In a Maze...

Chapter 12

"We're getting nowhere," Seongho remarked. There had been little progress in their investigations and the pressure from the superiors was growing higher.

Inside the meeting room, there were only four detectives, as the chief was not here as often as before. But he was always waiting for their weekly reports.

"Mark, haven't you found any evidence against Park Jinyoung? You're with him almost everyday, and even something a bit suspicious hasn't been found?" asked Minsoo.

Mark glanced at the other detectives, who were waiting for his answer, expectantly. Their suspicion that Jinyoung was the one, had not wavered in the slightest, Mark could see, and that angered him. Concerned with this case, their focus was solely on Jinyoung, and no one else was on their mind.

"No evidence," Mark said, "But why only him? Is there no one else that could've done those murders? Always him and only him. Have you ever considered that we could, in fact, be on the wrong trail?"

His voice was still calm but he could feel his own fury burning inside. The detectives were a little startled by his words but they came to their own rescue, soon enough.

"Mark, you know, he's the most probable one to have done that. He has a good motive for each of those murders. He's the only one left in his family while the other three have been killed. Don't you think that suggests something? He's the only one alive because he's the murderer. That's the only reason," said Seongho.

"Yes, he's the only one alive. And what if he's the next victim instead of the murderer? Are we going to just watch him like that till he's killed?"

"That's impossible," Hyunwoo stated, his eyes observing Mark the whole time, "You shouldn't mix your personal feelings with work, Mark."

That quite caught Mark off guard, but he still said firmly, "I don't."

"Actually, what the chief said, is true. We should put him under surveillance. Mark may be with him but not all the time," Seongho mused.

"No," Mark rejected, "He could be innocent. And I'm watching him, closely. I don't think surveillance is necessary."

A week later, the four detectives found themselves in an estate in Seongbuk, conducting a detailed search around the bedroom of the house owner, Chang Younghwan, who had been shot through the head.

It might seem unrelated to the murder cases the detectives were dealing with. But Chang Younghwan had been killed by a silenced gun, and he had been a friend of Park Byungchul.

The killer had applied the same method he had to the murder of Park Youngchul: the broken lock - not through the window.

The butler and cook had been questioned but like the previous murders, nothing satisfactory was got from them. They could only confirm that no gunshot had been heard last night.

"Like Mark said, are we really on the wrong trail?" Minsoo said, "Why'd Park Jinyoung kill this man? I don't see the motive."

"But there's still a connection. The dead man was his father's friend."

"This is really getting out of hand," Hyunwoo commented.

Mark could not make out, anymore, what the murderer was attempting to get from all these murders. What the motive was, and what he or she was expecting.

That evening, Mark managed to get to Jinyoung's apartment, partly to see how Jinyoung was taking this murder news and partly, just to see him.

Jinyoung was still in his company suit when Mark met him.

"I just got back here from work," Jinyoung said and seemed to notice Mark's worn-out state, "Is everything alright?"

"Actually no," Mark drew a deep breath, "Did you see the news? Your father's friend, Chang Younghwan, was killed last night, or I should say, in the early morning today."

Jinyoung's eyes turned grim and murmured, "I did. I was shocked. He and my father were good pals."

"You didn't expect this?"

"No," Jinyoung said, "What? Are you thinking that I committed that murder?"

Mark shook his head, "Forget it. I shouldn't have troubled you with this news. Have you had your dinner yet?"

"No. I was thinking of going out after washing myself. I've got nothing for dinner here."

"Then let's go out together. I'll wait here if you want to take a shower."

So Jinyoung disappeared into his bedroom and Mark remained in the living-room. Mark leaned against the back of the sofa and his mind wandered.

Evidence? That was what his fellow detectives wanted. Evidence against Jinyoung. But Chang Younghwan's murder seemed to prove that Jinyoung was unrelated to these murder cases.

And he trusted Jinyoung. But he did not want to be considered ignorant of his duty.

He looked around the living-room but everything was in plain sight and nothing looked suspicious. He moved around the room and searched for what might seem like a hiding place or anything amiss.

After the living-room was Jinyoung's bedroom, which was open ajar, as Jinyoung seemed to have forgot to lock it, in a hurry.

Mark was certain nothing much was in that room - he had already been there once. Nonetheless, he sneaked into the room, for a quick search, before Jinyoung came out of the bathroom.

The bedside table drawers were still locked and there was nothing under the bedsheets and bed. There was only the wardrobe left, he had never looked into.

After making sure that he could still hear the faint sound of the shower, he opened the wardrobe only slightly and groped around inside it. All were clothes until he felt something which seemed like a set of keys.

He grabbed them and examined them - there were a big one and three smaller ones. Mark moved back to the drawers and tried to unlock them, with the little keys. His guess was right; the first drawer was opened and there were a few ledgers and notebooks inside. He had no time to turn the pages and moved to the second drawer, inside which were Jinyoung's family photos.

He closed the two drawers and pulled opened the third one. There, something unexpected came into his vision and his heart leapt, at the sight. In the drawer were a gun, a silencer and a knife.