Constable Cho's head pounded with the worsening headache. Before her were mountains and mountains of books. With the library register stolen, she had no choice but to painfully skim through each one of these books to see if she could get anything. One whole week, she had buried her face between pages, scrutinizing each and everything that stood out a little peculiar.
She noticed a faint dot under a letter in a page. Her lips scrunched in disgust. She despised people ruining books. She skimmed through other pages finding the faint dots reappear again and again on various pages, sometimes looking like it had been erased and drawn over multiple times. Must have been making notes, she thought and shoved the book back into the shelf. Her fingers missed aim, she clumsily dropped the book to the floor.
The book opened to the first page.
Borrowed on March 9, 2020
Returned on March 15, 2020
Borrowed on April 19, 2020
Returned on April 23 , 2020
Borrowed on May 1, 2020
Returned on May 5, 2020
The card on the first page read. She picked it up back again, face scrunching with a frown as she noticed a peculiar pattern.
Borrowed on May 5, 2020
Returned on May 17, 2020
Borrowed on May 19, 2020
Returned on June 1, 2020
Borrowed on August 10, 2020
Returned on August 10, 2020
Borrowed on August 11, 2020
Returned on August 11, 2020
Strange, she thought. Swiping her phone, she quickly entered a search. The date of the first murder was August 13, 2020, google supplied.
Her eyes travelled further down the book.
Borrowed on November 10, 2020
Returned on November 10, 2020
Borrowed on November 11, 2020
Returned on November 11, 2020
Exactly two days before the second murder. The pattern was too consistent to be considered co-incidence. A thin bead of sweat formed over her brow. Her hands trembled as she continued to read the card.
Borrowed on February 11, 2021
Returned on February 11, 2021
Borrowed on February 12, 2021
Returned on February 12, 2021
Two dates before the third murder.
She pulled out her notebook and sat at a desk, scribbling the dotted letters and page numbers on the blank paper.
The name of the third victim appeared as she literally connected the dots. She continued to trace the dots with trembling fingers. A list of co-ordinates appeared.
Co-ordinates to the third victim's house, she realised with a gasp.
Her face balked as she pushed the paper away, realising what she had just stumbled upon.
--------------------
Inspector Chul handed over the report from the Japanese Embassy to Chaeyoung, leaning down to whisper something in her ears.
"Thank you Inspector." Chaeyoung gave a polite smile to the older man. She opened the file and began to read from it aloud. "Minotosazki Sana. Fostered by the Myoui family from the age of eleven to eighteen."
The gasp she heard from the Japanese girl was audible. Sana looked visibly shaken.
"The Myoui family loved her, cherished her like she was their own but she didn't get along with their only child, despised the fact that she was the apple of everyone's eyes. The sibling rivalry was fuelled by the fact that Daeji, the girl she had crush on in high school had a crush on her sister instead. She punched Daeji during a fight that broke out in the school. The school management threatened to report Sana to the authorities, but the family used their influence to stop that from happening. She wanted to get away from her foster family after the incident, and despite them begging her to stay with them she moved to London to attend University." Chaeyoung finished with a raised brow.
"Some resume you have there Sana." The words, along with Jeongyeon's provocative tone unsettled the girl.
She took a deep breath, tempering the anger in her voice. "What does it have to do with the case?"
"You'll see." Chaeyoung pulled out a picture from the file. "This is the Myoui family and the girl in the centre, next to you is your sister."
Sana sat back down, swallowing thickly. "She has nothing to do with this case."
"Sana," Chaeyoung spoke softly, "Earlier today, we had a man give us a footage of Nayeon with a girl."
Sana's eyes widened.
"We made enquiries about her." Jeongyeon's ensuing smile was terrifying. Sana knew there was no way out now. "She stopped coming in to work one day. Nobody knew what happened to her."
"Why are you telling me this?" Sana implored with a shaky voice.
"Because the girl in the footage is your adoptive sister Mina." Chaeyoung replied.
A deadly silence followed.
"Where is she Sana?" Jeongyeon demanded, "What have you done with her?"
YOU ARE READING
Close To Midnight
Mystery / ThrillerDetective Yoo Jeongyeon is hot headed, firmly believes in instant justice and that no crime is forgivable regardless of its size. She gets transferred from Seoul to the Jung District in Busan after shooting a rapist to death. Son Chaeyoung, the you...
