GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 6: The Seven Victims’ Information

Singha returned to the station around eleven. While his subordinates were saluting, they frowned, wondering who the young man carrying a bag behind their boss was.

“Is Lieutenant Khem back yet?”

“Not yet, Inspector.”

“Let me know when he returns.”

“Understood.”

Singha walked up to his office. As he sat down at his desk, the young man who followed him settled onto the sofa. Thup yawned, marking what felt like the hundredth time that morning. Not only had he been sleep-deprived, dragged around, but he also had to face various eerie incidents. His body was signaling its limits.

“Inspector, may I sleep?”

“Do whatever.”

“Thank you.” Thup nodded before lying down on the sofa. He lay on his side, watching Singha work with a stressed expression, flipping papers, staring at the computer screen, and occasionally cursing. The young man watched this for nearly half an hour before his eyelids slowly closed.

Hearing steady breathing, Singha looked up to see the problematic kid sleeping peacefully. His sharp gaze returned to the documents and an email from Merk. He was comparing the patterns of cases from ten years ago, five years ago, and the current one. If he had to guess, the killer was choosing victims based on religion. He’d have to watch out for potential targets across the country.

Singha glanced at the young man on the sofa again. Thup had once mentioned seeing spirits resembling murder victims when he was a child. If that was true, had it happened ten years ago?

He picked up his black phone to call Merk again. It took a while for the other side to answer.

“What now?”

“Has this happened before?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The seven corpse murders, has it happened before?”

[Hold on.] The sound of typing and pacing filled the line before Merk returned.

[Yeah, but the perpetrator was caught back then.]

   “Caught?”

[Uh-huh, it happened fifteen years ago too.]

   “Where did it occur, and who was the perpetrator?”

[Phuket, the criminal is a fisherman, his DNA is under the fingernails of one of the victims. Plus, it matches the DNA on the rope used in the murder. Five years later, investigators concluded it was a copycat murder, but the culprit hasn’t been caught.]

   Singha furrowed his brows so tightly they almost tied into a bow, finding the whole situation bizarre.

“Send me all the details.”

Send everything related to this case.

    [Yeah, but be careful, Singha. Both cases have seen multiple responsible officers changed.]

   “Why?”

[Because several officers died in unexpected accidents, that’s why the case hasn’t been closed; no one dares to handle it.]

   “Hmm, don’t forget to send the data, and also the name of the prison where the criminal from fifteen years ago was detained.”

[Yeah, yeah, let me know if anything comes up; I’ll inform the police-commander.]

   “Thanks.” Singha hung up and looked at Thup again, “Copycat murder…”

The young inspector muttered to himself. He reviewed all the information available and sighed; nothing connected.

The murder fifteen years ago was concluded by the police, but this kid claims he saw the same ghost since he was little.

Murders occur every five years.

The crime scene changes every five years.

Singha immediately woke the young man sleeping on the couch.

“Thup, wake up!” His heavy hand slapped on the young man’s arm, startling Thup awake.

“Y…Yes?”

“The ghost of a woman you’ve seen since you were little, how little?”

“Yes? Uh, since I can remember, maybe four or five years old. Why do you ask, inspector?”

“Four or five years old… four or five years old…” Singha repeated, making Thup listen intently, “And where were you at that time?”

“Srisaket.” Singha replied before heading back to his desk. He pulled out all the papers from the files and the printer, then pinned them onto the investigation board.

Thup watched as the young inspector meticulously arranged everything on the board. His eyes sparkled with admiration because at that moment, Singha looked cooler than anyone he had ever met.

“Recent events in the central region, five years ago in the north, fifteen years ago in the south, probably earlier incidents in the northeast. The culprits are still in prison. Previously, he grew up in Phuket, but never moved. No travel history by plane or train.” Singha paused abruptly, mumbling to himself, “So he might not be the original perpetrator.”

