There was an unusual stir in the atmosphere, unlike any other day.
The reason behind this buzz was quite simple- the department had stumbled upon a new case after a prolonged hiatus of three months, the last being a suicide.
Since then, they had not witnessed any such incidents, making this case all the more conspicuous.
To put it succinctly, the department was in a state of agitation, grappling with the new development.
Officer Arun proceeded towards the forensic department in search of any possible leads.
They had already discovered the murder weapon and the victim's son, which was a bizarre turn of events.
However, ever since the kid had been brought to the interrogation room, he remained silent and had not uttered a single word.
He had not expressed any demands, be it food or drink, or anything at all. His behavior was perplexing and left the investigators baffled.
Arun was perturbed by the young boy's demeanor, and though he intended to approach him and initiate a conversation, he postponed the idea for later.
However, something about the boy lingered on in Arun's mind since he first set eyes on him.
It was as though an inexplicable feeling had taken root within him, and he could not shake off this unease.
Arun turned to his colleague, who had been watching over Adarsh, and asked, "Why do you think he's not speaking?"
"Perhaps he's in shock or traumatized," his colleague replied. "He may have witnessed his mother's murder or even been the one who killed her."
"What kind of monster are we dealing with?" Arun muttered under his breath, unable to shake off the feeling of dread that had settled in his stomach.
Despite an exhaustive search, the investigators remained unable to identify the fingerprints found on the murder weapon.
The lack of matches in the criminal database was unsettling, as it suggested the possibility of a new and unfamiliar culprit in the town.
Alternatively, it raised the frightening prospect of the perpetrator being a member of the victim's own family, an agonizing thought that the investigators could not ignore.
As the case continued to unravel, the weight of uncertainty and fear only seemed to grow heavier.
Upon investigating the neighbors, the police were informed that no other individuals had visited the victim's residence in years.
The victim and her son had resided there for a considerable period, and there were no visitors or acquaintances to speak of.
Despite their extensive search, the investigators were unable to find any concrete evidence to support their case, except for some peculiar paintings discovered in the son's room.
The absence of any useful documents or photographs only added to the mounting frustration and confusion that the case had wrought.
"What are these?"
"Well these are some paintings we found in that kid's room"
"Look, at this, it's so wired and beautiful, do you think that kid would have been created all these"
"It's very hard to say because the composition and color choices are so extremely complex and it requires an artist decades to master it."
The paintings discovered in the son's room were nothing short of disturbing.
Each piece was a macabre depiction of human suffering and violence, with graphic imagery that made them almost unbearable to look at.
One painting showed living individuals writhing in agony as they burned in raging flames, while another depicted human heads impaled on a bamboo stake, with blood flowing freely down the wood.
The level of brutality portrayed in these works was shocking, leaving the investigators to wonder about the psychological state of the artist who had created them.
"Could be possible that the one who painted it is our killer"
"Yes it is, judging from the mental state of the person who painted it, it has a very high possibility"
Arun readied himself to leave as the evening approached, yet a sense of curiosity compelled him to glance back at the child.
Adarsh remained motionless, his eyes fixed upon Arun.
Moved by a sudden impulse, Arun procured a bundle of food packages and a few drinks and offered them to the child, hoping to provide him with some comfort for the night.
Arun got back to his home and tried to sleep but that particular scene was still roaming in his mind to counter it, he took a sleeping peel and finally, after struggling for more than two hours, he fell asleep.
He was jolted awake by a phone call from his associate at seven in the morning.
Within moments, he was en route to the reported crime scene, where he was met with a grisly sight: a lifeless body suspended from a rope in a farmhouse.
The man was of diminutive stature, measuring just 5.3 inches tall, with his head shrouded in cloth.
The ghastly display was made all the more shocking by the fact that the body hung a full five meters above the ground.
"Why hasn't the body been removed yet?" Arun asked.
"We only just arrived," his colleague replied.
Fifteen minutes later, the medical examiner arrived and took charge of the body.
They secured the scene and began interviewing local residents and the person who first discovered the body.
After half an hour, Arun left the area, feeling uneasy about the young boy he had seen earlier. He decided to check on him, hoping that he was in stable condition.
10:00 AM
As Arun entered the interrogation room, he saw Adarsh lying with his head on the table.
The sound of the door opening caused Adarsh to raise his head abruptly, his eyes widening as he stared directly at Arun.
This would be the first time that Arun would be able to speak to Adarsh in private, away from the prying eyes of the police officers who had been questioning him.
"Good morning, young man," Arun spoke softly, approaching the table where the boy sat in silence. "How are you feeling?" he asked, patiently hoping for a response. But the boy remained silent, lost in his own thoughts.
Arun continued, "I understand that you may be feeling scared or overwhelmed right now, but please know that I am here to help you.
These people won't hurt you, they just want to understand what happened and how we can make things better. So, can you please tell me what happened?"
Despite his gentle approach, the boy remained silent.
Arun couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration, but he knew that gaining the boy's trust and cooperation would take time and patience.
He continued to speak softly, hoping that his words would eventually break through the boy's guarded demeanor.
Despite his best efforts, Arun was unable to coax any words from Adarsh.
Feeling frustrated and defeated, he was about to leave the interrogation room and decided to take a break.
Someone knocked on the door, the fellow officer was waiting for Arun outside to him inform about something.
"What's the update?" Arun asked eagerly as he left the room.
"We got a match," the officer replied, excitement in his voice.
"Who is it?" Arun inquired, waiting for the answer with bated breath.
The officer paused for a moment before nodding towards the door. "It's him, the kid. We found his fingerprints on the knife."
"Are you telling me that this boy, who hasn't spoken a single word since we found him, would murder his own mother?" Arun asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"I don't know," the officer replied with a shrug.
"There's something else," he added after a moment's hesitation. "We found a shop in the area that claims the kid bought the same knife used in the murder."
"Is there any kind of CCTV footage of him buying it?" Arun asked, his mind racing.
"Yes, we brought a copy of it, in the evidence room," the officer confirmed.
Arun made his way to the evidence room, eager to review the footage and gather more information about the case.
The room was packed with various items that had been collected from the crime scene, and Arun carefully sifted through them, searching for any clues that might help him solve the case.
As he reviewed the video footage, Arun was surprised to find that Adarsh had brought the knife from the shop.
A closer inspection revealed that the name of the company was clearly visible on the handle, matching the knife that had been used to commit the murder.
While this evidence alone wasn't enough to prove Adarsh's guilt.
it certainly added weight to the growing pile of evidence against him.
His continued silence only seemed to confirm the suspicions that he had played a role in the crime.
Arun felt a sense of unease as he considered the possibility that Adarsh had killed his own mother.
He knew that he needed to remain objective and gather as much evidence as possible before drawing any conclusions, he couldn't help but feel a growing sense of dread as he delved deeper into the case.
As he prepared to leave the evidence room, Arun's gaze fell upon a collection of paintings that had been collected from the crime scene.
One, in particular, caught his eye, drawing him in with a sense of fascination.
There was something unusual about this painting, something that compelled him to examine it more closely.
After a moment a thought struck him - he should keep it for himself.
Without informing anyone, Arun slipped the painting into his bag and made his way out of the room.
A sense of excitement was building within him as he considered the possibilities of what secrets the painting might hold.