GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 18: Trust

“See, I told you, Say, you said I was just scared for nothing. How’s that for karma!” Darin arrived in her green pajama set with large frog eyes.

“And do you really believe in stuff like this? Think about it carefully.” Say threw a pillow at Darin with an exasperated look.

“That’s why I said, just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. So, what are you going to do about this thing? Ghosts haunting everywhere like this, are you really going to continue the case?” Darin turned and asked Singha, who was sitting on the opposite sofa.

The reception room of the forensic department was now filled with people involved in various roles in the investigation, including Singha himself, King, Darin, Say, and Thup, who had to get involved out of necessity.

“If we don’t do it, who will?”

“But it’s dangerous, Singha. You’ve seen what each of us has faced, not to mention the forensic team’s car overturning.”

“I’m just here to explain. If you guys aren’t okay with continuing, I won’t stop you.” After everyone was present, Singha started to explain everything, with Thup adding details beside him. At least, those who would work on this with him needed to know what they were up against, “But anyway, I have to drag this serial killer out into the open. Otherwise, it will happen again.”

“Ugh, I want to help, Singha, but from what I’ve faced, I barely survived myself.” Darin said before glancing at the three dolls on the table. Just seeing them from the corner of her eye made her shiver. If she had to examine them closely, she might just die of a heart attack, “I’m outta here, Singha. Call me if there’s anything else, anything that doesn’t involve those dolls.”

Darin stood up and quickly walked out of the room, the images she saw still haunting her to the point where she dared not close her eyes.

“So, what now?” King spoke up amidst the silence.

“Do you believe it?”

“If you’re the one saying it, then I guess I have to believe it.” King looked up, meeting the eyes of the person sitting not far from him, “But how are we going to catch the culprit like this? Can’t take a ghost to court, can we?”

“Thup, you said there has to be a real person behind this, right?”

“Yes, these things are used in rituals; there has to be a living person doing it.”

“And how do we find this person when what we’ve got so far leads nowhere?” King asked, leaning back on the sofa, his sharp eyes looking at the young man sitting too close to his former lover.

“There are some, the CCTV from the grocery store across from the temple captured images of the victims, each one as they went inside. I’ve just checked two people so far, namely, the kid named Jom and Meen. Jom hasn’t come out since he went into the temple, while Meen was seen driving out, so not sure if something happened, where, need to check the footage of the others.”

“Are you saying the people in the temple are suspects?”

“It’s possible, because from the autopsy, it was found that nearly all the deceased had similar types of food in their stomachs, except for some whose food had already been digested by the time they were found.” Say finished speaking, stood up to grab a file with the autopsy report, and tossed it to King before sitting back down. The previous events and all the stories would shock him somewhat, but as someone who has always believed in science over sorcery, for him, these events aren’t something you encounter easily, at least there should be some proof. “Chicken, curry spices, wheat flour used for making these noodles, were found in the stomachs of the deceased, and from when I took Rin to the temple, I noticed there’s a charity kitchen there. The food found might come from there.”

“Food from the temple… Thup, did you bring it here too?”

“It’s on your desk, Phii.”

“Go get it, here’s the key.” Thup took the room key from the older man before walking out to fetch the item as ordered.

“I just asked him to get something.”

“Even though he’s a suspect, a stranger, you took him to your house?”

“Trust him that much?” King asked when only three of them remained in the room. “What are you thinking, Singha?” Singha glanced around as if to scold.

“What?” Singha handed over an evidence bag that inside had…

“Think we should only talk about work.” King sighed.

“Say, check this too.”

“Soil from pottery.” a slightly soiled handkerchief to Say. “I want to know if it’s the same type of soil used for sculpting the dolls.”

“Where did you get this from?”

“Under the abbot’s quarters.”

“The abbot? Don’t tell me you suspect a monk.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So what are you going to do next, got a plan yet?”

“Not yet. Just thinking we need to find all the dolls first.”

“If what that kid said is true, we need to find them according to the days, right? Now we have three, so there are four left.”

“What do you think we’ll get from these dolls?” King asked after a moment of silence. “Fingerprints are probably gone by now.”

