Manner Of Death English Translation

Chapter 14

On the night of December 11 at 2:30 a.m, I managed to get Manote, who is unconscious from the alcohol, up on the bed. Pae, another friend of mine, was helping Bank who mumbled under his breath in the same drunken state, entering the room.

"These guys drank like there was no tomorrow." Pac puts Bank on the bed next to Manote. "And here's my bed. Do you mind putting them in compromising positions and taking pictures?"

I let out a laugh, "My god, no! I'll feel bad for their wives." I am also a little drunk. The room seems to rock. I'll have to sit down for a minute. I sit at the foot of the bed and close my eyes. How long has it been since the last time I drank so much? Pae, the more sober of us, comes to sit next to me.

"We didn't have a chance to chat when we were drinking. How are you?" Pae asks me. I open my eyes again and turn to the man next to me. Pae is a pretty decent man, in fact, tall and thin with shoulder-length hair.

"It's okay... My school is developing well. Lots of students are enrolling." I bend one knee. "And you?"

"Still zoned out. When I left my job in Bangkok, I didn't know what to do next. I might have to go back. But for now, I'm back at home to take control of myself. Luckily, I got home just in time for Jack's wedding." Pae puts a lock of hair behind his ear. In my current drunken state, his gesture is too cute for me to resist. I bring my face closer to his, but his hand suddenly presses on my chest. "Woah! Tann! Calm down man."

I step back in spite of myself. Pae breathes with relief. "I understand you still don't have a boyfriend."

I shake my head. "No."

Pae laughs. "But I do. Sorry man." Pae pats me on the shoulder. "Do not be sad."

I don't know how I should react to this unfortunate news. But one thing is certain, I am not devastated either. "Who is he?"

"The head of the department at my old company." Pae pulls out his phone, "Super cute. He's spoiling me. The day he found out I was going to quit, he cried so much." He hands me the phone where I see a picture of him with a man. Both are dressed in suits, their badges around their necks.

"We always go out together."

"Ah.." is the only thing I say to him.

Pae must be amused by my reaction. He smiles, and shakes his head slightly as he puts his phone back in his pocket.

"Remind me why we haven't dated before?"

"Ok..." I stare at the ground, my eyes blurry. "I do not know."

"It's probably for the best. It shouldn't have been done that's all. We were incompatible. It wouldn't have worked. It's better not to have tried anything otherwise we wouldn't be friends today, don't you agree?" Pae continues, "You can sleep on the couch. I'll take the other room. I'm going to go look for a pillow and a duvet."

I nod my head. I could just lie on the floor but my friend, the owner of the house might not like it. I get up and walk to the living room. I stretch out on the couch before realizing I forgot to call Nath back. But it didn't seem very urgent anyway. It can wait until I'm fully awake. I fall asleep before Pae even brings me the sleeping bag.

...

My phone ringing wakes me up. Sunlight entered the house. The sleeping bag kept me warm. I push it aside and quickly answer the phone that I pick from my jacket. "Yes?"

[Where are you?] A deep voice answers me, allowing me to wake up instantly. I totally forgot to call Nath for my brother—Pert.

"At my friend's..." I raise my hand to massage my temple. "Is everything alright?"

[Tann... what did I do?] I could feel that his voice had changed—nervous and confused.

"Do what?" I growl. "Pert get yourself together. What's wrong..."

[...it was an accident...]

The more I listen to him, the less I understand the reason for his call.

"What did you do?"

[I accidentally strangled Janejira, she died...]

It takes me a millisecond to figure out every syllable my brother just said to me. Once I realize, I jump in a panic, "What!?"

[Yes, I accidentally killed Janejira.] He gives me an unpleasant 'tch'. [I overreacted. I shouldn't have done this.]

"Shit... Pert !! What the hell are you doing!!" I scream.

[You don't have the right to tell me that! Now you better help me figure out what to do!!]

"Do what? You have to call the police right away!" I speak more calmly as I leave Pae's house so that no one can hear this conversation, "Why? Why did you kill her? Isn't that the girl you care so much about? I acted like you asked me, going out with her, damn it! How could you do that? " I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Holy shit... tell me why?"

