Murder In The Old Castle
269. Early Morning

A pitch-black night enshrouded as a minibus sped through the city's arteries, heading towards the outskirts. The sky was dark, there were no stars scattered, only a crescent moon hanging in the middle of the sky. The speed of the vehicle is fairly moderate, not too fast. Inside, the passengers sat silently with tired faces. They just want to get there and rest.

Behind the minibus.Reno cars follow, keep a distance so as not too far behind, and ensure they do not happen anything in the house of isolation. Inside the minibus, there were three women sitting in the middle seat, and three men in the back seat. They are an entourage of artists and film crews who are ready to move into isolation.

"Still far?" chirps Laura.

But no one answered his question. Widya and Rianti just flinch. Everyone is lazy to open the sound tonight. They chose to close their eyes. While in the back seat, the men had fallen asleep, as if they did not care about the surroundings.

A few moments later, the car arrived at the area where the isolation house was located. The car does not go inside, so it can only park on the side of the road. All the passengers soon awakened from the dream, rising to carry their personal belongings. Somewhat surprisingly, because they did not see the isolation house clearly. All they saw were trees and empty plantations.

"Not wrong?" riky said while staring around.

"It's a perfect place for isolation. There is no internet facility here. Quiet and inland here," added Guntur.

"My villa is so much better than here" Henry lamented.

They express opinions that are average pessimistic and negative. Moreover, they did not see the severa building directly. Reno immediately explained that to visit the isoalsi house, they had to walk first along the small road. The house was not visible from the highway, as it was covered in trees and located slightly above the hill.

They don't argue. That night, they began to walk down the path that was right-left overgrown with trees. There was no illumination at all on the narrow road, so each of them used the flashlight from the mobile phone as a street light.

"This is the cross-country name" complained Riky.

"Don't let the condition of his house be sad too. I can't live in a place like that."

Rianti began to be prejudiced.

After a while, they finally arrived in front of the old building covered with many trees. The two-story building stands in the middle of a land that is still overgrown with trees and shrubs. The atmosphere is very creepy, because the lighting is very limited. They looked at the building. The haunted impression was so pronounced once they set foot in the front yard.

"That's right! We're actually gonna be isolated or tested for guts?" riky commented in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"My feeling is not good. Maybe it's a mental test before I play in a horror movie" Laura said.

"Why is this place like this?" lament Thunder.

Reno did not seem to react to hear the various negative-pitched speech. After passing through the tree-filled front hall area, they were immediately ordered to enter through the front door. The night was very late, even more than 12 midnight. They feel tired and sleepy, want to rest immediately. However, Reno told them to wait in the living room, before Pak Paiman and Bu Mariyati directed further. Reno gave a brief explanation, then preyed; pak Paiman and Bu Mariyati to be introduced to them all.

Mr. Paiman and Mr. Mariyati were actually going to explain a little about the rooms in the Dutch-style house, but because the night was too late, and they had to rest, and they had to rest, Mr. Paiman showed me the bedrooms they used. As before, the women would occupy the rooms on the second floor, while the men would occupy the rooms on the lower floors.

They immediately occupied their respective rooms without much comment, because the condition of the body was tired. Each of them has been divided by private keys, and it is advisable to lock the door while in the room, and not lend the key to anyone, even to friends themselves.

"May all be safe tonight" muttered Reno as she threw herself on the front sofa.

Undeniably, he also felt very tired, both physical and mind.he just wanted to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee tonight.

"We can't be cheated anymore, sir. Hopefully everything can go smoothly and the perpetrators of this murder can be arrested immediately," said Mr. Paiman while accompanying the sit.

Ms. Mariyati came out of the room inside, carrying a tray of two cups of hot coffee to accompany them on the night vigil. He realized that the next nights would be different. They must be more vigilant in the face of all possibilities that occur.

"Mother Mariyati should be careful as well when it comes to food. Because this killer has access to cyanide poison. If necessary, we order food from the outside" Reno said.

