The victim: Devashish “Dev” Mitra, 54, CEO of Horizon Aeronautics. Cause of death: Exsanguination due to a single, precise incision along the carotid artery. Location: His penthouse study, locked from the inside. Time of death: 8:15 PM last Sunday.
The amber glow of the study lamp did little to chase away the Sunday chill. For Superintendent Arjun Sen, the third Sunday of every month was a ritual. The leather armchair, a half-empty glass of single malt, and the case file no one else could solve.
“Too theatrical. This killer is precise, not dramatic. The message isn’t for us. It’s a signature. A promise.”
“What?”
“A delayed mechanism? Ice holding a blade? A spring-loaded device?”
Tonight’s file was thin, almost insultingly so. It contained only three photographs and a single typed sheet.
“She,” Arjun murmured.