INM 4 Part 1

Chapter 4: Wounds

There were several favorite restaurants and cafes in Brisbane that I frequented, even though I can cook, my cooking skills weren’t quite up to the level of being called “cooking”. I would visit them once or twice a week. Growing up on my mother’s excellent home cooking… though her organizational skills are disastrous, her food handling skills are first-rate… I cherished those places that could always bring me happiness. From colorful and delicious vegetables that accompanied steaks, to sweet and sour Hanoi-style vermicelli with lots of herbs, to homemade lamb patty hamburgers, to authentic sushi and tempura from a lovely little garden…

Thinking about it, I shook my head. 

My concentration was obviously weakening. No, in fact, my concentration might have been broken long ago. 

I glanced at the sky outside the window above my desk and then checked the time on the wall clock that hung directly opposite the sofa. The sun was high in the bright blue sky. It was after eleven, and I understood why my mind had been so scattered. As usual, I had skipped breakfast. As I realized this, the images on the monitor began to slip away from my eyes. 

Why was I comparing apricot and antique metal lampshades in the first place? 

I looked at the two lampshades in vain and flipped through the notes in front of me. Trying to fake my newfound hunger, I drank some lukewarm liquid, but such a futile attempt only increased my hunger. Finally, I gave up and stopped working. I have to go out for breakfast, or rather lunch.

Reflecting on my morning’s work, coffee in hand, I gave myself a passing grade. I double-checked the designs on the software I had used, saved them to the cloud, and packed my work bag with the shared data on my tablet, along with some catalogs and notebooks. My next appointment was in the early afternoon. It was a little early, but if I enjoyed a long tea after the meal, it would be just the time to go to the meeting place.

With that in mind, I walked through the front door at half past eleven.

Just thirty minutes later, for some reason, I was sitting right in front of two policemen, staring at tempura.

“Aren’t you eating, Lucas? Japanese food was your request, wasn’t it?”

Inspector Samuel Robinson said calmly from slightly diagonally in front of me. His impertinent attitude made me grip my chopsticks tightly.

“If I remember correctly, Sam, you just asked me what I wanted for lunch, and I said tempura. I never made a request, nor did I say you could join me!” 

“I apologize for interrupting your lunch break, Luke. There are a few things I would like to confirm with you before your next appointment.” Oliver said politely, calming me down a bit.

But Sam’s next words made my mood rise again.

“Your next appointment is this one, right? Meet Maria in Carina at 2 p.m.”… Carina is only about a thirty-minute drive from here. You have plenty of time to enjoy lunch and tea. Just spare some time for a little chat.”

“Why do you know my schedule too, damn it?”

“Thanks for your cooperation with the investigation, Lucas.”

Crushing my words and expressing his one-sided gratitude, Sam picked up the cup as if it were a teacup and sipped the hot green tea. I felt a strange sensation as my favorite modern Japanese room changed to an industrial style around him. I believe that people are influenced by their surroundings to a certain extent, but there are people who, although they do not fit into the room at all, somehow blend in without any discomfort. Next to the Inspector, his partner blended into the room smoothly. I might respect Sam more, but it was probably Oliver who made people open their hearts. No doubt about it.

In front of me, a bright glass terrace in the center of the spacious area, cut into a perfect rectangular column, was illuminated by light from above. Inside this glass was a fragment of serene brightness, as if a piece of a hidden mountain had been cut out. In contrast to this brightness, the entire restaurant was chic with a black theme. A matte, somewhat subdued charcoal black. This black, which I had not liked at first, had now become my favorite. The elegant restaurant with embedded edges was quite different from the owner’s usual taste, which made it all the more interesting. Surely, he must have had a change of heart before creating this restaurant.

Regaining some peace from the strange silence of the restaurant, I picked up the vegetable tempura with my chopsticks. After slowly chewing and swallowing it, I voiced the possibility Chloe had mentioned, which I no longer believed myself.

“Hey, I heard that Alan committed suicide. Why are you still looking into the case?”

“Is that what your college friends told you?”

Although I intended to make a point, it was completely refuted. To what extent are my actions being monitored? To hide my anxiety, I hastily continued.

“Do you enjoy digging through Alan’s private life?”

“We’re not that idle.”

Saying this, Sam leaned back in his chair and looked at me. Their faces were even harder to read in the dimly lit room with the backlight. However, I could clearly see the cop’s eyes glinting as they moved.

“Officially, the police concluded that his death was a suicide. But there are many suspicious points about his death. The two of us are allowed to continue the investigation, although it has a lower priority compared to other cases.”

Oliver’s gaze shifted briefly to Sam. A beat later, my heart skipped a beat as well. I don’t know much about police work, but I understood this much, what Sam had just said was probably something that shouldn’t be made public.

After a moment’s thought, I spoke.

“Got it. So, what do you want to confirm with me?”

“First, about your visit to the University of Queensland.”

