GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 4: The Owner’s Territory

Chaos erupted at the station after a loud banging on the inspector’s door, and the sight of scratches all over the door made everyone’s hair stand on end.

Singha was at his desk, with Lieutenant Khem reviewing CCTV footage across from him, and a young man, clearly terrified, hugging his knees not far away. Ever since Thup arrived at the station, weird things had happened so often that many officers were talking.

“No one was at the door this time, Inspector.”

“How can there be no one? We all heard the noise, and looked at the scratches on the door—if it’s not a person, then what, a ghost?” Singha snapped, frustrated. He was stressed enough tracking down a killer without dealing with this nonsense.

“I’ll check again.” Even Lieutenant Khem, usually his confidant, dared not say more. Singha shot a fierce look at Thup before sighing in irritation.

“Have you checked this kid’s room yet?” Singha glanced at the clock.

“Yes.”

“The search warrant comes at six in the morning.” It was now half an hour to six. “Inspector, look at the footage from when the noise happened.”

Singha watched the footage from outside his room; it showed no one entering, exiting, or even walking by. After about five minutes of stillness, scratches began to appear, but no figure was visible. The door shook slightly, but when he arrived, everything was calm.

“You can’t see her, Inspector…” The young man on the couch said, drawing the attention of the two officers.

“But I…”

Thup watched the video repeatedly. While others saw an empty frame, he saw a woman in tattered clothes, hair disheveled, scratching at the door.

“What do you see, kid?”

Thup looked up, meeting Singha’s eyes. Only he understood what Thup was seeing.

“Stand up, Thup.” Lieutenant Khem quickly asked, seeing something in his reaction.

“Where are you off to, Inspector?” his boss was unlocking the handcuffs from the young man.

“Work.” Singha replied, walking back to his desk, picking up his badge and holster, slinging them over his shoulder. “Keep an eye on this place, and if anyone asks, tell them I’m out solving a case. Also, fix that door, it’s annoying the hell out of me.”

“Solving a case? What case, Inspector? Inspector!!” Singha ignored the calls from behind as he headed towards the parking lot, with the suspicious young man trailing close behind.

Once there, Singha mounted his sleek black motorcycle, handing a helmet to the follower. Seeing the young man put it on awkwardly, Singha realized how little life experience this kid had.

“Do you realize you’re the most problematic suspect I’ve ever dealt with?”

“Sorry.” came the reply, with a voice of reproach and a face like a scolded puppy, making Singha want to slap the helmet onto his head. He yanked the helmet back, put it on properly, and secured all safety measures.

“Get on.” Singha called, “if you can’t ride a motorcycle, I’ll leave you here.”

Thup awkwardly climbed onto the bike, sitting stiffly behind Singha.

“Have you ever rode a motorbike?”

“I usually ride motorbikes, but the drivers never make me wear a helmet.”

“Give me directions.”

“To where?”

“Your condo.” Thup nodded reluctantly before starting to direct the way. At this predawn hour, Thup never imagined he’d be outside his room, especially without his protective amulet. He had to keep his head down against Singha’s back to avoid seeing anything he shouldn’t. He only looked up occasionally when Singha asked for directions.

With few cars on the road, they reached a medium-sized condo in less than half an hour.

“I’m… not under arrest anymore?”

“No way.”

“So, are you coming to the condo? Why me?”

“To check the room of someone involved in the case.”

“Isn’t it… Don’t you need a search warrant first?” Thup tilted his head in confusion.

“Oh, then I’ll just leave this here and go back to get the warrant.” Before Singha could put his black helmet back on, a white hand grabbed his shirt.

“Uh… never mind.” One thing Singha noticed after spending hours together was that this person needed someone around. Left alone, he often showed fear, sweating, and trembling eyes. Clearly, the kid was scared of something.

Thup led Singha to his own room. At the condo, it wasn’t luxurious, but it was comfortable with all amenities and security.

“We’re here.”

“Open it.” Thup nodded quickly, touched a new temporary key card from the management, and opened the door.

