Murder In The Old Castle
236. Secret Duty

Niken felt awkward sitting in front of Reno who was looking at her seriously. The police are waiting for the results of Niken's analysis at a cafe. The young lady looked serious, then offered a name to Reno hesitantly. Reno received the paper, then squinted her eyes. He looked back at Niken questioningly.

"So you think this name will be the next victim?" ask Reno.

Niken nodded. Reno gave a small smile and then handed the paper back to Niken, shaking her head. Niken's mentality is really tested. For a moment, he felt greatly underestimated.

"Can you explain to me why you chose this name?" ask Reno.

"certain. First, I chose this name because the one being stalked by the killer might be a woman. Because in the puzzle paper it is written the name of the queen or goddess of darkness. I analyzed all the names of the women involved in the case, excluding Anita's name because she had already been killed. There are 4 names left, I think that's the closest to the killer's puzzle" Niken said.

"Yes, then what is the corroborating evidence?"

"The queen of darkness is synonymous with evil or something dark. I'm trying to find the bad characters in those names, but I don't think I've found anyone really bad. So I thought, maybe the queen of darkness could mean the antagonist in a story .. or if not, it must have something to do with something dark, like a horror movie for example. So I chose Renita Martin!" papar Niken's.

"A reasonable analysis. Maybe Renita Martin is the next victim, but it can not be ascertained either. Sometimes it's just a trap. The third riddle yesterday the killer chose the name Hermaphrodite, and after analysis it was true that the target was Ollan. It was fortunate that Dimas and I were quick to act, so the killer failed to execute Ollan. Even so, Ollan's position is not completely safe. Now, the killer chose the queen of darkness for his next victim. It could be that your guess is right. Okay, then let's figure out how he's gonna kill his victim? Do you have a picture of the riddle?" ask Reno.

Niken looked back at the paper containing the puzzle, then he seemed to think. He returned the paper to Reno while shaking his head. He had no picture of the puzzle paper.

"I'm sorry" muttered Niken.

"Yes, you must indeed apologize for you taking something from my house without my permission. It was a criminal act. But I'm not mad, I'll give you a chance to uncover this if you want. So, sorry, I don't want to accept this. Please solve the puzzle, because you have found a name that you think the killer is stalking. So, please work, Niken. Isn't that what you want?" reno said while thrusting back the puzzle paper.

"Not .. that's not what I meant. I just .... "

"So what? Aren't you disappointed that you only got a small role from this case? Now I'll give you a full chance. You can do whatever you want. This case is now in your control. Please take care of this case!"

"But .. I still need your help and Dimas. I can't handle this alone" said Niken.

"Yes, we'll help you. We're ready to help you because it has to do with someone's life. Tell me! What help do you need?"

Urged like that Niken looks confused, because honestly he does not have any picture with this case. He only knows a glimpse. Disappointment and desire to show ability to other police, making him ambitious to take an important role in this case. Niken was silent for a moment, confused as to what to say.

"Call me if you need help! Good night!"

Reno smiled, then moved from her seat. He walked away leaving the more confused Niken. In fact, now he feels confused about what he should do, even though the time is getting narrower. If he acts too late, the new victim will fall again.

***

The arrival of Dimas and Ollan in Kampung Hitam was very welcome by the village dedengkot, namely Raymond and its members. Since Ferdy's case, Raymond's relationship with the police has been pretty good. The police consider Raymond Brothers quite meritorious for successfully saving Nayya from the threat of murder.

Now when a new case resurfaces, Dimas comes to Raymond to ask him for help. In return, the police will not touch on past crimes involving Raymond Brothers. So the relationship between them is more like a symbiotic mutualism.

The fierce-looking man looked at Ollan with a sharp gaze, from head to toe. If usually he handled is a beautiful woman, but why is this time a gleaming man? Raymond smiled slightly at Ollan. Ollan himself was uncomfortable. Actually he wanted to refuse to stay here, but for his own good, he was forced to obey what Dimas planned for him.

"He'll be safe here. Mr. Dimas don't worry! We'll take good care of him!"

