JENNIFER

As a trainee of the cop, I don’t know when I entered in to the academy the end of the training process, the starting of my first duty as a fresher cop is something a closed case with is ended because the culprit wasn’t finding and with the all that evidence on the case files the end with the sentence “The culprit is died.”

If that's the case, why do they have to put it between the files where the trainees took their first case? I don’t know where these files will take me or where I will end up, but something inside me tells me I must stay awake until I finish this case.

After showing my case file to my head officer, he told me I would get every single bit of help I wanted from the people in the police stations and the area around where the incident happened. It was a marauder case; the victim was a young boy who is on his twenty-five years old, from a rich background. He was doing nothing that time; he was a marauder; he was enjoying his life as the youngest son of the top businessman in the city.

I entered the police station where I am going to work until this case investigation going to ends or starts from the very beginning. Because every single one in this circle knows that this case is already closed, and I know I am not going anywhere from here, even if I start to investigate. But I am not going to give up before starting it just because everyone says this is a dead-end.

I started to read every single detail about the case I was about to start, physically not only reading and fixing it, but also. I was reading the files when someone came before me and saluted me. I look up at him. He is in his early forties. I nod, putting both my hands together.

“Nithish, your driver, ma’am.”

“Jennifer, you don’t have to call me ma’am.”

He nods with a smile.  I look at him.

“Do you know anything about case no:2025206?”

“I don’t know so well like the report lying in front of you, but as I have heard by the time this case was running, the boy who was murdered……. I mean, the victim is nice and innocent but the people around him aren't”

“What do you mean by that?”

He sat opposite me and looked around to make sure no one was watching our way. Then he bent a little so only I could hear what he was going to say.

“This guy group as a big hand on campus when he was studying. No one can say anything to them. If they want to bully anyone, they will do that. And when he was in his final year, someone complained about that in this station.”

“What was that about?”

“I don’t know about it clearly because, as a driver, I only know what's happening inside the station when the officer is talking inside the car.”

“Do you think I can get that complaint copy?”

“I don’t know about it, ma’am, but I think you can ask this to the guy who is going to help you through this case investigation.”

“Where is he now?”

“In the commissioner's office, he went to submit the case he was working on.”

“If he comes by, tell him to meet me at the victim’s house, ok?”

“Ma’am, I will take you there.”

“No, brother. Bring him there if he comes any time soon.”

I reached my car when I got a call from my mom. I answered it because she isn’t going to stop until I answer.

“Mom, I am busy now. I will call back once I reach home.”

Without saying anything, I hang up, letting out a sigh. I can see that she is shaking her head as well.  I put the files in the passenger's seat, put the seatbelt and start the engine. I arrive at the victim’s house. I get out of my car, looking at the lone house standing in the middle of nowhere. I knocked on the gate, the gatekeeper looked outside…...me through the watch hole on the big silver-coated gate.

“Who are you?”

“I am Jennifer, a cop.”

“Who do you want to meet?”

“Is your boss at home? I want to meet him to ask about his son.”

I waited outside until the gatekeeper came and opened the gate to let me in. I thank him and walk towards the big house with a beautiful front garden. Around five cars are parked in the parking area of the house. I step inside, and four people are sitting on the big family couch. The old man, who is around his fifties, gets up and walks towards me.

“James, Raguel’s father”

“Jennifer, the Sup-inspector, who is re-investigating your son’s case.”

In his eyes, there is hope when I say I am re-investigating his deceased son’s case. Like everyone knows that the killer is dead, then why?

“Find the real killer.”

“How do you know the person who is dead isn’t the killer?” …...” and yeah, if you don’t mind, can I record it for my future reference?”

“Yeah, sure. Please sit.”

Jennifer: Can you tell me about your son Ragul?

James: He is a nice guy. Even though he isn’t good at studying, he is someone who is best at sports.

Jennifer: What game does he play?

James: He is a football player. He was a captain of the team when he was on campus.

Jennifer: Did he play after he came out of college?

James:  He goes to practice sometimes to not forget that the game was once his everything.

Jennifer: What do you mean by once was?

James: When he was in his final year, he got into a fight with a student, who was the other team captain. The end Ragul breaks that guy's leg. It became an issue, so they banned him from playing the game anymore.

Jennifer: So, the police complaint?

James: Yes.

Jannifer: Did he act violently afterwards, like saying he is going to...

James: No, he didn’t. Yes, he is angry about that game because he lost control and hit the guy. But he didn’t say anything violently.

Jennifer: It happened?

James: Six years back. When he was twenty.

Jennifer: So, before that incident……... I mean, the day before he went missing, he acted like he was moody.

James: We don’t know. Two weeks before that, he went to one of his school friends’ brothers’ weddings. When we asked him about coming home. He said he is going to spend some valuable time with his friends before he returns. Because he was planning of going to go overseas for his higher education.

Jennifer: Was Ragul dating anyone?

James: No, if he were, he would have told us.

