"What do you mean, you got the wrong specimen?" Leila exclaims into her phone. She crumples the A4 paper on her workstation in anger. "Siya, I sent the best private detective to look into this and your saying he messed up?"

"Siya, do you realize the seriousness of this matter?" Leila says taking a deep breath. "We are losing with every minute we waste. You and Uday need to find out another way to get your asses into the mansion and get that-"

"HI LEILA!" Madhu waves loudly as she walks into Leila's office. "Mumma asked me to sit here in your office until she finishes her meeting with the sari people."

"I'll call you later." Leila says and disconnects the call. "You mean the meeting with Mr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, CEO and Founder of Sabyasachi. Yeah baby, that's a very important meeting for us all."

"Mumma got mad because I was asking her the meaning of all the big big words she and the others were using." Madhu says as she sits on the seat opposite Leila's desk. "I also want to learn these big big words and talk like her and Nanna. Nanna talks faster than Mumma and uses really big big words. I've seen him do meetings. And the biggest word I know is cheese sanchwiches."

"You're just four, baby." Leila says as she types on her laptop.

"I turn five in Octomber." Madhu says as she plays with the paper weight.

"Stop playing with the paper weight." Leila says without taking her eyes off the laptop. Madhu lets go of the paperweight and tries to take the little flat bottle of ink. 

"Don't even think of touching the ink bottle. I don't want to get yelled at by your mom. I've already had enough scoldings from your dad and your grandpa."

Madhu nods her head diplomatically. 

"Do you want some paper and pens to draw something?"

"Do you have any rubby bands I can play with?" Madhu asks.

"Rubber bands?" Leila asks quirking up an eyebrow. She opens the desk drawer and throws her a packet of rubber bands. "All yours kiddo! Now don't disturb me."

She opens Whatsapp and starts to text Siya.

"Madhu, by any chance do you have a pet?" Leila asks Madhu who was tying the colourful rubber bands to her pigtails.

"One doggie. I call her Meow." She says. "I love her so much. I asked Mumma and Nanna to buy her so many things from toys, to doggie clothes, doggie pillows -"

"And hairbrushes?"

"Yeah that too, but sometimes I brush her hair with mine too." Madhu shrugs.

Leila blinks twice.

"Uhm - Leila, can you help me? These are stuck to my hair."

Leila walks towards Madhu. 

"Okay, sit still while I get them out of you hair!" She says. She hisses annoyed as she undoes the rubber bands which Madhu tied to her own hair. It took her a little bit of pulling and twisting until she cleared Madhu's pigtails from all the brown rubber bands. "Why are you and your father such a pain in the ass?"

"I didn't mean to-" Madhu pouts and shrieks as Leila yanks the last rubber band from her hair.

"All done!" Leila says.

Madhu quickly hugs Leila. "Thank you, Leila."

Leila caresses Madhu's soft hair as she looks at the few strands of hair which came out while she was freeing Madhu's hair from the rubber bands.  

"I need to go out for a few minutes. Why don't you stay here in my office until I return?" Leila says as she walks to her desk and grabs her phone. She quickly wraps the strands of hair in a fresh tissue paper. "Shall I ask them to bring you something to eat? I remember your dad saying you love ice cream cakes."

"Okay." Madhu says as she sits up on the chair.

"Cool." Leila says as she dials Siya's number on her phone. "So Madhu, I'll see you again in another 30 minutes? Be a good girl till then, I'll ask one of the Interns to come and be with you."

"Siya, I got the specimen and I'm coming to Uday's lab in a few minutes."

* * * * *

Eight hours later....

"What does it say?" Leila asks as Uday stares into the hologram computer screen, reading the DNA results.

"That's strange." Uday mutters. "The DNA from the two hair strands: Madhu's and those from Madhav's corpse do not match."

"Are you kidding me?" Siya exclaims as she turns to Anushiya.

"But how is that possible?" Anushiya asks looking at the screen.

"I don't know." Uday shrugs.

"But you said, there was a match when you tested RK and Madhav's hair strands?" Ahaana, Shree's best friend asks.

"I did." Uday says as he sits on his chair. "There's only one way to explain all this, then."

