BBDW 22 [Black Butterfly] - Nevereverland

Section 22.1 (UNEDITED)

The static, hazy fluorescent light flickered once again. On this rainy night, the lights are likely to go out, accompanied by the sound of the wind outside the window, and the pleasant experience of a serial killer in the ear. If it’s a TV program, he would enjoy it with a glass of draft beer. With a small grumble, Jude leaned over the sofa and stretched his legs. The sound of rain blocked by the window hit the ear noisily.

“Why?”

[That would be better said later. Or the tension will lessen.]

“Oh, you should be the movie director. So, what did you film at the beginning, director?”

[The point here is, they weren’t closely related. Well, considering the grandfather’s big fortune, it wouldn’t have been too much. They were a little bit awkward since they don’t see each other much, and they were good at picking things up along the way. On the surface, they weren’t that bad, they were just polite people. When they meet during the holidays, they have a good word or two.]

“But there was something rotten inside, you mean.”

[Yes, it’s not much of a situation, but I didn’t know it would cause so much fun. It was more than I expected.]

“Fun stuff, murder?”

[Not so simple, Detective. When various shapes of malice met each other, it was very fresh to see them intertwine like complex geometric structures. Was it because it wasn’t one-on-one? It couldn’t hold a candle to Mrs Sarkozy’s. It’s been a long time since I had fun.]

“So, what is it? What happened?”

[The moment everyone realized it was gone, they went panicking. The house is turned upside down, literally. No matter how upset they were until their faces were so blue that everyone looked for water and heart medicine, but after a while, they came back with their usual faces and said one thing. Let’s take care of it as much as we can without letting others know.]

“Why? It’s a theft.”

[It was the grandfather’s most private property. In fact, the route he bought wasn’t that clean. So they thought they might lose the gem if they hastily notify the police. They thought it was better to find it secretly.]

“How do they know who the culprit is? How can they find it secretly among themselves?”

[The thing is, Detective. None of them claimed it was the work of an outsider.]

An unbearable laugh was leaking out. As if he was holding back a laugh in the funny part of a comedy. Not caring about the giggle, Jude skillfully raised one eyebrow.

“What? Did they all think the culprit was among them?”

[Yes, they are. No one suspected anyone but their brothers or relatives. None of them was careless to say that, but they were full of such intentions. It’s like trying to hide the smell of a body without a bath and a perfume, which means it’s useless.]

“…… how could they do that?”

[Oh, come on, can’t you guess. Eight people gathered in an enclosed house, with only one purpose. It’s obvious, right? Besides, they found nobody suspicious at night. And crucially, they were the only ones who knew about the gem. Then–there’s only one person to be suspicious of. One of the gear started turning, and the whole machine started spinning.]

“So, what was the second gear?”

As he asked, Jude approached the refrigerator and took out a can of beer. As he groped in the refrigerator for snacks with his eyes – is there anything like fruit – he soon closed the refrigerator with a sigh. How come only beer cans are in the refrigerator. If you had a mother to stop by your house, you would have to go through a storm of nagging. As Jude sat down with the lid off the beer can, Alvin’s voice was heard again.

[Do you know who died first?]

“The eldest uncle, it’s Regan Maples. The cause of death was a blunt weapon, and the weapon was…… like a frying pan in some kitchen or something. There are no fingerprints, so I don’t know exactly. There was no one to hear the circumstantial evidence.”

[They weren’t at all in a position to take care of each other. They needed money to protect their homes, not only for their parents but also for their children. Except for the youngest, they realized that they needed that for their future. A strange hostility towards another relative’s family sometimes flashed. Two days passed in such an uncomfortable atmosphere. It was the eldest uncle who couldn’t stand the strange atmosphere and raised his voice first.]

“Aha. Who did he deal with?”

[The youngest uncle. He wasn’t so straightforward, but he quietly called him into the kitchen at night and began to argue little by little. How can you do this? You know my business is difficult. You shouldn’t do this even if you’re trying to send your children to a prestigious private institution. If I succeed later, I’ll give you as much money as you want, so please take care of the situation right now.]

"The youngest uncle, he must have denied it."

