GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 14: The Sixth Sense of Wednesday Night

The young detective stood in front of James’s house, the first victim of the disappearances in this case. The sound of sobbing echoed from the front occasionally. It was a modest townhouse, and the neighbors had gathered to watch, so he had his subordinates hold them back.

“Chief, we’re ready.”

“Hmm.” King entered the house, scanning everything meticulously. Suddenly, someone bumped into his shoulder hard. Who would dare?

“Get out of the way.” said Say, passing through, “If you’re just going to stand there, do it outside.” Followed by Darin.

“Don’t let anyone into the house until the forensic team finishes their work.” King said, shaking his head slightly in dismissal before beginning to direct the others.

“Understood.”

“Also, find a clay doll shaped like an animal head. If anyone finds it, report immediately.”

“Yes.” King followed Darin and Say upstairs. After questioning James’s parents, it was clear that no one had entered their son’s bedroom, so all evidence should still be intact.

Say opened the left door. As soon as the door cracked open slightly, a putrid smell wafted out, forcing all three to turn away. The door was opened wider for a preliminary inspection inside. As the stench slowly dissipated, he turned to Darin, who was clinging to his arm, signaling him to let go. But because of their long friendship, the only woman there gave her friend’s arm a firm hit, not holding back.

“I’m not letting go until we go in and make sure there’s nothing there.”

“And how am I supposed to investigate, ma’am?”

“You walk in first, then we’ll talk.”

“Still scared of ghosts?” King asked, “Why not worry about your own business, detective?”

“Calling it out like that, isn’t that a bit harsh?” Say feigned a voice of surprise before entering the victim’s bedroom, ignoring King’s chuckles from behind.

The bedroom seemed like that of any ordinary teenager. Nothing particularly special. Darin released Say’s arm and looked around while rubbing her own arm.

“Don’t you feel goosebumps or a bit cold?” She asked, turning to Say who was opening the curtains. Despite the room appearing normal, it was devoid of light, stuffy, and too damp to breathe comfortably.

“If the deceased had left the house before disappearing, there probably wouldn’t be many traces here.” King remarked as he picked up a book from the shelf.

“Did Singha mention anything about the doll?”

“Clay dolls, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

“It was sent for inspection.”

“What kind of doll?” Darin looked back and forth between King and Say, each doing their own thing without making eye contact.

“A clay doll, with the head of a tiger.” The young detective elaborated, “A clay doll?”

“They said to try looking in each victim’s house. If you find one, bring it back to the station.”

“What kind of doll is this?” Inside the room, she walked over to Darin’s bed, muttering as she checked for anything unusual, but then she had to cover her nose quickly when she turned towards the headboard too late. The foul smell of waste made her try to trace its source, while Darin was lifting pillows and blankets. Suddenly, she felt like someone was watching her find something. So she started picking up the decorative cushions one by one.

‘Heh, heh’

   The laughter echoed from the direction of the headboard, making Darin pause, his hand still lifting a pillow, and he slowly turned to look again. She was sure she hadn’t misheard, but when she looked, there was no one there. Yelling out now would only get her scolded by Say.

“Di…did you hear anything just now?”

“Hear what?”

“Oh, never mind.” Darin pressed her lips together tightly before turning back to look at the bed again, “Bless me. I am not here for harm but to help, please don’t scare or haunt us.”

Darin murmured softly to herself, hands clasped to her forehead. She took a deep breath to muster courage before switching from searching on the bed to under it. The flashlight was turned on, shining underneath, the light slowly moving from the headboard to the middle of the bed, until it reached the foot of the bed where her eyes met with a clay doll, positioned facing her, its body twisted and its head…

“Lion head?”

Bang!!!

The lights in the room went out simultaneously with the loud slamming of the door; the curtains also closed, plunging the room into darkness once again. Only the light from her flashlight and Say’s remained on. Darin, startled, looked around as the situation grew increasingly strange. She turned back to look under the bed to grab something and leave quickly, but when she turned around, what was under the bed was no longer just the clay doll. Instead, there was the face of a woman right in front of her, a young woman with a deathly pale face, hollow eyes that seemed to see through to the inside, and a smile creeping on her thin, pale lips. From lips of normal human size, there appeared a tear, stretching all the way to her ears. This face was now less than a hand’s breadth from Darin and was tilting its head, looking at her.

‘Take it, if you want it, take it.’

   The clay doll was pushed towards Darin by a pale hand and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She felt like screaming but no sound came out; tears streamed down her cheeks, yet she couldn’t lift her hand to wipe them away.

‘Heh, heh, take it, take me with you.’

   Just as that terrifying face was about to move closer, her ankle was grabbed, pulling her out into the light again.

“Why the hell are you crying?” Say asked in shock. He had just reopened the curtains and noticed Darin had been under the bed for too long, not moving, so he decided to pull her out by the leg.

Darin felt the weight of her body lighten. She quickly got up and ran out of the room in panic, ignoring any protests from the two behind her.

“What’s with her?” Say bent down to look under the bed, shining his flashlight. He found a doll with a lion’s head, picked it up, and put it into an evidence bag. After retrieving it, he left the room, thinking there wouldn’t be any more evidence to collect.

“That’s the doll Singha wanted us to find.”

“Yeah.”

“Then it means the other victims’ houses might have them too.”

Both walked out of the house before King separated to talk with the victim’s family. Meanwhile, Say headed to the car where he saw his friend sitting inside, looking traumatized.

“What’s wrong with you, woman?”

“Get it out.” Darin said before glancing at the evidence bag in Say’s hand, “Take it out, Say, get that doll out of here. Otherwise, I’ll leave myself.”

“What’s up with you?”

“If I told you I saw a ghost, would you believe me? If I said this doll is weird, what would you say? So, I’m serious, Say, take it out. Leave it with the forensics car, and then take me to a temple.”

Normally, Say would curse back if a friend brought up such matters, but this time, Darin seemed more frightened than ever, his face showing clear paranoia.

“Alright, wait a sec.” Say got out of the car to take the doll head and place it with the separate forensics vehicle. After he had arranged for it to be placed on a table and sent ahead from the next victim’s house, Say returned to the car, showing both hands to Darin, “It’s gone now. Happy? Which temple are we going to, at this hour?”

“Yeah, any nearby temple will do, just for a brief visit.”

“Okay, okay, as you wish.” Say drove out from the village heading towards a temple he remembered passing by, if he recalled correctly, it was called Santitham Wararam Temple.

Meanwhile, King was questioning James’s parents and older sister about the doll, how it got there, and where it came from.

“Sniff, did you find anything else, officer?” James’s mother sobbed, her eyes red and swollen from the loss of her son.

“We didn’t find anything unusual except for the doll under the bed.”

“A doll? What kind of doll?” asked James’s father, who was supporting his wife, with curiosity.

“A clay doll with a lion head. Can you tell me if you’ve seen that doll before or know where he might have gotten it?”

“I don’t know, but before he disappeared, he was acting strange, kept locking himself in his room, barely eating, and when he did, he’d vomit. My wife and I thought it was stress from university entrance exams, so we tried leaving soft food outside his door.”

“And before that, did he show any strange behavior or encounter anyone unusual?” Both James’s parents shook their heads while hugging each other tightly, but his older sister, standing with them, seemed like she wanted to say something, “Do you have something to tell me?”

“Well… before this, James complained to me about being scared he wouldn’t pass the entrance exam for the faculty he wanted, and he said he might try making a wish. I didn’t know if he was serious, so I didn’t object. One night, when I came down late, I saw James standing facing the wall, mumbling something. When I got closer to listen, it was… a chant.”

“A chant?” King asked again for confirmation.

“What chant, dear?” James’s father asked.

“I don’t remember it all, but I remember the beginning.”

“How does it go?” King took out his notebook, ready to write, “Ji Jeruni Chittang Jetasikan Rupang, that’s what I heard.” King wrote it down as James’s sister described. As he finished writing, a gust of wind made him look towards the second-floor window, where a thin white curtain fluttered, revealing for a moment the shadow of a woman standing there, but she disappeared when the curtain fluttered again.

“Thank you for your cooperation. If there are any updates, I’ll let you know.” King said his goodbyes and ordered his team to prepare to leave for the next house. Despite feeling uneasy about all the events unfolding in this case.

A luxurious white car parked in front of the temple’s main hall at Santitham Wararam Temple. Once Say turned off the engine, Darin hurriedly opened the door and stepped out without delay, walking in to kneel and worship the large, golden Buddha statue. She chanted and bowed with urgency, causing Say, who followed him in, to remark:

“You’re mumbling so much, do you think the Buddha can understand?”

“I don’t know, I just need something to hold onto right now, Namo Tassa Bhagavato…”

“Are you here to make merit?” A deep voice from behind made them both turn, “Abbot! Yes, to make merit, please. I just saw a ghost, what should I do? Is there a ghost following me? Can you bless me with holy water, please?” Darin spoke anxiously. A monk, around sixty years old, entered the hall with a smile, sitting down on a seat in front of them.

“Calm down, my child. Ghosts are just spirits, spirits are people who have passed away. The dead are inanimate, so how can they follow anyone?”

“I really saw it, Lord Abbott… a very scary female ghost.”

“Alright then, I’ll sprinkle holy water for you to calm your spirit. No matter what you’ve encountered, fold your hands in prayer.” Darin quickly folded her hands, touched her forehead immediately, then bowed her head to receive the holy water. The cool water on her skin helped cool down Darin’s feverish mind. She sighed before bowing to the monk once again. “By the way, where are you from?”

“A nearby village, Reverend Father.”

“Do you live there?”

“No, Reverend. We are forensic investigators here for a case, Reverend.”

“I see.”

“Have you been here long, Reverend?”

“Many years now, I am the abbot here.”

“Ah, that’s good, Reverend. Then I can come often for blessings these days; I keep encountering things, I don’t know what.”

“Keep making merit, child. When free, come sit, walk in meditation here at the temple to calm your mind.”

“Yes, Reverend.” Darin chatted a bit more before excusing herself. Meanwhile, she glanced and saw a Buddha statue for her birthday positioned not far in the pavilion. She decided to make merit by dropping all her coins into the alms bowl in front of it. Darin took out all her coins and dropped them into the silver alms bowl in front of the Wednesday night Buddha statue, then raised her hands in a slight bow, “Amen, may I not see anything like that again. May my life be smooth without disturbances, please.”

After finishing, she walked back to the car with a calmer heart. Although still a bit scared, she thought that making merit and praying might improve things, but who knows if everything can be solved just by making merit…

  

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 13: Testimony from the scapegoat, Singha picked up

A completely black car parked in front of the central prison. Thup got out of the car, looking confused, before walking around to meet the older guy. The documents came out from the leather seat before being handed to the kid who came to stand beside him.

“Hold this, and go wait over there.” Singha pointed to the front gate with the high wall, to get some shade.

“Why, Phii, aren’t you coming with me?”

“I’m going to smoke.” Thup nodded hesitantly before walking to the entrance gate.

Singha grabbed a Marlboro cigarette, held it in his mouth, and lit the end with a practiced flick of his lighter. He took a deep drag of nicotine before exhaling, the white smoke billowing out. His sharp eyes watched the young man waiting at the front gate, lost in thought. If the matter of the dolls, whether Mae Sue or involving spirits, or whatever, was true, he was starting to worry that the case would be hard to investigate because it’s something that couldn’t be proven. No matter what Thup would say, it remained unprovable. While the young man was thinking, suddenly the prison door opened, and an officer approached the naive-looking kid with an aggressive demeanor. Singha dropped his cigarette to the ground and crushed it under his foot and extinguished it.

“What are you doing here?”

“I…I came-”

“Let me search for you!” As the officer was about to grab Thup’s arm to conduct a body search, Singha stepped in, blocking him with a cold demeanor and showing his badge.

“I’m here to see Warden Sittichai.”

“Uh, please come in, but we need to conduct a body search and check your belongings, nothing is allowed inside, and…”

“This kid is with me.”

“Then please, come in.”

Both of them walked inside before allowing the staff to check their belongings, deposit their phones, and perform a body search. After that, they were led to the office of the prison warden.

“Hello, Inspector Singha.”

“Hello.”

