The Mystery of the Rose Part5

Jan 12 2:00PM

We came back home empty handed with no significant information about the killer. ‘Shona you should go to parent’s place for a while’. I said to Sonia. 

‘I am not running from this Puneet’ I saw anger in Sonia’s eyes 'he has killed my best friend. I am gonna make sure that he also dies the same way’

‘Come on Sonia you gotta be kidding me. Cases like these are hiked at some point by the media but sometimes everyone forgets the incidents.'

 ‘Don’t “come on” me Puneet. How will you feel if someone has killed Sagar right in front of your eyes? You would have let it go. I know you had issues with Pooja but…’

‘It’s not like that’ I snapped. 

She frowned. 

‘Ok baba. Don’t go. Now don’t spoil your mood’.

I hugged her from behind. Then I realized how in a big mess my room was. So we started cleaning up. We were so tired from the last night that I slept on my couch and she slept on the bed.

Jan 12 7:00 PM

I was woken up in the evening by Sagar’s call. ‘Hey dude’ I said with a sleepy voice.

‘You alright? I heard about Pooja in the news’

‘Ya kind of. But you know Sonia seems to be little upset.’

‘Ya I can understand. Come to Techillas dude. We will have some chat and Sonia’s mood will get better.’

‘Will try to convince her. But can’t promise bro. will let you know.’

‘Ok. Fine’. As I put down the phone I saw Sonia coming out of the room with half opened eyes. ‘Who was it’ she said while yawning.

‘Sagar was asking if we are coming to Techillas now.’

‘Naah I don’t have a mood. If you want you go.’

‘Come on sweetheart your mood will get better.’ I pushed her.

‘Ok but we are not drinking.’ I gave her a weird look like then what’s the use of going there.

‘Not we, you are not drinking’. 

She gave me an angry look. 

‘Look kya de rahi hai. Go get ready’.

She took around 15mins in bathroom. Till then I was browsing on my laptop. ‘Again you set on the laptop. You don’t have to get ready’

‘I just have to wear a t-shirt.’

‘Going in shorts’

‘What’s the problem’

‘Nothing’. 

I always hated this “Nothing” girls do. Eventually I found myself walking down in a jeans. I texted Sagar that we are coming. But the time we got there, Sagar had also come. ‘Had we kept you waiting.’I asked. 

‘No just came in.’ 

‘So what’s for today?’

‘If we are in Techillas then get us some Tequila’.

‘Ok then’.

‘I will still say you should not drink.’ Interrupted Sonia.

‘Oh come on Sonia just because of him we can’t let go living. I can’t let him govern our lives.’

And in the next one hour me and Sagar had 7 shots each. In the meanwhile Sonia was stuck to lime water. 

‘Don’t you think you are going way ahead of our limits Puneet’ said Sonia when I asked Sagar to get the next round.

‘Baby this is the last one. I promise’. After that we had dinner there only. By the time we got out of the bar I was little tipsy. As we were moving in the parking lot I spotted the same Audi which was following us the previous night. I said the same to Sonia.

‘Puneet you are drunk. We should get you stuffed into my car.’ The Audi burned wheels and started approaching us. I pushed Sonia to the side. The car hit and passed by me. I lied there. My vision started getting blurred. I was approaching unconsciousness. The last thing I remember was Sonia yelling for help and ‘I will not let anybody hurt you.’ I kept saying this over and over again.

The Mystery of the Rose Part4

Jan 12 7:00AM

We were having tea in bed when I switched on the TV. I put on the news channel. ‘Not the news channel again’ said Sonia. 

‘Sshhh. It’s showing news about the murderer you saw last night’. And I heard the news anchor saying ‘This is the first time that mysterious murderer has done two murders in one night that too in same apartment. One was done in flat 302 and the other one in flat 303 just opposite to that in Spring Field. According to the police…’ I muted the sound. ‘Oh my god… NO’ screamed Sonia. Pooja was murdered that night too. She started crying. We ran towards Sonia’s apartment. There was police all over the place. When we reached there one police officer stopped us.

‘Are you Ms. Sonia’?

‘Yes I am’.

‘Ma’am would you please step aside. I wanted to ask you some questions’

Sonia didn’t say anything. She was still in a shock of Pooja’s death. She was sobbing. Tears were flowing from her eyes. Her eyes have become red now. I embraced her from the side to indicate have some courage and be strong. Now the police officer asked ‘Where were you last night?’ and the pain she was holding up came out as tears. She hugged me tightly. The police officer looked at me as if asking who I was. ‘My name is Puneet. I am Sonia’s boyfriend’. Now Sonia was looking better. She started telling him about the last night. She told him each bit of it. The officer listened to her patiently. ‘Pooja’s murder was not preplanned. We could not find any rose over or near the dead body’. He said after she was finished telling her story 

‘So how can you be so sure that the person who killed both of them is same?’ 

‘The weapon used was same in both the case. A knife designed solely for military in World War II has been used and it was primarily intended for hand-to-hand or close combat fighting’

I gave a weird look to him. 

‘I googled it’ said the police officer.

‘So may be this guy belongs to military.’ 

'Previously it was not easy to get these kind of knives but nowadays its easily available in market’. Said the officer. 

I just nodded in affirmative not knowing what to say. 

‘Can you tell me what does he look like? Anything would be helpful’ he said

‘I couldn’t look properly as it was dark and he was wearing black clothes but yes he had a scar on his left cheek’.  

‘He was around 5’ 10”.’ I added. 

‘Hmm if have something new to tell here is my card.’

I took his card.


‘But you told me Pooja had the night shift in her office. What was she doing in her apartment’? I asked Sonia.

‘According to her colleagues her night shift finished early today so she came back home’ said the police officer.

With a pause he said again ‘May be the killer wanted to kill you but instead when he found Pooja there he killed her’.

Sonia felt a chill down her spine.

‘This is not a simple murder case. We are looking at homicidal maniac’ I heard the officer say as we left from there.