"I just remembered something important," Lim said suddenly, a spark of excitement lighting up his voice.
The coconut candy Ada had given him sparked the connection. He recalled that the island's coconut palms were meticulously managed, especially those in guest areas. Whenever a coconut neared maturity, gardeners would preemptively harvest it to prevent it from falling and injuring anyone. "The 'murder weapon' coconut Ada showed me," he explained, "it was very old. It couldn't possibly have been left hanging on the tree by the spa entrance."
The room fell silent, everyone exchanging uneasy glances.
Mrs. Mark lunged forward, grabbing Li Ye's arm desperately. "What? What are you saying, Officer?"
Somkhun scratched his head, deep in thought. "It's a good point… definitely not unreasonable."
"Mrs. Mark," Li Ye asked, turning to her, "when was the last time you saw your husband?"
"Around… around 5:30 PM. He went out after that, and I went to the bar…" Mrs. Mark strained to remember.
"He was found around 7:30 PM. There should be security footage covering most of that time, right?" Li Ye looked pointedly at Kevin.
Somkhun's gaze followed.
Kevin raised his hands defensively. "Our surveillance coverage is minimal, Officer. Mostly public areas and some service zones. Access involves commercial confidentiality. I don't have the authority to show it to you; we'd need approval from the brand ownership group."
"Not even for an active investigation?" Somkhun asked, his tone sharpening.
"There are a few zones we can access. We're not trying to obstruct justice, I promise—but the island is private property. If you want to review everything, you'll need more formal documentation." Kevin was apologetic but firm.
Li Ye felt the same frustration he'd been swallowing since they stepped off the boat. The "warning" they'd received before arrival was starting to sting.
Somkhun chuckled dryly. "We're just trying to get a clearer picture with some basic investigation. If we can clear this up early, we'd save everyone a lot of trouble."
Kevin eyed him warily.:Is he hinting for another cash-envelope?
Somkhun continued casually, "What we need is simple. Just some proof that every person here had an alibi during the crucial window."
Mrs. Mark, seeming to snap out of her grief for a moment, suddenly brightened. "Someone knows! The director! That guy who's always filming everything!"
She remembered vividly: arriving on the same seaplane was a young Hong Kong couple, Ah Kai and his girlfriend. Ah Kai proclaimed himself a future Golden Horse Award-winning documentary director. He didn't know what his topic was, but he didn't want to miss any footage, filming scenes and people wherever he went. It got to the point where everyone was a little annoyed with him. The privacy-conscious Perry had even warned him in advance not to violate his right to his own image. But he kept filming, from the road to the island, even getting into a fight with Louis because he filmed Mrs. Louis.
Ah-Kai and his girlfriend had stayed in their room, waiting to cooperate with police. Unlike Perry, though, Ah-Kai looked almost thrilled by the investigation.
He had already transferred all his footage to a laptop and brought it proudly to the lounge. Holding it out to the officers, he grinned. "Officer, once this wraps up, can I follow you back to the mainland and film the whole case?"
Lim stared at him, incredulous. "This is a police investigation. It's confidential. What are you thinking?"
Ah Kai gestured with great enthusiasm. "But come on, what director gets this lucky? I arrive and boom—murder mystery! I've already got the perfect title—Savage Island: A True Crime Memoir. Don't worry, I won't shoot the actual investigation. Just you guys from behind, you know? Very cinematic. Like something Nolan would do—introspective, moody, atmospheric."
He gestured enthusiastically, oblivious to the weary stares of everyone else in the room.
To be fair, this grad student from Hong Kong Baptist University did seem to have some talent. His footage captured ominous skies and brewing winds, contrasted starkly with the island's obliviously relaxed guests. No wonder he thought he had a masterpiece in the making. Although… it was also pretty clear he hadn't really figured out what his documentary was about.
Li Ye meticulously reviewed the footage from the night Mark died. He found two critical pieces of evidence.
In the footage from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., the wind was already picking up. Mrs. Mark was drinking at the bar. Mark was indeed walking in the direction of the spa. At the same time, the Wu family was eating in the restaurant, and Junior Wu was complaining that there wasn't enough alcohol. Mrs. Louis was with her child in the children's room, and Louis was thoughtfully observing the waves on the beach, getting ready to go into the water. The Perry family had been in their room the whole time. In short, the whereabouts of all their companions from the boat could be seen in the footage. At the bar, everyone was watching a drunk Chinese woman and the hotel's male singer, David, perform an impromptu duet. Her singing voice was surprisingly good.
"That's her!" Ada whispered to Li Ye, pointing at the woman on screen. "That's Kelly, the solo traveler who had the beach run-in with the Marks. She arrived two days before the five families and left on the first boat this morning."
Li Ye noted Mrs. Mark sitting below the stage, sipping her drink and watching Kelly's performance with palpable disdain.
