Atharva : Sir we got the camera footage of the murder night

Arjun (calmly): I’ll come to the station tomorrow, Atharva. Keep this between us till then.

Later that night, the safehouse was wrapped in silence, surrounded by dense trees and guarded by motion sensors and discreet CCTV cameras. Inside, the air was still, heavy with unspoken tension. Nithya slept upstairs, while Arjun sat alone in the dim glow of a single lamp—alert, waiting, knowing the quiet wouldn’t last.

Next day morning, Arjun left the safehouse ensuring Nithya is safe and secured . Arjun arrived at the station. Atharva met him near the entrance.

Atharva: Sir, we finally got CCTV footage from Naveen’s mansion. Angle shows the gate and front door clearly.

Arjun: Good. Let’s take a look.

They moved to the monitor room. A constable played the footage while both watched intently.

Atharva (watching): Nothing unusual… No one went in or out during the time window. Just Naveen and Nithya inside.

[Arjun stayed quiet, eyes narrowing. Then:]

Arjun: Rewind footage again … Stop right there.

[constable paused. Arjun pointed at the screen.]

Arjun (dry tone): Tell me something, Atharva… Since when do cats vanish into thin air?

Atharva (frowning): Sir?

Arjun: Look. 8:40:55 — a cat walks into frame. Two seconds later, gone. Not walked away—just gone.

Atharva (realizing): You think the footage was edited?

Arjun (serious): I don’t think. I know. Someone clipped out something they didn’t want us to see . And we have to find them .

Atharva : How are we going to find it, sir?

Arjun hears a familiar voice from outside the room. Curious, he steps out and spots Surya — Naveen’s friend — at the desk, filling out a complaint form. Arjun walked to him .

Arjun : Surya... you here ?

Surya : Yes, sir. Someone stole my bag yesterday evening while I was heading home from work. It had a few important documents.

Atharva : can you describe how the bag looks like ?

Surya : Ahm.. black wildcraft model with blue outlines . it has a epoxy keychain with letter "S"

like this

suddenly a police constable came to Atharva worried and nervous

Constable : Sir… the system’s acting up again. Might be a virus or something. We should probably call a technician.

Atharva: Again? The tech just fixed it last week. Alright—manage it for now. I’ll call someone else.

Atharva reached for his phone.

Surya: Sir… if you don’t mind, can I take a look? I used to handle systems like this for my father’s company back in New York . Maybe I can help.

Atharva (hesitant): Uh… sure. It’s in the tech room.

Inside the tech room, Surya sits at the system, fingers flying over the keyboard with practiced ease. Atharva and Arjun watches him closely.

Arjun (walking over, arms folded): You seem confident. What kind of issue are we dealing with?

Surya (without turning): Looks like a system lag or maybe a small virus script causing file delays. Nothing too serious—I’ve seen this kind of thing before.

Arjun : You said you were Naveen's best friend . Did he mention anything suspicious about his marriage life with Nithya .

Surya paused a second which was noted by Arjun and Atharva

Surya : Nothin much sir . I wasn't in contact with him that much as i was running my father's company but he used to say he loves her even though she is unstable .

Arjun (nods slowly): Hmm. (pause) And this client you met before losing your bag—what’s his name?

Surya (quickly): Just an old client, sir. Nothing important.

[Surya steps back from the computer, wiping his hands together lightly.]

Surya :The issue’s fixed. It was a registry loop causing the lag—cleared it up. Shouldn’t give trouble now.

Arjun (with a polite but sharp edge): That’s good to hear. We'll still have our technician take a look—just to be sure. (pause) And about your bag… we’ll inform you if anything turns up. In the meantime, don’t go too far, Surya.

Surya offers a slight nod and smile before walking out. Arjun watches him leave, his expression unreadable, then glances at Atharva.

Arjun : Keep tab on him . make sure to let me know if anything suspicious about him . Also check his flight travel list and check whether he came to Chennai only after Naveen's death .

Atharva : yes sir

Suddenly Arjun got a call

Arjun : Hello, who's this ?

on phone : Hello, I'm Shivani , this case Forensic doctor and analysts.

Arjun : Yeah, what's the matter ?

Shivani : I need you to bring Nithya and come to the lab . I found something important for the case .

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