"Don't worry, sir. I will handle their food matters well. I'm no longer in the market, but all groceries will be delivered through online services" said Ms Mariyati.

Reno just nodded. There was a sense of worry tucked away, but he tried to calm himself. Tonight, he will not sleep, because he must be on guard from all possibilities that will happen. Moreover, the current condition they are in a state of fatigue, would be very easy to be influenced by someone who has evil intentions.

***

"samma ... Rani's. You-you still survive, right?" whispered Niken, the bound policewoman.

He used the remaining energy he had to move. Understandably, all day this mysterious figure that binds them does not appear, so the intake of food and drink is also not they can. Now, their bodies really feel weak. Even Niken suspected Rani was unconscious. The young girl must have been severely dehydrated.

"Know! Arise .. ba-wake!" Niken tried to scream, but his voice was very weak.

Rani's figure was still drooping, with some hair covering her face. His weak body rested on the wall, as if resigned to the prevailing circumstances. Niken was very sad to see that. At this moment, it was as if death was looming in the eye sack. He could not imagine if his fate ended in this empty house. He was not sure if anyone had come to save him.

Niken realized, this time he could not rely on Rani. because the young girl was unconscious. he only hoped that the girl would still survive. He again used the remnants of strength to creep up slowly, shifting his entire body to move towards the glass window. He would kick the window, to attract the attention of anyone who happened to pass by or if possible, the glass window could break.

As powerful as he shifted, inch by inch he passed with all his might. Niken was very tormented by the situation, but he tried to strengthen himself. He wanted to cry, but the tears did not make him stronger. She is not a girl who gives up easily. He grew up in a harsh family environment, against the background of his father being a member of the military. He could find a way out of this big house.

Sayup-sayup, he saw out there a housing security officer was passing by on foot sorting a flashlight in all directions. The spirit of Niken immediately rose. He accelerated towards the window with all his might. One more meter, he would be able to reach for that big glass window. He can't just give up.

"To-toolong!

Niken tried to scream, but it seemed like his voice could only hang in his throat. He lost all his energy, and his whole body was completely drained. He tried to kick the window with his foot, but it felt too difficult. The security guard who was on patrol was already away. Niken could only cry seeing that. Her tears were shed without her noticing. At this moment he feels like the most unfortunate cop in the world.

***

Dimas stuck himself in the workspace at his home, while continuing to research every artist's name who had assets in the luxury housing complex. One fact he managed to know, that the names of artists who recorded as the owner of the house, only use the building as an asset, not as a residence. So actually they don't really live there. Only Renita Martin used the house as the main residence.

The plan is tomorrow, he will check directly to the location of the houses owned by the artists. Tonight was late enough, so it was impossible for him to check directly to the location. He closed the data on the table, while drinking coffee that was cold. His eyes were already sore, for too long glaring at the notes. Maybe it's time to rest for a while, considering that the clock is already speeding away leaving the number 12.

He rushed to the toilet to clean his face and brush his teeth, when he saw his phone vibrate. An early-morning call, he surmises for sure the call is from Reno, as he knows that currently Reno is struggling alone uncovering cases in an isolated house. After all, he could not bear that his co-worker was handling this alone. He should help, whenever he needs to.

He checked the call, apparently not from Reno, but from Gilda. Holy hooch! It felt bad every time the journalist called. Surely he is hunting for data or want to involve him in a very strange business. He did not raise the call, though he was fully aware that Gilda would be angry again.

As Gilda's call was not picked up, the female journalist sent a message to Dimas.

"Dimas, is it true that the police are isolating the suspects again? Well, if it's true I can visit there again and get more information. What say?"

This is the message of Gilda. Dimas just sighed. He had no intention of replying to the message. Gilda always came uninvited, and always at the wrong time. It is like a plant pest that must be eradicated. Dimas no longer dizzy with Gilda's message. Immediately he turned off the phone, pulled the blanket, and laid himself on the bed. His brain felt tired, and needed some quality rest that night.

***