Murder In The Old Castle
152. Live Broadcast
A taxi stopped in front of an eight-story building in a busy business center. It wasn't too late, because the sun had just sunk. Busyness is still visible, the workers just came home from the office so the streets look a little jammed.
Ferdy got out of the cab, got into the lobby of the building to get to the sixth floor. His steps were a little rushed, not caring about the surroundings.
He got into the elevator, dialed the floor number that would take him to the sixth floor. On that floor, his presence has been awaited by several people who will produce a talk-show event hosted by Gilda Anwar. Seeing Ferdy's presence, the young woman smiled brightly, welcoming.
“Am I late?” ask Ferdy.
“Fatty-five minutes before on-air. Well, quite timely. Please go to the wardrobe room first to improve your appearance. You look a little messy tonight,” said Gilda.
Ferdy immediately moved into the dressing room. A make-up artist brushes her hair, rubs it with pomade, gives thin powder to the face and tidies up her appearance. He looked at his reflection in the mirror surrounded by lights with a bit of worry. He is not used to being in public. Suddenly his heart was racing a little.
The appointed time arrives. Inside the crew-filled studio, Ferdy sat on a flower-patterned sofa as a guest star, while Gilda Anwar, with a neat look, would ask her questions. Ferdy felt a little nervous, until he finally took a deep breath. Highlighting the cameras around him made him panic a little.
“Welcome to An Hour with Gilda,” greet Gilda friendly.
Ferdy smiled as sweetly as possible. He realized that he was currently being highlighted by television cameras, and broadcast live all over the country. He could imagine that there were currently tens of thousands of pairs of eyes staring at his face from the glass screen. He knew that the Gilda-hosted show's rating was excellent. He tried to show the expression as naturally as possible.
Fortunately, throughout the event, Gilda made many jokes that eliminated her nervousness. However, Gilda's questions sometimes make her have to think hard before she answers.
“So it's true that you were one of the people who saw Jenny Veronica last time in person at the party that night, before she was found dead?” asked Gilda in a serious tone.
“Iya, I did get to see him that night,” Ferdy replied short.
“Do you feel like there is something strange about Jenny or something unusual?” ask Gilda.
Ferdy was silent for a moment. Gilda's questions resembled those of a blind cop, as if interrogating her. He took a breath for a moment.
“I didn't pay much attention, because a lot of people were there that night. I don't know that girl very well, anyway. All I know is he's a friend of my cousin, Gerry.”
“Good. According to the police records I managed to get, Jenny was murdered at the party. Can you tell the chronology of what happened to the viewers at home?” pinta Gilda's.
Ferdy frowned. He did not expect that Gilda got fast and accurate information. There's no way he could have avoided that question.
“Entahlah. It happened so fast. One of our friends was screaming to see Jenny's body in the bathroom. We went there to check, and we found Jenny dead,” Ferdy said.
“Can you tell me how it is?”
“I didn't see for long because I didn't .. couldn't bear to see a girl in such a terrible state. I just saw a lot of blood. That's it.”
“Then what happened to Jenny's corpse?”
“Jenny's boyfriend, namely Rudi, proposes to dump Jenny's body into the lake ... This is all her fault ..., “ replied Ferdy weakly.
The talk show successfully attracted the attention of some residents of the city. Many people enthusiastically follow the show. They are also curious about the chronology of Jenny's murder. Ferdy's description is quite surprising, because they did not expect that Jenny's body was deliberately dumped into the lake by her own friends.
At the same time, Rudi was in the room when her phone rang. Apparently there's a call from Lena. Rudi was actually lazy to lift, but in the end he raised the call as well. Well, he knows Lena has little sympathy for him, but he doesn't understand Lena. He was already quite traumatized by the events that happened to Jenny and Nayya.
“Have you seen Channel-9?” ask Lena across.
“What's really why? Isn't that a news channel?”
“Your name was mentioned on the show An Hour with Gilda. Try watching now!” lena Pinta.
Rudi was curious about what Lena said. He turned on the TV to find out. Well, he saw Ferdy being interviewed by Gilda Anwar. Clearly on the show Ferdy cornered himself, as if he was the one responsible for Jenny's death.
“Bigger! He should be the one to die! I swear I'll kill him!” rudi Umpat.
***
The hour hand was already showing at nine o'clock more, but signs of the mysterious figure returning to the apartment were not yet visible. Gerry began to fidget, even though he had prepared water in a flask. He took a breath as he looked towards Nayya who was also getting bored.
“I don't think he'll come here. Usually before 9 he has come to deliver food,” said Nayya.
“Maybe tomorrow morning he'll be here,” sighs Gerry.
“If tomorrow morning, then you have to boil water again, because the water is not hot enough. I wish he never came here again. We escaped in our own way,” Nayya said.
“Difficult without the help of outsiders, Nay. We need someone else's help. We are trapped here,” Gerry said.
Nayya looks bored. He played with his fingers.
“I miss .. “ said Nayya lirih.
“Your family?” ask Gerry.
“Yes. They must be anxious and sad about my loss. I shouldn't have gone shopping that night, because Mama told me not to come home late. I'm sorry.”
Nayya began to shed tears. Gerry felt pity, approached Nayya and rubbed the girl's shoulder.
“You're lucky, Nay. Have a family that loves you. This was different from my parents who were busy doing business overseas, and handed me over to a maid in a luxurious house. They thought I would be happy with the luxury they gave me. They wrong. I envy the happiness of friends who can be with their families. Even now, even if my parents knew that I was kidnapped, they wouldn't care. What they have in mind is money, money, and money. I'm sick of it,” said Gerry.
“Sometimes I think ... why should I? Why should I be kidnapped by that crazy figure?”
“You know him well, don't you?” ask Gerry.
“Iya Ger. Long ago. Once before. I just didn't think he had this dark side. I .. I just don't believe it. He still holds such a grudge.”
Gerry speechless. Time shows ten o'clock over fifteen minutes. Nayya looks sleepy. Maybe he's tired. Gerry also felt tired, as if the hope of getting out of this room had been wiped out. At eleven o'clock, he heard the sound of a door lock opening.
Click!
***