE. POLICE CLUELESS.”

This had further put pressure on the police department, which was putting pressure on Inspector Abhimanyu and his team. Professor Arjun was oblivious to all of this when he suddenly decided to read the newspaper. When he read the news about the killings and weird pieces of coloured wooden shaped pieces being left behind each of the bodies, he was surprised. He read the news once again very carefully and then it struck him and he mused “the killer is following a pattern. He is very cunningly building a human puzzle!” He then thought that as a responsible citizen he should help the police and went about contacting them.

That very day while Inspector Abhimanyu was busy investigating these murders, he got a call.

Abhimanyu “Hello. Who is this?”

Professor Arjun “Hello Inspector how are you?”

Professor Arjun “My name is Arjun Shrivastava and I can help you with your investigation.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “How would help me and who gave you my number and also why do you want to help us?” These were very straight and to the point questions which Professor Arjun enjoyed answering.

Professor Arjun “I was asked to help by the Police Commissioner. You can call and ask him.”

Professor Arjun “As you know I am a mathematician and I love to solve problems. This killer is following a pattern and giving you a human puzzle to solve.”

Inspector Abhimanyu was intrigued by this and asked him to come over. He had already verified this claim by the professor and when the professor came by, Abhimanyu was impressed by the tall, ramrod erect and handsome old man. After the pleasantries were exchanged and the professor brought up to speed on the murders and investigations till now, the professor’s first reaction was to get to work immediately.

A couple of things that struck Inspector Abhimanyu strange was the professor carried a puzzle set with him and his pipe was of a peculiar shape and it looked very rare and expensive. When the professor saw the inspector looking curiously at these things he smiled and explained “as I told you over the phone I am a mathematician and I like to solve puzzles.”

Professor Arjun “this puzzle box here is the famous Chinese Puzzle Box Set: The Tangram Puzzle.”

And I was gifted this pipe by the Prince of an African State when I solved the murder of his brother.”

Inspector Abhimanyu was impressed and his respect for this learned professor started growing, though he was still a bit suspicious and curious by this new development. Also, Abhimanyu was shocked when the professor said “the killer will kill again. This time he will target someone with the name that starts with the letter ‘C’.” “As I think he is also recreating the Tangram Puzzle! “ So, till now he has murdered two people with their names starting with the letters ‘T’ & ‘A’.” “Therefore, his next target will be someone whose name starts with N.” Inspector Abhimanyu was just too overwhelmed to digest all this information, so he just kept quiet and wished that this did not happen. However, one thing which struck Inspector Abhimanyu very odd was when Professor Arjun, in a very casual tone remarked “isn’t Aanya, the second victim bi-sexual?”

Inspector Abhimanyu was taken aback as he knew this information had not been made public yet. He said, “How do you know professor?”

Professor Arjun “I read it in the newspapers.” This made Abhimanyu very curious and somewhat suspicious of the professor but he kept his suspicions to himself only.

Nishant Kapoor was synonymous with investigative reporting. He did not believe in sensationalism and the game of ’TRPs’. This was the reason why he was the most successful, brilliant, admired and desired newspaper reporter. All the major newspapers wanted him as did the television networks were after his life to join them. He never grew arrogant in his attitude or boasted in front of his colleagues how much he was in demand. He rather was a very down-to-earth, honest and carefree kind of a guy; the one, who mixed and joked with everybody. He was much into working for the upliftment of the less privileged of society. Anybody who wanted to meet him could find him spending his free time helping in some old age home or in an infant home where he became a child with all the other little toddlers.

One day Nishant got a call while he was working on his latest investigation on the murders.

Unknown “Hello, is it Nishant speaking?”

Nishant “Yes, who is this?”

Unknown “I am your well-wisher and I have some information I want. to share.”

Nishant “Information relating to what?”

Unknown “Relating to the murders. But I am not going divulge this over the phone.”

Nishant “where do you want to meet?”

Unknown “Near the ruins of Old Fort. Come at 9:00 P.M.”

Nishant was elated and also a bit wary about the call and the caller. Though he could not disclose this to anyone he was very much excited also to get the latest scoop of his career! So he decided to go and see what this unknown person had by way of information. That day it was cloudy throughout the day and in the evening it started to rain heavily.

