The dead man's body lay sprawled on the cold stone floor, blood staining the ancient tiles beneath him. Satya stared at the lifeless figure, his mind reeling from the silence that followed his death. The man had refused to speak, even in his final moments. But his death… it had confirmed something crucial. They were not alone in their search for the truth.
Virendra stepped back, wiping his hands on his pants, his face a mixture of frustration and confusion. "He was too willing to die. This wasn't just a goon. He was trained. He knew exactly what he was doing."
Saanvi knelt beside the man, her eyes scanning the room for any signs of what they had missed. "He wanted to keep the truth hidden so badly, he'd rather die than speak."
Satya felt the weight of her words. His chest tightened with the growing realization of how deep the conspiracy went. Whoever was pulling the strings had made sure no one would talk.
"What if he left something?" Aryan suggested, his voice breaking the silence. "A clue. Something we can use."
Satya nodded, and they began their search. They sifted through the room, but everything appeared deliberately untouched—old furniture, dust-covered bookshelves, and a desk littered with papers, but none of them seemed useful.
Then, Saanvi's sharp intake of breath broke the silence. "Wait, look at this."
She held up a small, crumpled piece of paper, its edges frayed with age. Satya leaned in, his pulse quickening as she unfolded it. The handwriting was faint but legible. It was a name, scrawled hastily at the bottom: Devashish Arora.
Satya felt his heart skip a beat. The name echoed in his mind like a curse. Devashish Arora. The same name that had been connected to the cover-up of Veer Meghawal's death. The same man who had been trying to stop them at every turn.
"Devashish Arora…" Satya repeated, a cold chill running down his spine. "This is the person behind all of it. But why?"
Virendra's expression darkened. "Arora is a name tied to power. Old wealth. Connections that run deep. If he's involved, it's no surprise that no one has been able to uncover the truth before."
Saanvi stood up, her gaze intense. "But this doesn't make sense. If he's trying to bury Veer's story, why would this man leave us a clue?"
Satya clenched his jaw. "Maybe he didn't mean to. Maybe the man who died here was careless. Or maybe it's a test. A way to see how close we really are to the truth."
Aryan looked around the room, his eyes scanning the walls, the shelves, and the floorboards. "What else are we missing?"
Satya's gaze shifted back to the body. "What if the key we need is something he had? The man who died here. He was close enough to Arora to be sent after us. There's bound to be something he left behind—something that can connect the dots."
Saanvi's eyes met Satya's. "You think he was working with someone else?"
Satya nodded. "The way he reacted when we mentioned Veer… It's clear he was more than just a hired killer. He was involved in something bigger."
Virendra knelt down beside the body and examined the man's coat, checking the inside pockets. His hand brushed against something—a small, metallic object. He pulled it out. It was a key, old and rusted.
Satya's eyes narrowed. "A key?"
Virendra held it up. "It's not just any key. This looks like something that would unlock a hidden room."
The group exchanged a look. The mystery was deepening, and they had no choice but to follow the trail wherever it led.
Aryan stepped forward. "This is it, then. The next step. We need to find out what this key opens."
Saanvi nodded. "And we need to do it before they find us first."
The tension in the room thickened as they gathered their things, prepared to search the rest of the estate. The hunt wasn't over. It had only just begun.
Satya's mind raced with questions, but one thing was clear—Devashish Arora wasn't just an obstacle. He was the key to everything. And Satya wasn't about to let the man's fear and silence stop him from uncovering the truth.
As they prepared to leave the room, Satya's gaze lingered on the dead body. The man might have been silenced, but his death wasn't the end of the story. It was just another twist in a tale that was about to reveal even darker secrets.
The truth would be uncovered.
And nothing would stop them.