“I’ve read through the details. Since the prisoner you want to talk to is involved in a serious case, the conversation must take place in the visitation room.”

“Okay.”

“You have forty minutes, and a guard will be present the whole time.”

“Okay.”

“Then I’ll take you there.” The warden smiled brightly and stood up, leading both to an inner door. When they reached the visitation room, which was separated by thick bars with individual sections but no people, Singha chose to sit at the far end next to the wall so the person they were to meet wouldn’t feel too isolated.

“He’ll be out in a moment.”

“Thank you.” The warden walked outside to handle other matters. This was a central prison for convicts with finalized sentences, particularly those with severe crimes, ranging from decades in prison to death row. Singha was used to this, but for Thup, who was here for the first time, he couldn’t help but feel tense, gripping the hem of his companion’s shirt and looking down, avoiding anything he shouldn’t see.

“Phii, why are we here?”

“To question a scapegoat.”

“A scapegoat?” Thup tilted his head slightly, not understanding, but before he could ask more, a young man with an expressionless face wearing a blue shirt walked over and sat opposite them.

“Hello, Khun Tevich.” The door on the other side of the bars opened as Singha greeted with a neutral, non-threatening, and non-pressuring tone. However, the other party only glanced at him before turning away, staring at the wall without responding.

“My name is Singha, an investigating officer. I’ve come to meet you today hoping for your cooperation in the investigation.”

There was no response… Just as the warden had said, this prisoner was silent and would not speak unless necessary. His demeanor, suggesting he was forced into this conversation, didn’t surprise Singha much. If what he thought was true, it wouldn’t be odd for the man in front of him to dislike those in uniform.

“I know you’re not comfortable talking to me, but staying silent like this isn’t very helpful.” Singha continued. “Let me explain why I’m here today; maybe you’ll change your mind.” Singha slid some documents in front of him and held them up for Tevich to see, “There’s been a murder case now, seven victims, all with their eyes and mouths sewn shut with red thread-”

“Heh.” Tevich chuckled under his breath with a pitiful expression.

“I guess you’re somewhat familiar with this.” Tevich turned to look at the photos of the seven victims laid out in front of him, then looked up at Singha. “Before, you were a suspect in a similar case fifteen years ago. A similar incident occurred in Phuket, and you were implicated because your DNA was found under the victim’s nails and with the rope used. That made you the prime suspect. After the trial, you were sentenced to life imprisonment. Am I correct?”

Still, only silence from the other side. Singha nodded, collected all the documents, and handed them to Thup, who took them with confusion. He couldn’t understand what anyone would gain from this silence. “It’s fine. It seems like living here, even unjustly, hasn’t really affected you much. Then, I guess I don’t need to discuss the next part of the information. Let’s go.” Singha said, standing up and walking towards the door. Thup hesitated to follow until…

“Wait.” The corner of Singha’s mouth lifted in a smile instantly. No one who is innocent would want to stay here; it’s not that comfortable.

“Ready to talk now?”

“I’ll only say what I told my lawyer the first time.”

“Very well.” Singha returned to his seat, signaling Thup to sit as well. “Is the young man next to you also a police officer?”

“No. He was the one who discovered the body at the scene.” Tevich’s expression was quite surprising. He turned to stare at Thup without blinking, “Shall we start?”

“How are you different from the other cops? Those guys do everything just for a promotion, just to lick the boots of their superiors. No matter if it’s right or wrong, they don’t care about the people.” The voice filled with disdain and scorn came from someone inside the glass room, “The difference is that I have this kid to help with my decisions.”

“Me, sir?” Thup pointed at himself.

“This kid might know if there was a murder case like this fifteen years ago. So if we can prove there’s a connection or relation to the current case, you might be cleared of this case and the charges.”

“Really?”

“Yes, if you’re willing to cooperate.”

“I… I am willing.”

“You’re a fisherman, you have your own boat and nets, so it’s not strange to find your fingerprints on the ropes and tools used for your job. But can you tell me what happened before? How did you find all the victims?”

“I remember that night when the incident happened, my dad and I went out fishing, but suddenly in the middle of the night, someone called to say my net had drifted away from the boat. So, I told my dad I’d go check it myself. I rode my motorcycle, and on the way, had to pass through that forest. I saw lights from the forest, so I stopped my bike to check, because usually, there are villagers who crash or get lost there often. As I walked further in, I heard a sound…”

“What sound?”

“It sounded like someone was pulling a winch.” Singha nodded understandingly; this time too, the culprit used a winch to ease the effort.

“And then what happened?”

“I walked in to see and found… the bodies of seven people hanging from a tree. After that, I called the police, but when they arrived, they arrested me instead! I tried explaining, showed evidence, but they just wanted to look good for their bosses by claiming they caught the murderer. No matter what I did, I was just a common man; what could I do against those who shout that they are the keepers of the law?” Tevich’s frustration poured out uncontrollably.

“I understand. Did you see anyone before that, or did you personally know any of the deceased?”

“I knew three or four of the deceased because they were from my neighborhood.” Tevich tried to calm himself down and answered Singha’s question as before.

“Can you remember where you last saw them?”

“It’s been a very long time, I’m not sure, but probably at the temple, before that there was an event.”

“What event?”

“The Satthai festival in the tenth month.”

“The waning moon…” Thup chimed in softly, but both Singha and Tevich heard him, “You usually go fishing during the waning moon, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. The moon is dark, so the fish get caught easily.”

“What do you mean by that, Thup?”

“The abbot once told me about various ceremonies, some of which relate to the moon phases. Especially during the waning moon… it has a significant effect on the occult. Maybe it’s related to that doll issue too.”

“Occult?” Tevich asked in surprise, “If you last saw them at the temple, then does that mean after that, there was news they disappeared, right?”

“Yes.”

“Time’s almost up.” The guard warned Singha to wrap up his inquiries. Thup sat beside, listening, until time was up. Tevich was led away, not forgetting to say his last words to Singha in a softer tone than before.

“I’ve been disappointed once with an investigation that landed me here. Please, don’t let me be disappointed again. I want to return to my family.”

As the back of the prisoner faded away, Singha left the visitation room silently and headed back to the warden’s office. Thup, following behind, looked at the older man with concern, thinking that Singha must be quite stressed now, having to deal with such sudden and hard-to-believe matters.

“How’s it going, inspector? Got any additional info?”

“Yes.”

“It’s strange that he’s willing to talk to the police officer; normally, he hardly says a word.”

“Well, people have to choose their own path, right? Anyway, I must excuse myself; I need to get back to work on the case.”

“Go ahead. If there’s anything else, feel free to call me.”

“Thanks, you too.”

Singha walked out of the prison alongside Thup, who followed behind. The sunlight was so intense that the young man had to squint. He looked ahead with limited visibility and reduced clarity, making things blurry. Just as he was about to call out to Singha, he saw an image, a figure appearing in his sight: a tall, formidable shadow with green skin and clothes, a fierce face with protruding tusks, standing behind Singha.

The Lord of Ghosts.

One of the Four Heavenly Kings.

The guardian and protector of the human world.

The great giant.

He now understood what those ghosts feared; they feared ‘Lord Vaisravaṇa’, the name of the entity they respected and feared.

 

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 12: Akalai

The condition of the four teenagers sitting in the interrogation room varies: boredom, fear, anxiety, and indifference. When the door opens, Singha walks in with an expressionless face, placing a seized digital camera, various items, and a stack of documents on the table.

“You four broke into a murder scene while the case was still open. That’s quite the bold content move.”

“We didn’t do any real damage, right?” Song nudged his senior beside him for an opinion.

“True. We just went in, filmed for a bit, and got out.”

“Just your footprints at the crime scene count as damage. Not to mention fingerprints. You might end up suspects without realizing it.”

“That’s a bit harsh, officer. We just went in to shoot a clip for our channel. Plus, we were live streaming the whole time, so the viewers could vouch for us. Don’t believe me? Ask our channel owner, Jump.” The only woman in the group turned to ask her quiet friend who’d been silent since the police brought them here.

“Anything to add?” Singha asked the spaced-out young man. “Nope.” The guy replied without even looking over, his gaze fixed on the wall.

“And the phone you used for live streaming?” The three teens turned to Jump. “Give the phone to the police, Jump.” Dear insisted, showing signs of anxiety.

“Don’t have it.”

“What the hell, Jump?” Bom looked at his friend, annoyed.

“Phii, we’re all gonna get arrested if you don’t hand it over. You were holding it.” The youngest, Song, shook his friend’s arm in distress.

“I told you, I don’t have it!” Jump shook off Song’s hand forcefully before standing up, leaving the other three bewildered by his sudden change in demeanor.

Singha wasn’t surprised. He just checked his watch, stood up, and pushed the young man back down, his sharp gaze scanning the stained figure before asking,

“Filming a ghost challenge, were you?”

“Yeah.” Bom answered for him. “How long has the channel been up?”

“About a year.”

“Strange, the news hasn’t been published anywhere about this, yet you all know the details.” Singha said as he turned on the big camera, even though he had already glanced at it before, “Where did you hear about this?”

“Via email. Someone sent us an email saying there’s a location and suggesting we should go ghost hunting there.”

“Can I see it?” Two hurriedly pulled out his phone and handed it to Singha. He looked at the email address and realized it wasn’t one used for daily life, before pressing a button to call Lieutenant Khem, who was observing from another room, to come in and take the address.

“Understood.”

“Take it to trace the origin of the email and the IP.”

“As for you four, another officer will come in to take your statements and handle further proceedings.”

“Huh! Proceedings? Are we really going to be charged, officer?”

“Oh no, my mom’s going to kill me for this.”

“Damn it.” curses and laments filled the room, except for one person still sitting quietly in his spot, Jump.

“I have something to ask.”

“The… doll, you mean?” At the scene… Did anyone find any dolls?

“Yes.” The three exchanged puzzled looks before turning to the person sitting at the far end.

“Well, it was me. I found a doll, and Jump said it was a cursed doll.”

“Tell me you didn’t touch it.” Singha furrowed his brows, knowing it could be a clue with the culprit’s fingerprints.

“We did… touch it. Jump picked it up to play and then threw it at Phii Bom, and it fell and broke, but we didn’t bring it back with us.”

“Damn it.” Singha muttered quietly before the interrogation room door opened once again. This time, it was King who walked in with a displeased look, both from the morning’s events and the issue with the suspects sitting outside the interrogation room waiting for Singha, “You handle this, I’ve got stuff to do.”

“Where are you going?” King grabbed Singha’s arm, but he shrugged off anyway. “Do your job and stop being annoying, it’s irritating.”

Thup was sketching the ghost girl from his memories. He had never seen her face, due to his own fear, making it hard to remember her clearly. As he pressed his pencil on the clean, white paper, the door opened, causing him to look up. Seeing it was Singha, about to leave, Thup prepared to stand up. Just as the door was about to close, Thup’s eyes caught sight of a young man sitting at the very edge. Not only that, there was a woman in tattered, ragged clothes; her skin was so pale it seemed bloodless, with purple and nearly black bruises, and occasional green marks all over her body. Importantly, she was sitting astride the young man’s neck, and her head slowly turned backward to stare at Thup with a sinister grin!

“Come, Thup. We have things to do.”

“Phii Singha.”

“What now? You’re not going to pick up that dropped pencil, are you?”

“The man sitting at the very edge…” Singha squinted at the boy in front of him without arguing back, “What did he do?”

“He trespassed on a crime scene.”

“A… murder scene?”

“Yep.”

“And did he bring anything back?”

“Why do you ask?” He brought something back with him.

“I saw… I saw the ghost of the woman which I saw at Meen’s house… riding on his neck.” Singha turned back to look at the interrogation room door again before opening it to go inside.

“You four will have to-” King paused as the person who had just left suddenly burst back through the door, “I thought you said you were going outside.”

“Did you take anything from the crime scene?” Singha walked straight up to Jump and asked in a stern voice, but the young man just stared blankly, still not answering the question. “I asked, did you take anything?!”

“What are you doing, Inspector Singha?” King asked seriously.

Singha yanked the young boy’s collar without holding back, then began to search him swiftly amid the others’ surprise. King, seeing this, was about to intervene, but Singha pulled something out from the boy’s inner coat pocket first.

