"So dark, so deep,
the secrets that you keep."

><><><><><
MURDER
ON THE
TRAIN
><><><><><

"Ragini Thakhur." Laksh repeats as he walks towards her.

She stands staring deeply unafraid.

"Thats me." She says as she raises her eyebrows at the policeman infront of her.

"You are travelling alone?" He asks getting into the cop mode. That girl have him chills and he knew those were bad signs.

In the suspect list, his senses were forcing him to keep her on top.

"Obviously." She scoffs as she rolls her eyes at him.

"You don't show me that attitude Miss." Laksh sternly says.

Ragini mutters something, which goes unheard by everyone.

"Attention everyone." Laksh shouts gaining everyone's attention.

"The murderer is between us. Somewhere acting all innocent. We need to find the guilty." Laksh shouted so everyone could heard him clear and proper.

His eyes unconsciously moved towards his primary suspect who looked least concern.

Commotion broke all over. People started discussing, gossiping and arguing. Who would be the one?

Who is the ruthless killer? Who could kill with such an ease and still act all normal. How dare they normally sit between all the innocent people.

"But sir, what if the killer ran?" One of them asked.

"Maybe. But I wouldn't leave this matter unless I clear my doubt." Laksh replied and moved towards the dead body.

"Mr. Zaveri. Who could have killed you?" Laksh mutters as he checks the dead body once more time.

His pocket, his now dried wound, his phone.

No clue.

Smart killer.

He sighs as he turns around to catch a glimpse of Ragini who quickly averts her eyes.

This girl is making him doubt her even more.

They had no resource to find how and when did he actually die. No forensic, no weapon proof.

He wasn't even sure that it was the knife which was the actually murder weapon.

God knows.

And then it strikes. Weapon.

He turns around and finally touches the half inserted knife.

So silvery? So light? Was it even the real weapon?

He removes the knife from the wound using his handkerchief, and there it was.

A light plastic knife.

So that killer is smarter than he thought, the real weapon was already hidden.

But if the doors were closed, and windows are made up of plastic glass then it meant the weapon is still hidden and present here in this compartment.

Somewhere so near.

Killer if you are smart, Laksh wasn't an untrained player. He knew the stratergies all tactics.

Now he has to just look around and try to find the hidden weapon.

He had so many suspects, and he was only one.

How would he manage? This thought arose but he knew he wasn't weak.

Ticket Collector,
Ragini
And the other passengers.

Everyone was under the radar. Everyone was a suspect.

He quickly moved to the first seat. To interrogate and find.

"Hello." He calmly says to the family who occupied the first part.

"Hi." They said as the made place for him to sit.

Zaveri's seat was in the second part, so this family was the nearest both to the man as well as the exit.

"So you know what happened? Like any idea who might have done it?" He asks the family.

They nod a no.

"No sir we didn't see anyone but, in the night when I was trying to sleep I heard a sound. Strange sound. Like I expected the voice to cross us as I thought she wanted to go to the washroom but it stopped before she reached our part of compartment." The old man said as he looked at Laksh.

"Wait. How do you know it was a she?" Laksh asked confused.

"It was a payal's sound sir." The old man clarified while Laksh went into a deep thought.

There might be so many women with payal.

"Anything else?" Laksh asked.

"Hmm..no I don't think so." The old man said as he thought.

"Acha okay. Thanks a lot." Laksh says.

"Na na wait sir. One more thing!" The old man adds before Laksh left.

"Ya?"

"With the payal, there was a weird perfume smell. I am an old man, those strong perfumes don't suit me. And I start sneezing. This happened yesterday also." The old man informs.

"What kind of smell?"

"Jasmine."

"Perfect." Laksh smirks as he gets up.

"All of you, you all need to cooperate with me. I have to check your suitcases and your belongings for any proofs. And you all are supposed to cooperate." Laksh announced.

He was clear of one thing. He just needed to prove it.

Everyone started discussing.

"Why should we? We aren't killers." He heard a voice.

Turning to find who it was, Ragini stood infront of him speaking on everyone's behalf.

"See, I know not all are killers. But one of us is. And that killer has to be caught." Laksh says and requests everyone.

Eventually everyone agrees much to the dismay of Ragini.

"Okay. Thankyou all." And with this Laksh started checking everyone's suitcases, belongings and their berths.

"Sir, we know we aren't killers. You can check as much as you want." Said the family whom he had reached while he was checking everyone's stuff.

