Goddess Bless You From Death
Case File 6.
Singha arrived at the station around eleven o'clock. While his subordinates were saluting the young inspector, they furrowed their brows in confusion at the sight of a young man trailing behind their boss with a bag.
"Has Lieutenant Khem returned yet?"
"Not yet, Inspector."
"Let me know when he does."
"Understood, sir."
Singha walked up to his office. When he sat down at his desk, the young man who had followed him also sat on the sofa. Thup yawned for what felt like the umpteenth time that morning. After being sleep-deprived, dragged around, and exposed to various unsettling incidents, his body was beginning to signal that it couldn't take much more.
"Inspector... May I sleep, please?"
"Do whatever you want."
"Thank you," Thup said, nodding before lying down on the sofa.
He lay on his side, watching Singha's serious expression as he worked, flipping through papers, staring at the computer screen, and occasionally muttering curses. The young man observed him for nearly half an hour before his eyelids gradually closed.
Hearing steady breathing, Singha looked up and saw that the troublesome kid had fallen asleep comfortably. His sharp gaze returned to the documents in his hand and the email sent from Mek. He was trying to compare the similarities and differences in the pattern of the cases from ten years ago, five years ago, and the current one. If he focused solely on the idea that the murderer selected victims based on religion, he would have to safeguard potential victims all over the country.
Singha glanced at the young man on the sofa again with a neutral expression. Thup had previously mentioned that, as a child, he had seen spirits resembling the murdered victims. If that were true, could such cases have occurred even before then? Singha picked up his sleek black phone and called Mek again. It took a while for the call to be answered.
[What now?]
"Were there any others before this?"
[Huh? What are you talking about?]
"The seven murder cases. Were there any others before this?"
[Hold on.] Mek said, followed by the sound of frantic typing and pacing. After a while, he came back to the phone. [There was a case fifteen years ago, but the perpetrator was caught.]
"Caught?"
[Yeah.]
"Where did it happen, and who was the perpetrator?" Eln Phuket. The perpetrator was a fisherman. His DNA was found under the nails of one of the victims and matched the rope used in the murders. When another incident occurred five years later, the investigators concluded it was a copycat crime, but they never caught the new perpetrator.] Singha furrowed his brows, knitting them together in deep contemplation. The whole thing seemed bizarre.
"Send me all the details-everything related to these cases."
[Sure, but you should be careful, Sing. Both cases have required changing the officers in charge several times.]
"Why?"
[Because several officers have died in unexpected accidents. That's why the case hasn't been closed—no one dares to handle it.]
"Got it. Don't forget to send the info and the name of the prison where the perpetrator from fifteen years ago was held."
[Alright, let me know if you find anything. I'll need to inform the commander soon.]
"Thanks," Singha said before hanging up and looking at Thup again. "Copycat murders..."
The young inspector muttered to himself as he reviewed all the information, then let out a sigh. The pieces of the puzzle haven't connected yet. The murders from fifteen years ago had been thoroughly investigated by the police. But the boy had claimed to see spirits resembling the murdered victims since he was a child. The murders occurred every five years. The locations changed every five years. Singha immediately got up and woke the young man sleeping on the sofa.
"Thup, wake up," he said, slapping the boy's arm hard enough to jolt him awake.
"Y-yes?"
"When you said you've been seeing the female spirit since you were a child, how old were you?
"Uh, since I can remember, probably four or five years old. Why do you ask, Inspector?"
"Four or five... Four or five..." Singha repeated, drawing Thup's close attention. "Where were you living back then?"
"Sisaket." With that answer, Singha returned to his desk. He pulled all the papers from the file and the printer, then pinned them to the investigation board.
Thup watched the inspector place everything on the board. His eyes shone with admiration because Singha seemed more impressive than anyone he had ever seen.
"The latest incident happened in the central region. Five years ago, it was in the north. Fifteen years ago, it occurred in the south. It's possible that an earlier incident took place in the northeast. The perpetrator who was caught is still serving time in prison. He was born and raised in Phuket and never relocated. There's no record of him travelling elsewhere by plane or train." Singha paused abruptly and murmured, "Then he might not be the original perpetrator."
