The Truth in the Shadows "The Knife in the Bag"

 

“HEY, my girl. I have finished the case (The Mysterious Night at the Nightlight Club (click here). So, I took some rest in my room with peaceful air, but the day is incomplete without you.”

“At 6:00 PM on Friday, I took a bus to surprise you. During my journey, a man who sat nearby looked sick, so he slept on the bus. At that time, I was reading a book you gave me last week. Around 9:00 PM, the bus stopped at a hotel for dinner, but that guy didn’t even come out from the bus for dinner.”

“After finishing dinner, the bus started, and I felt happy that I would see you soon.”

“A few minutes later, the bus conductor shouted, and I suddenly woke up. I saw blood on my hand, and the man beside me was killed.”

“The bus conductor called the police. The police arrived immediately, started investigating me, and searched my luggage. They found a knife in my bag, and I was arrested by the police.”

“I don’t even know his name, but they arrested me for that murder.”

                                                                            -A letter from your love, Arjun.

Arjun folded the letter and handed it to the constable of the police station (a friend of Arjun from the old city who got transferred to the new city and also traveled on the bus) where he got arrested.

At GOLD COIN HOTEL

Sarah, a beautiful young girl, received a letter from her love, Arjun. She read the letter with tears in her eyes. Soon, she decided to see her lover in jail, but she remembered a promise made to Arjun not to reveal herself when Arjun was in a tough situation. But love made her see her love. Following Arjun's instructions, she informed the police chief of Millan town where Arjun lived. The chief informed Ravi, who was a friend of Arjun and also a detective. She couldn’t stay without seeing Arjun, so she arrived at the police station and looked at Arjun in jail, who was sitting with a sad and innocent face. She couldn’t even control her tears.

A voice from the main table said, “Hey, lady, what do you want, and why are you crying?” (police inspector).

Sarah replied, “I came to complain about my wallet theft. It had my mother’s chain. I want my wallet.”

The police inspector told Sarah to give all information about the wallet and herself. Sarah gave all the information and walked towards the exit. Then she looked towards the jail.

Sarah made eye contact with Arjun. Her eyes told him she was fully worried about Arjun’s situation. With full pain, she ran out of the police station and started crying.

A car entered the police station; it was Ravi and the Millan town police chief. She got hope that Arjun would be released, so she left the police station.

Ravi and the chief entered the police station and started arguing with the police inspector.

But the police inspector strictly said, “The knife which is responsible for the murder was found in Arjun’s bag, so I can’t release him.”

But Ravi and the chief said that Arjun is not a criminal.

The police inspector said, “Today is Friday. Saturday and Sunday are holidays for the court. If you want to prove that Arjun is not a criminal, see you in court.”

The chief said, “Okay. We will find the real culprit, and we need to discuss with Arjun anytime.”

The police inspector said, “Okay, proceed.”

Ravi and the chief investigated Arjun, and Arjun gave the address of a lawyer in the local area.

Ravi asked, “Who is he? Your friend?”

Arjun replied, “He is my enemy, but he will help you with this case.”

Ravi contacted the lawyer and explained all the incidents that happened to Arjun. The lawyer, Francis, was ready to team up with Ravi to prove the truth because Francis knew Arjun was a good and well-known detective. Francis gave the guest room key to Ravi, and they decided to start the investigation.

Saturday Investigation

On Saturday, Ravi and the lawyer started the investigation separately. Ravi investigated the bus conductor for information about the trip, while the police constable who traveled on the same bus was investigated by Francis.

Ravi got information that the bus stopped at a hotel at 9:00 PM on Friday for dinner, and everyone in the bus left for dinner, but the victim continued his sleep.

Ravi asked the conductor, "How do you know the exact time of your stoppage at the hotel?"

The conductor replied, "Sir, I am just working in a private bus corporation, and we need to update our head office about the starting, ending, and stoppage of the bus and duration with time. So I know the timing."

Ravi said, "Okay, where is the bus which is the crime scene?"

