Chapter 8 – And that turns into Power

Lieutenant Jung Yu-mi looked at Hansol with shock registered on her face. She couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable hearing Hansol’s words while looking at his calm expression.

To point out his father as a bloodthirsty murderer calmly… It didn’t fall well on her ears, even if it was just speculation.

“… you do know that right now we are investigating you as a reference rather than a profiler, right?”

“I do. I know that very well. I know how important every word I say will be considered.”

“But you, Doctor, just pointed your father as a suspect in this case.”

“I talked earlier about the killer’s desire to exhibit. Let’s make this an assumption in that case. I was always told that those who looked into the abyss shouldn’t let others into it. I think that the vision and the power to stand up for someone or give power to someone are both the same in the end.”

“Your father, Professor Im, is famous, isn’t he? He is known to have contributed a lot to psychiatry….”

“I know. That fame turned into power for my father.”

“And you mean to say that he entered the abyss?”

“Something inside my father must have broken down after what happened ten years ago. His wife, who was indifferent to their son yet was capable enough to brighten the house’s atmosphere, wasn’t told about their son’s condition. Before that day, my father never displayed misfortune. When my mom died, my father looked into the incident and never forgot about it. The fact that I received his call saying that ten years had just been completed from that day proves it. And his desire to exhibit… would have pulled me in. He always had a desire to ‘educate’ me, ever since I was a child.”

Suddenly, Lieutenant Jung Yu-mi felt overwhelmed, not by the case but by the content that Hansol was revealing. His words sounded like an expert’s, someone who gave plausible reasoning. However, there was one problem, there was ‘no evidence.’

“While listening to the story, Lieutenant Jung must have had a question,” said Hansol with a soft and controlled voice.

“Is there anything common between the victims? The suspect didn’t leave any footprints, fingerprints, or any other makes. It could be said that Kim Chul-gyu is the murderer. So, what role would a conspirator have in such a murder? Why is there no evidence? Right?” asked Hansol, as if he could read Lieutenant Jung’s thoughts.

Lieutenant Jung was shocked to see him understand her doubts. Hansol’s questions were right on the spot.

“Everyone makes mistakes. In particular, we find features in such exhibited killings for specific reasons. For example, the bodies were commonly stabbed on the left side of the neck by Kim Chul-gyu, a left-handed man. It was exactly how my mother looked when she collapsed.”

“Then, what exactly is the mistake in there?”

“It was too perfect. That is the mistake.”

“How?”

“It is something like an obsessive-compulsive disorder. The scene of exhibition of power towards someone. A show of misery which was too perfect. A monster unable to escape from the memories of the past.”

Abstract words.

Though she was recording and typing, Lieutenant Jung couldn’t understand what Hansol was saying. Instead, he was running words. It was the first time she talked with Hansol, but listening to him, who didn’t express anything with his face, was currently speaking about a monster who got tempted.

“Firstly, it was confirmed that you went to the scene, and since the police were targeting you, you left the house in an unruly manner, which was also confirmed, but….”

“Go ahead and ask.”

“… do you think another murder will happen?”

“If I didn’t head over to my old house, we would have seen a third murder. Of course, the official third one. However, with Kim Chul-gyu getting caught, the third murder…. wouldn’t occur.”

“…”

“My mom loved the Chateau de Madame wine, the wine from Bordeaux, France.”

“… I have no idea what that means….”

“Can I get going now?”

“Ah… yes. Everything has been asked. We will contact you again if there are more things to investigate. Once again, thank you for the cooperation.”

Hansol got up right away and left Hwajong Police Station.

Both the third team and the investigation team were exhausted. They were working for 36 hours straight from the moment Hansol was found near the crime scene. The first autopsy results were available, but the second autopsy was still not presented to them.

They were taking turns to sleep, but that was barely enough. In particular, Lieutenant Jung, who faced Hansol in person, couldn’t sleep ever since Hansol said those words. It was as if he was leaving behind some mystery to decode.

When she searched the internet for Chateau de Madame wines, she could see that it had a lot of enthusiasts. It was also featured on the recommended wines of the famous sommeliers.

‘… hold on. Why didn’t I think of that?’

She was so tired that she was unable to connect the dots. The killer wanted to recreate the incident 10 years ago in the same place using another victim. The fact that Hansol’s mother liked Chateau de Madame wine was a huge clue. It was said that the Chateau de Madame wine was detected in the bodies of the killed victims.

“…! Detective Kang Woo-cheol, are you in charge of the National Forensic Lab? Come to the lab with me.”

“Is the second autopsy result out?”

“No. I just found a crucial clue, and we need to check it out before it gets too late.”

Inspector Jung found a liquor store on their way to the National Forensic Lab. When she asked for the car to be stopped, Kang Woo-cheol was a little dumbfounded.

“You want to drink now?”

“Yes. It’s a must-have.”

“…?”

As lieutenant Jung went into the store, she managed to find the Chateau de Madame wine right away. She felt very fortunate that the store still had the wine.

“Lieutenant Jung, does the wine have anything to do with the case?”

“It’s something I need to see for myself. I’ll tell you later.”

After a while, they arrived at the National Forensic Lab and headed straight to the autopsy room.

The autopsy was under Team Leader Jung Min-seob.