The young inspector grabbed his coat, ready to leave the room, but a young man quickly grabbed his arm.

“Um… Inspector, where are you going? Can I come too?”

“Stay here.”

“But…” Thup glanced at the door. The previous incident had just occurred; the door hadn’t even been changed yet. Something was bound to happen again.

Singha also looked at the door, noticing a shadowy figure through the frosted glass, becoming clearer. Thup’s grip on his arm tightened involuntarily.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Inspector, I’m back.” came Lieutenant Khem’s voice from the other side of the door, which made both of them sigh in relief.

Singha shook his arm free from the young man’s grasp, then opened the door with an annoyed look.

“I’ve got all the victim’s data now, shall we go over it?”

“Hmm.” Singha walked out of the room without looking back. Thup watched his broad back with a lingering gaze.

“Shall we go together, young man?”

“Can I go too?”

“Just in case you have any additional information, come on.” Lieutenant Khem waved his hand, calling Thup to join him.

At exactly noon, the task force began their investigative planning meeting. On the front investigation board were photos of the deceased and various pieces of information. Lieutenant Khem handed over hurriedly summarized documents to the inspector before starting his explanation.

“Shall we begin, inspector?”

“Let’s begin.”

“The first person we visited at home was a male victim, eighteen years old. His name is Jirayu, or James, living with his family of four – father, mother, and an older sister. He’s the youngest, and the house doubles as a store. He went missing last week. The last time the family saw him, he said he was going to a friend’s birthday party and never returned. A missing person report has been filed.” LiutenantKhem started with the victim’s background.

“The second case is a fifteen-year-old boy named Jomphon, or Jom, living with his grandmother. He does odd jobs to support his education. Usually, Jom does dishwashing or other odd jobs after school. The last time he was seen was six days ago; he told his grandmother he was going to sell flower garlands at a shop.” Lieutenant Prom briefed.

“The third victim is Phakphong, inspector.” Singha nodded before sharing the gathered information.

“Thirty years old, named Phakphong or Min, transgender, works as a car sales rep, lives alone having moved here six months ago. Neighbors reported seeing him one last day before, saying he was going to the temple before work but never returned home.” Singha concluded, gesturing for the next person to continue.

“The female victim, fifteen years old, named Orawan or Orn, is an only child. Her parents said she frequently runs away because she’s always with friends, so they weren’t alarmed. The last time they saw her was five days ago.”

“My turn, inspector. The male victim, nineteen years old, named Chonlathorn or Nui. When we informed and questioned his parents, they described him as a delinquent who often stays at friends’ houses for weeks at a time, so they weren’t concerned as they themselves are often away driving trucks. Neighbors, however, mentioned seeing him last when he packed his bags and left four days ago.”

“I’ll continue. The male victim, forty-three years old, named Thanakorn or Thee, currently lives alone in a garden house. His two children are studying abroad, and we’ve informed them. His wife passed away last month. Neighbors say the deceased went to the temple to make merit for his wife daily and would return around noon or afternoon. They haven’t seen him in three days.”

“The last one, a female victim, fourteen years old, named Kachakorn, or Kaew. She lived with her parents who run a store selling alms for monks. Her family reported her missing two days ago.”

“Seven days.” Singha said without taking his eyes off the investigation board.

“Sir?” Lieutenant Khem looked around in confusion, unsure what his superior was talking about.

“The killer has been active for a total of seven days.”

“Huh?!” The detective flipped through his documents anxiously, while Singha stood up and walked to the front of the board.

“James went missing seven days ago, Jom six days, Or five days, Nai four days, Theer three days, Kaew two days, and Min just went missing yesterday. It’s possible the killer might act daily, before hanging all the bodies at the crime scene yesterday. So, the whole crime spree took eight days.” Singha explained, his frustration evident as he slapped both hands on the table, making a loud noise. “Eight days of no leads, eight days where the police could do nothing!”

