Goddess Bless You From Death
Case File 5.
A can of ice-cold soda was raised to Singha's lips, and he drank it all in one go. As much as he wished it were a strong alcoholic drink, that was only a fantasy while on duty. His sharp eyes glanced at the pale-skinned young man who had been zoning out ever since they left the crime scene until they arrived at the shop two kilometres away.
"Here we are, officer! Yesterday, my husband took care of the shop because I had to look after our kid at the hospital."
"Hello," Singha greeted the man in his forties, who was followed by his wife of a similar age. He led the couple inside to talk more comfortably.
"Hello, officer. What's going on? My wife urgently called me back home. I was just about to catch a fish."
"I have a few questions. Last night, between 9 PM and midnight, did a pink taxi driven by a man in his forties or fifties stop here?"
"A taxi.. Oh, yes! I remember. He said he dropped off a passenger by the forest, but didn't dare to go back to pick them up."
"Did he say anything else?"
"We chatted a bit. He said he wasn't sure whether to pick up the passenger because people don't usually dare to drive in that area at night.
"May I ask why?"
"That area has frequent accidents. My father used to say it was once a graveyard for unclaimed bodies." Singha immediately turned to look at the young man sitting outside the shop. "I was curious about what that passenger was thinking. When I asked if he was sure it was a real person he picked up, the taxi driver hurriedly left with his car."
"In the past three or four days, has anyone else been to that area or entered the forest?"
"Just last night, when the police and ambulance were coming and going. Other than that, I wouldn't know. Around here, people lock up and go to bed by 9 PM. Last night, I closed the shop late because I was watching the football game, so I got a better look."
"Thank you for the information." Singha stepped outside and sighed, noticing that the young man was still zoning out, the condensation from the can forming a puddle on the ground. He wasn't sure if the kid actually saw what he claimed, but much of what Thup described matched the surrounding information.
Singha took out a cigarette, placed it in his mouth, lit it, and inhaled the nicotine deeply. The case wasn't just about solving a murder anymore; it involved supernatural elements. For someone who didn't believe in ghosts and didn't practice any religion seriously, it all seemed utterly ridiculous.
"Inspector.. Do you smoke?"
"Yeah. Want one?" Singha offered a new cigarette to the young man sitting in front of him.
"I don't smoke," Thup replied, shaking his head and pressing his lips together. "What do we do next?"
"We'll have to wait for the autopsy results. Right now, we don't have any useful information." Singha exhaled a cloud of white smoke that drifted away as he finished speaking.
"And what about what I told you?"
'Think the killer chose that location because it's a graveyard, the kid who sees ghosts told me. How does that sound? Do you think it's believable?"
"No."
"Good. Keep that in mind." The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of Singha's phone. He picked it up and exhaled another puff of smoke. "Yeah?"
[Where are you, Inspector?]
"Near the crime scene."
I've just finished questioning the victims' families. There are four more to go.]
"What did you find?"
[It seems like the times they went missing aren't the same.]
"The killer couldn't have done it all at once. It would be too difficult and suspicious to make seven people disappear simultaneously."
[I'm heading to the fourth victim's house now. I'll contact you after that.]
"Send me the list. I'll go to the fifth victim's house myself."
[Understood, sir.]
"By the way, Lieutenant, find the history of the crime scene for me. Who owns it now, who owned it before, and what it was used for in the past. Get me everything."
[Yes, sir.] After Lieutenant Khem hung up, Singha walked over to dispose of his cigarette butt in the designated area provided by the shop
"Get up, Thup."
"Where are we going?"
"To the victim's house."
"Is it... Okay for me to go?"
"Are you the murderer?" Singha crossed his arms and looked at Thup with a calm but probing gaze.
"No, I didn't kill them," Thup thus replied firmly.
"Then get up."
It did not take long for Singha and Thup to arrive at the house of the fifth victim out of seven. The motorcycle stopped in front of a clean, white townhouse, but the house was completely silent, with no signs of life. Singha rang the doorbell repeatedly, but no one answered "Um.. The owner isn't home," a woman walked out from the adjacent house and spoke up.
"Do you know who the owner of the house lives with?"
"She lives alone."
"I'm a police officer. I need to ask some questions about the resident."
"Oh, okay. But did something happen to Meen?"
"It's still under investigation, so I can't provide details, but Mr Pakapong, or Ms Meen, has passed away."
"What?!!! N-No... It can't be true! W-What happened?!"
"Do you know her family?"
"I only know that she left home because of issues with her family over her gender transition. I've never met or seen them. She's been renting here for six months, working as a car saleswoman."
"When did she go missing?"
"Two days ago. I went to bring her some curry, but she wasn't home."
"Did she mention anything unusual before?"
"She talked about work sometimes. She was kind, cheerful, and went to the temple regularly." Singha nodded understandingly. "We even planned to go to the temple together this weekend."
"Did anyone visit her house or wander around here recently?"
"Not that I know of. I work online from home and haven't seen anyone strange."
"When was the last time you spoke to her, and what did she say before she left?"
The young woman paused for a moment before responding, "She complained about having bad luck and said she was going to the temple to make merit before going to work."
