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

Investigation Part 9

 

Khamin unbuttoned his tie and the two buttons on his shirt, then threw them into the back of the car. This unkempt behaviour made Jade laugh in his throat.

 

“What are you laughing at?”

 

“I just realised that you also have a messy side.”

 

“I’m not a robot, you know that?”

 

" I do not know"

 

“Who do you usually work with, Mr Jade?”

 

“Alone. Why do you ask?” Khamin tilted his head to look at the person beside him with the same cold gaze as always. When he got the answer, he smirked and spoke with a slightly mocking tone.

 

"No wonder..." With that face and that tone of voice, it would be better just to scold him directly. This back and forth helped Jade realise that the person beside him, who seemed unattached to anything, was actually quite vengeful.

 

When the two arrived at the club, they both prepared themselves. After that, they started looking around for the person they wanted to meet right now. The hustle and bustle inside the club, the people and the lights, remained the same as before. Khamin tried to squeeze through the crowd to find Tar, even though it was difficult.

 

“Sorry,” Khamin apologised as the people who were dancing like crazy bumped into him.

 

“It’s fine.” When the person in front of him turned around, Khamin immediately frowned in confusion.

 

"Tonkla."

 

"Oh, Inspector."

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

"My friend's dead, I'm a suspect, and now none of my friends is talking to me. I have to relieve my stress." His voice was calm, his face flushed, and he reeked of alcohol. Everything showed just how drunk the boy was. "Did Inspector Khamin come to visit, too? When I questioned him, you didn't seem like the type of person who would hang out at a place like this."

 

When we lack awareness, we tend to act of our own accord without any thought. Tonkla brushed his fingertips across her fair cheeks before smiling. But before he could get any more mischievous, Khamin grabbed the boy's wrist and twisted it, causing him to cry out.

 

"Ouch! You!"

 

"Who did you come with? With Tar?"

 

"Nothing!"

 

"So have you seen any of your friends?"

 

"I don't see anything!" Khamin looked around and realised this child must have come alone, as he didn't see any friends.

 

"Go home," the new police officer said, shaking off Tonkla's arm before looking for the boy named Tar.

 

“Aaaaaah!” A girl’s scream pierced through the music, catching Khamin’s attention and causing him to run towards the source of the sound.

 

When he ran to the source of the sound, he found a crowd of people crowding around him, making it impossible for him to squeeze through.

 

"Excuse me, sir. Please let me through. I'm a police officer." Khamin tried to squeeze through the crowd, but suddenly a hand reached out and pulled him, pushing him through the cordon. Finally, he reached the front of the storage room, which was in a rather unpleasant condition.

 

"This is the boy you're looking for." Jade released Khamin's hand and pointed at the young boy in front of him.

 

Both hands and both legs had iron rods stuck into the wall behind them. Wires decorated with blades cut into the flesh, causing blood to flow all over the floor. Even more strangely, a nail was stuck into the broad forehead, and a piece of paper with the word "TRUTH" written on it.

 

"I'll call the evidence unit and forensic science. Don't let anyone near the body."

 

"Hmm." Jade looked at Khamin, who had walked through the crowd once more until he was out of sight. He had been looking for Tar on the other side of the club earlier. When he heard a woman's scream nearby, he immediately ran after her. He found the woman who had been screaming collapsed in front of a storage room where a horrifying corpse was held.

 

After the police, evidence collection, forensics, and forensic science units arrived at the scene, Khamin ordered everyone in the club to be quarantined, and gradually allowed anyone who had seen Tar or had any information to come forward before releasing them, except for the young woman who was the last person with Tar, the staff at the shop, the group Tar hung out with in the VIP room, and the last person... Tonkla.

 

“He came here alone, right?”

 

"Yes, he usually comes here, to the same room, with the same gang, every week anyway," the employee told Khamin willingly.

 

“So, was there anyone else you normally met today?”

 

"It's probably the girls. That gang leader always brings new girls. Once they're drunk, they'll go somewhere else." Khamin nodded, understanding what they meant by going somewhere else.

 

“Then why is he in the storage room? Has anyone seen him before?”

