Case 3.2 - The End of One's Journey

To Victor, the world had frozen. Time kept moving, the world kept spinning, the train kept going.

But the world in Victor's head was frozen.

"How?" It was the only word he had on his mind.

He kept thinking of all the possibilities that he could come up with, but not one could connect.

"Impossible." Is the next word that came to mind.

There is no where to hide on a passenger train.

He then walks around the train to make sure, even knocking on all the toilet doors on the train.

But still, there was no sign of Jenny.

The next place he goes is the cafe, being past breakfast, he sees Jim cleaning the tables preparing the cafe for lunch time.

"Jim, I need a moment with you." "Mr. Hills? What can I do for you?"

"Jim, listen carefully. A passenger named Jenny has disappeared."

"Disappeared? How could that possibly be? We're on a moving train, she must be somewhere on the train."

"I believe too that she is on the train, but she is no where to be seen."

Victor's face then glared with seriousness. "That's just... You're very much serious aren't you? Very well, what must I do?"

"When it's lunch time, I want you to make sure everyone stays here. As for me, I will ask for all the crew members' attendance." "Very well."

"Thank you Jim." Later, outside the cockpit, Victor knocks on the door.

The door opens and a head pops out to answer, "You again? What is it?" Tanner asks as he just stands there and stares at Victor.

"I will just get straight to the point. There has been an incident on the train.

I would like all of the crew members to gather at the cafe at lunch time."

"The only crew members on the train are Jim, me and the captain.

But weren't you the one who complained when I left the cockpit for even a second?"

A fatal blow to Victor as his own words were used against him, Victor then countered with a glare that felt colder than ice.

"Okay, okay. We'll be there, jeez." He quickly closes the door as to shoo Victor away.

Victor very much in a bad mood, kicks a nearby seat which let out a hollow sound in response.

As well as unexpectedly, a flashlight falls from the seat and rolls towards Victor.

Picking it up and turning it on, the flashlight emitted a light that was bluish and purple in color.

"A UV black light?" He then puts it into his pocket and returns to the cafe.

The passengers and the crew members are all in the cafe having lunch.

Victor looks around the carriage at every single one of them and finally right before anyone leaves, he announces.

"Ehem, may I have your attention please. There has been an incident on the train.

Some of you might have noticed it yourselves, someone is missing. It's not that she is not in the cafe with us, but she is no where to be found on the train."

A moment of silence as all of them tries to process Victor's words.

"She must have jumped off the train and committed suicide. Just like all the others, the curse must have gotten her as well!"

A passenger panics as well as causing the others to start panicking as well.

"The curse struck again!"

"I thought it was just a rumor!"

"How could it possible?"

"We must be next!"

"I shouldn't have boarded the train."

The passengers chatter in fear.

"Losing one's rationality is the same as losing one's own self." Victor yelled as he slammed his palm on the table.

"I am a detective called in to investigate this train and I believe that this was the work of a human.

I called the all of you here to find the truth behind all of this.

So please do remain silent and cooperate."

Before questioning comes inspection.

Victor moves around the carriage as he inspects all of them until he reaches the captain, a man that seems to be in his late 40s.

"What would your name be, captain?" "Mason Dinks." He replies to Victor in a voice that sounded as if his mouth was as dry as a desert.

"And how old would you be?" "What help would my age be of for your investigation?"

he argues as well as accidentally shows his teeth which was noticeably damaged.

"Please do cooperate Captain Dinks."

"33." "I see... it makes sense now. Everything is now connected."

Out of the blue, Victor bolts out of the cafe, towards the carriage behind the cockpit.

Out of curiosity, some followed in pursuit.

When Victor got to the carriage, he took out the black light and starts shining it everywhere on the floor.

The floor then revealed small stains near one of the seats, dropping the light, he suddenly forcefully pulls on the cushion, tearing it off the seat.

Under where the cushion was a compartment filled with bags and packages of powder and crystal like stones were found.

Shocked and speechless, as if the air itself gasped. The passengers were all stupefied.

"It's not the right one!" Victor yelled out as he moves to another seat nearby and hastily rips the cushion open, again revealing another compartment filled with drugs.

From seat to seat, finally he reaches a seat that seemed oddly sealed.

He quickly peels the cushion off, this time instead of bags or packages, a silhouette of a girl and the shine of her golden hair was seen in the compartment.

It was Jenny. She was tied up and had her mouth stuffed with cloth making sure she couldn't move nor make even the slightest of sounds.

Jenny was untied and the first thing that come out of her mouth was the words, "Water... food..."

After a while, Jenny was looking much better.

