The man turned, his eyes glinting in the dim light. "Ah, Isarish," he said, his voice smooth and cold. "I wondered how long it would take you to find me."
---
Isarish stepped out of the shadows, his smirk never fading. "You know me?"
Dr. Rafiq tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "Of course. Your reputation precedes you. The man who sees what others cannot. The man who… asks the right questions."
Isarish's eyes narrowed. "And you? What do you see, Doctor?"
Dr. Rafiq didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked over to the desk, his gloved fingers brushing against the scattered files. "You've seen these, haven't you? The names, the symbols, the notes. Do you understand what they mean?"
Isarish shrugged, his tone casual. "Enlighten me."
Dr. Rafiq's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "They're not just names, Isarish. They're… markers. Points on a map. But the map… well, that's the real mystery, isn't it?"
Alice stepped forward, her voice trembling but filled with raw emotion. "You killed him. My brother. He trusted you, worked for you—and you killed him."
Dr. Rafiq's gaze shifted to her, his expression softening slightly, though his eyes remained cold. "Ah, Alice. Your brother was… a curious soul. He asked too many questions. And in this world, curiosity can be… dangerous."
Isarish's smirk faded, replaced by a look of cold intensity. "What are you hiding, Doctor?"
Dr. Rafiq turned back to him; his eyes gleaming with a strange intensity. "Hiding? No, Isarish. I'm revealing. But the truth… well, it's not for everyone. Are you sure you're ready to see it?"
Isarish didn't flinch. "Try me."
Dr. Rafiq chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down Alice's spine. "Oh, I will. But not here. Not now. You'll come to me, Isarish. When you're ready to face what lies beneath."
Before Isarish could respond, Dr. Rafiq turned and walked out of the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway. The inspector Rayhan raised his revolver, but Isarish held up a hand, stopping him.
"Let him go," Isarish said, his voice low. "We're not done with him yet."
---
Alice sank to the floor, her face pale, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He… he killed him. He killed Arjun. And he doesn't even care."
Isarish crouched beside her, his expression unreadable. "He knows more than he's saying. But he's not the type to give up his secrets easily."
The inspector Rayhan stepped forward, his voice trembling. "What do we do now?"
Isarish stood, his eyes fixed on the door. "Now, we follow the trail. Dr. Rafiq thinks he's in control. But he's made one mistake."
"What's that?" Alice asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Isarish's lips curled into a faint smirk. "He's underestimated me."
Back at the police department, Isarish's team had been busy going through the profiles of the missing patients. They had spread the news about Dr. Rafiq's clinic, and soon discovered something unsettling: all the missing individuals had been patients of Dr. Rafiq.
These weren't ordinary disappearances. The patients had come from all walks of life, each one unique in their own way. Some had been missing for days, others for only hours, but they were all connected by one thing: they trusted Dr. Rafiq.
The team looked through the records, finding that each of the missing patients had developed a deep attachment to the doctor. They trusted him, sought his help with their ailments, and in return, Dr. Rafiq became their confidante. It seemed like an innocent enough connection—until now. It was clear that Dr. Rafiq had been using their trust for his own dark purposes, making sure he could meet with them whenever he wanted, without them suspecting anything.
The profiles of the 7 missing people stood out, but it was clear that they weren't just random victims—they had all sought something from the doctor, and in return, they had disappeared.
---
Isarish's team gathered around as the news broke. Alice stared at the names, the faces of the missing people flashing on the walls.
"These aren't just victims," Isarish said, his voice steady. "They were chosen by Dr. Rafiq. Not because of their weakness, but because of their trust. He manipulated them into trusting him completely, using their attachment to lure them into meeting with him. Every one of them thought they were safe. But none of them realized the danger they were in until it was too late."
Isarish turned to the inspector Rayhan. "We've been looking at this all wrong. These aren't random murders. This is a pattern. The victims trusted him, got too close, and now they're gone."
Alice's voice trembled as she spoke. "So, all of them are… just gone?"
Isarish nodded. "Yes. And Dr. Rafiq knows exactly where they are. But he's not going to tell us until we make him. And we will. This is just the beginning."