 

"I really don't know about this. Normally, when we finish serving drinks, we don't bother the guests in the special room unless someone presses the button.

 

“Thank you for the information. I will have the officers come and ask you and your subordinates for more detailed information.” Khamin walked over to the round table next to him, where a woman in a sexy dress was currently sitting, shivering. 

 

“Hello.”

 

“W-Hello,” she flinched slightly before turning to look at Khamin.

 

“My name is Khamin. I am a police officer who would like to ask you for information.”

 

"Yes"

 

“Have you and the deceased ever met before?”

 

"Never. This is the first time."

 

"What are you doing in the storage room?"

 

“Let’s… let’s… have sex. Both he and I are very drunk and want to relieve ourselves.”

 

"Where were you at the time of the incident?"

 

“I went to get condoms from my bag, but my seniors in the room had me mix drinks, so I came down late. I… When I came down and opened the door, I saw that.”

 

“Did you see anyone entering or leaving the area?”

 

“No, I… I came back and…” Her scared expression made Khamin nod in understanding.

 

"Then I might invite you to state the station again. Thank you very much."

 

"Yes"

 

On Jade's side, he was standing next to the silk curtain, watching Mirin collect the traces at the scene while talking.

 

“Captain, this can be called a serial murder case, right?”

 

"Um"

 

“Finally, our unit is getting to work.”

 

"So, do you usually do this for fun?"

 

“The captain already knows, so why are you asking?”

 

"Mai, bring me the bottle." After taking photos and measuring the distance between the deceased's body and the objects inside, she turned to Manmai and asked for the evidence bottle.

 

"Okay"

 

"What did you get?" Jade walked over to ask the two girls, then looked at Tar's corpse again.

 

"We found several fingerprints, but we'll have to check to see who they belong to first. As for this one, we'll probably know what it is." Mirin held up a glass bottle and a cotton swab for collecting evidence for Jade to see. "Take the body to the forensic department."

 

“Hmm.” After the body was loaded into the car, Jade walked back to Khamin, who was interrogating the last remaining person.

 

“Didn’t you really make an appointment with Tar to come here?”

 

“No.”

 

"And you didn't know your friend was coming?"

 

"I told you we didn't talk." Tonkla sat exhausted at the table. He was shocked to realise that his friend had caused the previous disturbance. Moreover, it was a very bad incident.

 

“Has Tar called you or sent you any messages before this?”

 

"No," Khamin looked at the child in front of him again before finally speaking.

 

“Then forget it. I thought he was calling you about a letter. If not, never mind.”

 

“What letter?”

 

“Ask Champ.” Khamin walked out, but kept glancing at the boy whose face was turning pale from time to time.

 

That letter...must be found.

 

“What are you thinking?” the person who was blocking his way said when Khamin almost hit him in the chest.

 

“I think you're clumsy.”

 

“This is the path. If you don’t let me walk this way, where should I go?”

 

"Where's the story with the body?" Khamin sighed loudly, hoping the person in front of him would hear.

 

“Mirin is collecting the remaining evidence. The body has been sent to our forensic department.”

 

“Then you can go back now. I’ll go into the station.”

 

“Where are you staying?”

 

"Why do you ask?"

"Ask and answer"

 

"It's a daily rental room around here." Jade frowned as he looked at the person who didn't seem distressed. He thought the other person had already prepared a place to stay before coming to work here.

 

“Give me the name of the place, and I’ll take you to pick up some things.”

 

“Why keep it?”

 

“When will you be there?”

 

"Just think about what works and then move." When the couple reached the car, Jade volunteered to drive back, glancing at the person next to them.

 

“I’m asking you seriously, why haven’t you found a place yet, even though the transfer order should have been issued several weeks ago?”

 

"...I thought I might get transferred again. It would be a waste of time moving things."

 

After that, the car remained silent until we reached a small hotel that was available for daily and monthly rentals. Although the condition wasn't too bad, it seemed like the new police officer was only using it to shower.

 

“Why did you drop me off? I told you I was going to the station.”

 

"I didn't come to deliver it. I came to pick it up."

 

“Where do you keep your things?”

 

“Go pick it up and check out.”

 

“So where am I going?”

