Mohit rubbed his hands together, moved his arms in circle working his shoulders before hitting at his keyboard, "What are we searching for?"

Kelkar watched the entire ritual with curious eye. "Look for males between the age of 40 to 60. Start with cases in the city and then expand it steadily."

As Mohit started punching more keys, Lobo relaxed into his chair, leaning his head back against his palms and resting his legs on the desk in front of him.

"Lobo, what are you doing?" Kelkar asked.

"Keeping an eye on the 'hero' here?" Lobo titled his head towards Mohit.

Mohit looked up from his desk staring at Lobo once, before going back to work after a quick shake of his head.

"What happened to the task that I had assigned you?"

"Which task?" Lobo asked scrunching his face.

"Finding out where the body entered the water from," Kelkar reminded crossing his arms

"I don't understand why we have to do this. Suicide cannot be ruled out until the forensics say so," Lobo complained.

Mohit looked up from his computer screen. "It is a suicide case?" he asked frowning.

Kelkar looked at him. "No. While we cannot rule out anything until the autopsy is done, I don't think it can be suicide." He turned to Lobo, "Don't tell me you seriously think that this is suicide."

"Even if it isn't suicide, that doesn't make it homicide" Lobo pointed out, "I don't see the point in rushing the investigation before we know what we are even dealing with."

"We don't choose the case that comes our way, Lobo," Kelkar said, "But I choose how we deal with it."

"Like you did in your last case," Lobo muttered under his breath.

Kelkar's head snapped to meet Lobo's eyes. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Lobo muttered, "I will see if I can get a list of possible locations inland."

"Look for secluded places."

"Why?" Mohit asked.

"If anyone saw this man jump or get thrown, they would have raised alarm. The body would have been recovered long ago. Since we haven't heard any such news, it means that wherever this happened is secluded enough that no one saw anything."

"Not everyone raises alarm even if they see something. Most don't want to get involved," Lobo said.

***

As Vir, Maria and Vinay entered the small autopsy room, the scent of formaldehyde and death overpowering their senses. There was a certain coldness to the room that had nothing to do with temperature. Their sight froze on the white sheet at the center of the room, hiding the body from their eyes.

A metal door clung open. Their eyes snapped towards the source of the noise to see Suresh Talwar walk in dressed in a blue overall.

"You must be from ACP Kelkar's team," he said seeing them.

Vir stepped forward extending his hand, "I am Vir. This is Vinay and–"

"Do you have the crime scene photos?" Maria cut in firmly.

Vir shot her look that Maria ignored as she walked to stand in front of him.

Suresh pulled his head back, watching her with curious eyes.

"The evidence," Maria reminded him in loud firm voice.

Suresh shook his head and pulled put a brown paper envelope from one of the drawers. "It wasn't exactly crime sc–"

"And what about the hotel card and the stone?" Maria asked passing photos back to the boys. When neither picked the envelope, she turned back to glance at them.

They were watching her with a rigid expression on their face, their arms crossed in front of their chest.

Maria rolled her eyes at them and turned back to Suresh to find him gaping at her open mouthed. "The card and the stone?" she asked firmly.

Suresh shook his head but pulled two evidence bags from the drawer and handed it over. "I am Suresh, by the way."

Vir nodded in acknowledgment, "Suresh, did you find anything in the evidence?"

Suresh shook his head, "We checked the card and the stone for prints. But nothing. It is rare to get them off of something that has been in sea water this long, but–"

"Is there any other evidence?" Maria cut in.

Suresh watched her with his mouth still open before his lips pressed into a thin line, "His clothes and shoes are still drying. We will know more only once they are completely dry. Dr Mohile will be here shortly to perform the autopsy. You can ask your questions then."

"Where is he?" Maria asked.

"She," a voice said from the other side of the room.

The woman was in her mid-forties. Tall, thin, her hair tied and covered with a tissue cap. She was dressed in blue overall similar to Suresh. She straightened her protective goggles with her gloved hands as trained her eye on the three.

"This is Dr. Vidya Mohile. Chief medical examiner," Suresh said, "Mam, this is ACP Kelkar's new team."

Dr Mohile stayed on her spot scrutinizing the newbies.

"I am Vinay Pawar," Vinay said following Vir's previous actions, "This is Vir Agnihotri and Maria Pereira."

Maria turned quickly, glaring at Vinay. Vinay took a step back away from her looking at Vir for support, but Vir just shook his head.

Dr Mohile cleared her throat. "If you are done playing around, we have work to do here. Come back later," she said bluntly before walking towards the body. She threw them a passing glance adding, "...unless you want to see the autopsy."

When they returned to the autopsy room dressed in overalls, the body was already uncovered. Grotesque didn't even begin to describe what they saw with all the bloating, discoloration and the pieces of face that were missing.

"Are you planning to just stand there shocked staring at the body?" Dr Mohile asked seeing they gaping at the body from the door.

Dr Mohile picked up a scalpel as they walked in. "I hope you are not queasy," she said looking at them, "If you mess my autopsy room, you will have to clean all it up."

"She means it," Suresh warned.

***

Kelkar pulled out personnel files for his team. He picked the first one. Vinay Santosh Pawar, it read. Kelkar flipped through the pages.

Third generation in police service. Constables, Station officers all through his list of names in relatives. First one in CID in the family. Youngest of four children. Not so good at studies, but did well in sports. District level kabaddi player.