It appeared everyone had a solid alibi.
"Why were you filming everyone so relentlessly that night?" Li Ye asked Ah Kai.
"He originally wanted to make a documentary about four families in transnational marriages vacationing together," Ah Kai's previously silent girlfriend spoke up. "Called The Island—my idea. He wanted to call it Dame Island." She rolled her eyes. " Island of Terror is something he just came up with now. By the way, officer, you can call me Wenwen.."
Wenwen dressed in full hip-hop streetwear—snapback, chains, combat pants, and a crop top—pure Hong Kong vibe, minus the accent.
"You don't sound like you're from Hong Kong," Ada said.
"I'm not. I'm from the mainland. I work for a finance firm in Hong Kong. We met in college," Wenwen replied. She normally wore tailored suits and heels like a TVB executive—only on vacation did she get to be her "badass" self.
Kevin summoned the gardener, a sun-baked Thai man who spoke no Mandarin. Somkhun listened, took notes, and translated: "It is indeed the season when coconuts are most ripe... I'm almost busy every day... Before the typhoon, my apprentice went home, and I couldn't handle everything by myself, so I might have missed some spots... But besides the old coconuts, some young ones that have bugs can also fall."
The explanation seemed plausible. Li Ye felt a pang of frustration but couldn't immediately spot a flaw.
Somkhun stretched, sighing dramatically. "Alright then. Seems like everyone's got their alibis covered." He scribbled in his notebook: "Career woman + dreamer Hong Kong BF." He slammed the notebook shut with finality, visibly relieved.
Only Li Ye remained, rooted in confusion and disappointment. He wrestled with his thoughts for a long time before reluctantly accepting the conclusion.
Everyone else seemed relieved. Perry and his family left that afternoon to visit Na-Khi . Ah Kai insisted on staying to continue filming his masterpiece.. The remaining families chose to stay one more night with the deceased. Kevin offered Somkhun and Li Ye free room and board for the evening and gave Ada the night off.
After dinner, Li Ye collapsed onto the couch, dazed. He drifted off—and into a nightmare.
He was deep in an unfamiliar jungle. He felt like a rabbit lost in the underbrush, scrambling forward in terror. Suddenly, a blinding light cut through the trees. Four soldiers in camouflage appeared, laughing cruelly as they grabbed him. Without warning, batons appeared in their hands. No matter how he begged, they beat him senseless, each strike tearing into his back. In the shadows stood a fifth figure, smirking coldly.
Pain exploded through him. He screamed, "Aaaaah—!"
Li Ye jolted awake with a gasp, drenched in cold sweat, heart pounding. He sat bolt upright on the sofa, frantically scanning the perfectly normal luxury hotel room.
Relief washed over him. He checked the time: only 9 PM.
Why that dream?
He heard Ada's words from the hot tub earlier that day in his mind.
No way. Couldn't be related.
He needed air. He decided to walk.
He wandered around the island, his mind troubled. As he neared the beach bar, he was drawn in by the singing. When he went to look, the singer on stage was Ada.
She had changed out of her work uniform and was wearing a striking little fringed dress and studded Doc Martens. Her long hair fell past her shoulders, wild and effortless. There was something untamed in her energy—feral yet focused. She held the mic like it belonged to her, singing a dark, magnetic version of Ekaterina Shelehova's Savage Daughter.
"I am my mother's savage daughter
The one who runs barefoot, cursing sharp stones
I am my mother's savage daughter
I will not cut my hair, I will not lower my voice…"
As she sang this, she lifted her smoky eyes and looked at him, smiling and winking, as if she were the Savage Daughter herself. The eye contact made Li Ye feel a sudden sense of disorientation.
As she stepped off the stage, a man in his fifties, reeking of alcohol, slung an arm around her shoulders. "Didn't know you had this in you, Ada! Amazing!" He thrust a whiskey glass towards her. "C'mon, doll, have a drink with me! Guest's treat!"
Ada coldly rebuffed him. "I'm off duty. This is my personal time."
"Even better!" The man leered, his hand sliding to her waist. "How 'bout my room?" He yelped in sudden pain as Li Ye's iron grip clamped down on his wrist.
"Let her go. Now," Li Ye commanded, his voice low and dangerous.
"Oho! Playing hero, are you?" The drunk swung a clumsy punch.
Li Ye caught his fist effortlessly, then flashed the handcuffs clipped to his belt. "I'm not a hero. I'm an officer of the Royal Thai Police. If you're a local, I can arrest you right now for public disturbance. If you're a foreigner, committing a criminal offense in Thailand gives me grounds for deportation."
The man begged for mercy, and Li Ye let him go.
As he staggered away, he spat out venom: "Remember this, Ada—you're just a whore."