Manner Of Death English Translation

Chapter 4

I walk into the classroom, a victorious smile on my lips. The other students turn to look at me in amazement. I walk straight to my desk by the window and cross my legs looking outside. I take a deep, proud breath.

"Bunn!" Whinn, my classmate, slips up to my desk loudly, "Damn Bunn !! You did it!"

I turn to him pretending not to understand, "What are you talking about, Whinn?"

He's not the only one around my office. Sonn, Poon, Thid and the rest of the gang also approached me screaming and screaming.

"How did you do it?"

"If I'm not mistaken, we were playing soccer right before the exam?!"

"When the hell did you have time to study?"

I raise my hand to make them stop talking, "Guys, calm down. Thanks for your congratulations. I'm touched, really." I tell them ironically.

They then continue talking excitedly until Ms. Phannee, our principal, arrives. My friends quickly calm down by returning to their seats before she gets angry.

"Everyone stand up!" announces, Narmfo, our beautiful delegate. Each student puts their hands together and greets the teacher in unison. Ms. Phannee nods in agreement.

"Hello everyone. First of all, I want to congratulate all the students who pass the university entrance exam. You are brilliant." Her gaze then goes to me. "Especially you, Mr. Bunnakit. Well done, you are the only one who was accepted into medical school this year."

Despite the reluctant compliments from Ms. Phannee, I beam, defying her with my gaze. Ms. Phannee and I are pretty close. She reprimands me regularly at the discipline office. I am a student that can be described as problematic; I do not respect the rules, I skip class and do not wear the uniform properly. Not to mention that I am often involved in fights with students from competing schools.

But even though I have a few flaws, no one can deny my excellent academic performance. I like studying. I get excited every time I come across complex physical equations. I love being the first student to find the solution to a difficult equation. My results could be better because of the many points deducted due to my behavior. Despite this, I am still one of the best students in the class which allowed me not to be kicked out of this small private school.

If I act in this way it is to be able to hide something. My behavior has made me exceptional—I need to be seen as a leader so that no one dares invade my privacy.

At the end of class, I go down the stairs with my bag on my shoulder. I go to my parents to celebrate this news with them. The fact that I am accepted into medical school will shock them as much as make them proud. Think of it as an excuse for my past behaviour—Mom and Dad.

"Bunn!" the sound of a voice calling me stops me in my tracks but I don't look back. The sound of his footsteps approach me. His hand grabs my wrist.

I watch him out of the corner of my eye. "What?"

"Bunn, I'm sorry," he tightens his grip on my wrist. I pull my hand away and let out a sigh tired. Luckily, no one was passing by.

His name is Tarr, a high school student from a different class. I look at his beautiful face coldly.

"It's over, Tarr," I said coldly. "There is nothing more to apologize for."

"But I don't want this to be over. I was a fool and I know it now. I'll fix everything. I'll tell them it was just a bad joke."

"It won't make me feel better." I turn to face him, my hands in my pockets. I tilt my head to look my ex-boyfriend in the eyes with a straight expression. "Do whatever you want. Go ahead and shout it to the whole school that I'm gay. Soon I'll be living somewhere else. I don't care."

Tarr's head tilts and his fist tightens angrily. "You don't think breaking up with me just because I told someone about us is overkill. I just don't want to have to hide."

"When I think you just said you wanted to rectify the situation. You wanted to tell everyone earlier, what's the problem? You don't want to say anything now?" I bring my face closer to him. "It's over, Tarr."

I have always tried to hide my s****l preferences. Tarr and I started dating the year before. Before that, I knew him first hand, but Tarr was interested in me and tried to approach me since I started studying here. He's the first guy who's been brave enough to ask me out on a date. I admired his courage, so we dated secretly for several months—until three days ago. I don't understand what prompted him to do this. He told our story to his classmates. And they came straight up to me asking if it was true.

It's strange, but I didn't feel angry. On the contrary, I was happy to have a reason to leave him. I'm not in love with him. To tell the truth, I never fell in love.

I could feel the anger radiating from the person in front of me. "Don't think you can hide it from everyone in college. You can hide from some things but not this," Tarr said sure of himself.

