Chapter 10: Unveiling the Darkness

Pranav and Thameem raced towards the church, the imposing stone building looming large against the darkened sky. The steel gate creaked as they entered, and immediately, an eerie sense of dread settled over them. They were caught by surprise when they saw Father Russow busily loading a van with food supplies and camping gear, instructing the children from the church to board the medium-sized bus.

“Father Russow,” Pranav called out, still bewildered by the sight. “Where are you heading?”

Father Russow looked up, his usual warm smile gracing his face. “Ah, Inspector Pranav! Welcome, welcome! I’m just packing up for a short trip to Mahabalipuram. The children love the sunrise and sunset, so I try to take them on trips twice a week—Fridays and Sundays,” he explained, waving to the workers to continue loading the van.

Pranav exchanged a glance with Thameem and approached the Father. “That sounds lovely, Father. But we need to speak to you about something important.”

Father Russow paused in his tasks, his expression turning curious. “Important? Well, can’t we talk after the trip? I’ll be back by nine.”

Pranav’s tone hardened slightly, realizing the gravity of what they were about to reveal. “We could, Father, but I think you should hear this now. The new victim—the girl we found—had a chain wrapped tightly around her neck, strangling her to death. Would you like to see it?”

The Father’s face paled instantly. His hands, which had been loading the bus, froze mid-movement. The jovial atmosphere around them seemed to evaporate as silence descended over the scene.

“What do you mean, Inspector?” Father Russow asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Pranav took out his phone and pulled up the image of the chain. “This chain, Father. It’s the same one that Mr. Vargees gifted the orphans on his daughter’s funeral day. Does this look familiar to you?”

Father Russow’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the photo. After a long pause, he slowly nodded. “Yes… yes, it looks like the ones we gave to the children,” he said, his voice shaking slightly.

“Let’s discuss this inside,” Pranav suggested, gesturing towards the church doors.

Father Russow signaled to the helpers, telling them to keep the children on the bus. As they walked towards the church entrance, Pranav noticed two helpers carefully assisting Richard, Father Russow’s son, towards the bus.

“Be careful, be careful!” Father Russow called out to the helpers.

As Richard limped past them, he gave Pranav a strange, crooked smile, one that sent a chill down Pranav’s spine. Something about the boy’s demeanor felt off. Pranav’s investigative instincts kicked in as he observed Richard more closely, noticing the absence of the chain around his neck—the very chain all the children were supposed to wear.

Pranav’s mind raced. The missing chain. The smile. The limp. The pieces were starting to come together, but not yet. He followed Father Russow into his office, the tension building.

Once seated, Father Russow sighed heavily. “Inspector, I assure you, we have nothing to hide. But what exactly is this about?”

Pranav leaned forward, his voice low and serious. “Father, we’re not here to accuse you of anything. But the chain we found on the murder victim—one of the chains gifted by Mr. Vargees—was missing from the collection you handed out to the orphans. We need to clarify why.”

Father Russow furrowed his brow and stood up, walking towards a small box on a nearby shelf. He opened it and began counting the remaining chains. After a few moments, his face grew even more somber. “There should be five extra chains here, Inspector. But one is missing.”

Pranav immediately stood up. “Father, I need you to deboard all the children from the bus. We need to check if every child is wearing their chain.”

Reluctantly, Father Russow nodded and instructed the children to step out of the van. As they did, Pranav handed Thameem a signal. “Check every child for the chain,” he whispered.

Thameem moved quickly, scanning each child’s neck for the chain while Pranav stayed back, flipping through the student register. After about 15 minutes, Thameem returned, reporting, “All the children are wearing the chain, sir.”

Pranav paused, frowning. “Are you sure you checked Richard?”

Thameem nodded. “Yes, sir. He’s wearing one as well.”

Pranav’s eyes darkened with suspicion. “I didn’t see him wearing the chain when he walked by earlier.”

With a sense of urgency, Pranav turned to Father Russow. “Father, I need to see Richard’s private room.”

Father Russow’s face tightened, his calm demeanor beginning to crack. “Inspector, I can show you the room, but if you want to conduct a proper investigation, you’ll need a search warrant. This is mentally exhausting for the children, and I won’t let you upset their peace.”

Pranav forced a smile, though his eyes remained cold. “We’re not at that stage yet, Father. I just want to have a look.”

Father Russow sighed, clearly frustrated but not wanting to escalate the situation. “Fine, follow me.”

The Father led them down a dim corridor, where the air felt colder and heavier. When they reached Richard’s room, the Father stopped at the entrance. “I can’t let you investigate, but you may look around.”

Pranav’s eyes scanned the room, the small window letting in only a sliver of sunlight. As his gaze roamed over the simple furniture and personal items, something caught his eye—a limp person’s boot poking out from the far corner of the room.

Casually, Pranav took out his phone, zoomed in on the boot, and snapped a photo without anyone noticing.

“Thank you, Father. May I also get the record book?”

Father Russow hesitated. “I can’t give it to you. It’s against our guidelines. But you may take pictures of the pages.”

Pranav obliged, photographing the student register in its entirety. As he turned to leave, he asked one final question. “Where were you the day before yesterday, Father?”

“I told you already,” Father Russow replied, his voice calm but tired. “Every Friday and Sunday, I take the children to see the sunrise and sunset. I was with them the whole day.”

“You traveled in the van?” Pranav asked, a slight edge to his voice.

“Of course. How else would I get there with 20 children?” Father Russow replied, his tone growing slightly defensive.

Pranav nodded slowly. “Thank you for your time, Father. Sorry for the intrusion, but I have a feeling the next time we meet, I won’t need to apologize.”

With that, Pranav and Thameem exited the church and climbed back into their vehicle. As Father Russow loaded the children into the bus, Pranav’s mind was racing.

“Sir, what do you think?” Thameem asked, glancing over at him. “I understand that the chain is suspicious, but… you warned me about confirmation bias. Isn’t that what we’re doing here?”

Pranav smiled, his eyes still locked on the departing church bus. “No, Thameem. Let’s get back to the station, and I’ll explain.”

They arrived at the station, and Pranav wasted no time heading straight to his office. Thameem followed, still unsure of Pranav’s line of thinking.

“Just look at these dots, Thameem,” Pranav said, placing his phone on the table. “Father Russow said he takes the children to see the sunrise and sunset, but what happens in between? My gut tells me Father Russow knows more than he’s letting on.”

“But how can you be so sure?” Thameem asked.

“Take a look at this,” Pranav said, handing his phone to Thameem.

Thameem scrolled through the photos, his eyes widening. “Sir… is it Richard ?”

Pranav turned to face him, a knowing smile on his lips. “It might be, Thameem. It just might be.”