Murder In The Old Castle
LII. Alone in The Dark
Ammar opened his eyes slowly. His head felt dizzy from the impact. Pain gripping the leg. He was worried that a bone had broken. The surrounding conditions are very dark, there is almost no light, except the car lights are still on. Ammar was still curled up in the front seat. His body felt weak, barely able to move. He wanted to scream for help, but in a blind night like this who could help?
Ammar only hopes for a miracle, so that he does not end up rotting in the car.
Tens of meters up there, there's a highway. To return to the highway is not an easy matter, because the terrain is quite difficult. The cliff walls look rather steep and slippery, many overgrown with moss and stilted plants. Ammar can only resign. The atmosphere was silent, only the sound of night insects could be heard. Ammar felt wry. He tried to move his legs, but he couldn't. Like squashed.
The condition of the car is in reverse, making it more troublesome to move. Fortunately, the hand can still be moved, so he can still remove the seat belt. He felt the temple, there was red liquid there. It should feel dizzy, because blood is dripping. After the seat belt is removed, he opens the car's door handle. With all his might he gathered strength, in order to escape from inside the car.
Now he relies on strength in his body and hands. He pushed his body to the side, so he could get out. His legs were painful, as hard as he could hold. He suspected a fracture in the leg. Slowly, he inched out using his back strength. His hands were trying to converge, concentrating the power there. No matter the pain all over the body.
Cold weather is attacking the skin. Ammar is still trying his hardest to get out of the car. In the course of his career, only once did he feel like a loser. Initially, he felt defeated while confined to a warehouse, and burned alive. This time he faced a truly tenacious opponent. Unfortunately, he still felt confused to fumble the opponent's strength. It is also not supported by circumstances. In remote conditions, it is difficult to access data. All he could do was rely on instinct.
After much effort, he managed to get out of the car. He lay in the wet grass, staring at the dark sky. Breathing gasps. However he must solve the case, he must not give up. He tried to shuffle away from the car, towards a grove of bushes to make it safer. There is no human life around here.
For a long time, he tried to sit down. His feet are still painful. He tried to lean on a tree. His body felt like it was shackled by steel chains. Stiff in her mind Mariah's beautiful face. He was worried that it would end up in that place. His stomach suddenly felt hungry, but nothing was found that could be used to prop up the stomach.
I can't die! I have to live for her! Ammar said in his heart.
The night passed very slowly. Cold air still bites the skin, not to mention the sound of a group of mosquitoes buzzing like war soldiers attacking from various directions. Ammar can only resign. He hoped that the morning would greet the earth sooner. Loneliness is so pervasive, it almost destroys his senses.
Suddenly he heard a rustling sound from behind the bush. A huge snake slithered near his feet. Ammar held his breath, so as not to make any sudden movements. Moments later, he felt the huge snake crawling past his feet. The color is light brownish, with slow movement. The sound of his his hissing makes the feathers goosebumps. The size is quite large, as he had seen on the Nat Geo Wild channel.
You better go. There's no point in him hiding at my feet! He murmured in his heart.
***
At a deserted police station, Detective Reno Atmaja is calling inside his study room with a serious face. A pair of legs he just raised on the table. His face was angry, even angry. A moment later, he slammed the office phone violently, to the surprise of Dimas, his partner who happened to be there.
“I just called the manager of the apartment where the author was killed. His answer really made me angry. How can an apartment of that size say that the CCTV system is not running normally, so it can not track guests who come in and out of the apartment? I want to sue and I took to court for being negligent!” furious Reno.
Dimas closed his archives. Then looked at Reno Atmaja with a single smile.
“You want me to handle the case or what? Last month, I handled the case of a gold shop owner in the Chinatown area. Quite strange, because it was only three months later that I realized that the murder was on the background of a trade competition. The culprit was another gold shop owner who was right next to the slain gold shop owner. Then I thought, the world is full of pettiness. So, without CCTV is not the end of everything to track down the perpetrators of the brutal murder,” said Dimas.
“I haven't found any leads, Dimas! This case really drives me crazy, while the whereabouts of Ammar Marutami is unclear. Where to go on vacation with his wife? Why didn't he reveal the location of his vacation?” the Reno Atmaja.
“What are you? Ammar doesn't have to report to you, wherever he goes. That's his privacy. I'm sure, once it shows up, he'll bring a new crime case. So no need to worry about that. How about we go to his residence? Maybe we can ask someone there? Maybe it will make you calmer,” suggested Dimas.
“OK. Tomorrow morning we go to Ammar's house. I'm really lazy to take care of an obscure case like this. Almost two hours my men walked through the apartment, even handed me a sniffer dog, but I found no clue. Even the author's phone is gone. Though I want to know who she's been in contact with for the last 24 hours!” reno.
“How about tomorrow after we get from the Ammar residence, we investigate once again that apartment room? I don't trust your men's officers! They are sometimes not serious at work, so forget the little things that need to be noted. Remember, don't underestimate your personal instincts. It's appropriate that you don't carelessly give orders. You have to jump in directly and check for yourself.”
“You're right. At that time I was completely deadlocked because there were many personal problems that I had to solve, so I did not have time to check the inside of the apartment myself. Tomorrow we re-combed that place!” Reno Atmaja sighed.
“Personal issues? Does this have anything to do with your marriage to Silvia?” ask Dimas.
“I don't want to talk about this first, Dimas! Will you accompany me for coffee tonight? My brain feels spinning. Maybe a glass of coffee can relieve this headache!”
“Good. Forget for a moment your personal problems. I know a place where good coffee is sold!”
***