Chapter 14: Chapter 13: Scapegoat Testimony

A completely black car stopped in front of the Central Prison. Thup got out of the car in a daze, before walking to wait for the driver to get out. August took the documents, and got up from the leather seat, got out of the car, and handed everything to the boy walking next to him.

“Wait, walk over there and wait,” Singha pointed to the walled gate in front of him, which had a shade to escape the heat.

“Why don't you go with me?”

"I am going to smoke." Thup nodded before walking towards the front door.

Singha took a Marlboro cigarette and put it in his mouth before grabbing the lighter. After turning it on, he finally sucked in a large amount of nicotine, releasing white smoke that floated everywhere. Her piercing eyes looked at the young man who was standing in front of the door, wondering if the doll's story, about Mae Thuan or any ghost, was true. He was beginning to worry that the case would be more difficult to solve because it was something that couldn't be proven. No matter what Thup said, it would still be something that couldn't be proven. While the young man was thinking, the prison door suddenly opened. An officer walked toward the boy. His face was soft and he seemed to be looking for someone. Singha dropped the cigarette to the floor before crushing it with his toe until it went out.

"What are you doing here?"

“What are you doing here, come, I'll search you!” Just as the officer was about to grab Thup's arm to conduct a body search, Singha intervened and showed the badge. Then the officer changed to a calm demeanor.

“I came to see Director Sittichai.”

“Uh, okay, but I have to do a physical inspection first, and you have to leave everything you bring outside before entering.”

“This child is coming with me.”

“Then please come in.”

The two entered, and the officers went through the things they had with them and left them their phones, then searched their bodies. They were taken to a room where there was a prison guard with the warden.

“Hello, Inspector Singha.”

"Hello."

“I have already read the case of the prisoner you requested to see. “He is a criminal who committed a serious act, so you should talk to him through the visiting room.”

"Alright."

“You will have a limited time of forty minutes. “There will be a guard present at all times.”

"Understood."

“Then I will take you there.” The headmaster smiled happily as he stood up and began leading the two people towards the inner door.

When they arrived at the visiting room that was separated by thick bars, there was an area divided into sections, there were some people visiting. August chose to sit at one end, near the wall, to avoid being disturbed by the others' conversations.

“It will be out in a moment.”

"Thank you." The director left to attend to other matters. This was a central prison that served to receive inmates who had already served their sentences and prisoners accused in serious cases. There were prisoners who had been imprisoned for many decades, including some sentenced to death. August is already used to these things. But those visiting a place for the first time, like Thup, couldn't help but get tense. Her beautiful hands held the hem of the inspector's shirt, without being too far away, and she kept her head down because she didn't want to see anything she shouldn't.

“Phi, what are we doing here?”

“We will look for the testimony of the scapegoat.”

"Scapegoat?" Thup tilted his head to look slightly at the older man, uncomprehending, but he didn't ask any more questions. The door on the other side of the bars opened and a man appeared. A neutral-faced young man wearing a blue shirt came and sat in front of Singha.

“Hello, Mr. Tewich,” Singha greeted, his voice calm and somewhat intimidating, but without pressure. But the other party only looked at Thup first before turning to look at Singha without answering: “My name is Singha, I am an investigation officer, I came to see you to ask you some questions. I hope to receive your cooperation to help me with an investigation.”

There was no response from the other party, exactly as the warden said, that the prisoner was always quiet and did not say anything unless it was necessary. It seemed like it wouldn't be easy to get him to talk. But this did not surprise him, since if he thought about it, it was not strange that the person in front of him did not like the officers, he knew that he had been forced to speak.

“I know you probably don't feel comfortable talking to me. But being this silent won't be of much use. Let's go by parts. I came today to see if I could change your mind.” August moved the document in front of him before holding it up for Tewich to see. “Now… there has been one murder case, seven murders. “All the dead people had their eyes and mouths sewn up with red thread.”

"Where?" Tewich laughed in his throat with a pitiful expression on his face.

“I guess you are a little familiar with this.” Tewich turned to look at the photographs of the seven victims that Singha placed in front of him. “You were accused of a crime like this fifteen years ago. A similar event had occurred before. It happened in Phuket province and you became a suspect in the case because you were the first person to find the body. An examination found that his DNA was on the deceased's fingernails, including the rope used to provoke the crime, making him the accused. After that, he was put on trial and in the end, he was sentenced to life in prison. I'm right?"

On the other side only silence could be heard. August nodded, then gathered up all the documents and handed them to Thup. The young man took it and held it confused because he did not understand what the prisoner would gain from this silence.

"It doesn't matter. It seems that living in this place without receiving justice didn't seem to have much of an impact on you. So I don't think it's necessary to share the rest of the information. Let’s go,” Singha said before getting up and walking towards the door. Seeing this, Thup hesitated whether to follow him or not, when suddenly… “Wait a minute.” The corner of the creature's mouth immediately raised. There was no person who would like to be there for a crime they did not commit.

