Who?,Why? and What did they Gain?

........
Dev rose from his chair, pacing. Every instinct screamed that time was slipping through his fingers. Whoever the killer was, he had access, patience-and a deep knowledge of the original cover-up. And now, he was daring Dev to outpace him.

Aarti entered, breathless, holding a file.

"We found something," she said. "Old employment records from a dissolved firm-'Veritas Legal Advisors.' Nikhil Vora was a senior associate there. The firm quietly shut down a few months after Riya's death. Guess who their biggest clients were?"

Dev didn't need to guess. "Kabir and Arjun."

"Exactly. And here's the kicker," she continued, flipping open a scanned page. "Riya Sen interned there briefly during law school-just two months. That's likely where she first stumbled across the land scam."

Dev's eyes narrowed. "So they weren't strangers. She knew Vora. Maybe even trusted him."

"Which means he might've known everything," Aarti said. "But instead of speaking up, he disappeared."

Dev stared at the board behind him. The connections were tightening like a noose-Kabir, Arjun, Vora, and Riya. A deadly square of silence and betrayal.

"We need to find him," Dev said. "Now."

Aarti nodded. "We already pinged the last known number linked to Vora's PAN card. No response, but it was used to register a prepaid SIM that accessed mobile data two days ago-near McCluskieganj."

Dev grabbed his jacket. "Get the team. We leave in twenty."

---

Later that evening - outskirts of McCluskieganj

The town was quiet, a sharp contrast to the tension twisting inside Dev. They tracked the signal to an abandoned colonial bungalow near the forest edge. The gate creaked open under Aarti's push.

Flashlights danced through the darkness as they moved inside-dusty furniture, peeling wallpaper, silence.

"Clear," one of the constables called out. "No one's here."

But something wasn't right. Dev's flashlight caught a glint on the floor-metal. A burner phone, lying face-down. Next to it, a notebook.

He picked it up.

Inside were pages of frantic handwriting-dates, names, newspaper clippings glued in with shaking hands. Riya's name appeared repeatedly. Then, a final page with a single sentence:

> "They promised me protection. Instead, they made me a witness to a crime I couldn't stop."

Dev turned to Aarti. "He's not just running. He's hiding from them... and from what he didn't do."

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. A message. No number.

> "Too slow again, Inspector. But don't worry-I'll make sure he tells the truth... one way or another."

Attached was a photo-blurry, night vision.

Nikhil Vora.

Bound. Gagged. Terrified.

Behind him, the outline of a noose.

---

Dev's grip tightened on the phone.

The killer was ready for his final act.

And Dev had only one chance left to stop him.

---