“Team Leader, how have you been?”

“Good morning. Ugh, even Lieutenant Jung is here?”

“Let’s have a quick conversation.”

“The second autopsy results just came out, and I was about to call you when you came in.”

Lieutenant Jung asked what Hansol told her, “Did both the bodies have alcohol in them?”

Team Leader Jung Min-seob’s expression changed. It was as if she took the words right out of his mouth.

“Compare the composition of the alcohol to this wine.”

“… this wine… is an expensive one.”

“The price doesn’t matter; it’s the case that matters. How long will it take to do a comparative analysis?”

“It might take about half a day. That, too, is the earliest.”

Lieutenant Jung and Kang Woo-cheol nod their heads.

“Fine. We’ll wait.”

Lieutenant Jung and Detective Kang Woo-cheol went over to use their conference room after taking the second autopsy report with them.

“‘Kay now, let’s look at the results.”

[Both the victims are believed to be killed in the same way and on the same day. The first victim died around 23:03 on the 15th of April. The second victim died around 23:50 on the same day.

On the other hand, the second autopsy results show that a large amount of alcohol was detected in the victim’s stomach, and there was an absence of food. At the time of the murder, the victim is estimated to be 0.168% intoxicated.

As a result of the autopsy on both the victims’ bodies, it was confirmed that the cause of death was the neck bone being twisted, followed by the cut on the left side of the neck. It is speculated that the suspect is a skilled killer. Even with the difference in alcohol amount, the method used was the same.]

“Lieutenant, how did you know that there was alcohol?”

Hansol’s gentle smile on his face passed through Lieutenant Jung’s mind.

“Detective Kang, listen to me. Only Dr. Im Hansol can solve this case.”

“That bastard who doesn’t even know how to feel—”

“That isn’t important. At least listen to me. Dr. Im is the only one who has clues regarding this case. Please ask for his cooperation.”

“But he is on the suspect list!”

“Isn’t the fact that he is not the target of the investigation prove that he is still considered to be innocent? And he has always been on the police’s side. So please ask for his cooperation.”

Lieutenant Jung was firm in her stance.

“And once the investigation starts, don’t get your personal opinions and feelings mixed into the case. Detective Kang has been on the third team for a year now, right?”

Kang Woo-cheol went quiet at it.

“I assume that you understand what I am trying to say here. Please ask Dr. Im to cooperate with the profiling, show him the results of the second autopsy, and proceed to the second site of the incident.”

“… fine.”

He had no other choice but to obey the words of a higher member of the office. On his way back to the Hwajong Police station, Kang Woo-cheol contacted Hansol. Hansol said he would come right away as if he was waiting for the call. His voice was quiet and emotionless as ever.

Within a couple of minutes, Hansol arrived at the same time as Kang Woo-cheol and Lieutenant Jung.

Hansol, dressed in a suit, greeted the two police officers.

“Dr. Im, thank you for responding to our request right away.”

Lieutenant Jung wanted to keep it quiet. And it was an indirect apology for considering him to be a suspect and trying to make him the target of the investigation.

Hansol suggested moving to the conference room.

“Now, please show me the data.”

Lieutenant Jung handed over the first and second autopsy results.

Hansol was told that the second autopsy result had just come out, and it wasn’t confirmed yet. His finger felt a thrill which was never felt before. A new story to unfold.

‘… it is father.’

“As expected, there was alcohol in both bodies. Now the ingredients need to be analysed as Chateau de Madame.”

Some detectives, including Kang Woo-cheol, looked at Hansol with shock on their faces.

That was when Jung asked the question.

“I thought that Chateau de Madame was difficult to find, but it was in a liquor store. Isn’t that too unclear as a piece of evidence?”

“First, we will focus on Chateau de Madame. The answer if whether it is common or not will be decide later. Oh, did Kim Chul-gyu open his mouth? Did he speak anything about an accomplice?”

“He keeps insisting that he was the only one behind it,” said one of the detectives with a frown.

Nevertheless, with a smile on his face, Hansol replied, “Let’s try a lie detector. Kim Chul-gyu’s words that he doesn’t have an accomplice will come out as false. That is for sure. And the accomplice… seeing the results of the second autopsy, he made one mistake.”

“…? What is it?”

Hansol showed them the photos of the two bodies on the screen. Obviously, they were both lying in the same position, without any difference. Hansol took the laser pointer to show them.

“It looks like no one has been able to look at this.”

“But there is nothing over there.”

“Then, how about I zoom in on the picture to show you?”

Hansol enlarged the picture. Something similar was found near both the bodies.

“What could that be? That looks like the hair of a person, a lighter shade. I saw it often. It’s something people often see. Now, you will all think of it as some animal hair and not human hair. What kind of animal? We missed it because it was too thin. It’s a cat’s fur.”

“…”

“Then, I will summarize the re and the second autopsy results. First, Kim Chul-gyu has an accomplice. The killing was done by Kim Chul-gyu, but the accomplice proceeded to the previous stage… which was, drinking the Chateau de Madame wine. And the accomplice is very well aware of the incident which took place in my house and related to Chateau de Madame. In addition, lieutenant Jung must be familiar with what I said previously… to whom this all points to.”

Hansol spoke with a free expression on his face, “Towards Dr. Im Jaemin.”