"Thank you, Ray. I have no doubt about the reputation of Raymond Brothers. I'm sure he'll be safe here. I think you guys should be a little patient with him. Understandably, he's not used to it here yet. I told him to get used to the hard life" Dimas said.

"Hmm, no problem. If need be, I'll train here how to be a real man hahaha!"

Raymond's words were met with Dimas's laughter. While Ollan looked irritated, because he was considered not a real man. The parasite turned manyun. He was a bit worried about living with this fierce-looking foreign man. Moreover, Ollan often heard of the reputation of Raymond Brothers who were not good, so it added to his worry.

"Hmm, I think Badi is getting more polite now. He became a new person I didn't even know. And now, he's out with Nayya" Raymond said.

"Nayya? Wow so they .... " Dimas stopped his sentence.

As Dimas knows, this Nayya is Rudi's lover. Then why did the girl come out with Badi? But Dimas did not want to think further, because it was not his business at all.

"I think so!" raymond replied while nodding.

Dimas follow the mangosteen. After chatting for a moment, and making sure Ollan's condition was fine, Dimas said goodbye to leave Kampung Hitam. he was a little calmer, because even though this village got a reputation less good than the people of the city, the city, Dimas believed that this village was much safer than other villages. He believed Raymond would deal with the problem exactly when something happened to Ollan.

Ollan got a room ration that was once occupied by Nayya. Of course, not a classy room like in an apartment or previous boarding place. An old bed and a small cupboard were provided to store the clothes. In the room, it smelled a little unpleasant smell because it was not maintained. Ollan suddenly felt nauseous, felt like vomiting.

"You why? Pregnant?" raymond asked while looking intently at Ollan.

"Eh, no Bang. Maybe it's in the wind." Ollan.

In the not too distant future, a glass of hot tea was instantly available to Ollan. Raymond's men were ordered to make hot tea immediately. Ollan felt bad, for fear of being troublesome. Even Ollan did not expect to get such a service.

"Eat already?" ask Raymond.

Ollan just nodded. He was not hungry tonight, because he had eaten a lot with his slang friends. Dimas had been warning for a while he was forbidden to contact anyone except Reno or Dimas. He was also banned from contacting Niken. If he needs anything, he is advised to tell Raymond. Sure, this would be some kind of nightmare for him, but he would strive to accept this state of affairs.

***

On top of a deserted bridge, a young woman seemed restless waiting for someone. Many times he paced back and forth while scapegoating. In fact, the night is getting late. The atmosphere around seemed quiet, there was not even a vehicle crossing the bridge. Sometimes he looked under the bridge that flowed by the river. The stream was dark, barely visible.

A car suddenly came, then stopped on the side of the road near the bridge. A tall and dashing man got down from the car, approaching the young woman. The young woman smiled with relief at the arrival of the man.

"Thank God you're coming soon, Faishal! I'm afraid to be here alone" said the young woman.

"I'm busy today, Mel! But I took the time to meet you because there's something important that I have to tell you" said the man who is none other than Faishal Hadibrata.

"So .. does this mean we will be in a relationship again? Do you want to marry me?" ask the young woman named Melani expectantly.

"Maybe, Mel. Maybe, but there's something you have to do before" Faishal said.

"Is this some kind of assignment?" ask Melani.

"Yes, this is some kind of assignment for you. I wanted to get close to this man, and take something he took from me. I've lost my way, so maybe he'll be more interested if a woman talks to him. I can't be gentle, because I must be angry when I face him . I don't want to know how, which I obviously want him to give me back!" faishal said as he handed Melani a photo.

"This is ....?" Melani receives a photo from Faishal. He watched the photo for a moment, surprised.

"Yes, of course you know him because he's your high school friend right? This will make it easier for you, Mel. That is, you do not need to take a how-to approach to him. I need your help, after that we'll talk about our relationship. How's it?"

Melani fell silent, but because she was in a weak position, she could only nod slowly. Faishal smiled happily as his plan worked. He stroked Melani's hair muttering, "Smart girl!"

***