Heyyaa everyone, How are you all?...I hope in good health.

This short story/one shot was written for a Writing Contest.

I had written this looonnnnggggg back(in 2015), for a national story competition (My school had selected me). This might contain basic language, no fancy words and no beautiful description because when I wrote it, my vocabulary was limited to certain basic words and I wasn't good at narration too.

It is starless night and Mr. Raghav Chaudhary, a detective, is on his terrace with a Rubik's cube in his hands thinking about a murder case filed by Vikram, his neighbour and daily-quarrel partner. Someone murdered his daughter yesterday when he was out for his business-work. It was surprising for him to receive this news when he returned from Pune yesterday evening. Raghav was really confused about this mystery and tried to recall everything that Vikram told to him yesterday. He thought of himself discussing a case with Co-officer Mr. Rathore a while before, when Vikram came to file a case of his daughter's murder that happened the yesterday...

Vikram: Sir my daughter Jasmine has been murdered yesterday night. I had...(cut by Raghav)

Raghav: But where were you yesterday?

Vikram: I went to Pune for some business work. On returning back found jazz in her study room in dead state. I wish...

Raghav: (interrupting), tell me everything in brief.

Vikram: (Took a deep breath) It was afternoon time when I got a call of my manager. He said to me "Sir, I just received a call from Mr.Watson who has to leave for New York tomorrow evening and has asked for meeting you in Pune to fix the deal that we talked about this morning." I was happy hearing this and asked him to book my Train tickets to Pune and I left for Pune on 5th September, Monday evening. I reached there by night and stayed at a hotel that night. Next morning at 11 in morning, after having my breakfast, I went to meet Mr. Watson at a cafe. I waited for him for an hour and then tried to call Mr. Watson but his phone was unreachable. Then I called my manager and asked him about the matter, he said that Mr.Watson had to depart early because the next flight was too late. I scolded my manager for not informing me earlier. He replied that he tried to call me early but I did not pick the phone because I was sleeping. I then checked my phone and saw 2 missed-calls. Then, I left for Mumbai at evening after having my lunch and also some rest and reached Mumbai at 8 at night. Entering my home I saw that the main door was open and the lights were off which seemed strange to me because Jazz never switches off lights while she is at home and it wasn't much late at night so I was sure she did not sleep. So, I directly went to her room and she was not there. Then I recalled that she was having her examinations so perhaps she would be in her study room. On entering the study room, I saw... (Suddenly bursting up into tears and crying for a while, he then tried to control his emotions and spoke up) I saw my daughter lying down on her chair and also many blood stains on her body. (Continued crying)

Raghav: When did you converse with your daughter last time?

Vikram: (A moment of silence as he was very sad and trying to stop his tears) I sent her a text message an hour before I left for Mumbai to inform her that I was returning at night. She was online at that time so perhaps she read it.

Raghav: Any suspects of who could have done this?

Vikram: (thinking for a while) No, No one.

Raghav: Okay, so I will be at your place tomorrow morning to start my investigation. Now just describe me everything you saw near the dead body that seemed strange to you.

Vikram: Nothing much except a huge amount of water near the chair she was lying on. The wounds indicated to me that she was murdered with a sharp object which was not made of any metal but seeing the water I got really confused. How can anyone be murdered by water?

Raghav: Thank you so much, now you can go. I will be at your place by 10 in the morning.

(Flashback ends)

Then Raghav, suddenly jumped up off the sofa when he saw the ice in his cold drink. He then realized that he had solved the Rubik's cube and also the mystery. He called Vikram at his place and told him his solution. He said, "The mystery is solved but half. The crime spot had only water because the murder might be done by ice which is a sharp object and also not a metal. And by the time you reached home it was all melted.

Vikram spoke up, "I want to inform you something. Actually I just I came to know about the murderer when I overheard my manager's conversation with someone on a call. I heard him saying that he murdered Jazz. Actually he had come to my home to collect few documents and wanted to cheat me and snatch my business from me by manipulating the papers. When my daughter saw him doing this she tried to inform me but my manager saw her and tried to kill her. I didn't fire him at that time because the case was unsolved. But now that the case is solved I will fire him from job and get him arrested in the jail."

Raghav still had a question that how the manager managed a huge block of his ice to kill Jazz. He asked this to Vikram. After thinking for few minutes and having a long discussion with Raghav, Vikram remembered that there is ice factory near his home where huge quantity of ice is made. He went there with Raghav and confirmed from the owner that the manager had bought ice from him. Vikram then thanked Raghav for solving that case then got his manager arrested and also confirmed that he had not manipulated the papers yet. He was relieved to know this but still was sad due to death of his daughter. Now Raghav and Vikram were also helpful friends and not only quarrel-buddies!! 

THE END