“When did you first noticed it?”

It’s been more a quarter of an hour since Inspector Vimal Jain entered the house.

The house is a mansion located at RTC X-Roads, Hyderabad. Tucked away from the busy market area, the reclusive building can be reached only by a narrow-lane.

“So, it’s around … ? 7:00 AM ?”

“Yes, after I returned from walking” Aradhya got tired answering the Officers’ non-stop questionnaire.

Why did he just find out for himself ? Like the detectives in books ?

“Even Sherlock Holmes asks some basic questions to find out what really happened” The cop replied as if reading her mind.

The broken window-glass scattered onto the room’s floor. There’s a visible gap enough for a man to pass through and enter the room. The morning sun-light casted odd-shadows through the dented railings.

The Officer touched the railings with his hands and closed his eyes. His hands remained there for a brief moment, before moving.

He knelt before the window-sill, the burglar must have passed through. With his unblinking eyes, he looked at the shattered window and stood there for a long-time, as if studying the space made in the stained-glass.

“Hmm … Ironic isn’t ? The burglar climbed right through Judas” Said the Inspector with a smile on his face.

“What ? Judas … ? No … This is Phoren ” Aradhya tried to explain.

What an ingorance !

Psst ! He has to deal with this sort of mediocrity often, during his investigations. And … Phoren ? What is that … She must have meant to said Foreign ! Wonderful English … A true Hyderabadi girl.

He gave a look at the girl … From top to bottom … The early morning sunlight casted a silhouette of her svelte figure and she appeared like an hourglass. The Inspector tried hard to look away.

“This” He pointed towards the design on the stained-glass and said “Is replication of the design by the famous William Warrington situated in Norfolk, England depicting Christ betrayed by Judas”

The design showed Judas kissing his Master and Roman soldiers standing by.

The hole the burglar must have made went right through the gut of Judas. Perfect … The traitor deserved this – Thought the Inspector.

He lingered in the room looking around and looking down at the things scattered here and there.

“Hold this for me, please” He handed a set of keys to the domestic help standing nearby.

“Who else stays in this house?” The Officer again started raining down his questions.

What a D******d, thought Aradhya and decided it is best to give a detailed outline of the mansion, so that the dumb Officer will stop questioning them.

“I stay in Lynton, UK. Working as an Intern at the University of Exeter. Both my parents are retired, they came to stay with me as I was having holidays for Christmas. They left this mansion in the care of Samba” She continued after showing the housemaid. “He will look over all the things related to this house. I reached Hyderabad a week ago to sign the Registration Papers pertaining to our property situated at Madhapur.”

The Officer immediately stopped taking photos and looked at her “Is there any dispute?”

“What? Nothing … It has nothing to do with this” She replied looking at the broken window.

The Inspector rotated his Smartphone around the room.

What an A*****e … Taking evidence photographs with a phone – Aradhya thought about the police officer. She saw cops collecting evidence from the crime-scene with cameras in movies.

Aradhya followed the Officer outside and into the front-yard.

The front of the mansion is a vast-area mostly dominated by a garden. A driveway started from the entrance gate to this point, where an ornate portico stood gigantic.

“Hmm … What an artwork !” exclaimed the cop looking at the columns.

If this idiot got impressed just by looking at the entrance, what will he think if he wanders the rest of the mansion ? Thought Aradhya.

“Ah … Where did you go for walki-“

“Walking” she cut the Officers’ question and replied: “Here … “

“Here? You mean here?” asked the cop looking around.

“I mean, there” Aradhya pointed towards the backyard.

“OK. Have a nice day. Nothing to worry about” concluded the Officer. With that he mounted his Thunderbird and started the ignition. The engine came to life and as he about to accelerate, Aradhya came marching with full swing.

“WAIT … What do you mean by Nothing To Worry ?” She demanded anger clearly visible in her voice.

This house is thier family treasure handed down from generations. She grew up and spent most of her childhood here.

At first sight, she thought of Vimal Jain anything to be antithesis to an Indian cop. Muscular body-Sharp-Broad Shoulder-Authoritative Voice … He reminded her of the cops, she saw back in Britain.

‎

“I mean, there is really absolutely Nothing To Worry About” The Officer replied calmly.

Aradhya looked at him seriously and asked “How much?”

“What ?”