 

“You didn’t call for me. Did you get any sleep? You’re just wasting money by packing up your things here.”

 

"But...."

 

“No, it’s Khamin.” It was the first time Khamin heard the person beside him call his name without any sarcasm in his tone.

 

He didn't want to waste time arguing with Jade. Besides, if he could find a cheaper permanent place to stay, he would save a lot of money. He was a local, so he could find some good places for himself.

 

Khamin packed his clothes into a bag. He hadn't actually taken out much of anything except for his belongings and clothes for the past few days before going down to check out and pay the remaining balance. When he returned to the car, he found that the person behind the wheel had just hung up the phone.

 

"The forensic team said they would be able to view the victim's body and get the results tomorrow afternoon. Mirin's side is the same. They said it will take some time."

 

"Um"

 

“So go back and rest today. It’s not just me who should sleep; you too. If you say you’re not a robot, then go rest."

 

“I know. Then I’ll take you to the place you recommended.”

 

"You're sure you like it." Khamin felt uneasy about the sly tone of the person beside him, but chose to ignore it. Jade had been acting like a Playboy since the first time they met. But Khamin was wrong. He should have been suspicious, should have been a little suspicious. As soon as he saw the familiar white house with the young man in a white shirt and grey pants standing there smiling at him, he knew immediately what Jade meant.

 

“Why did you bring me to your house?”

 

"This is the place I'm going to recommend. Comfortable bedrooms, free accommodation, free electricity, free water, and plenty of food." Jade parked the car in the house before turning off the engine without paying attention to Khamin's serious expression.

 

"I'm not funny."

 

“I’m not laughing. Get off me. I’m sleepy.”

 

"Mr Jade, Mr Jade!" Jade got out of the car with a smile on his face. He grabbed the car keys and walked into the house, leaving Khamin sitting there in a daze.

 

"Where's the stuff, Min? Let me help you carry it." Jay opened the car door and smiled kindly.

 

“How did you know I was coming?”

 

"Brother Jade called and told me to prepare the room," Khamin said, using his tongue to push his cheeks to vent his frustration. These two brothers!!!

 

Since there was no other choice, since the landlord had already taken the car keys and fled to his own room, Khamin reluctantly carried his bag and entered the house.

 

"I'll take your things to your room. Have you eaten yet?"

 

“Not yet. I can sleep on the sofa.”

 

"I've prepared a room for you. If you're tired from work, rest comfortably." Jay smiled kindly before carrying Khamin's bag upstairs.

 

Khamin looked around the house. It was a single-family home with a fairly large area. The living room and kitchen were separate. Most of the furniture was made of light-coloured wood, which contrasted with the white, making it easy on the eyes. He didn't see the two siblings' parents, so he didn't know whether he would disturb them. 

 

While he was looking around the house, Jade walked down, wearing a tight-fitting black T-shirt that revealed part of the wolf graphic tattoo on his left upper arm.

 

“Would you like to shower first or eat first?”

 

"I'll talk first."

 

"Then go wait at the dining table," Jade said as he walked into the kitchen, as if he didn't hear what Khamin was trying to say.

 

“I’m staying here one night. I’ll go out and find a new place tomorrow.”

 

“Fried rice, please. Easy.”

 

"Khun Jade."

 

“Why waste money going somewhere else? If you get transferred again, you can just move out. Stay at that hotel or at my house. You'll just have your bags and clothes anyway.”

 

"I'm afraid of your parents and your younger sibling."

 

“My parents are dead. As for Jay…”

 

“My room is on the far right, Min. I don’t mind if you come and stay with me. I’m tired of seeing P’Jade. It’d be nice if someone else could see me in the house.”

 

“I'm considerate.”

 

“So, how much do you pay for the room per day?”

 

“One thousand”

 

“I charge you ten thousand baht a month for your house. That’s pretty much just rent. Now that you’re comfortable, go shower and change. Then come down for dinner. Jay, get some pork and chop it up. I’m going to make fried rice.”

 

“Can I have another menu?”

 

"No, I'm lazy." The two siblings made up their minds about tonight's menu, while Khamin sighed and walked upstairs to his room before throwing himself on the well-made bed. He asked himself how he had got to this point.