The sound of a file shutting brought me back to reality.

"We've filed an FIR, ma'am," Inspector Aman stated, leaning back in his chair. "We'll get back to you if we unearth any new information, but for now, Karthik Ray's death was simply a tragic case of a cardiac arrest," he continued with a sympathetic sigh.

I exhaled in mild frustration. My uncle had been one of those health-paranoid people who constantly checked their heart rate and number of steps walked, on their fitness watches, and couldn't start the day without measuring their blood pressure.

Although heart attacks were unpredictable things, my uncle simply couldn't have been a victim, having been certified with excellent health only a day ago during his monthly check-up.

"Thank you, Inspector," I replied with a smile that lacked conviction. The fact that the police department wasn't showing much enthusiasm in his post mortem made me all the more suspicious about the grounds of my uncle's death.

I glanced at my phone on the way out of the police station.

8:32 am.

I would simply have to sort it out after my work hours.

******

"You're definitely distracted," a voice jerked me out of my reverie. I looked up from my desk and was met by an inquisitive look from Arjun.

"You never use red ink for your sketches," he went on with a frown, glancing at the sketch of my new interior design project on my table.

I managed a weak smile. "I'm just... thinking, that's all."

"By the way, I'm sorry to hear about your uncle," Arjun remarked after a pause. "I remember you two were pretty close."

I nodded slowly with a wistful smile. Apart from being my colleague at the design department, Arjun was also a good friend, which was what I needed at the moment.

"The investigation revealed that he died of a cardiac arrest," I began, glancing at him. My voice trailed off, piquing his curiosity.

"But you don't believe it, do you?" Arjun enquired with an air of wisdom. I didn't reply, but my smirk confirmed his remark.

"We'll just have to wait and see," I stated, picking up a pencil to finish my sketch. He turned back to his laptop with a look of mild amusement.

******

I waited impatiently for the traffic to move on. The day had gone by in a blur, and the only thing on my mind was the mystery of my uncle's death, to which I simply had to find answers.

I turned off the ignition and restlessly dug out my phone. There was a new message from my mother, which prompted my fingers to swiftly tap on it, in the hopes of any new developments.

'No new developments from police. Post mortem reveals cardiac arrest as cause of death, as suspected.'

I let out a groan of annoyance. A post mortem report that I hadn't seen personally still didn't confirm anything.

Karthik Ray's death was anything but an accident, however baseless it sounded.

The traffic finally moved on, and I started the ignition once again, driving off with my mind lost in a dozen thoughts.

******

"I'd like to see those post mortem reports, so could you please mail them to me?" I asked over the phone.

The Inspector's assistant agreed to my request reluctantly, almost as if Inspector Aman had hinted to fire him if he did.

I hung up, and wondered just when I'd recieve that mail. Maybe I could plan to break into my uncle's apartment and get past police restrictions to see if I could find any clues?

The idea had just begun to take shape in my head, when my phone rang again. I picked it up nonchalantly and glanced at the caller ID. It was an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Am I speaking to Maya Ray?" I frowned, trying to match the voice with an acquaintance.

"Yes, this is Maya," I replied warily. The voice seemed distantly familiar. It sounded a bit deep to be feminine, yet not deep enough to be masculine.

"Maya. I'm sorry to hear about Karthik," the person remarked. My ears went up.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I enquired uncertainly. There was a small chuckle on the other side.

"Not yet. But I know you. Or rather, I know what you want. And I can give it to you," the caller continued. What did they think I wanted?

"Your uncle's death doesn't seem too much like an accident, does it?" They paused. My silence prompted them to go on.

"I can put your suspicions to rest by giving you certain information about Karthik, and perhaps even how he died."

I raised my eyebrows. "And what assurance do I have regarding the authenticity of the information?"

"Well, you don't have a choice but to trust me on my word."

Of course, who wouldn't do that?

"I did my own investigation and came to a conclusion about Karthik's death. And I can give it to you."

I suppressed a smirk. This was the part where the "but" came in.

"All I need in return is a job done."

I stopped pacing around. "What kind of job?"

"First, tell me what you know about Arjun Rao," the person demanded.

I hesitated. Talking about my friends to a complete stranger didn't seem advisable. However, I was too deep in the matter to back out now.

I sighed. "Arjun is a colleague from work," I said simply.

"The Design Department at Falcon Studios, yes," the caller mused. "The job concerns him. If you can get Arjun Rao fired from the company, I'll give you the information you're looking for."

Utter bewilderment crossed my face in the silence that ensued.

"Get him fired? Why on earth would I do that?" I asked calmly.

"It's the only thing I ask in return to help you solve the mystery of your uncle's death."

"But why Arjun? How is he even connected to all this?"

"He isn't. We simply have a... unique history, and I'd like to settle some scores."

I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"I can't. He's a valuable asset to the company and..." I paused.

"He's my friend."

"And Karthik was your uncle."

This seemed too unreal to be happening, and my mind raced at the thought of my uncle again.

"He has no incriminating evidence against him to get him fired," I began slowly.

"You needn't worry about that bit. You'll get the evidence tomorrow at 4 pm. All I need is your confirmation that we have a deal."

I gazed out of the window in uncertainty. I needed that information, but at what cost?

I took a deep breath and tightened my grip on my phone.

"Fine. I'll do it."

******

The next day, being a Saturday, dragged on endlessly. 4 o'clock seemed to arrive at a snail's pace, and at around 3:50 pm, I started tapping my foot impatiently.

As the clock struck 4, I grabbed my phone in anticipation of any calls, when the doorbell rang.

I cautiously opened the door and my inquisitive gaze rested on a courier.

