Chapter 3

Hredhaan Grover

"So what's the catch in this new case?" I asked, looking at my two mates who sat opposite to me in our office space.

They both landed into my house an hour after we received the mail about the new case. But we were not interested in discussing the topic right away, so we took our sweet time by wasting it in the living room with video games.

Even Anu and my brother joined in it and eventually it became the same usual betting game for hours. At last it was both me and my wife who won the bet as usual because our pair can't lose any video games. We are both so skilled like that.

But when it is past four, we know that we have to discuss the case.

"Well, this information says that there are some kidnappings going on in the city every month." Falan said getting comfortable in his seat and stretching his long legs. "At first it used to be one or two kidnappings in a month, but now it was becoming more and more regular with at least six to seven members in a month" He completed looking at us with a smirk and that means there is more to the story.

"You always like to beat around the bush and make it even more suspenseful right?" Asked Mag from beside him with a bored look on his face and acting as if he got used to his antics and actions.

This made me chuckle knowing that he always likes to keep the thrill and suspense out of everything.

"Well… what can I say? This case itself is interesting." He said rubbing his hands together as if anticipating with his excited eyes.

"What is so interesting about this case? I didn't find it any interesting. It is just a normal kidnapping case" Falan said shrugging as if it's nothing more than a mere robbery case.

I scoffed internally with a smirk knowing that he is again underestimating the depth of the case. He always forgets that what is shown is not always true and being in this field, we can't miss the smallest clues that many of them can't even observe.

He might be the best fighter among most of the team members but still his brain doesn't work as fast as his hands work.

"God… why do you have to be always so naive, Falan?" Asks Magnus with amusement in his eyes that I chuckled, unable to stop myself because the same thing was running in my mind exactly a moment ago.

Magnus is too keen of an observer and doesn't miss the smallest thing in anything. That's what makes him the best tracker and analyser. And for a fact I know that he too got the point which I had observed in the morning when the case details were mailed to us.

"What do you mean?" He asked in his defense voice but one can clearly hear the hesitation in it as if knowing he might be pointed out wrong at any moment.

"Falu… You need to understand by now that Mag can never be wrong in these small details which most of them miss in the case" I said with amusement in my voice with a sparkle in my eyes by giving a knowing look to Magnus with a smirk.

Apparently Our friend here Falan hates the nickname Falu as it is some kind of disease. He complaints that it kind of sounds as a female name to him which obviously hurts his manhood.

"Shut up Hred." He hissed as usual as we thought which made us laugh in reaction.

He glared at the both of us and got up to leave with an angry face that we both chuckled looking at each other because he sometimes acts as a ten year old child whose candy is snatched away from him.

"Ok ok. What I mean to say is there are some details and questions which no one observed until now. All of them think that it is a normal kidnapping case, but why would our senior give us this case if he thinks that it is normal?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow by giving him a look that made him stop and look at me with furrowed eyebrows. Probably thinking about some comeback so as to not seem like a fool but he always is. I smiled to myself knowing that it is true but didn't say it out loud because he again makes a pout face and starts to complain like a baby.

"Well maybe there are many cases for them and apparently we don't have any one right now. So…" He dragged with a distant look on his confused face as if even he is not sure about what he is saying at the moment. This made Magnus smile at him while shaking his head because he really is so dense at times that we always think how he got into this field in the first place.

"Don't hurt that brain of yours Fal. We will be needing that in the long run" Mag said, pulling him downward to take his previous place on the seat. He absentmindedly nodded his head without even hearing much of what Mag said to him and sat on his chair while still thinking about it.

We both looked at each other with amused and laughing faces because of the statement Magnus said.

"Ok. So what is your strategy then?" Asked Falan after coming back from his dream world. I lazily sprawled backwards in my seat by making myself comfortable before listening to his long strategy because I knew most of it already.

"Well… Not a strategy. But the thing is this case is not as simple as it seems to be. By just going through the case briefly, anyone would think that there are nothing but the normal kidnappings, but only if you see it deeply you would understand the loop holes and the pattern in it.” Mag said looking at us after explaining it. I nodded my head because I too saw the pattern in it.

“Pattern? What pattern? I didn’t see any pattern in it” said Falan with a confused look on his face by looking at the both of us.