The young man’s room was simply decorated with warm tones, clean, with a separate bedroom. The workspace was neat, with a drawing board, screen for drawing, and a desktop computer. Everything was orderly, unlike Singha’s place.

“Where do you want to search, Inspector?”

“Everywhere.” Singha scanned the room, finding nothing unusual, then looked back at Thup.

“So, where should I sit to stay out of your way?”

“Go take a shower.”

“Huh?”

“Are you planning to walk around with blood stains all day?” Singha handed Thup an evidence bag to put his clothes in.

“Take off your clothes.”

“Yes.” As the slender hand was about to grab it, the plastic bag in front was pulled back.

“Take them off here.”

“Yes!” Thup’s voice cracked in surprise. The inspector in front of him wasn’t joking, “Is… is the inspector serious?”

“Yeah, hurry up.” Singha watched the young man slowly remove his jacket, followed by a blood-stained t-shirt. Though the young man wasn’t particularly muscular, he wasn’t skinny either. His pale skin indicated he wasn’t much of an outdoors type.

Thup hesitated for a moment before unzipping his pants. Singha looked at him with a cold demeanor. No matter how innocent the young man seemed, he wouldn’t risk letting evidence like clothes be tampered with. They’d need further examination anyway.

“Inspector, may… May I get a towel?” The young man’s fair face blushed slightly with embarrassment. Singha rolled his eyes, annoyed, before stuffing the clothes into an evidence bag.

“That’s it, go do whatever.”

“Can you inspect the room for a while, please? Don’t leave yet.”

“There are amulets and blessings everywhere; your room is practically a mobile temple. What else is there to fear?” After putting on gloves, Singha began a thorough room search, using a black light to check various spots. The room wasn’t large, with a bathroom attached to the bedroom. The living area connected to the kitchen and an external bathroom, with a balcony off the kitchen. If a murder happened here, the neighbors would have heard something.

After a detailed search and finding nothing suspicious, Singha removed his gloves, took the evidence bag, and knocked on the neighboring room’s door. It didn’t take long for the door to open, accompanied by a puff of smoke.

“Hello.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m an officer.”

“Shit, the police!!!” The hip young guy in the next room rushed back inside, stuffing his weed paraphernalia into a box, then opened the balcony door to clear the smoke. “It’s legal now, officer!”

“I hope not. I have some questions.” Singha chose to ignore the other issue as he was here only to investigate a murder.

“Wh…what?”

“The room to your left, do you know him?”

“That reclusive kid? Yeah, see him when buying stuff downstairs.”

“Did you see or hear anything from his room last night around 7 PM?”

“Hah! That kid’s like a nutjob, he was freaking out last night and then rushed out somewhere.”

“Did he leave alone?”

“I think I saw a woman leave with him just as I was about to yell at him…had a bit to drink though.” Singha sighed at the response.

“Can you describe the woman?”

“Scruffy hair, maybe in a headscarf. You’re asking a lot, officer, what’s up?”

“Thanks for the info.” Singha lost interest in the neighbor, heading downstairs to talk to the condo’s management instead. He requested the CCTV footage from last night and files from the past two weeks.

The neighbor’s words lingered in his mind because Thup had also described a ghostly woman following him. With keen eyes, he intently watched the footage, confirming what the neighbor said, but there was one discrepancy: Thup left his room and took the elevator alone, getting into a taxi at the condo’s entrance, no woman in sight. So, what did the guy see?

“Here you go, officer.”

“Thanks.” Singha returned to the floor, entering the room again to find the young man curled up on the sofa in a hoodie and gray sweatpants.

“Inspector!” Thup exclaimed joyfully, his eyes sparkling, “I thought you had already left.”

“Are you suggesting I should stick to you like glue?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Go pack your bags.”

“Pack… to go where?”

“Or do you want to stay here?”

“If I go, will I get to stay with you, Inspector…?” Thup tilted his head, looking hopeful.

“Why me?”

“Every time I’m near you… I never see ghosts.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, go pack your things.” Singha cut in, annoyed. It was better if the kid decided to come along, keeping him in sight just in case something happened again. Even with the video evidence from the condo, it wasn’t enough to clear all doubts. He still needed to keep an eye on the kid.

