I Can Hear a Serial Killer's Voice in My Head

Chapter 144: The New Lead

As the bestial roars continue to echo through the hallways, a flurry of young nuns rush past us towards Sister Agnes's room. We catch glimpses of their panicked faces as they hurry by, their habits fluttering in their wake. Read latest chapters at m_v-l'e|-NovelBin.net

"Please, you must go now," one of them urges us as she passes.

We watch as they swarm into the room, their voices raised in prayer and urgent whispers. The door slams shut behind them, muffling but not completely silencing the inhuman shrieks.

Han turns to me, his face a mask of confusion and growing suspicion. "What the hell is going on here? You clearly know something about this. Spill it."

I open my mouth, then close it again, at a loss for words. How can I possibly explain this?

"I... it's complicated," I begin lamely.

Han's eyes narrow. "Complicated? We just heard what sounded like a demon coming from an old nun's room. I think we're well past 'complicated'. Talk to me."

I take a deep breath, weighing my options. The rational part of my mind screams at me to keep quiet, to maintain some semblance of normalcy. But as I look at Han's determined face, I realize that without this crucial piece of information, our investigation is doomed to failure.

"Okay," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "But not here. Let's go somewhere private."

We make our way out of the church and to a nearby park. As we sit on a bench, away from prying ears, I take a deep breath and begin.

"Han, what I'm about to tell you is going to sound insane. But I swear to you, it's the truth."

I start from the beginning, telling him about the voices I've been hearing. About Bundy and the other killers, how they've been "helping" me solve cases. I explain my suspicions about my father experiencing the same thing, and how Choi might have been involved.

"I think... I think Choi offered to help Lee hear these voices too. In exchange for his false confession," I finish, watching Han's face carefully.

For a long moment, Han is silent, his expression unreadable. Then he speaks, his voice carefully controlled. "You're right. This does sound insane."

"I know," I say, feeling a mix of relief and dread at finally sharing this burden. "But it's the truth. And I think it's key to understanding what's really going on with Choi, with the church, with everything."

Han stands up abruptly, pacing in front of the bench. "Do you have any idea what you're saying? This... this changes everything. If what you're saying is true..."

"I know," I repeat, feeling utterly drained. "But I couldn't keep it from you any longer. Not if we want to solve this case."

"The old nun," he begins, his voice low. "Do you have any idea what she was trying to say? Or rather, what that... thing was saying through her?"

I take a deep breath, steeling myself. "It was a warning. It told me not to trust 'that voice'. I think it was referring to the latest voice I've been hearing."

Han's eyebrows raise. "Latest voice? You mean you're still hearing them?"

I nod slowly. "Yes, but it's different this time. This new voice... it claims to be the one who killed my father."

Han's sharp intake of breath is audible in the quiet car. "What? When did this start?"

"Just recently," I admit. "After our meeting about the investigation. It spoke to me in the hallway outside your office."

Han's hands tighten on the steering wheel. "And what did it say?"

I recount the brief, chilling conversation, watching Han's face grow more grave with each word. When I finish, he's silent for a long moment.

"Did it say anything else?" he finally asks.

I hesitate, then decide to share everything. "It dropped a name. Kim Jae-hoon."

Han's eyes widen. "Kim Jae-hoon? Do you know who that is?"

I shake my head. "No, but I was looking into it when you came to tell me about visiting the church. I haven't had a chance to follow up yet."

Han sits in silence, his brow furrowed in deep thought. I watch him, my heart pounding, as he processes everything I've just told him.

Finally, Han takes a deep breath and turns to me. "I think we need to look into any cases connected with this church," he says slowly, each word carefully chosen.

"Cases connected to the church?" I repeat, confused. "What do you mean?"

Han's eyes meet mine, and I can see the wheels turning in his mind. "Think about it. The old nun, despite her state, seemed to know about the voices. And you said both Choi and your father were connected to this place, right?"

I nod, beginning to see where he's going with this.

"What if," Han continues, his voice low and intense, "this church has been... attracting people who hear these voices? People like you, like your father, like Choi."

The implications of what he's suggesting send a chill down my spine. "You think they've been deliberately seeking out people with these... symptoms?"

Han nods grimly. "It's a possibility we can't ignore. And if that's the case, we need to ask ourselves: what happened to these people? Where are they now?"

"You're right. If the church has been gathering people who hear voices, there must be records, or at least traces of their presence."

"Exactly," Han says. "We need to look for any unexplained disappearances, sudden changes in behavior, anything unusual connected to people who've had contact with this church."

I nod, feeling a mix of excitement and dread. "It could explain a lot. The church's connection to the prison, their interest in 'troubled' individuals..."

"And possibly," Han adds, his voice grim, "what happened to your father."

The weight of his words settles over us. For a moment, we sit in silence, each lost in our own thoughts.

"So," I finally say, "where do we start?"

Han starts the car, his face set with determination. "We go back to the station. We pull every case file we can find that has any connection to this church or the surrounding area. Missing persons, unexplained deaths, sudden personality changes - anything that might fit the pattern."

As we pull away from the curb, I feel a surge of renewed purpose. We may be venturing into uncharted territory, mixing the supernatural with police work, but at least now we have a direction.

"Han," I say as we drive, "thank you. For believing me, for not thinking I'm crazy."

He glances at me, a wry smile on his face. "Oh, I still think this is crazy. But crazy or not, it's our best lead. And I've learned to trust your instincts."

***

We arrive back at the station, the buzz of activity a stark contrast to the eerie quiet of the church. Han leads the way to the conference room where the rest of our team is gathered, their faces expectant.

Han clears his throat, commanding everyone's attention. "Alright, team. We've got a new angle to pursue."

I stand slightly behind him, grateful that he's taking the lead on this. Han continues, his voice steady and authoritative.

"We need to look into any and all cases that might be connected to the church we just visited. We're talking about a wide range here - missing persons, unexplained deaths, sudden personality changes. Anything unusual that has any link to that church or the surrounding area."

One of the detectives, Kim, raises an eyebrow. "That's a pretty broad net, boss. Any particular reason we're focusing on this church?"

Han glances at me briefly before answering. "We have reason to believe it might be at the center of something bigger than we initially thought. I can't go into all the details right now, but trust me when I say this is important."

I feel a wave of appreciation for Han's discretion. He's giving the team direction without revealing the supernatural elements that might make them doubt the whole investigation.

"Detective Park here will be leading this particular line of inquiry," Han adds, nodding in my direction. "I want everyone to give him their full support. Anything he needs, he gets. Understood?"

There's a chorus of affirmatives from around the room. I step forward, feeling the weight of their expectant gazes.

"Thanks, everyone. I know this might seem like a shot in the dark, but I believe it's crucial to our investigation. Let's start by pulling all the case files from the past 30 years that have any connection to that church or the surrounding five-block radius."

The team springs into action, dividing up tasks and starting to pull files. As they work, I feel a mix of gratitude and determination. These people are putting their trust in me, in this unconventional approach to the investigation.

Han sidles up to me as I'm setting up a board to start mapping out our findings. "You okay?" he asks quietly.

I nod, offering a small smile. "Yeah. Thanks for... you know. Not mentioning the voice thing."

He pats my shoulder. "That's need-to-know information for now. Let's see what we can find through official channels first."

As I turn back to the board, I can't help but feel a sense of hope. We're stepping into unknown territory, but we're doing it as a team. Whatever secrets the church is hiding, whatever connection it has to the voices, to Choi, to my father's death - we're going to uncover it. The investigation has taken on a new life, and I can feel the energy in the room.

As I pin the first case file to the board, I silently vow to see this through.