Murder In The Old Castle
XII.Visitors
The remains of the party last night are still visible in the living room. The crystal glasses were still scattered here and there. Former snacks were also splattered into the carpet. The smell of alcoholic beverages still tickles the nose. The most astonishing thing was the figure of Maira lying on the sofa unconscious. Too many alcoholic drinks that he drank, making him lose his mind. The young woman was lying on her stomach, with blotted clothes and disheveled hair. His sanity disappeared somewhere.
Shoulders shaken. Someone woke up, until he opened his eyes lazily. Maira saw a cold-faced man staring at her sharply.
“What time is this, Hans?” maira whispered in a raucous voice.
“Almost seven o'clock. You better go back to the room and clean yourself up. Lookie! Your condition's falling apart. This place will be cleaned Helen.” Hans.
“My head is dizzy, I can't seem to stand!”
Hans grabbed Maira's hand, pulling her body. The young lady stood staggering, leaning against Hans body. The smell of alcohol was clearly emanating from his mouth. Maira, a metropolis woman familiar with the night world. Alcoholic drinks are not new.
“I'll sleep all day. No one bothers me!” oceh Maira's.
“Do not worry. No one cares about you but me!”
With great difficulty Hans carried Maira's body walking up the stairs. Maira's mouth still raved unclear what was said. His mind drifted everywhere.
“Hans..,” whispered Maira.
“What?”
“ Keep me asleep? I'm scared ...”
“Don't be crazy! Sleep all day. There's nothing to be afraid of here!”
Hands clenched on Hans' shoulders. What Hans said has a point. No one cares about Maira, because of her ugly and haughty attitude. He said it was also spicy. Maybe Hans was the only one who still cared about her.
From the opposite direction, Tiara appeared who had just exited the room to prepare for breakfast. He was surprised to see Maira's messy condition.
“Drunk?” ask Tiara.
“Not a strange thing, right?” reply Hans.
“Of course not. You guys not having breakfast?”
“I'll take him first, just there. I don't think Maira will have breakfast this morning,” Hans said.
Tiara stepped towards the dining table while Hans escorted Maira to her room. At the dinner table, some of the other writers were already sitting there. The mood remains the same. There was hardly any joy. Each one was deep in his thoughts. Anxiety is etched on their paras. Undeniably, boredom began to hit.
“Good morning!” greet Tiara, trying to melt the freezing atmosphere.
Adrianna Chen replied with a smile and a nod of the head. The narrow-eyed woman always looks stunning as usual.
Next to him, Michael was chin-backed, thinking hard, not paying much heed to Tiara's presence.
Opposite him, Cornellio appears fresh with a neatly shaved mustache. The man looks more masculine with a flat whisker.
Aldo Riyanda also put on a smile. Rania is also looking good this morning. Thin makeup and fashionable clothes wrapped her body, as usual.
Before long, Hans also joined the small community. Its cold style instantly froze the dining room.
“Maira didn't eat breakfast this morning,” Hans said as he slammed his butt in the chair.
“I've guessed. Surely he got drunk last night,” welcome Rania.
“So, who are we waiting for?” ask Cornellio.
“Karina. Does anyone know? He's been missing since yesterday. Tiara said she went to the tea garden to refresh herself. It's actually dangerous to go there alone because the tea garden looks like a labyrinth. I'm worried about getting lost,” Michael said.
“How about we find him?” hans Proposal.
“I'm worried we'll get lost!”
“Let only men who seek. The women stay here. You know, research proves that women are more easily confused and they can't remember the way well compared to men. Better not involve them!” added Aldo Riyanda.
“I agree!” Cornellio.
“Good. After breakfast we move to tea garden!” said Michael.
Stomach filling activity in the morning is fast. As usual, Helen served simple food so they could quickly return to their activities.
“Why?” ask Michael.
“However, he knows this area better than you. I'm afraid you're lost and can't go back. Yoga will guide and determine the direction.”
“OK. We will take Yoga!”
A few minutes later, the men were ready in front of the front gate. The sun was still shyly hiding behind the clouds, so the weather was not so hot this morning. Even a thin mist envelops the tea garden area, displaying stunning natural scenery. The abundant supply of oxygen, as if pumping expels the negative energy that resides in their souls.
“We wait for Yoga first!” Cornellio.
Yoga is running closer. The writers were waiting for him.
“Sorry, I had to clean the backyard,” Yoga said.
“You sure know the area around here?” ask Cornellio Syam.
“Not how know. In the tea garden many branching paths. I suggest to make a trace mark every road we pass, so that later not confused!” yoga Suggestion.
“Upon you ask us where!”
Without waiting for a long time, the small group began to move towards the tea plantation that stretched on the side of the road. The atmosphere is still cool, the dew still refuses to budge from the foliage. They follow a small path, with Yoga as their guide.
***
While the men were exploring the tea garden, the women gathered in a gazebo near the pool while gossiping. Maira was still lying helpless in her room due to the influence of alcohol, so could not keep up with the gossip show. Glasses filled with orange ice and various cookies served, adding to the warm atmosphere.
“According to you where did Karina go?” Adrianna Chen opens the question.
“Tea plantation. But I'm not sure. Maybe he's lost somewhere. But the most plausible thing is that he may have escaped to the city in another vehicle that happened to pass by,” Tiara argues.
“I think the odds are very small. Rarely do vehicles pass through this area. Even if he escaped to the city, he would have to travel tens of kilometers. I'm not sure Karina can do that. Her hands are soft like a baby. He is not the rough type of worker,” said Rania.
“Then where is he?” Adrianna scrunched her forehead.
Rania shrugged her shoulders.
“I hope he's okay,” whispered Tiara.
***
A taxi roared into the castle grounds. The passenger was a tall woman with a haughty face, wearing a dark gray blazer and a matching skirt. Meanwhile, her partner was a dashing man dressed officially wearing sunglasses.
“Sepi, as usual!” said the haughty-looking woman. His gaze swept across the desolate castle.
“When did you last visit your uncle?” ask the man standing next to her.
“A year ago. There was usually Helen who welcomed. But this is very quiet,” said the woman.
“We go straight in!” take the man.
Without waiting for much time, the couple headed straight for the side yard by dragging their luggage. The woman seemed familiar with the castle. The side page is directly connected to the middle space. Both of them immediately checked the condition of the middle room which was a bit dirty. There are still remnants of cookie crumbs on the carpet and spills of drinks on the sofa.
“As if there was a party last night,” said the man.
The man, Ammar Marutami, is a police officer in charge of the murder case. His instincts were honed strongly to smell the irregularity somewhere. Countless murder cases that he managed to solve.
“I think your uncle has a guest,” said Ammar Marutami.
“Who?”
“Entahlah. Maybe we'll meet them later, Mariah!”
The haughty-looking woman, Mariah Alray is the niece of Anggara Laksono who has no less sharp instincts. They are both ideal couples. Mariah Alray, having a sixth sense, can feel the existence of something invisible around them.
“The atmosphere of this house is still the same. I can feel the negative aura around here!” said Mariah Alray.
“Let's find out!”
***