"5,000,000 you said? You've found the right company," Fatty responded, his eyes twinkling merrily.
"You'll find him, dead or alive, right?" the old man croaked softly.
"Yes. If we can't find the person you're looking for, it would be even harder for the other companies. Who are you hoping to find? We love challenges and we can't wait," Fatty said as he rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"My grandson. Not difficult, right?" he asked faintly.
Fatty's excitement withered.
Skinny tapped my shoulder and whispered, "Tell him that it won't cost him that much."
I smiled and said, "Excuse me, sir. We don't charge that much for finding a lost child. 365 will do. I will explain the procedures to you. Don't worry, it's easy to understand."
The old man reached a hand out. "Wait, let me finish."
I was already preparing to hand him our service menu when Skinny stopped me.
"Okay, tell us," Skinny said.
The old man coughed again before turning to his bodyguards. "I should be very safe here. Wait for me outside and I'll call you if I need you. Do not barge in otherwise, got it?"
The bodyguards nodded and walked out, closing the gate behind them.
After a short pause, the old man sighed heavily. "I previously worked in the red wine business. After ten years of hard work, I made a name for myself and I am now able to rest comfortably. My company even made it to the top 10 of the industry. Horse Brand Red Wine. Have you heard of it?"
Fatty nodded. "That's your creation? Impressive. That brand isn't doing as well here, but a relative living overseas told me that it is really popular over there. He even brought a few bottles back once and even a naive guy like me found it good."
"I'll be direct. Yes, business is smooth, but I'm all alone now. My wife is gone and my son and daughter-in-law left half a year back. Unfortunately, the two of them got into a terrible road accident and were pronounced dead on the spot. All I have left is my grandson," he narrated, his voice hard.
"My condolences. In order to find your grandson, we'll need you to provide as much information as you can. How old is he and when did you lose him?" Fatty asked.
"He's about your age," the old man answered.
"That... it'll be harder since it's already been some time. You have to be mentally prepared for other possibilities," I added.
"No, he's not lost," the old man corrected.
"Wait, then why have you come? And 5,000,000?" Fatty asked somewhat angrily.
I pulled him aside and whispered, "Old people tend to be long-winded so bear with him. Follow the standard procedures then send him away. We can't afford to provoke a rich man."
Fatty sighed and turned away.
The old man said, "My son's death made me more protective of my grandson. I agreed to all his requests so he grew up spoiled. He was arrested by the cops half a month ago."
Fatty looked up again, smelling an interesting case. He smiled and asked, "You think the police made a mistake and want us to defend your grandson?"
"No. My grandson did kill someone and because the evidence was clear, he's been given a death penalty."
"Killed somebody? No way..." I mumbled.
"He charged into the person's house, killed him, and then proceeded in hacking his whole family up. He hid for a day before he got caught."
The old man took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears collecting in his eyes.
"Premeditated murder and numerous assaults? What did that family do to offend your grandson?" I blurted out before covering my mouth in shame. We were talking about his grandson and that was inappropriate of me. He did not get angry, however.
"No, no. My grandson is a good person. The victim was the truck driver that caused his parents' death. In order to earn money, the driver worked different jobs, day and night, and lost control of his vehicle due to exhaustion. He was full of regret at what happened. I didn't tell my grandson any of this so I reckon he did his own investigations to dig this up," the old man explained, his head hung low as he used his handkerchief to cover his whole face.
Sobs, followed by coughs, filled the room.
"Sir, please don't exert yourself too much," I tried.
"Then, isn't that the end of it? Why do you want us to find him? Did he break out of prison?" Fatty asked with knitted brows.
"He's been given the death sentence and will be in executed three days. This 5,000,000 is to look for his corpse. Didn't you say dead or alive? I'll need you to find a dead person," he clarified as he wiped his tears.
"Wait, I don't quite understand. Isn't he your grandson? And you're the only relative left? No one's going to claim his body so why can't you just do it?" Skinny asked, puzzled.
"I've asked the police but I would only able to retrieve his ashes and not the whole corpse," he sobbed.
"Isn't that good?" I asked.
"I want to bury him in our ancestral tomb. My son's body had been too damaged so cremation was the only way. I really wish to bury my grandson there so that I can lay beside him when I die and we can have each other's company. I hope you'll fu... fulfill my wish," he choked.
"How are we going to fulfill your wish? Won't he be executed by a firing squad? Won't there be a hole in his skull?" Fatty questioned.
"He will be euthanized and there won't be any wounds," the old man hurriedly explained. "I've told you everything that I know. I need you to find the execution site and crematorium that he will be sent to after. If you can do that within three days, the 5,000,000 is yours. I will continue from there."
"Wait, can you tell me how you plan to continue? We can't do something that's against the law. If you're going to do something illegal, won't we turn into your accomplices?" Skinny quizzed.
The old man coughed a few times before answering, "I've bought a corpse from the hospital. A corpse that looks 80% similar to my grandson and is currently being chilled in the mortuary. There's no way I can bribe the police officers, but the corpse will be stored in the crematorium for a period of time after the execution. I will then figure out a way to switch the bodies. You don't have to worry about it."
"Alright. We have a rough understanding now but we still need to discuss this for a bit. Will you give us a few minutes?" Skinny requested.
The old man nodded slightly. "I understand that this won't be easy for you guys. I will make a downpayment of 10,000 if you accept the case, and you can keep it regardless of the outcome. If you're successful, I'll transfer the remaining 4,990,000. If not, the case ends there and I will not pester you anymore. It's a promise."
"Wait, I think you misunderstood us. We do not want to raise the price. It's really not about the money, we just need to think this all through," Skinny explained.
"Okay." The old man turned his head to look out of the window.
We gathered in a circle and started discussing.
"He's quite pitiful. Should we help?" Fatty started.
"I think it's pretty doable. Plus, we won't be involved in the switching of bodies," I added.
"But he will be doing something illegal and we will be indirectly involved," Skinny said.
"But his son is already dead and his only grandson is going to be too. He's going to be punished for his crime so is it really that big of a deal for the old man to switch the corpses?" I asked.
"Let's vote? Raise your hand if you want to help him," Fatty suggested and put his hand against his chest.
I raised mine the same way as well. "For him and for the money. We can do it, can't we?"
Skinny shook his head. "Well, I can't go against two votes. Let's do it. It probably will be the most interesting case that we will ever take on. Plus, it's well-paying."
Fatty smiled and turned to the old man. "We accept it."
The old man broke into a smile and made a call.
A bodyguard came in shortly after.
"Bring me the money and the documents," the old man ordered.
The guard nodded and spoke into a small mic attached to his suit.
Another bodyguard, different from the one before, entered with a briefcase.
It was then that I realized that the old man had more than two bodyguards.
The guard placed the briefcase on the table. The old man opened it and said, "Passcode is three zeroes. The money and data are here, along with my contact number. You have three days to gather the information I'm looking for. I shan't disturb you any longer."
The old man closed the briefcase and locked it.
We nodded and sent him out of our office-cum-apartment.
I looked out of the window and saw seven black sedan cars parked along the road.
The number of his bodyguards was shocking.
I saw the old man get in on one of the cars in the middle.
The cars drove off one by one and I turned back to my partners.
"He's super rich," I stated.
Fatty replied nervously, "Is this going to be difficult? Finding the execution site and crematorium in only three days?"
"We can do this. Stop staring into space and get cracking. You two wanted to accept the case so don't leave me investigating on my own now," Skinny grumbled in dissatisfaction.
I dashed to the briefcase and opened it.
Under the stacks of bills was a yellow file.