“That’s because you haven’t gone through the details clearly. Or even think of it as a mistake or loophole” Answered Mag with a straight face while i just sat silently by watching them.

Mag took my laptop and opened the email of that case and showed it to the both of us when Falan moved closer to us so that he could see it clearly about what Mag was going to show.

“See here. These kidnappings are only going on in the city and even outskirts of it. Maximum of them would be at the night time or even after the sunset when there won’t be many people around.” He said looking at us for a second and continuing “Obviously, the less the better right. So night time is the best time for them to kidnap.” He said with a concentrated face while we are listening to his every word carefully because sometimes I might be missing some clues here and there.

“Can you see the complaints here?” Mag said, opening the attachments of the complaints registered against the case and showed it to us. I have already gone through them, so i know what he is going to say.

“All these complaints are from orphanages itself and none of them are from family and society. Which means that they are targeting only orphans to make it as undetected as possible without causing any doubt.” Mag said with somewhat anger in his tone because he himself is an orphan and knows very well how hard that life would be. This case could be more personal to him than us if what we think is correct.

"What? Only from orphanages?" Asked Falan as if for the first time he is seeing that statement. I shook my head by seeing his negligence.

"Yes. And that's not it. If you observe the names of the missing persons you would know that they are all girls itself." He said, indicating to the names in the file which I already know. But it seems like Falan has not seen it. No wonder he thought that it was a normal case.

“What the hell… How could I miss this one?” Asked Falan more to himself than us by raking his hair with his right hand.

“Also, the interesting thing is that there is a pattern in it if i am not wrong.” He said looking at us with an excited look on his face. Which only indicates that whatever he is going to say might be the key hole to this case.

“And that is the age of the girls” I completed it for him with a smirk on my face by looking at Mag with a smug look. I know for sure that he hates if someone interrupts him in the middle when he is explaining something eagerly or even completes any sentence for him. But still I like scratching his fur to see his fabolous reaction.

“Hred… You always do this” Mag gritted with his teeth while throwing a pen at my side and coming towards my side to catch me. But before he came, I flew from there and rounded up the table by getting away from him with a smirk on my face.

“That's because it's always entertaining to see your reaction darling” I said with a smug look on my face. For a second there was anger on his face but it immediately shifted to one of the smirks as if he knew something which i don’t.

I don’t like that look. I never like that look on his face because he always gets it when he is upper hand in it and enjoys my struggle.

“Will see Hredhaan” He completed it with a sing song voice before going to my laptop and taking a seat on his chair all the while smirking to himself as if he won the lottery.

I carefully came back and took my seat while watching him with caution because I know that something is running in that dirty brain of his and nothing good comes when he wears that knowing smirk on his face.

“So, as Hred said it’s the age. If we see the age of all the girls here, everyone is in between nine to fourteen years old itself. That means it’s not just a kidnapping but there is a lot more to it” Mag completed by falling back in his seat with a satisfied look on his face.

“You mean to say that the kidnappers are only targeting the girls in between the age limit and not more or less anything” asked Falan but with the look on his face, it's clear that he knew the answer to his question already.

“Yup. That’s my guess as per these complaints.” Mag stood from his seat and started walking in the room for a moment before continuing.

“One” He said showing his left finger “orphans. Two..” opened another finger from his folded ones “Girls. Three…” showed another finger “Age. We have three clues and no answers to the questions as to why they are targeting these only.” He said looking at us with a serious look on his face.

“Another question arises with this one is that, if they are targeting only orphans then how can they easily kidnap them from the orphanages without anyone noticing it? Unless….” Mag dragged for us to catch whatever he is trying to say.

“Unless someone from the inside is helping the kidnappers” I completed it while nodding my head in agreement because even i suspected the same thing.

“Ok. So why does the senior want us to go undercover and look for the answers in that company? I don’t see any link in between them?” Asked falan while glancing in between the both of us.

“Good question. But according to the sources, Some Praneel named guy from that company was seen in all those orphanages within a week or so after the kidnappings were done. So my best guess is that they think he might be related to this case in any way.” Mag completed with a look of deep thinking while i too was pondering on the same thought about the link between the both of them.

“So how are we going to do this then?” Asked Falan again after a moment with a confused look on his face. His question made both of us come back to the present from our thinking state.

Mag glanced at me with a knowing smirk on his face that I groaned loudly in return knowing very well about his master plan.

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