"Which is?" Siya asks.

"Madhav and Madhu not being biologically related." Uday says to notice Anushiya and Sivaji look very taken aback.

"Did Shree have any extra marital affairs, perhaps when she was away in London?"

"She was pregnant when she left India." Anushiya clarified.

"Were there any boyfriends, ex - lovers she was having an affair with before she left?" Uday asks. 

"No, no there's no chance she had extra marital relations in London nor in India." Ahaana defends.

Uday shakes his head and sighs. "Any chance she was cheating on Madhav with his step brother or RK?"

"How can you even-" Ahaana exclaims angrily. Siya holds her hand.

"I'm just making assumptions, Ma'am. As a professional detective, it's my job to think of an issue from every angle possible."

"No, there's no chance for that." Anushiya calmly states. "Shree was faithful to Madhav. There's no chance that Madhu was fathered by someone else who isn't Madhav."

"Then why isn't that being reflected in this DNA test?" Uday asks.

"Maybe your tech is faulty." Leila shrugs.

"Don't point fingers at my technology!" Uday warns. 

"Then there has to be some explanation for this mad and irregular DNA results!" Siya exclaims.

"We'll think of this tomorrow." Ahaana says. "I need to go now, it's almost 9 PM and I promised to meet Shree at her place for dinner."

"While you are there, try to discover something, anything that can explain the reason for the confusion in these DNA results." Siya says.

"And be subtle. Very subtle." Leila says. "Shree is a very intelligent woman - not to be underestimated at all."

Ahaana nods.

"Great, so if there's anything drop us a message." Uday says. "Leila, Siya and I will be here for the rest of the night, trying to crack this case wide open."

* * * * * 

"Whoa, what's with all the security?" Ahaana asks walking into Shree's bedroom.

"I'm sorry, ever since we got to know that Maddy was shot to death, we have been on high alert. To make things worse our Head of Security Management, Mahesh, has been missing in action for several-" Shree sighs in relief as Ahaana hugs Shree quickly, running her hand down Shree's soft hair. "I can't think why someone would want to shoot him, Ahaana."

"Neither can I, love." Ahaana says. "Babe, I didn't come here to make you cry, I came here to cheer you up and spend sometime doing stuff that'll make us happy. Now, are you gonna show me those ultrasound scans or what?"

"Come in, and sit down." Shree says smiling. 

"Where's Madhu?" Ahaana asks sitting on the bed.

"She's in Yashoda Ma's room." Shree mutters as she looks in her handbag for the hospital file. "Yashoda Ma is painting a picture of Lord Krishna for a foreign client. Madhu wanted to sit quietly and watch."

Ahaana laughs softly. "Madhu? Sit quietly and watching? I believe that's one thing that you and Madhu can't- OMG OMG how adorable!!!" Ahaana squeals in delight as Shree shows the ultrasound scan photos. "Oh My Mata, look at them, so lovely and innocent! They remind me of my own twins Parth and Pranaya. Of course, they grew up to be naughty but cute little brats."

Shree smiles.

"I feel like it's gonna be two boys. I'm so freaking sure, you know! Hmmm, Madhav would be so happy if he was alive." Ahaana says sighing. She looks at the ultrasound photos in her hand for a while. "Do you think they'd be identical or non identical - just like Madhav and Raghav."

Shree laughs softly. "It doesn't matter, baby. I want both the babies to be healthy and safe. Especially safe."

"I can see that you're worried if someone, or rather who ever killed Madhav would come after you and the babies." Ahaana says wrapping an arm around Shree. "I believe that you no harm will fall on you or any person in your family. Also, RK has tripled the security around you and the mansion."

Shree breathes in heavily. "And the Head of the Security Management team is missing for months!"

Ahaana sits up straight. "Say that again?"

"Mahesh - the Head of the Security Management team is missing for months!" Shree repeats.

"Babe, for how many months? When did you remember seeing him last?" 

"We saw him a few days before the jet was ready to fly." Shree says. "And-and I heard he was doing the final inspection on the jet before Madhav's trip to the Philippines. That was the last time anyone saw him, it seems."