The young inspector grabbed his coat and was about to leave the room when the young man sitting there rushed to his arm.
"Inspector, where are you going? C-Can I come with you?"
"Stay here."
"But.." Thup glanced at the door. The recent incident had him on edge, and the door hadn't even been replaced yet. It was bound to happen again.
Singha looked at the door too. This time, he saw a shadow moving through the frosted glass. It gradually took shape until it resembled a human figure. Thup's grip on his arm tightened involuntarily.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Inspector, I'm back." Lieutenant Khem's voice came from the other side of the door, making both of them breathe a sigh of relief. Singha shook off the boy's grip and opened the door, his expression now one of irritation.
"We have the complete information on all the victims now. Do you want to hear it, Inspector?"
"Yes," Singha said, walking out of the room without looking back. Thup watched him leave with longing eyes.
"Want to tag along, kid?"
"Can I?"
"You might have some useful information. Come on," Lieutenant Khem said, gesturing for Thup to follow.
At precisely noon, the investigative team gathered to discuss their plans. On the investigation board in front of the room were pictures of the deceased along with various pieces of information. Lieutenant Khem handed the summarised documents to the inspector before starting the explanation.
"Shall we begin, Inspector?"
"Go ahead."
"The first victim we visited was an eighteen-year-old male named Jirayu, or James. He lived with his family of four: father, mother, and older sister. He was the youngest. Their house is also a shop.
He disappeared a week ago. The last time his family saw him, he said he was going to a friend's birthday party, but never returned. A missing person report was filed." Lieutenant Khem began by examining the background of the first victim.
"The second victim is a fifteen-year-old male named Jompol, or Jom. He lived with his grandmother, who did odd jobs to support his education. Normally, Jom would wash dishes or do other odd jobs after school. The last time he was seen was six days ago, when he told his grandmother he was going to sell garlands to a shop." Sergeant Prom explained the second case.
"The third victim is Pakapong, Inspector," Singha nodded before sharing the information he had.
"The victim was a thirty-year-old transgender woman named Pakapong, or Meen. She worked as a car salesperson and lived alone, having moved in six months ago. A neighbour reported that the last time she saw her was the day before, when Meen mentioned she was going to the temple before work, but she never returned home." Singha summarised the details and gestured for the next person to continue.
"The fourth victim is a fifteen-year-old female named Orawan, or Orn. She was an only child. Her parents said she often went out with friends and would sometimes stay out, so they didn't worry initially. The last time they saw her was five days ago."
"I’ll continue, Inspector. The fifth victim is a nineteen-year-old male named Chanintr, or Nai. When we notified and questioned his parents, they stated that he was a problem child who often stayed at friends' houses for weeks at a time, so they weren't concerned because they are rarely home due to their work as truck drivers. The neighbours mentioned they last saw him four days ago when he came to pack his bags."
"I'll go next. The sixth victim is a forty-three-year-old male named Thanakorn, or Tee. He lived alone in a garden house. His two children are studying abroad, and his wife passed away last month. Neighbours said he went to the temple daily to make merit for his wife and would return home by noon or early afternoon. He mostly spends time in his garden, but the neighbours haven't seen him for three days."
"The last victim is a fourteen-year-old girl named Kotchakorn, or Kaew. She lived with her parents, who ran a shop selling religious offerings. She disappeared two days ago, and her family filed a missing person report as well."
"Seven days," Singha remarked, his eyes never leaving the investigation board.
"Sir?" Lieutenant Khem looked around, unsure of what the inspector was referring to.
"The killer acted over seven days."
"What?!" The four officers frantically flipped through their documents while Singha walked to the front of the board
"James disappeared seven days ago. Jom, six days ago. Orn, five days ago. Nai, four days ago. Tee, three days ago. Kaew, two days ago. And Meen disappeared just one day ago. It's possible the killer acted daily and hung all the bodies at the crime scene yesterday, completing the spree over eight days." Singha pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek in frustration before slamming his hands on the table, echoing through the room. "Eight days with no one noticing! Eight days, and the police did nothing?!"
