Murder In The Old Castle
343. Indictment

In a damp and cold basement, in a room that is quite spacious.there is a weathered bed, a worn sink, and newspaper articles on the wall. The atmosphere is gloomy and a little creepy. On the floor there are traces of blood that has dried. There is even a toilet room here. The tolilet was broken and malfunctioning, there was only a water faucet there, the water always dripping. In this room, once occupied by a blind-eyed woman, a psychopath was deliberately hidden underground. It was this blind woman named Anjani who encouraged Tivani aka Tiara to launch a serial murder in the castle neighborhood.

Actually, this secret room is close to the reading room, so that if you pass through the reading room, it will be easier to find it. Compared to other rooms, this room is wider, or it can be said to be the main room.However, not everyone can find this secret room, because of its fairly winding access. Even who has ever visited this cubicle, there is no guarantee of being able to find your way back to this cubicle properly.

The hidden room is now reopened. After previously Niken was placed in a small room, now Niken moved in the room in a state of mouth covered with duct tape and his hands bound. It's just , the legs are not tied, until he is free to walk pacing. Niken had a chance to go around, it seemed like there was nothing that could be used for self-defense. There was only one table and a worn-out chair. Everything is haunted and scary.

Niken walked up to the dull wall filled with old newspaper news articles. The average news was about the fame of Anggara Laksono's name in the past. Niken read the billionaire's football carefully. Then in another section, he also found a row of photos of writers who had been invited in the castle. Some of them have been victims of murder. Niken shudder. He did not expect that in the end he would be part of this extraordinary murder case.

He then checked all parts of the room, just in case there was a gap that could be used to escape. Looks like the walls of this room are strong and there are almost no gaps. Niken is upset with the condition of the hand tied like this. Moreover, his mouth was also closed. Since yesterday the figure has not appeared again. He was worried that he would be left to rot in this room. It does not feel the presence of others in the room, so this main room feels quiet and creepy. Many strange sounds made Niken a little afraid.

While in another room not far from Niken's room, Aditya looked weak, with his hands hanging in handcuffs. His head was drowned, even to lift it he had no effort. Aditya has to keep his energy as good as possible, because since last night he has not eaten. Now it feels once that his energy is starting to drain away.

The running time felt slow for Aditya. He could no longer remember whether it was morning, noon, or night. Everything looks the same in the room. He could do nothing but wait for death to come. Yes, in his mind he won't survive for long. Even in his weakened and unconscious condition, he once dreamed that Lidya was picking him up. The woman looked beautiful in a white dress, like an angel. Unfortunately, all of that is Aditya's hallucination. In such conditions, strange shadows sometimes appear suddenly. Aditya can only step down.

Krieet!

Suddenly the door of the room opened. The black-clothed figure reappeared with a bottle of water and a bread pack. He opened the duct tape that covered Aditya's mouth later, thrusting drinking water into the man's mouth. Like a thirsty cow, Adit drank the water in the bottle to the end. After that, the figure also helped Adit to make the bread he brought, he said,

"I'm a murderer, but I don't kill for no reason. You know your mistake, Dit? I will try to remind you of the mistakes you have made in the past. Now fill your belly first so you don't starve to death. I want you to die more honorable than just starving!" say that figure.

"Who are you?" ask Aditya weakly.

"I'm part of your past, Dit. I know your youth, you're famous for being so radiant, with the handsome look you have, you managed to attract beautiful girls, including Lidya. But unfortunately they don't know the true rottenness of your heart. You take advantage of an innocent girl who knows nothing, then try to ruin her chastity, after you mix sleeping pills in her drink. Do you remember that. Adit?"

"A-I don't understand what you're saying .... "

"Even at a time like this you're still evasive, Dit. All right it's okay. Justice will still be enforced in my own way, so that there will be no more people like you. Do you know Tiara Laksmi or Tivani who was the suspect in this castle murder? Yes, he is my inspiration. When the world got rid of him, he tried to shine in his own way. Now I will rise again, avenging my best friend as well as others who are persecuted!" said the figure dressed all in black.

Unfortunately, Aditya did not manage to recognize who this figure really is, even though he knew that from the gender, it is definitely female. However, he was unable to ascertain who was hiding behind this black costume. Moreover, Aditya's condition is weak. He could not see the maximum, because it was as if the shadow in front of him was just a hazy shadow. He doesn't want to bother with all that.

Aditya no longer argues. What the figure said is true. In his memory now appeared the face of Sacred, the innocent girl whom he had once deceived. However, it was all his mischief as a teenager. He did not expect that he would reap the fruit of his mischief. He just waits, waiting for what will happen.

The figure did not want to linger in Aditya's room. He immediately went out and locked the door. Before long, he walked down the hallway to the main room that Niken occupied. He opened the room, found Niken sitting on the edge of the bed. His mouth was still closed and his hands were also tied. The figure placed the drinking water in a plastic bottle and bread on the table, without saying a word. He simply beckoned Niken to eat the food he had brought.

Niken was just speechless.looking at the figure expressionlessly. His movements showed that this figure was not nervous at all, even looking deft, as if he had often committed crimes. Niken tried to study the movements, while looking for a gap to paralyze them. The figure was just putting food and drink on the table, then passed from the room, without caring for Niken. Not to forget, he locked the door. He returned down the hallway that connects with the reading room, because it is easier to reach. Access from the basement to the reading room could not be, unless a secret door was opened from the reading room. Apparently, the killer figure had anticipated all the possibilities that occurred.

