Chapter 3- Footprints and Fingerprints

The morning air in Maplewood felt different.

It wasn’t the usual fresh breeze.

It was heavy.

Like the town was holding its breath.

At exactly 9:00 a.m., a long black car stopped near the tea shop.

The door opened… and out stepped Detective Monika S. Rao.

She wore a deep maroon coat, black boots, and round sunglasses.

She didn’t walk — she moved like she knew the truth was already waiting.

People stared. Children pointed. A teenager whispered, “She looks like someone from a Netflix series!”

Mrs. Pinto came out of her tea shop holding a tray of tea but stopped midway.

Her mouth was open. “So young… and so serious.”

But Monika didn’t smile. Not yet.

She went straight to the park.

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Under the old banyan tree, the police had closed the area. Yellow tape surrounded the spot where the body had been found.

Monika knelt down quietly.

The dry leaves hadn’t been cleaned. Good.

She scanned the ground with sharp eyes. Then turned to Officer Veer.

“Did you check under the bench?” she asked calmly.

“We did. Nothing was there.”

She didn’t reply. Instead, she pulled a pen from her coat and gently lifted the corner of the bench seat.

Her fingers stopped.

There, hidden in the shadows, was a small plastic packet.

Inside — a folded piece of paper.

She opened it slowly.

Everyone leaned in.

It wasn’t a letter.

It was a map.

But not of the park.

Not of Maplewood.

It was a rough sketch of a train station.

“Someone was planning to go somewhere,” she murmured, “or… was trying to make us think that.”

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Not far from there, Reeva walked nervously toward the police station.

Her sketchbook was hugged tightly to her chest.

She had made up her mind.

She needed to talk to the detective. She needed to show her what she saw.

Reeva had barely slept.

All night she kept seeing that man’s face.

The red scarf.

The shadow behind the bench.

The scar on the face of the second figure.

Her hands were shaking, but she kept walking.

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At the park, Monika stood up and looked around.

She noticed something strange. The dirt path behind the tree had two sets of footprints.

One deep, heavy, walking straight.

One light and small — like someone had stood there and then turned away quickly.

She pulled out her notebook and sketched the pattern.

Officer Veer watched, amazed.

“She finds things we don’t even notice,” he thought.

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At that moment, Reeva arrived at the scene.

She saw Monika from a distance — tall, calm, and glowing with confidence.

But as she stepped forward, she tripped on a loose stone and fell.

Her sketchbook flew from her hands.

Monika walked over silently, picked it up, and flipped it open.

She saw Reeva’s drawing — the man in the red scarf, and the shadow with the scar.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“You saw this?” she asked.

Reeva nodded, nervous. “I didn’t know what to do… I was scared.”

“You’re brave to come here,” Monika said gently. “What you’ve drawn… might change everything.”

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Back at the station, Monika gave her orders.

“Send this sketch to the lab. Get me the list of people who traveled from Maplewood Station in the last 7 days. And Veer… tell your team: trust no one. Not even the ones who smile too much.”

Officer Veer nodded. She was in charge now.

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That evening, Monika sat alone at the tea shop.

Mrs. Pinto brought her tea without asking.

“You’re not what I expected,” she said. “You’re even better.”

Monika gave her the smallest smile.

Then her phone buzzed.

A message from a hidden number:

“You’re clever, Miss Detective. But not clever enough.”

She stared at it, then typed back just three words:

“We’ll see soon.”

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🧣 To be continued in Chapter 4: “The Shadow with the Scar”

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