I sigh loudly, "It's not a problem. It has nothing to do with us." I turn on my heels and leave without paying attention to him. I know I'm hurting him, but a man with a face like his will soon find someone else. Soon there would be an end of the year party, everyone will be leaving high school and facing a new challenge. I decided to create a new identity for myself by becoming a medical student. Bunnakit, the unruly and noxious boy will have to disappear. The Bunnakit who loves men must give way to the Bunnakit who goes out with women.

Why? You could ask me.

Well, the society we live in tends to accept this type of relationship more easily. That is why.

I reach a bus stop near my high school exit and sit on the bench next to a boy in uniform. From what I see, he's probably in college. I stare at him for a moment before my gaze turns aimlessly at traffic, reminding me of the past. Previously, I was in a prestigious college. I was dating a senior publicly but this relationship was catastrophic. Although I am a good student, I couldn't stand being condemned, discriminated against and harassed by other students. This is why I left this college when I reached high school.

Why...? Because I'm gay. When I was dating a guy, it was always serious every time. But even then, society tramples me to the ground with disgust, throwing at me the qualities of a womanizer like Pert or other stalkers@.

Society made me like this, my true identity is hidden deep within me. I'm just a big trick. And it was always like that until I graduated, became an adult.

It's such a well-hidden secret that sometimes I don't even know who I am anymore.

...

"Dr. Bunn! Dr. Bunn!" Someone calls me and shakes me. I wake up with a start, my eyes wide open. The light attacks my eyes so much that I close them quickly. I growl a little and lift my hand to cover my eyes.

"Dr. Bunn, are you awake?" someone said with relief.

I force myself to open my eyes to let them get used to the light coming from the overhead light. A nurse had to turn it on to take my pulse. Confused, I blink and turn to see that she is holding a blood pressure monitor. "What time is it?"

"It's 4am, Doctor," she said, "I came to check your blood pressure and saw that you were sleeping very soundly, too much to be honest; I thought your constants had dropped. I'm sorry. for scaring you. "

"It's okay," I rested my hand on my head, feeling that I had forgotten something.

The silhouette of a man in a black hoodie comes to mind. He came to my room. Details of the incident are blurry as if behind a fog. I turn to my IV planted in my left arm.

Was it just a dream?

"Did someone come to my room last night?" I asked the nurse who came to take my blood pressure.

"Uh... I didn't see anyone. Other than your family member, the tall, handsome man who came last night."

She must be talking about Pert. He told me that he had passed himself off as a relative of mine to have permission to visit me. "Anyone after him?"

"I didn't see anyone coming in. Is there a problem?" She puts a thermometer under my armpit.

I let out a long breath of relief. It is not unusual to have nightmares after going through this type of experience. The murderer shouldn't be able to get in here anyway. The nurse skillfully adjusts the flow of the IV and a feeling of déjà vu resurfaces. The thermometer makes a sound telling the nurse to look at the result.

"No fever, please rest Doctor. Dr Surasak should come see you around 8:00 am at his first round. "

"Alright," I lower my eyelids then, which I feel heavy. Dr. Surasak, a surgeon, was my colleague. He and I are pretty close.

I ask the nurse to leave the light on until morning. As soon as she leaves the room, I look for Pert's phone that was near me. I turn on the screen and watch it silently. A sudden soft sensation invades my body making me feel at ease. I wasn't a fan of Pert in high school, but now that we were both adults it was nice to have him by my side. We are good friends and we help each other. If he wasn't straight, I could have fallen in love with him.

I shake my head to get these ideas out of my mind. No, Bunnakit, you can't. With my career, my reputation, my family's hopes, and this cruel society, I can't afford those kinds of feelings for a man. My happiness is not essential. This secret should just remain a secret for eternity.

...

Surasak and the intern are in my room at 8:00 am as scheduled. They allow me to leave the hospital since there was no sign of hemorrhage and my condition had improved considerably. Surasak still puts me off work for two days in order to take a rest. As soon as they leave the room, I call Pert to ask if he's made any progress in his research. Its phone number is registered as 'Pert Device No. 1'.

The dial tone sounds several times before it is muted. I press the callback button-still rejected.

A feeling of apprehension seizes me. Pert might be on his way to work, to drive.

