Tanima Basak Chapter 1 – Tide at Dusk The sea was already pulling back when Inspector Arjun Sen reached Chandipur. It was late evening, and the tide had begun its quiet retreat across the flat beach, leaving behind long glistening stretches of sand that shone like dark mirrors in the fading light. Fishing nets lay sprawled across wooden boats like the skins of dead creatures, their salt-stiff ropes twisting under the weak lanterns that dotted the shore. A smell of brine and rotting kelp hung in the air, sharp enough to make his throat sting. The police jeep jolted over…
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Shruti Salgaonkar Chapter 1: The Quiet Vineyard The sun had just begun to retreat behind the Sahyadris, casting a burnt-orange glow across the rolling vineyards of Nashik. The air smelled of ripening grapes and spring dust. Inspector Arvind Deshmukh parked his white Bolero at the edge of the Kadam estate and stepped out. The place was too quiet for a house that had just reported a death. A constable approached. “Sir, victim is Rohit Kadam. Forty-two. Winemaker. Found dead in bed by his wife, Meera Kadam. No signs of forced entry. Door was locked from the inside.” Arvind nodded without…