“I mean, how much do you want Sir ? You know, the usual stuff Indian cops expect in a situation like this”

The domestic help named Samba tried to calm her anger “Beta … Sshh … Bas karoo. You don’t know about the police here in India. They’re are not like the ones in America. Don’t talk Kid … Shayad uskoo naraaj ayegaa”

For the poor maid who cannot spell Britain, all else other than India falls under one umbrella: America. But, he got one thing right: Indian cops are different !

The Inspector re-entered the mansion with both Aradhya and Samba behind him.

“OK … There are three types of burglars in this world” The Officer began his deduction of the crime.

“Type Number One” He raised his index finger “Are what I call Pros. These people are so meticulous that the residents don’t even know that there is a burglary. They surpass all security measures: CCTVs, barbed-wire, guards, barking dogs, fence … Take this mansion for instance. If they want to reach here from the road outside, they don’t jump walls like the type Two and Three. They come by rope and leave this house in less than 5-10 minutes. In fact, you don’t even know that an item is stolen until the day, you are in need of that item. No breakage, no sounds, nothing – They simply vanish without any trace. “

Both Samba and Aradhya were hooked to every word the Inspector spoke.

“Usually, these type of burglars are lone-wolves. Because of the high-end items they steal they won’t stay in groups. And, guess what they will be after?”

The Officer paused for them to react and said “Diamonds, expensive accessoires like Rolex, laptops, cruiser bikes like Harley Davidson … And, if anyone comes in their way, they won’t hesitate to slit thier throat with a Wesley”

“Wesley?” Aradhya looked puzzled.

“A knife hidden in your socks” The Inspector bent and with lightning-speed, he picked something from his shoe and threw it directly at Samba.

Aradhya let a gasp and looked at Samba in horror. A knife stuck at Samba’s collar and the Inspector moved forward and picked it.

“Ha … Ha … Don’t worry … It’s only a plastic-one. ” He folded it and replaced it. “Had it been a real one, it will be straight to the jugular. And, type number two: They come and go in groups. They replace thier gang-members every fortnight so that no one spills the beans. Usually, they’re after banks, casinos, royal hotel suits … “

The Inspector saw a lump form in Aradhya’s throat and she swallowed. This gave him immense satisfaction to continue forward with his police procedural.

“And, the last type is harmless. Such as this” He pointed at the shattered window.

“Harmless?” Anger returned to Aradhya’s face.

“Yes indeed. Here in this particular case type number one and two are eliminated and the last ones are ameteurs. “

“How can you rule out type two?”

“Because the way this mansion is entered is completely unskillful in terms of professional burglars. See, if they want to enter through this window, they would not have used brute force. They would have simply cut the window-glass instead of bluntly breaking it. Type number three cannot afford equipment to cut and replace the glass. And, type number one would have gained entry even without doing that also. Without cutting” said the Officer.

“You are kidding? How can they … “

The Officer cut her in mid-sentence and signalled her to follow outside.

“Assume that this window is not broken. Now close and bolt the window please”

Samba went inside and closed the window. The Inspector bent and removed his shoe-lace completely. He tied a knot exactly at the centre of it and by streching it by both ends, he placed the lace at the top of the window and let it slide through. As the lace reached the other-side, he dragged it parallely and stopped when it reached the bolt which is closed from inside. At this point, the knot exactly coincided with the knob of the bolt and as he streched both the ends of the shoe-lace, the bolt got caught in the knot and opened. He released the lace, opened the window from outside and motioned as if entering the house.

“See, no forced entry, no cutting” The Officer smiled.

There is no doubt that the police officer is not like the typical Indian police.

“OK … What about the identity of the burglar?” Asked Aradhya surely impressed by his skills.

“Hmm … Good question. He is very short by the way he placed these bags as a support to climb this window. He is young, by the way he carelessly scattered things there inside. As if searching for something instead of stealing something. And, lastly he’s a newbie. These are hammer-blows” He placed his hands on the glass and tapped. “Concentrated at one point. Only a first-timer uses a hammer”

As the Inspector drove his bike, Aradhya stood at the front-door and thought there is no doubt the Officer is highly intelligent and charming.

*********************

The sound of the Motorcycle woke Aradhya from deep slumber. She rubbed her eyes and reached for the table-clock: … 6:00 AM. She lifted the curtain a little bit and looked through the window.

