Vishal's POV
I followed Ms. Jennifer toward the canteen area, my footsteps echoing faintly against the polished corridor floor. The headquarters felt unusually alive today. Officers moved past us carrying files, phones kept ringing somewhere in the background, and the smell of burnt coffee mixed with printer ink hung heavily in the air.
Jennifer walked ahead of me casually, like she had worked here for years instead of days. Her leather jacket rested over one shoulder while strands of dark hair brushed lightly against her face every time she moved.
The moment we entered the canteen, Shruti and Rhea looked up instantly.
"Good morning, Ms. Jennifer!" both greeted together.
Jennifer smiled effortlessly. "Good morning, pretty ladies."
Ugh.
I don't know why that irritated me.
Maybe because she somehow managed to charm everyone without even trying.
"Ms. Jennifer" I called out.
She turned slightly toward me. "Yes?"
I stepped closer to the table. "If you're really planning to come with us tonight, then we'll need DIG's permission first."
"Oh, then leave that on me" she replied calmly.
Like always.
Confident.
Too confident.
She walked toward the counter and ordered a sandwich along with a cup of coffee.
I frowned slightly. "Didn't you just drink chai fifteen minutes ago?"
Without even looking at me, she said "It's for you" turned and winked lightly.
Behind me, I suddenly heard muffled whispers.
I turned.
Shruti and Rhea immediately pretended to look elsewhere, which obviously made them look guiltier.
"What?" I asked suspiciously.
Shruti grinned mischievously before walking toward me and casually wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
"Sir..." she whispered dramatically, "don't you think flirting with your senior's ex is dangerous? Mr. Kaykay might actually kill you if he finds out."
"It's not like that" I replied quickly.
Too quickly.
Shruti's grin widened instantly.
"You're blushing."
Before I could defend myself, Rhea joined in.
"Oh, he definitely wouldn't like this" she smirked. "Mr. Kaykay still looks at her like he's one emotional breakdown away from writing poetry."
I rolled my eyes. "And what exactly do you know about Kaykay?"
Rhea leaned against the table thoughtfully.
"The way he looks at Ms. Jennifer..." she said slowly, "it doesn't look over. And honestly? The way she acts around him says the same thing."
I stayed silent.
Because somewhere deep down...
I knew she was right.
"But if they really don't get back together..." Shruti suddenly blushed, "then maybe I still have a chance with him."
"Girl!?" Rhea burst out laughing.
I stared at Shruti in disbelief. "You like Kaykay?"
"Obviously" she admitted shamelessly.
I sighed.
The entire department seriously needed therapy.
Before I could say anything else, Jennifer returned carrying the sandwich and coffee.
"What are we gossiping about?" she asked suspiciously while handing me the coffee cup.
"Nothing" all three answered immediately.
That made her narrow her eyes even more.
I quietly muttered a thanks and took the coffee.
Jennifer sat down beside us and unwrapped the sandwich carefully.
"What I was thinking is..." she began between bites, "after this, we'll go meet DIG."
I nodded once. "Hmm."
Rhea looked confused. "For what?"
Jennifer swallowed before answering casually, "Vishal and I are planning to visit NightSky Club tonight. We'll need official permission."
"Ohhh."
The way Shruti stretched the word instantly made me regret existing.
12:00 PM
Jennifer and I stood outside DIG Arwant Vohra's office.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
His heavy voice carried through the wooden door.
We entered together.
Jennifer didn't waste even two seconds.
"Sir, we need permission."
Straight to the point.
Arwant looked up from the file in his hands, adjusting his glasses slightly. "Permission for what exactly?"
Jennifer explained everything calmly. The Reddit posts. The pattern. The NightSky Club prediction. The possibility that the killer might appear there tonight.
The deeper she explained, the more serious his expression became.
But the moment Kaykay's absence was mentioned, his face tightened slightly.
"Without Kaykay?" he repeated slowly.
The room fell silent for a second.
"Well..." he leaned back in his chair thoughtfully, "I'm not fully convinced."
Jennifer crossed her arms patiently.
