Murder In The Old Castle
XIX. The Corpse
Slowly, Ammar went down the stairs leading to the basement. Just a few steps away, he was immediately greeted by a stuffy and foul scent that blended into one. In a hurry he covered his nose and mouth. The contents of his stomach thrashed asking to be removed.
“You what is this? So riled up?”
As it was not strong, he returned to the top with a pale face resisting the nausea. His stomach feels stirred. His detective instincts instantly caught something wrong in that basement.
“What's up, Ammar?” mariah asked, when she saw the wrong move on her husband.
“I smell a foul smell downstairs. Like the smell of carrion!” ammar.
“Dead mouse smell possible ...” Mariah did not take her husband's remarks seriously.
Meanwhile, Helen still continues cooking, pretending not to care about what Ammar says. Of course the woman's heart was beating faster than usual. He can only resign, even if the body of Mr. Anggara is known to exist.
“I need a face mask!” ammar.
“I'll get you a minute!” Mariah stood up from her seat, rushing to pick up a cloth mask to cover Ammar's face.
Indeed, wherever Ammar went he was always ready with the objects that an investigator needed such as masks, gloves and loupe. Of course, firearms should not be missed. Sometimes there are sudden cases that inevitably force him to intervene
Like this time.
“I want you to come down!” ammar's orders to Mariah.
“Why? You scared?”
“I smell no irregularity in the basement. The negative aura was so stinging. I just want to make sure what I feel is wrong.”
Mariah scrunched her forehead. Ammar doesn't usually behave like that. He has always been confident in his investigation. This time he saw a glint of doubt in Ammar's eyes.
“Alright, I'll accompany you down!”
The couple slowly walked back to the basement. Just like the previous incident, a foul smell emanated instantly. Both Ammar and Mariah can still inhale the foul aroma, even though the mask has covered the nose and mouth.
“Well! You kissed her too, right? I know this scent. The stench of corpses!” hiss Ammar.
“You scared me. I feel a negative aura here. Spirits that scream in pain and anxiety. I also saw a woman with a sad face on the other end!” whispered Mariah. His eyeballs moved down every corner of the basement.
“Let's find out, what secret is in this basement!”
The two walked down the basement, checking from room to room. The stench is getting stronger. Mariah almost vomited. Arriving at the room where Pak Anggara's body, Ammar Marutami stood stunned, looking at the body wrapped in a plastic bag. A foul smell came out from there. Some flies also began to fly.
In fact, this scene was common to Ammar. His experience as a police officer has trained mentally, to be ready to face any conditions.
“You just wait here! Let me in!” ammar's orders.
“Is that a corpse?” ask Mariah.
***
That very afternoon, all the rooms were knocked by Ammar. With his authority as a state apparatus, he ordered the castle dwellers to gather in the living room. The excitement struck in his heart, inexhaustible how could the people in this castle keep secret the murder case of Mr. Anggara, who is none other than the uncle of his wife!
Mariah was devastated to see the condition of her uncle who died in a terrible state. Currently she chose to stay in the room, not following the call made by her husband. The woman still could not believe the horrifying sight that had just appeared before her eyes!
All the writers had already gathered in the living room with a tense feeling. Not a single sound was spoken. Even the ticking of the wall clock sounded clear. Ammar Marutami was standing, walking downstream with a visibly riled up face. He stared at the writers' faces one by one, as if scraping at what they had hidden in his heart.
After all, the writers have performed the role very well. They had pretended that everything was fine, whereas under his dwelling was a rotting corpse stored in plastic.
“Surely you know the reason why I asked you to gather in this place,” said Ammar.
Everyone was still silent, unaware of what was really going on.
“I used my authority as a police officer to call you, because there was a big problem that was deliberately covered here. It may look neat at first, but anyway the carcass will always give off an unpleasant smell. You forget, that I can smell carrion from quite a far radius. Today, one discovery has proven that there is indeed a discrepancy that you are hiding. And with a heavy heart, I can say that all of you are murder suspects!”
Ammar's sentence made all the writers present hold their breath. They glanced at each other, suspecting each other. Even Michael's face looked red. His reputation as a detective is over. Now Ammar Marutami, as a police officer has taken over the investigation.
“Prepare! In the next few days I will question you one by one. Whoever the killer is, don't expect to get away! Because even in a pinhole I'm gonna drag you to trial. This is not immediately Anggara Laksono is my wife's uncle, but here I stand as a law enforcer! One of you is a cold-blooded killer!”
Everyone present was uncomfortable. The predicate of the suspect pinned by Ammar Marutami really affects the feelings. They looked at each other, trying to guess the killer who could be sure to sit between them.
“This applies to you too, Helen! And you too, Rania! Because you have conspired with them to keep this murder secret neatly. Anggara's body has begun to break, and Mariah will carry out the funeral procession tomorrow. Tomorrow there are medics who will bring the body of Mr. Anggara. It was not easy, because the distance of the cemetery was quite far. None of you are allowed to attend the funeral! Only Mariah's going to town tomorrow. You guys will stay, and I will start the investigation.”
Helen and Rania who were in that place just silenced. There's nothing he can do.
“I will also track down the departure of Karina, who was reported missing. He could be a suspect, because he's escaped somewhere. Oya, there is still one more occupant of this house who has not appeared. The gardener, Yoga. Where is he?” ask Ammar Marutami.
“Normally this hour he breaks in his room in the back,” said Rania.
“I knocked on his room but no one answered. Is it possible that he's out of the castle?” ask Ammar full of questions.
“He never came out, except to take Helen shopping to the city. But Helen had been shopping a few days ago, so there was no timetable to the city anymore. I think he's alone somewhere else. Yesterday I talked to him in the back shed. I've seen changes lately. It's like stress, and it saves a heavy load,” said Rania.
“When did you last meet him?”
“Yesterday morning. After that afternoon I did not see each other again. This morning, I also saw the backyard was still full of leaves strewn about. I don't know if he forgot to clean up or if there was some other business,” said Rania.
“After who saw Yoga?” Ammar's gaze swept across the writers' faces one by one.
“My gut says something's wrong with him. He used to get up before sunrise, clean the backyard and then clean the front yard. This is out of his habit,” added Rania.
“Good. We'll find out later!”
***