11 LET THE PAIN EXIST

17TH JAN, 2017; 2.10 P.M.

Everything apart from Dhruv was silent in the interrogation room! Dhruv was laughing from the time he revealed the great truth. Shiv never had control over the whole thing but he always had control over himself but with what Dhruv concluded out of all the things, Dhruv took over the entire game, he found the weak point, a point to break Shiv! This was going to be Dhruv's trump card from now on!

Dhruv(laughing): MAN! Can't believe you were trying to hide this shit the whole time! I mean, THE DICKHEAD IS DEAD! Ha ha ha!

Rathod(in low voice): That's my son you are talking about Dhruv, and he is dead! A little sympathy is all that I expect from you!

Dhruv: FUCK SYMPATHY! I have seen way too many deaths in a while; nothing really surprises me anymore, I mean this news did surprise me but I am not shocked to hear it though, asshole had it coming all the time and after whatever we spoke in a while, I am the last person to expect any sympathy. I can share my pain with you Rathod Saheb. But don't expect sympathy, it's expensive!

Rathod: PAIN? What do you even know about it? Do you know how it feels losing your son? I found his body this morning and instead of doing arrangements for his last rituals, I am sitting here interrogating you. Do you even know what I am going through? Do you know how it feels to love someone? (Holds to Dhruv's collar and in high tone) I LOVED HIM!! HE WAS MY FUCKING SON! And you did this to him!..

Dhruv: We have gone through this, it wasn't me!

Rathod: SHUT UP!!!

Dhruv: Oh okay! Complete yourself first then.

Rathod: TELL ME! How did you kill him?

Dhruv: You mean Shreyash?

Rathod(Shouts): NO! MY SON!

Dhruv: COOL THE FUCK DOWN OLD MAN! I won't say it again, please open your ears, clean if there's some dirt inside, I DID NOT KILL YOUR SON!

Rathod: THEN WHO THE FUCK IT COULD POSSIBLY BE!

Dhruv: YOU!!

Rathod: Wha…what..what are you implying?

Dhruv: OH! Now all that rage of yours is confusion, huh? I say it's you and in a span of a second you go blank! Shouldn't that count as a hint that you are hiding something?

Rathod: Hiding what?

Dhruv: You are a police officer, who knows how many skeletons are hidden inside that small head of yours.

Rathod: GET TO THE POINT DIPSHIT!!

Dhruv: FINE! I think it's you who killed Vikram.

Rathod: And I AM ASKING, WHY IS THAT!!?

Dhruv: I have a theory. Let's start with why you think it's me? Because you know Vikram was directly connected to all three boys. Most probably you even suspected him as you never had me at the time. And if you are any good at your job, then you should have known that Vikram was the most qualified candidate to be killed next and yet, no security? NO PRECAUTIONS TAKEN!..... I mean it's quite clear from his death, isn't it? And it's not like he is just a kid from school, NO! HE IS YOUR FUCKING SON!! But let's assume, you didn't know about their connection but you had the knowledge that 3 boys were dead already. So as a parent it should have been your first intuition to send him to his mother. And yeah I know you had a bad divorce and your son decided to stay with you and all that bullshit but still you could have done that.

Rathod: I see where you're getting to.

Dhruv: I am sure you do!... Being very honest with you, I don't really have an idea of what your motive can be. But but… as you know I am a very great detective, I have a vague idea what your motive can be.

Rathod: And what's that?

Dhruv: Guilt!... As I said, maybe you suspected your son at a point and found something. Like even a small thing that made you feel like he is the one you are searching for, and the emotion of guilt is enough to get the work done.

Rathod: A bunch of bullshit you make up in that head of yours!

Dhruv: Bullshit only because it's partially true. Something is there, in your heart that you aren't letting out! WHAT IS IT OFFICER?

Rathod: Nothing!

Dhruv: You thought he did it!!?

Rathod: NO!..

Dhruv: You thought he killed them?

Rathod: I SAID NO!

Dhruv: You had some other reasons?

Rathod: NO NO NO! NO OTHER REASONS!

Dhruv: YOU WERE DISAPPOINTED IN HIM!??

Rathod: YEAH I WAS! I REGRETTED THAT KID!

Dhruv: BINGO! You have a motive now, DISGUST!!!

Rathod: FUCK YOU! I know what you are thinking, "Disappointed Father who regretted having that son would not mind killing his deranged son under the camouflage of these serial killings" yeah that's what you are thinking, right? I wasn't happy with what he became at this time, and I was unhappy with what he was doing with his life.

Dhruv: You talking about the drugs?

Rathod: You know?

Dhruv: Literally everyone knew about it.

Rathod: Yeah I wasn't happy about his drug use; it was growing day by day, I tried! But my work came in my way; I wasn't able to focus on him as I should have. And it wasn't like I didn't try to put him with his mother, but the mad woman just won't take him with her!

Dhruv: Why is that?

Rathod: With divorce, our kids also were split. Vikram came with me, and Rohan went with her.

Dhruv : Rohan….Your second son?

Rathod: Yeah! He is 15, my wife or should I say ex wife!

Dhruv: Ex wife would be better.

Rathod: Yeah whatever! My ex wife thought having Vikram with her after knowing his drug use would be a bad idea. She thought he would make a bad influence on Rohan.

Dhruv: Now I see why you didn't bother your wife in this little crisis in the first place.

Rathod: Yeah!.... I did not... kill… MY SON! He was an awful person. But.. but I loved him! I JUST FUCKING LOVED HIM!... He.. he wasn't this bad always, he was a good kid!.... Really good in football! The way that idiot smiled used to make my day.... Don't know what went wrong; he was no more the kid I once loved, he.. he CHANGED! Maybe it had something to do with me or maybe it was..

Dhruv: OK OK OK! Enough of going through memory lane and having a guilt trip. Just cut it off! I was expecting something thrilling and not this drama! " OH my son died! You killed him! No no no it wasn't me!" just STFU!

Rathod: STFU?

Dhruv: SHUT THE FUCK UP!

Rathod: Why are you like this? No guilt, no regrets, no pain, NOTHING! You are just hollow!

Dhruv: Shall I give you an advice officer?

Rathod: You think I will take advice from a cold hearted murderer like you!?

Dhruv: Can't really be sure about it.

Rathod: Why even bother then?

Dhruv: Because after this little monologue you just gave me about being hollow and having no pain, I feel you need it.

Rathod (exhales): Fine….SPIT IT OUT!

Dhruv: Do you know, what's that one thing that connects you, me and this shitty mess?

Rathod: Murders?

Dhruv: Oh! In that case, it makes two things. But no! It's not murders, IT'S PAIN!!!

Rathod: PAIN?

Dhruv: Yeah! It's pain that connects us, and there are few things you should know about pain!

Rathod: Like what?

Dhruv: It's inevitable! Whatever you do, you can never overcome it, just look at you! Even if you finish this case, can you ever overcome the loss of your son? Same goes with me, I can never get over this pain of mine. And here's the most important thing you should know about pain. You should let the pain exist in your life but just don't let your PAIN BE YOUR LIFE! Because when you do that, you create CHAOS!!

Rathod: Like the one you created?

Dhruv (smirking): Yeah… Like the one I created!

While Dhruv and Shiv were having their little chat in the interrogation room, Vijay had come back to the Police station. And he had a guest waiting for him in his cabin.

Patil: Oh you are here!

Girl: Yeah! Someone called me and said they wanted me to tell everything over again.

Patil: Yeah yeah I know. We want your official statement on things.

Girl: Oh okay! I am ready to cooperate.

Patil: GREAT! So, what do you want to say?

Girl: I was talking about Dhruv Shastri.