***

Vinay watched the scalpel cut through the man's skin, tearing him apart as it slid down his torso. Liquid oozed out of the cut. It smelled even more putrid that the smell of death that dominated the room before.

He felt bile rise up his throat, making him nauseous. He covered his nose and mouth with his hand, hoping to keep the smell out, but it wasn't working. He was going to throw up.

***

Kelkar went to the next one in the pile. Viren Vikram Agnihotri.

Like Vinay, Viren was from a family several generations into defense service. Army, Navy, Airforce featuring heavily into the next of kin and family line. Enrolled into Army right out of college. Honorably discharged a year later after taking a bullet in the leg while posted in Kashmir. Father a Colonel. Mother an army doctor. Brother in Airforce. Sister deceased.

***

Vir watched Vinay from the corner of his eye. Vinay wasn't going to last much longer. He cleared his throat, "Dr Mohile, Kelkar sir wanted us to get back to him with evidence quickly. The team cannot start working without it."

Dr Mohile watched him, her face not giving out any expression, before giving a swift nod and returning her attention back to the body.

Vinay seemed out of it.

Vir shook him by the shoulder. "Let's go. Kelkar sir is waiting for us," he said directing it to both his team mates.

"You two pansies can go ahead. I want to watch the autopsy," Maria said crossing her arms.

"Fine! Give me the evidence," Vir extended his hand towards her.

"Oh! Now you want it," she snarled.

Vir shrugged his shoulder, "Fine, you keep it. Just explain to Kelkar sir why he had to wait to being the investigation because you wanted to watch an autopsy."

Maria scowled at him shoved the evidence into his hand

"Let's go," Vir pulled Vinay away.

Vinay exhaled deeply the second they stepped out of the autopsy room. But in the next moment, he made a mad dash for the washroom.

Vir was waiting for Vinay when he finally emerged, "You okay in there?"

Vinay nodded. "Thanks. I can usually handle such gross things, but that was ..." He felt a shiver pass through him.

"That body has been through a lot," Vir agreed.

"I just want to get that image out of my head," Vinay said looking uneasy.

"You can never un-see some things once you have seen them," Vir muttered as he walked towards the elevator.

Vinay stared behind him before rushing to join Vir.

***

Maria Agnes Pereira.

Kelkar stared at the thick file in front of him. He sighed as he flipped it open.

Orphaned when she was just a child. Raised by the nuns at the Holy Church of Salvation. There was a list of infractions, rebellions during her period at the orphanage. A close call in landing up with a juvenile record.

Kelkar shook his head and read on.

Beating up a bully. Nearly took his eye off. Father Gonsalves from the church pleaded with the boy's family for her and got her under his custody. She had tried her hand at a number of small jobs–and even more close calls with the law–before appearing for the police exams and landing with him.

***

"Sew him up and then start with the skull," Dr. Mohile ordered Suresh.

Maria was standing rooted on her spot watching them work. The smell in the room had turned more rancid if possible. But Talwar and Mohile were unperturbed by it.

Suresh picked up a small automatic saw, switched it on and inched it closer to the man's skull.

"Dr Mohile," Maria called out.

Dr Mohile turned to look at her. It seemed from her expression that she had forgotten Maria was even there.

"Is there anything that has come from the autopsy?" she asked.

"The autopsy is not yet complete." Dr Mohile corrected.

"In that case maybe I should join the team and help with that investigation," Maria commented.

"Sure," Dr Mohile said casually as she and Suresh resumed the task at hand.

Maria walked out of the autopsy room with an easy gait. Once out, she leaned heavily against the wall outside. Her hand pressed against her head which was throbbing by now. Another hand clasped her stomach. The churn in her stomach had grown. She took a shaky breath before sprinting towards the washroom.

Ten minutes later, she splashed cold water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. There were no signs showing that she had just heaved the entire contents of her stomach. She popped a fresh mint into her mouth and headed out.

***

Kelkar stared at the thinnest file of the lot. Mohit Kantilal Rajput.

Only child to a local shop owner. Good with numbers. Tried his hand at running photocopy shop before being forced to shut it down after incurring losses. A chance encounter led him to help police nab a gang of chain snatchers. It made him somewhat of a hero in his very small neighborhood. That was the turning point. It drove him to join the force.

Kelkar stared at the file for a long time before re-reading its entire contents. He frowned. There was something about Mohit that just didn't add up.

What was really going on with him?

Kelkar put the file away and rested his elbows on desktop, his fingers clasped in front of his face.

He saw Vir and Vinay walk back into the office through the gaps in the venetian blinds. He rose out of his chair to join them when his phone rung.

He picked it up listening silently to the person on the other end. He made to interrupt once or twice, but his questions had been already anticipated before he could voice them.

"And there is no way you can tell me which?" Kelkar asked at the end of it.

"That doesn't help," he frowned. "No, I understand. You cannot make it up. We have what we have."

Kelkar saw Maria walk in while the other person continues their update. "And the girl?" he asked keeping his eye on Maria.

"I am not surprised," he sighed and shook his head. Kelkar rubbed his head as he walked over and watched his new team through the blinds.

Was it not enough that the case was turning into a mystery? Did his team have to pose another one for him?

Thank you for reading. What do you think of the team now? Who do you identify with the most? Let me know what you think.

And if you do like the chapter and the story, do click on the star to vote.