Dare You To Death: Solve the Mystery, See the Death.

Investigation Part 16

 

Evidence, forensic science officers, and forensic specialists arrived at the scene. Initially, Khamin blocked people from entering again and told the employees who had come up with him to go down and inform the manager about the request for cooperation in providing information and CCTV footage. Jay and Cherene, who had arrived later, were also blocked from the area.

 

"Where's Jay?" The newly arrived Jade asked anxiously for his younger brother.

 

“There it is,” Khamin pointed to the other side where Jay and Cherene were sitting. Seeing that, Jade felt relieved, but not for long, when he remembered what Khamin had just told him.

 

“What did you mean by the letter?”

 

"I've already asked the evidence unit to collect it. We'll check at the station later. For now, you should focus on this." Khamin led the way to the bathroom, where Khun and Mirin stood there, with serious expressions, unsure how to examine the body. "It's been twenty minutes. We still haven't been able to examine or move the body. We can only collect some tissues that we have, along with some hair and teeth, to send for examination first; that's all."

 

“What made the corpse look like this?”

 

“Acid, but we still have to check what kind of acid it is.”

 

“How can you be sure this is really Bell?” Jade could barely see any familiar outline that would indicate that the figure in front of him was Bell.

 

“Even though the body is unidentified, the surrounding evidence can still identify it,” Khamin pointed to different parts of the bathroom to explain his observations. “All the equipment was prepared for the bath. The killer would be so diligent and would know exactly where these things are or what Bell usually uses: cream, wine glasses, body scrub, scented candles. These things indicate that Bell was probably getting ready for the bath, and then something happened after that.”

 

“Did the criminal leave any traces?”

 

"No. Fingerprints can be concealed. Just wearing gloves would have left no traces. I don't mind. But there aren't even footprints, the dirt that would have stuck to shoes, or any bodily fluids. Furthermore, the legal department says only two people have keycards in this room. So, how would the murderer have gotten in?"

 

“Who has it?”

 

“Bell is the owner of the room,” Khamin said, turning to look at the two children sitting on the sofa, giving testimony. “And Cherene.”

 

Jay was consoling his friend, who was crying beside him. Even though he was still shocked by what had happened, when he saw Cherene, who was even sadder and more upset, he had to try to keep his emotions in check.

 

“Let’s start with you. How did you get here, Jay?”

 

“I came with Inspector Khamin. After Cherene called to tell me about Bell’s message, we agreed to go and see Bell at her condo.

 

"Has anyone been to this condo before this?"

 

"I don't know, but I don't come to Bell's room very often."

 

“What about you? It looks like you have a key card for Ms Bell’s room, right?”

 

"Yes, we are close friends. Also, Bell often wakes up late, so sometimes I have to wake her up."

 

"Have you ever been to Ms Bell's room before?"

 

"I didn't come, sob." Cherene cried as she gave her statement.

 

“Speaking of the text you received, could you show it to me?”

 

"Yes." Cherene took out her phone before handing it to the police officer. The two phones were scrolled through simultaneously for quite a while.

 

“Ms Bell called you several times last night. Why didn't you answer?”

 

“I lost my phone, but this morning when I was going out, I saw it in my car. I saw that Bell had called me and sent me a bunch of messages, so I tried calling her back, but no one answered, so I called Jay.”

 

"That's enough, Sergeant Chai. I'll take care of the rest myself. Thank you very much."

 

"Yes, Inspector."

 

“I won’t beat around the bush. Do you have anything else you’re hiding from the authorities? Not only will it make our case harder, but it’ll also put you in more danger.” Khamin’s expression turned even more stern than usual.

 

"I've already told you everything I should have said."

 

"I don't know."

 

“Don’t know? Then you won’t know about Fei being pregnant, right?” Cherene paused before looking at Khamin with a momentary wavering look before returning to her original calm gaze.

 

"If that's what the letter says, then that's what it's supposed to be."

 

“Be strong, Cherene. It’s not just Jay who’s on the letter, but you too.”

 

“What do you mean, Brother Min? Why are Cher and I named in the letter?”

 

"If you want to know, both of you go to the station." Khamin walked back to Thanakun and Mirin again. The two were carefully moving the body in front of them with a strainer, because they agreed neither wanted to lose a hand in this investigation. "You two can do it."

 

"It's fine, unless we have good protective equipment," Thanakun said before holding up a pair of rubber gloves. They weren't that tight, but they weren't that tight with the acid in the tub.

 

"You guys go ahead and take it, then come get it from me. I'll be back at the station first. I have a few things to check. See you later." Jade followed Khamin quietly, thinking about the events that had just happened. Khamin had said that Jay's name was on the letter, but hadn't mentioned that Cherene's name was on it as well. Upon getting in the car, Jade quickly turned to the person next to him to clear up any doubts.

 

“Are those names a reference or something? Where are they, Min?”

 

"DARE"

 

“Challenge? What challenge?”

 

“Choose someone to die in your place.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Reach out and grab the envelope behind the paint. Put on your gloves,” Jade said as Khamin told him to, opening the glove compartment and putting on his gloves. He then reached behind him, grabbed a white envelope, and opened it. He discovered it was an evidence envelope containing a letter addressed to Bell. “I don’t trust either Cherene or Jay. I’m sorry.”

 

"But trust me, who's Jay's brother?"

