Coffee With Stranger

The Clue

"I want to meet Mr. Gayakwad, where is he?" I asked the policeman standing outside the police station.

"He is there, go inside from there and then take the first right." the policeman guided me while pointing his hand at the door. The main entrance was a few blocks away from the border.

When I entered the hall, the man was shouting in a mobile phone using slang words.

The other side on the bench, there were few people sitting and waiting for their turn to come. They looked so disgusting so I avoided joining the queue and went on the table next to the benches.

"I want to meet Mr. Gayakwad, I am Isha, I had called him before some time," I said to the uniformed officer behind the table.

The officer pressed a button, "Isha is here to see you" he said into his microphone. A tiny reply leaked from his headphone.
"Send her in."

I have never been to the police station before. I only saw it in Bollywood movies. It was quite resembling with what I had an image of the police station in my mind.

I knocked on the half door. "Come in" called the voice from inside. I went through a half door. Gayakwad was on the phone, pointed to a chair. I sat. Gayakwad was a perfect example of a policeman. The heaviness of the face, the tight slims of the shirt, the too tightness of the too-tight suit.

He said goodbye on the phone, hung up, gazed across the desk. "Miss Isha, I was expecting you sooner or later."

"So tell me what the connection was," Gayakwad said. "Connection?"
"Between you two."

"No connection except for that we were good friends and colleagues," I replied.

"I am here for something else." I placed all the anonymous notes with the envelopes on his table. Gayakwad leafed through the notes.

"What is this all about?"

"These are the anonymous notes I have been receiving for the last few months," I replied.

"Old grudges?"

"Not exactly, I didn't have any grudges with anyone. I always broke the relation with due regards."

"And the thing is, the person had called me twice on coffee date but he never turned up. I don't know the motive behind calling me for the coffee date."

"I went for the second time thinking he might show up his repulsive face at least today. Such a coward!"

"This seems to be a one-sided love, Romeo like."

"Miss. Isha, let's discuss one thing in straight," Gayakwad held his hand up, not particularly long, but wide and thick. The pinkie ring dug deep into his flesh.

"You and Vivan were into a relationship."

"A serious relationship, right?"  The skin on Gayakwad's face seems to be tight for a while. Then he smiled.

"You are right. We were into a relationship. But then we broke up as Vivan betrayed me."

"Thank you, Isha, for acknowledging that. Anything special you would like me to know about you both?"

"No, I have nothing to hide," I replied.

"Who all knows about these anonymous notes except you?"

"Only Payal and Vivan also was." I didn't utter Siddhartha's name at that moment as I didn't want to drag him into all these.

"A girl like you in a town like this, going to be obtrusive." He rose, pushing himself from the desk.

"We need to figure this out first. This must have some connection with the murder."