Secrets of Lakefront House
CHAPTERS 20. PHOTOS IN THE PENDANT

"Pard-me"

Soon Jonathan's arm reached for Jilena's body, which was about to fall as she stood up.

“I think I've spilled enough of my heart on you today,” she said, trying— to appease her heart. "What about you? What do you see in the future?" ask Jilena.

"Well .. I don't want to say anything ..." Jonathan looks around looking for a more romantic place but he pretends he's looking for someone who might be listening. "I see the future with you." Makes jilena face red blush hearing that sentence.

'Did Jonathan really tease me? How could he say that without a doubt? questions filled his head.

“I don't want to bring bad luck, but I've applied for the Detective position.I've already got an assessment, and the board review will be done tomorrow. I wish you luck. Lucky if you can have you”

Obviously the promotion meant a lot to him. A happy smile flashed on his face. "I'm glad to hear that. I wish you all the best."

Jilena was happy, hoping Jonathan would get what he wanted. Looks like the guy has been heartbroken since they were in High School. Jonathan has loved her ever since, but never got Jilena's love. Maybe this time he wished he could have the girl.

Jilena doesn't want to take advantage of Jonathan, but she can't lie to herself.Having a police detective as a good friend or maybe as a lover, might be useful to her as a reporter. Maybe he'll be more open than a hero detective.

"Jil, do you hear me?

"Ehmmm.yes I heard."

"How's?? Do you think I could be a lucky guy?"

"Yes, you can." after saying that sentence, he realized that he had just received Jonathan's request.

...**...

The rest of the day went well. Jilena spends most of her time at the aunt's house, lazing around the pool, swimming and reading, unable to stop thinking about Jonathan and Noah.

Aunt Goddess has taken care of all the final preparations for the funeral and lunch after the funeral is over. The women in the church have offered to present a buffet to all friends and family after the service, which was gladly received by the Aunt Goddess. After having dinner with her sister's aunt goddess, and Ramira, Jilena receives a call from Rangga's cousin. She would not give her name, but she confirmed the estimated height and age of the victim, reporting that the woman was white and had given birth to at least one child.

One of the lab members is trying to reconstruct the face from clay on the skeleton, to get a better idea of what the woman looks like. He promised to send a photo to Jilena when the reconstruction was completed, if he could keep it a secret. 

Jikena asked about the necklace, whether the necklace and the skeletal remains they found were already in the laboratory. The woman confirmed that there were chains and pendants there.

"Is there a photo inside the locket?" Jilena asked, she knew there was usually.

“Yes right, there are— photos of a little girl with a shoulder-length black hair, maybe three or four years old. Maybe that little girl is the girl of that woman."

"Is it possible for you to send me his picture?"ask Jilena. He was excited, there was a slight bright spot from the pendant he found at the scene.

“I don't think there's any harm. I'll take a picture with my phone while the others are out for lunch tomorrow, and I'll send it to you via email. Is that enough? ”

"certain." Jilena gave the woman her email address and thanked her for her help.

“I know I got myself a little too involved, but I want to make sure, the woman's killer is found. Too many women just disappeared and never heard from again, and no one seems to care.” said the woman.

“I totally agree,” says Jilena. "You've done a heroic thing."

His words sounded like they were fixed on jilena, plunging into his chest. Reminds him, he did that.

Is this woman? speaking from personal experience?

"You're absolutely right" Jilena agreed. “Oh, by the way, before I let you go, there was another object I saw near the woman's body, when I was at the scene. It looks like buttons or earrings or something like that—may be square with design on it.”

"I don't know anything about that, but I'll let you know if I hear anything" the woman replied before ending the conversation.

...***...

The next day, Jilena spends her mornings walking around the house, reacquainted with her old house neighbors. He filled the bowl with high-fiber cereal—not his choice, but that's what his father left in the closet. After pouring milk on the cereal, he ate the first feed, the taste of the milk was unpleasant, obviously it had been stored for too long in the refrigerator. He threw away the contents of the bowl and went to the fridge to see if there was any other milk.

Standing in front of an open fridge, she did not find it and decided to—better go to the supermarket immediately. He didn't have much money in his wallet, just a box of milk and bananas he needed.

Things will change for the better, until he gets his first paycheck, he has to settle for what's at home, grateful to still be able to have breakfast at The Upper Spot and dinner at Aunt Dewi's house. He saw the bread at the counter attract his attention. Seeing that there was a toaster, he was happy to be able to eat toast with strawberry jam.

When the toast was tanned, he leaned over the counter and thought of Jonathan, remembering their lunch together and wondering how it turned out, he said he would know the result this morning.

He forgot to ask Jonathan if he knew someone who could open a locked drawer on his father's desk. Jilena was tempted to call him back then, but no, she had to leave him alone on this important day.

Maybe he'll call Jonathan tonight and ask how the review went. After that he will ask about someone who can open a locked drawer. She ate her toast and began the long search process in the kitchen drawer, as well as the dressing table and cupboards in the master bedroom.

He started looking through his father's closet first. His father's shiny shoes were placed on the lower cedar shelf, and the sweater was neatly folded and stacked on the top. His aftershave scent still stuck there, and his business suit.

Jilena pulled one of her sweaters off the shelf and approached her face. She breathed in the scent, and the tears of losing her father became real. Unable to control himself, his body slumped on a padded bench in the middle of the closet and cried. Maybe he should delay taking care of this until his older sister and Ramira can come and help him.

...**...

Around noon, Jilena makes a short trip to the exciting corner—adventure market. Some people in the store recognized him and offered their condolences before asking questions about why he had been away for so long and what he was doing in the capital.

“Beautiful girl, what will you do now that you are back in this city?” ask the old lady from the shop. Jilena has known the woman since they moved to the town of Lembayung, many years ago. He shrugged and continued to stare at his groceries.

"Do you have a young man waiting for you back in the capital?" tanyanya while bagging milk and bananas. Uncomfortable with all the probing questions, Jilena paid for her groceries and left in a hurry. “Thank you, Marni.” He waved in the air as he dashed out the door.

As he put the milk box in the fridge, it sounded the tone on his laptop 'ping' that there was a new email. As Rangga's cousin promised, he emailed a picture of the pendant, very sharp and clear, laid open on the table, exposing a picture of a shoulder-length black haired young girl inside. The boy looked happy, with a wide grin spreading across his face, and eyes smiling brightly.

Will the Aunt Goddess be able to recognize the child? Aunt Goddess had already lived in the town of Lembayung for about thirty years, so it was likely that she would recognize the girl in the photo. Jilena is very hopeful, can know the identity of the little girl and can explain who the woman who died.

Jilena plans to go to her aunt's house later in the afternoon to help select some photos of her father to display on the church porch before the funeral. As she glanced at the framed photo set on the wall of the main hallway of her house, she picked up some good ones.

Then, as he stopped in the driveway of his long tant house, he saw his Toyotas, still parked there, where he had left it a few days earlier. It was shocking because his aunt did not ask him to throw it away.

Jilena opens the suitcase and—takes the photo box, and her laptop. He stepped up and went inside the house.

After greeting Aunt Dewi, walking through the dining room, jilena put down her laptop and turned it on. He showed his aunt a photo of the girl who was then filling his laptop screen. Aunt Goddess's eyes grew bigger and her hands touched her chest. “Why? What is Ramira!"