Jennifer: Do you have any idea about the guy Ragul fought with in his final year?

James: No.

Jennifer: Thank you for your time.

He nodded when we got up, and I walked towards the entrance before leaving the house. I glance at the frame hanging on the wall.

                JENNIFER

When I returned to the station, two people were waiting for me in front of my table. I sat on my chair and looked at the new guy who must be working with me on this case. I look at them.

“Hi, I am Avinash. I am going to work with you on this case.”

“If you know any details about this case, they could be beneficial for us in the further investigation.”

I say this because I don’t want to waste my time, as this case isn’t something big. Even though I know this case was closed, I want to find out how they concluded the guy who was dead in an accident was the killer.

“I don’t have any personal thoughts about it, I wasn’t one of them when this case on fire.”

He says honestly, so do I. Maybe it was my bad luck that I had to take this as my first case, and I am not going to give up just because I am standing in total darkness without knowing where to go.

“Like the news says they found the killer dead in his car two weeks after.”

“As a police officer, didn’t you think it could be a set-up?”

“Why did someone set up like this, and more than that, the fingerprint, the DNA taken from the crime scene, the car on the CCTV footage, everything says he was the killer. If the headache leaves by itself, why bother to take medicine?”

“I am right, brother?”

He looks at the driver's brother, and he gives a smile. Then looks at me.

“I know this is your first case, sometimes the young one is the one who solves most of the well-planned crimes. Even though I know we are starting from the cliff edge, let's hope and do our best in this case.”

“Don’t you think it also, Avinash?”

He looks at the young man sitting beside him who was staring at the case file. He looks at the brother and then at me.

“Yes, why not?”

“I have been in this field for around one and a half years. No one let me into the big case like this, if the opportunity comes to my doorstep, why the hell am I going to kick it out?”

It reminds me of my brother, who always says opportunities come once; if you take it in your hand, the world will be under your feet; if not, you will be under the world’s feet. If he is here with the man sitting in front of me, he would have wrapped his hand around his shoulder say…………. “Then what’s up with the life buddy?”.

I come back to reality when Avinash asks-

“Is there anything on my face that makes you smile like that?”

“Sorry.”

“Let's go to the crime area tomorrow, the first thing before that, I wanted every detail about the guy who was involved in the fight six years back with Ragul.”

I step inside my room which is perfect for one person. Single-size bed, small kitchen, a bathroom with a shower, sink, a perfect one for one person. I place my case file on the table, take the towel from the chair, switch on the light in the bathroom, and shut the bathroom door. When I was in the shower, I heard the ring of my phone without looking at it. I knew who it was… I come out of the shower, wiping my wet hair with a towel. I took my phone from the nightstand and then dialled my mother, who must be waiting for my call for the day. From the moment I got my own mobile, my mom calls me when I go anywhere alone. “Did I reach? How was the travel? Is anyone there you know? Did your classmates go with you?” and soon it became my habit that if I am travelling alone, I will call her to update her about my current situation. “How am I doing? Where am I? Do I have my classmates with me? Did I have my lunch, breakfast, or dinner? How was my day?”  and this long distance for almost a year, it's so hard for her to get used to it. I also feel alone when I enter my apartment. I can bring my mom with me to stay, but the farm animals and our pets want someone to look after them, and more than that, my dad is the one taking care of our farm animals, but my mom always helps him with it. And yeah, they can sell them and come to stay with me. But me also even I will also quit my job to take care of our farm animals and our pets because they are not just animals to us, they are our family.

She answers the call in two rings; she must be waiting for my call.

“Hey, Mom, how are you?”

“Fine, how are you, Jeni?”

I can hear the cow’s sound in the background.

“Fine Mom, so what is she saying?”

“She is saying she wants to kick your ass with her back leg.”

I chuckle, hearing another sound from our cow. She is beautiful with her black skin, with a small corn of her head. She is cute, even though she has grown up faster than I could have realised. She has grown up enough to become a mom herself.

“Where is dad?”

“He is feeding the boys.”

“How many days?”

“It’s been a month, Jeni”

Our goat gave us two cuties, and they are such naughty boys. They also run to the rooftop if the roof door is open, then they will cry and call anyone to bring them down to their mother.

“So, how is your day, Jeni?”

“Working on a new case, Mom.”

I hear my dad saying in the background-

“Keep the good work girl.”

I smile, he is always a good supporter to me, staying near me or staying away from me. After chatting with them for a few more minutes, I hung up the call, saying Good night, Mom.

I sat on the chair, then opened my laptop to check if I got any emails from Avinash about the case we are working on together. When I go to the email, five new emails are waiting for me. Two from my brother, which were one year ago, and the other two from my online book club, where I sign up to read. The very latest one from Avinash, without wasting any seconds, I open it and start to read the details about it.

***JENNIFER***

The next day I reached the crime area while Nithish and Avinash are waiting from me on the spot. I nod my head when I walk towards them. They walk towards me three of us meet in the half-way.