Thup nodded eagerly before rushing off to pack his belongings, unplugging all electrical devices except the fridge to save power and prevent future hazards. He was back in front of Singha in a few minutes, with a black satchel.

“I’m easy to live with, easy to feed, easy to take care of. I’ll cooperate with everything.”

“Let’s see if you’re as easy going as you claim.” Singha said, leading the way out of the room to the elevator. Thup glanced repeatedly at the man beside him with an admiring look, appreciating the time they spent together. He admired Singha’s competence, coolness, decisiveness, and toughness, yet there was a hint of kindness. Despite his harsh words and rigid demeanor, he wasn’t cruel. Plus, when near him, Thup never encountered ghosts.

“Are we going back to the police station?” Thup asked as they reached the car, putting on his helmet by himself, hoping for a word of praise. But Singha’s response made him feel suddenly weak.

“I’m heading to the crime scene first.”

“Uh… to the crime scene, right? Do I have to go too?”

“Or should I drive you to the station?”

“Even without you, Inspector, I’d still get haunted.” Thup muttered before hopping onto the back of the motorcycle. Whether night or day, he had seen things he shouldn’t have. Now, the only certainty was clinging to Singha until they found the pendant or another solution, because once this case was over or he was cleared, Singha would surely keep him at arm’s length.

The black motorcycle headed towards the forest outside the city. Though it was morning, the forest’s atmosphere was no less terrifying. Thup grabbed Singha’s shirt as he glimpsed the ghost of a chubby man behind a large tree, his face pale and covered in blood, his skull cracked open, revealing brain matter. Probably an accident victim. After looking down the entire way, they finally stopped at the same spot where the taxi had dropped him off the night before.

“What’s with you, looking so pale?” Singha asked after the young man took off his helmet.

“Nothing.”

“The taxi dropped you here, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then what did you do next, from the moment you stepped out of the car?” Thup glanced around the eerie forest before turning back to Singha.

“I saw an old woman with a lantern over there.” Thup pointed to an empty space on the left, “So I followed her.”

“Go on then.” Singha not so gently pushed the young man forward.

They walked deeper into the forest. Despite it being daytime, the tall, dense trees blocked most of the light, creating a gloomy atmosphere, making Thup look back at Singha every two minutes.

“It was very dark then. I’m not sure if I remember correctly, but I think I fell down right here.” Thup pointed to a log knee-high. Upon closer inspection, they found a scratch on the bark which was the cause of the wound on the leg of the kid next to him.

“And then what?”

“And… I just kept walking.”

“Afraid of ghosts, yet you come out late at night, in the forest no less, following someone with a lantern, tripping and falling but not turning back, running until you reach the crime scene, doesn’t that sound odd to you?” Singha glanced at Thup from the corner of his eye. If anyone heard the whole story, they’d think this kid is suspicious without a second thought.

“Yes.” replied Thup after reflecting on his own words. It did sound suspicious. He wasn’t surprised that Singha didn’t believe him.

“Follow me.” said Singha, leading into the forest back to the crime scene. The area was now cleared, only yellow tape marked the boundary to keep people out. Last night’s light rain had made the ground soggy, making it pointless to look for more evidence. “Each victim was killed elsewhere before being brought here. It’s not easy to get a body up a tree.”

“Don’t step there!” Thup grabbed Singha’s shoulder just as the young inspector was about to step into a muddy puddle.

“Why?”

“Someone’s not happy.”

“Who?”

“This place… it’s not empty. It has an owner.”

“What are you talking about, Thup? Where’s the owner?” Thup didn’t answer, just stared ahead with trembling eyes. When Singha looked in the same direction, he saw only bushes and large trees.

“I think the killer chose this place for a reason… The murder must have a reason for choosing this place.”

Suddenly, Thup gripped Singha’s shoulder tightly, seeing spirits of both men and women staring back with displeased eyes. From one to two, from two to three, until he saw dozens of spirits glaring through the large bushes not far away.

“This place… must have been a cemetery before.”

 

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