In his hotel room, Kabeer sat hunched over his laptop, a cigarette burning between his fingers. A faint smirk played on his lips as he murmured, "It's going according to plan." His eyes glinted with cautious satisfaction, though the weight of the case still pressed on him. In the next room, Vivek reviewed the investigation files, his mind racing. Everything—Nishi's imprisonment, the notebook, the reinvestigation, David's CCTV footage, and now the Manali bungalow—felt too neatly aligned, as if orchestrated. The thought nagged at him: this wasn't mere coincidence.
Kabeer scrolled through his phone, digging into websites about David and Prashika Singhania. He stumbled across a lead—Prashika's brother—and found his contact number. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was 1:30 a.m. His finger hovered over the dial pad, but a knock at Vivek's door interrupted his thoughts. Vivek stretched, opened the door, and found Karthik standing there, holding a bottle of soda and a bag of chips.
"Come in," Vivek said, gesturing. Karthik flopped onto the bed, studying Vivek's tense expression. "Why so serious?" he asked, his tone light but curious. Vivek brushed it off, grabbing a handful of chips. "Nothing." He turned the question back. "Why are you up so late?"
Karthik grinned, his voice buzzing with excitement. "Just thrilled about tomorrow." Vivek sighed, his tone dry. "We're not shooting a documentary, Karthik." Karthik ignored him, crunching on chips as if Vivek hadn't spoken.
The night passed, and by morning, the team headed to the local police station in Manali to coordinate with officers for the bungalow search. Garima and Vivek split off to the colony administration office, seeking records of past residents and whether any still lived nearby.
By 2:30 p.m., Kabeer, Karthik, and the investigative team arrived at David Singhania's bungalow, accompanied by local police. The place was a ruin, its gates rusted and the grounds eerily quiet, with virtually no neighbors in sight. They broke the lock on the main gate and stepped inside. Two cars, rusted and outdated, sat abandoned in the driveway. Inside, the bungalow was nearly empty, its rooms stripped bare. Kabeer, Karthik, and the team scoured every corner for clues, while Vivek, Garima, and a few local officers canvassed the neighborhood.
Vivek and Garima wore grim expressions, their task feeling like searching for a needle in a haystack. Investigating a decades-old story seemed futile—memories fade, and evidence vanishes. Meanwhile, in the bungalow, the team's search through empty almirahs yielded nothing, their frustration mounting with every passing hour.
Exhausted, Vivek and Garima bid farewell to the last neighbor they questioned, ready to give up, when a young woman entered the house. She was about 25, her face paling at the sight of police in her home. She glanced nervously at her grandparents, who stood nearby. Garima stepped forward, her voice calm but authoritative. "I'm Garima, and this is Vivek, from the Special Crime Branch, Mumbai. We're reinvestigating the Singhania family case."
The woman's body trembled, her eyes wide. "Don't start with your baseless dreams again," her grandfather snapped, rolling his eyes. Vivek's brow furrowed. "What dreams?" Garima placed a gentle hand on the woman's arm, her tone reassuring. "Please, sit down and tell us what they mean."
The woman sighed, sinking onto the couch. "I'm Nitya," she began, her voice soft but heavy. "I don't know much about David uncle's death, but he was kind, always loving." Garima and Vivek listened intently, recording her words. "A few days after his death, when the police were investigating, my parents were ready to testify for Prashika aunty. But David's brother bullied and threatened them." A wave of relief washed over Vivek and Garima—this was a breakthrough, like finding a million-dollar clue. "Men came here, offering huge sums to silence my parents, even though our company was failing. My parents refused, and…" Nitya broke down, tears streaming down her face.
Vivek and Garima exchanged a knowing glance, the next words unspoken but clear. Before they could press further, Nitya's grandparents interrupted. "Don't believe her," her grandfather said sharply. "It was a suicide. She's traumatized, mixing dreams with reality." Her grandmother pulled Nitya into a forceful hug, steering her toward the bedroom to silence her.
"Wait," Garima said firmly, stepping in front of the elderly woman. She sensed a lie beneath their urgency. "Ma'am, this child is just shaken by her parents' death," the grandfather insisted. Vivek cut through, his tone sharp. "And you? They were your son and daughter-in-law, right?"
The man opened his mouth, but no words came. Garima signaled the constables to detain them. The elderly couple begged as they were led to the police jeep, their pleas falling on deaf ears.
Vivek knelt beside Nitya, his voice gentle. "Your parents will get justice, don't worry." Nitya collapsed to the floor, her voice breaking. "But at what cost? Losing everything people live for?" Her words hung heavy in the room. Garima hugged her, her tone soft but firm. "We're not filing a chargesheet yet. It's just questioning. If they're cleared, we'll bring them back." Nitya, still crying, nodded reluctantly.
The team left, and Vivek and Garima rejoined Kabeer and Karthik at the bungalow. Inside, Kabeer's team was gathered around a decayed but readable file they'd found after hours of searching. It was a beneficiary transfer document, clearly stating that David was not only merging his business with the Oberoi family but transferring his nomination to his wife, bypassing his brother.
The case was far more complex than it had seemed on the first day. Kabeer nodded, his voice low. "Checking the bungalow was worth it." Vivek recounted Nitya's story, his tone urgent. "They were neighbors, but the investigating officer for David's case never mentioned them."
Kabeer's eyes narrowed, his voice heavy with realization. "This isn't just about Nishant Singhania's murder. It's a bigger scandal." Vivek nodded, his tone insistent. "I've been saying since Nishi's first hearing—this case isn't as simple as it looks."
Kabeer's expression softened, a flicker of pride in his team's instincts. As evening fell, he ordered everyone to wrap up. Without wasting time, they headed back to Mumbai, Nitya's grandparents in custody, ready to push the case forward with their new leads.