“This is the spot ma’am”

Aviansh says while point the spot where Ragul’s body was found. This place is a forest area. Under the government which is not civilization at all. The nearby place from here is the Zoo of the government. Normally it will be coward on the weekend but mostly it will be normal like the zoo keeper working on the zoo and some of the traveller’s will comes to watch the animals.

“Who is the first witness of the body?”

I turned around to scan the area fully.

“One of the Zoo keepers.”

“Where is he now? Can I meet him?”

Nithish looks at Avinash then me,

“He is passed away ma’am.”

I look at him with the questionable expression, like asking how?

“He is an elephant keeper, the elephant he was looking after...”

I stopped him middle of his sentence because I understand what he is saying the elephant killed his keeper.

I look at the area ago, it’s been one year after incident happened, this is the only hard thing in taking an old case files as a first assignment. Can’t get the on the crime area evidence, can’t question the witnesses…...lot of things.

“let’s go.”

They followed me out, before leaving from them I enter to the Zoo followed by my team. I ask the zee manager to arrange to meet the people who is close with the zoo keeper who was the first witness of the dead body of Ragul. He arranged it with in five minutes.

I look at them three old age mans and two ladies. I give them a smile I also get that back.

My mom always says to me when I was not smiling to the people who was living in my neighbourhood. You are not going to lose your teeth if you are smiling to them. I always says what going to change if I did smile to them or not. Then she always says

*** “This is not about only sawing your teeth to them, they may past lot of people walking there from here, they must be meet few people they know very well some people they didn’t know.  On the way of here they may hear or seen anything which make them think why this life is like this?...... I am not saying your smile will change anything what they are thinking it for the moment you smile to them will distract them from whatever they are think and their brain will automatically start to talk with you forgetting what they are thinking until now”***

And doing the hard work of take caring the animals, they really want something make them easy on. Even my presence here is going to make them think about their friend who was no more with them.

“Hi, my name is Jennifer.”

They smile at me.

“I know this is hard for you, still this will help lot for me in my investigation. Your friend was the first witness of the dead body behind this zoo a year back. Do you remember?”

They nod.

“If you don’t mind, can you tell me what happened that day?”

The old man answers me

“I was the one with him that day, normally we will leave to home around 9 at night. But that day we have to stay to look after one of the elephants who is about her due date. Willson went to the forest around the early morning to chase the fox which enter into the elephant shelter. That why I hear him screaming.”

“So, you are the second witness?”

“If that what you say.”

He continues saying.

“When I reach there, he is laying on his back with scared expression and he is sweating lot but his eyes didn’t move like his body trying to back out from that area. And then I saw a body which is fully covered with blood on his shirt.”

“Did you see anything else other than the body?”

Avinash asked him behind standing me.

“No, I didn’t saw anything it so dark even the sun rising from the east it is a forest the sun has to come up to enter in this big forest at least the ray of it enter inside.”

He is right this is a big forest with the big and high trees. I leave from there thanking him and the manager for the time. When I enter my car, I called Avinash.

“Yes”

“About the file.”

“That was their final report about that case, I find it on the commissioner’s office I ask permission and get it if it will help for the future reference.”

“Thank you.”

I turn on the engine and drive straight to the David’s house. I get his address from the station from the FIR they filed six years back. I hope he still living there. I stop my car in front a house and enter inside the component Avinash and Nitish stop the station car in front of the house and come towards me. We walk towards the door and ring a doorbell.

The door open after two minute later, a lady opens the door, she is around on her mid-fifties. I smile at her asking-

“David’s house?”

She nodded her head staring at with confused look.

“We are police.”

Says Avinash. She let us in. Three of us sat on the couch when she took the couch opposite of us.

“David is in house?”

“No, he went to meet his friends.”

“When will he come?”

“He said he will come later tonight.”

“If you don’t mind, can I ask about your son?”

In her face there is something which is every mom’s fear about their children’s.

“It’s not what you thinking.”

I say with a smile on my face.

“We are working on a case which is happened year ago. The victim involved with your son in an unwanted way.”

I ask her permission to record it.

Jennifer: Do you remember what happened six years back. When David’s leg was broken?

Davids’ mom: That day was his final game. I ask him what the reason for the fought. He doesn’t give me a clear answer but he did say that one of boys from the other team mock them even before the game.

Jennifer: Did he say anything after discharge from the hospital.

David’s mom: He says he was sorry.

Avinash: For what?

David’s mom: For not playing that game. Disappointing his dad.

*** After five minutes later three of us standing in front of David’s house without any clue about what next step.***

“What next?”

I look at Avinash standing in front of me with not so readable expression. I calculate in my mind. Ragul was the victim. The victim related to the reason for David’s leg broken on the game day. On the files report the guy who was a culprit.

“We are going the gather every single detail about the person ended as a killer. Every single detail of them.”

“But we already have it.”

Nithish’s brother tells me, but even we have the details there must be something missing. Even a pin size clue.”