[Well, she's a chick and she got me drunk ...] His voice shows his rage exploding. [I'm not allowing you to question me. If you don't help me, I'll ask Paul.]

"Pert, aren't you going to surrender then? Are you going to cover up?" This is the first time I have had to deal with a murder at the hands of a family member.

A similar incident happened—only once—when I had just moved in with my father.

Uncle Eid, my father's older brother, shot one of the people in front of him for money and took care of the body. I don't remember the details but I know he got away with it very easily.

[Who spoke of surrendering? Remember who I am.]

The announcement of an honorable prosecutor ending a woman's life would make headlines. "Pert, this is wrong. I don't know how to get you out of this. Go talk to Paul and give me orders when you've got things organized."

[What an unnecessary pice of s**t you are. Well, I'll call you as soon as I talk to Hong.] And Pert hangs up.

I look up at the sky, my hand gripping the phone tightly. Jane and I got to know each other when I taught classes to students at the high school where she worked. We weren't very close until she became one of Pert's lovers. He asked me to take care of her. I would bring her back home in the evening leading everyone to think that we were dating. Jane loved my brother as much as she could. She told me he was the first man who made her happy. But I couldn't tell her what type of man he really was. And one day, Jane found out that she wasn't the only girl in his life. No need to say what happened next.

I decided to say goodbye to Pae, who was making coffee for us. I give him a quick, firm hug and run out of the house. I go directly to my house.

There will be a lot to discuss and I may have to do something.

After assessing the situation, I come to the conclusion that this murder is a huge problem. If things get worse for me or if there is a chance that I could end up behind bars, I have to find a way out with my mom.

As soon as I reach my house, I call Jane. Call to which no one answers of course. I don't know what condition her phone is in. The only person who knew was the one who took her life. I couldn't sit still due to apprehension. "What am I doing now? I don't want to be involved in this s**t. But, it's inevitable.

Half an hour of waiting and commotion later, Pert calls me back. I quickly accept the call. "So, where are you?"

[I'll be at your place in five minutes.] I can hear his voice falter. He is in shock. [I want you to do something for me. We will talk about it later.]

I sigh, preparing for this impending and crucial mission.

"See you soon."

About five minutes later, I hear the sound of the car pulling up in front of the house. I open the door, watching the big white European car block the door. A tall, elegant man climbs down and approaches the house. The door is already open waiting for his arrival. Distress is visible on his face. Pert walks over to the couch and collapses into it. I sit in the chair next to him, watching my older brother, who is shaking his leg in an attempt to release some of his anxiety. I look at him, "Explanation please..."

"I don't want to share all the details. What's done is done. We need to organize ourselves." Pert begins to bite his fingernails, then close his eyes to try to calm down.

"Why did you kill Jane?" I press it.

"I said I didn't want to talk about it!" He lifts his voice, silencing me despite my desire to know the reason for his barbaric act. "Look, Jane was suffering from depression, so there's a high probability that she would kill herself, right? When I found out that Jane was dead, I staged her suicide..."

When I understand what's going on, I close my eyes in dismay. "Did you hang Jane's body?"

"Yes, I had to do it."

"Do you think you're going to be able to cheat the police?"

"It's not the police the problem. It will be easy to get them. The coroner on the other hand is the one I'm worried about..."

I raise my eyebrows. "The medical examiner?"

"Yes, the one from the hospital. He's a friend of mine, but not the type of friend I can ask for a favor for my illegal activities. He won't be fooled by the staging, he will know that it's murder not suicide. I've worked with him a lot; and that bastard is too smart for his own good."

"What are you going to do then? Clearly, you won't be able to get it." I rub my face with my hands and let out a long sigh. "This is bad. What did Paul say? "

"That's what I'm about to tell you," Pert points his finger at me. "Paul is going to take care of it as I muddy the waters."

I widen my eyes. "Are you going to run away?! Isn't that even more suspicious?"

"Yes, I will make them believe I was kidnapped. I will be far away until the situation improves. This case should end if the cause of death is declared as a suicide. The autopsy report must not mention any murder." Pert's put is hands under his chin, his restraint begins to be troubled. "A friend of mine is a cop. We can talk to him, he owes my father a lot. He will give us access to the file. As for you... "Pert fixes his gaze on me which I keep in return.