Ahaana sits still with a blank pale face for a moment. "Babe, I need to go. I mean it's awfully late and Ashok must be waiting - I really need to go, babe. Take care and I love you!"

Ahaana quickly kisses Shree's cheek before hurriedly walking out of the room.

* * * * * 

"Leila, where are you?" Ahaana asks as she calls Leila.

"I came out for dinner with Uday, what's up?" Leila asks from the other end. "Did you find out anything to explain why the DNA tests are messed up?"

"No, but I might have found out who killed Madhav." Ahaana says as she starts the car. "Meet me outside Mahesh's apartment in Kherwadi. I'll text the address."

* * * * * 

"So, is this his apartment?" Uday asks as they meet outside his apartment.

"I got the address from Shree and got one person from the Security Management team to confirm. This is his apartment." Ahaana says.

"Great! How do we get inside?" Leila asks.

"One kick right near the locks should do." Uday lands a sharp kick on the door and with all his force, kicks again until the door opened ajar. "Come in and we better lock the door before someone sees us. Don't switch on the lights, the neighbors will become suspicious. Use the torchlight in your mobiles."

"So what are we looking for?" Leila asks.

"Anything that will prove that Mahesh orchestrated Madhav's murder. Even a small evidence can take us a long way!" Uday says as he looks at the pictures of Mahesh that were hanging on the wall.

"Does that include hair samples?" Leila asks as she walks into Mahesh's bedroom.

"Yes, yes that would do." Uday says mesmerized as he looks into a framed photograph of Mahesh. He scratches his beard before he clicks a picture of the photograph on his mobile. "Do we know anything about this fella? Any relatives, friends?"

"Shree told me that this man is a loner." Ahaana says as she looks through the bookshelf. "His parents died when he was very young - probably an infant. His older brother raised him, until he died in an accident. Ever since then he has been all alone."

"I'll hack into the government servers and see what information we can get about him and his family." Uday says as he looks at the framed photograph of Mahesh's brother and parents.

* * * * *

"None of this makes sense!" Leila exclaims as she stares at the computer in Uday's lab. "Mahesh was born in 1985, but his parents - I mean his brother Aravind's parents died in the 1983 Tornado in West Bengal. He's not their son-"

"Maybe a cousin or some distant relative?" Ahaana asks as she eats a slice of the vegetarian pizza they ordered.

"No." Uday says with a shocked face. "He's not even a distant relative of Aravind nor Aravind's parents."

Leila blinks twice and Uday projects the DNA results onto the holographic screen.

"I-I-I did a DNA test. Paternity test, to be precise." Uday says. "I tested Mahesh's samples with RK's and - there - there was a match. But his hair strands don't match with Madhushree's."

"Are you saying Mahesh is actually Mahesh Ramakrishna?" Leila asks.

"He's Raghav Ramakrishna. Madhav's long lost twin." Ahaana says in shock. 

Uday nods. "And ladies, now we can explain why there was a confusion in the tests we conducted earlier. The strands of hair from the corpse never belonged to Madhav. They belonged to Mahesh - I mean Raghav. The corpse that was discovered in jet was Raghav's, which means-"

"Madhav survived the jet crash." Leila concludes. "He's somewhere out there, isn't he?"

"Probably stranded in an island by himself." Ahaana gasps. "Stranded and alone like Oliver Queen from Arrow."

"I'm arranging a yacht, I'll hack the Navy servers and get a permit to conduct a thorough search." Uday says as he stretches his arms. "I'll probably get a warrant to search any remote islands, but before that I need to find out the path that this jet was taking - I need a world map. Before that I need to use the washroom."

Ahaana turns to Leila as Uday walks out of the room. "Where did you find this man?"

"He used to work as a criminal investigator at the Pentagon." Leila says. "He was the smartest one there. He got fired because he initiated an unauthorized criminal investigation. A close friend of Siya's husband."

"We need to tell Siya and Anu." Ahaana nods. 

"But don't tell any of the Ramakrishnas." Leila says. "We should reveal all this once we find Madhav."

Ahaana sighs as she looks out the window, and onto the midnight sky. "He must be all alone in an island, right? I hope he's safe out there."

To be continued...

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