Nishant thought “just my rotten luck. I am about to find get some relevant information but this wretched rain is going to spoil this.” Still, he went ahead and went to meet this stranger in the middle of this drenching rain at an abandoned spot at 9:00 clock in the night! He was feeling apprehensive throughout the drive about the upcoming meeting. Unfortunately, all his suspicions proved right and also were fatal for him!

Nishant reached exactly at 9:00 clock at the ruins of the Old Fort, he, however, could not see anyone there. He thought that the caller would be near the ruins to protect himself from the drenching rain. He waded through the water and was already drenched when he reached the ruins. The moment he stepped into a shaded spot he was struck from behind with something very heavy. He fell to the ground bleeding and not knowing what happened. He somehow turned on his back and looked at a masked guy standing atop him wielding a heavy iron rod. Nishant somehow knew that he was in trouble and it was foolish for him to fall for the trap. He tried to pull out his mobile while trying to squirm his way out of the masked man’s reach. But the killer was not having any of this; he brought down the heavy iron rod straight down to one of Nishant’s knees and smacked it with one violent blow! Arrgh.............. Screamed Nishant. The killer did not stop and repeated it with the other knee also. Then he started on the hands. Once when the killer completely squashed both of Nishant’s hands and legs; then he started to pound his chest. Nishant knew that these were his last moments; still, he tried to plead with his assailant “why are you doing this?” The Killer did not answer. “No................... No............ Please Stop” Nishant pleaded but the killer was relentless and kept on pounding on Nishant’s head and chest till it did not become a squishy mass of red pulp. Then he took out a green wooden triangle and threw it on Nishant’s dead body and started whistling. He then went away smiling.

Inspector Abhimanyu got the biggest shock of his life when he got the call that famous investigative journalist Nishant Kapoor has been brutally murdered. His immediate thought was “ the professor was right.” He also thought that how the professor did could be so right. Anyways, at the crime scene, he knew that it would be useless for the forensics to look for any clues because the rain would have washed away all evidence! “The killer is very cunning.” Inspector Abhimanyu secretly admired the killer’s cunningness. He knew an investigative journalist would have many enemies; still, he called his close friends and colleagues.

Abhimanyu “who saw him last?” Rohit, one of Nishant’s close friends and colleagues replied.

Rohit “I did.”

Abhimanyu “when and at what time?”

Rohit “at around 8:30 p.m. yesterday. He was very excited about something.”

Abhimanyu “did he say something to you?”

Rohit “No, he just said that this could make or break anyone’s career. He also said that if he is right about something then he was going to treat me in one of the most expensive restaurants this weekend.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “Do you know whether Nishant had any enemies?”

Rohit “As an investigative journalist you are bound to have sworn enemies. But, no, I don’t think so that he had any enemies.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “Okay. Thank you that will be all. You are, however, advised not to leave the city till the investigation is going on.”

Rohit just nodded and went on his way. Abhimanyu was in deep thought for a few minutes then called his most trusted constables Chief Constable Yudhveer Singh and Praveen Kumar.

Inspector Abhimanyu “I have called both of you for something very important. If my hunch is correct then we will all be promoted; if, however, my hunch is wrong, we will be in deep trouble.”

Chief Constable Yudhveer “Sir, you can trust us.” Praveen also nodded in agreement. Inspector Abhimanyu then gave them some secret instructions and sent them on their way. Professor Arjun, on the other hand, was very calm and cocky at the police station.

He said, “Didn’t I tell you that the killer’s next target would be someone starting with the letter N.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “Well Sir, you were right about this. How could you probably know about it?”

Professor Arjun gave him an all-knowing smile and in a self-effacing tone explained “the killer is very cunning and knowledgeable. He has intricate knowledge of the Tangram Puzzle. That is why he has been selecting specific people with the same letters that correspond to the alphabets of the word Tangram.”

Professor Arjun “Though it may seem inappropriate at the moment, I think his next target would be someone starting with the letter G.” Inspector Abhimanyu was taken aback at this and wondered who it could be. He also thought about how the professor can be so sure about his prediction. As a precautionary measure, he consulted with his seniors and decided to give precautionary advice to all those people whose names were starting with the letter G. As it was not humanly possible to protect everybody. Though they would try to give protection to some. This and a few more important matters related to the case were discussed in a secret police meeting with Inspector Abhimanyu.