I didn't want to be involved in all of this. I could only scream on the inside. "What do you want me to do?"

"First of all, go to Jane's, make sure you're the first person to discover the body and call the police. Make it look spontaneous." Pert gets up to continue. "Then wait for the forensic team to arrive. You will see your target, a forensic scientist named 'Bunnakit'. Do all you can to get him to note in his report that it is a suicide; threatening, kidnapping, torture. Whatever you're good at. "

I don't want to do that kind of thing anymore. But if it could endanger my mother's safety, I put my qualms aside. "Do you have any information about him?"

"Bunn has a secret. I found out he likes men, just like you Tann." Pert seems to remember something. "What if you rape him? Take pictures of him and threaten him afterwards?"

It was probably the most awful plan I had heard. I am used to violence. Torture is something that I have used on several occasions. At such times my mind pauses and my body acts. But the rape is a little too despicable. "Pert... I can't do this."

"Bunn is a determined person. Just being threatened won't work. You have to have him physically. You have to show me the pictures of your work. You know what will happen if you don't take action."

What a psychopathic asshole...

I stare at my brother. "I'll find a way to get him to write the report." No rape, I'm sure of that. Even though I know my target is gay like me, who would be crazy enough to do such a thing? I will approach him to intimidate him in my own way that I use sometimes and which works very often: my voice and my minority life choice.

"You better do the job." Pert threatens me as he heads for the door. "Meet up with Dr. Bunn tonight. I'll send you the address."

...

I parked the car on the side of a road near a thick forest for a while. I have strayed considerably far from the house where I have sequestered. Bunn, knowing my brother is keeping an eye on my whereabouts. I take my brother's white smartphone out of my pocket. By reaching inside my other pocket, my hand came in contact with a cold, metallic object that could end someone's life in the blink of an eye.

My phone starts to vibrate in my pocket—a message from my brother on Line Chat.

[Photos?]

I take a deep breath pretending I haven't seen the notification. I quickly put my cell phone back in my pocket. I have to fix Bunn's problem first. First of all, I have to find a way to convince my brother that Dr. Bunn is dead. It will make things easier.

I might have to beg Bunn to fake his own death. Being a forensic scientist, he will easily be able to make it realistic. But how am I going to convince him when he doesn't even want to see me anymore? His way of looking at me, hurt and betrayed overwhelms me. I know he's starting to have feelings for me. If none of this had happened, we could have developed our relationship to the fullest.

The second option is to find a body and make it look like Bunn. But where can I find a corpse without killing someone and especially modifying it, which I don't want. So I easily eliminate this option.

My phone vibrates a second time accompanied by the call ringtone. No need to look at who's calling me. I already know it. He's the man who can't wait to see Bunn's corpse. I take the call. "What?"

[What what? Is he dead? Why don't I have pictures yet?]

"I'm digging a grave..." I pretend to lower my voice, "Hey, someone's coming... I'm leaving you." And I hang up. I turn off my phone and Pert's phone. I will not be able to stall for much longer. I have to find a way to make Bunn look dead and fast.

...

When I open the door, I see Bunn sitting on the bed, his right hand wrapped around his knees. His other hand, cuffed to the headboard, is still where it belongs. He looks at me, alarmed. I see my jacket has been thrown to the floor.

"You have not slept?" I walk over to sit on the bed, bending down to grab the jacket. Bunn tries to crawl as far away from me as possible. "Why aren't you using my jacket as a blanket? You could get sick."

"You said you would come back tomorrow. " Bunn mentions. I am impressed by the mental strength of this man. He looks better. His brain must be deep in thought. So I cannot let go of my guard. My brother had warned me of his intelligence. I believed in this warning from the moment I saw Bunn at school on that fateful day.

Who in their sane mind could do that—visit their attacker within hours of being attacked? I was really scared when I saw him that day, preventing me from attacking him again. He would have understood immediately that it was me. I had to constantly stay on my guard when we were together.

There is one thing I wanted to know though, so I decided to ask him. Maybe a conversation will help him understand and be cooperative. "When I got home yesterday, you were trying to run away. You knew I was the one who broke into your house at the time? How did you find out?"