“Not necessarily, trying won’t hurt. More importantly, we need to figure out what ritual the killer is performing, and why.”

“Surely it’s not some kind of sacrificial ritual, right?” Say asked, not believing that in today’s world such beliefs still existed.

“Not sure.” Singha leaned back against the sofa, casually sweeping his jet-black hair. “You guys don’t need to look for the dolls anymore. I’ll handle it myself. Say, you check for fingerprints and examine the type of soil, see if it’s the same. Inform me if you find anything. And you, King, check the CCTV for entries and exits at the temple, and track where Meen’s car went.”

“Checking these dolls is no issue for me, the point is, will something like this happen again?” Say said before looking at the dolls with the heads of a tiger, lion, and a horse.

“You might as well bring some amulets with you.”

“Which amulets?”

“How would I know? Just find some.”

“Then I’ll ask Rin about it. Let’s leave it for today; I need to recover from this ghost nonsense first.”

“I’ll take these back home for now, I’ll bring them back tomorrow.” The young inspector stood up, stretching slightly to relieve his fatigue.

“Isn’t this going to be dangerous?” King asked as he stood up to follow Singha.

“So what? Do you want to take it back or what?” Singha asked with a mocking tone, sneering when he saw the other didn’t respond. He chuckled in his throat, “Wait for me, come on. If Thup comes, have him check those foods too. I got them from the charity kitchen. Tell him to wait here, I’ll be right back.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Singha said, grabbing the three dolls from the evidence bag and walking out of the forensic department room.

Thup arrived at Singha’s office, quickly unlocked the door to grab something, then locked it back up. As he walked back towards the forensic department, his steps halted when the once brightly lit corridor turned completely dark. The young man recoiled. He knew he couldn’t easily pass through here. Just as he was about to turn away, the lights along the corridor began to flicker rapidly before turning back on. However, at the end of the corridor, there wasn’t just the connecting door; there was also a woman with a grotesquely twisted body blocking the way. Thup’s legs felt nailed to the spot, unable to move at will, his hands clenching tightly. Each time the ghost tried to approach, the lights would go out, leaving only her white eyes and a terrifying smile visible.

‘Heh, heh, the Giant isn’t here. Who’s going to save you now?’

   No need to guess who the ‘giant’ refers to. Thup knew he’d face dangers if he strayed from Singha, but he couldn’t cling to him forever. Even if not now, in the future, Singha probably wouldn’t want him meddling in his life much.

“I… I don’t know what you… want.”

‘Eaten seven. Will eat again!’

   Eaten seven? Did that mean the dead?

“By doing this, you’re only creating more karma for yourself. Please stop.” Thup said, for the first time daring to do something like this, hoping Singha would definitely be able to help, whether he lived or died.

‘Ghost’

   !!!

Thup frowned slightly upon hearing this, then jolted in surprise as a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Are you okay? I saw you standing here trembling for a while.”

“No.” Thup shook his head vigorously before turning back to look at the path, then started walking again.

The ghost had already disappeared.

“Then, I’ll excuse myself.”

“You… there were four of you, right? This morning?”

“Ah, yes. Our case isn’t settled yet because the police are too busy with something else, so we’re still here.”

“Ah.” Thup nodded lightly. “Thank you, you are…”

“I’m Bom, nice to meet you.”

“I’m Thup, nice to meet you too.”

“You seem quite close with the police. Could you ask them to finish up our case? I’m really fed up with this place.”

“Ah. I’ll try to ask them for you.” They exchanged brief farewells before parting ways. Thup glanced back at the path once more and then hurried back to find Singha.

As he neared the forensic room, he heard voices talking along with white cigarette smoke billowing out. Listening closely, he immediately recognized whose voice it was.

“Are you going to be mad like this forever?” King exhaled cigarette smoke, staring off into the sky beside Singha, who was standing with him.

“If you want to talk, go back inside. It’s annoying.” The young inspector frowned, annoyed, as he inhaled nicotine.

“I came to apologize, didn’t I, Singha?”

“Your apology means I should just get over it, huh, King? Thinking shallow like always.”

“So, what do you want? To spite me by hanging out with that kid all day and night?”

“And how does this involve Thup?”