[You’re right. He’s rather angry about how could his older brother do this. He asked back if it was his wife or he himself or his eldest son. Since then, the conversation has gradually turned into a personal attack. It’s a little surprising that there was so much discontent and anger between the seemingly silent brothers.]

Carefully licking the foam, Jude tilted the can. The cool beer went down the throat coldly. Delighted by the slight cooling of the heat, Jude listened to Alvin’s quiet and cheerful voice.

[You’re a life failure, you’ve always been that way, and when I was hospitalized a few years ago, you didn’t pay a dollar, how to believe your words – and all the stories came out. The disgrace from a very young age was revealed in detail even if it was a long time ago. But they denied stealing the gem until the end, which would have upset each other the most. At the end of the accusations followed by accusations — the youngest uncle swung his arm, holding a heavy frying pan.]

“Oh, did he?”

[In cartoons, there are a lot of scenes where they hit the villain’s head with a frying pan, you know? If you swing it right, you can kill people. So the eldest uncle lost his breath, and the youngest uncle was flustered. Fortunately, no one came out in the middle of the night, and the youngest uncle cleaned the fingerprints on the frying pan and left his brother’s body and went back to his room. He couldn’t handle the body alone without a sound. To get to the basement, he had to take the house key out separately, and it was obvious that the sound of entering and leaving would be loud.]

“……so, it was left in that state until the morning came?”

A small clatter echoed through his ears like a vibration. After a few more sips of beer, the voice rang again when Jude found a nearly-expired peanut in the cupboard.

[That’s what happened. When they came out to the kitchen in the morning, the first who screamed was the eldest uncle’s wife, and the gear started to move almost at the same time….]

Shwaaaa. The sound of rain outside the window was loud, and Jude tilted his head still. When this story, which seems unlikely to end easily, ends, will it stop raining? Slightly leaning, the blond detective tilted the beer can.

Jwareureureuk. Closing the old cloth-smelling green curtain, Jude sat down with the receiver in his hand. The sound of rain rang a little softer. Alvin’s voice sounded like a low-pitched song against the backdrop of rain.

[The whole family was surprised, of course. The eldest uncle’s eldest son and the eldest uncle’s wife almost fainted. The little girl, you know the girl who went to the orphanage? She was so young that she didn’t even know what had happened to her father. They stopped the eldest uncle’s wife from seeing it. But everyone except the child was in panic……. Because it was clear that the killer was one of them.]

“The situation is obvious at least.”

[Yes, it was obvious. The youngest uncle was the most likely person to kill the eldest uncle, and everyone knew it, even though they couldn’t say it out loud. They were holding it in, and they realized that something was really going to get out of hand if they took a step further. Adults are, as expected, really used to suppressing things inside.]

“…… then, was the problem on the non-adult side?”

Wouldn’t iced beer be better? It hasn’t been long since he opened it, but water vapour has already formed over the can of beer and flowed down. Shaking the can of beer with a regretful face, Alvin’s low laugh tickled his ear.

[That’s right, it wasn’t an adult. The eldest uncle’s eldest son couldn’t stand it. He didn’t have deep feelings for his father, but the anger of the one who took his father away, the memories of childhood, and the fear that he was on the verge of being robbed of his rights – that is, the gem — were mixed together in one place. It would have been too much for a child who was still a teenager to hide it as skillfully as an adult, not that one can blame him.]

“Well, it’s a bit difficult. So, how does that goes?”

[It was a knife, a clichéd weapon and a cliché method. It must have been his first time murdering. But the funny thing is, he didn’t hesitate for a second. There is nothing more to say if his emotions are intensified. Besides, in front of other family members, he did it very firmly. I guess he didn’t even want to hide it in the first place. Was it the idea of ‘because you did it first, I have nothing to contend with?’

Blood splashed everywhere. It happened when the family was sitting together with anxious faces and drinking tea. Blood sprinkled into the clear black tea like rain, and his mother, the eldest uncle’s wife screamed and covered her little daughter’s eyes. The youngest uncle’s wife’s teenage daughter — she’s in a mental hospital with her mom, you know? She couldn’t even scream, she didn’t feel the realism. Her elder sister burst into tears and hugged her slowly falling father.]

Blood that’s mixed into the tea. Looking a little uncomfortable at the golden liquid he was drinking, Jude threw some peanuts into his mouth. Crack, crack, he doesn't know if it's because of his empty stomach but chewing the little grains feels pretty good.