Inspector Vimal removed the keys from the Thunderbird and began walking towards the front-door. Behind him Samba walked nervously.

Did he got any clue ?

The bell began to ring even before she got down from the bed. She descended the stairs and opened the front-door to let the two inside.

“The Burglar is probably a known person to you” spoke Vimal sitting on the couch.

Aradhya can’t comprehend who the culprit might be. After her parents left the mansion, apart from Samba no one else stays here, comes here.

“Recall everything and everyone who visits the mansion. Milk-boy, electrician, paper-boy … Even a tiny detail can help”

*****************

Two days after Inspector Vimal Jain’s first visit to the mansion, Aradhya sat down on the porch sipping her chocolate-coffee.

She saw Samba cutting the over-grown lawn and shaping it. As she doesn’t want to freak-out her parents with this burglar-thing, she posed for a photo smiling before the window. After she sent it online, they will see the broken-thing definitely. Later, she will explain it to them slowly. That’s why she smiled, when Samba clicked the smartphone.

******************

“The coffee is delicious” Vimal put down the cup Aradhya offered and got into business immediately.

“The burglar returned to this mansion again” said the Officer with an air of authority.

Both of them stood looking at the shoe-prints near the bedroom window.

“Someone tried hard to enter the room but failed”

After the Inspector left, Aradhya thought of only one thing: Her worries are not going to over. Instead, they’re going to be doubled !

****************

“Did you really remember locking this door Samba?” The Inspector tried to help but in vain.

“No Sir … He’s not a person who forgets things like us. Even at this age, he is fit as a fiddle” Replied Aradhya to the Inspector’s question.

The small wooden gate situated at the back of the mansion looked dented a little bit. The lock is broken.

“OK. Samba, you may leave” The servant followed the orders and left.

“What is your opinion on Samba ? Any chance he might be the one who bro-”

“What? No … Samba is known to us for more than 25 years. My parents believe him one hundred percent” Aradhya responded to the Officer.

***************

She heard footsteps behind her and when the Inspector grabbed a nearby chair and sat next to her, she didn’t move nor she lifted her eyes from the spot, she was looking at.

“Umm … Nice coffee” Said the cop after sipping the cup.

Probably, he knows that the coffee is untouched. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have touched the cup and some people will like thier coffee cold.

Smart … Isn’t he ?

Then, why is he unable to catch the burglar even after a week ? She saw his sheer brilliance on day one. His deduction of crime !

And, if he is uable to nab the culprit, it meant only one thing: He doesn’t want the person to be caught.

“What ? You are lost deep in thought. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely arrest the burglar … Very soon” said the Inspector placing his hand on her. As his hand touched hers, a torrent of emotions passed through her.

Aaradhya opene her mouth and uttered: “Inspector, I know who the burglar is”

The cop looked at her in suprise. Now, she looked straight at him and said: “You are the burglar”

The cop dropped the coffee-cup and looked at her.

“You are the one who made shoe-prints at the bedroom window to convince that the burglar has returned. Now, I can see the same shoe impression here. ” She looked at the Inspector’s shoes, as he slid them underneath the chair.

“The same happened to your right-hand … Freshly bruised. Happened when you broke the lock at the back-gate. Again to convince that the burglar had returned, while he is nowhere to be seen. The real question here is Inspector, why did you do that ?”

The Inspector stood from his chair “Aaradhya, let me explain. I admit that the shoe-print and the lock-thing is mine, but the burglar-thing is not mine”

“I know” said Aararhya to the Inspector whose face is nlw fully apologetic.

“How come you – ”

Before the cop spoke, she asked: “Who is the real culplrit, Officer ?”

The police officer took a few steps and stood at the far-edge of the balcony that overlook the front-yard. Aaradhya stood next to him and saw Samba far below trimming the lawn.

“I caught a glimlse of the burglar on day one itself .. From this” He opened his holster and tossed something into air. The evening Sun casted it’s golden yellow light on it and it shined.
“What’s that ?”

“Come with me, please” The Officer led her downstairs. They both stood at the front-yard and the cop placed it in Aaradhya’s hand. She now understood what it is that shined, back at the blacony: A broken glass piece !

“This came from there” The Inspector motioned towards the window-glass.