"Thankyou for understanding." Laksh says as he checks and leaves their part when he finds nothing.

After half an hour of checking and finding nothing he reaches Ragini and her fellow compartment mates.

They had no relation, Ragini had reserved only one berth, that too she had exchanged her seat with an old aunty.

This is what Laksh came to know when he was checking the berths way ahead.

Strange was that leaving her lower berth in the front, she shifted to the lower berth in the back.

She hadn't helped aunty in any way possible, so no scope of that reason.

So what was the reason?

Maybe the last row, was near to the exit. Thats why?

Maybe.

Laksh deliberately checked the berths and belongings of others and then moved to his final suspect.

The families and the ticket collector was off list now. Only Ragini was left.

Before he checked her berth, he stumbled on the handle of one of the bags and clashed into Ragini.

Who stood there.

Hands on her waist, and face in her neck. Compromising situation.

But before it became even more awkward, he quickly detached himself from her.

"Nice perfume. Jasmine, isn't it?" He commented shamelessly.

Ragini looked at him weirdly and nodded.

Was he the guy who was staring at her as if she was the criminal?

And now he is complimenting her.

Wow.

"Bring all your bags." Laksh said again entering the police mode.

Ragini handed him her bags.

She was nervous and he caught her.

Smirking he first checked her purse.

Keys, phone, jasmine perfume, earrings, a box of pepermint and some sanitary napkins.

That was it.

He then opened her suitcase.

Only clothes and shoes. Nothing suspicious.

She was off the list too?

Wasn't she the killer, he had thought her to be.

Sighing he looked around and his eyes felt on a paper bag.

"Whose bag is that?" He asked the members.

"Its hers." A middle aged woman replied.

Ragini Thakhur.

"Bring that bag too." Laksh ordered.

"Its only food." She said.

"I don't mind. I am as it is hungry. Give me that bag."

She nervously handed him the bag.

Without looking Laksh put his hand inside the bag to check.

"Ouch!" He hissed as he brought out his hand.

Something pointed had touched his fingers.

Peeping into the bag.

There he found, his final proof.

He brought the cleaned knife out.

"Tsk tsk. You should have atleast cleaned it properly." Laksh taunted as he examined a blood drop in the knife.

"I..its not mine." Ragini uttered protecting herself.

"Ragini Thakhur. The murder weapon is found with you. In your belongings. What else proof do I need?"

"I have not done anything." Ragini uttered confidently.

Her eyes met his.

Sternly.

"I have not done anything." She repeats.

Confidently.

So confident that even Laksh doubted himself for a moment.

"Miss, you think I am a fool? Behaving over confidently since the start. Keeping an eye on all my moves and studying them. Trying to eavesdrop in all my conversations. Acting all innocent yet confident. Perfect play. No doubt. Afterall acting all suspicious makes you look least suspicious isn't it? You acting as if you have killed him since the start, so that in the end I let you go thinking you are innocent. Thats how you are playing this game right? But but but let me tell you, I am more experienced in this game." Laksh commented.

"You have no real proof." Ragini replied smirking.

"Darling, I don't need any."

"Oh you sure do, Mr. Rathore. What do you believe? This knife will make a proof? Nope. No fingerprints. All clear sir. This perfume smell, you think the court will believe an old man's statement? No no no no they won't. Well done Mr, you caught me so easily but now you are trapped. No escape way. Tsk tsk. You can't prove me guilty. Nope." Ragini smirks as she confidently keeps her point.

She was right. No right proof.

But wait, he knows he has no eye witness of the murder or proofs but now he has hearing witness. Who heard her confession.

"Tsk tsk tsk. And you say I am dumb. You confess all your crimes infornt of everyone all loud and clear and then you think I have no proof."

The smirk from her face vanishes.

"All of you, you will give statement against her right?" He asks loud and proper.

"Yes!!" He hears everyone loudly.

"You are the one trapped Ragini. Not I." He comments.

"Raghav ji, whats the next station and when?" Laksh asks the ticket collector.

"Ujjain, in two minutes." Laksh smirks.

"See your luck Ragini, when you are caught even the train's issues are sorted." He smirks and tightly holds her hands behind her back.

She winces yet doesn't drop her glare.

"Laksh beta, you indeed solved the case." The same man says as he thanks Laksh.

With everyone thanking him, the station arrives.

People from other compartments also leave when their station comes.

