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Shadows on the Riverside

The fog rolled in thick over the riverside, swallowing the orange glow of street lamps and turning the quiet streets into ghostly corridors. Inspector Arjun Mehta lit a cigarette, the ember briefly illuminating the hardened lines on his face. He had been called to the scene just an hour ago—another body, and this time, the crime scene was stranger than usual.

The victim was a young journalist named Rhea Kapoor, found near the abandoned pier, her notebook missing, her camera smashed. There were no signs of struggle except for the faint impression of a hand around her neck, suggesting she hadn’t gone quietly.

Arjun knelt beside the body, noting the careful placement of Rhea’s hands—crossed over her chest, as if in a ritual. He frowned. This was no ordinary murder; it was deliberate, meticulous, almost theatrical.

“Inspector,” called Constable Iyer, breaking the silence. “Someone’s been here before us. Look at these footprints—they lead straight into the water but no one came out.”

Arjun’s brow furrowed. “Then our killer either knows the river well… or expects us to think they vanished.”

Back at the station, Arjun sifted through Rhea’s recent articles. She had been investigating a series of illegal land deals along the riverfront, implicating influential politicians and wealthy businessmen. The deeper she dug, the more enemies she must have made.

And then he found a message on her phone, unsent but clearly meant to reach someone: “They’re watching. Meet me at the old boathouse. Midnight. Bring proof.”

The old boathouse. Arjun’s gut tightened. He knew the place—deserted, falling apart, perfect for a meeting that had gone wrong.

That night, he went there alone. Rain streaked his coat as he approached, footsteps echoing on the wooden planks. Inside, shadows danced across walls streaked with mold and graffiti. And then he saw it—a folder lying on the floor.

Arjun opened it carefully. Inside were photos of shady transactions, signed documents, and, most chillingly, a list of names. Among them were politicians, developers, and someone from the police department—someone high-ranking.

A creak behind him made him spin. A figure stepped out from the shadows: tall, lean, face partially hidden by a hood. “Inspector Mehta,” the figure said calmly. “You’re in over your head.”

“Who are you?” Arjun demanded.

“I’m the one cleaning up the mess your system refuses to touch,” the figure replied. “Rhea found out too much. She wasn’t supposed to survive.”

Arjun realized the folder had been a trap. Whoever killed Rhea wanted the investigation diverted. “And the river?” he asked.

The figure smirked. “A perfect exit. You’d think the river swallowed her. But she left breadcrumbs… a little game for those clever enough to follow.”

Arjun’s mind raced. “Why leave clues?”

“Because I want you to play,” the figure said, backing toward the shadows. “Find the evidence. Expose them. But beware… not everyone you trust will survive.”

The figure vanished into the night, leaving Arjun with the folder and a gnawing sense of dread.

Over the next days, Arjun worked tirelessly, connecting dots between corrupt officials, shell companies, and bribes. Every step forward brought danger closer. Anonymous threats, cars following him, calls with only heavy breathing on the other end—someone wanted him off the trail.

Finally, he gathered enough proof to confront the chief minister himself, documents in hand, evidence irrefutable. But before he could leave, a fire broke out in his apartment. Arjun barely escaped, realizing someone in the department had been feeding information to the killers.

Cornered but determined, Arjun decided to release everything to the press anonymously. Within hours, news outlets exploded with stories of corruption, bribery, and cover-ups. The city was in chaos, the guilty scrambling.

But even as the authorities began arrests, Arjun couldn’t shake one truth—the figure at the boathouse was still out there, orchestrating events from the shadows, waiting for the next move.

The fog rolled over the river again, thicker this time, hiding secrets that would never fully surface. And Inspector Arjun Mehta, bruised but unbroken, knew one thing—crime never sleeps, and neither would he.

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