Everyone fell silent, not from being scolded but because they realized the same thing – the killer was acting day by day without anyone noticing.

“Get search warrants for the birthday party venue, the flower shop, each victim’s home, and the friend’s house they frequented. Hurry!”

“Understood, Inspector.”

“Have the autopsy results come in yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Khun Say said because there are seven victims, it might take all day.”

“If they come in, let me know.”

“Yes.”

“Alright, everyone, get to work.”

Singha leaned against the table, gazing at the whiteboard in front. “Another thing common to the murders from five, ten, and fifteen years ago is the timing of the crimes. Each victim was killed over seven days, with one day for disposal. It’s always the same.”

“Uh… Inspector.” Thup, who had been quietly listening from the corner, stood up beside Singha, despite feeling extremely nervous. “What about the temples?”

“Why?” Singha asked without looking back.

“The flower shop where Jom sold garlands is likely near a temple. The temple I used to live at with Luang Phu also had such a shop. Min visited a temple before work, Thirakorn went to make merit for his wife, and Kachokorn or Kaew’s family runs a religious goods shop near a temple.” The young man pointed to each victim’s photo, explaining, making Singha follow his gaze. “I think checking the temples wouldn’t hurt, right?”

Singha reviewed the investigation file again, then wrote down the locations on the whiteboard. His sharp eyebrows furrowed as he walked to the computer, typing in the coordinates. While the system processed, he looked at Thup with a steady gaze. Earlier, he had checked CCTV footage from the condo where the young man lived. Last week, Thup left his condo once, on Wednesday at 1 PM and returned by taxi at 3 PM. Aside from that, he only went out to throw trash or receive deliveries. From the evidence, it seemed highly unlikely he committed the crime. Singha turned back to the computer screen, then got up, pulling Thup by his collar to leave together.

The young man, trying to keep up, asked, “Where are we going, Inspector?”

“Home.”

“Home?”

“Changing cars. Are you coming or waiting?” Singha replied, still dragging Thup by his collar.

“I… I’ll come.”

“Then shut up and keep up.” Thup nodded vigorously, even though Singha couldn’t see it.

Both Thup and Singha walked back to the same motorcycle, this time Thup swiftly getting everything ready to avoid another scolding. Singha put on a jet-black helmet, never taking his eyes off Thup’s sheepish demeanor. Although the kid in front of him seemed timid, asthmatic, and occasionally annoying, he was quick to learn and observant. If you overlooked his ghost-seeing antics, he might be somewhat useful until the forensic fingerprint results came in, then they could part ways.

The large motorcycle drove up to a big village, where Singha parked in front of a large, white standalone house before pressing the remote to open the door.

“Wait here.” As soon as they entered the house, Thup cautiously observed the home of the intimidating inspector. Just as he suspected…

No ghosts indeed.

The front yard had two cars parked, no trees, no bushes, just plain concrete. It was clear the young inspector had no time to maintain it, hence the concrete. Thup peeked inside the house and found it decorated like a model home, with plastic still covering the floor lamps.

“Do you have to stare that much just to come inside?” Singha came out with car keys in hand. “Let’s get in the car.”

“Which one?”

“The black one.”

A completely black BMW 14 was Singha’s choice of vehicle today instead of his usual motorcycle, because the kid sitting with him kept jumping, making the bike swerve.

After leaving the house, Singha drove straight to their intended destination. Thup tried to strike up a conversation, knowing well he might get a stern look or a sarcastic remark.

“Do you know where we’re headed, Inspector?”

“Hmm.”

“Where to? Can I ask?”

“Temple.”

“Ah… which temple? Because we just passed one.”

Singha glanced at Thup from the corner of his eye, but seeing the innocent look from the kid next to him, he swallowed all his curses.

“All the locations where the seven victims disappeared were not far apart, and there was only one temple in that area.”

“Once we get there… Can I wait in the car?”

“Why?”

“Well, in the temple… it’s not just holy things there.”

 

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