Sorry about the extremely long delay :(
PART 1
Ridhima took a bite of her Rava Idli, "So what do we have?"
Armaan leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest, "Remember Anu? The journalist from The Hindu?"
Ridhima thought for a moment and then nodded, "Yeah, she's your friend isn't she?"
Armaan nodded, "More like was. But anyway, she called yesterday. Remember the story last week about that girl who committed suicide? She was Anu's daughter"
Ridhima felt a faint wave of remorse rush through her. Deaths of teenagers and kids always bothered her. They hadn't even started living, "I see"
"But that's not what she thinks"
"What do you mean?"
"She doesn't think it was suicide"
"She thinks it was murder?"
Armaan nodded, "Possibly. Says that there was no way her daughter could have committed suicide. Somekind of mother's instict, you know? She wants us to investigate her death"
Ridhima looked at him for a moment, "Do you think we should do it?"
Armaan sighed, "I don't know. I don't know"
Ridhima continued to look at him. She knew that Armaan had once liked a journalist named Anu. He had told her. Although it had been 5 years, she knew that it bothered him. Hell, it would bother anyone who knew her.
"Maybe we should go and meet her. Talk about the details, you know? Then we can decide whether we can take this up or not", she finally said.
"Yeah", he paused for a second, "Yeah, you're right"
They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence. After finishing up, they rinsed their plates, grabbed their licenses and walked out of Armaan's flat. Their was minimal discussion during the ride to Anu's house as Armaan was still dismal. Ridhima made no attempt to talk to him, partly because she knew that he wasn't the type to share his feelings before he was ready, and partly because she was trying to recall all details from last week's story.
They reached Anu's place in 20 minutes. It was a posch apartment in a well-to-do location of South Delhi, Vasant Vihar. They rung the bell and within a few minutes, the door was opened by a woman who Ridhima presumed to be Anu.
She looked disheleved, as though her life had just been turned upside down. Thin, pale and tired, she looked defeated, except for her eyes, which still held hope in them. Had her present appearence not been like this, she would have easily been beautiful. Brown hair, dark black eyes, oval shaped face and distinct features.
"Thanks for coming", she said in a coarse voice, "I appreciate it. Please come in"
Armaan and Ridhima and entered the flat. It looked as though as it hadn't been cleaned in a while. Anu walked them to the living room, and the first thing Ridhima noticed was photo frames hanging on the wall. The room was full of them, of photographs of Anu and her daughter. She asked them to sit down on a sofa.
"We're sorry for your loss Anu", said Ridhima as she sat down. Anu nodded and looked down. Her lips quivered and fresh tears brimmed in her eyes, "She was my whole world", she said in a broken voice. Ridhima felt Armaan stiffen beside her. She glanced at him and saw his gaze wander uneasily. Their eyes locked for a second, and Ridhima nodded at him, trying to reassure him.
"Anu, we'd like to know all the details. I know this is hard, but it needs to be done if you want us to work this case", Armaan spoke for the first time since entering her flat. He knew that the line between the professional and personal relationship could not be crossed. Anu nodded and wiped away the tears. Taking a deep breath, she started speaking.
_____________________
I know this part is short but I promise I'm going to write a longer part next time! 😃