“Damn! Phii Jump, why did you bring that?” Two exclaimed in shock before backing away to the wall.

“I didn’t take it.” Jump said quietly, “I didn’t take it!!!”

Jump protested before pushing Singha’s chest and running out of the interrogation room, only to collide with Thup who was standing anxiously at the door. Both fell to the ground. As Thup slowly opened his eyes, he saw the ghost girl he noticed earlier clinging to the neck of someone inside the room, now straddling him. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes white and filled with veins, her bright red lips stretched wide to her gums. Her laughter grew louder before her long tongue licked Thup’s face frame.

‘You have a Mae Sue too.’ [1] Mae Sue is a Thai folklore goddess or a female ghost who buys the spirit of born babies to prevent them being attacked by malevolent spirits, but also she is a ghost who causes illness. There are seven forms when she appears and the form she takes depends on the day of the week

   “Are you okay, Thup?” When Singha grabbed Thup’s arm, the ghost in front of him vanished. The young man trembled with fear but still kept his eyes on the person King was restraining.

“He… he got something.”

“A doll.” Singha showed Thup a doll with its head separated from its body, now in an evidence bag.

“Don’t struggle!” King said as he locked Jump firmly, “What now?”

“Lock him up for now. As for the others, process their cases properly, and call their guardians too.” Singha said while helping Thup up, “Damn, it’s getting late!”

“What happened, Inspector?” Lieutenant Khem and the Lieutenant Prom rushed over as soon as they heard the commotion.

“Help handle this, and here’s another piece of evidence, give it to Say for examination as much as he can.”

“Uh, roger that.”

Singha dragged Thup, who was still in shock, to follow him to the car. He had no idea what the kid had seen to be so shocked, but asking now would probably yield no answer. The black car sped along the road at the maximum speed allowed by law. Inside the car, only the sound of the air conditioning was audible because the two men inside weren’t speaking a word to each other.

“Phii.” Thup suddenly spoke up, sounding dazed.

“What?”

“That doll… its head wasn’t human, was it?” Singha furrowed his brows slightly, thinking before he replied.

“Yeah.”

“What shape was it?”

“A tiger.”

“A tiger shape…” Thup mumbled to himself before turning to face Singha, “Akalai.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The doll is a Mae Sue, with a tiger’s head… it’s called Akalai.”

“I don’t get it, what’s Mae Sue, Thup?”

“Phii, can we talk about the ghost story I told you?”

“The ghost you saw over twenty years ago?” Thup shook his head rapidly, even though Singha wasn’t looking.

“No, the ghost I encountered at Meen’s house.”

“And why does that matter?”

“Just now, when I bumped into that man, I saw her, and she mentioned Mae Sue.”

“And?”

“The broken-headed doll you found also has a tiger’s head on a human body, just like the legend of Mae Sue.”

“So, what benefit do I get from knowing this?”

“Well… what if… what if they’re connected? What if the culprit is using this doll for something?”

Singha frowned even tighter than before. He didn’t have much knowledge in this area, and it was quite beyond his understanding.

“Explain this ‘Mae Sue’ thing to me.”

“It’s an old belief. I’m not even sure if people still believe in it these days. Each region has its own legend about the ‘Mae Sue’, but from what I’ve heard from the old monk, ‘Mae Sue’ is a deity or spirit who takes care of newborns. They say she plays with the child, helps with healing illnesses, or sometimes teases them to make them cry. When the child grows up a bit, they perform a ceremony to separate the spirit child from the human child, and then the child can no longer see ‘Mae Sue’.”

“Couldn’t the crying just be because the child might have colic?”

“That’s why I said it’s a belief.”

“So what?”

“What I’ve heard is that there are ‘Mae Sues’ for each of the seven days, with different characteristics and names. One of them is Akaai, who has a tiger’s head. She is the ‘Mae Sue’ for Saturdays.”

“Hand me the file from the back.” Singha paused before glancing at the backseat.

“Which one?”

“The black one.” After Thup grabbed the file and placed it on his lap, Singha instructed, “Now, open it and check the list of victims to see who was born on a Saturday.”

Thup nodded and flipped through the file until he found what he was looking for.

“Girl named Kachakorn.” he read out the victim’s information.

“Kaew, huh… Kaew disappeared on a Friday.” Singha murmured to himself, “Open to the autopsy results.”

“Yes.” Thup continued flipping through until he reached photos and autopsy results of each victim. He squinted and turned away slightly out of fear but tried to find Kaew’s name as quickly as possible, “I… I’ve found it.”

“What does it say about when Kaew died?”

“Uh… Saturday.”

“Seriously?” Singha immediately turned into the gas station ahead, and parked the car to check the documents again in case Thup got it wrong. But upon careful reading, he found it was absolutely correct. The young inspector pulled out his phone and made a call; it didn’t take long for the other end to pick up.

“Hey King”

[Where are you?]

   “Not there, go check the houses of the seven victims first, see if there’s a clay doll similar to the one that kid picked up at the crime scene.”

[Why?]

   “I’ll explain later, go do it now, urgently.”

[There hasn’t been a reason since earlier. It’s just a doll.]

   “The doll might tell us how the killer chose the victims. Call me if you find anything.”

[Wait, and where are you now?]

   “Heading to the prison.”

[Why there?]

   “To see how badly the police screwed up before.” Singha hung up before handing the file to Thup and drove away from the gas station towards his next destination. “Hey Thup, check who was born on which day.”

“Yes.” Thup eagerly flipped through the papers because he didn’t want Singha to worry while driving. When he found it, he started listing out:

“James, born on Sunday

Jom, born on Monday

Orn, born on Tuesday

Meen, born on Wednesday

Nai, born on Thursday

Thee, born on Friday”

“Kaew, born on Saturday”

All seven victims were born on different days.

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 11: When You Don’t Believe… You Must Ridicule

“Hello everyone, to the 284 viewers with us right now after we received news from fans about a new haunted ghost hunting location. We rushed here by car immediately, and now…” The camera, a phone that was live streaming, panned out to show the area in front of the young YouTuber, revealing a dense forest at night where even moonlight couldn’t penetrate, the atmosphere silent without any signs of life, and yellow police tape torn and lying on the ground fearlessly.

“This is definitely the place, Phii. Look, there are still markers left.” The young man who just walked past the camera pointed to white spray paint marks indicating various positions at the crime scene.

“Move aside, please.” The man holding the camera told his junior colleague, “Here, dear viewers. They say a murder occurred here just a few days ago, with seven victims. And the condition, well, it was quite horrific.”

“Someone’s asking what the condition was like.” The woman in charge of reading viewer comments asked.

“The bodies were found hanged, believed to be from this large tree… up here!!!” The host created an atmosphere by speaking loudly, startling his companion, in the quiet of the forest where only they dared to make noise.

“Scared us with that jump scare.” said the man holding another large camera, kicking his friend without holding back, even though he didn’t actually hit him.

“Jump, someone’s asking if you think we’ll encounter a ghost.”

“Well, not sure, spirits that were murdered must be vengeful, right? We might even see a ghost or something.”

“Hey, guys, guys, come look at this, there’s a doll here!” All four were staring at the same thing, a twisted clay doll. The doll was shaped like a person holding a child to its chest, but the head was that of a tiger, twisted to the back.

“Damn, it looks like a doll that’s lost its mind, everyone, look, we’ve found a doll, see?”

“Don’t touch anything, Jump.” The only woman in the group warned.

“Right. You know, these crazy dolls are usually used for warding off bad luck, everyone. I think someone might have dumped it here, or maybe… it could be from a killer still at large. Could be…” Jump’s voice deepened and stretched out before he laughed and tossed the clay doll to the cameraman.

“Damn you, Jump!” The cameraman didn’t catch it. He just dodged, but that caused the doll to fall to the ground, its neck breaking off from the body. “You beast, when you find ritual items like this, you’re not supposed to touch or mention them.”

“We’re a ghost hunting channel, man. If we don’t do this, will any ghosts show up for you to see? If one appears now, we’ll surely get famous.” His challenging words echoed in the silence of the forest, but suddenly there was a loud cry of an egret all around.

“Jump, let’s go back, let’s just go back.” The anxious girl started looking left and right.

“Yeah, I agree with Phii Dear. I’ve had goosebumps since we got here, Phii, let’s go back. I think this place is not normal.”

“That’s the point, Song.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because the legend here says it was once a burial ground for unclaimed bodies, Bom. Plus, there have been dozens of accidents. If that’s not cursed, then what is?”

Rustling sounds!

“Damn!! What’s that noise, Phii!!” The one named Song was startled, hearing stories from the older man who invited him on this ghost hunting channel.

“Just insects, Song, you’re really jumpy. Come on, let’s keep moving.”

The four continued exploring the site while filming the surroundings. Jump’s voice was the only thing breaking the silence of the forest as he chatted comfortably with the live audience, unlike the other three who followed behind, filled with unease.

“Will we have trouble with the police?” Jump read the question from a viewer on the screen, “Oh. No, there won’t be any. By now, the police probably don’t care about this place anymore. Because all the evidence must have been cleared by now.”

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

The sound from behind the bushes made all four stop abruptly. The flashlight flickered intensely before going out, leaving only darkness and the light from the phone screen.

“Damn!! Phii, let’s go back, I beg you.” Song pleaded with his hands pressed together in a wai.

“Yeah, Jump, let’s go back.” Dear immediately added, fearfully, “If you don’t want to go back, that’s on you, damn Jump. We’ll wait in the car.” Bom turned around and walked away, with Song and Dear quickly following him. Now, only Jump remained, continuing to film with his phone camera alone.

“Those guys are total wimps. No worries, dear viewers, today, I will definitely take you on a tour through this haunted forest. We’ve already started, and now all that’s left is to challenge, and here it is!!” Jump picked up incense, finding a spot to position the camera so viewers could see what he was doing. Once he found the spot, he held up a lighter and explained while preparing, “This, folks, a single Thup is supposedly used to pay respects to corpses, spirits, and more. Especially when done like this…”

Jump lit the tip of incense and then blew it out until the flame was completely extinguished, leaving only white smoke floating in the air. He inverted the incense stick, sticking the smoldering end into the ground. Satisfied with the result, he approached the camera again to communicate with his audience at home.

“Inverting incense like this is said to summon spirits. If I meet a ghost, I’ll ask right away who the killer is because these damn cops are useless, can’t solve this case, huh?”

Crack!

The sound like footsteps on leaves behind him made Jump turn around.

“What’s that?” he muttered quietly to himself before turning back to read the comments again:

: What’s that shadow behind?

   : Looks like a woman.

   : Did anyone just see a dark shadow?

   : Wasn’t it a man’s shadow?

   : Scary, man.

   : More, more, more.

   : Again.

   : Again.

   A flood of comments that he can barely keep up with reading, which only encourages the young YouTuber even more. Previously, his small channel didn’t have many viewers. Mostly, the comments were negative, saying it wasn’t realistic, deceptive, or nonsensical. But suddenly, someone sent an email about a murder case and this location. On the first day he posted it on social media, people started paying attention to his Youtube channel because it was a fresh case that not many knew about. He quickly gathered his team to come here immediately, though he wished they could have come sooner; by the time they prepared everything, it was almost 3 AM.

While Jump was intently reading the comments, he felt an inexplicable chill and a shiver down his spine. His heart was pounding, but he tried to keep his composure because if he showed fear on camera, the viewers would surely stop following.

“I’ll go get that head-dropping doll again. Don’t know where Bom tossed it.” Jump said, steeling himself as he walked towards the area marked by spray paint. He used his phone’s flashlight to search the ground. The stream now showed leaves, grass, mud, but suddenly, there was an image of bare, pale feet, with purple and green bruises indicating that what he saw was definitely not alive. “Shit!!!!”

Jump was so startled he fell backwards. He scrambled away from that area before fearfully pointing his phone forward again.

: What, what are you scared of?

   : Was it a snake?

   : I don’t see anything at all.

   : Are you imagining things?

   : Are you faking it?

   At this moment, Jump no longer paid attention to the comments. He shone his light forward to see what he had encountered, but all he found was emptiness.

‘You called for me, didn’t you? So here I am!’

