The next morning, Inspector Ratan summoned the Masked Detective to his office.
"The school principal filed a complaint," he began, tossing a report onto the table. "Someone broke into his house last night."
The Detective raised an eyebrow. "What did they take?"
"Only one thing was missing—an old photo album. Nothing else. Not even cash or electronics."
"What kind of thief only steals an album?" Ratan asked aloud, frowning. Then he narrowed his eyes at her. "Unless... you know who it was."
The Detective said nothing. Her face remained unreadable behind the mask. Not a flicker of emotion.
Ratan let out a sigh. "Fine. Let's talk about school staff."
---
Later that day, Inspector Ratan entered the Taraniketan School staff room holding a thick file. Conversations quieted. Tea cups paused mid-air. A few teachers gave polite smiles; others exchanged uneasy glances.
"I need to speak to all the male staff," he announced. "Individually."
Confused murmurs rippled through the room.
"Why only male teachers?" asked Mr. Chatterjee, the sports coach, adjusting his whistle.
"Because a student mentioned being followed. She also referred to someone as 'Sir,'" Ratan replied, his tone firm.
One by one, the male teachers were called in for questioning.
Most were cooperative.
"I don't knew who is Sanchayita, Pandit." said Mrs. Bose, the English teacher.
But "I didn't said her full name ?" But ,how ? Detective asked her.
She gulped and change her subject.
"Ishita was quiet," said Mr. Rajeev, the math teacher. "She was in my class, but we didn't interact much."
Some teachers, however, didn't hide their irritation.
"Why are we being treated like suspects?" someone muttered bitterly.
In the midst of the questioning, Principal Animesh Basu entered the room.
"Inspector," he said curtly, "your investigation is starting to alarm the staff. Please proceed with sensitivity."
Ratan remained calm. "When two students disappear under similar circumstances, we must investigate every possibility. No one is being accused. But nothing will be ignored."
Just then, a peon stepped into the room.
"Sir, a letter came for you," he said, holding out a plain white envelope.
Ratan opened it slowly. No name. No return address.
Inside was a single handwritten note:
> "Stop digging into the past. The more you search, the closer you bring danger. Leave the girls' stories buried—or someone else will disappear too."
At the bottom was a strange symbol.
A jagged triangle.
Ratan's jaw tightened. He pulled out his phone and dialed the Detective.
"We just received our first warning," he said grimly.