[The son threw the knife and went into the room. But the people left behind couldn’t move for a long time. What do you think was the first thing people did when they were able to move again?]

“…… On-site cleanup?”

[I wish you’d been in charge of this case. Yes, the rest of the people wiped the blood and removed the knife. Why would they do that?]

“Now you’re asking questions? It’s annoying to think about. Just say it.”

[It was because of fear and desire. If they left that home, they gave up possession of the gem, and at the same time, they thought they might be harmed by the lad who killed his uncle. I’m not sure which of the two was more powerful, but I think it was the former.]

“Even when a man is dying, they still have the minds to cling to that gem?”

[Yes! That’s why they’re even more obsessed. Women who are in a position to raise their children without husbands, how desperate they must have been. How can they stop their own future, their children’s future, and their hidden anger and hostility against others?]

” ……yes, let’s say they were in a state of flux, but somehow in a state of stability. How did the third incident happen?”

[A major reversal of the situation occurred. The will of the dead old man was known. Not only about the distribution of property, but also about the ownership of the huge gem. Maybe he hid it in the bottom of the gem box or something. I guess he was an old man who had a lot on his mind. Anyway, it was the youngest uncle’s wife who found the will. She was afraid, but she had to make it public. She had to pray that the eldest uncle’s son would not hurt innocent people.]

“Did she announce it? What was the content?”

No way, I should put ice in it. When Jude opened the freezer, an old ice cream box was sitting on top. I don’t remember buying ice cream at home since a year and a half ago, but does it goes bad if it gets old? With his head tilted for a moment, Jude dropped ice into the beer he had poured into the glass. Pont, Pont, the ice emit a cracking sound. He had to drink it before it diluted. To Jude who is drinking beer, the voice flowing over the phone sounded like the host of the circus.

[I leave these 30 carats worth of gem to Jess, the first daughter of my youngest son-]

The ice stuck together and melted away, leaving a white frost in the glass. The sound of chaeng, chaang, and ice hitting the glass rang quietly. Shaking the glass halfheartedly, Jude kept his mouth shut for a moment.

[Can you imagine? How confused they must have been. The storm came back. Jess was the youngest uncle’s first daughter and the sister of the girl who entered the mental hospital. She was the only one who was kind to her grandfather, who had problems with relationships because of his tight personality. And the last thing I should say, I know it was the old man’s own appreciation, but it became a curse. The son of the eldest uncle and the eldest uncle’s wife protested fiercely. They can’t believe the truth.]

“Was it really a will?”

[Yes, it was, in fact, an unquestionable real will. The signature was clear, the handwriting, and the witness’s signature was complete. He made a stupid mistake at the end. Didn’t he know that expressing pure goodwill as property could lead to greater malice? But he’s an old man who’s spent his whole life rolling in wealth, and if that’s the only way to express his gratitude, it’s needless to say it’s a sad story of a man who didn’t even see through the hearts of his own family.]

“That’s enough for the evaluation, so what happened?”

[Can’t you guess? This time, the eldest uncle’s wife and her son joined forces. The aunt had something to say, so she called Jess into the kitchen, and her son, who had been waiting for her, tied her neck with a string. Jess stared at her cousin’s face with a shocked look. The string was burned in the kitchen’s fire. It was sturdy, but it wasn’t a string that wouldn’t burn.]

“…….. Well, I know roughly after that.”

Melting a piece of ice in his mouth, Jude answered disapprovingly.

[Right? The body was crumpled in the basement warehouse and they told the youngest uncle’s wife and her teenage daughter, “Jess seems to have left home feeling burdened by this situation. I think we’d better just talk amongst ourselves. Jess doesn’t seem to want the inheritance; she’s not a greedy child.” The mother-daughter pair somehow looked around for her eldest daughter but it didn’t work. Wouldn’t it be weird if she didn’t know it? If your daughter disappeared without saying anything, there’s only one thing you can think about. From now on, it’s really been a chapter of revenge, and reason doesn’t really exist.]

“It was nothing but blood, hatred, anger and scream?”