Victor then turns to Jim, "Jim, could you bring the other passengers somewhere else, I need to have a word with the captain."

"Understood." Jim then leads the other passengers away, but Victor then stops Tanner as he was about to follow the others.

"I only remember saying passengers." Victor then turns to the captain.

"I've informed the police, you'll be arrested for the obsessive use of drugs, drug trafficking and abduction as well. As for you..."

Looking at Tanner with a face that indicated Victor's suspicion for him.

"It is very unlikely that even the captain could pull off a stunt of this scale without you knowing.

Anything you want to say?"

"I… I knew about it... the captain offered me money to pretend I saw nothing... My mother is lying on a hospital now and for a long time. I needed the money, what else could I've done?"

His face faced the floor, unable to show it.

"Let him go please." Jenny who was still sitting on the floor tries to persuade Victor. "His not exactly much of an accomplice, his just the same as a bystander. He has a mother who needs him."

"It still makes him an accomplice, why would I even need to listen to a stranger? And how would you if he didn't just made it all up?"

"I just know, for this one time, just trust me please?"

An uneasy expression appears on Victor's face as he tries to decide how he should settle this.

"A crime is a crime." He answered as Jenny seemed very upset.

"But, nothing can be done if there was no evidence found, and I was not able to find anything that could proof Tanner of his crimes. Besides, my job was never to uphold the law, but to only seek the truth…"

Slowly, Tanner collapses on his knees, remaining silent.

Ashamed of himself, and in gratitude for the mercy he received, a smile hangs on Jenny's lips as well.

"That's not how things work! How would this be fair to me?!" Mason howled and charges forward to attack Victor.

Victor who has learned from his past mistake, this time counters him by catching his punch then twists his arm and apprehends him.

Using his tie, Victor ties his hands behind his back.

Hearing all the noise coming from the carriage, Jim rushes in to see the captained tied up.

"I will take it from here." Jim proposes. After a while, things calmed down and Jim was able to calm the passengers down.

In the cafe, Jenny and Victor was seated.

"The expression you have probably means you solved everything am I right?"

"How did you know?" "I just know. But how? How did you know?"

"The flashlight. It was all I needed to connect everything together. In other words, it was thanks to you."

"Why?" "Indeed the question is why. What can UV light show you?

Ultra violet rays can show you many things.

After inspecting the captain I could tell he was a drug addict.

And what did a UV flashlight or also known as a black light have in common with a drug addict?

After coming up with so many theories, I finally found the right one.

Methamphetamine, or commonly know as crystal meth.

It has many side effects, among them is a dramatic increase in body temperature which would increase sweat production, and a dry mouth.

A black light can reveal signs of sweat and saliva, as to how a dry mouth would leave behind saliva, that would be thanks to pilocarpine and cevimeline, also know as Salagen and Evoxac.

Both medication that induces saliva production, the discomfort of a dry mouth must have been very irritating, so he used them to reduce discomfort.

It would've been hard to control the intake dosage of these medications when he was experiencing the effects of crystal meth, resulting in drooling.

Using the light you had with you, you somehow found the drugs and of course he had do something. As for how I knew about the hidden compartments, it was just a plain coincidence resulted from anger.

But there is still one thing I need to know, why did you have a black light with you? And how did it result in you using it?"

"Because I am familiar with the smell of crystal meth. My father was a drug addict and he reeked of crystal meth.

I am also studying criminal justice right now. As for why I had a black light with me was because... I ... always admired detectives and... I... I... wanted to just... feel like one... as well..."

"Aside from the weird hobby you have, you were quite the help.

If you want… you can stop playing detective and really become one, you'll also become an official one after you graduate. Interested?"

"Really!? You're serious right? I can't believe it, it finally happened! Looking forward with working with you,… Victor."

Her face shows another smile, this time wider and more beautiful.

"I forgot, but the actual reason you came was to investigate the past cases right?

Wouldn't that mean we didn't solve the case at all?"

"Oh you mean that? I did solve it."

"Huh? you did?"

"Just in time." Victor looks at his watch and points out the window.

The fading hue of the orange sky, the different shades of the color orange, the trees and earth under it that glowed warmly.

"The suicides happened on the train because of a curse.

Yes, a curse in which all humans possess.

The curse for beauty. A curse where all humans seek for beauty.

The ones that committed suicide didn't commit suicide because they rode on it, they rode on the train because they wanted to commit suicide.

Humans love beauty, it is to such an extent where they will almost always choose to die somewhere beautiful.

Thus they chose this particular train.

Beautiful even in death… Heck, what a curse we all possess."