The cop and his suspect [Complete]

Chapter 2

Arthit's POV

Kongpob Shuttilak.

Kongpob.

Kongpob.

Kongpob.

That one name has been bouncing around in my head all night and all day.

Kongpob Shuttilak.

How was he connected with all this. Was he simply an innocent witness who had stumbled into the murder of the man who had shaken up the country or was there a more nefarious backstory to him.

I once again stared at his file to go over the details I have read a thousand times already.

Let's see, what did we already know about him. A 20 year old Engineering student who worked a part time job near the scene of the murder. All of that he had confirmed himself.

What else?

He was an orphan who lived alone in a sketchy neighborhood. His emergency contact was blank in nearly all forms. He was obviously struggling in the money department looking at the way he was dressed, where he lived, and worked. Motive, perhaps?

Nothing in his file or his interview gave out any red flags just yet other than the fact that he was in the right place at the right time to have seen, or rather heard the murder.

And yet, there was the undeniable fact that Marty, aka Martin Suttirat, a freaking 70 year old billionaire was visiting a dingy little restaurant for the past 3 months. Then one random night he gets murdered. And the only witness is a boy that claims he had no idea who he even was.

I groaned my frustration out loud as I flipped the page to his statement from last night. Scanning repeatedly to see if there were clues I had missed earlier. Sure there were a thousand and one different people who would be interested in taking out a retired business tycoon, but something in my gut kept obsessing over this one boy. I don't know why but it felt as if he wasn't just a random nobody in this convoluted story, but rather a central character. How innocent though, that still remained to be seen.

So while I delegated other leads, from family, to business associates, from friends, to enemies, and to every other person Martin had interacted with within the past few years to my underlings, I re-read Kongpob's file for the millionth time.

Maybe sitting behind this desk obsessing about this one sort of suspect wasn't worth it. Perhaps it was time to take some concrete actions. And just as that thought crossed my head, I heard my subordinate's voice.

"Arthit, make Knott do it. You guys know I have a date today. C'mon, I have been trying to get her to agree to go out with me for ages. And now you want me to work. Work? While I could be sitting across a gorgeous woman and..."

"Bright, cut the story short please. What do you want me to make Knott do?"

"Go to that Shuttilak kid's house."

"Wait, Kongpob Shuttilak? Why are you going to his house?"

"See that's exactly the point. I don't want to go to his house, now make Knott..."

"Bright! Why?"

"Cause he forgot his cellphone and we kind of need a way to contact him when..."

"I'll do it."

"Huh?"

"Give me his phone. I'll go."

"You are joking right?"

"Why do you think I am joking?"

"Cause you? Arthit, the great, is actually going to run a lowly errand?"

"It's called investigating. Maybe you should try it some time."

I grabbed the phone and quickly marched out the station, got in my car and drove straight off to his college. Thankfully studying his file a little too well all day, I knew exactly when he would be done with his classes. Which means right as I was pulling up against the curb near the gate I saw him slowly walk out and make his way towards the nearby bus stop.

Now I know it would be fairly easy for me to intercept him and hand him off his phone but obviously that wasn't my intention at all. I still needed to figure out what it was about him that kept giving me this odd feeling in my gut.

My suspicion almost immediately coming true when I noticed a thin, lanky fellow with a hoodie discretely make his way behind Kongpob. Staying just far enough for Kongpob to have absolutely no idea that he was being followed. By more than one person, actually. It is no wonder though cause just as he slumped down on the bench, waiting for the bus, his head drooped low and he began dozing off. I guess being interrogated all night long can be quite an exhausting experience if you have to head to your classes right after.

But it was still a pretty dumb thing to do, seeing how he was a sole witness to a murder of the richest man that ever walked this country. And there were only two possibilities. Either he was directly involved in some way I have yet to figure out, or he was about to come under scrutiny from more than one person interested in this very eventful night.

Seated in my car, hidden from casual view, I saw the hooded man lean against a nearby pole, keeping his gaze trained on the sleeping kid. And just as Kongpob jumped up from his seat and run inside the bus, the man hailed a cab that meticulously followed the convoluted path of the bus route.

By the time that long, tiring evening was finally up, the hooded man and I had ended up waiting in shadows outside Jay's Noodle Shop for a good six hours now. The man maintaining his full focus at staring at the grimy window where every once in a while Kongpob's profile flashed through. My attention a little more split. And where I had begun my day wondering how much attention I should be paying to this Kongpob character, now I was pretty darn sure getting me off his butt would be one enormous task.

I was still on the phone with my boss, trying to get all those annoying permissions out of the way to make sure there was someone tailing Kongpob 24X7 from now until I deemed it unnecessary, when the man himself suddenly emerged from the restaurant. The masked guy immediately straightening up before slowly following his footsteps. It took me but a split second to decide what to do next, but looking at the deserted, quiet street, driving my car would be a little too conspicuous, so I silently stepped out and softly padded my way behind them. Kongpob still entirely too oblivious to the fact that every one of his steps the entire day has been haunted.

But to be very honest I was probably a little more interested in the masked fellow who had suddenly entered the picture. I had already arranged for cops to wait outside Kongpob's apartment, both to keep a very strict eye on him as well as figure out what this guy was really up to. All I had to do to follow them until we reached our final destination.

Easier said than done, cause right as I took the final right into the darkened alleyway I saw the man reach into his pocket and pull something out. An object that I would probably recognize with my eyes closed.

And I am sure there were a gazillion better things I should have done in that instant. I am certain my boss will actually scream his lungs out telling me all the things I should have probably done as a trained cop, but in that one instant when I saw the gun pointing straight at Kongpob I impulsively yelled out.

"Hey! Kongpob!"

.