Given the timing, I had considered that might be the topic.

I put down the chopsticks that were reaching for the shiitake and nodded, trying to appear composed.

“Oh, that. Yes, it was just a spur of the moment thing.”

“Can you tell us the purpose of your visit to the university?”

“Is that what you want to know?”

“If it concerns the victim, yes, we would like to hear more details.”

“Before I answer that, I have a question for you. Why do you both have doubts about Alan’s death? What are the suspicious points you mentioned?”

Oliver remained silent, a smile still on his face. Sam, taking the baton, answered calmly without changing his expression.

“I can’t answer that question. Think for yourself, Lucas.”

Does that mean I can come up with the answer if I think about it myself?

Sam continued.

“But as for the reason we suspect his death, you might be able to find out on your own.”

I couldn’t help but return to a serious expression. I didn’t understand. What did he mean?

“Okay, I’ll change my question. Tell me how you think Alan died.”

Sam shrugged at my question.

“My opinion is only a hypothesis at this stage of the investigation.”

“Brian said your conclusions are more reliable than anyone else’s.”

Sam looked a bit annoyed at my words, sighed bitterly and continued.

“Very well. But if you take this as the official view of the police, it could be troublesome. Don’t tell anyone, not even your childhood friend.”

“Got it.”

The moment I nodded, Sam’s eyes flashed sharply.

“It’s murder. Not suicide or an accident.”

“Sam.”

Oliver called the Inspector’s name reproachfully and I realized that I had held my breath. I inhaled quickly. Something was crawling inside me. A sharp pain shot through my temple and I instinctively lowered my eyes.

“Luke, water.”

“Thank you.”

I thanked him reflexively and mechanically took the glass he handed me. Oliver was right. As I drank the cold water, I realized that my throat was as dry as the Atacama Desert.

After I finished the glass of water, I looked back at Sam.

“You wanted to know the purpose of my visit to the university, right?”

“No, I’ll change my question too. Tell us about the people you met on campus.”

I fell silent at Sam’s question. The answer to the first question had already been found in my attitude.

Your interrogation is terrible. You’re giving us more information than you’re getting from us.

Shaking off Victor’s words echoing in my head, I continued.

“Alan’s friends. Haven’t you already questioned them? Just like you barged into my apartment.”

Without answering, the policeman placed a device on the table. It showed three young people whose faces I still didn’t remember well. It must have been taken after the funeral. The students in dark clothes were about to get into a car. 

“Are these the friends?”

“Yes. Didn’t you catch them and question them?”

“We did at that time. We’ve already interrogated two of the three.”

“Hmm.”

“Is it true that you met these three?”

“Yes. And there was one other person.”

“Who was that?”

“Now it’s my turn. You must have found out from examining his body that Alan had been abused in the past, maybe even recently.”

“Did the victim tell you this?”

“No, from his friends. The injuries are not related to this case, are they?”

“The abuse the victim suffered has nothing to do with this case. That’s supported by the profiling. Also, there were no recent signs of violence on the victim’s body.”

Saying this in one breath, he picked up the glass in front of him.

“So…”

“Now it’s my turn. Tell us about this other person you met.”

Before answering the question, I put the eggplant tempura in my mouth. It had a crisp, light texture and was delicious.

As I chewed the eggplant, I thought of Alan’s high school friend, Kasim Ben Ali. A young man who tended to act on his strong sense of justice and kindness. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind being questioned by the police, in fact, he would probably actively cooperate in solving the case.

Swallowing the tempura, I spoke.

“The fourth person I met was Alan’s high school friend. His name is Kasim. He was very concerned about Alan’s physical injuries and came to my office to ask about them. Then he asked me to accompany him to the university to talk to Alan’s friends.”

For some reason, Oliver let out an amused chuckle from the back of his throat. Beside him, Sam’s brow furrowed.

“Good grief… What am I supposed to interrogate you about? You make no sense.”

“It’s not my fault! He’s the one who approached me.”

“Will you give us his contact info?”

“I’ll give Kasim your contact information. He’ll be happy to cooperate with the investigation.”

“That’s helpful.”

It was probably a dig at my uncooperative attitude. The Inspector continued with a hint of irony.

“So, there are still some questions we would like to ask. Do you have anything else you want to ask us?”

I lowered my eyes and plunged my fork into the tempura in front of me. Then I took a bite of the fried sweet potato. Who cares if they say it’s bad manners? Prompted by the subtle sweetness, I quickly stuffed the remaining pieces into my mouth and swallowed.

“If he was murdered, that means there’s a killer, right?”

“Of course there is.”

“Yes, there is. Sorry for asking something so obvious.”

Oliver, who had somehow finished half of the tempura and rice, smiled awkwardly and looked away at my words.

“Luke. Do you remember telling me about the person who made Alan realize his sexual orientation?” 

“Uh, probably.” 

Nodding as he looked around, the young man continued.