[Ahaha, they were desperate. Three of the eight relatives are gone, and now the youngest uncle’s family only has a mother and a daughter who just entered high school. There was nothing she could do. Jess disappeared and the will is gone……. because Jess had the will. Not only did she lose the right to claim the inheritance, but she was also furious at the brazen families of the eldest uncle who had killed two of her family members. She felt stuck in a dead-end. In fact, it was no different.]

“So.”

[But it wasn’t so clichéd. She didn’t plan it from the beginning. What kind of mother can bring up the murder story to her daughter? The youngest uncle’s wife called the eldest uncle’s wife out first and started asking questions quietly. I give up the inheritance, so tell me the truth. Where is Jess? The eldest uncle’s wife, of course, denied what she meant at first. What would I do to Jess? But the youngest uncle’s wife was persistent.

‘-I’m not trying to sue you. You’ve already taken care of everything, right? I just want to know what happened. Look, how can I do harm to you by myself? So please tell me, please.’ -This remark has taken the eldest uncle’s wife like a fool; she didn’t notice that the tremors in her voice were anger, not fear. The eldest uncle’s wife hesitated and told the truth. Of course, she had to hesitate. She could imagine how painful it was to lose a child, as a mother.]

“By the way, did the youngest uncle’s wife, who heard the whole story, suddenly have a seizure?”

Slowly taking the last sip of beer, Jude switched hands with the receiver-which hurts his arm- and stretched his neck. The sound of friction between the bones rang several times. Alvin, as if to tell the plot of an interesting movie, giggled once in an excited voice.

[No, it was someone else. The remaining youngest uncle’s wife’s daughter was listening to the eldest uncle’s wife story behind the pillar, and as soon as the confession was over, she ran out crying and pushed her off the railing of the stairs. There is a slight weight difference, but people are weak due to unexpected shocks from the side. The bulky lady, who was looking at her niece defenselessly, fell downstairs with a heavy sound. You know what I mean? The sound of something soft and hard breaking apart. There was no scream. It was too sudden. If there was an afterlife, she would have been puzzled for a long time.]

“……so, what about the son?”

[The son ran out at the sound. Soon, the son noticed the situation and jumped at the girl with a scream. Whether it’s an animal instinct to kill the weak first or just a cowardly disposition, how could she resist when a well-built boy was coming at her with all his heart? When her uncle’s son strangled her, another person stepped in.]

“The mother?”

[Yes, the youngest uncle’s wife stabbed her nephew in the back. But she wasn’t an expert in the vital parts of the human body, so he wasn’t killed in a blow. When the mother, who dropped her knife and collapsed, shivering, and then burst into tears as her nephew was spitting out a cackling blood bubble, it was the girl who gave the finishing blow. She grabbed the knife she dropped and stabbed him. But it didn’t end in one, two, or three times. The girl, as if possessed, stabbed her cousin in the back with the face of a victim covered in tears. She finally stopped stabbing him at her mother’s touch.]

“……and, did she run out into the street?”

[Not right now, at first they struggled to clean up the mess, too. They erased the fingerprints on the knife, removed the blood splashed off the body, burned the bloody clothes on the stove, and tried to hide the body. Neither of them was in a normal condition, but it took them an hour or so as if they were led by a voice. Why did this happen, why did this happen? When they came out to the stair railing where they killed the eldest uncle’s wife and her son while cursing this incident -they saw something so great, something big enough to break the string of sanity that was barely holding out.]

There was a moment of silence. The dry sound of second hand from the cracked clock on the wall filled his ears, head and heart. When Jude became more attentive to that super-sleep-inducing sound than to the silence beyond the receiver, Alvin suddenly changed the tone of his low voice and spoke cheerfully.

[Oh, Detective. Come to think of it, you still don’t know who took the gem, do you?]

“You didn’t tell me because you want to keep the tension on. Who took it? Was it taken by one of the dead?”

[That’s what makes this case the most interesting. Where did the 30-carat, over a million-dollar gem disappear?-The dead must have wondered until the end. But the answer was completely different. They believed that the desire for the gem existed only among them. That was the blind spot.]

“Who is it?”

[Who do you think it is?]

Jude thought, pointing at his temple for a moment. As Alvin put it, this needed a little thinking. The peanuts he had in his mouth suddenly lost their flavour.