Meanwhile, Bunty Yadav was oblivious to the impending danger looming close to him. He was having fun with his cronies at a favourite bar of his. He used to frequent that bar regularly; so the staff knew about his requirements. After a few drinks, Bunty had to go to the washroom to relieve himself. He did not notice that someone had followed him to the washroom. As it is Bunty was drunk and in a gregarious mood so he was whistling a tune to himself only. He just saw another person standing next to his urinal and get busy.

As Bunty was about to come out of the washroom his head was jerked back violently and someone clamped a hand over his mouth to prevent shouting. By the time Bunty could realize what was happening to him and react accordingly; the killer had already slit Bunty’s throat with a razor-sharp knife. Blood started oozing out of the hole which was Bunty’s throat! Bunty could not believe his eyes that someone could dare to attack him! He tried desperately to catch hold of the killer and shout for help. But he could only gurgle as blood blurted out of his mouth like a fountain. Bunty clutched his throat and slid down onto the floor. The killer just kept calmly watching him; letting the blood seep the life out of him. Bunty even tried with his slippery hands to take out his mobile but could not. In a few moments, Bunty Yadav, the dreaded gangster was lying dead in a pool of his blood. The killer just smiled and went out of the washroom whistling a tune. The most surprising part was that no one heard or saw anything! All of his cronies were busy enjoying themselves in the bar.

Inspector Abhimanyu was having two emotions at the crime scene. He was very surprised at first when he first heard the news of Bunty Yadav’s murder. Now, at the crime scene, he was internally very happy that someone at least has got rid of this scum; on the other hand, he had to investigate his murder also, as criminal or innocent, everyone deserved the right to dignity of life. Professor Arjun was also very surprised as his theory had proved wrong for the first time!

Inspector Abhimanyu had reason to feel confident that he was very near to the killer. First, the police team had found some clue at Nishant’s murder site that would later prove to be significant. The second important factor for Abhimanyu’s increasing confidence was that he had recently gotten some very eye-opening information about the case from his subordinates whom he had given a very important task a few days earlier.

Meanwhile, the media was having a heyday with its headlines screaming Serial Killer outwitting the Police and continuing its terror. Social media had also picked up on this and were no less responsible for creating public fear and hysteria. The public was alarmed at the audacity of the killer and the inefficiency of the police! There were even rumours of vigilante groups being formed by responsible citizens. Every day, there were talk shows, debates on the news channels relating to the killer and his cunningness. Some sections of society started considering the killer as a modern outlaw who could defy the police and the authorities and carry out his actions with impunity.

The constant pressure from the media, the government also made the police department come down hard on Inspector Abhimanyu for not being able to catch the killer.

Just two days after all this Inspector Abhimanyu knew that now was the right time in unmasking the killer. So he decided to call all the people involved in the case so far.

The next day, Chief Constable Yudhveer Singh gets all the people i.e. Reena, Sumit, Tina & Rohit to gather at a guest house. A few moments later, Inspector Abhimanyu arrives along with some senior members of the department and also with professor Arjun Shrivastava. After the pleasantries, Inspector Abhimanyu “ all of you

know that these past few weeks have been tragic and awful for us.” “ But today, I think we are going to get our answers for which we have been searching for so long.” All the people exchanged nervous glances at each other thinking what on earth this Inspector is talking about!

Inspector Abhimanyu did not take much time and started “Like you all know that our first murder victim was Mr Tejpal Khurana, a criminal defence attorney, his wife Mrs Reena is here.” He continued “at first we thought that she was the killer because of the life insurance policy.” Abhimanyu waited for some time, then went on “as time passed we found that both Reena and Bunty, who is the last victim I hope, had nothing to do with Mr Tejpal’s murder.” He let that sink in and saw Reena sigh feeling relieved. He then continued “ our next victim Ms Aanya, a fashion designer, was a secret bi-sexual, right professor Arjun?” Everyone gasped and even Professor Arjun was startled by this sudden reference to him. He said “ yes.” Here Inspector Abhimanyu looked at Arjun Shrivastava and smiled and continued “ because Tina and Aanya were business partners and according to their partnership deal, if either one of them died, or became incapable of being the partner; the whole concern would automatically transfer to the other partner.” Now, here again, he paused for effect before continuing “ so our first suspicion fell on Sumit, naturally.” Everyone glanced at Sumit, who felt uncomfortable and indignant. But then Abhimanyu said, “ but according to our investigation, Sumit was not the killer and nor Miss Tina was the killer.” He then said something surprising to everyone, especially, Professor Arjun. “

The killer is present ladies and gentlemen.”

