Chapter 16: The Answer Nobody Wanted to Look for

Guntapat

Wasan was sitting absentmindedly at the desk among stacks of files. It seemed like everyone at the police station was watching him again. The investigation inspector, who had a relationship with Dr. Guntapat, whose name appeared in all the cases. Guntapat always ended up involved in every incident in one way or another. It happened so repeatedly that everyone believed that Wasan's loved one had a chance of being the real culprit, even when there was not enough evidence to issue a warrant.

Lieutenant Kong secretly observed Wasan's behavior for a long time until he finally walked out of the corner by the door and stood in front of Wasan's desk, "Inspector."

Wasan snapped out of his reverie. He looked at Kong, "What's wrong?"

"I feel like I've lost my manners towards you when I asked you to install a wiretapping device on Dr. Gunn. I also spoke terribly." Kong said in a gentler tone than usual. "I apologize."

"It's been a while. It doesn't matter," Wasan sighed and turned on the computer to continue writing documents.

"Inspector, you know what everyone expects now, right?"

The young inspector threw himself down and leaned on the back of the chair. He stared blankly at the computer screen in front of him and said, "It's probably no different from the last time when you forced me to plug in a wiretapping device when I went on a date with him."

"I don't want to pressure you, Inspector. But everything is very suspicious right now. If I'm honest, it seems that Dr. Gunn and Ornanong cooperated and killed the patients and hired people to kill me and Van. I just have no evidence." Kong looked at Wasan with understanding. "If you know of something unusual and don't feel comfortable telling anyone else, you can tell me..."

"There is nothing unusual!" Wasan suddenly interrupted, which silenced Kong. "Gunn never lied to me. He never went anywhere without telling me. I have nothing to give you, no matter how many times you ask me."

Kong raised both hands to signal Wasan to calm down. "If you don't have anything, then you don't have anything. In case you do, I want to tell you not to worry. I will always be by your side, Inspector. As someone who is also gay. As a friend who understands the other."

Wasan remained silent for a long time. If you ask him about the closeness between him and his colleagues at work, he had to admit that he is the closest to Kong now. Although they hated each other before. Kong was the only person Wasan could talk to jokingly about love and social directions that were improving for gender diversity. However, in the provincial society Wasan was in at the time, he still had to face the feeling of alienation from those around him all the time.

"If there is any problem, I will let you know." Wasan finally said. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

Kong smiled in relief, "Then I won't bother you anymore."

The policeman bowed slightly, turned around and left the room. After Kong was out of sight, Wasan sat and thought about the "unusual" things he may have experienced. At first nothing unusual occurred to him because love and trust clouded his judgment. But when he thought about it carefully, there were many things.

The open and used package of sleeping pills, Alprazolam, in the medical kit,

The house CCTV that did not work properly some nights,

Kantapat went to the auto shop and was attacked.

The paper that said, 'The angel of death's lover dressed in white,'

"Damn!" Wasan cursed and took out his phone. He thought for a while before opening an app that he stopped using for a long time. This was the app used to track Gunn's phone. Wasan discovered that Gunn no longer allowed him to track him.

I was so scared. Wasan was afraid that if he found the hidden answer, that answer would collapse his entire world.

After intense and prolonged questioning by Deputy Superintendent Bird, Gunn denied being involved in what Ornanong did and that he went to pick up Tao from the auto shop because they knew each other from the hospital. The doctor said he knew from Ornanong that Tao worked there, so he asked the auto shop owner about him. As for the physical attack he experienced, he still couldn't remember it. There are no witnesses or evidence to contradict what Gunn said. There are no traces of money being transferred to Ornanong or anyone else apart from Wasan, her boyfriend. Bird therefore allowed Gunn to return home. But there was no denying that each event was full of strange things.

"Wasan, don't stress too much." Gunm came up behind him. Wasan was wearing a white workout t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He was exercising his biceps with weights in front of a mirror. Since they both exercise regularly to maintain their shape, they designed a corner of Gunn's house as their personal exercise area. Gunn moved his hand to rub Wasan's smooth, muscular biceps. He slid his index finger under her tight blouse. "Even I'm not stressed. I've gotten used to it because I've become a regular in the interrogation room."

Gunn tried to say it like it was funny, but Wasan didn't believe it. The police officer lowered his hand carrying the weights and stared hard at Gunn through the mirror. "You really don't have anything you're hiding from me, do you?"

"No, honey."

"I found sleeping pills in the medical kit. Do they belong to you?"

"Yes," Gumn responded immediately without any sign of surprise or hesitation. "I use it myself. Sometimes I get anxious about work and can't sleep. I just use it to help me some nights. No need to worry."

"And the CCTV works fine now?"

"Yes, I asked the store how to fix it. It works fine now. You can check it."

Gunn was being Gunn. Wasan didn't know if he responded innocently or if he was cleverly pretending. This difficulty in seeing through him scared Wasan very much. "You don't let me track your phone anymore?"