The conductor said, "Sir, the bus was seized by the police."

Ravi said, "Okay. Further inquiry may be done, so give your information."

The conductor gave all his information and looked very innocent and old, and Ravi left the place.

On the same side, lawyer Francis investigated the police constable and got information about the victim and activities of Arjun and other passengers, but nothing looked suspicious.

The police constable said, "Sir, the victim’s name is Raj, who is a merchant and has two children. I feel bad for them, sir."

Francis said, "It looks so sad for the merchant."

Ravi and Francis met at Francis’s house and exchanged the information they got.

Ravi said, "If the intention of the killer was to kill the merchant, he/she would have taken the knife. But their intention was to make trouble for Arjun by keeping the knife in his bag."

Ravi got a call from the chief, who noticed a young man who followed Arjun in a public place and was trying to get information about the man.

Ravi and Francis started their bike and headed towards the vehicle shed where the seized bus was kept. They checked the bus carefully. In the last seat, Ravi found a visiting card with blood and showed it to lawyer Francis, who said, "Keep it. It may help."

Francis noticed the surveillance camera in the shed and got access to the camera footage after the bus was brought to the shed. Watching the footage made him tired and uninterested, but suddenly, he saw a man who just got into the bus and left after 30 minutes.

This made Francis doubtful about the man.

Suddenly, a message popped up to Ravi. The chief sent an image and text (no information found). Ravi quickly opened the image, and they were shocked because the man who came to the vehicle shed was the same person in the photo.

They concluded that he was the culprit and needed to capture him.

They decided to visit Millan town, which was on the visiting card. It was Saturday evening at 6:00 PM. If they started their journey at 6:00 PM, they would reach at 10:00 PM. So they quickly started their bike. Exactly at 10:30 PM, they reached Millan town. It was already 10:30 PM, and there was no use in going to the address specified on the visiting card, so they took rest at the police station.

Sunday Investigation

At 8:00 AM on Sunday, they visited the address, which was a warehouse that was closed at that moment. Ravi inquired in the nearby area about the warehouse and the man (their suspect). A tea shop owner said that the man in the photo, called Ramesh, used the warehouse for his business. The lawyer asked the tea shop owner about Ramesh's house address. The tea shop owner said the street but didn’t know the exact address.

Ravi and the lawyer had no option, so they started searching for each house on the street separately from opposite sides. The lawyer saw a house that was closed but heard TV sound, so he informed Ravi and broke the door. Ramesh looked scared and took a knife to fight.

Ramesh lunged at Francis with the knife, but Francis quickly moved out of the way. Using his briefcase to block another swipe, Francis managed to grab Ramesh's wrist and twist it until the knife fell to the floor. Ramesh punched Francis in the ribs, making him stumble. Despite the pain, Francis tackled Ramesh to the ground. They struggled, knocking over furniture. Finally, Francis pinned Ramesh's arms and tied him up with a rope from the curtains. Exhausted and bruised, Francis sat back just as Ravi burst into the room.

When Ravi entered the house, Ramesh was tied up by the lawyer, and the lawyer was searching for evidence in Ramesh’s house. The lawyer found a suitcase of money and a knife cover with a bloodstain. With the help of the chief, the two heroes took Ramesh in the car to the police station where Arjun was held. They reached the police station at 7:00 PM and explained all the incidents to Arjun. The police inspector investigated Ramesh, and Ramesh confessed that he did everything to make trouble for Arjun, who had arrested his father in a bank robbery case (mastermind thug). But he got caught by the two heroes of Arjun.

The police inspector released and apologized to Arjun for the wrong call, but Arjun congratulated the police inspector for his honest duty.

Arjun got his belongings and suddenly called. A phone rang where Sarah picked up the phone with tears and happiness, and Sarah got her soul back after talking to Arjun. After the call, Arjun looked at Ravi and lawyer Francis (enemy) and thanked them. He left the police station happily.

Two Days Later

The lawyer visited the merchant's house and handed over the suitcase of money to the merchant’s wife for her children’s life

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