***

After getting the necessary information from the Holy Mother, Dimas resigned, and immediately drove the car to the police station to explore and learn the relationship between Saints with each member of The Girls Squad. Saints never reveal who exactly is meant 'friend' by him. He also never mentioned whether the helper was included in the Girl Squad or even other people? Everything still looks gray to Dimas, still not able to conclude with certainty.

Not to mention getting to the office, suddenly his phone rang. Apparently a call from the Holy Mother. He deliberately left a number to him, who knows there are important things to be conveyed. Dimas immediately raised the call.

"Yes ma'am, how can I help you?" ask Dimas.

"sorry. Sir. I had just read the Holy Diary and I also just found out that there was something that Sacred had been hiding from me. This really surprised me .... "

"Holy .. ah, how should I say it, sir? It turned out that before he decided to end his life, Suci had several abortions, but apparently had not succeeded .... "

The Holy Mother stopped her speech for a moment. He sighed, as if something heavy was weighing down on his mind.

"I mean Mother, Holy pregnant, is that it?" Dimas makes clear what Mother said.

"Yes, Sir. Saints got pregnant, maybe just walked in a matter of weeks, but I have absolutely no idea who did that to her. Saints are so closed, moody, and don't say anything. I did not expect ..."

This time the Holy Mother was unable to master her emotions. There was a sound across. Dimas immediately hung up the phone so that the Holy Mother had time to calm down. The Holy Mother felt devastated by the secret that had been covered by her daughter, thus leading to her death. Surely all mothers must feel devastated when they find out their daughters experience such things.

Dimas felt everything was becoming more confusing. The latest information from the Holy Mother seems to increase the length of the list of suspects. So who did that to the Saints? Is there a connection between the pregnancy of the Saints and the series of murders that occurred in the castle? Those are the questions Dimas is currently trying to find answers to.

The atmosphere of the afternoon felt very hot and sultry, when he was on his way to the office.  He turned his car first to a contemporary coffee shop on the side of the road through which he passed. He just wants to cool his brain that feels boiling, because it is burdened with many thoughts. Maybe a glass of iced coffee will help him to relax a little, while listening to soft music played.

As he waited for the order to arrive, he began to doodle whatever things might be important in this latest case. He began to use sketches roughly, drawing castles on paper. One by one, he wrote down anyone who started to get involved there. He wrote Mariah's name in capital letters, then wrote the other names.

The events in the castle begin with the murder as the opening case. According to the information gathered, on the first day in the castle, it has been horrendous with the killing of Lidya, one of the guests who was found dead in the pool toilet in a terrible state. Forensic reports stated that the woman was stabbed several times in the chest and abdomen, so she died from blood loss. To date there have been no significant leads, except for small clues found in the field, as well as clues from witnesses.

In Lidya's case, the last person to meet her was Aditya, Lidya's husband, who had gone inside the castle to pick up sunscreen cream.  It turns out that Lidya's murder continues into things that smell of terror. No one thought that the plan to have fun in the waterfall, even became a series of terror. Starting with the disappearance of Nadine when she was about to urinate. Then Nadine is found unconscious in a cabin in the middle of the forest by Jeremy. Shortly Jeremy's wife, Stella, also follows to the cottage, so Jeremy asks Stella to wait for Nadine, while she seeks help around the waterfall. Unfortunately, when Jeremy comes down to seek help, the two women disappear. Stella's whereabouts are not known for certain.

The next terror is the disappearance of Maya and Farrel. Maya disappears and returns to the castle. According to Maya's confession, he was beaten by an unknown figure, then left alone in the forest, until he decided to return to the castle. However, the unfortunate fate of Farrel. Farrel's head piece was deliberately placed in front of the door of Mariah's room, thus adding to the atmosphere of the castle increasingly panic and gripping.

One by one, the terror began. Initially the discovery of a girl figure in charge of cleaning the castle, Kara is in a terrible state. The young girl was killed by being thrown from the top of the attic tower. A few moments later, Nadine is found hanging in the basement, but fortunately her life can still be saved. Moments later, Rosita was also found in the attic in a half-naked state and held captive up there. Then the terror continues with Nadine's room locked, and it turns out that in the woman's room there is someone who wants to kill Nadine. Unfortunately, the figure managed to escape by breaking the window. All of these events occurred in close proximity to each other, as if the killer had not given the slightest pause or a chance to breathe. It all happened so fast.

Dimas wrote all the chronologies in a note, collecting the evidence he could, including an old photograph of Mariah. It seems like the Holy figure is the key figure who can uncover this case. Unfortunately, the girl has died, leaving behind a number of new mysteries. When viewed from the development of the case, there seems to be someone who wants to avenge the Holy, but until now it is not known who the person is. Everything still looks vague.

After wetting his throat with a cold cup of coffee, Dimas continued on to the office. He would re-open the old archives, and scrape about everything that might be hidden, or indeed deliberately hidden. It didn't take long, ten minutes later he got to his office. He immediately went inside, but unexpectedly when he opened the door, he saw a woman sitting in the waiting chair, smiling sweetly at him.

"Gilda," murmured Dimas.

***