Chapter 19: The Suspect

Anan turned the corpse of Mr. Kitti, Tao or Van, from a prone position so that the corpse was face up. The head of the deceased was in a pool of crimson blood mixed with white pieces of brain. Blood splattered the walls of the house. Dr. Rin put on gloves and squatted next to the corpse. "According to the analysis, the time of death was between 8 and 12 hours ago. The cause of death is a bullet. The bullet entered behind his head to the left and exited through the right eye socket. The wound is soft, so it must have been a shot from afar." Rin turned to look at the large ax next to the body. "This ax was definitely not the weapon that killed him."

"There seem to be a lot of snipers in our community these days. Somkit was shot too." Em looked at the Deputy Superintendent who had a serious expression on his face. "Delegate, who do you think is responsible for this?"

"If what Tao wrote in the book is true, there are only two people who wanted him dead, Ornanong and Gunn."

Rin stood up and looked at Bird, "I hope the police don't make mistakes again this time."

Bird frowned, "What do you mean, doctor?"

Em saw that the situation wasn't so good so she walked over and stood between Bird and Rin, "We have to issue a warrant for Dr. Gunn."

"Inspector Em, we still don't have stronger evidence to learn Gunn. Otherwise, we will lose face like last time," Bird said to Em in a stern voice.

"Is this still not strong enough?" Rin walked around Em to confront Bird. "No matter what happens, Gunn's name always comes up. This is because he is the reason for all this chaos."

Bird looked blankly at Rin, "Please stop interfering with police work and continue doing your job properly, doctor."

"If you did a good job then I wouldn't have had to come to work here." Rin stared into the police officer's eyes without fear. "Everything that is happening these days is related to last year's euthanasia case. Although Tao looked like the person who carried Dr. Somsak's stretcher out of the ICU shortly before he was killed, he is not. Dr. Somsak Gunn disguised himself as Tao and intended to make Tao a scapegoat if there was a mistake. Dr. Gunn and Nurse Orananong together performed euthanasia on the patients and killed everyone who was involved with Mr. Som, the psychiatric patient attacked in his home. The fact that all of you were interested in seeking the truth was also the work of Dr. Gunn. If you don't believe me, bring him in and compare his DNA with the tissue I collected from The Nails of the Mr. Som!"

"Rin, calm down." Em grabbed Rin by the shoulder and pulled her away from Bird.

"Take Dr. Rin to sit down and rest, Inspector Em." The Deputy Superintendent told Em. Although he was frustrated that Rin was talking to him like that, Bird was mature enough not to respond violently. Bird turned to ask another police officer for more information. "How is the owner of the house now?"

"Viriya is now admitted to the hospital. She is suffering from terminal cancer, so she is not very strong. Right now she is not saying anything or answering any questions. She is severely traumatized. She may need some time to recover before we can talk with her."

Bird closed his eyes tightly: “Tell me Viriya is not a patient of Dr. Gunn.”

"I found an appointment card with Dr. Gunn's Palliative Care Clinic."

Suddenly, Bird's phone rang. He growled in his throat, "Why is it so chaotic? Hello?" The policeman remained still for a long time and listened attentively to the voice on the other end of the line without saying anything. A time of almost a minute passed before Bird said, "Viriya has spoken. She said that the person who was shot dead held her hostage. Another person was wearing a black costume, but his figure and voice were similar to Dr. "Gunn. We will take Gunn for questioning regarding this matter. I will quickly ask the court to issue a warrant for his house." The Deputy Superintendent turned to Em. "Inspector Em, urgently call Inspector Wasan and get him out of Dr. Gunn's house. I want to make sure Wasan won't do anything stupid."

"Yes sir." Em responded firmly and took out her phone to quickly call Wasan.

*****

"I have adjusted the pain reliever for you. From taking it every 12 hours as before, you now have to take it every 8 hours." Gunn passed the examination record to the patient's family member. "As for additional painkillers, you can take them normally as before. If you feel a lot of pain, you don't need to endure it. Use my medicine to help you, so that you can be comfortable."

"Thank you very much, doctor," the old man in a wheelchair raised his hands in a gesture of thanks. "If I didn't have you, I would have to endure the pain for a long time. The cancer has already spread a lot. At least now I won't have to feel pain for the time I have left."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Gunn leaned back in his chair and stared at the computer screen in front of him. Not long after that, he heard the loud footsteps of many people approaching the examination room. The doctor closed his eyes to calm his mind. When he opened his eyes, he saw two police officers standing in the examination room. One of them was Lieutenant Kong, the friend whose relationship with Gunn has always been good since the closure of the euthanasia case. Gunn stood up slowly. He looked at Lieutenant Kong's face with eyes that contained no surprise. It was as if he already knew what was going to happen.

"Dr. Gunn, I need to invite you for an interrogation at the police station," Kong said in a firm voice that was also very emotional.

The young doctor smiled slightly. He removed the stethoscope from around his neck and placed it on the table before calmly walking towards Kong.

"Yes, Lieutenant Kong."

The police officer looked Gunn in the eyes. Kong couldn't read this person even until now. The pair of eyes still looked like a deep pit whose depth is difficult to measure. "You don't seem surprised, doctor. You don't even ask what it is."

