Thursday, Evening
‘So, what do we do now?’ Kabir asked Aditya after he had heard the entire story.
‘Now we wait,’ Aditya replied. On the one hand, Aditya couldn’t believe his hero could be involved in anything so devious. On the other, though, he was feeling pretty pleased with himself for having overheard Punit Singh’s phone conversation and contributing this big clue to their investigations. He knew he didn’t actually do anything to get this information; in fact, his standing under the window at the precise moment that Punit had been having the guilty conversation had been nothing but sheer luck. But it had been his luck and not Kabir’s or Akriti’s. That pleased him.
‘What if it is not Punit Singh?’ Akriti asked. The genius in her wanted to hedge her bets. ‘If we wait till noon tomorrow and then find out that Punit is not our kidnapper, we won’t have any time left to follow up with any other leads or suspects.’
‘How can it not be Punit? Didn’t he clearly say that whatever he did last night was enough to make Rahul and Rhea want to kill him?’ Aditya asked.
‘True. Punit sounds 100% guilty,’ Kabir said. ‘However, I think Akriti is right too. We should continue to investigate the case instead of letting our guard down.’
‘Agreed. But I am telling you, it is Punit Singh,’ Aditya said.
‘I always knew Rahul was a better guy. I told you too. But you never listened to me. For you it was always Punit, Punit, Punit,’ mocked Kabir.
‘Shut up, Kabir, this is not the time for bickering,’ Akriti cut in. She looked at Aditya, ‘Isn’t Punit Singh one of the best players of our team? Why would he kidnap Pingu? What could be the motive?’ In an article she had read online, an expert had stated that every crime committed had a motive behind it.
‘He is. He is the second best in the team!’ Kabir added excitedly.
‘So?’ Akriti asked.
‘So, he is the best performer after Rahul!’ Kabir replied, a gleeful look on his face. ‘Which means he has a lot to gain if Rahul, the captain of the team, does not perform in tomorrow’s match! India as it is, is not having a good run. They have lost a lot of matches recently. If Rahul loses this series also or if he underperforms, there is a good chance that Rahul may not remain captain. In which case, Punit gets the captaincy. Isn’t that reason enough?’