I'm about to call him for the third time when the door opens giving way to Fai. The little intern walks quickly to my bed with a scared expression on her face.

"Bunn!" she said as if about to burst into tears. "What happened? How do you feel?"

I finish calling her and turn to her, giving her a small smile. "I feel much better,"

"I was so scared! I just heard the news this morning. The report says you got attacked? Is that true? Have the police come yet?" Fai bombarded me with questions. I grab her hand, trying to calm her down.

"I'll take care of it when I get out of the hospital. Don't worry. Fai You know I have many police friends. "

She lowers her head to our hands and blushes slightly, nodding her head, "Can I do something to help you."

I do need help, "Fai, can you get someone to drive me home?"

...

It was already midday and I still haven't been able to reach Pert. I finish the call before carrying a big suitcase in the trunk of the car. I decided to stay at the hotel temporarily for my safety. I am unable to stay at home until the murderer is apprehended.

Fai asked Suthep, the emergency nurse, to take me home. Luckily, He had just left his service. So he drove me home. The first thing I did when I got home was take a shower and get dressed. I packed the necessities in a suitcase and called a hotel to reserve a room, picked up my car and quickly left my home.

As soon as I open the door to one of the rooms in the city's only luxury hotel, a sweet smell hits me. I place my bag on the table facing the bathroom and throw myself onto the queen-size bed feeling exhausted. My forehead injury is still painful but I no longer have a headache nor do I have nausea. I pull out the white smartphone and try to call Pert again. If he's already contacted the police then I shouldn't be too worried. For now, I must keep a low profile and continue working as usual until the murderer is arrested.

The number you have dialed is unreachable...

I frown, worried. Maybe he's in court. I'll try to contact him when I leave the office.

I take the elevator to reach the hotel reception. I wanted to go to the convenience store at the end of the street. I walked into the spacious and elegant lobby of the hotel, a few people seemingly tourists were sitting down.

"Kidnapping someone nowadays is so easy." I hear the snippets of a conversation between two hotel employees. I don't pay attention until another employee adds; "Yes. We're talking about a prosecutor, it's creepy. Our region seems less and less safe these days. "

What now ?

I stop in my run and turn to the employees who were talking behind the counter and quickly approach them. They move away from each other a few steps and resume their professional smile in front of me.

"What can we do for you sir?"

"What were you talking about just now?" I ask nervously. They look at me slightly shocked.

"Oh.. um, we were talking about the latest news sir,"

"What info?" I raise my voice in spite of myself.

"N... info on the kidnapping of a district attorney in our area sir. It was less than an hour ago. Apparently they found his car with the door open on the side of a road but no sign of the owner. "

...

A cool breeze blows on the hotel's 4th floor terrace. No cloud seems to be able to appear in the perfectly blue sky. Head bowed, I stand still, arms resting against the balcony railing—a mountain of emotion overwhelms me, more than I can handle. I grab Pert's phone, which displays a web page for a news site.

"A prosecutor mysteriously disappears. Probably linked to an ongoing case.'

The article explicitly mentions that 'Prosecutor Songsak', Pert's name, is missing. His car was found on the side of a road at dawn. No one found anything unusual that a car was parked here until it was learned that it was Prosecutor Songsak's car. He had not appeared in court and no one had seen him all day. I couldn't believe my eyes. It absolutely had to have nothing to do with a current case, otherwise, he might have disappeared because of me. The murderer may have heard that I spoke to him. Pert must have done something and that bastard did exactly what he told me.

So, was it really a dream last night?

A sound of indignation comes from my mouth. I feel so stuck I want to explode and die right there. Should I give up then? Maybe I should do what he asks me to do before someone else gets hurt.

Or do I call the police myself?

But now I can't trust anyone anymore. The killer appears to be a man with eyes and ears everywhere, possibly an accomplice or someone he knows works in the police. Could it be one of the Captain's men? an inspector ? or the Captain himself?

I do not understand anything anymore. I am surrounded by a black veil, which completely surrounds me and keeps me from advancing like a chess piece on a chessboard that the murderer has organized. I have to make an autopsy report stating Janejira's suicide, going against my previous interpretation. In other words, the evidence that suggests Janejira was murdered must disappear. But when I cut her throat open, the level of damage had nothing to do with suicide. I should be able to edit the post-autopsy report but the photos that were taken are compelling. Not to mention the problems I might have by falsifying a report like this.

