Infidelity

Officer Officer

"Officer Islam, why do you want to interview the entire office ?

Let's remember you were once a senior investigative office but then you had voluntarily shifted to patroling. So while I appreciate the distraught mother wanting you on the team you can not simply call the shots here. We will interview only her department and that in itself has over twenty assistants attached to different teams. "

Yet a week went by Investigative Officer Janis had not yet scheduled the interviews. Officer Islam knew that it was precious time lost and Officer Janis was saying he was busy while he was being dined by the CEO. He knew that Janis was a good cop but the power of the CEO was getting in his head. He hated complaining about his colleagues but today he had done that. It was interesting to note what their Head Nat said.

"Let them dine and wine that fool. You go and start interviewing the employees. All of them if you want. And next time don't wait for a week. We are losing precious time and giving much comfort to the .. killer."

Officer Islam chose that evening to interview . It was a misnomer that he was a soft Cop. He was an extraordinary investigative Cop. Officer Nat said to his colleague, " I am not sure what this case will show up as. But I want Officer Islam to be given free hand. Let that i***t Janis do all the wining and dining. He knew the memo? Why did he not tell me that Officer Islam was listening to his foolishness. He is not that much an i***t. "

Officer Sacra looked sheepish, " He had called twice yesterday and I said I will pick it up with you. "

"Pick it up with me? Indo not have time for your foolish possessiveness Sacra. You put Jania on direct hot line with me and move youself from the role of my assistant."

Sacra walked away swiftly. She did not point out that Officer Nat had been undercover for almost the entire one week. It is best to accept she goofed up . And she hoped that it had not given the killer more time to fix everything and leave no clues. She knew she had to help Officer Isam move fast.

Officer Islam walked into the Office and saw both Officer Janis and Sacra. They sat down and drew a plan of the interviews or interrogations.. but they termed it interviews.

First came the team of Assistants that all direcly reported to the departments that they were aligned to. It appeared only Aline did not have a department. Her colleague Kruba explained ," She was initially the maternity cover for junior Accountant. That was two..no three years back and she was then assigned to our Branch office. But the Junior Accountant had a complication that put her life at risk and hence she went on a sabbatical. This was unplanned and Aline continued. You can reach out to the accounts team in the branch office for more details. But a year earlier they modernised the tools and the number of staff they required were much less. Aline was never really an assistant material and I understand she wanted to move into the accounts team back again . She did well there. Here she was not really a good fit. But still she put her head down and did well. I specially liked her. Then well I think they had a vacancy back in the accounts team and I think she had also appeared for interviews outside. I am not sure what happened. She had become slightly different for the last one month. One of our colleagues Rupa said she is in love and Aline blushed. I am not sure but Rupa said Aline does not look like a woman men will love .. I remembered that. Then ofcourse this happened.."

Rupa was next. She was pregnant and looked nervous. Officer Islam asked her to sit. She sat with difficulty before whispering, " Triplets.. I am having triplets. We just wanted a baby. Now the job he does.. my husband, Kishore, is at risk. He has 28 days to find another role or leave. Our visa to this country is linked to his job. I was upset when I said that no man will love Aline when they truly know her. I did not mean anything bad , it was just that I had showed a picture of my husband and she had smirked. Smirked as some women do when they see a man of colour. She thought him to be ugly but instead of saying it on my face she smirked. And vocally she said very nice and kind face. Your children would have a wonderful dad. But I could only see her smirk and the thought my three kids would be ugly too. Indie not wish her bad. Infact when everyone was encouraging her to have her mysteries, I told her that I always everything with my sister though she was miles away from us. And Runa my sister always does not assure me that all will be well but she tells me to be prepared and strong. She supports me even when I am a fool. Like she said that I was a fool to insist for a baby befor we had residency in the country. I told her to share with someone everything. They all thought it was a third world problem. But we do all need a mirror, don't we. And a mirror does not reflect the truth always. Means see if I dress up and make up well, you would not know that my face has spots from an allergic reaction to a drug during pregnancy. Similarly well people we meet make up too, a sister or someone can help us know the worst that can be. Why hide. Like she was evidently hiding. I did not mean her bad. I was also afraid that because of her perfect looks and soft nature of usually always saying a yes, people will forget my work and make her permanent during my maternity break."

Professor Islam thought about all the interviews in the night. She knew she had to again speak to Kruba and Rupa . The other assistants did not know add much value almost copying each other.

" I am shocked.I feel unsafe too. Aline was a nice lady. She looked very happy in the last few weeks and I think she was on a planned leave. Kruba was very close to her, she can tell you everything about Aline. ".

It actually took the twentieth person, a man named Rustom to add," Even Rupa was close to Aline. She was teaching her the work. Aline did not know anything about this job, dropping coffee on the CEO, giving the wrong report, staring at the men, she was a mess. Even Kruba washed her hands off Aline. She had good recommendation from our Branch office but the head office glamour went into her head. Well, I will also say this that she possibly fell in love a little with the CEO. Rupa knows the work best you know! Anyways Rupa told me one day that Rustom I am going to help this girl. I knew immediately it was not a recipe for success. We are immigrants, first generation . People may like our work but they will not like our help. It appeared I was wrong at first but then I realised that I was indeed correct. ."

Rustom kept quiet after that and it took a lot of cajoling for him to speak again , " Rupa is my friend , the only friend I made in this office and through her husband is my friend too. He is rather ordinary to look at but boy that girl is proud of her husband and showed his pictures. I later overheard Aline laugh with other assistants on his ugly he was. I never knew Aline to be unkind. May be she had a fascination for beauty. Or a fascination for just being happy. There is nothing that

He paused and continued, " but to do it to someone who had helped you learn work was not kind. I think the other assistants played a game of having Aline against rupa. The most efficient and the most beautiful. Somehow Rupa started believing that she will lose her job to Aline when she went on the maternity leave. I heard them say .. the other assistants that after she had her babies, how will she work? It is not as if like us she has family or support .

And Aline can get the job if Rupa did not come back quickly.. But I will be honest I do not belive that to be true. Rupa does the work for the CEO's wife. She is the only one who is trusted to handle all the work of the trust. But Rupa started feeling insecure and when Aline started speaking openly of a romantic someone Rupa acted different."