By Vimal Kapoor
Inspector Ravi Varma had already spent fifteen years in the police force, but was not prepared for the case that arrived on a cold, rainy night.
A young woman had been found dead beside an abandoned highway. There were no witnesses, no fingerprints, and no weapon. The only clue was a small black chess knight placed beside the body.
Two weeks later, another victim appeared.
Same position. Same chess piece.
The newspapers and paparazzi named the killer “The Knight”.
Ravi was livid. “Every killer makes a mistake,” he told his team. “We just have to be patient.”
Then the killer called him.
“You’re looking in the wrong direction, Inspector.”
Ravi’s eyes narrowed.
“Who is this?”
A hearty laugh came through the phone.
“Checkmate.”
The call ended.
Ravi traced it to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. He and three officers rushed there, pistols in hand. The warehouse was dark except for a single naked hanging bulb.
On a table were scattered the photographs of the victims.
And beneath them was a photograph of Ravi himself.
Suddenly, the doors slammed shut.
A loud explosion shook the building.
“Get down!” Ravi shouted.
Smoke filled the room. When it cleared, the photographs had disappeared.
So had the killer.
But Ravi noticed something on the floor—a silver button.
He remembered seeing the same button on the uniform of a senior police officer during one of the crime-scene investigations.
His suspicions became stronger.
Someone inside the police department was helping the murderer.
The next morning, Ravi secretly checked the officers’ records. One name immediately caught his attention: Inspector Vikram Rana, a respected officer who had worked on every one of the Knight’s murders.
Before Ravi could investigate further, his phone rang.
“Stop digging,” Vikram warned.
Ravi was stunned.
“You’re the Knight.”
“No,” Vikram replied calmly. “I’m the man who knows where the Knight is.”
The line went dead.
That evening, Ravi followed Vikram’s car to an old railway tunnel. He entered alone.
Inside, he found Vikram standing beside a man.
Ravi raised his pistol.
“Drop your weapon!”
Vikram smiled.
“You finally understood.”
Then the man in shadows lifted his head.
Ravi stared in disbelief.
It was the city’s leading forensic expert, Dr Sameer Jaiswal.
Vikram laughed.
“Meet the real Knight.”
Sameer suddenly kicked the chair toward Ravi. Vikram fired. Ravi dived behind a concrete pillar as bullets smashed into the wall.
The two men ran deeper into the tunnel.
Ravi chased them.
A train thundered overhead, shaking the ground. Ahead, Sameer disappeared through a narrow doorway. Ravi followed and found himself in an underground chamber filled with photographs, weapons, newspaper clippings—and dozens of chess pieces.
Sameer stood at the far end.
“You should have left this case alone,” he said.
Ravi advanced carefully.
“You killed innocent people.”
“They weren’t innocent.”
“They were strangers to you!”
Sameer smiled.
“Everyone has a secret.”
He pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
Ravi had already removed the bullets from the weapon when he tackled him.
They crashed onto the floor.
Sameer fought desperately, but Ravi twisted his arm behind his back and snapped the handcuffs shut.
Then came the final shock.
Vikram was standing in the doorway, pointing a gun at both of them.
“You thought you had won?” he snarled.
Police sirens suddenly echoed through the tunnel.
Vikram’s face went pale.
Ravi had secretly activated the emergency transmitter on his belt when he entered the chamber.
Vikram dropped his weapon and surrendered.
As dawn broke, the two murderers were led away.
Later, in the early hours of morning Ravi stood beside the highway where the first victim had been found. He placed the black chess knight in an evidence bag.
Dawn broke like a promise being kept after a long silence. Orange light flooded the sky.
He walked away as the city slowly came to life.
For the first time in months, the shadow called the Knight had disappeared.
And the game was finally over.
(Vimal Kapoor, a Dehradun resident, is passionate about literature, creative writing, cricket and exploration through travel)