And here Laksh leaves with Ragini who comments,"Indeed I am lucky," as they get down.

The passengers couldn't find where they went as they tried to peep through the windows.

Everyone was relaxed. They thought Laksh would send some one to clear the dead body.

But no one came and the train left the station.

"Why didn't he take this dead body?" The same old man asked.

"Maybe he would send his team at the next station."

"Maybe."

"T.C ji abh toh gates kholdo. I want to go to the bathroom." The old man said.

The kid who had witnessed the dead body first also went towards the bathroom.

Only to hear some noises.

"Mummmyyy!!" He yelled again and everyone came running.

"What happened, Golu?"

"Ma, voice." He said pointing at the closed pantry door.

Two bulky men with the help of the ticket collector opened the gate.

Only to find a man, with his hands and mouth tied.

They fred him.

"Who are you?" Everyone asked the man they discovered.

"Inspector Rathore." He said as he wiped his mouth.

"Wait. What? Then who was the one who took that girl away?" The man asked.

"What man! What girl?" The inspector asked as he dashed to the berth where the dead body lied.

"Where is the weapon?" The inspector asked.

He knew about the murder but where was the weapon?

"That inspector took that away. He said it was fake. And he got the real one from Ragini's bag." They informed him.

The inspector frantically ran to the last berth only to find nothing.

They even took her bags away.

But when?

How?

"Sir, if you are inspector Rathore, who was that man who claimed to be you?" The woman asked.

"He was the killer himself." The inspector sighed.

He wasn't able to catch the duo again.

And he didn't even see them.

And neither did he trust these passengers with their faces, they forgot them as soon as those two left.

Bloody killers.

><><><><><

'Today morning, a dead body was found in the train. And it was none other than Mr. Ritik Zaveri who was brutally murdered. Shockingly their killers even escaped and no one was able to catch them. It was a shameful event on the whole police team as their very own Inspector was very much present on the train, yet he couldn't stop this murder or even catch the killers. Zaveri Family are in great shock currently. We also hear a news that our government was planning to give him some national award for his great contribution to India. But before that could have happened several familes declined this offer. Words come in saying that Mr. Zaveri was not only a famous industralist but also a rapist. A womenizer. He had threatened various families with his power and also made them shun down even if they wanted to get justice for their daughters. But his power helped him and mummed their pleas. After his death, every blackmailed family rose up and spoke up against him. Now the matter of question is- are his killers even guilty?"

The television was muted.

"Papa, I wanted to hear it. Papa were his killers bad?" The child asked his father.

"For others they are bad. But you never know they might have had good intentions." His father tells him.

"Raksh!!!" They hear a female voice.

"Ooh you little boy, I have also come after so many days. You need to love me also. Leave your papa." The mother smiles at her family.

"Na na, Raksh will stay with his father. His mother can go and sleep, right?" He asked Raksh.

"Na na I want mummy!!" Raksh said and ran to his mother.

"Ragini!! This is soo unfair!!" Her husband whined as she winked hugging her son.

"All is fair in love and war, Mr. Rathore."

"So is this love or war, Mrs. Rathore?"

"You choose." She teased.

"Maa, I will show you something." Raksh said as he ran inside.

"So Mrs. Rathore. I didn't get to congratulate you on the complision of our mission." Laksh says.

"Na na na . Don't joke around Mr. I got enough congratulations and thats why this little fellow is here." She said pointing at her belly.

"Point." Laksg chuckles as he hugs her wife.

"By the way I got a -" before she could complete Laksh's phone beeped.

He checked his phone to find the message from an unknown number.

He very well knew who it belonged to.

"Congratulations Agent P on your mission and also on being promoted again. Agent Q is already off the missions from now until her maternity leave ends. But you have your next mission Agent. We are proud of your work, and even more glad that we have you and her as a government's secret undercovers. And now onto your next mission Agent.

Regards,
Agent A."

><><><><>

And this is where it ends!!!

Godddd!!

I have no clue whether you all would like it?

Like I guess I ruined the end, didn't I?

Personally i kinda liked how I put ny story in words.

I am happy with the outcome.

But I don't know how you readers felt it to be?

Was it upto the mark?

Were you able to guess them being killers together till the end?????

How was the plot twist??

Did you like it?

Please please please do do do comment!!
I need to know!!! All criticism is accepted!

Do vote if you did like it!!

Until,
Love,
Meethi♠️