“How many years have we been together? You think I don’t know what you’re thinking, Singha?”

“Heh, how many years have we been together?” Singha repeated with a mocking tone, “Three years, maybe, three years you secretly betrayed me, Say, Rin, three years I was stupid enough to be fooled by you for so long.”

“Sorry.” King grabbed the wrist of the person in front of him, before speaking in a softer voice.

“Taking my work achievements wasn’t enough, you also blamed me for your mistakes, and now you come back to say a simple ‘sorry’?” Singha dropped his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it into the dirt. He shook off King’s hand and pushed his chest, making him stumble back into the wall, “Before asking others to forgive you, maybe think about whose heads you stepped on to get where you are today.” as Singha was about to walk back inside, his feet paused, and he chuckled deep in his throat.

“And even if I and that kid have something going on or not, it’s none of your business.”

Thup, who had now taken a seat in the forensic department’s waiting room, just sat quietly, the recent conversation still swirling in his head.

“Is this what Singha wanted to be checked?” Say asked, eyeing the items on the table, but upon hearing no response, he looked up at the kid who was zoning out again, “Hey, kid seeing ghosts, Thup!”

“Yes?”

“What are you spacing out for? Did you hear what I asked?”

“Oh, yes, yes, this is it.”

“Just this?”

“Khun Say. Can I… ask you something?”

“Ask quickly, I need to get to work.”

“Phii Singha and King… were they ever a couple?”

“Yeah. Well, not exactly a couple. They didn’t have a status, just that kind of unspoken understanding, you know?”

“I see.”

“But there was some drama, so those two are now like parallel lines, never to meet again.”

“What’s up with those two?”

“I guess you’ve heard some rumors by now. To tell the whole story would take a while, just know that King almost got Singha kicked out of the service and thrown in jail.”

“Phii Singha must be really angry, huh?”

“Yeah, Singha is the type who gives you everything if he trusts you, but if you break that trust, he won’t keep you around.”

“Got it.” Thup pressed his lips together with a determined look. He was determined not to disappoint Phii Singha.

“Why ask? Are you trying to flirt with him?”

“N-no! I… I just saw you guys talking outside just now… not trying to flirt!”

“Then why are you getting so worked up? I was just joking.”

“I was afraid you’d get the wrong idea… I wouldn’t dare flirt with Phii Singha.” The last sentence was said quietly by Thup.

“Thup.” a voice called out along with the sound of the door opening, making Thup jump.

“Yes!!!”

“Why are you yelling? Just wanted to say we’re heading home.”

“Oh, Singha is back? This kid here just—”

“Let’s go, let’s go home. We’re heading home now, Phii Singha, Khun Say, goodbye.” Thup quickly interrupted and pushed the older man out of the room, fearing Say might reveal what he had just asked.

“What’s with you?”

“Are you hungry, Phii? Can we stop by the supermarket to buy some stuff first? There’s nothing fresh in your fridge at home.” Thup linked arms with the older man, chatting away nervously.

“What have you done wrong?”

“Uh… no, really.”

“Thup.”

“No, honestly.” Thup quickly turned to look at his older brother with innocent eyes, but when he met the fierce gaze of Singha, he had to press his lips together immediately. “I heard you talking with Khun King when I was outside.”

“And?”

“So I asked Khun Say what you guys were arguing about.” Thup looked up again, worried. It was a delicate matter between two people. He didn’t want to be seen as meddling. “Are you angry?”

“Nonsense. Where should we stop? Don’t dawdle, I want to sleep.” Seeing this older guy walk towards the car with his usual demeanor, not angry or annoyed, the young man let out a smile before running to cling to his arm again.

“Near my place is fine… but, are you really going to take those dolls back home? Don’t bring them into the house.”

“Do you want to leave them here to cause more trouble?”

“Then keep them in the car, please.”

“Fine, fine.”

“I also have something to tell you.”

“What?”

“I just saw the ghost of the woman we met at Khun Meen’s house again.” As soon as Thup finished speaking, Singha turned to look at him immediately, because this time, the young man hadn’t gone with him.

“Did anything happen?”

“Phii Singha… I heard her speaking Khmer.”

 

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