   The icy tone of the woman behind him made Jump’s hands tremble, even though viewers in the stream might complain or curse at him, he no longer cared.

‘You called for me.’

   ‘You called for me.’

   ‘You called for me.’

   ‘You called for me.’

   ‘You called for me!’

   ‘Then come be with me!!!’

   Jump quickly got up and ran out immediately, not caring about anything else. He only knew he had to survive and get out of there, not realizing he left his phone still streaming, and what he grabbed was… the doll with a broken head that shouldn’t be touched.

…

Singha turned over again with a tight frown; the clattering sound was annoying him due to lack of sleep. The young inspector had to remember to wake up before heading downstairs, his sharp eyes searching for the source of the noise, only to find Thup standing facing the kitchen counter.

“Noisy.”

“Ouch!” The young man jolted and cried out. Singha approached and saw that Thup was chopping pork into pieces, and what he just did was startle the kid into slicing his own finger with the knife.

“If you’re going to be this jumpy, Thup…”

“Did I wake you up, Phii?” Thup asked with a concerned face. He was used to waking up early and didn’t realize he might have woken this older guy

“Yeah.” Singha handed him a tissue before sitting down at the dining table. He glanced at the wound; it wasn’t too deep. This kid should be able to take care of himself.

“Sorry about that.”

“You don’t need to look so down, it’s annoying.” Thup pressed his lips together before walking to the sink to wash the wound. “The first aid kit is in the upper cabinet.”

“Okay.”

“Once you finish, then go take a shower and get dressed.”

“Where are you going, Phii?”

“To work.”

The sound of the doorbell at the front of the house made Singha furrowed his brows. He walked over, opened the curtain at the door to see who it was, and found it was the person he had just hung up on last night.

“Why the hell are you here?” Singha muttered to himself before opening the door, “What the fuck do you want?”

“To pick you up.” said King, leaning against his fancy sports car, now holding onto the fence instead.

“For what?”

“Just felt like coming.”

“And then?”

“To go to work together.”

“Who’s there, Phii Singha?” Thup came to the door with a rice scoop in hand. Upon seeing who was standing at the fence, he paused before nodding respectfully.

“Open the gate, Singha.” Singha didn’t do as told. He just stood there, staring back emotionlessly.

“Thup, go take a shower first, then come eat.”

“Yes.”

“Singha, open the door.”

“You’re not my dad, don’t boss me around. Go back the way you came. I can go by myself.” Singha slid the glass door shut, ignoring the protests from outside.

“You’re really not going to let him in, Phii?”

“My house, my rules.” Singha glanced at the young man who was now removing his apron, “And why are you still holding that scoop?”

“Oh, I’m waiting to serve rice for you, Phii.”

“Serve rice for me?”

“Yes. It’s my first night staying at your house, so I want to do something for you. Come sit down quickly.” Thup gestured to the chair.

“Isn’t cleaning the house this much considered doing something?”

“That was for the house, this is for you, Phii. Do you eat a lot of rice?”

“Just serve it.” Singha replied dismissively, still eager to have it done, but the young man persisted.

“I don’t know what you like or dislike, but if there’s any dish you want, just tell me.” Thup said as he served two scoops of rice into a bowl and placed it in front of Singha.

“Did you cook?”

“Yes.”

“Are you planning to stay here until the case is closed?”

“Well… until I find the Buddha amulet… is that okay?”

“What if I say no?” Singha turned to raise an eyebrow, but all he got in return was a dejected dog-like face.

“Singha!” A shout from outside the house made Singha sigh. He picked up his phone and called the station. It didn’t take long for someone to answer.

[Yes, inspector?]

   “Come get King back.”

[Oh!? Detective King?]

   “Yes, he’s standing outside screaming.”

[He brought documents for you, inspector.]

   “What document?” Singha talked on the phone while seasoning the stir-fried vegetables in front of him, the flavors blending smoothly in his mouth, causing the inspector to move his lips too. The young man glances at Thup again, “Sit down and eat.”

“Shouldn’t I go take a shower first?”

“Eat while it’s still hot.” Thup smiles before sitting down opposite, “So, what document did they bring, Lieutenant?”

[Well, last night four teenagers broke into the crime scene, and after checking, we brought them back to the station.]

   “All four of them, right?” I’m sending someone.

[Yes, all four. They’re waiting for the inspector to interrogate them. They said they found a doll at the scene.]

   “A doll? Like the one with the tiger head, right?”

[Not sure, Inspector.]

   “Then I’ll hurry over, but first, let’s get King back.”

[Sure, sure.]

   Singha hangs up then turns to look at King, who’s sitting on the car hood, smoking, his irritated look not intimidating him at all.

“Should I invite him to eat with us?”

“No need, if he came uninvited, let him stay there.”

“So… am I invited then?” Thup looks at Singha with sparkling eyes.

“You’re clinging to me, you little brat.”

They chuckle lightly because judging from the face, the older one doesn’t seem to seriously scold him, and what’s even better is that the food he made seems to please Singha, which is no small feat.

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 10: The Twisting Tiger Head

After sending the found money to Lieutenant Khem with instructions to deliver it to the deceased’s family according to procedure, the young inspector brought the troublesome kid to the interrogation room as ordered. Now, Singha was watching Thup being interrogated by the head of the investigation team.

“I’ve read your file and the previous interrogation report, but if I ask again, there shouldn’t be any problem, right?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, even if there was a problem, there’s nothing to be done anyway. It seems like Inspector Singha is negligent in his duty by letting a murder suspect roam freely.”

“Phii Singha’s not negligent!” Thup immediately interjected, causing King to stare at him with a fiercer look.

“Phii? You’re that close, huh?”

“N-no.”

Singha, who was in the observation room, muttered a curse under his breath, making Lieutenant Prom, who was with him, unable to retreat.

“How much longer is this going to drag on?”

“Should I go in and tell them, Inspector?”

“No need.”

“But will the Inspector release the kid, since there’s no evidence to hold him?”

Singha didn’t respond. Indeed, without clear evidence, they would have to release Thup from the station, but this kid had volunteered to stay with him. It was actually good; they could observe his behavior and keep him detained.

“This kid volunteered to help us with the case.”

“Huh? How so?”

“He has information about the case that might be useful.” Singha watched the interrogation through the one-way glass, not taking his eyes off, even when he was the one asking questions. This kid was trembling, not to mention King, whose nature and mouth were like a hunting dog. The kid definitely couldn’t keep up.

“Doing freelance work and other things, right?” Then he probably has enough time for this.

“I have a lot of client work, both online and framed art. If by ‘other things,’ you mean going out to commit crimes, then no.”

“Heh, good at answering, huh? Got a good coach, I bet.” King glanced sideways, knowing full well Singha was listening in, “In the first interrogation report, it says you were at the scene before the police arrived. What made you go there? And if you choose to give the same answer, I’ll have to throw you in the cell.”

Thup knew if he answered like he did with Singha, the man in front of him wouldn’t give him the chance to prove his truth as Singha did. But lying would be difficult for him.

“I… I think I’ve seen a corpse in that condition before.”

“Seen it before? You mean the murder from five years ago?”

“No, it happened before that.”

“Seems like you know it well, like you did it yourself.”

“I know it might be hard to believe, but according to what you’ve seen… according to what Inspector Singha has gathered as evidence, it should be enough to confirm that I didn’t go anywhere before that. The autopsy results also show when each victim died, and more importantly, I’m willing to come and help Inspector Singha solve this case. I’m not hoping for anything else.”

Singha looked into Thup’s serious eyes before turning to the cold face of King. Neither of them continued to argue. They just stared at each other, that’s all.

“Tell Lieutenant Khem too. If he gets all the search warrants sorted, have him call me.”

“Understood, Inspector.” Singha smirked before walking into the interrogation room.

“Good timing, Singha.” King greeted as he saw the newcomer enter.

“You can interrogate this kid as many times as you want, with the same results, so just read the file. Thup, get up.” Thup obeyed easily.

“I’m not done yet, you can’t take the suspect anywhere.”

“This kid is just a suspect. Not a defendant, I still need his statement and if you check the CCTV footage, the autopsy results, and the forensic condo’s statement. If you’re still suspicious, I’ll bring him back for more questioning.”

“Then he has to be detained here.” King stepped in front of Singha, his eyes showing displeasure.

“Detained? Maybe you’re too used to using your father’s power. What evidence do you have to hold him? It’s almost forty-eight hours now.”

“Just by looking at his behavior and initial statements, it’s clear.”

“How about this?” Singha approached and flicked King’s pristine black suit jacket without holding back, smiling at the corner of his mouth, “I’m the inspector here, this is my station. If you’re not happy… go ahead and complain to your dad.” King was pushed hard, staggering away from the door. He only glanced back before walking out of the room, with Thup quickly following.

The two walked out to Singha’s car, then drove straight back to the young inspector’s home without stopping.

“Will I cause you trouble with your friend, sir?”

“What trouble?”

“Trouble both with work… and your friend.”

“It’s according to the law that they can detain you for no more than forty-eight hours without evidence that you’ve committed a crime. As for the friend issue, well, he doesn’t even come close to that word.” The feeling of

Thup nodded understandingly, but even after hearing that, he was suggesting that there must be something more between the two than what Singha was admitting.

When they arrived at Singha’s house, Thup excitedly carried his bags out of the car. He had never slept over at a friend’s house or anywhere else besides the temple, his condo, or where he was now. He never knew how fun it was to stay over at someone else’s house like in the movies.

As Thup’s foot crossed the threshold, he felt a chilling cold before it turned into a gentle, soothing breeze.

“You said to yourself that you could sleep on the sofa.” The voice of the older guy brought Thup back to reality. The young man looked around the house and realized it wasn’t what he expected at all; it was messier than he thought from the brief glimpses he had before, which was just a small part of the house.

One side of the dining table was filled with various documents, while the other side was cluttered with instant noodle cups and ready-made rice boxes. The sink was full of glasses and plates, beer cans were scattered haphazardly around the corners of the house, but certainly, there were papers almost everywhere, no matter where you looked.

“That’s the kitchen, over there is the bathroom, and you are absolutely not allowed to go upstairs. Down here, you can do whatever you want, eat whatever you want in the kitchen, get it?” Thup nodded so vigorously his hair bobbed.

“I’m going to sleep.”

Thup watched Singha’s back as he walked up the stairs until he was out of sight. He sighed with relief before he started to tidy up, moving papers from the gray L-shaped fabric sofa to the coffee table. The young man surveyed the interior of the house; it didn’t make him feel anxious or agitated. It was cool and gave a sense of calm that he couldn’t find elsewhere. After another look around the house, he pulled out a white short-sleeved T-shirt and went into the bathroom to change. He had said he would make himself useful, so the first thing Thup decided to do was to clean the house for his older brother.

A pair of beautiful hands collect various pieces of trash into a black bag, gather all the documents and arrange them neatly on the table, trying to grasp the content and organize them into orderly groups. Beer cans are flattened underfoot before being placed in a separate trash bag. Plates and bowls in the sink are washed until they sparkle. The broom and mop are put to use, transforming the once cluttered house back into a clean and spacious place. Thup opens the fridge to put a bottle of water inside, but his jaw drops when he sees that apart from water, beer, and frozen food, there’s nothing else. He wonders how the older man manages to live.

Once everything is in order, Thup flops onto the clean floor, leaning back against the sofa. He twists slightly to relieve his muscles after nearly an hour of hard work. But then, the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs startles him, and he quickly sits up in a meditative pose.

“Cleaning up?”

“Yes… sir.”

Singha shrugs before walking over to the dining table. He looks at the documents, neatly organized by case. Mostly, he brings home unfinished work. Even when cases are closed, they tend to pile up until the end of the month when he deals with them all at once. And although he should have dealt with these by now, the current murder case is giving him a headache, leaving him no time to manage the house.

“Here’s a pillow and blanket. If it’s hot, turn on the fan or the AC.”

“Phii?”

“What?” Singha looks at the young man who stands up to receive the pillow and blanket with sparkling eyes.

“Are you hungry? I can cook, you know.” Singha folds his arms and leans against the table to get a better look at Thup. If he wasn’t dizzy from the case driving him crazy, he could swear he sees Thup with perky ears and a wagging tail.

