Murder In The Old Castle
341. Sacred Secret

Reno and Jeremy go back down the hallway under the basement. The more inward, it turns out the more branching the hallway. Reno never even suspected that under this castle there are many hallways and rooms in the tens. Worth it, the killer can freely hide and hold the victim in a place like this. Whoever he was must have mastered the intricacies of the castle. As far as Reno was concerned, the ones who knew the most about the intricacies of the castle must have been the people who had lived here. Helen, the mysterious housekeeper, has long since died. Who else knows about the castle?

As far as Reno is concerned, Helen had no family. Or maybe he has a family, but Reno doesn't know? He thought, may Dimas be able to trace anything about this mysterious castle, both in terms of buildings and about the people who once lived in it.

Mariah, is a close relative of Anggara Laksono, but she does not live in this castle. He also suspected, surely Mariah also did not know that under the castle is filled with mysterious hallways and rooms. Of all the rooms, some were locked, and some opened their doors. Looking at the forms of the room, it seemed like this basement was a former prison or place of torture. Although Reno did not possess a sixth sense like Mariah, she felt uncomfortable lingering in this dungeon. He decided to return to the upper castle immediately.

"It looks like we'll spend some time exploring this dungeon alone, Jer!" said Reno.

"Sir Reno just give it up?" jeremy asked, starting to get angry.

"No. Not surrender. But we have to think of another way. What we're doing is stupid and unrealistic. You don't see, this basement is full of misleading hallways. We may get lost here and forget our way out. Indeed he said this basement also penetrated into the reading room, only I had not found the secret path. We'd better go back, and we'll think of the best way to find them" Reno said.

"Sorry Sir! If Mr. Reno is not able, then I will find it myself! The problem is the human yawa, sir. It could be that the delay that Mr. Reno made would be fatal to them. We need to find them as soon as possible!" Jeremy began to argue.

"I understand that, Jer! I-i understand. But even in police work procedures we are required to think about our own safety, lest we act foolishly and ignorantly towards ourselves. Remember Jer! What we face is not the usual clothesline malingering lingerie in the villages. Not Jer! What we are dealing with is someone who likes to kill lives in a sadistic way. He also has a cunning brain and smart, so it is easy to fool us. In addition, he is also smart to play the drama, pretending to be good in front of us all, but in the heart is very eager to finish. We can't mess around, Jer! We need tactics to deal with something like this. We have to think about the steps to take!" Reno.

He tries to convince Jeremy who seems to want to do reckless, down the mysterious basement. In fact, Reno alone had to think dozens of times to walk through the basement that turned out to be so spacious and confusing. Jeremy seemed silent for a moment. He was trying to understand Reno's words. However, Reno is a police officer who has a lot of experience handling many cases. Of course, he had considered both the good and the bad, every one would do something. Jeremy is an ordinary civilian who is lay with criminal things like this. He could only breathe.

"Pak Reno should understand my position as well. I was so worried about the condition of Stella that until now not clear news. Nadine was found safe. Honestly, sir, it makes me very sick. Why wasn't Stella the only one found? But that doesn't mean I hate Nadine, sir. That is, I also want Stella to be found safe" Jeremy said in a soft voice.

Reno this time also fell silent while sighing. He also tried to understand Jeremy's position. He could not imagine that Silvia was in Stella's position, of course he would do anything to save her. Suddenly he remembered Stella. He had left him for several days, and he had not been in contact with his wife. But he still has to be professional. He cannot be weak with something like this.

Finally after deliberating for a moment, the two men agreed to go back up first, because seeing the situation inside the basement was quite difficult to trace if only relying on two people. They stepped back, turning towards the passageway out of the basement. They just fell silent into each other down the hallway, drowning in their respective jitters.

Before long, they arrived at the window out of the basement that connected the kitchen. However, they stopped for a moment, because not usually the window was closed. Usually if someone goes underground, the window will be left open. Reno's feeling is not good. In a hurry he tried to open the window. Apparently, his premonition proved to be true! The window cannot be opened. Someone accidentally closed the window.

"We're trapped! Someone's closing the window!" reno.

"Geez!"

***

Dimas immediately drove the car to the southeast of the city, according to the address given by the school administration officer. He was tracking the whereabouts of Holy Andriani, the girl whose figure was captured in an old photo belonging to Mariah. He was quite surprised, if Suci Andriani was part of The Girl Squad, why was he not invited to the castle reunion? However, if she is not a member of The Girl Squad, why did her figure take pictures among the six other girls? Dimas wanted to find the answer to this question, as this might have something to do with the case he was facing.

Dimas cars enter densely populated areas whose road conditions are not so wide. Many residential areas on the side of the road. Their houses were crammed, crammed, and tended to be shabby. Many children play by the side of the road, even among them do not wear clothes. Dimas then turned into an alley that only fit one car. He slowed down the speed of the car, because according to the address he searched, the Holy Andriani residence was not far from this place.

"Rhinestone Gang number 71. Maybe in front ... " murmured Dimas while glaring at the paper with the address he had prepared beforehand.

The dimas stopped at a simple house, which was painted dull and peeling a lot, with a narrow courtyard planted with ornamental plants, but not maintained. Dimas saw the writing of the house number, it seems to have been in accordance with the address given by Mila.