After a while, Jude’s eyes narrowed slightly. A small voice flowed out of Jude’s lips, as he lowered his gaze with his expressionless eyes.

“……don’t tell me, that little girl?”

[Yes, it’s her.]

Alvin laughed with a sound he had never heard of. It was the biggest laugh, the most joyful and the longest laugh. Now bursting into a laugh that could no longer be tolerated in his lungs, Alvin spoke with strange clearness between his laughter.

[Yes, yes! It was that four-year-old kid! Can you imagine, Detective? The child had no idea what value the item was. She didn’t even know that adults gathered in this house because of this. Adults don’t have a hobby of putting kids in serious stories. A child who was sick and tired of serious adults was walking around the house in small steps and found the gem box in a drawer in her grandfather’s room. Whether it was 30 carats or something, it was no more than just a dazzling stone for a child. It was only worth the pretty stone she found while playing in the sand. So, she sneaked it back without any guilt.]

“…….By the way, no one knew?”

[That’s another interesting thing. Adults who were so preoccupied with their own business didn’t pay much attention to their little ones. So there’s no way to know what she sometimes takes out of the corner of the room and plays with. If they had paid more attention to the child, there would have been no reason for such a disturbance. And the moment they realized that the gem was missing, the suspects that came to their minds were adults, not those little ones. But what do you think that means, Detective?]

“What is it?”

[If they had no intention of stealing the gem, there was no reason to suspect everyone else at that moment. Their desire to steal and possess it has never been seen as the simplest possibility. They didn’t even have time to look at the other way because the “I would do this if I were you” was invoked unconsciously.]

Alvin laughed a few more times. Lying back on the couch, Jude switched the receiver again. His shoulders are stiff. Once again, the fluorescent light flickered lifelessly.

[What the youngest uncle’s wife and her daughter saw at that time was another possibility: the beginning and the answer of the case. They saw a child standing with a doll holding the gem.]

“……I think I know.”

[At that moment, they were broken. First, her aunt looked at the stone that the little girl was holding. And with a trembling voice, she asked where it came from. And she told her that it was a pretty stone she found at her grandfather’s desk. When they heard that, something collapsed inside the teenage girl and her mother. Because of this? Five out of eight people died because of this child’s prank? Standing at the end of all this tragedy was a child’s immature behaviour? I killed and stabbed a person for the first time in my life? It all started because of this kid’s prank! -The first one who ran out was the teenage girl.]

“Oh, she jumped out into the street and had a seizure.”

[Yes, she literally fell down and shook like she had an electric shock, and ran out of the door with a scream. While her mother sat over there, couldn’t move, she looked up at the ceiling, but couldn’t say a word, and screamed like a beast. The little girl was scared and eventually burst into tears. It was in shambles.]

Jude kept his mouth shut. On top of the picture of the frowning child in the newspaper, his gaze fell once again. Sweeping once over the picture, Jude threw the question at the receiver in passing.

“So, how do you intervene in this story?”

[I haven’t done much this time. I was just watching. Ever since I saw people entering the mansion with solemn faces, I thought something interesting would happen. So I looked into the family situation for a moment, looked around as one of the grandfather’s acquaintances, and went into the house. I was conditioned to be a witness to the inheritance of the gem.]

“You, just observed? Are you kidding?”

[Gee, I didn’t do much. I acted like a real nobody. Quietly, like a shadow, so that they don’t care about me while making such a fuss with each other. I moved around as though I didn’t exist. They’ll think I’ve been out of the house the most frequently. But I’ve never actually been out.]

“So, what did you do, acting like you didn’t exist? I’m asking you sincerely, answer me.”

Alvin laughed at the dry voice.

[It wasn’t a big deal. But — I knew she was bringing out the gem.]

“……yes.”

[I’m looking at everyone in the house, so I can’t help but see what she’s doing. I was the only adult there who had no reason to be blind. In the evening, when adults went to bed and talked about their business, the child sneaked out and found the gem while exploring the mansion. I saw her walking with that gem with a smile of innocence. I told her I wouldn’t take it away since she was wary of me, and she smiled and went back to the room.]

“Then…”

[Yes, Detective. There’s only one thing I’ve done in this case–]

The voice was polite and pleasant.

[Just, I didn’t say that she took the gem.]