“No, I’m going upstairs to work. Don’t make noise.” Singha who was about to go upstairs but stopped. “Actually, I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“You said you saw the ghost of a woman who looked like the victim from the murder case twenty years ago, right?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember what she looked like?”

“Yes, I got it.”

“Draw it for me, please.”

“Draw her, sir?”

“Yeah, and do you have any relatives or acquaintances back home?”

“I have no relatives left.” Thup said with a sorrowful tone. “But I know an uncle; he was the temple’s caretaker when the old abbot was still alive.”

“Do you have a way to contact him?”

“Yes.” Singha handed his phone to Thup. His slender hand reached out first, typed something, then handed it back to the older man. “His name is Somak. He’s not the caretaker anymore. He’s almost seventy now.”

“Hmm.”

“Want some coffee? I can make coffee too.” Singha glanced at Thup again.

“Better spend your time thinking about where you lost that necklace, so you can stop bugging me.” Singha said, then walked upstairs again, leaving the young man looking forlorn before he returned to sit alone on the sofa.

“What will I do if I can’t find it?” Thup muttered to himself in the quiet room.

Singha entered his office next to his bedroom, filled with photos, notes, and string webs for investigation. He tried to find connections in all the cases, but it was the same old stories. The young man sat at his desk, reading through the summary report again. He was quite sure this case might not have started fifteen years ago after all. And the culprit they caught might be a scapegoat. Suddenly, the phone on the desk rang, breaking the silence. Seeing the name on the screen, he picked up without hesitation.

“Hello.”

[Hello, Inspector Singha, regarding the matter you submitted, we’ve completed the review. You can come in tomorrow.]

   “Thank you very much.”

[But it might be a bit difficult to talk, you know, even if a family comes to visit, the prisoner doesn’t talk to people.]

   “No problem. I think I can get him to talk.”

[…Okay, then tomorrow, when you arrive, give me a call.]

   “Yes.” Tomorrow we’ll finally find out if the criminal they said they caught is the real deal. His phone rang again. This time, it was Singha who picked up the call from an unknown number, put the phone to his ear, and thought, ‘Is this guy for real or just a scapegoat?’ started reading the document.

“Hello.”

[Speak nicely to me, won’t you?]

   “What a waste of time.” Singha rolled his eyes at the caller.

[If you hang up, you’ll miss important news.] Just as he was about to hang up, King interjected.

“Get to the point, I’m busy.”

[Busy or just don’t want to talk?]

   “Don’t want to talk.” The straightforward answer made the other end laugh throatily.

[Where did you put that kid?]

   “None of your business.”

[Singha!]

   Singha warned when the tone got too familiar, “Are you sure you want to use that tone with me?”

The voice on the other side sounded like he was commanding a subordinate.

[I’m here to help because I want to atone for the previous case.]

   “No need. You’re more of a nuisance than before. Look at the mess you’ve made, with the first search warrant issued.” Singha didn’t pay much attention to the caller as he was focusing on the crime scene photos.

[If I didn’t do this, would we even be talking?]

   “No, and even if you didn’t, we still wouldn’t. Are we done here?”

[Where’s that kid, Singha?]

   “At my house.”

[You let him stay at your home?]

   “So what?”

[Are you sure about letting him stay at home?]

   “Didn’t think about it.” Singha gets up to turn on his computer, then clicks to view an image file from the evidence storage. He zooms in repeatedly to inspect a suspicious object. While waiting for the image to sharpen, a sigh from the other end of the call catches his attention.

[There’s a safe house, why not consider it?]

   “Who do you think you are, King?”

[Someone you’ve been in bed with before.]

   “And?”

[Singha!]

   “If that’s all you’ve got to say, don’t call. You’re wasting my time.”

[You are wasting time with that killer kid, huh?]

   Singha rolls his eyes in annoyance. He chooses to hang up because what he found on the screen is far more important. Thup was right; there really is a doll. He opens a website and types “broken head doll” into the search bar. Not long after, images of roughly shaped human-like clay dolls appear on the screen. His sharp eyes carefully read every word.

Siakabal Doll: These are fired clay dolls shaped as both men and women, often crafted crudely since they’re made for spirits. The word “Kabal” comes from the Khmer language meaning head. So, you often see dolls like this with broken heads or necks. According to superstition, people make these dolls when in pain or to ward off bad luck, as if deceiving spirits and past enemies. They use the doll as a substitute for a living person, offering it as a sacrifice. These dolls are commonly seen with banana leaf trays and offerings at crossroads or floating in rivers.

When Singha finished reading, he compared the photos of the dolls from the internet and from the crime scene.

“It’s not the same… they’re not the same.” he muttered with a serious face, “The doll at the crime scene… its head was turned backwards.

A tiger’s head… the doll at the crime scene had a tiger’s head.

Singha’s eyes glanced at his phone screen, which lit up again, and the message there made him lean on the table and sigh wearily, ‘Someone has intruded the crime scene.’

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 9: The Doll with a Broken Head

Thup stood on the ring with white gloves in hand, while in the other corner stood Singha, wearing black gloves and looking directly at him.

“Phii, but I… I’ve never boxed before.”

“The simple principle is if you don’t punch, you get punched. Ready or not?” The young man did nothing except put on the gloves on both hands and nodded to the young inspector, “Good, then keep your guard up, cover your face. If you get hit in the head, it’s over. Got it?”

“Y…Yes sir.” Thup raised his hands to guard as Singha was doing, feeling even more nervous as the older man approached.

“Don’t close your eyes.” Singha said in a deep voice before he started to bob on his toes back and forth, then lunged forward, throwing a punch at the young man in front of him. Even though the punch was slower and less forceful, it still hit Thup squarely on the cheek, knocking him down. “I told you, Thup, don’t close your eyes.”

“Sorry.” Thup rubbed his cheek lightly, shaking his head a bit to clear the dizziness from the punch.

Singha squatted in front of the young man, lifting Thup’s chin with his hand.

“If you close your eyes, you won’t see the incoming punch. When you can’t see, all that’s left is you can’t defend or dodge; it’ll just hit you in the face. Do you understand?”

“I understand now.”

“Again.” Singha stands up, watching the young man get into position once more. The black gloves trade a couple of blows before another punch is thrown at the same spot.

“Ouch!!” Thup cries out loudly before falling to the ground again, his prominent nose now bleeding slightly from the nostrils.

“This kid! I said don’t close your eyes, don’t stare at the punch without dodging. I’m going crazy.” Singha removes his gloves and throws them to the ground, then walks off the ring to grab some tissues, pressing them against the young man’s nose. “Don’t tilt your head back, keep it down.”

Thup lets this senior dab the blood from his nose without pulling away, his beautiful eyes still shining despite just being punched. Even with gloves and holding back, he’s in this state. Without gloves and full force, what condition would he be in? Singha looks incredibly cool.

“How have you even lived your life so far?” Singha asks, pressing the tissue to stop the bleeding.

“I’ve never fought with anyone before.”

“Never at all?”

“Yes.” Thup sat cross-legged, looking at his older brother with admiration in his eyes.

“So, what do you do all day?”

“I study, clean the monk’s quarters for the venerable, go back to university, study some more, then return to my room to draw.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.” said Thup.

“No friends at all?” Thup shook his head, but Singha held his face still, not allowing him to move. “Why don’t you find at least one friend? You said you had a Buddha amulet, right?”

“When I was a kid, I couldn’t tell them apart. Which one was a ghost, which one was a person, right? Because of that, I often talked to ghosts, making people think I was weird. They gradually drifted away. When people started to fear, all they did was push away. At first, they just wouldn’t come near me. They wouldn’t let me play with them, then they saw me as something to avoid. My bag was often thrown outside, and things were frequently thrown at my head when I wasn’t looking. After a while, I forgot how to talk to people.”

As Thup spoke, Singha listened quietly. “Once you get used to being alone, you don’t know how to start again. That’s probably why I don’t have friends.”

“And how do you handle talking to clients about your drawings?”

“Mostly, I draw online. No need to meet face-to-face. For framed pieces, I have them transfer the money, then send the artwork.” Thup explained in a flat tone. Actually, he just realized he hadn’t talked to anyone at length since the old monk passed away. The first person to break that silence was sitting right in front of him. “Today at the temple… I met a ghost.”

“And?”

“He wore a tattered blue uniform, his body twisted out of shape, half his skull caved in, and the other half of his lip torn up to his ear. He mentioned a motorcycle and money. I know you don’t believe in these things, but let me prove it to you. You might not believe it, but could you check it out, please?”

The two looked at each other, smoking, until Singha noticed that one of Thup’s eyes was brown, like Khem, but the other was slightly lighter brown.

“The bleeding has stopped.” Singha stood up, looking at the young man once more before walking down from the ring. He turned to look at Thup, who still sat there looking dejected, “Want to go check out that ghost of yours? If you’re coming, let’s go.”

Thup immediately smiled, at least Singha chose to consider his words. The young boy ran down from the arena before coming to stand beside his elder. His beautiful eyes gazed at the tattoo on Singha’s right forearm without looking away. He tried to focus and saw that it was a tiger amidst red needle flowers.

“Your tattoo…”

“Why?” Singha draped a gray towel around his neck before heading towards the shower room.

“A tiger with needle flowers, huh?”

“Yeah, got a problem?”

“Not at all, it’s really beautiful.” Thup followed the older guy, his eyes still on the tattoo. There’s a belief that both the tiger and the red needle flowers can ward off evil spirits. He didn’t know if Singha knew this, but for him, it made him feel safer being close.

“I’m gonna take a shower. Wait here.”

“Phii, can I ask one more thing?”

“You’ve got too many problems, what now?”

“Tonight… where do you want me to stay?”

“Just sleep in the guest room here for now. Anyway, that bastard won’t let you go back to your place.” When mentioning this third person, Singha seemed to get annoyed again.

“Well… can I… stay with you?” Thup spoke softly, almost whispering.

“What did you say?”

“Can I… stay with you, please? I… I can wash dishes, clean the house, and cook. I can sleep on the sofa; you can use me for anything. But please, let me stay with you. Without you… I’ll get haunted by ghosts for sure, Phii Singha. I’ll be a good boy, really.” Thup spoke quickly, fearing he might get yelled at before he could finish. When there was no immediate response, he slowly looked up and saw Singha leaning against the door, arms crossed, watching him with a calm gaze.

“Okay.”

“Yes?”

“But if you make yourself annoyed even once, I’ll chase you back to sleep at the station.”

“Will… really, sir!!”

“Yeah, but there’s one thing you need to do.”

“Wha… what is it?”

“When that guy King interrogates you, absolutely do not mention ghosts, spirits, or anything like that. Agreed?”

“Why, sir?”

“Because it will make my job harder.” Singha tossed a water bottle to the boy in front of him, then walked into the communal shower room. Thup smiled, before his heart raced as he sat down on the floor in front of the shower room to wait for his elder to come out.

While sitting and looking at the water bottle Singha left, Thup felt the air grow inexplicably cold. He could sense someone staring at him. When he looked up, he saw a tall girl, about 178 cm, standing in the wide yard of the gym. Her skin was pale, almost bloodless. Her jet-black hair was long and messy, matted into clumps. Her eyes gazed at him vacantly before suddenly her dark pupils trembled and slowly rolled up, leaving only the whites of her eyes. Her originally smooth face began to contort as if in anger, her body, once still, started to twist. Her neck gradually tilted to the side until there was a cracking sound, and her soft sobbing turned into a gurgling in her throat like something was stuck. She made a motion as if to vomit thick, clotted blood with a foul stench, causing Thup to cover his nose. Then she fell to her knees, neck arched in agony, hair and nails falling to the ground, crawling around until whatever was blocking her windpipe came loose. She began to cry again, pitifully.

“Khun… Khun Meen, are you Khun Meen?”

‘Sob, uh uh…’

   She couldn’t stop crying. Gathering his courage once more, Thup, seeing this, tried because he too wanted this to end. He wanted to know what had happened, both now and what had occurred to the ghost girl more than twenty years ago.

“Uh… Khun Meen, can you tell me what happened?”