Bunn stares at me, "The orange post-it in your sweatshirt pocket..."

I raise my eyebrows, confused. "I do not know what you're talking about..."

"The note with the phone number of the girl named Nath," Bunn explains coldly. "which belongs to Pert."

I sit down, stunned. This piece of paper that seemed to have nothing of relevance is what destroyed my cover. "Do you know her; Nath?"

"No, that's not what's important here. The important thing is that this paper is Pert's." Bunn lets out a dry cough. He sniffs before continuing.

"One of the numbers is mine."

Bunn puzzles me even more. What did he say? If the number on the back of the sticky note is his then the person I accidentally called that night must be him.

Bunn watches me closely. I used to see this look on him. "Where did you find this note? Did the prosecutor give it to you or did you steal it? You are the one who kidnapped him right?"

Despite his distinctly disadvantageous position, he bombards me with questions, trying to corner me. I need to show him that I'm the one in charge, so that I can sort this out easily. I then grab Bunn's shoulders and hold them tight. He starts to wiggle around trying to get me to let go. I really all wanted to tell him, tell him that his 'best friend' is the one who made it all up. But I didn't want to see him suffer anymore. If I tell him Pert is behind this, Bunn is going to panic and want to fix it with his own hands. "Shut up and listen..."

I managed to silence him.

"I have a problem. My boss wants you dead, he wants to see it with his own eyes. You have to help me stage your death."

Bunn looks at me, still. "Distort my death?"

"Yes you should be dead because I shot you. My boss wants to see pictures." I watch him with apprehension. "When he sees your body, I can start to act."

"It's an order or a request." Bunn turns away from me and adds, "I have no choice anyway, do I?"

I sigh, "I don't want you to think it's an order. I can't do it alone, stage your death I mean."

"Are you hoping to make me cooperate by leaving me in total blur?"

Bunn sends my own words right in my face. I still don't know if I should tell him all about it so that he understands the situation, or if I should rely on some other reason to persuade him or even force him to obey me.

I decide to try the second method. "You may not understand all of this but I want you to know that everything that I have done, I have done for you."

"Don't say you're doing this for me when you kidnapped me. Damn me if I believe you."

Just like I thought. Bunn won't give up easily. "If my boss doesn't have these photos beforehand in the morning, my mom will be in danger. I have to work for them because he's holding her hostage. If I disobey them... I don't know what they will do to her."

Bunn remains stunned. Neither of us picks up the discussion for a long time. Bunn, then clears his throat. I noticed he was starting to catch a cold. "..Find pig's blood. You should be able to find it easily in a village or a market at dawn. Staging the murder in a forest will be more realistic to justify the fact that you took me out of town. Make sure you look like you're forcing me to kneel down and shoot me in the head from behind next to a hole ... or do you want you to suggest another alternative?"

I look at him, totally impressed. His idea fits perfectly with the plan I had put together. "We will follow your plan."

Bunn pulls on his imprisoned hand, jingling the handcuffs in the purpose. "If you want my help, you must free me."

Smart demand. "If I set you free will you run away?"

"You said if I step outside I'll be killed right away." Bunn is holding back a coughing fit. "If you can make sure I'm safer with you, I'm not going anywhere... But for now, I don't know because I don't know who you are... "

Not only does he force me to untie him, Bunn forces me to tell him the truth. I decide to give him what he wants in exchange for his cooperation. I take my jacket and fish for the key to remove the handcuffs. I don't let Bunn enjoy his freedom for too long. As soon as his hand is free, I quickly push him by the shoulders on the bed. Burn starts screaming before I lie down next to him, putting my arm around him, snuggling against his back, spooning him.

"There are a few hours left before dawn. I take permission to stay in this position for a while..." I buried my face in the back of his neck. "If you sneak out, I'll know."

Strangely, Bunn doesn't resist; on the contrary, he stays in my arms. "Tann." he takes a breath. "Is that true? About your mother?"

"There's no reason to lie now. I just haven't told the whole story yet." I tighten my arms around him for fear that he will disappear somewhere. "I'll wake up around 4:00 am. And now will be the time to act."