"I am surprised, but I understand that the police will give me a detailed explanation later, so I will be happy to cooperate," Gunn replied without changing his tone.

Kong walked over and grabbed Kantapat's arm. He said softly, "I beg you, don't say anything to Wasan yet."

The image of Dr Gunn being escorted by police caused great alarm among patients and staff who knew Gunn. The doctor took firm action. He didn't keep his head down or avoid glances. He was willing to accept what would come next. Gunn felt really exhausted from continuing to lie like this. He is exhausted by the fact that more and more people have to die.

Gunn intended to put an end to this on his own.

"Hey, Wasan. You should have told me you were coming so I could cook rice for you." Gai, Wasan's sister-in-law, left the house and approached Wasan, who was standing with his head bowed outside the fence. When Gai saw Wasan's sad face, he quickly opened the door, "Are you not feeling well? Come in first."

The young man absentmindedly passed by the young woman without saying a word. Gai saw that the situation was not so good, so she walked to call her husband, who was watering the vegetables in the backyard.

Thongkham ran back to the house and found his brother sitting distracted, as if his soul had left his body. Thongkham looked at Gai and signaled him to leave the room first. She nodded in recognition and went out to prepare things in the kitchen as before. Thongkham sat next to Wasan, “Is this Dr. Gunn?”

Wasan looked at his brother, "How did you know?"

"What else could this be about? There's only one person who can make you feel this sad." Thongkham patted Wasan on the shoulder. "I won't ask what happened. Tell me when you're ready. If you're not ready, stay here and wait for the food."

"He lied about a lot of things," Wasan said very quietly. "The time we've been together hasn't made us get to know each other any better."

“It's always been like this from the beginning, hasn't it?” Thongkham raised his arms to hug his brother's shoulder. "Tell me, what did the doctor do to upset you?"

"I have no idea what Gunn is doing".

Thongkham looked confused, "Hey, I can't offer you my opinion if you tell the story like that, right?"

"He could have done something... that's worse than I thought. He..." Wasan couldn't say anything. "Thong, I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"The truth."

Silence enveloped them both for a moment before Thongkham said, "The truth cannot be changed, but we can choose how to handle it. Come home, Wasan. Don't put yourself where you can't find happiness."

The young police officer looked at his older brother and said, "But we're not done yet."

"I think you're confused right now. You're scared, but you also love him. I think you should stay here and spend time with yourself to consider how to handle what happens next." Thongkham patted Wasan on the back to bring him back to his senses and stood up. "We have Nam Ngiew, jackfruit salad and chili paste. Gai made it very much like he was handing out food to everyone in the village. You can eat until you're full."

Thongkham left the room and left Wasan to drown in his own thoughts. The young police officer took out the access card and key that Gunn gave him from his bag. He looked at it for a long time. The more he looked at it, the more lost he felt about what to do.

Wasan's phone rang. The first person who probably called in Wasan's mind was Gunn. He quickly picked up the phone and looked at the screen. Apparently, the person who called was Inspector Em. Wasan closed his eyes to remain calm before answering the call. "Yes, Em?"

"Where are you?"

"In the House of my brother".

"Well ok." Em looked relieved. "Today you should stay there. Don't go anywhere or come to the police station."

"I have a late shift."

"The Deputy Superintendent already ordered someone else to cover your shift."

Wasan frowned, "What's this about, Em?"

"The court is about to issue a search warrant for Dr. Gunn's home. Lieutenant Kong is currently taking him for questioning at the police station."

The police officer widened his eyes in shock: "Did you arrest him?"

"Not yet, but a witness has said that the doctor was at the scene when Tao was shot dead," Em said in a lower voice. "And you? Where were you last night? Did you notice anything abnormal?"

BANG! The sound of the gunshot was still vivid in his memory. Wasan knew very well what happened because he saw it with his own eyes. He may not have seen where the sniper was, but he could see that Gunn was not the shooter. Wasan heard every word of the conversation between Tao and Gunn. However, Wasan still couldn't understand everything that happened. The woman who was taken hostage probably did not see when Wasan entered because she was using her hands to cover her face and screamed loudly for fear of the gunshot and the body.

"Last night... I was sleeping at my brother's house," Wasan lied, which almost surprised himself because not telling the truth was something Wasan would never do. This was a confirmation that Gunn had so much influence on Wasan's thoughts.

"Great, so you have an alibi. Don't stress, Wasan. I'll call you when there's some progress."

"Yeah." When Em hung up, Wasan plopped down and lay down. He looked absently at the ceiling. Tears fell from her eyes and ran into her ears.

Tell me, Gunn. Tell me what I should do from now on.

Forensic officers confirmed that the blood type found on the bloody shirt inside Gunn's house was blood type O, which was the same as Mr. Tao. Taking into account Gunn's behavior when he ran and followed Tao from the car shop earlier and the DNA evidence being processed, this was enough to make an application to the court to obtain an arrest warrant for Dr. Guntapat Akaramethi .