As she was about to speak, a red thread slowly emerged from her lips and began to sew her lips together until fresh blood spilled all over the floor. Similarly, her eyes were being sewn shut with the same red thread, little by little. Thup recoiled against the wall in terror as the spirit of Khun Meen fell to the floor. Then, another female ghost he had seen in her house appeared. Before the ghost of Khun Meen could yank hard enough to tear her neck, the haunting laughter made Thup, who was sitting hugging his knees, try to cover his ears because he didn’t want to hear those sounds anymore. She was smiling with a mouth stretched wide to her ears, her pale hand reaching out to grab his hair.

“Thup.” Both spirits vanished instantly after Singha nudged the frightened young man with his knee. “I just went inside for a moment.”

“Phii Singha… Phii.”

“What?” Singha observed the young man still staring forward, his gaze unwavering, but when he followed his gaze, he saw only an empty gym.

“Doll…”

“What?” Thup spoke so softly that Singha had to ask again.

“A broken-headed doll.” What Thup had seen before, he remembered it well. The thing that Khun Meen had vomited was a broken-headed doll.

Singha walked out of the gym and looked for his subordinate. Seeing Lieutenant Khem eating a late meal at a table, he approached him immediately, with Thup following not far behind, still not recovered from his fright.

“Lieutenant, have we ever had a motorcycle accident case before?”

“Plenty, inspector.”

“Find one for me. The deceased is male, riding a motorcycle, with injuries to the body, a crushed skull, torn lips, deformed body, wearing a blue uniform, possibly a gas station worker.”

“Just a moment. Why are you suddenly looking into an accident case?” Lieutenant Khem asked while searching for the accident case data on the computer.

“I want to know something, has the search I requested been completed yet?”

“It’s done, Inspector, but… the head of the investigation team has already taken it.”

“Hmm.” Singha expected as much; that bastard wouldn’t let him get ahead by more than one step.

“Oh, found it, Inspector. Looks like it was from the beginning of the month, yes, there was an accident at the intersection, a motorcycle was hit by a truck that ran the red light, the driver died on the spot. The relatives have filed a case. Huh? But how did you know, Inspector, how he died, you are exactly spot on.” Singha turned back to look at Thup, who was also looking at him.

“And what about his motorcycle?”

“It’s in the evidence storage. The relatives didn’t take it back.” Lieutenant Khem handed over the documents with both the storage number and pictures of the bike to Singha.

“I’ll go take a look, and Lieutenant, check out Santi Thammaram Temple for me, get me the history of both the monks and all the workers there.”

“Why do you need that, Inspector? I know the abbot.”

“Just bring it.”

“Yes.”

Singha walked towards the back of the station where there’s a warehouse connected to the building for storing evidence and larger items that can’t be kept inside. But before opening the door, he turned back to look at the kid who had been quietly following him.

“Close your eyes.”

“Pardon?”

“Half the stuff inside is from fatal accidents, so close your eyes.” Thup looked at Singha with pleading eyes, but seeing the serious look from the older man, he was quite certain Singha wouldn’t leave him alone if it wasn’t necessary. The young man slowly closed his eyes, slightly startled when he felt something covering his eyes another layer, the faint scent from it familiar to him; it was Singha’s scent. “Follow me carefully.”

Singha opened the door, and the chill from inside the warehouse didn’t faze him, but the kid behind him was certainly unnerved. This was evident from the hand that reached out to clutch his wrist. Singha stepped inside with Thup following closely behind, almost glued to his back. No matter where he dodged, the young boy followed without issue, which was a good thing. When they reached the motorcycle storage area, the young inspector looked around for the motorcycle as shown in the picture, and there it was, parked further inside the lot.

“Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Thup immediately grabbed Singha’s wrist.

“Just a moment, it’s inside. You can’t dodge everything.”

“Don’t leave me, okay?”

“I said I’ll be right back means I’ll be right back.” Thup pressed his lips together before letting go of the older man’s hand.

His eyes were covered, so he couldn’t see the scary things, but the clattering sounds and whimpering cries still echoed in his ears, making both hands tremble. The cold at his spine made him aware he wasn’t standing here alone.

‘Is he dead yet?’

‘It hurts so much.’

‘I want to go home.’

‘Why don’t we go together?’

‘Yak’

‘Yak’

‘Yak’

‘Yak’

‘Yak’

‘Yak’

The repetitive voices and the same words made Thup furrowed his brow until a pair of hands reached out to hold him. The young boy was so startled he jumped.

“It’s me.” Singha said as he walked a young boy out to the door before removing the handkerchief that was covering his own eyes. He showed what was in his hand to Thup, then tapped it on the boy’s forehead.

“What’s that?”

“Paycheck.”

“Pardon?”

“The salary of the motorcycle owner.”

“Ah… he probably wants this money to be returned to the family.”

Singha didn’t respond. He just looked at the boy’s face.

   This kid is right… he really saw something he shouldn’t have.

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 8: Kind Hearted Mister Singh

Thup was downcast after surviving a terrifying ordeal just a few hours ago. Now, he was sitting in the inspector’s office at the station, with the room’s owner present as well, but…

“I saw a ghost, Singha.” said Darin.

“There are only bodies; where’s the ghost?” retorted Say, unimpressed.

“If there are bodies, there must be ghosts, Say. Spirits linger, you know.”

“Why would the ghost you’re talking about haunt you? Why not the person who was hurt?” Say raised an eyebrow at his friend who was getting all worked up.

“Well… maybe they can’t move on!”

“Annoying.” Singha muttered nonchalantly, still not taking his eyes off the autopsy report that Say had brought.

“I really saw it, Singha.” Darin slumped back into her chair as none of her friends believed her. “What if it follows me home?”

“Tha… that won’t happen.” Thup said softly, yet enough to draw the attention of the three towards him.

“What’s that, handsome?”

“Nobody followed you, Doc.”

“Seriously!” Darin moved from the chair in front of Singha’s desk to sit next to Thup on the sofa. The young woman nodded, looking up at the older man, “How did you know?”

“He said he saw a ghost.”

“Heh heh.” Say chuckled, his life always rooted in science; things like this, unprovable, were beyond belief.

“Really?!” But for some like Darin, who chose to believe, there were no conditions, “You really saw a ghost, Thup? You really saw it, didn’t you? At first, I thought you were joking.”

“Uh… well, you see…”

“Call me Phii Darin, go on.”

“Yes… Phii Darin.”

“Sure you’re convinced this kid isn’t involved in the case with how chummy you are.” Singha objected.

“There are no fingerprints or DNA from Thup on the rope or the victim’s body. Plus, the blood on him is his own. I’ve read the report.” Darin raised an eyebrow at her friend while confidently patting the kid next to her.

“Evidence can be faked easily.” someone pointed out.

“Hold on. You want this kid to be the villain so bad. We checked the CCTV, didn’t we? You saw he was in the room, right?” Singha shrugged and continued looking at his documents, “So, Thup, did you really see a ghost?”

Thup bit his lip slightly, unsure if he should confirm this. He didn’t want to become a laughingstock.

“Hey, Rinn, since you’re free, why don’t you go treat his wound instead?”

“What wound?”

“On his hand.” Singha said without looking up. When Thup heard that, he showed both hands to Darin.

“Oh, what did you injure yourself with?”

“I was crawling around on the floor.”

“You’ve been quite the flower today, Singha. Do you hate this kid’s guts or what?”

“I don’t think it’s about hating the kid; it’s more about being annoyed with that guy King.” Say said, not taking his eyes off the Rubik’s Cube in his hand.

“King? Why?”

“There’s just been an order for King to investigate the case.”

“Really?! Aren’t we going to end up punching each other?”

“We’re on pins and needles, waiting.” Say looked up at his friend, who was reading the autopsy report with a blank expression, “But if you get into trouble with him, you’ll just get transferred again. He’s the police commander’s son, after all.”

“True, Singha, last time he took your job, you got transferred.”

“We’ll see, Say, about what you wrote was found in the deceased’s stomach, is that confirmed?”

“Yeah, just regular food. No foreign objects or poison, except this kid, who had hallucinogens in his system, probably started using them about a month ago.”

“Weird.”

“What’s weird?”

“The type of food found is similar.”

“I found that odd too. While it’s not strange for foods to be somewhat similar, these are almost ninety percent identical, especially for the victims named Kaew and the transgender person named Meen.”

“Both disappeared around the same time.” Singha added.

“Lieutenant Khem said you want the history of the crime scene?” Darin walked back to sit at the front of the desk to discuss serious matters.

“Um.”

“Here, the lieutenant sent me.” Darin handed three documents to the young inspector, “Singha, I’m telling you, this case is weird.”

“Haunted forest?” Singha skimmed through the details before asking with a doubtful tone.

“Yeah, it used to be just a regular forest, but one year, suddenly, the police here heard about a woman’s body found murdered there, and they never caught the killer. Once the news spread, people started to fear going there, and the locals who couldn’t afford funerals began dumping bodies there, turning it into a sort of no-name graveyard. Over time, more bodies, and people driving by started seeing ghosts crossing their paths or chasing cars, causing accidents. But it’s been decades, and now most folks have forgotten about it.”

“You telling me this means you’ve read up on it?”

“Nah, I sat down with an old cop who told me about it. Creeped me out, man, gave me goosebumps.”

“You love these kinds of stories.” Say teased.

“I think the killer must know this legend too, otherwise, why choose that spot?”

Thup, listening in, nodded, but only Singha noticed.

“I want evidence or reasonable doubts.”

“Some things just happen without reason, you know.”

“But catching a killer needs reason. Can you take ghosts to court?”

“I’m not talking about ghosts; I’m talking about someone using ghosts.” As Darin finished, the room’s lights flickered, and everyone went silent until a knock on the door startled Thup and Darin.

“Inspector, someone’s here to see you.”

“Let them in.”

“Long time no see, Singha.” a deep, teasing voice greeted as soon as he stepped into the room. The newcomer was a tall, lanky young man dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. His slicked-back hair revealed a sharp, cunning face, eyes gleaming with mischief as always. “Ah, what’s up, Say, Darin?” His dark eyes fixed on Singha.

“Show your face, finish the job, and get out.” Singha said, tossing a file onto the table.

“Do we really have to work together on this case? Is that the way to talk to me?” The voice, though soft, carried an undercurrent of pressure, making Singha bite his cheek to suppress his irritation.

“Working with you, King, we better keep our evidence tight.” Darin said, clasping his hands together. “Catching the wrong suspect again, and you’ll throw the mess over to Singha like last time.”

“Such a vengeful team.” King, the young investigator, sneered before glancing at an unfamiliar young man on the sofa. “Is this the suspect?”

“Shut up.”

“Heh, still as feisty as ever. Here’s the deal. If you keep opposing me, I’ll send it to the police commander and take over the case. Or do you want to solve it together? Your choice.”

Singha chuckled under his breath, then stood up and walked over to stand in front of the taller man.

“Go ahead, detective, run to daddy.” Singha taunted, stepping closer until they were just inches apart. “Because only your dad can turn your mistakes into victories.”

Singha slammed the entire case file against the man’s chest, then grabbed Thup by the collar, pulling him up.

“You won’t take him anywhere; I’ll interrogate him again.”

“The investigation report is in there, go read it.”

“Parading the suspect around like this, aren’t you scared?” The fierce eyes stared at the young man behind Singha. “If he turns out to be the killer, your record’s doubly ruined.”

As Singha was about to lunge at the man, Thup grabbed Singha’s arm.

“Sure, I’ll go give my statement again, no problem.”

“I’ll call for you after I’ve read through all the files. Meanwhile, don’t you dare step out of this station. I’m warning you.” King said, then walked away, not forgetting to throw a mocking glance at Singha one last time.

“Your friend is really heated up.” Darin nudged Say gently.

“Want to spar with him now?”

“Hold on, I just came from checking on a patient at the hospital.” Darin said, removing Singha’s hand from Thup’s collar and leading the young man to stand by the door. “Singha, I’m taking him to get patched up.”

Singha watched the young man walk away with his friend. He sat back down at the desk, glancing at the file from fifteen years ago that he hadn’t given to King yet.

“Stay calm, Singha. If you lose control again, it won’t just be a transfer this time.”

