Golden Peacock - Tagu Kuku and Other Short Stories

Tagu Ku Ku

One day, after U San Shar and I moved to Bogalay Market Street, I was drinking tea alone when U San Shar came rushing up to the house just before he was due to return....

“ Kai.... U Thein Maung, a taxi is waiting under the building. We have a matter to go on a trip for two days. You can’t give me more than ten minutes to prepare. Please hurry up.”

Having said that...

"You're just doing this, what's the big deal?" U San Sha asked...

"I don't have time, I'll tell you later, hurry up," he said, and went inside.

U San Shaar, who was already treating me like a teacher treats a student, didn't dare to complain, so he stuffed a few clothes to change into a leather bag, got down from the building, and got into the car.

Then U San Shya told the driver to “drive along the main road,” and the car drove past Pazundaung and onto the main road. On the way, I looked at U San Shya’s face and then…

" I think your case is no less serious than murder, come on."

I asked.

“ It’s true, Ko Thein Maung, the case is so simple and so powerful that it’s hard to even begin to gather clues.”

" Is it more difficult to explain, teacher?"

" I know it sounds like a cliché, but in a complicated case, you can see the clues in a flash. It's very difficult to find clues when the case is so clear and detailed."

" Tell me, what's your case?"

“ Nyaungpinhla village is a large village with about a thousand houses between the station and Pyay Road. In that village, there is a wealthy landowner named U Thein Zan and his daughter Ma Thein Nyunt who returned from Anya. U Thein Zan gave a large plot of land of about 50 acres to an old man named U Tok Pao, whom he had met in Anya, to cultivate for free.

“ U Tok Pao has a son named Maung Than Tun. Both of them are widowers. They are very close to each other. Okay... I will tell you how it happened.

“ Last Monday at around 3 pm, U Tok Pao left the house alone and walked towards a small lake called Sadhukan.

“ That morning, U Tok Pao went to the station with a disciple. When he returned, he told his disciple that he had an appointment and left. After leaving, U Tok Pao never returned.”

" Where are you going?"

“ Nye Oo Bya, it’s about a mile from the village to the lake. On the way, U Tok Pao saw two people. One was a woman, whose name I have forgotten. The second was Ko Tain Kyaw, a servant of U Thein Zan.

“ Both witnesses testified that U Tok Pao walked alone.

“ Ko Tain Kyaw, a servant, said that shortly after meeting U Tok Pao, he saw his son Maung Than Tun carrying a gun and following him.

“ Ko Tain Kyaw also said that he suddenly remembered this because U Tok Pao had died.

" I saw their father and son from here. A girl named Thaung Kyi from Sha was picking flowers by the lake when she saw the father and son fighting on the other side of the lake."

" I saw the man who was the father yelling and cursing angrily, and the man who was the son raised his hand to say he was going to punch me."

“ So the girl ran home in fear and told her mother that her father and son were fighting.

“ While I was saying this, Maung Than Tun came running and said, ‘I have found my father, Thane Taw.’ He took the girl’s father and the villagers with him. Maung Than Tun didn’t have a gun in his hand. There was also blood on the sleeve of his shirt.

" So the villagers gathered around and found U Tok Pao lying dead by the lake. They saw a bruise on his head, as if he had been hit with something."

" The injuries are likely to be from a gunshot wound. The gun was also found near the body."

" So what do you have to say? Maung Than Tun was arrested for murder. So far, the police have not yet confirmed the case."

" If that's the case, I think murders as high-profile as this one will be rare."