The doctor paused briefly before saying, "Yes, but I didn't mean to. I just reset my phone and didn't set it to allow tracking. I'll turn it on for you now." Gunn smiled slightly. "You must be very suspicious of me, but I am not tired of answering your questions."

"Yes, I suspect you," Wasan replied bluntly. "And you know what would happen if you have something you've hidden from me, or if you've lied to me, and I find out later, right?"

"I know, but I'm not hiding from you or telling you any lies. What I'm trying to do now is regain your trust." Gunn took out his phone from his pocket. He pressed something for a moment and showed the screen to Wasan. "Now you can track my phone."

"Okay," Wasan replied dryly and intended to continue lifting weights. However, the doctor's large hands slipped under his shirt and rubbed from his stomach to the policeman's muscular chest and squeezed. Wasan wanted to fight against these touches because Gunn was the cause of his stress at that time. But he finally lost to the other person's strange power, as always. The danger that came with passionate touches caused Wasan to fall into a reverie.

"I'll help you de-stress." Gunn's lips moved next to Wasan's ear. "Put the weights down."

Wasan obediently did as he said as if he were a robot responding to the other person's commands. He crouched down and placed the heavy dumbbells on the floor. He stood up and turned to face that dangerous person. Gunn put both hands on Wasan's shoulders and pushed him against the wall. Gunn leaned down to kiss the curve of Wasan's neck as his hands moved down to massage the police officer's buttocks until he was satisfied. He then moved them down to one of Wasan's legs and lifted it up to hang it around his body. Wasan raised his head and stared at the ceiling. He began to breathe harder and deeper. His body responded to Gunn's every touch. This kind of absolute happiness can only come from this person. He couldn't find it in any other man he had been with.

And lovemaking ended in the bedroom on Gunn's king size bed, which is warm and soft. Gunn kissed Wasan's bare back as he lay face down, hugging a pillow and panting. He could barely feel his lower body anymore. Gunn grabbed Wasan, turned him onto his back, and raised both his legs. He inserted his two lubricant-covered fingers and precisely touched the sensitive spot inside Wasan's body. This was further aggravated because Gunn also used his mouth to suck Wasan's member. Being stimulated in both directions at the same time brought Wasan to a climax without much difficulty. The police officer's strong figure shook. He moaned loudly and released into Gunn's mouth.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." Wasan said while panting. "I couldn't tell you to turn back in time..."

Kan moved away from Wasan's body and used the back of his hand to wipe the milky white liquid from the corner of his mouth. He seemed to have swallowed it voluntarily. "You don't have to apologize," the doctor took out a tissue and wiped his hands and the lubricant on Wasan's body. "And you? Was I too violent?"

"It was like you had been starving for a long time." Wasan raised his hand and placed it on his forehead.

"I'm sorry," Gunn grabbed Wasan's hand that was covering his face and moved it. He looked at Wasan sweetly. "But you were very nice today."

"The word cute in your dictionary is really strange. I'm a short-haired, dark-skinned man as big as you."

Gunn smiled and rested his chin on his arm: “To me, you are cute.”

The young inspector sighed loudly, leaned on his side towards Gunn and closed his eyes due to fatigue. "Tomorrow I have to leave early in the morning and I will continue with the night shift. I will not return home."

"It's okay," Gunn plopped down next to Wasan and placed Wasan's head in his embrace. Gunn then lovingly kissed Wasan's head while Wasan put his arm on the doctor's chest. The stress in Wasan's body completely disappeared. It worked better than any magical medicine even though he knew in his heart that the effects would only be temporary.

"I know how much I should ask you now.

Come alone. Tonight. At 2 a.m.

House of 583330

If you don't come alone,

"I'll help euthanize one of your patients."

Gumn could remember the words written with this letter well. Van, or Tao, the reason that made everything worse, contacted Gunn through a message on A4 paper that was placed in the basket dedicated to case consultation in front of the Palliative Care Unit. As soon as he finished reading it, Gunn crumpled the paper into a ball, walked to the bathroom, poured water over the paper until it softened, tore it into small pieces, and threw them into the trash. Gunn looked at his own face in the mirror. He's so tired of having to wear a mask to face everyone. The face hidden behind the mask was full of sadness.

However, even though he was tired and alone, he could never give up.

Gunn returned to open the computer screen. He closed and searched for the patient's hospital number 583330. He found that the patient to whom this number belonged was called Mrs. Viriya Khumhearn-ngam, a single woman who was 35 years old. She lived alone at home, had advanced cervical cancer, and was still able to take care of herself. She was one of Gunn's palliative care patients. However, this patient did not meet the criteria to receive "special" care. She didn't want to die yet and wanted to do everything she could to save her own life. Gunn understood his wishes. He always gave his patients the opportunity to rethink and change their minds.

Gunn spent about five minutes at the sink planning what he had to do today. Luckily Wasan won't be home tonight. After careful planning, he left the bathroom, plugged the charger into a power source to charge his phone, and placed the phone on his desk. He then opened the drawer to look for the cheap mobile phone that belonged to the office Ornanong used to call and tracked patients to use instead. Gunn looked at the mobile phone on the desk, at least doing this now could fool Wasan regarding his location.

