Chapter 5- The Man Who Smiled Too Much.

The news hit Officer Veer like a slap.

He stared at the fingerprint report again, unable to believe it.

The metal button found at the train station — the one with the strange symbol — had clear prints on it.

And those prints belonged to someone he saw every day.

Mr. Ramesh Patel.

The owner of the town bakery.

The same man who gave children free cookies, laughed loudly at every joke, and always wore a pink shirt.

People called him “Happy Patel” because of his never-ending smile.

But now… that smile felt fake.

Veer picked up the phone. “Monika, you need to hear this.”

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Monika and Reeva sat in Reeva’s small living room.

The curtains were closed. A table fan buzzed softly in the background.

Monika sipped water and listened to Reeva's heartbeat — not with her ears, but with her eyes.

Reeva was still shaking a little.

When Monika’s phone rang, she answered immediately.

“Speak.”

Veer’s voice came fast. “The button’s fingerprints matched Ramesh Patel.”

Monika stood up. “The bakery owner?”

“Yes. And there’s more. We checked his travel history. He was at City Central last week — the same day the victim arrived.”

Monika didn’t respond. She was already putting on her coat.

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Back at the bakery, Mr. Patel was humming as he arranged sweet buns on the shelf. He wore his usual big smile, joking with a young customer.

But when Monika and Officer Veer walked in together, the room went silent.

“Good morning, officers!” Patel smiled. “Care for a donut? It’s fresh!”

Monika didn’t smile back.

“Can we talk… privately?” she asked.

They went into the back room. The air smelled of sugar, flour… and nervousness.

Monika placed the metal button on the table.

“Do you recognize this?”

Patel looked at it and laughed nervously. “No, no. What is it?”

“We found it at the station,” Veer added. “It has your fingerprints.”

The smile on Patel’s face faded — just for a second.

Then returned. “Maybe I dropped it. I go to the station sometimes… delivery runs.”

Monika’s voice was calm. “Did you deliver a murder, Mr. Patel?”

He laughed again — louder this time. “Are you accusing me of killing someone? Me?”

“Someone with a scar was seen watching a witness,” Monika said, stepping closer. “And last week, you were in the same city as our victim. You have 30 seconds to tell me the truth, before I search this shop.”

For the first time, the smile disappeared completely.

Mr. Patel's hands trembled.

Then, without warning — he ran.

Out the back door. Down the narrow alley behind the bakery.

“Stay here!” Monika told Veer and chased him without hesitation.

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It was raining slightly now.

Monika ran through the wet streets, her boots splashing in puddles. Patel was fast, but not smart.

He turned into a dead-end street — and stopped, panting.

Monika didn’t even pull out her weapon.

“You ran,” she said. “That’s enough proof.”

“I didn’t kill him!” he shouted. “I just gave someone a package. I didn’t know he would die!”

“Who?” Monika asked. “Who gave you the package?”

Patel shook his head. “They said not to speak. They promised money. I didn’t know it was poison!”

Monika stepped closer. “Was it the man with the scar?”

He looked terrified.

“He’s not just a man,” Patel whispered. “He’s part of something bigger. He has… people. Watching everything.”

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Later that night, Monika sat alone in her room, writing in her notebook.

“Ramesh Patel: not the killer, but a helper. Paid by someone else. A group? A network?”

She tapped her pen.

Across town, Reeva found something strange in her backyard — a small plastic bag buried under a flower pot.

Inside it… was a photo.

The man in the red scarf.

And beside him, standing like a friend — her school’s librarian.

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🧣 To be continued in Chapter 6: “Secrets in the Library”

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