“Yeah, trying.” Singha leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. “What did you find from examining the rope?”

“It’s a thirty-six millimeter Manila rope, with marks suggesting a mechanical device was used to hoist the victim, then tied to a tree. No DNA, the perp probably wore gloves. Also, all victims’ nails were completely cut off.” Say stood up.

“The perp knows how to cover his tracks. This isn’t his first rodeo.”

“Merk said this happened fifteen years ago, the perp was caught. Then five and ten years later, similar cases occurred. It might be a copycat. Check the autopsies from five, ten, and fifteen years back.”

“If it’s an old case, it’ll take some time. I might have to go back and forth between here and the forensic institute.”

“Yeah, just find the similarities and differences. I don’t think it’s just a five-year copycat.”

“I’ll report back when I find something.”

“Thanks.”

Thup is following behind Darin, listening to her endless stories. He keeps looking back, unsure about Singha’s condition.

“Get in there, so I can treat your wound!”

Both enter the same medical room where they once had a physical check-up. After sitting on the bed, Darin carefully removes a translucent white plaster and starts cleaning the wound anew.

“Where did you fall?”

“At the temple.”

“You went to the temple?”

“Yes.”

“What were you doing there? Was Singha with you?”

“Yes, Phii Singha was asking about the missing people.”

“Ah, so some victims went missing around there?”

“…Phii Darin?”

“Yes?”

“Do you believe in… ghosts?”

“I do.” Darin immediately looked up from cleaning the wound.

“Then… Do you believe in rituals?”

“Oh, now you’re giving me the creeps, why are we talking about this?”

“I don’t know how to tell Phii Singha because he doesn’t believe me. Could you tell Phii Singha to search the victim’s house?”

“Why? What are you suspicious of?”

“I’m not sure either. Just… thought it might yield something.”

“Those guys, Say and Singha, they don’t believe in the supernatural. Say is really into scientific principles, likes things that can be explained, proven. As for Singha, he prefers things with a logical explanation, but before he was indifferent, sometimes believing, sometimes not, until something happened, and he stopped believing in all that stuff entirely.”

“What happened?”

“You should ask him yourself about it. Ah, looks good now, the wound dressing is way better than that silly plaster Singha gave.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t be afraid of Singha, he might have a sharp tongue but he’s kind-hearted.”

“I think so too.”

“And where are you staying tonight? I saw your bag in Singha’s office.”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Go sweet-talk Singha, he can’t resist a plea.”

“Sweet-talk him? I’ll probably just get yelled at.”

“Give it a try. Right now, Singha is probably venting at the gym. Go find him.”

“Can you take me there, Phii? I don’t want to go alone.”

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, I’m all softened up now. Let’s go, but I won’t go in, or he’ll use me as a sparring partner.”

“Is Phii Singha really that fierce?”

“Depends on when. If he’s just training, it’s bearable. But if he’s in a bad mood, multiply that by ten… no, twenty.”

“Can I change my mind and stay here?”

“Too late, dear, because the lovely Phii Darin is going to help Say with some autopsy results. Get up and follow me.”

Thup had been following Darin all the way without making a peep or looking elsewhere, afraid he might see something he shouldn’t. When they reached the gym, he heard a loud crash from inside. Moreover, two policemen in tank tops and sweatpants were standing at the front, peering through the glass door.

“What’s going on in there?”

“Doctor! You scared us!”

“Look, inspector.”

“Why inspector?”

“Inspector broke one of the sandbags.” Darin nodded understandingly before turning to lightly pat Thup on the shoulder, “Listen, kid, this sacrifice will benefit the public.

“Go be a sparring partner for Singha for a couple of minutes; it might cheer him up. Are you up for it?”

“Pardon?” Thup raised his eyebrows in confusion, but before he knew it, he was pushed inside the gym.

His wide eyes met with the sharp gaze staring back at him. Thup swallowed hard before approaching Singha, who had just stepped away from the sandbag and was grabbing some water.

“Why are you here?”

“Phii Darin brought me.”

“Leave.”

“But—” The young man’s words were swallowed back when Singha flicked his eyes towards him, “I… I’m here to be your sparring partner.”

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 7: The Temple

The atmosphere inside the car was so quiet that only the breathing of the two people could be heard. Thup looked ahead before quickly lowering his gaze to the floor. The temple entrance was adorned with beautiful paintings and inscribed with the words “Santi Thammaram Temple.” But what Thup saw was not just beauty; spirits and ghosts, both in good and deathly states, were crawling and floating around the front of the car. As the car drove in, these spirits slowly retreated. The car stopped in front of the main hall with its golden roof reflecting a dazzling light, beautiful befitting a major temple in the area.

“Are you going to wait in the car?” Singha asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

The young man sitting with him slowly looked up and reached out to grab the young inspector’s shirt. Though the car’s air conditioning was cool, sweat was beading on Thup’s forehead, temples, and brow.

“Inspector… Can I ask for something?” Thup’s trembling hand and fearful demeanor puzzled Singha.

“What?”

“Please don’t leave me behind.”

The young man looked up at Singha with pleading eyes.

“Keep up if you don’t want to be left behind for real.” said Singha as he got out of the car, leaving the young man to take a deep breath before hurriedly following. The young inspector walked, gripping Thup’s shirt all the way.

The temple grounds in the afternoon weren’t crowded, maintaining a serene atmosphere typical of religious sites. The wind blew, rustling leaves, some whistling as they brushed against each other, making it a peaceful place for those seeking solace and a final resting place for the dead. Throughout their walk in the temple, Thup kept his eyes on Singha’s shoes, because looking up would mean seeing the spirits that wouldn’t move on, crawling and floating around the temple grounds. Some crawled on the ground, while others floated aimlessly. The abbot once said that spirits still lingering are those who haven’t found peace, perhaps due to unfinished business or unresolved desires. These spirits could still find a way to cut those attachments, but some lingered out of vengeance, unwilling to be reborn. It’s best to avoid these.

Suddenly, Singha stopped walking abruptly, causing Thup, who was daydreaming, to crash into his broad back with full force. The young man rubbed his chin, which had been pointing down, causing his face to collide with the older man.

“Sorry!”

“You walk so closely, you might as well be me.”

“Please, Inspector, don’t say that! If they hear you…”

“Rubbish, Thup. It’s just me. If this world has ghosts like you say, then I’ve got one too, still in this body. No other ghost is coming in. It’s ridiculous.”

Thup could only blink, having never heard anyone curse ghosts before. Maybe this was why spirits scattered whenever Singha passed by. He truly believed.

“Hey, what are you two doing here?” A monk, around forty or fifty years old, stepped out from his dwelling to greet them.

“Greetings, Venerable Sir. I have something to ask.”

“Ask? What about?”

“Have there been any new monks or temple boys recently?”

“New monks? No, we haven’t reached the summer ordination season yet, and no one’s come for ordination.”

The monk led them away from the dwelling towards the main hall.

“As for new temple boys, I’m not sure. You’d have to ask the temple committee.”

“Where can I find them?”

“Right now? If not discussing with the abbot, they should be at the charity kitchen.”

The monk gave them directions to the charity kitchen before entering the main hall for his duties.

“Thank you.” Singha bowed politely before leaving.

“They have a charity kitchen here, nice.” Thup mumbled, not catching Singha’s attention, but suddenly, a hand gripping his shirt pulled him back, forcing Singha to stop abruptly again.

“What’s with you, Thup?”

“Hold on a second.” Singha turned back, frowning, but upon seeing Thup sweating, his eyes low and trembling slightly, looking scared as if seeing something, Singha sighed.

“You’re really annoying.” he brushed Thup’s hand off his shirt, startling the young man nearly to scream. If Singha left him here, it wouldn’t be good. The figure before them wasn’t a ghost like in the dramas, pale and lanky with long hair covering its face. One side of his skull was caved in, an eye bulging out, lips torn to the ear, teeth missing showing the bloody mouth, the body contorted, wearing what seemed like a tattered uniform, likely from some accident. The remaining eye stared unwaveringly at Thup.

‘You see this, don’t you?’

   The icy tone made Thup’s hair stand on end, his legs barely moving. Singha brushed his hand away, leaving him wondering what to do.

As Thup stood trembling, Singha grabbed his wrist and led him forward confidently. Thup focused only on Singha’s hand holding his until they reached a large communal kitchen, with nothing following them.

“Oh, young man, you’re late. There’s another round in the evening, but there’s still some green curry left, want some?” a middle-aged woman greeted them warmly.

“Want to eat?” Singha asked the younger man behind him.

“No, thank you.” Despite being very hungry, Thup had to decline, not wanting to waste the young inspector’s time.

“It’s okay. I’m just here to see the temple’s monk. Do you know where he is?”

“Oh, looking for Abbott? He’s over there eating bananas.” The lady pointed to a man in a clean white shirt sitting by the door.

“Thank you. And could you also look after this kid while he eats?”

“Huh?” Thup tilted his head at the speaker immediately.

“Hungry? Eat up. I’m just hanging here.” Singha said, releasing Thup’s wrist and heading straight for his target.

“Hey there, young man, sit down. Auntie will fetch you some green curry noodles.”

“Thanks, Auntie.”

Singha sat opposite an old man engrossed with bananas in coconut milk. The old man smiled warmly as Singha sat down.

“Here for lunch, young man? It’s probably all gone by now.”

“No, I’ve got some questions.” Singha said, showing his police badge. The old man, after a glance, introduced himself, “I’m a temple official, my name’s Khuean, fifty-four years old.”

“I want to ask if there have been any new temple boys or staff in the past one or two months, or if anything unusual has happened?”

“Hmm, no new temple boys, officer. But for staff, well, the same old caretaker. No changes recently.” Singha nodded understandingly. “As for strange things, let me think… Ah, yes, on Wednesday, someone came to the temple and suddenly freaked out about ghosts, even knocked over the green curry pot, making a big mess. Luckily it wasn’t too crowded that day; we could manage with other dishes.”

“Do you recognize these people?” Singha laid out photos of seven victims.

“Oh, I know this one, Thee, comes regularly since his wife passed. This little girl, Kaew, plays here often; her house is across from the temple. This one, Jom, used to be a temple boy during school breaks and often took food from the temple. Wait, this is the guy who knocked over the curry pot!” Singha looked, seeing the old man pointing at a photo of a young man, nineteen years old. “So, what’s this case about, officer?”

I can’t say much yet.

“We’re still investigating. I’ll come back if I need more info.” Singha said, standing up and nodding respectfully. But when he looked around, the kid who had been shadowing him was gone…

Thup is holding a green curry bowl, his eyes scanning for a place to wash it. He spots a sink and a dish rack not far from the makeshift kitchen. He noticed earlier that Singha wasn’t around, and disrupting him just to wash dishes would surely earn him a scolding, so he ventures out alone.

Thup dumps chicken bones in the trash before turning on the tap to rinse a plate. Suddenly, the water turns red and thick, far from normal. He drops the bowl in shock, water splashing his face. Turning around, he encounters a spirit of a man with a caved-in skull, standing just inches away. Despite the close proximity, he feels no breath, only his grip tightens on his trousers. Though trembling, he tries to act normal.

‘You see?’

   ‘You see?’

   Thup bites his lip, gathers courage, and walks away, but the ghost follows slowly due to its twisted legs.

‘Motorbike’

   ‘Money’

   The voice, as if speaking through water flooding his mouth, repeats the same phrases. After a few steps, Thup feels multiple eyes on him. He tries to run but trips over something, falling and scraping his hands on rocks. Turning back, he sees various spirits, each with different death marks. He didn’t trip over a branch or rock but over the upper half of a human body. As Thup tries to crawl away, the lower half of another spirit inches closer.

‘You see, right?’

   ‘You see?’

   “Help me!”

‘You see?’

   ‘You see?’

   ‘You see?’

   ‘You see?’

   ‘You see?’

   ‘You see?’

   ‘You see?’

   ‘You see?’

   ‘You see?’

   ‘You see, right?!!!!’

   A hand grabs Thup’s ankle forcefully, but suddenly all the ghosts and spirits vanish, replaced by a grip on his shoulder, making Thup jump in fright, tears streaming down his face.

“Roaming around, huh, you kid?”

