Poison!

AUTHOR'S POV:

" Hello! Sid?" Deepthi called Sid in the early morning.

" Hello!" He said still, in the sleep. He didn't bother to open his eyes.

"Sid, you are up?" She asked as she felt him still sleepy. Her heart started beating fast, hearing his morning voice.

Butterflies erupted in her stomach, she felt knots in her stomach. She couldn't understand her feelings, she didn't want to marry him at the same he had effects on her.

She felt her heart bests raise when he is around, she felt her body get heated whenever their skin comes in contact. She couldn't overcome the effect, she felt attraction for him but doesn't want that attraction to persist.

" Hello! Deepu?" He sat up as soon as he recognized her, she never called him.

" Yes, I want to meet you now!"

"Now?!"

" Yes, now!"

" It's just 7 in the morning!" He didn't sleep well he needed to catch up with some business data so he sat up the whole night and slept in the morning 4.

"Can you come, or not!" She said in an irritated tone.

" Hmm, yeah! I will come, give me half an hour. I will get ready and meet you at?"

" At the cafe little away from Pari's house"

"Okay! I will be there soon!"

" Okay!"

"Love you, bye now" She ended the call.

He knew she will not say anything, he smiled sadly and went get ready for their meet.

He reached there 5 minutes late, she was waiting for him already.

" Good morning! Sorry, I woke up only after your call!" He sat opposite her.

" That's fine!!" She looked at him, as he called for the waiter.

" Had, breakfast? What do you want?" He asked Deepthi.

" Yup! Just a coffee will do!" She was his eyes which was red due to the lack of sleep.

" Okay!" He ordered their coffees and a sandwich for him.

" You called me for?"

" Eat first! Then we will speak about it" She knows that the matter she is gonna speak about will frustrate him, so decided to give peace at least till he finishes his little breakfast.

The place was not silent it was bustling with morning bees, everyone was busy with their business. But, there was a jarring silence she felt silence is needed before the storm whereas he was just savoring her presence, her smell.

He liked everything about her, her smell, her strange character, her mere presence made him happy.

But he didn't know the strange behavior of hers is the one which is going to make his life living hell.

" Now, tell!" He said to Deepthi swiping the tissue over his lips.

" Sid!" She was nervous.

" Yes?"

" Actually"

" You know! You can tell me anything!"

" Hmm, Sid! ..... I don't want this marriage, stop everything!" She said squeezing her eyes shut.

" What?!" He yelled loud enough to be heard by the people around them, everyone snapped their attention to him. He realized that he disturbed others so he apologized to them.

" Are you out of your mind?" Sid asked Deepthi in astonishment.

" What?" She barked.

" Have you lost your brain? Day after tomorrow is our engagement and you are telling this?" He exclaimed.

" You are reacting as if, I am saying this for the first time. I have already said this to you"

" Yes, but I thought you would have changed your mind"

" I didn't give any hints like that!"

" Yeah but, you were silent!"

" I was because I want to be, that doesn't change the fact that I am not interested in this marriage"

" Why are you not interested?"

" That's my choice I don't have to say to you"

" What the hell, do you want now?" He left a frustrated groan.

He didn't know this was just a start for his frustrating life.

" Stop everything!"

" But why? Am I not good? Or did I do something that hurt you? I did what that makes you suspend this wedding! Our wedding!"

" It's not you, the problem is me"

" What is your problem?"

" I don't want to marry, especially now!"

" Why?"

" Because it's my wish! My wish to marry you or not and I don't like or love you so, I don't want this marriage"

"You sure? You don't like me?"

" Yes! I don't even get attracted to you"

" Not even attraction?"

" Yes!" She said and turned her face.

He took her hand in his hands, she jerked in her seat her heartbeats raised, face flustered, a cold shiver ran over her spine.

" See, this!"

" This is something more than attraction! You can't resist my touch! My touch affects you, accept that!" He said and turned her face with his fingers.

She came out of the spell of love, she snapped his fingers from her chin and stood up from her seat.

" Listen! I don't have any feelings for you, stop the wedding yourself before I do something will that hurt you! That's it, Don't dream! I don't have anything more to speak with you. I am leaving" She started to move.

" The reality is the reality it doesn't turn into a dream because you say so! I know you have something for me and you know I love you!" He said loud enough for her to hear, she stopped her steps for a minute didn't turn then again started to walk.

He had shallow confidence in making her accept the fact,

She had shallow determination in avoiding reality.

He knows he can't make her understand,

She knew she can't conceal the attraction for him.

Everything was shallow but their love?

It was not shallow, they had an attraction to each other.

They had only the attraction as a connection between them.

Only love and attraction can get them together?

Time decides everything, let us leave it to the time...

PARI'S OFFICE:

" Mam! Booked the flight tickets" Francis said as barged in the cabin.

" Timing? And accommodation?"

" Wednesday morning at 7 o'clock flight and about stay we should travel 2 hours to reach the place. I mean the forest, so I booked the nearest hotel, I doubt it would be better!"

"That's fine! A safe place is good, did you speak with the forest ranger? Did you ask him permission to meet the tribes?"

" Yup, mam. I spoke with him, he said he would accompany us as they speak the tribal language so we need a translator"

" Good!"

" Mam, anything you need?" He asked concerned.

" Nope! Why?"

"No mam, I knocked more than five times you didn't respond so I barged in" There was a knock once again.

"Come in!" This time she responded.

Sara entered with some file in her hands.

" Did you read it?" Pari asked Sara.

" Yes, mam! What you said is right! It is out of our hands!"

" What's that?" Francis asked getting confused.

" This week's victim might be dead now already!"

" What?!"

" Yes, according to the forensic reports; the deaths have mostly occurred on Sundays and some on Mondays. It's just that we registered it on Tuesday"

" But why does he had to wait till Tuesday?"

"Maybe he has OCD ( Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Maybe he doesn't like to miss the order. Some people like things to be in some order always they can't tolerate the tardiness or even earlier too"

" But he could kill them on the day he really wants to expose it, right?" Francis asked.

" Yes, but the poison he used for killing these people is different and we cannot predict the time of death once it is influenced to the body. So, he might have chosen a special day " Pari replied.

"This is ricin poisoning! The victims are intoxicated in two ways

Ingestion - it might have mixed with food or drinks like that!

Inhalation - May be through the smoke and like that!

The victims are dead either by heart failure or Kidney failure, which says heart failure is when they are intoxicated through inhalation and vise versa."

" Is there any antidote that can save once they are intoxicated?"

" Nope! Once it is intoxicated that's all there is no antidote for this poison. This poison is got from the residue of Ricinus communis that is ricin in common words it is castor seed"

" You mean the castor that is used for taking the edible castor oil?"

" Yes, we take the edile part but the poison is the residue after the oil extraction. They are inactivated by heating them above a certain temperature and are disposed of safely" Sara explained whatever she read in the file.

" What is the average time for causing death?" Francis asked her.

" Ricin poisoning could kill a person within 36 to 72 hours of exposure, depending on the route of exposure. Early symptoms ingestion usually occurs in less than 10 hours. Early symptoms of poisoning by inhalation may appear within 4 to 24 hours.

It only takes a small amount to kill an adult." Sara read from the report.

"And this makes him wait till Tuesday to dispose of the dead bodies. Everyone is abducted from their workplace. And now this makes me think, why did they want to their workplace or University on Sunday?" Pari continued.

" Shit! If we have got the clue earlier we could have warned them earlier" Pari scratched her temple in frustration.

" It's already evening, so he already would have started his work and ( after a pause) the next victim would have started losing her life"