The Strange Case of Vanishing Memories-FACT-08
The Young Detectives of Dehradun
Final Countdown 2
At noon, when the police station was busiest, the FACT Team walked confidently through the front doors. Amily carried a folder with “missing pet” photos (printed from the internet), while Tiger had their audio recording saved on his phone, ready to play if they found the right person to trust.
The public area was crowded with people filing various reports and complaints. The friends split up casually, with Faisal and Chaitra approaching the complaint desk while Amily and Tiger positioned themselves where they could observe the officers coming and going.
“We’d like to file a report about missing pets in our neighborhood,” Chaitra told the desk officer sweetly. “Several animals have disappeared, and we’re very worried.”
As the officer began taking down their information, Amily nudged Tiger sharply. Through the glass partition separating the public area from the main police office, they could see their target – the fake Dr. Verma – but now he was in police uniform with inspector’s insignia.
“Inspector Mohan Sharma,” Tiger read quietly from the nameplate on the man’s desk. “Now we know who he really is.”
But their reconnaissance was interrupted when Inspector Sharma looked up and saw them through the glass. His face went through a series of expressions – surprise, recognition, and then cold calculation.
He stood up and walked toward the public area with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Well, well, what a surprise,” he said loudly enough for other officers to hear. “The young animal lovers! I told you children yesterday that I would handle the investigation into those missing pets.”
The FACT Team felt trapped. They couldn’t reveal what they knew without putting themselves in danger, but they also couldn’t just leave now that he’d seen them.
Chaitra’s natural charm came to their rescue. “Oh, Inspector Sharma! We didn’t realize you were the same person. We just wanted to make sure there was an official report filed. Our parents insisted.”
“Of course, of course,” Inspector Sharma said smoothly. “Very responsible. Officer Gupta, I’ll handle this report personally since I’m already familiar with the case.”
Before they could object, he was leading them into a side office, away from the other officers and the public area. The friends’ hearts pounded as they realized they’d walked right into the spider’s web.
“Now then,” Inspector Sharma said, closing the door behind them, “I think it’s time we had an honest conversation.”
Faisal stepped slightly in front of his friends. “About what, sir?”
“About why four clever children keep showing up wherever they shouldn’t be,” Inspector Sharma replied. “About why you asked questions at the animal shelter, the veterinary clinic, and the tea stalls. About why you were seen near the railway warehouse yesterday.”
The friends exchanged quick glances. He’d been tracking their investigation the whole time.
“Sir, we were just worried about the missing pets,” Amily said carefully.
Inspector Sharma laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “Oh, I’m sure you were. And I’m sure you didn’t hear anything interesting during your… concern for animal welfare.”
Tiger made a split-second decision. “Actually, sir, we did hear something. That’s why we came to report it officially.”
He pulled out his phone and played a few seconds of the recording – just enough to show they had evidence, but not enough to reveal everything.
Inspector Sharma’s face went pale, then flushed with anger. “Where did you get that?”
“Does it matter?” Chaitra asked boldly. “What matters is that it proves you’ve been stealing from the evidence room and planning to destroy police files.”
For a moment, Inspector Sharma looked like he might lose control entirely. Then his police training kicked in, and his expression became coldly professional.
“You children have no idea what you’re dealing with,” he said quietly. “That recording proves nothing without context. And sadly, four young troublemakers are about to have a terrible accident while trespassing in a dangerous warehouse.”
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