The night was dark and silent. The silence was broken periodically by the celebration of the 10th/last day of Durga Puja on the streets. The winds had red color in it because of the vermillion used during the last day celebration.
This red color on the streets were of the vermillion but if I don't run fast and reach on time this red color won't be just vermillion.
Two people were running on a silent street. So silent that even the music from the celebration was also audible only periodically. Two people were running in full speed one clearly was a man and another was a female.
The man was running to save his life and the woman was running behind the man to kill him with a gun in her hand.
I knew something was about to happen, I just didn't guess that it would go to this extent. I ran and ran and ran like my life depended on it. I continued as fast as fast as I could in the saree, I was wearing.
I heard a voice "Stop!! Or else we will be forced to shoot. This is you warning."
It was the police behind me but I kept on running ignoring them because I can't stop now otherwise something might happen, something really bad.
Behind the police were my friends who were coming for me.
I saw the man and woman turn left which leads back to the road were the celebration going on. I now thought "Just few more steps and everything of this will be finished…." My thought was interrupted when I felt a bang from my back.
The police reached me and above me was a cop who held me in a place and I had my hand pinned down on the ground.
He was cuffing me but all I was thinking was few more steps just few more steps. I heard a gunshot, along with me all the attention of the cops was also taken to that.
I was cuffed and every cop with there gun in hand went in that direction and now I thought, all the steps that I took for months was gone. I have no prove of anything whatsoever. I now definitely am about to be arrested.
But this is not what this story starts let's go back to where this started…...
Our town Riverdale is a very simple and quite with lavishing experience kind of place. Here everything is silent NORMALLY. The only reason for this is, everyone here is very rich and just a few people who are not very rich.
I fall under a not very rich community. I am a simple photographer who is called in for events. I have two partners who helps me in my work. Linda and Sandy. They have been my friends from high school days. I always knew Linda and Sandy had crush on each other and still try to act professionals for no valid reason.
I on the other hand always no interest or place in my life for a lover and mostly no one loves me so I don't tend to love anyone. Nope no past experience created this, I am just born this way.
Today there was only two hot news "BIG INDUSTRIALIST BRIAN MENON'S WIFE MRS LUCY MENON FOUND DEAD." and "BIG INDUSTRIALIST BRIAN MENON'S SON DAVE MENON RECOEVING AWARD."
Both the news had one thing common 'BRIAN MENON' one side sad and another side happy. What a sad moment for him. My father came in the room and said "Poor Brian, he loved his wife. We anyways have been called for the funeral and Ana, DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAMERA WITH YOU. This is a funeral house."
I said "Dad that camera is my job can't leave it and mostly if somebody dies why not click photos of them as reminder."
Dad was pissed off me because my behavior "Look dear what Ana is telling." He said to mom who was coming from kitchen giving me fried chicken.
"Dear… what the hell do you think you are serving." Dad asked.
"Fried chicken darling." Mom said and was going into the kitchen.
He picked my plate from the table and said "No chicken for 13 days."
"Ughh why did aunty Lucy had to die."
"Respect the dead… I have never seen a disrespectful child as you ever." He shouted and kept the chicken in the fridge.
"Yep!!! It is totally gonna be eatable after 13 days of my vegetarian life."
I was going out and it clicked to me that the body of aunty Lucy was found in a very suspicious way.
"Dad aren't the cops going to do autopsy. I mean they will not possibly release the body this fast."
"What is it to you miss disrespectful? Get out now." Dad closed the door on my face.
I also let it go and moved forward to the event photographing. Today was a marriage and definitely I was called for clicking photos. I was walking to the way for photographing while thinking "Aunty Lucy's body was not taken into autopsy, why? How can a person just bleed from nose for no apparent reason?"
Why do you think no autopsy was conducted? or for that matter why did she bleed out of no apparent reason? Was she murdered? But how? Let's look at it in the further chapters....