“As the burglary was committed, there’s a good chance that some pieces are deposited on the burglar’s clothes, as he broke the glass. Also, I caught sight of some thin threads which got stuck at the edges of the glass. As the burglar tried to climb through the broken window, the sharp edges must have teared a good portion of his clothing. My first impression is … It is a sweater and very expensive … By the wool threads, I extracted. There’s no way that this poor burglar have purchased such a costly sweater, so it must have been gifted to him. I recalled a charity event from last-week which I’ve been invited and I missed. I reached the office of the Missionaries Of Charity and met Sister Lesley. After proper inquiry, she told me about the event which gifted sweaters in the poor neighborhood of Afzal Gunj. I explained to her about the burglary and as our suspect is young, she remembered at once the only kid from the group they gifted presents. His name is Sai, an orphan. I assured her that I will not harm him and it took time to convince her.

So, we reached Afzal Gunj slum-area and went into the house of this kid named Sai. Sister introduced me as Father Richard who came for a house-visit in the area. She took him outside, while I searched the only room in the house. A woolen sweater hung … torn at the collar. I retrieved some of the thread and noticed that there are blood stains too. His hand must have been injured while climbing through the window. There is a sediment of blood on the window’s edges of the mansion. I collected the evidence. And, while I left the slum, I shook the hand of Sai and noticed that it is freshly cut. I sent three samples to CFL for reports”

“CFL?” Aaradhya looked puzzled.

“CFL … Central Forensics Laboratory at Taranaka. I have the blood-swab, the glass pieces and the threads from the sweater, all of them in two seperate samples. Thier report concluded that the glass matched with the one from the mansion”

“Really? How come …” The seriousness in Aaradhya’s voice vanished and curiosity began to appear.

“Every glass has a Refractive Index (RI) which is unique in it’s own way ”

“Like a fingerprint?” questioned Aaradhya to which the officer replied yes.

“And, the RI matched with the one in the mansion. Not only the glass, both the wool and blood at the crime-scene matched with the originals. So, this is it Aaradhya. A poor boy and a slum-dweller named Sai is the real burglar. Sister Lesley asked me a favour and I am asking you the same favour: Forgive him. He’s an orphan, small kid … Police-case and arrests will ruin his childhood. He did this burglary unknowingly. The Sister promised me that she will turn him into a God-fearing boy.”

“Hmm … OK, We will leave him” Said Aaradhya and continued “But, why did Inspector Vimal Jain created a fake shoe-print and broke the back-door lock …. ?”

“I … I … Aaradhya, let me explain … I”

“Ah ? I know why … Inspector Vimal Jain likes Aaradhya. Though the suspect is zeroed in one day one itself, he faked the evidence to have a reason to visit this mansion. So, that he can see Aaradhya. So, that he can talk to Aaradhya. He runs this case on purpose: He hopes one day, he will impress Aaradhya. Am I right, Inspector ?”

Before the cop answered, the smartphone on the table rang and Aaradhya answered it.

“Yes … Maa … OK .. Aha … Okay, say that again. I can’t hear you” With that she turned on the speaker. An old woman’s voice came from the phone.

“Beta … I am sending a pic of Rajiv. Rajiv Malhotra, IAS, working at Coorg. See the details and tell your opinion”

“OK … Ma … Teekey … ” She hung the phone and turned to the Inspector: “See … Inspector my parents are sending pics … For … Marriage. And, what should I do Inspector ? Should I say yes ?”

She looked at the him mockingly. The Inspector showed desperation.

She dialled her mother with the speaker on “Maa … I don’t want you to search for any boys. I have found the one. I will call you later” She hung the phone and looked at the cop.

“Inspector Vimal Jain, I don’t know about the burglar of this mansion. But, I know about the burglar of my heart. The one who intruded my heart with emotions and feelings. You … You are the real burglar. You stole my heart. Forget your Forensics and crime-deduction … A girl’s heart is more powerful than these and she she can sense who is attracted to her ”

Calm and peace returned to the Officers’ face.

“So, I have two cases on my hand right now. Case One … The burglar is identified. So, the case is closed. And, Case Two … There is a burglar who entered into Aaradhya’s life. ”

“So, will you solve Case Two … Officer ?” Asked Aaradhya smiling.

“Looks like I need to start my investigation ” Said the Officer and he placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer. And, as Samba stopped his trimming of the lawn, he looked up and bet he saw the silhouette of a couple in the balcony in the fading light of the evening doing something … Kissing.