Fatal Trouble | Y.Jw

| 4 |

Jake had his head cocked slightly to the side as he stared at the large notice board in front of him. Eyes slightly squinted. Beside him Jungwon had his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face, picking mindlessly at his lips. Such a large notice board and so few clues.

"There's no correlation," Jake declared eventually and shook his head in disbelief, "the brewery and the first-year students can't have anything to do with each other. Who says the brewery isn't only shady because it's a dark store run by a man in his thirties or forties? Who says the first years aren't just very shy?"

"No one says that," Jungwon murmured, "but both are still possibilities for now."

"How would they be related to Defendant Jung?" Jake questioned as Jungwon's eyes darted to the lap of paper with Defendant Jung's name on it.

"I don't know yet," Jungwon murmured, "and before you ask Jake, no I don't know for sure whether or not there are multiple murderers. But there are multiple methods."

"Heeseung better have more information with him back home," Jake sighed heavily.

"How did your witness go?" Jungwon murmured and turned his back to the notice board, walking over to the round dining table that had been turned into a work table in the middle of the living room. Two half-full mugs of cold coffee stood on the table. Jake and Jungwon had forgotten about them an hour or two ago once they started to put all their clues up on their noticeboard.

"I got her contact information for when I get the dates I can get Miss Young on the typewriter," Jake excused, "I suppose another few days before I start my questioning. As far as I know, the typewriter is not fixed yet," Jake excused and walked over to look through the past year's newspapers with articles about the murders.

It wasn't long after that Heeseung rushed into the apartment with an arm full of files and documents. Frowning at the notice board before marching over and putting the stack down on the table. He quickly undid his scarf and threw his coat over the back of one of the dining chairs.

"You've been busy," Heeseung remarked and Jake nodded quietly, "how'd it go?"

"Miss Kirk is secured for any time I'll call her for questioning," Jake hummed and Heeseung immediately nodded.

"Miss Young told me about the changes in the town the past few months," Jungwon added on and Heeseung nodded before pulling out a small piece of paper and extending it up towards Jake.

"There you go... Miss Young's dates. Her typewriter should be done by the day after tomorrow according to Ahn. And these are the dates he knows she doesn't have lectures in the coming month," Heeseung excused and Jake nodded, looking over the piece of paper, "oh and her number is there too, so you can pick when you'd want the questioning and want to schedule it with her. You need to let Detective Ahn know as well, so he can bring it on to the woman dealing with salaries."

"Sure will," Jake hummed and walked over towards the phone, a pen in hand to sit and note down on what day he would question who. Miss Millie Kirk for the coming Friday. Cousin of the victim, Zhu Li Xia for Sunday and Defendant Jung for the following Wednesday. 

"What else?" Jungwon questioned and sat down in a chair as well.

"Autopsy report, fibre tests... mural photographs," Heeseung sighed and sorted through the stack of documents, "lots of decoration for our board, it seems all empty in here when it looks like that," Heeseung remarked and nodded towards the notice board.

"Do enlighten us," Jake hummed as he lifted the telephone receiver to his ear and leaning back in the love seat and looking down at his small note. Patiently waited for Millie Kirk to pick up.

"What'd the Autopsy say?" Jungwon questioned with a frown and looked over at the file Heeseung lifted up to flip through. The autopsy report was nearly always given in a murky yellow-coloured file.

"They declared heart attack," Heeseung murmured and Jungwon immediately frowned, "and then I asked them to check between the big toe and second toe on each foot."

"And?"

"Tiny puncture of the skin between the big toe and second toe on the right foot," Heeseung snickered slightly, "I suppose they simply injected air into the bloodstream and caused an artificial heart attack."

"Medical knowledge then?" Jungwon questioned.

"Looks like there might be some knowledge of some sort," Heeseung nodded with a small hum.

"Hm... the fibre tests?" Jungwon questioned and sat down in his chair, staring at the noticeboard and darting between all the clues hanging up there.

"Remnants of twine," Heeseung murmured, "found the same on the cuff of the shirt and around the collar of the victim's shirt... found around the body as well. I don't know..."

"No no... put it up. It'll be important," Jungwon waved it off, his eyes not wavering from the board one bit.

"Alright," Heeseung sighed, sending Jungwon a glance before turning his eyes towards Jake, who got up from the loveseat.

"Questionings all secure," Jake sighed and Heeseung slowly nodded, picking up the last file.

"All the murals are identical," Heeseung declared and grabbed the picture he had gotten from the station, hanging it up on the noticeboard with a yellow pin, "a pine tree rotated 45 degrees to the left. Never differs. Every mural is identical. Rotation, size, colours. It's as if they have something they're tracing."

"Why a pine tree though?" Jake frowned and Jungwon sighed as he slowly tilted his head to the side.

"How much text analysis do you reckon a university student does?" Jungwon questioned, "Maybe one or two a year?"

"Depends on the major I would hope," Heeseung shrugged, "I don't think a medical student has any use for it... why?"

"But a communication student might," Jungwon pointed out and looked over at Heeseung, "I think I know someone who can tell us why a pine tree is so important."

"Miss Young?" Jake arched a brow and Jungwon only nodded, "no attachments."

"None," Jungwon shook his head, "I would however expect a journalism student to have a certain love for words and perhaps literature... perhaps be engaged in symbolism of what she's reading. I can get the symbolism in no time."

"How so?" Heeseung frowned and Jungwon shrugged.

"Talk," he offered with a small smile.

"I don't care what you do. Just don't leave any traces, as per usual. We don't need any citizen in increased danger simply because we talked to them or something like that," Heeseung reminded and Jungwon immediately nodded.

"I'll talk to her at Jake's first questioning," Jungwon shrugged, "strictly in confidential surroundings."