What time did she leave that day?"
"Around 6:30 AM. She usually left for work at seven, but that day she left early to go to the temple."
"Did she drive?"
"Yes."
"If we get more information, we might call you in for further questioning at the station. Thank you for your help." Singha bowed politely and then looked inside the victim's house
The phone in his jeans pocket rang again. Singha picked it up without looking at the screen, as he could guess who it would be.
[Inspector, we've finished questioning the victim's family and close contacts.]
"Meet me at the station," the young inspector cut the call before quickly mounting his motorcycle and putting on his helmet. When he turned back, he cursed, seeing the young man who had been tagging along since the beginning still standing at the same spot, not moving.
"Thup, what are you spacing out for? Get on quickly!"
"There's someone in the house... No, it's not a person."
Singha furrowed his brows tightly and turned back. When he looked into the house, he saw nothing but emptiness. The young man quickly grabbed Singha's shirt. Through the gap in the curtain, he saw a pair of white eyes staring at him, a sinister smile spreading across its face, an inhumanly wide grin.
"W-We. need to check the house." Thup's frightened demeanour made Singha look inside the house again, but no matter how hard he looked, he saw only the empty house.
"Get on. We don't have a search warrant today; we can't go in." The young man climbed onto the motorcycle, resting his head on Singha's shoulder, trembling.
"Who told you to lean on me?!"
"S-sorry, I won't." The young man straightened up, closing his eyes tightly, and instead of placing his hands on his thighs as usual, he clung to Singha's shirt. The bodies of six victims had been transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, while another was already in the lab, ready for autopsy.
"Damn you, Redhead! I'm going to report this to Singha!"
"About what?" Sei responded, putting on gloves.
"About you bringing the victim's bodies here."
"I already told him. Otherwise, we wouldn't be allowed. How else would we handle so many bodies?"
"Then use your subordinates here! Why drag me along?"
"Just do it. Put your suit on; we're about to start the autopsy."
"Damn it!" Darin cursed angrily before starting to put on her lab coat. She had managed to escape this duty before, but she was pulled back into it once again.
"Autopsy begins at 10:24 AM," his sharp eyes gazed at the victim's body on the autopsy table before he began the procedure. "The victim is a 43-year-old male with ligature marks and a deep cut on the neck," his assistant repeated while jotting it down.
"Do we need to cut this red thread?" Darin asked nervously. "Don't hold it against me, but usually we shouldn't meddle with this. They are sewn because seeing and speaking aren't allowed. Don't you think so? Sei?"
"How can we perform the autopsy without cutting it? Are you going to ask the dead through telepathy?" Sei shook his head slightly and started examining the body for other signs. "Scalpel."
The scalpel reflected the overhead light as its blade cut precisely from the neck to the abdomen. Darin pressed her hands together in a prayer before helping to spread the chest open to examine the internal organs. The ribs were cut to allow Sei to remove the internal organs for examination. Every step was meticulous until they reached the stomach.
"Does the deceased have a medical history?"
"Yes, diabetes," Darin replied after checking the file. Sei opened the deceased's mouth again and found dentures.
"This wasn't the first murder."
"Obviously, the other two bodies are already infested with maggots."
"Have the maggots been sent to the entomology?"
"Yes."
Sei scraped the stomach lining into a vial and handed it to his assistant, who was holding a camera. "Send this to the toxicology. I need a list of all the medications the deceased was taking."
"Got it."
"The food wasn't chewed well, and with diabetes, digestion slows. Look, there are still chicken pieces," Darin noted, shaking her head. The autopsy continued until only the red thread remained. Darin requested they cut it last.
"Scissors," Sei took the scissors from his friend and slid them under the red thread on the victim's eyelid. As soon as he cut the thread, the lights went out.
"Shit!!! What the hell?!"
"It's just a blackout. Why are you freaking out?"
"This place never has blackouts!" Darin shouted, feeling around
"Aahhh!!!"
Darin screamed as something fell loudly. The lights flickered back on, and Darin held her wrist in shock on the floor.
"Did... Did you grab my hand, Sei?!"
"I was holding the scissors, so how could I?"
"Someone grabbed my hand!" Darin glanced at the body on the autopsy table, then backed away. "I told you not to cut the thread!"
"Get up." Sei set the scissors down and helped his friend up. "You might have touched the dead hand by accident."
"I know well where the dead hand was! That thing was already
outside the table!"
"Look, the hand is still in the same place. How could it be alive with its chest cut open?"
"I'm talking about after death! I'm serious, Sei, I felt it!"
"If you can't handle it, wait outside. I'll continue the autopsy." Darin slowly stood, looking at the body, which was in the same state as before the blackout, except for the left eye, where the thread had been cut. She swallowed hard and bit her lip.
"I can stay." After all, she was a doctor, and abandoning her duty halfway was not in her nature. A cold shiver ran down her spine, making Darin turn to look, but there was nothing. This case had been strange from the start, but the deeper they investigated, the stranger it became. She hardly knew anymore whether they were dealing with a human murderer or something beyond death.