The Witness Room

Pale, bare walls. One metal table. Two chairs. A single overhead tube light BUZZES. One-way mirror on the side wall. A tape recorder sits on the table beside a thick file folder and a half-filled water glass.

ACP VIKRAM (44), hard-edged, formal shirt with rolled sleeves and shoulder holster silhouette, stands over the table.

RHEA (30), restaurant hostess in a simple uniform, anxious posture, clutches a statement form with trembling fingers.

Naam dobara bolo.

Maine already bata diya, sir. Rhea.

Main naam nahi, sach pooch raha hoon.

Rhea swallows. Her fingers tighten around the water glass.

Tum restaurant parking lot mein thi.

Haan. Kaam pe thi.

Aur tumne murder dekha.

Nahi.

VIKRAM clicks ON the tape recorder.

Phir ye details kaise?

Left side broken light. Silver sedan. Wet patch near drain. Victim ke haath mein red thread.

Rhea freezes.

Parking lot mein sab dikhta hai.

Itna bhi nahi.

He slides a photo across the table. Old crime scene. Same parking lot.

Teen saal pehle bhi yahin ek aadmi mara tha.

Us case mein ek witness tha.

Aur phir woh gayab ho gaya.

Main koi witness nahi hoon.

Toh phir tum kaun ho?

RHEA looks at the photo. Her breathing changes.

Main bas hostess hoon.

VIKRAM opens the file folder, pulls out an arrest record and pushes it forward.

Is aadmi ko yaad hai?

Rhea glances at the partially visible photo. Her jaw tightens.

Same pattern. Same parking lot. Same clean-up.

Aur tum usko cover kar rahi ho.

Aap usse galat samajh rahe ho.

Main facts samajhta hoon.

Facts?

Aapne tab bhi facts nahi dekhe the.

Careful.

Nahi, ACP sahib. Aap careful ho jao.

A beat.

Us raat kya hua tha?

RHEA grips the statement form until it crumples.

Jis aadmi ko aapne arrest kiya tha...

Woh killer nahi tha.

Sab kehte hain.

Par sab sach nahi bolte.

She takes a shaky sip of water. Her hand trembles more.

Woh us parking lot mein tha.

Woh bas dekh raha tha.

Kisey?

RHEA hesitates.

Rhea.

Mere bhai ko.

Silence.

The tube light BUZZES louder.

VIKRAM slowly sits.

Tumhara bhai witness tha?

RHEA nods, eyes wet.

Usne ek cheez dekhi thi.

Victim ke haath mein restaurant uniform ka button tha.

Button?

Haan.

Aur woh button mere bhai ke coat se nahi tha.

Toh kis se tha?

Apron se.

Staff apron se.

VIKRAM stares.

Main isliye chup thi.

Agar sach bolti, toh case reopen hota.

Aur mera bhai phir se unke saamne aa jaata.

Unke?

Jin logon ne asli killer ko bachaya tha.

Vikram looks at the file, then at the one-way mirror.

A long beat.

Woh aadmi kaun tha?

RHEA’s voice breaks.

Mera bhai.

Vikram’s expression changes. The steel gaze cracks, just enough.

Aapne us waqt convenience ko evidence samjha tha.

Aaj main usi galti ko dobara nahi hone dungi.

She slides the statement form toward him.

Agar aap sach mein ACP ho...

toh is baar file nahi, evidence dekho.

Vikram does not touch the form.

He closes the file folder slowly.

Aaj se koi witness jhooth ke saath room se nahi niklega.

Rhea holds his gaze.

The tube light FLICKERS.