“Inse…hic, inspector.” Thup rushes into a hug, forgetting himself. Now, he just wants the warmth of a living person’s embrace, not the cold body of the dead.

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve got me all wet, you troublemaker.”

“Please, hic, let me stay like this for a moment.” He feels his heart racing as he rests his head on Singha’s chest. Just this. He just wants this.

After several minutes, Singha peels the ghost-seeing kid off him and, grabbing his shirt collar, drags him back to the car. Singha can’t help but roll his eyes at Thup’s sluggish demeanor and red, teary eyes.

“Give me your hand.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Did you cry so much that your ears went deaf? I told you to open your hand.” Thup complied easily by holding both hands out in front of the young inspector. The first aid kit was pulled from the back seat, and Singha started cleaning the wounds on his beautiful palms. Though not gentle, it was better than leaving it untreated.

“It hurts.” Thup mumbled softly.

“You claim to be scared of ghosts, yet you wander around alone. Do ghosts have trouble finding you or something?”

“I was just going out to wash the dishes for Auntie.”

“Are you waiting for the dishes to dissolve into thin air?”

“Sorry, Inspector.”

“And stop calling me by my title. Are you worried people won’t know who you’re with?” Singha pressed harder on the wound as he spoke.

“Then what should I call you?”

“Oh? What’s my name?”

“Inspector Singha.”

“Is Inspector my name?” His sharp eyebrows furrowed as the kid in front of him started to get on his nerves.

“…Singha.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I just call you by your name?”

Singha didn’t reply, just gave a fierce look.

“Um… can I call you Phii Singha?”

A phone rang, interrupting before Singha could respond. He handed the plaster to the young man and answered the call.

“What?”

[Hey Singha, the police commander knows about your case now because someone reported the file was accessed. He asked me, so I had to tell him.]

   “Eh, never mind.”

[The police commander has already sent an investigation team.]

   “Damn.”

[There’s more trouble, the commander sent King.]

   “That bastard!!!”

[Are you swearing at the police commander?]

   “Whatever. Just that!” Singha hung up before driving off from the temple at an excessive speed, causing the young man beside him to hurriedly secure all the equipment and fasten his seatbelt. It was clear that Singha was just as scary as any ghost.

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   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.”

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 5: Testimonies of the Living and the Dead

A chilled soda can was brought to Singha’s lips; he chugged it down in one go. Though he wished it were a strong alcohol, during work hours, all he could do was dream. His sharp eyes glanced at a white-skinned young man, who had been in a daze ever since they left the scene, two kilometers away. “Here we are, officer. Yesterday, my husband was watching the store because I was at the hospital with our child.”

“Hello.” Singha greeted a man in his forties, trailing behind his wife of the same age. He led them inside the shop for a more comfortable chat.

“Hello, what’s going on? My wife called me home urgently, just when I was about to catch a big fish.”

“I need to ask about last night, between 11 PM to midnight. Did a pink taxi, driven by a man in his forties or fifties, stop here?”

“A taxi… Oh! Yes, yes, he mentioned he dropped off a passenger by the roadside forest but was too scared to pick up anyone from there.”

“Did he say anything else?”

“Just a bit. He was unsure if he should pick up anyone because that area is risky at night.”

“Why is that?”

“There are frequent accidents there. I heard from my father it was once a mass grave for the unclaimed dead.” Singha glanced at the young man still sitting outside. “I’m still puzzled about what that passenger was thinking. When I asked if he was sure about picking up a real person, the driver just sped off.”

“Has anyone been around here or gone into that forest in the last few days?”

“Just last night, the police and an ambulance were coming and going. After 9 PM, everyone here is usually in bed. I stayed up late watching football, so I saw a bit.”

“Thank you for the information.” Singha stepped outside, sighed, and noticed the young man still in a daze, with water droplets forming a wide circle from the can on the ground. He didn’t know what the kid had seen, if anything, but the information matched what Thup had said in many ways.

Singha took out a cigarette, held it in his mouth, lit it, and inhaled the nicotine into his lungs. Now, it wasn’t just about the case; there was also the matter of ghosts. From the perspective of someone who doesn’t believe or seriously follow any religion, this kind of thing was utterly ridiculous.

“Inspector, you smoke?”

“Yeah, want one?” Singha offered a fresh cigarette to the young man sitting in front of him.

“I don’t smoke.” Thup replied, shaking his head, then pressed his lips together. “So, what’s next?”

“We’ll have to wait for the autopsy results. Right now, we don’t have any useful information.” A puff of white smoke drifted into the air after he spoke.

“And what about what I mentioned?”

“I think the perpetrator chose that place because it’s a cemetery. A kid who saw a ghost told me so. What do you think, does it sound believable?”

“…No.”

“Yeah, good to know.” A phone rang, interrupting their conversation. Singha picked it up, exhaling smoke into the air, “What is it?”

[Where are you, Inspector?]

   “Near the crime scene.”

[I’ve already questioned the victims’ families. There are four more to go.]

   “What did you find?”

[It seems the times the victims disappeared aren’t consistent.]

   “The killer can’t just take them all at once; it would be too hard to control and suspicious.” Seven victims disappearing all at once…

[I’m heading to the fourth victim’s house now, and I’ll report back to you, Inspector.]

   “Send me the list; I’ll go to the fifth victim’s house myself.”

[Understood.]

   “Hey, Lieutenant, also look up the history of the crime scene for me. Find out who owns it now, who used to own it, everything.”

Or has it been used for something before?

    [Understood, Inspector.] After Lieutenant Khem hung up, Singha walked over to dispose of his cigarette butt in the designated spot.

“Get up, Thup.”

“Where are we going?”

“To the victim’s house.”

“And… should I come along?”

“Are you the one who killed the victims?” Singha crossed his arms, his eyes level but probing.

“I didn’t kill them.” Thup replied, his voice firm.

“Then let’s go.”

It didn’t take long for Singha and Thup to reach the fifth victim’s house out of the total seven. They parked their motorcycle in front of a clean white townhouse, but the house was eerily silent, with no signs of life. Singha rang the bell several times, but no one answered.

“Uh… the homeowner isn’t here.” a woman from the neighboring house called out.

“Do you know who they might be with?”

“They live alone.”

“I’m a police officer. I need to ask about the owner of this house.”

“Uh, sure. But what happened to Min?”

“It’s under investigation. I can’t give details yet, but Pakpong or Min has passed away.”

“What!!! No… that can’t be true, officer. What happened?”

“Do you know anything about her family?”

“I… I only know Min left home because of family issues regarding gender transition, but I’ve never met them. She’s been renting here for six months, and works as a car salesperson.”

“When did she go missing from the house?”

“I think it was yesterday evening; I was supposed to bring some curry to her place, but she wasn’t there.”

“Had she mentioned or told you anything unusual before?”

“Well, there were some work-related things occasionally. She was kind-hearted, cheerful, always going to the temple regularly.” Singha nodded understandingly, “We were just talking about going to make merit together this week.”

“And before that, had anyone visited her house or been lurking around?”

“As far as I know, no one. I work online from home and haven’t seen any strangers.”

“And the last time you spoke before she left the house, did she say anything?”

“She complained about having bad luck before going to work.”

“What time did she leave that day?”

“Around half past six. Normally, she goes to work at seven, but she was going to the temple to make merit, so she left earlier.”

“Did she drive?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. If there’s anything more, we might need to call you to the station again for further statements.” Singha bowed politely, then glanced towards the deceased’s house.

His phone rang again; Singha answered without looking, guessing who it was.

[Inspector, we’ve interviewed the victim’s family and close friends.]

   “Meet me at the station.” The young inspector replied, hanging up. He quickly mounted his motorbike, put on his helmet, and when he turned back, he cursed seeing the young lad, Thup, still standing there, “Thup, what are you spacing out for? Get on, quick!”

“There’s… someone in the house. No, not someone, something.”

Singha furrowed his brow, looking back at the house, only to see emptiness.

A young man hurriedly grabbed Singha’s shirt, the clear window showing a gap in the curtains just enough to see inside. At one moment, Thup saw eyes, stark white, staring right at him. The corner of the mouth slowly curled into a sinister grin, a smile beyond what any normal human could muster.

“Tha… I… I need to inspect it.” Thup, in fear, made the young man look back into the house again, but no matter how many times he looked, all he saw was an empty house.

“Get in, we don’t have a warrant today, can’t go in.” The young man quickly got into the car, burying his face into Singha’s shoulder, trembling.

“Who told you to—”

“Th… I won’t lean on you then.” The young man looked up, eyes closed, his hands that were on his thighs while riding the motorcycle now clutching Singha’s shirt instead.

The bodies of six victims were taken to the forensic institute, while another was brought to the lab for an autopsy.

“Damn it, I’m going to sue Singha!”

“About what?” Say replied to Darin while putting on gloves.

“About bringing the victims’ bodies here!”

“I told him, otherwise, how would we handle so many corpses?”

“Just use your staff here, why drag me into this?”

“Come on, get dressed. We’re starting the autopsy.”

“Goddamn it!” Darin, frustrated, started putting on her work clothes, dragged back into this despite trying to avoid it.

“Autopsy starts at ten twenty-four.” The sharp eyes looked at the victim on the table, “Male, forty-three, signs of strangulation and deep neck wounds.” The assistant repeated, jotting it down.

“And do we cut this red thread?” Darin asked hesitantly.

“Don’t be like that. Normally, they don’t touch it; it’s sewn and closed so you can’t see. Don’t want to talk about it, Say?”

“How are we supposed to do an autopsy if we don’t cut it? Should we ask him personally?” Say shook his head slightly before turning the body to look for more clues.

“Knife” – the sharpness of the blade slashes through, Darin raises her hand.

The tip of the surgical knife reflects the light shining down, precisely tracing from the neck to the abdomen. A prayer before helping his friend spread open the ribcage to view the internal organs.

The ribs are cut away with pliers to allow Say to remove the internal organs for examination. Every step is meticulous until they reach the stomach.

“Did the deceased have any medical history?”

“Yes, diabetes.” Darin replies after checking the file. Before Say looked into the mouth of the deceased again, he noticed dentures.

“This isn’t the first murder victim.”

“Obviously, the other two in that freezer already have maggots.”

“Have you sent the maggots to the entomologist?”

“Yes, I have.”

Say scrapes the stomach wall into a bottle and hands it to the assistant with the camera, “Take this to toxicology, and I need a list of all medications the deceased was taking.”

“Yes.”

“The food wasn’t chewed properly. Plus, being diabetic probably slowed digestion. Look, there are still chunks of chicken.” Darin remarks, shaking his head slightly.

The autopsy continues until completion, only a red thread remains uncut, which Darin requested to be left for later.

“Scissors.” Say takes the scissors from his friend, slips them under the red thread on the victim’s eyelid, and as soon as he cuts it, the lights go out.

“Shit! What the hell!”

“It’s just a power outage. Why are you freaking out?”

“This place never has power outages!!” He gropes around, “Aaaah!!!!”

Darin shrieked just before the lights went out. Darin, who had fallen to the ground, was grabbing Darin while screaming as a loud thump echoed. Moments later, all the lights in the room flickered back on. His face was a mask of shock.

“Just now… did you grab my hand, Say?”

“I was holding scissors, how could I grab you?”

“Someone grabbed my hand!” Darin glanced at the figure on the bed before backing away. “I told you not to cut the thread!”

“Get up, get up!” Say put down the scissors and helped his friend up. “You might have just touched the corpse’s hand by accident.”

“I know where the corpse’s hand is supposed to be; it was outside the bed just now!”

“Look, the hand is still in the same place, and with that chest cut open, how could it move?”

“…” I mean when it’s not alive anymore! I really felt it, Say!”

“If you can’t handle it, wait outside. I’ll continue the autopsy.” Darin slowly stood up, looking at the corpse, unchanged from before the lights went out, except the left eye where the thread had been cut. He swallowed hard and clenched his lips.

“I’ll stay.” After all, she was a doctor; abandoning her duty wasn’t in her nature.

A chill ran down Darin’s spine as she turned around, but there was nothing there. This case was strange from the start, and the deeper they dug, the stranger it got. She wasn’t sure if she was dealing with a human killer or something beyond death.

 

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