Fiction: Two journalists dive into the murky waters of a young woman’s murder case in Delhi

At the Delhi Daily, the newsroom had come alive with the arrival of the many editors, feature writers, ad executives, designers, photographers and reporters who made up the staff. Among them all, Jaskiran was trying to fathom enough enthusiasm to begin writing yet another “soft-news” story. This one was about a local school’s fundraising drive to buy new textbooks to replace the outdated and inaccurate editions they had possessed for over thirty years. She sighed heavily, almost in defeat, when a burst of laughter behind her provided a welcome distraction.

Turning around, she found the source of the laughter to be a small gathering of her colleagues. In the centre of the huddle was Rajesh, one of the junior reporters. He was triumphantly holding up the day’s paper that displayed his name in bold type on the main story’s byline. His tall, athletic frame made him stand out in the crowd. He was animatedly regaling them with the story of how he landed the scoop.

A swell of anger rose within Jaskiran before simmering into resentment. Of course, Rajesh makes the cover before me, Jaskiran thought to herself. Rajesh was barely out of university, but his easy charm and confidence made him popular in the office....

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