Chapter 2: A Troubled Household

Vijay didn't see anyone but he wondered then whose voice it might be... Vijay's footsteps echoed in the hallway as he made his way back toward the living room. The creepy whisper still lingered in his ears, sending a cold shiver down his spine. As he entered, the atmosphere was thick with an invisible tension. Priya, sitting stiffly on the old leather couch, seemed to be in her world, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her eyes darted around the room, avoiding his gaze, as if too afraid to meet his searching eyes.

Pranav, perched on the armrest of the couch, was the picture of indifference, his face bathed in the light of his phone screen. His fingers tapped idly against the glass, a sharp contrast to the tension simmering in the room. And then there was Gayathri, sitting on the opposite end of the couch, a soft smile playing on her lips, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing in the family.

"Are you all right, Mrs. Raghavan?" Vijay asked gently, focusing his attention on Priya, sensing the tightness in her posture.

Priya's eyes snapped toward him; her expression strained. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Pranav spoke up, his tone clipped, almost dismissive.

"She's fine," Pranav said without looking up from his phone. "There's nothing to be worried about. Just a bunch of superstitions."

Vijay shot him a look, his instincts telling him that there was more to the story. "I've seen these kinds of things before, Mr. Raghavan. Superstitions can't explain everything. This house, this family... there's something more here, isn't there?"

Pranav didn't react immediately. He simply swiped at his phone, his gaze flicking over the screen as though the conversation held no real interest for him. Priya shifted uncomfortably beside him, but she didn't respond, her lips pressed into a tight line.

Vijay turned his attention back to Priya. "I understand this might be difficult, but if you know something, anything, it could help—"

"I'm not sure what you want from me, Officer," Priya interrupted, her voice trembling with a mix of frustration and fear. "I've already told you everything I can. My children are just imagining things. This house... it's old, there's bound to be some... Oddities. My husband—" She cut herself off, quickly averting her gaze, her eyes dropping to her hands in her lap.

Vijay felt the air grow heavier. A crack in the wall of composure had appeared, and Priya was hiding something, something that was far more than just "oddities."

"What about Mr. Raghavan, where is he...?" Vijay asked politely yet firmly.

"After our daughter Janani's death, he was broken and he locked himself in a dark room and he never came out nor did he speak to anyone" Priya said yet Vijay could sense some lies in it.

He was about to press further when Gayathri suddenly chimed in, her voice sweet and innocent, like a breath of fresh air in the otherwise tense room.

"Why is everyone so serious?" Gayathri asked, her bright eyes shining as she looked at them all. She shifted in her seat, leaning toward Vijay. "You know, I was just in the garden earlier, and I heard something... something like a voice, but it didn't sound like anyone from the house. It was so... strange. But I think it's just the wind."

Vijay studied Gayathri's face. Her words were spoken with the childlike wonder of someone who didn't fully grasp the gravity of what was happening, someone who still lived in the carefree world untouched by the heavy secrets of the past.

"Did you hear anything else? Anything that sounded out of place?" Vijay asked, his voice calm but probing.

Gayathri shook her head, her smile still intact. "No... but it's probably nothing, right? I don't think there's anything weird happening here. Everything's fine. You should have seen the flowers in the garden—they look so pretty in the moonlight." She looked toward the window, her mind drifting away from the sombre atmosphere.

Vijay could tell that Gayathri had no idea what was truly going on. She was untouched by the trauma that had scarred the rest of the family. She was the youngest, the most innocent, but even she seemed to feel the unease in the house.

He turned back to Priya, his voice softer now, trying to break through her guarded walls. "Mrs. Raghavan, I know this isn't easy, but sometimes, the more we deny the truth, the stronger the fear becomes. If you tell me what's going on, I can help. But if you continue to keep things hidden, I'm afraid the situation will only get worse."

Priya's hands trembled as she held them together, her lips quivering. The years of silence seemed to weigh heavily on her shoulders, and Vijay knew that it would take more than just kind words to break through her fear.

For a long moment, the room was silent. Then, Priya finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was... her death. Janani's death. It was all my fault."

Vijay's heart skipped a beat. He could see the pain in her eyes, but there was something deeper there—something darker. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze steady.

"What do you mean? What happened to Janani?" he asked, his voice low but filled with the urgency to uncover the truth.

Pranav looked up sharply, his face hardening as he met Vijay's gaze. "Enough," he said coldly. "This is a waste of time. There's nothing here but memories. Let it go."