 

"I hope you respect your duties and profession enough, Mr Jade." Jade didn't reply, just picked up each item and looked at it. It looked similar to Tar's because it had DARE on it, unlike Tonkla, who was the only one without this part of the message.

 

DARE

 

“Choose, choose the one who will die in your place. Choose, Bell, JAY OR CHERENE.

 

“Why are there two names to choose from?”

 

“That’s why we have to continue.”

 

"Even though Bell and Cherene said they were close friends, why did she cross out her friend's name to kill her instead?"

 

“The definition of closeness may differ from person to person. Who knows?”

 

"So, are you close to me?" Jade took the opportunity to look up at the person who had just stopped at a red light.

 

"Not close."

 

“How can we not be close, living in the same house?”

 

“There are plenty of people who live in the same house but aren’t close. So why should I be close to you?”

 

"Don't you think I want to be close to you?"

 

“As close as colleagues, I have no problem.”

 

"I'm not bringing my coworkers into my house." Khamin turned to look at the person who had been staring at him since the car had stopped.

 

“Aren’t you still attached to your friends in the special investigation unit?”

 

"Jay just keeps talking."

 

"I don't see what Jay said wrong."

 

"Tee and he call it affectionately, but with me, it's almost like a position. Do you like it or not?"

 

“I like him. He’s a cute kid.”

 

"Like?"

 

“What are you asking?”

 

“If you live together, learn to be equal.”

 

"Such as?"

 

“Call my name.”

 

"Khun Jade"

 

“Without you”

 

“Do you want me to call you curtly?”

 

"I want you to call me like a neighbour, not someone from the police department." Khamin glanced at the green light before shifting gears, releasing the brakes, and accelerating to drive towards his destination without talking or calling his name, as Jade had requested. The tall man had already assumed that the other party was uncomfortable.

 

After they arrived at the police station, Khamin got out of the car, grabbed his coat, and was about to walk into the building when he stopped and turned around to see the station captain getting out, looking bored.

 

“Bring me the evidence, Jade.”

 

“I know… what did you call me?” Khamin shrugged before walking inside, ignoring the person behind him who was shouting again. “Khamin, Min! What did you call me?!”

 

As Jay and Cherene were about to board the officer's car to go to the police station, Tonkla suddenly walked in and grabbed Cherene's wrist, leading them to walk together.

 

"How did you get here, Kla?" Jay asked curiously.

 

"I have something to discuss with Cher, so I'll get in the car first," Cherene, who was acting cold, turned to Jay before adding.

 

“It’s probably the same old story, Jay. Go to the car first. I’ll follow you later.” After telling Jay, the two walked some distance away so no one could hear their conversation. “What’s going on?”

 

“Have you seen Bell’s letter?”

 

“A letter? I haven’t seen it, but Inspector Khamin said it has my name and Jay’s.”

 

“Fuck you!”

 

“What the hell is going on, Kla? Why did you text me to tell me not to answer Bell’s calls or texts?”

 

"You don't need to know."

 

“But I have to know! My friend is dead!”

 

"Friends, you call them friends? You know what, Cher? The day I told you I liked you, what did Bell say to me? She asked me to sleep with her. She said she was just a boring person who couldn't compete with him. This is what friends talk about. Is this how you snatch things from your friends?"

 

“You are not mine.”

 

"So it must be Champ, right?" Tonkla used his tongue to push his cheek to vent his frustration. "You know I got that damn letter too."

 

"What!"

 

"Do you know what keeps you here? Because that letter challenged me to choose between you and Bell, and be the one to die." TonKla looked into Cherene's wide eyes. 

 

"I choose Bell. If Bell's letter really had your name and Jay's name on it, who do you think she would choose? If I didn't choose him to die in her place, the one who would die would be you, Sir."

 

Cherene was so shocked she almost collapsed to the ground, but luckily Tonkla grabbed her arm before she could. He had secretly loved Cherene for a long time, had secretly watched her for so long that he knew what she liked and disliked, what she was thinking, and what she was thinking. He knew everything, and no matter what, the person he chose to protect was Cherene, even if she had done wrong.

 

“If you get a letter, tell me. Do you understand? We can solve the problem together.”

 

“I... I’m really scared, Kla.”

 

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll be by your side.” Tonkla hugged Cherene and gently rubbed her back to comfort her. “What about you? If my name and Champ’s name were on the letter, who would you choose to protect?”

 

“You, of course, you are,” Cherene said with a trembling voice, but her eyes were expressionless.

 

“Huh, so you like me a little bit now, right?”

 

“Aum”

 

“I love you, Cher. No matter what, you can tell me. I will protect you.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Including the matter of cotton.”

 

"What about Fai?" Cherene's voice suddenly became harsh, and she pulled away from Tonkla.

 

“It’s about you and Fai colluding to prank the others. I saw Fai hand you the medicine bottle before she went into the room. I know it was an accident.

 

I…”

 

“Shut up! Don’t mention this again, okay?” Cherene's previously gentle attitude immediately turned tough.

 

"Um"

 

“Go back to your room and wait. I’ll go find you myself tonight.”

 

"Okay." Cherene followed the broad back until it disappeared. She immediately tried to clasp her hands together to hide her nervousness. She really didn't think anyone would see. What she and Pui Fai had planned to do earlier was just a playful prank. But who would have known that she would just die of hysteria!