He got out of the car, entered the yard, and knocked on the door. It seemed like the atmosphere was so quiet, like it was uninhabited. Dimas waited a while, maybe the person inside the house did not hear the beat. Fortunately, not long after, the door of the house opened. A woman over half a century old opened the door, then looked at Dimas with a strange look. Perhaps the woman was suspicious, because she did not usually have a well-dressed guest like this.

"Good morning, Mother. Is this really Andriani's Holy House?" ask Dimas politely.

The woman showed increasingly strange behavior. The parasite suddenly turned sad, not immediately answering Dimas's question. He looks to be breathing.

"What is the need to seek the Saints?" ask the mother later.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm Dimas, from the police. I want to meet Saints for a moment. Can it?" dimas asked, trying as polite as possible so that the woman before him did not feel intimidated.

"Only meet? Let me take you!" said the mother.

Dimas was a bit surprised. She felt that she did not understand what she meant, but she decided on her own. Suddenly she came out of the house and put on her veil. He locked the door and said, "Come, sir!"

Dimas who is still confused, would not want to follow the steps of the mother. The woman walked down a small street beside her house, which was flanked by other rundown and crowded houses. A neighbor who was hanging clothes was greeting the mother.

"Where are you going, Tin?" ask the neighbor.

"Postle guests, Tea!" answer the Mother.

The neighbor glanced at Dimas with a look of amazement, from head to toe. Maybe in his life he rarely saw a man with a neat look like this.However, he did not comment anything.just staring at the departure of the mother and Dimas.

After walking for some time through a patch of cassava garden, they arrived at a place that made Dimas shudder. The mother brought Dimas to visit an area of the village cemetery that looks lonely. Dimas had no idea why this mother had brought him to a place like this. They came upon a slightly unkempt tomb, which was located just below the frangipani tree. Dimas felt uncomfortable in that place. He saw a tombstone that began to moss, saying 'Holy Andriani'. Dimas just understood, if the Holy Andriani he was looking for was already dead.

"This is his tomb, Holy," said the mother in a raucous voice.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I don't mean to make Mom sad I don't know if Suci is dead" Dimas said slowly.

The woman stopped her story for a moment. His eyes seemed to be glazed over, as it endured the sudden sadness overflowing in his chest. Dimas was confused. Suddenly she told me, without asking. He tried to listen to the mother first, without any intention of interrupting.

"He's not happy. Never, Go home school always moody, and just eat a little. I always asked what the problem was, but he just shook his head. I was a failed mother. I failed to make her happy and keep her entertained. I was eager to know what her problems were, so that I could also feel the pain she was in."

This mother sighed, having been able to master her emotions.

"Then my curiosity peaked. I'm trying to figure out what really happened to my daughter. However, no one knows why Saints are like that, even though I have asked around. Achievements at school also suddenly decreased, until one day I found a diary of his that was left behind at the study table. I've never seen that book before. I was curious, so I decided to read his diary.

This is where I know what he is feeling. I know what is making him nervous. Apparently he was experiencing tremendous mental pressure from his friends. Suci until now did not reveal what the names of his friends who did mental pressure on him. He never wrote it. Only, he felt very sad when he was humiliated and labeled poor .... "

This time the mother had no power to restrain her emotions. Tears began to fall soaking the cheeks that began to wrinkle. Dimas feels pity. He gave her a handkerchief, so that the mother could wipe the tears.

"Mom doesn't have to tell me that it makes me sad" Dimas said.

"Let me tell you a story! You're a cop, right? I want to tell you this so that the Saints can get justice. He didn't deserve to die. He doesn't deserve it!" Mom started to get emotional.

"What can I do for the Saints, Mom? The more I wish for Holy Death, the better. I'm sure, if Saints still exist, of course he also does not want a mother like this. Just let it go" said Dimas.

"I'm actually sincere. But how is it? I can't just forget what happened to my son. He's a good boy. Shouldn't have received this kind of treatment" the mother said.

"What kind of behavior did you read in the diary?" tanya Dimas was tempted to ask.

"Rude words, mockery, even he said the treatment was not physically comfortable. I can't imagine how much Holy it is. He received this treatment for months. He never mentioned who did this, so I was eager to come to his school. However, I have not been there yet, Suci is dead. Saints only mentioned there were some female friends who liked to hurt her, but there was a friend who always defended her. Suci simply wrote that a friend of his was his best friend, who always protected him when others began to insult and hurt." explained the mother.

"Holy didn't write those names at all, Mom?"

"Not at all. Perhaps Saint thought, he did not want to trouble others, so he kept all this pain to himself. Not even he wrote in the diary," said the mother.

"I'm worried about hearing that, Mom. May whoever is evil be punished accordingly.  I'm sorry for asking too many questions. Really, I don't mean to make mom sad" Dimas said.

"So what exactly is it that you seek the Saints?" ask the mother again with a curious face.

"I ... I just want to know because .. because I found a photo of a mother's child in a book, and I was very interested to know the true story of the mother's daughter," dimas replied rather nervously.

"Which photo? Can I see?"

Dimas had no other choice. Forced to take out a photo he took of Mariah's file, he showed it to the mother. Looking at Saints in the photo, the mother looked sad again, but then she looked riled and angry.

"The girls! Yes I am sure these girls who have exerted mental and physical pressure on the Saints! I've never met them, but I'm sure, these girls are what Saints mean!"

***