I need more time. The autopsy procedure is not yet complete. Laboratory results on possible traces of drugs in the blood, urine and blood under his fingernails have not yet arrived. It would be amazing if the murderer left no clue on the body, not even a hair.

I then decide to act. I always trust my instincts and it will be no different this time around. I'll start with the prime suspect and find solid evidence before he can hurt me or the people I love.

I stand in front of a business building located in an active downtown area. A large sign is stuck on the building. It reads "Private lessons by Professor Tann: Intensive courses for the Lycée and preparation for the entrance exams / Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology."

It was almost 6:00 p.m. Students in uniform or not came out of the building. I take my phone to be sure I haven't chosen the wrong place before entering.

Professor Tann, or Mr. Weerapong Yodsungnern, 26 years old, graduated with a doctorate in Biochemistry (with honors), from a Faculty of Science, a very good university in the North of the country. He opened this private tutoring school a year ago. This information was not difficult to find. It is in the file of the death of Janejira, I typed "Weerapong", the ex-boyfriend of the victim, the one who had discovered the body and I found what I wanted about him.

The information indicated that his course appeared on his f*******: page, 'Private lesson by Pr Tann' and included the address which led me here. And here I am.

The floor of the entrance to the building separated students waiting for their class from those waiting for their parents. This place is way too big for him to manage on his own. I go to a room which is separated from the rest of the reception by a glass door with a green sign that says - 'INFORMATION.'

"Can I help you ?" A pretty voice in the local dialect greets me immediately after opening the door. I look at the owner of the voice sitting behind a desk covered with several piles of paper.

"Uh..." I have to be convincing, "I'll want some lesson information for my niece,"

"Oh sure, what classes are she interested in?"

"What does Professor Tann teach?"

"Biology and chemistry," the woman smiles sweetly at me.

"If I want to chat with him, where can I see him?"

Her smile fades a bit. "Professor Tann is teaching right now. His class should finish. around 7:00 p.m. "

His girlfriend has just passed away but he can still teach. I am more and more suspicious. "Thanks. Tell him someone wants to meet him. I'll wait across the street." I walk out of the room and sit on a bench with some students.

I look at Pert's phone in my hand with a dry mouth, imagining that my best friend might be dead by now. I know I am playing a risky game. I didn't bring any weapons but I use this loud and crowded place to my advantage, like a shield to protect myself. I want to see the face, the physique and listen to the voice of this person named Tann. If he really is the murderer, at least my presence here would indicate to him that I won't sit quietly and do nothing. I'll put him in jail and get Pert back.

The hour passes slowly. I watch the young students leaving the building one by one until there is only a young girl playing with her laptop in the corner. The clock on the wall says 7:00 p.m. I can hear a hubbub coming from upstairs which intensifies. I then see a group of students descending from the upper level. Professor Tann must have finished his course. I get up and look at the stairs.

And I see it. A man descends behind the students. He looks tall and wears a black shirt and jeans. He speaks, gesturing to explain something I think to the girl next to him. When they reach the ground floor, the girl waiis to say goodbye. He greets her with a smile and walks towards the room by the glass door I went to earlier.

I'm ready. I put my hands in my pockets staring at the glass door, bracing myself.

Professor Tann leaves the room and looks around as if trying to locate someone. His gaze then falls on me. I notice slight a surprised look on the face of the man in front of me.

You have no reason to be surprised.

The corner of my lips lifts slightly. I really don't think I came to the wrong place.

He walks right towards me. I take a few steps back without being able to control myself, observing his physique deliberately. With his size and build, Tann could pass for the killer, his personality and very good looking face, made him look formidable and attractive to a certain extent. He's the kind of personality a good teacher should have.

"Do you wish to speak to me, sir?" And then I hear it.

Tann has a deep but powerful voice. His voice captures the attention of the audience and makes them focus on every word he speaks. I let his voice enter my mind and compare his to that of my attacker.

It's hard to say...