House number 301/12 Moo 10 was the place where Tao asked to meet Gunn. The young doctor dressed in black from head to toe. He was wearing rubber gloves, a cap and a black mask to cover his face. The door of the house was already open to welcome the visitor. Gunn entered the house that was both dark and silent. There were no signs of living beings inside the single-story house surrounded by a garden. The hot, humid weather made Gunn feel suffocated and stressed. Gunn stopped and stood in the parking area inside the garden. He tried to listen for any movement.

"You have arrived." Someone's voice sounded from the window. Gunn quickly turned to look cautiously. He was alert and ready to face any unexpected situation: "Come and talk inside the house."

Gunn thought for a while before deciding to enter the house. The door was already open for him. Gunn tried not to touch anything unnecessarily so as not to leave any traces. When he entered, he found himself standing in a large room in the middle of the house. However, due to the darkness of the night, Gunn could not see inside the house very well.

"Sniff...sniff..." The woman's moans could be heard from the left. Gunn quickly looked in that direction. What he saw made his blood run cold inside him. The road lights outside the window shone on the tall young man who was holding a large ax in his right hand. This ax must be the same weapon that Tao used to horribly beat Gunn's terminal patient. Mrs. Viriya's emaciated figure was on the ground. She was lying face down at Tao's feet. I didn't have a single strand of hair on my head because I had just had chemotherapy. This person was Viriya, one of Gunn's palliative care patients. The image in front of him hit the doctor hard and the person who can normally control himself suddenly felt anger erupt within him.

"Do not hurt her." Gunn said in a cold voice. "Back off."

"I'm using her as a hostage so you don't play tricks on me." Tao used a finger of his left hand to adjust his bent glasses. He smiled terrifyingly at Gunn and moved the end of the ax to touch Viriya's head.

"No!" The woman screamed softly because of her weak body. Gunn almost ran to stop him, but fortunately he was able to stay in time. "You and I, let's get this over with. Tell me how much you want."

Tao laughed, "I looked up your information to make a decision. The surname 'Akaramethi' belonged to a family that exported leading medical equipment to the nation. I saw that information and was surprised. Why did Akaramethi's son decide to work as a civil servant?" outside the family and not sleeping on the pile of money and gold in Bangkok? Is this because the family couldn't accept their son fucking men?"

Gunn clenched his fists and tried to control the anger that burned within his heart. He had faced negative opinions about sexual orientation many times, but he couldn't help but feel bad every time someone used this to oppress him. The person who said these things must not have anything good in his life, so he had to use sexual orientation to discriminate against others and make him feel better. So fake. The doctor wanted to respond harshly, but in this case where there was a hostage, this might not be wise. "Don't mess with my family. How much do you want?"

At first he just wanted revenge. But after some thought, it might be better to receive some money from you as an apology."

Tao raised his hand and pointed his index finger, "10 million."

"Deal," Gunn quickly responded.

Tao was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter: "Damn! Rich people can really do whatever they want. They can spend 10 million on shopping while I, after losing my job, didn't even have 10 baht to buy." food for my wife and son!" Tao shouted angrily.

What Gunn was curious in his heart was how Tao knew about him and Ornanong to the point where he could obtain the patient's name list and how he knew about the phrase 'Angel of Death dressed in white'. Som should have been the only person who knew this phrase. However, this was not the time to explain this to Tao.

"I'll pay you in cash. Let's make an appointment to meet again later." Gunn tried to calmly get the other party back to the topic of money. "This is between us. Wouldn't it be better to leave the patient here and talk about this outside?"

"Because?" Tao moved the end of the ax to touch Viriya's head, making her scream in fear. "Do you want to lure me to the police outside?"

"No! The police have their eyes on me too. I even have to keep this a secret from my boyfriend." Tao was not stupid. This was clear. Gunn took some time to process the situation before saying, "The houses around here are close to each other. If we stay here, the patient will be scared. Some people might hear her crying. If they catch us both, you won't get your 10 million."

Tao stood up and thought as if weighing his options. "I will wait here with your patient until I get my 10 million. If you play tricks, this person will be in the same state as the others before him."

Click!

A sound came from the window that opened at the back, making Gunn's blood run cold. Tao widened his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound before turning to glare angrily at Gunn, "You brought someone!" Tao roared and raised his ax as if to strike it on Viriya's head.

"No!" Gunn shouted loudly to stop him.

BANG!

The sound of a gunshot came from the open window, followed by warm liquid splashing onto Gunn's body. The doctor was mentally strong to a certain extent, but he had to admit that the incident prevented him from moving his legs. The ax fell to the ground along with Tao's body as Viriya screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Gunn!" Someone's call and the hand that reached out for his arm made Gunn shiver. The young doctor turned to look with startled eyes, which turned into extreme surprise because the person who shouted Gunn's name in the darkness was Wasan.