Adam the Spirit Master

Chapter 6

"What crazy ideas have you got in that mind?" May demanded when we were all back in Visnu's car. 

"I am accepting this commission, Visnu," I said directly to the man who gatecrashed my life this morning and destroyed the peace of my life for, probably, the weeks ahead. 

"You sure? I am happy to hear that."

"I had a hunch."

There was stony silence. 

"What did you see?"

"A touch of bad vibes but hazy darkness. It will be worth exploring."

"Adam!" It was May, again

"What ideas do you have? Can you not disrupt our investigation?"

"I promise. I just needed one night."

Visnu was silent and it seems May is calling the shots now. I looked at her for signs of approval

"I still remember when you last performed your rites at the hospital, the entire place caught fire, and two fire engines were despatched." 

"That's the past and it was not my mistake. We are dealing with a different…eh..presence. That fire was caused by malevolent spirits who are out to inflict harm."

"A naughty spirit that spewed fire. I remember now." Visnu said matter-of-factly

I kept mum as my mind raced down a path of recollection. The obstinate I, Adam Wong Takahashi, had insisted on conducting an audit of the haunted hospital and unexpectedly triggered a cosmic reaction. 

"The fires were unexpected occurrence."

May dropped into her tight-lipped expression again. 

How did we get into a relationship in the first place? I thought

"I am fine with not doing anything. Visnu, I am out and…"

Before I could speak further, he had placed a finger on my mouth

"May, please. As you begin your investigation, let Adam try his method. Let him conduct his usual stuff.

May glared at me and after a long pause, nodded reluctantly.

"Do you need anything from us? "Visnu quickly asked. "Would your men still be around?"

"My men will be deployed outside the mansion for the remainder of the week and I can join you if you need," Visnu said

"I need to be too." May quickly added. I prefer she stays away.

"Can you tell me something about Mina? And I need more about Hock?"

I asked. With some reluctance, May spoke,

"This just came from our colleague. There seems to be suspicion about Hock however he has worked for twenty-four years for the Chuas, and there is no bad blood between him and John Chua. Besides being gruffy, he is loyal to John Chua."

"I saw how protective he was of John Chua earlier." I observed " But I guess everyone is just the tip of the iceberg," I said, looking at Visnu intently. 

"You still remember my words of wisdom?" he replied with a smile

"It makes so much sense, does it? You can never tell a person's true character in the hour you spent with him during an interrogation."

"That's why we will keep on our investigation work."

"What do you think of that Mina?"

"Her full name is Aminah. Indonesia. This is her second year with the Chuas. We are still checking her text messages with about 70% done but nothing suspicious has come up so far."

"Adam, you have to realize this is only the sixth hour since we arrived on the crime scene. With the pressures of expectations from the Chua family and our superiors, we are giving our everything to hunt down the killer as soon as possible." 

I nodded.

"You suspected anything," May asked, paused, and then continued "You mean you suspected something already?"

I winked. 

Early conclusions are bane of an investigation as the mind will block out any other possibilities and alternative perspectives of investigation. I had learned never to conclude too early. 

However, it is still perfectly fine to act on hunches. The instincts of an Onmyoji act like a radar, picking up signals from unseen sources and allowing us to work with a certain inclination that brings us to the right direction. 

It is hard to explain and I have never tried to explain too much to amateurs or outsiders about how an Onmyoji operates.