Page 108 of Carnal Games

“Yeah.” I chuckle, remembering it was her favorite hobby when she used to come by my house in the evenings. I used to yank her leg so much because she was a shameless stalker, only to fall down the same rabbit hole myself. Except, I fell for the hottie instructor.

“What’s your guys’ dream date?” Suhana pops the question after taking a bite of an apple from her plate.

Vicky goes first. “Lunch in a hot air balloon high in the sky.”

“Wow, that’s amazing,” I praise.

“What would be yours, Iris? That your fiancé hasn’t already done.”

“Hmm, for me, a perfect date would be going away on a romantic weekend together at a resort with our own cabin. Somewhere tropical or a small town, so there aren’t many people around, and have an outdoor lunch with a beautiful view of the sunset and the sky. As long as it’s intimate, I’d love it.”

As Yukta and Suhana share their date scenario, I catch a girl in a straight blue kurta and white leggings standing in the queue to the buffet with South Indian dishes.

Preeti Rae.

The recent young hire in the IT department, designated as an associate consultant. Watching her shuffle ahead in the long line, I wonder if she knows the previous girls who worked in her position went missing, with no clue what happened to them.

Will the same fate befall her?

Yesterday, Harshita emailed me all the information she had about the victims. I spent all night reading every detail. There are five girls, aged between twenty-one to twenty-six, who vanished into thin air shortly after starting a job here. Their backgrounds were also similar.

Kinetic Securities has a social welfare program focused on women’s empowerment, where they team up with NGOs, charities, and start-ups to provide internships and part-time jobs. They all came from the temp agency that recruits orphan women from NGOs to help them earn a living, which is why they were easy targets.

Of course, the program got cut short. The public reason is budgetary issues. However, Harshita believes Kian and the higher-ups used it as an excuse to cover the real reason. Since I can’t outrightly or even hint at the ongoing investigation, I need to gather intel on who the victims were close friends with. There must be a common thread among them all that could point us to the culprit.

Since employees like to gossip, it shouldn’t be difficult.

With that in mind, I casually mention, “Looks like they finally found a replacement for Kriti.”

Intrigued, Yukta and the others follow my gaze to the front of the cafeteria.

Suhana replies, “Huh, seems so.”

“Weren’t the ones before her exclusively temps?” hums Vicky.

I’m recognizing her as the chatty one. Taking a sip of my soup, I ask, “Were you friends with any of them?”

“I knew Aastha,” she shares, averting her gaze to pick a carrot stick from her food tray. “Sweet girl. I was shocked she disappeared without a trace. I texted her a few times, but received no response.”

“Probably because of the end of the program.”

“Nah, I think it was because of the creep, Mahesh.”

“Who’s Mahesh?” I probe, wishing I had turned on the voice recorder so I wouldn’t forget any details.

“One of the senior consultants.” Leaning forward after surreptitiously glancing around, Vicky says lowly, “I had heard he tried to sleep with one of the temps he was mentoring and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Sent her away running.”

I’m aghast. “Why is he still allowed to work?”

“No official complaint was filed,” comes from Yukta. “Plus, the girl quit.”

As I listen to them, it becomes apparent they have no idea about the truth. I’ll need to fake a run-in with Mahesh to see if he’s as bad as they’re saying. Reluctantly dropping the topic so as not to raise suspicion, I make an excuse. “I gotta run, guys.”

“Uh… huh. We’d be eager to go back to work if it were under Mr. Singhania too,” one of them teases.

“Oh, I’d be under him, flat on my bac— OWW!”

I spill my hot tea on her arm with a discreet flick of my wrist as I grab my plate.