Now, that was something unexpected. Everyone collectively gasped and looked at each other. Inspector Abhimanyu “ I hope you have found your pipe, Professor Arjun?”

Professor Arjun “ Not yet. I don’t know where has it gone? I have looked for it everywhere.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “ That is because it was where you had dropped it, Professor Arjun.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “ You dropped it at the spot where you murdered Nishant professor.”

Professor Arjun “ What!” “ That’s preposterous! How can you even say such a thing?”

Everyone was just as stunned, surprised and bewildered as Professor Arjun.

Inspector Abhimanyu “that is because we found that the fingerprints on the murder weapon and the pipe were of the same person. And that person is you, Professor Arjun Shrivastava.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “Moreover, there are many clues that lead straight to you that prove that you killed Nishant, Bunty and Aanya.”

Professor Arjun “Hah.....!” “What clues?”

Professor Arjun “You are just guessing things and without any substantial proof you can’t even accuse me.”

Inspector Arjun “Oh we have evidence and proof Professor Arjun.”

Inspector Arjun “The first proof is that you went to the same bar that Bunty frequented and on the same night Bunty was murdered. The second proof is that your pipe was found 

at the Nishant’s murder spot. The third proof is that we have a witness who saw you leave the courthouse in a hurry, after disposing of the mask and clothes in which you killed Mr Tejpal.”

Now everyone’s attention was riveted to the conversation between Inspector Arjun and Professor Arjun.

Professor Arjun “If you had the proof then why didn’t you arrests me then?”

Inspector Abhimanyu “at first, we did not have the forensics report and also the witness was hesitant at first. Moreover, the most important clues were given by you only.”

Professor Arjun looked blankly at him. Abhimanyu then explained, “I was suspicious the moment when you said that you knew the second victim, Ms Aanya was bisexual.” Professor Arjun “it was in the papers.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “I checked. We never disclosed it in the public domain.”

Professor Arjun was quiet after that.

Inspector Abhimanyu “We also have located the carpenter from whom you got those specific wooden shapes made professor. We showed him your photograph on a hunch and he immediately recognised you.”

Professor Arjun this time knew that his desire for becoming famous was over and he was planning his next move to somehow escape from there.

Inspector Abhimanyu “ My suspicion for you grew at the time when you claimed with absolute certainty that some on with the name starting with N will be the next victim.”

Inspector Abhimanyu “My suspicion turned into proof when Nishant was murdered. Also, it was during that time that I deputed 2 of my trusted police constables to discreetly follow you and investigate your every move. This is how we could locate the carpenter.”

 “ Also, the immediate certainty you showed about the next victim’s name starting with the letter G, also confirmed your culpability, Professor.”

By this time Professor Arjun Shrivastava knew that he had no chance of escape, so he made a desperate attempt of lunging at Inspector Abhimanyu with a knife. But Abhimanyu was expecting this and he swiftly sidestepped him and gave a chop on the back of the neck of Arjun Shrivastava. The professor fell flat on his face and Abhimanyu and the police team were able to restrain him.

When they pulled him to his feet, the calm facade of Professor Arjun Shrivastava was completely gone and he was looking like a wild animal. Snarling like a trapped animal he said “Inspector, don’t think this is over. You have interrupted my desire for making the first-ever human puzzle.” “I will be back and I will finish this and you will be one of the most favourite victims. This I promise you.” Inspector Abhimanyu just looked at him smiled and let the police team take him away screaming and ranting.

Everyone was relieved that this ordeal was over and they profusely thanked inspector Abhimanyu Pratap Singh. He just said, “I was only doing my duty.” With that, he gave a smile and went out of the room to go to his Police Station.