The voice I remembered was deeper than his, but every syllable was spoken behind a mask making his voice naturally muffled. All I can say at this point is that Tann's voice is similar to that of the intruder without really being sure. It is difficult to remember the sight of a stranger, especially during a dangerous situation with a head injury. It is even a miracle that I remember what happened to me.

"Sir?" Tann tries to call me when I have fallen silent.

I recover and look at this man a little younger but slightly taller than me. "... Professor Tann, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's me," Tann replies. I see his gaze move towards my wound on the forehead but very quickly look away.

"I have questions about your private lessons..." I continue my cinema while scrutinizing the behavior of the man in front of me. Anything out of the ordinary about this man will not escape the expert eye of a forensic scientist like me. "My niece wishes to study medicine. I would like to know the details of your biology courses, the teaching program and its content,"

I then noticed a few things on Tann's left temple, despite some hair on his forehead which camouflaged him. I can still see a thin waterproof gel bandage covering the area, a small trace of blood could be seen through. A dark red bruise about 3 cm in diameter surrounds the wound. The outline is not very sharp, this type of bruise is usually caused by a blunt object. It looks very recent, less than 24 hours in view of the color.

After my analysis, I quickly scan Tann's entire body, from head to toe, for any other injuries. If he had other injuries to his limbs, they could have been caused in a traffic accident. On the other hand, if the injuries are found only on essential body parts such as the head, the cause will more likely be from an attack than from a collision. All I can see of his body that wasn't covered in clothing, has no other injuries.

I don't remember if my attacker had a forehead injury.

"I teach biology classes in the afternoons on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and weekends. The curriculum is in high school. I focus on the main lessons that appear on exams. But if your niece wants to integrate medical school, I can organize special courses for her. with emphasis on the COTMES admission exam." Tann raises his hand to look at his watch as if in a hurry to get somewhere. "If you're interested, you can contact Pim, the secretary in this room." He shows the room through the glass door.

"Thank you." I persist in staring at his face. If this person is the real murderer, he has a very convincing game.

"If you can excuse me, I have to go." Tann bows slightly to apologize and leaves. I turn around and follow his tall figure with my gaze that stops quickly to turn to me. I suddenly get scared.

"You are..." he begins, "a police officer, aren't you?"

I have never been so confused in my life.

"I saw you the other day. You were wearing a jacket that read 'LEGISTE'. Are you an inspector?" Tann comes back to me and gives me a piece of paper. "Here is my business card. Please feel free to contact me. I really want to know if Jane really committed suicide."

This might explain why he seemed surprised to see me at first. It was the first expression of sadness I saw on his face. I am speechless, I don't know what to say to him. Now that I've met him, everything seems to be even more chaotic and impossible to disentangle. I accept his card.

"The police asked me to go to the police station today. They asked me where I was the night before Jane was found. That night I was at a friend's wedding. I have witnesses who can confirm that I stayed with my friends all night. Otherwise, I would have become the number one suspect." Tann sighs softly, "Are you suspecting me of being Jane's murderer?"

I don't answer. The cogs of my brain start to reorganize my thoughts. What is happening here?

"... it's a secret, isn't it?" Adds Tann uncomfortably. "If you can share any information with me, can you contact me, Inspector? Or if you need any help, I'll be happy to help you with anything. Please excuse me, I really have to go."

I still hold the business card in my hands when its owner, whose name is written on it, leaves the building. I feel like I'm lost in a labyrinth in front of a dead end. Did I take the wrong path? I close my eyes trying to regain control of myself. It all looks like a puzzle, the pieces of which are misplaced and scattered in all directions. I look for the corner pieces of the puzzle to start it but I am far, very far.

I still believe something is wrong with Tann. If he's the killer he must know who I am but he could have pretended not to know me. I'm going to follow him, I want to know where he wants to go so quickly. I might find something that could serve as evidence to convict him, or if I find out that he's trying to run away, I might use that as evidence as well.

It wasn't long before I left the building to go after him. The setting sun has almost disappeared leaving the air to cool off. I look around for my target. Tann goes to his black car parked not far from the building. I memorize the details of the car and the license plate before getting behind the wheel of mine parked closer.

I'm going to put you behind bars, Tann, because you're the murderer.