WHO CAUGHT THE REAL BLUFF?

Vijay did not stick to the story, and Shiv was startled by that. He never expected such careless behavior from Vijay. He did his best to make everyone ready for this day. He knew how high the stacks were for them at this point. It wasn't just about him anymore, too many lives were at the stack, and couldn't let Vijay's emotional dilemma fuck up everyone's work. He knew he had to cover up for his mess and so he did!

Kishore: So it was Vijay Patil who killed Dhruv Shastri, wasn't it? And you were trying to take his blame, am I right?

Rathod: Sorry, but you are not! I killed Dhruv and Vijay is trying to take the blame. I am a decorated officer, I have a reputation and people look up to me. And the same way he respects me, he just doesn't want me to go down because of this. A boy's attempt at playing martyr to help out his senior! I will humbly request not to take his word on this, he was just trying to do the right thing! But I am ready to face whatever I deserve; all actions have their consequences!

Kishore: Both of you are lying! The ballistic report suggests that the bullet was shot from a closer range than what you mentioned here. Dhruv's post mortem suggests that he has some injuries that don't look like one that comes from an accident. Those were injuries that come from getting hit on the face with something hard. Someone had hit him before the accident! I believe you beat him up, put the blame for all the killings because you were not able to find the killer, even added your son's death on his head. You even went to lengths of killing his original killer Pooja in your station by staffing those blades inside her mouth and making her swallow them, which eventually killed her!

Rathod: Sir, you can create as many movie plots as you want but don't mix them with reality. The injuries on Dhruv's face are from being hit with something hard right? How are you able to distinguish them as hits on the face by a person and accident injuries? It's not like there's any technology that can help you prove what you claim! And about stuffing blades in Pooja Mahajan's throat; there are eye-witnesses who can confirm what happened! There's even CCTV footage from inside the station that can prove that what happened was suicide and not a murder!.... If you wish to play bluff, at least be good at it!

Kishore: Huh, of course, you had to be the one to catch my bluff! But that doesn't mean I believe that killing Dhruv was out of self-defense, there's a lot of things that are out of place to believe what you say. I still believe you killed him. But killing Dhruv didn't help you in the end. The real killer uploaded the video that evening of him still being out there. He said that he was no more going to kill teenagers the same way anymore. And that means he won't be torturing any person he kills from now on and will make it look like a suicide making it even harder for us to find out. The sheer amount of teenagers killing themselves every day is a lot to comprehend. They just kill themselves we can't know if they actually committed suicide or if this is our serial killer's blessings. And you will now say that it was a hoax and someone playing around with the information of three teenagers dying in 15 days but he mentioned a name in the video, 'Riya'! The same girl whose dead body was found in her house with a slit wrist. The 'killer' killed her! It wasn't Dhruv Shastri! Because by the time she was dead, he was long gone!

Rathod: Dhruv mentioned having an accomplice. Riya was the accomplice! After going through Shreyash's phone we found out that Riya had been in a fight with Shreyash over some videos. Shreyash used to put his phone in the girl's bathroom and take inappropriate videos of them, Riya somehow found out, and then she finds out that he has her video too! He asked her to keep her mouth shut. Otherwise, he would put out the video. She had a motive! But her loyalty to Dhruv is something we are all still unable to understand. She helped Dhruv even after his death! He made that video a long time ago before any of the events that led to Vikram's death happened. He let Riya be the keeper to the final key! Riya uploaded it as soon as the media spread the news of Dhruv's encounter. They both knew that it was going to end with both of them getting away with it or both being dead. Dhruv's death was something that would put Riya at risk. After Dhruv the only person that we could hold responsible was Riya. And she knew sooner or later we will find her and she used the key that could make her and Dhruv innocent in the grand scheme of things. The masterstroke was something that needed much more than an upload button! And she somehow was courageous enough to do it. She killed herself!

Kishore: What you mean is, that Riya uploaded a prerecorded video and then killed herself just so that Dhruv could be proved innocent in the public eye? Do you hear even yourself?

Rathod: I know this sounds insane but I am sure it's how things happened! And I do have a reason to believe. I asked Dhruv who was his partner, I wanted to know who that person was! He said, "You will find that 7th teen as soon as I die!" I didn't understand it at that time, I thought it was 'taking the secret with me till my end' sort of thing, but after the news of Riya's death came to me, I thought his partner was continuing the killings. But as days passed, I thought about it, then it all started making sense! It was Riya herself! She killed herself, just to clear Dhruv's name!

Kishore: There's no point talking to you! Either you are too stupid to believe what you believe or you are too cunning to not admit to your crimes. Note this Rathod Saheb! When we find out the truth, YOU and your WHOLE TEAM will go down! And I will make sure that it's a hot hell down there!... We are done with you! You may leave!

Rathod: Thank you! I hope I was useful for your investigation Sir!

Shiv left the room but the room was still noisy! All the officers on the table were pissed, they wanted to get something out of Shiv and his team but whatever they got was of no use to them. Shiv started looking for Vijay as he came out. He was angry and wanted to confront him. After looking around he finally found him in the canteen, drinking coffee. He was alone at the table, maybe he was waiting for Shiv. Shiv furiously went to him and took the chair that was in front of Vijay and said,

Rathod: ARE YOU MAD?

Vijay: Oh, you are back, Sir! By the way, why did you ask that?

Rathod: WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY OUT THERE?! You said to

them that it was you who shot Dhruv!

Vijay: Oh that… ahem... I was.. just...

Rathod: Trying to be a hero? Making sacrifices so that I will be cleared of all charges? Is that what you were trying to do?

Vijay: But those charges are false! We both know that you weren't the one who killed that kid!

Rathod: NEITHER WERE YOU!! So don't be that guy who takes the fall!

Vijay: But I don't get it, Sir! Why are you taking the responsibility for his death? Why can't we just say the truth about what exactly happened that day?

Rathod: Because no one will believe the truth! It will give rise to more speculations and that will lead to destroying many more lives! I have to take responsibility because that way we at least HAVE a believable story to tell them! I have to take responsibility because the truth is just too hurtful! I am the one to take the responsibility Vijay, you have your whole career and life in front of you! But for me,….. I have nothing else to lose! My wife's left me, she took my son with her. The one I had with me is dead! All the pride and honor that I got with this job is destroyed, by all these allegations on me! My life is pretty much destroyed. But you have a chance, and you can't waste it under the name of sacrifice!

Vijay (In a low voice): Whatever you say, sir!

Rathod: That's better! And don't worry about this; I'll take care of it!

Vijay: In all of this, a question just popped in my mind, Sir! Why did you insist so much on pinning Vikram's death on Dhruv, I mean I know he said to you that he was behind Vikram's death, but removing everything against Pooja? That was a very risky move! You erased the part of her and Vikram being in a relationship and even the information about her being raped. I don't understand why it was so important?

Rathod: Because she was innocent of everything she was accused of! Telling about the relationship would have just given everyone reasons to suspect her. And I didn't hide the part about the rape to save my dead son's image; I did it so that I could spare some pain to her parents. They had already taken enough, they don't deserve more!

Vijay: That's it?

Rathod (Takes a deep breath): Also because it wasn't her whom Vikram called that day, it was me! He called ME, that day! I was his advisor!

Vijay: 'Call', 'that day', 'advisor', what are you saying Sir?

Rathod: Leave it, Vijay! It's just a painful story to narrate.

Vijay: Share it with me? Maybe that way it will be less painful.

Rathod: No! LET THE PAIN EXIST!