For two days straight, Inspector Ratan and the Masked Detective questioned every teacher and student at Taraniketan School.
Everyone gave the same answer:
They had no idea Ishita was planning to study abroad.
Some guessed the principal might've planned to announce it later.
Others just shrugged.
No one knew anything—or at least pretended not to.
But one interview stood out.
Aaradhya.
She sat quietly across from them in the library, her hands folded neatly in her lap, eyes calm behind her glasses.
"So, you were friends with Ishita?" Inspector Ratan asked.
"Not really. We were classmates," Aaradhya replied softly.
"Did she ever mention studying abroad?" the Detective asked.
Aaradhya shook her head. "No. I didn't talk to her much."
Her words were polite. Her tone steady.
But the Masked Detective noticed something:
A pause.
A flicker in her eyes.
A slight tightening of her fingers.
She was hiding something.
"Are you sure?" the Detective pressed.
"Yes," Aaradhya said again. "She never told me anything."
The conversation ended. Aaradhya stood, bowed slightly, and left the room.
The Detective watched her go until she vanished down the corridor.
"She's lying," the Detective said at last.
Inspector Ratan raised an eyebrow. "You're sure?"
"She knows something. Maybe not everything—but something important. And she's afraid to talk."
"What do we do?"
"We wait," the Detective said. "She'll talk—either when she's ready… or when the truth forces her to."
They didn't give up. That Sunday, they decided to visit Aaradhya's house.
When Ratan asked her for the address, the Detective almost spoke up.
"I know her ad—"
But she stopped.
She didn't say more.
On Sunday,
Inspector Ratan arrived at Aaradhya's home.
He found Aaradhya and her brother Amit half-asleep on the sofa.
They jumped up, Amit startled.
"W-Why is the police here?" she stammered.
"I'm just here to ask a few questions," Ratan said, scanning the room. "Didn't know you had a lazy brother too. Great—I can ask both of you."
He turned to Aaradhya. "I know you're hiding something. Please cooperate—it could help solve this case."
"Where's the Detective?" Aaradhya asked.
"She's attending to something else," Ratan replied.
Aaradhya hesitated… then slowly began to speak.
"No one ever wanted to be friends with us," she said, voice trembling. "Because we're orphans. We don't know who our parents are... not even what they look like."
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Her brother gently placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's all true, Inspector. Please... just leave us alone."
Inspector Ratan stood quietly for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright."
As he stepped outside, he took out his phone and made a call.
"I have some new information about Aaradhya," he said.
---
To be continued….