Once we reached the office Min Ji and I went to my cabin. I opened the files on my computer and we both sat in front of it. First, that came up on the screen was the profile of the serial killer along with the list of victims. We decided to finish up with the victims and then come to his profile. The list held about 60 victims with all their details listed.
"Min Ji, I just read through the case yesterday and the victims were all orphans between the age group of 20 and 30. They were all tied, tortured, and killed" I clicked on the gallery where all the crime scene pictures were located. I clicked the first victim photo.
"The victim's eyes were burned and fingers were half burnt. The hands were tied behind and the legs were also tied up. There were extreme, deep stab wounds in the torso, and what I could derive from this is that the murders are not sexually motivated" I said as I looked at Min Ji who was listening intently.
"But why are all the victims only between the age of 20 and 30? Do his victims share any similar characteristics?" she asked me as she scrolled through the victim profiles.
"I don't think so. As per the report it says, all the victims were randomly selected. But why that particular age group?"
"Maybe he didn't want an easy prey?" she asked while looking at me.
Yes, that seems more plausible. From the letters, I could see he loved challenges, so younger victims are difficult to kill because they fight more.
"Yes, you might be right Min Ji. He seems to love challenges even now, which means younger victims offered the challenge to him. But now since he is much older, he is selecting victims from the age group of 40 and 60" I said and looked at Min Ji who was nodding at me.
"What would be his age now?" Min Ji asked curiously.
"According to the profile, they have assumed his age to be around 30 and 35, which leads to the assumption that he might be 60 now?" I asked her with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah, that seems to be possible. With all the new technology, nowadays even 60-year-old people look younger and are more agile, literally like 30-year-old" she told and sighed.
"Exactly that's why he is actively killing now and playing with us. If not for that technology, we won't be able to work so actively on the case" I said as we chuckled together.
I saw the time on the table clock and it read 1 pm. I looked at Min Ji and made an act of eating for which she immediately nodded. We switched off the laptop and took our things as we went to eat at the nearby restaurant.
After lunch, we came back to my cabin to resume our work. As I was going through the victim profile, I saw my father's profile come up. The moment I saw his face my eyes started to tear up and I immediately looked up to stop the tears from coming out. I sniffled and opened his file and read through the statements given by my mom, his colleagues, and my dad's friend Jeon Young Jae. Mr. Jeon is a father figure in my life and he always insisted I called him dad, so that's how I call him. Just then an idea strikes me, why don't I call and talk to him about dad and if he knows anything about the case?
I took my phone and called him and I could hear his phone ringing continuously. Hmm, he always picks up the phone, maybe he is in a seminar? I thought to myself and kept the phone down. I looked at Min Ji who was comparing the victims of then and now, with a confused face.
"What happened Min Ji?" I asked her as she looked at me with the same face.
"This killer used to kill his victims in a different way back then, but now he is completely burning them. Why did he change his methods?"
"I think he has a fascination for arson. If you see in the previous victims, though he didn't burn the entire body, he did burn the fingers and the eyes. Maybe at that point, it was a budding fascination. Now he attains pleasure through arson" I said as I took a sticky note and wrote Arson on it and stuck it to the whiteboard on the wall.
As I sat down back my phone rang, and the caller id showed my dad's name. I smiled and picked up the phone.
"Hey, dad! How are you doing?" I chirped with happiness.
"I am doing good dear. How are you? Are you eating properly? Don't work too hard" he said with a concerned voice.
"Sorry I couldn't take the call; I was in a seminar," he told apologetically.
"Oh dad, it's no problem. I called you to talk about the 2040 case, 'The Giggling Man'" I said and waited for his reply from the other side, but met with silence.
"Dad? Are you there?" I asked and he sniffled from the other side indicating he is present.
"I am sorry dear. It just" he shakily sighed and continued, "reminded me of your father. I lost my only best friend that day and you lost your dad. On one side I feel sadness, but on the other side I feel intense rage"
"I understand dad. That's why I need your help. The case I am currently handling is done by the same killer. He has challenged me to catch him within 2 weeks."
"What? The same killer?" he asked with shock evident in his voice.
"Yes, the same one. So, I have started investigating the 2040 case, to see if I can get any leads on the case."
"Yes dear, I will help to my level best"
"Thank you, dad! I will ask the questions now" I said as I clicked the record button in the call.
Before I could start, he said," Dear don't expect much from this old man. My memories aren't very sharp" he said while chuckling, which made me giggle in return.
"Don't worry too much dad, just tell whatever you remember. That's more than fine."
"Do you remember the last time you saw dad?"
"Yes, I remember very well. We met in my clinic at night around the closing time. He looked extremely stressed and worried, but when I asked, he didn't tell me the reason. Seeing his state, I took him to my home where we drank for some time, then he collapsed on my couch. After he collapsed, he was mumbling incoherent words. From what I could understand, he said 'He betrayed me'. I don't know who he was talking about. The next morning when I woke up, he had already left, putting a sticky note on the fridge saying he had urgent work to do."
"After that, you only received the news of his death? I asked him hesitantly.
"Yes," he said and sadly chuckled. I felt like crying at that moment, but I can't let my emotions come in between handling a case. I took a deep breath and composed myself before asking him the next question.
"Okay. He was killed the next day he spent the night in your house, so where were you the next day?"
"I was working at my clinic and I also had 3 operations scheduled that day, so I was in the Main Hospital."
"How did you get the information of his death?
"Your mom called and informed me. I immediately rushed to the location"
"Do you remember any unusual behavior of my father or any unusual sightings at the crime scene?"
"The only thing unusual I felt about your father was, that he refused to open up to me for the first time. Whatever worry or stress he had, he always talked to me, but that day he was so stubborn and refused to talk about his problems. Otherwise, I didn't find anything unusual at the crime scene. To be honest, I don't remember much after reaching the crime scene, I was in too much shock to observe my surroundings" he said and sighed.
"The last question dad. Did he ever reveal anything regarding the killer?"
"No, in regards to this case he was too silent. He used to say where he was going and if he got any major leads. He never once mentioned the killer."
"Thanks, dad. I am sorry if I brought back the memories" I said and sadly sighed.
"It's okay dear. More than me you are the one who is struggling. Don't become weak at any point, be strong and catch the killer"
"Yes dad, I will catch him for sure," I said as I looked at Min Ji who was signaling that the reports of the fourth victim have arrived.
"Ok dad, I need to get back to work. I will call you later, bye" I said and cut the call after he said bye.
Min Ji downloaded the files and opened them on my laptop. We read through the reports and stopped at the line which confirmed that the victim was pregnant and that the fetus seems to be in the 20th week. The forensic analysis revealed the age of the victim to be between 30 and 40. Otherwise, there weren't many important points to use in the case.
"We didn't get much information from this victim," Min Ji told and sighed and laid back on the cushioned chair.
I looked at the time and it was already 8 in the evening. I was massaging my forehead as I could feel an impending headache. Min Ji's phone rang and the caller ID read 'Brother'.
"Hey, what's the matter?" she asked him. Suddenly she sat up straight and her face showed excitement. She said okay and cut the call.
"They have found the identity of the second and third victim," she said with an excited voice.
"Ah, finally we can move the case forward," I said and we both laughed.
Finally, one more step closer to the killer.