“I'll just tell you the same thing I told my lawyer the first time.”

“So you're ready to talk, right?”

"Yeah." August returned to his seat before pressing Thup's shoulder to follow him. “Is the boy next to you a police officer?”

“No, he was the one who found the bodies.” Tewich's expression seemed strange, as if a little discouraged. He turned to look at Thup, not looking away. “Should I start now?”

“How are you different from other police officers? Those bastards did everything just to move up the ranks. To look good to their bosses, they didn't care if it was right or wrong. In any case, I was like a scapegoat.” A disheartened and disdainful voice sounded inside the glass room.

“The difference is that I have this child who helps me make decisions.”

"Me?" Thup pointed his finger at himself.

“This child experienced a similar situation more than fifteen years ago. There have been murder cases like this before. Therefore, if we prove that there is a connection, linking or relating you to the current case, you may be cleared of all accusations.”

"Really?"

“Yes, yes he is willing to cooperate.”

"I... I'm willing."

“You were a fisherman, so it was not strange that you had your own nets. Therefore, his fingerprints must have been on ropes and tools, but could you tell me about the previous incident? When you came across the body… what condition was the victim in?”

“I remember the night it happened, my dad and I came back from fishing, when suddenly in the middle of the night, someone called and said my net had floated away from the boat, so I told my dad I would go get it myself.” . I left on a motorcycle. On the way I had to go through that forest. Then I saw a light coming out of there, so I parked my motorcycle and went down to take a look, since normally in that area there are people who have accidents with their cars or end up getting lost. But as I entered, I heard a sound.”

“What kind of sound?”

“It sounded like someone pulling a pulley.” Singha nodded in understanding. Apparently, on that occasion, the murderer used a pulley to save strength when hanging the bodies.

“So what happened next?”

“I went in and saw the bodies of seven people hanging from a tree. After that, I called the police. But when they came, they arrested me. I tried to explain everything, but they said they had all the evidence, and they didn't accept my words. I think they just wanted to blame me to please their boss, saying that they had caught the murderer. No matter what he did, he was just a citizen of low reputation. How could I fight against them, who were openly known as law enforcement officers?” Tewich's pain in his voice flowed uncontrollably.

"I understand. Did you see anyone before that? Or did you personally know any of the deceased?”

“I knew three or four people of those who died, since they were from the neighborhood.” Tewich tried to calm his mind and returned to answering the questions as usual.

“Do you remember the last time you saw them?”

“It was a long time ago and I'm not sure. But it must have been in the temple. Because after that, there was an event.”

"What event?"

“The one of the tenth lunar month.”

“That's on the waning moon.” Thup spoke casually. But both Singha and Tewich heard him: “Normally, you went out to look for fish during the waning moon, right?”

"That's how it is. The moon is dark, so the fish take the bait easily.”

“What do you mean by that Thup?”

“Luang Pu once told me about various ceremonies, and some are related to the moon. They are especially made during the waning moon, because that is when the magic is strongest, the story of the doll may also be related to that.”

"Black magic?" Tewich asked surprised.

“If you last saw that person in the temple, does it mean that the news of his disappearance was reported later?”

"Yeah."

“Time is up,” one officer said.

August put the file away, and handed it to Thup who was still sitting next to him, waiting and listening. As time ran out, some officers appeared to take Tewich away. However, he spoke for the last time in a softer tone than the first time.

“I was already disappointed once with the research that brought me here. Please don’t let me be disappointed again this time, I want to go back to my family.”

August looked at the man's back walking away from him. Then Singha and Thup left the visiting room and returned to the warden's office without saying a word. Thup, who was walking behind him, looked at the older man with concern because he thought that August must be a little stressed right now. I was a person who lived in disbelief, and I had been going through this kind of thing suddenly for a long time, so it was normal that it was something difficult to understand and accept.

“How are you, inspector? Did you receive any additional information?”

"Yeah."

“It's strange that he opened his mouth to talk to the police. “Normally he barely speaks.”

“People have to choose their own path. I thank you for your cooperation, we will leave now. I have to keep working on the case.”

“Please, if you need help with anything else, you can call me.”

"Thank you."

Singha left the prison with Thup behind him. The sunlight shone on him, causing the young man to squint as he looked forward, with a limited field of vision and blurred vision. Just as he was about to call August, he saw an image appear. His body was tall, strong and formidable, he wore green clothes. His face had folded fangs and looked fierce, and he was standing behind Singha.

The lord of ghosts. A Thao Chatulokaban, one of the Four Great Kings who protect and care for the human world.

Now I understood why they were afraid of ghosts, it was… “Thao Vessava ṇ a.”