[T/N] I apologize for grammar mistakes and incoherencies
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.”
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.
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.’
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.