Everyone remained silent, not because they were being scolded but because they were thinking the same thing. How could the criminal commit crimes day after day without anyone suspecting?
"Get me search warrants. The friend's birthday party, the garland shop, every victim's home, and the regularly visited friends' houses. Get those warrants quickly."
"Understood, Inspector."
"Have the autopsy results come in yet?"
"Not yet, sir. Dr Sei said that since there are seven victims, it might take the whole day."
"Let me know as soon as he's back."
"Yes, sir."
"Alright, get to work."
Singha leaned back against the table and looked at the board in front of him. Another similarity with the murders five, ten, and fifteen years ago was the timing. The killer took seven days to murder the victims and one day to conceal the bodies. It was the same.
"I-Inspector," Thup, who had been listening from the corner of the room, stood up next to Singha, despite feeling very nervous. "What about the temple?"
"Why?" Singha asked without taking a glance.
"The shop where Jom sold garlands is probably near a temple. The temple I used to stay at with Luang Pu had a similar shop. Meen went to the temple before going to work. Tee went to make merit for his wife, likely at a temple, right? And Kaew's house, which sells offering items, is probably near a temple too," the young man pointed to each victim's picture as he explained, making Singha follow his direction. "I think… Checking the temple wouldn't be a bad idea."
Singha picked up the investigation report again, then grabbed a whiteboard marker and wrote down the locations. His brows furrowed as he walked to the computer and typed in the positions of each place. While the system processed the data, Singha looked up at Thup with a calm expression. He had already checked the CCTV footage from the condominium where the young man lived. Last week, Thup left the condo once, on Wednesday at 1 PM, and returned by taxi at 3 PM. Other than that, he only went out to take out the trash on the same floor or to receive deliveries.
Until yesterday, he left his condo at the time described in his statement. Based on the circumstantial evidence, it is unlikely that he committed the crime. Singha turned back to the computer screen, then stood up and grabbed Thup by the collar, pulling him along. The young man tried to keep up while asking:
"In-Inspector, where are we going?"
"Home."
"What?"
"I'm going back to change the car. Do you want to wait here or come with me?" Singha said as he walked, still holding the young man's collar.
"I'll go with you."
"Then shut up and keep up." Thup nodded vigorously, even though Singha couldn't see that.
Both of them walked to the same motorcycle. This time, Thup quickly prepared everything to avoid being scolded again. Singha put on his pitch-black helmet, still staring at Thup's fumbling actions. Despite appearing fearful, timid, and sometimes annoying, the young man learned quickly and was quite observant. If not for his claims of seeing ghosts, he might be useful until the fingerprint results came back from forensics, after which they would part ways.
The large motorcycle drove into a big housing estate. Singha parked in front of a large white house and pressed the remote control to open the gate.
"Wait here." Once inside, Thup cautiously observed the stern inspector's home. Just as he expected… There were no ghosts indeed.
The front area had two cars parked; there were no trees or bushes, just plain concrete. Clearly, the busy inspector had no time for gardening. Thup peeked inside and saw the house looked like a showroom, with plastic still covering the floor lamps.
"If you're going to stare like that, why don't you just go inside?"
Singha came out with car keys in hand. "Get in the car."
"Which one?"
"The black one."
A completely black BMW i4 was Singha's choice for the day instead of his usual motorcycle because the young man riding with him kept startling, making the bike sway a lot. After leaving the house, Singha drove towards their target destination while Thup tried to start a conversation, although he might get scolded or receive a cold stare.
"Inspector, do you know where we're going?"
"Yes."
"Can I ask where?"
"The temple."
"Oh. Which temple exactly? We just passed one," Thup asked, his voice nervous. Singha glanced at him but, seeing the young man's naive expression, swallowed his irritation.
"All the locations before the seven victims disappeared are not far from each other. And there's only one temple in that area."
"When we get there... Can I wait in the car?"
"Why?"
"Because a temple isn't always filled with holy things."