"The order is issued to the superintendent of Lamphun police station," the deputy superintendent, the investigating officer, read the words of the order. "Because Mr. Guntapat Akaramethi committed the crime of intentional homicide, this court grants you authority to arrest Mr. Guntapat Akaramethi, 31 years old, of Thai nationality and race, with medical occupation, at Lamphun Police Station ". The police officer handed the arrest warrant to Gun to see.

"Yes," Gunn looked at him and gave a brief answer.

"You have the right to say or not say anything. Anything you say can be used in a court of law. You also have the right to meet and consult with a lawyer or the person who will especially act as a lawyer on your behalf. You have the right to contact with a family member or someone you trust and tell them about the arrest.

The doctor on the other side of the desk listened calmly. "I ask to meet with a lawyer before the interrogation."

After writing the arrest warrant, Bird walked to the front of the station and was met by a large crowd of people and reporters. The policeman showed an uncomfortable expression, turned around and went back inside.

"How come there are so many people?" Bird complained to Lieutenant Kong, who was standing while crossing his arms and observing the situation.

"A young doctor murdered someone. Of course, this is big news."

"What about Wasan?"

Kong shrugged, "I didn't see him coming to the police station. Last time I called, he was still at his brother's house."

"I'm worried about him. Can I ask you to take care of him, Lieutenant?"

"I think the people we have to worry about are ourselves, Delegate." Kong pouted his lips forward, "Look who came."

Bird looked in the direction where Kong was pouting. The policeman's stressed face turned into one of shock when he saw a man walking dignifiedly through the crowd. He was a man of about 40 years old, tall, good-looking, wearing a well-tailored black suit and pants. He also carried an expensive briefcase and had his hair neatly combed. His handsome face was similar to that of a seasoned actor and made everyone in that area quiet, including Bird, who looked at the visitor as if he had seen a ghost.

This man was Attorney Woravej, an extremely good defense attorney who was well known for his talent in incredibly black-and-white situations. He enjoyed national fame and often appeared in complicated and famous cases involving influential people or politicians. Most of his works have won victories.

"Can you afford to hire Woravej? Your defendant is really not ordinary," Kong responded in frustration. "We can't do a sloppy job, Delegate, otherwise the prosecutor might cry in the middle of the courtroom."

Bird clenched his fists and stared at the man who had just entered without looking away. Lawyer Woravet looked him in the eyes and smiled.

"Vej," the Deputy Superintendent said in a changed tone, making Kong turn to look at them.

"You haven't changed at all, Bird." Vej walked closer and looked at the policeman's face before coughing, "No, I can't say that to the Deputy Superintendent. I am Dr. Gunn's lawyer. I am here to see my client."

Bird stared blankly at Vej for a while before showing his hand in the direction behind him. "Over here please."

Woravej nodded in acknowledgment and followed Bird. He looked at Kong for a moment and smiled at him. Kong interpreted it as a smile to challenge him. Vej seemed really sure that his coming here would make Kong invest his time and energy in meaningless endeavors. Lieutenant Kong's eyes followed the two men and he raised his hand to rub his chin. He seemed extremely interested in the relationship between the two.

"Something funny is happening again," the young lieutenant said to himself and smiled.

Woravej entered the small square room with only a table and two chairs in the middle of the room. His client, Dr. Guntapat Akaramethi, was sitting calmly waiting for him with no signs of anxiety. Vej put his briefcase on the table and sat on the opposite side. "Hello, I'm Voravej Thitikamol, the lawyer. We haven't met before, but your father and I know each other very well."

"Hello," Gunn looked at the lawyer's face. They both thought the other party was very good-looking, but they kept it to themselves. "I know, my father told me."

"You've probably heard of my reputation before, doctor."

"That is the reason why my father chose you," Gunn replied. "But to be honest, I don't want to get away with it. I intend to pay for what I did."

Vej looked at Gunn in silence for a moment, "I don't want to go against your will, but that's not the reason I took this job. If you want to pay for what you did, I'll gladly make that happen. Without "However, it will not be unnecessarily serving the highest possible punishment. This case drew national attention and the pressure on the people working on the case would be equally high. I fear they may not get a fair trial."

"Justice does not exist, Mr. Voravej," the doctor said. "My patients were sadly murdered. There is no justice for them at all."

Lawyer Voravej nodded, "At least we agree on one thing, doctor. There is no such thing as justice. The only truth is to end the problem in a way that our clients are happy. I don't care if you killed someone or not. I just It matters whether the other party has witnesses or evidence to prove to the court that you have clearly committed the crime. As long as we have the judge in your case make direct decisions according to the existing witnesses and evidence in ways that are advantageous to "We don't care if other people get upset and say the court is unfair. Justice doesn't exist, especially for people who can't make their own case to fight." Vej took out a book and a pen and placed them on the table. "I'll start with the charge against you, intentional homicide. At this point the police understood that you shot and killed Mr. Kitti. Have you said anything to the police about this?"

"Not yet."

"I repeat, I don't care if what you did was good or bad. I am not here to judge your morals. I am only interested in seeing my work succeed," Vej said with a serious expression. "And another thing I care about is my client's truth. The first rule of being my client is that you must never lie to me. So, you have to tell me from the beginning what you did. Everything."