Phayu's gift

Chapter 4

Phayu stares and the three reports in front of him trying to make sense of exactly what had happened nineteen years ago. Phayu had many suspicions before the investigation began, and some had been proven true.

He pulls out the report on Pimchan Malee, Rain's aunt. By all accounts of the people that remembered her she had not been a nice woman, matching her uncle and children in temperament. She had been twenty five years old when she had succumbed to a so-called wasting sickness. Ironically this had happened merely a half year after she had inherited a fortune from her parents. There were rumors at the time that she had planned to leave her husband and children for a lover. By the contract of their marriage if she had done that her money would be hers and hers alone. There were other rumors that she had some information on her husband that would force him to go along with the divorce. The doctor who had diagnosed her death as natural causes had died long ago but according to one of his assistants the doctor had come into a small inheritance of his own shortly after. The conclusion of the report was "most likely poisoned". Not much more help in that direction, the rumored information could have been about Rain's father but if it had been the woman had taken it with her to the grave.

The second report is on Narong Malee, Rain's father. Everyone remembers him as a kind and generous soul, the exact opposite of his brother. Half brother actually, the two had shared a father but Narong's mother had been the man's first wife who had died in childbirth. Niran had been his second wife's child. The brother's appear to have been at odds from a young age. Narong had tried to care for his younger brother but according to family friends Niran had always been a bitter and jealous child. As adults Niran had constantly racked up gambling debts that his brother always ended up paying off. Finally though Narong had put his foot down, he had a young child to care for and was the main supporter of Niran's and Pim's two young children as well. He had threatened to cut Niran off unless he gave up gambling and became a respectable husband and father. It wasn't long after that the hunting accident had occurred. Foul play had been suspected even then but Pim and several acquaintances had backed Niran up when he said it had been an accident. That the horse he had been riding had been startled by a snake and had thrown him. Niran had hit his head on a rock and died shortly after. Oddly enough all the witnesses left Thailand shortly after the incident and haven't been seen since. Phayu suspects these so-called acquaintances were actually hired lackeys paid to give testimony but there is no way to prove that without finding them. So again so help.

The third file is more interesting. It's a file on Rain's father's will. Apparently two copies were found, one with Rain inheriting everything as expected and the other with Niran inheriting everything and being made Rain's guardian. In the one where Rain inherited everything Niran wasn't even mentioned, Rain's guardian had been a long term family retainer. Phayu feels like this will is the correct one, Narong would not have trusted Niran to raise Rain. Someone had probably been paid off to accept the second will. The best news yet is both the lawyer and his assistant that drafted the second will is still alive and still in business. Phayu is going to visit them this afternoon to try to find out the truth of the matter.

There should be one more report but it is missing. There is absolutely no information available on Rain's mother. No one remembers an omega with the family at that time. It was as if Rain had literally sprang to life out of nowhere. The only small clue is that Niran had been traveling for business a lot during that time period. Perhaps he had met Rain's mother on one of these trips.

There is a knock on the door and Rain pokes his head in. "Busy? I brought you some tea." Rain says.

Phayu gives him a smile, Rain is becoming more comfortable around him and that makes Phayu happy. "Never too busy for you, love." Phayu says, Rain blushes at this endearment.