A Dangerous Liaison

-6-

one week later

Talay

Thursday  

Talay sat arched over his desk in the office, fingers idly tapping on the stack of papers before him. The light from the lamp above cast an intense and disruptive glare that shimmered off the silver pen in his hand, but his focus was elsewhere. The TV on the opposite wall droned with the latest news, its volume loud enough to rupture the ambient noise of ringing telephones and the mumbled conversations from his subordinates. 

Talay barely paid attention to the usual pattern of crime reports, political scandals, and the hottest celebrity gossip, and only glanced up every so often to watch it. 

That is, until he heard a familiar name.

"Mr. Somchai Jitkunattapol."

The voice of the reporter suddenly interrupted the ongoing celebrity report on the screen, and Talay immediately straightened in his chair, eyes snapping to the screen. A woman, now dressed in black, was present on the screen, flanked by seven other individuals all dressed in mourning attire, stood at a podium outside what was likely their family estate. 

Talay instinctively raised a hand, silencing the chatter in the room. "Quiet down," he ordered, his tone low but firm. His colleagues complied, and he beckoned to P'Korn, who was seated at the adjacent desk and absorbed heavily in paperwork, to avert his attention to the TV. "Boss, you need to see this."

P'Korn looked up, confused as he approached Talay's desk. They both turned their attention to the screen just as the woman began to speak.

"Today, we gather to remember and mourn the sudden passing of my beloved husband, Somchai Jitkunattapol," she said, her voice steady despite the irrepressible emotion behind it. "He passed away from a heart attack earlier this week. Our family is grieving, but we are strong, and we will honor his memory with grace, admiration, and pride."

The camera panned to each of her children, their expressions solemn. Talay's gaze lingered on each face, observing their reactions, their demeanors. Talay didn't know their names, but P'Korn filled him in as the cameras panned. There was Nino, the eldest, who stood unflinching, his hands clasped tightly in front of him. Beside him was Akira, his face pale, eyes distant as if lost in thought. The others—Kita, Olivia, Eddie, Star, and Charlie—all stood together, heads hung in their grief. 

As Mrs. Jitkunattapol finished her statement, the screen cut back to the reporter, who respectfully summarised the situation before the TV screen shifted to a montage—a tribute to Mr. Jitkunattapol's life and accomplishments. The images showed the best of the man: shaking hands with politicians, cutting ribbons at charity events, kneeling before the King and Queen, and surrounded by his family at various gatherings. A devoted husband, a loving father, and an admired member of society. 

Talay leaned forward, lowering the volume on the remote, but his eyes remained fixed on the screen.

"Interesting timing, don't you think?" P'Korn said, his voice laced with curiosity.

Talay raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

P'Korn leaned against the edge of Talay's desk, crossing his arms. "We had someone come in this morning. Said they had some documents we might find useful. About the Jitkunattapol family."

Talay's eyes narrowed. "Anonymous?"

P'Korn nodded. "Yeah. They didn't stick around for questions, just handed it off to the front desk. It's all there." He gestured toward a slim, yellow manila folder resting on Talay's desk, almost lost in the clutter.

Talay reached for the folder, his mind scrambling. "What's in it?"

P'Korn shrugged. "Haven't had a chance to look yet. Thought you might want to take a look first."

Talay flipped open the folder, skimming the top page. His eyes widened as he took in the contents— implausible financial records, sketchy property transfers, and what appeared to be detailed logs of interactions with a variety of questionable figures in the city. "This is... more than just useful," he muttered, more to himself than to P'Korn.

P'Korn leaned in closer. "Looks like someone wants us to dig into the family. But the question is, why now? And to what purpose?"

Talay's mind was already filing through the endless possibilities. The timing of these documents, coincidentally corresponding with the Somchai's death, was too convenient. If these papers were genuine, could they expose something far darker beneath the surface of the Jitkunattapol family's public image?

"Something doesn't sit right with me about this," Talay finally said, closing the folder. "Whoever brought these in... they're not just handing over information out of the generosity of their heart. They want something."

P'Korn nodded in agreement. "And if it's this detailed, it means there's a lot more we haven't seen yet."

Talay's eyes flicked to the TV. As the images of the children played, he felt a flush of something deeper. These were the individuals he might need to focus on - these were the ones who might know the truth. 

"His children," Talay murmured. "One of them might be our way in."

P'Korn glanced at him, intrigued. "You think they know something?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," Talay mused, leaning back in his chair. "But if we ever need to dig deeper into this family, one of them could be the key to uncovering what we're really after." He felt a sense of purpose settling over him, though the exact nature of what he was searching for remained unclear. "I'll start with these documents, see if they relate to anything we may already have on file."

P'Korn clapped him on the shoulder. "Good. Keep me posted."

As P'Korn walked away, Talay turned his attention back to the folder, the montage still blaring in the background. The faces of the Jitkunattapol children stuck in his mind, each one a potential key to unlocking whatever secrets their family was hiding. 

He just needed to figure out which one of them would crack first.

+-----------+

This part marks the end of PART ONE - DEATH. 

Hope you enjoyed the first part! Don't forget to vote AND comment - I'd love to read what you think about the novel so far! Don't hesitate to contact me on my page if you have any ideas or suggestions for PART TWO.

Which Jitkunattapol family member should Talay get "closer" to first if the investigation does goes ahead?

Thank you so much for reading, and for the votes so far! 

PART TWO - THE CHASE BEGINS coming soon...