Then finally-
"Fine..." he sighed. "But only if neither of you causes trouble. And make sure nobody discovers your identities."
We both nodded immediately.
And just like that...
We got the permit.
The moment we stepped outside the office, Jennifer slowed her pace slightly.
Then casually asked,
"DIG is Kaykay's biological father, isn't he?"
My footsteps stopped instantly.
I stared at her.
Nobody was supposed to know that.
"Um..."
She noticed my reaction immediately and smiled faintly.
"Relax. It's safe with me."
"How did you figure it out?"
She adjusted her jacket before answering.
"He once told me his real surname wasn't Kundra. It was Vohra." She paused briefly. "And honestly? They have similar facial features. It wasn't difficult."
Then her expression softened slightly.
"And... I know what happened between him and his father when he was younger."
Sadness flickered briefly in her eyes.
Very briefly.
But I noticed.
So she still cared about him.
"Alright, Captain!" she suddenly said with a sigh, immediately changing the mood again. "Let's focus on the case."
I nodded quietly.
She returned toward the cyber lab while I walked back to my cabin.
The moment I sat down-
Ding.
A notification sound echoed through the empty room.
Then another.
Ding.
And another.
Ding.
I groaned in frustration and opened the drawer where I usually kept my phone during work hours to avoid distractions.
Big mistake.
I unlocked the screen.
A newly created WhatsApp group glowed in front of me.
Created by: Tanish.
Of course.
[Tanish]: We arrived guys!
[Kaykay]: Can you shut your phone for once?
[Tanish]: But you are also on your phone sir 😆
[Shruti]: Feels good to finally have a GC with the whole crew. Now it actually feels like we're solving a case.
[Rhea]: So you weren't feeling that before?
Messages kept flooding one after another.
Meanwhile, Naveen and Jennifer remained completely silent.
Just online.
Watching.
Observing.
Then suddenly-
Jennifer started typing.
Typing...
Typing...
Typing...
I stared at the screen impatiently.
God. What was taking her so long?
Then-
Nothing.
The typing disappeared.
Everyone in the group stopped texting, waiting for her message.
One minute passed.
Still nothing.
Then suddenly-
Jennifer added DIG Arwant Vohra to the group.
I blinked.
Bold move.
Immediately afterward-
Kaykay left the group.
A second later, Shruti left too.
Then Tanish left as well.
Now only Rhea, Naveen, Jennifer, DIG sir, and I remained.
Hours passed.
Then finally-
Jennifer sent a screenshot.
📍18.6237, 72.8895
I copied the coordinates and searched them immediately.
Sunset's Mirage.
A bar club.
My chair scraped loudly against the floor as I stood up and headed straight toward the lab.
Jennifer was already wearing her jacket when I arrived.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked.
"One hundred percent" she replied instantly. "He logged in there, twenty minutes ago. Around 8 PM."
My expression darkened slightly.
"Listen" she continued quickly while grabbing her car keys, "I'm going to Sunset's Mirage. You and Shruti go to NightSky Club."
"It's unsafe for you to go alone."
She looked directly into my eyes.
"I'm a cop."
Then after a small pause-
"I'll take Naveen with me."
I hesitated.
Something about Naveen still felt... off.
But we didn't have time.
"Fine."
NightSky Club 9:00 PM
The nightclub pulsed with loud music and flashing neon lights. Smoke drifted through the air while drunken laughter mixed with the heavy bass vibrating through the walls.
Shruti and I stood near the bar counter, pretending to blend into the crowd while secretly observing every face entering the club.
The digital clock above the liquor shelves slowly turned-
9:00 PM.
I ordered a scotch just to maintain appearances.
Then-
Shruti gently touched my shoulder.
"I think he's here."
My grip tightened around the glass.
Slowly...
I turned around.
A man wearing a black hoodie stepped inside the club. Rainwater dripped from his clothes onto the floor beneath him. The storm outside had completely soaked him.
The neon lights flickered faintly across his face as he reached up-
And pulled down the hood.
The moment I saw him-
My breath stopped.
"Kaykay...?"