The Door That Shouldn’t Have Been Knocked
The knock came again.
Soft. Polite.
The kind that asked permission but didn’t really wait for it.
“Munna?” the voice repeated.
It was Narayan Rao.
Munna’s knees turned into soft dosa batter.
“I am… not available,” he whispered.
Meera grabbed his arm. “Shhh!”
Ravi signaled everyone to stay still.
The radio outside turned on again.
Low volume.
Background noise.
Cover.
Narayan Rao chuckled softly.
“I just wanted to talk,” he said through the door.
“You children are very… active these days.”
Karthik felt a chill.
Too casual. Too timed.
Ravi took a breath and opened the door halfway.
“Good evening, uncle.”
Narayan Rao smiled, eyes moving quickly inside the room.
“Just checking on Munna,” he said.
“Police were asking about him. I thought he might be scared.”
Munna, unable to control himself, blurted,
“I am not scared. Only slightly dead from inside.”
Narayan Rao laughed.
A little too loudly.
The Slip
Narayan Rao’s gaze fell on the table.
On the cassette player.
Without thinking, he said,
“So… did you listen to the whole recording?”
Silence.
Complete.
Dead.
Meera’s eyes narrowed.
“Whole recording?” she asked sweetly.
“We never told you what was recorded.”
Narayan Rao’s smile froze—just for a fraction of a second.
Long enough.
Karthik noticed his fingers tighten around the doorframe.
The Hidden Diary
Narayan Rao cleared his throat.
“People talk,” he said quickly. “Society is small.”
Ravi nodded slowly.
“Yes, uncle. Very small.”
As Narayan Rao turned to leave, Munna suddenly pointed.
“What is that in your bag?”
Everyone looked.
A thin notebook peeked out—edges worn, corners bent.
Narayan Rao clutched the bag.
“Just… accounts.”
Anjali stepped forward.
“Like the maintenance register?”
For the first time, Narayan Rao’s voice sharpened.
“That is society property.”
“And what about personal notes?” Karthik asked quietly.
Narayan Rao’s eyes flashed.
He turned and walked away—fast.
Too fast for a man who was “just checking.”
The Decision
They didn’t speak for a full minute after he left.
Then Munna said softly,
“I think he knows we know.”
“And I think,” Meera replied,
“we don’t have much time.”
Ravi straightened.
“We need that diary.”
“How?” Anjali asked.
Munna raised his hand again.
“I have an idea,” he said.
“Which is brave. And dangerous.”
Everyone groaned.
The Plan (Munna Version)
“Tomorrow is Sunday,” Munna said.
“Ramayan time. Entire society will be in front of TV.”
Narayan Rao too.
“I will pretend to fix his antenna,” Munna continued.
“I am known for such nonsense. Nobody will question.”
Karthik hesitated.
“And the diary?”
Munna grinned.
“I already know where he hides things.”
“How?” Meera asked.
Munna shrugged.
“He once asked me to help clean his store room.”
Everyone stared.
“You didn’t tell us this earlier?” Ravi said.
“No one asked,” Munna replied innocently.
One Last Reveal
That night, as Ravi locked the door, he noticed something on the floor.
A loose page.
Torn from a notebook.
He picked it up.
Written in neat handwriting:
“Monday – Krishnamurthy asked too many questions.
Must silence him before others listen.”
Ravi’s blood ran cold.
This wasn’t suspicion anymore.
This was a confession.
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