"Delivery for Maya Ray?" he began, wishing to confirm my identity. I hastily signed his record and took the package from him.

The small brown box had no sender's name, but I didn't need to know who was behind it. I carefully cut open the box, not knowing what I expected to find inside.

Reaching inside, I slowly pulled out a small USB device from the box. Before I could examine the pen drive, my phone rang.
It was them, I was sure.

"Hello?"

"So you've received the package. I suggest you view the contents of that USB," the person stated.

"This is the evidence you spoke of?" I enquired, getting out my laptop and plugging in the device.

"Indeed. What would happen if your manager received information that Arjun Rao had contacts with wanted drug dealers, and even dealt in contraband himself?"

My mind raced at the statement. Mr Varma was a paranoid boss, and had recently fired an employee under the mere suspicion of a money laundering case. I could only imagine what he'd do if he found actual evidence of Arjun dealing with wanted criminals.

"How do you like the evidence?" the person brought me out of my thoughts.

I was speechless. The USB contained video footage captured by CCTV cameras in different locations of the city. Every clipping had two men in the frame, and one of them was unmistakably L. Saran, the city's most famous illegal drug dealer.

The man beside him lacked clarity in the footage, and he was merely of average height and sported a short ponytail. He did resemble Arjun, but it couldn't be guaranteed.

"This isn't Arjun, is it?" My voice wavered as I glanced away from the screen.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. It's good enough to alarm Mr Varma, especially after those rumours around Arjun Rao regarding alleged dealing in black money."

"You want me to frame him?" The horror was evident in my voice.

"You don't have to incriminate yourself in this. All you need to do is slip the USB onto your boss's desk during your meeting on Monday. He doesn't need to know who left it there," the anonymous voice instructed.

"And in return for your agreement, here's some valuable data. Your uncle was an undercover intelligence agent. Karthik was sent by the state government to unearth a drug racket in Bangalore. You'll know the rest after you've completed your side of the deal on Monday."

The sound of a dial tone filled my ears as the call was cut. I almost collapsed on the sofa, the revelation sending the thoughts spiralling in my brain. I had to finish this.

I had to know what had happened to my uncle.

******

"So please proceed with the Victorian style art gallery. I'll inspect the sketches in a week," Mr Varma stated with a nod. With that, he dismissed the meeting and the employees filed out of the room.

I tried to steady my nerves as I fidgeted with the USB in my blazer pocket. I couldn't back off now, I knew.

As Mr Varma turned his attention to the Head of the Sales Department, I placed the pen drive under a magazine which I casually left on his desk. It was a magazine he still hadn't finished going through, so I knew he'd come across the USB eventually.

However, as I returned Arjun's smile at the door before heading out, I hoped I was wrong.

******

History is filled with ruthless rulers who allowed people to die for them, all so they could gain something of importance, be it a kingdom or a secret.

Walking into the office on Wednesday, only to see Arjun's work area empty, I knew how they must have felt.

All day long, I hardly paid attention to my art gallery layout sketches. One part of me wanted to accept the fact that Arjun had indeed gotten on the wrong side of the law, and he deserved what came to him.

The other part was still shocked at the fact that I had let him become collateral damage, all for learning a secret I wanted to uncover so badly.

I was transforming into something I feared myself.

******

The ticking of the clock was the only sound heard throughout the living room. The cup of coffee on the table was untouched, and I sat motionless on the sofa. I was expecting a final call in ten minutes.

Hopefully, the answer would be what I was looking for.

I gripped my phone and stared at it, willing it to ring. At 4 pm, I nearly jumped when it did.

"It's done," I answered, my voice not betraying my emotions.

"I heard," the person responded. "You did well. You won't be disappointed with the reward."

"I want to know how my uncle died," I interrupted. I wanted my answer fast, after everything I'd done to get here.

The caller took a deep breath, before giving in.

"As you know, Karthik was an intelligence agent who had been sent to unearth a massive drug racket in southern Urban Bangalore. The names of the accused would be handed over to the police department for interrogation," the person stated.

So my uncle's entire business had been a cover for his actual work, and none of us had known about it.

"After a month of investigation, Karthik uncovered a network of dealers who smuggled drugs across the country, and he built up allies to lead him to the kingpin," the voice on the other side went on.

"Last week, he finally found the master operater. It was Inspector Dhruv Rao from the southern Urban Bangalore jurisdiction."

Inspector Dhruv Rao...
The name was strangely familiar, and I struggled to recollect where I had heard it before.

And then I realised it.

Dhruv Rao was Arjun's brother.

"Indeed, that's Arjun Rao's brother. Dhruv certainly didn't want the evidence of his involvement in a drug racket to surface.
So he did the easiest thing he could.

Get rid of the intelligence agent after him."

I was dazed. My uncle had been murdered by the police officer, and we were left believing it was a cardiac arrest.

"And you wanted verification, didn't you? Why don't you open your inbox?" the person continued.

I no longer knew what to expect, and I simply glanced at my phone and tapped my email inbox.

An unknown email ID had sent me two documents.

My hand automatically clicked on the file, and I was left staring at an official looking document from the government.

Karthik Ray's records from the Intelligence Bureau.

"I was his colleague at the Intelligence Bureau. That should be adequate validation."

My silence reflected my thoughts.

The caller spoke for the last time."Our deal is done, Maya. I wish you luck."

I tossed the phone onto the sofa and leaned back.

Dhruv Rao was responsible for my uncle's death, and nobody would've suspected it. One half of me believed that in a way, I was justified in framing Arjun. I could take it as revenge.

The other half knew it was rationalisation as a defence mechanism, and my fight was with Dhruv, not his brother.

I didn't want to re-evaluate my actions. Neither right nor wrong, my choice had been grey.