Secrets of Lakefront House
CHAPTER 55. NEW EVIDENCE

"That's not the point. Besides, we're already heading in the right direction. We've arrested our prime suspect, if you don't realize it," Detective Wira replied.

"What if Noah Arsyanendra never did it?"

"You said you didn't think he did it?" he said with doubt.

“No, I didn't say that. What I'm saying is you have to keep an open mind, Detective. What if he's not the killer and you let the real killer go? because you're focusing on the wrong people? Maybe there's something else about the explanation for his DNA found with the body.” At least he hopes there is, for Noah's sake. He has promised Noah not to let the police stop looking for evidence and find out who the suspect is.

“Do you really want to be responsible for sending innocent people to jail because you can't be bothered to look for all the other evidence that refers to any possibility that Noah wasn't the culprit?”

"Are you trying to tell me how to do my job, Miss Jilena?"

Missy? “No, I'm just asking you to keep an open mind, keep following all the clues that might lead to another suspect. Noah swore he was innocent.”

"Didn't they all swear the same thing?" ask the detective.

"He could have told the truth."

“I'm sure the captain won't allow me to conduct that investigation. There's not enough money in the budget to handle cases where we've caught the main culprit."

"Then don't let him know."

"Are you trying to get me fired?" Voice's up.

“Oh, come on, Detective. It is a quiet and peaceful little town. Lembayung City is not a den of crime and you have a stack of cases to solve.”

"Maybe it's not a murder case, but there's still a lot to investigate" he said.

"You're a man of integrity—really, Detective Hero?"

"Yes, right."

“Then I believe that you will not let go of this case just because someone is in jail for being considered the culprit, if there is a chance that he is innocent. Your case is not strong."

“That's true, but not forever so. You should know it.”

"Yes I know. But you don't have to do the job yourself, Detective. You have Jonathan now to help you. Use him.”

“Yeah, I don't know..”

“Listen, all I'm saying is don't close the book about your investigation. Over there

maybe more evidence to find.”

"Do you know something you didn't tell me?" ask Wira.

“No, Hero. Just a feeling." That's all Jilena has to do. "So how about calling Lesti about the tape?”

...*...

After hanging up the phone with Detective Wira, Jilena went back to the computer to review the photos she took at the scene where the skeletal remains were found. Something about one of the photos bothered him—the little unidentified object he saw next to the body, near the middle of the body. In the photo it looks like buttons or earrings, or maybe cufflinks, still partially buried in the ground. When Jilenaa first saw the object as she took a photo of the skeleton, she assumed the forensic unit would collect it and identify it.

But when he spoke to his old boss' cousin at the crime lab in the capital earlier, he had no information about it. Since it was closer to the day of discovery, perhaps now he might have some information. Detective Wira will likely know if they— found the item and identified it, but he may have used all his hard work with him for today. He must call his old boss in the capital and persuade him to ask his mysterious cousin to call him about it.

“There is no more exact time as now.” Jilena dialed the number.

“Hei, Rangga. It's Jilena.”

“So how are things in Bali?”

"Here I'm in Lembayung town."

“I know, I mean. What's up?"

"I need help."

"Oh God. What else now?"

“I asked your cousin about something last week, he had no information about the forensic results of that time. I wish he had something for me now, but I don't have his name or phone number. Would you ask him to call me? any more? See if he finds an object like a button and identifies it?”

“He was very reluctant to speak to the press. He could lose his job if anyone found out."

“Even for his beloved cousin? Please ask him. ”

"Is this for a murder that happened years ago near that forest?"

"Yes. I was making a story about that case and, well, one of my old friends was arrested for that crime.”

"Relatedly. Is this a story we should cover?” She asked.

“How about I write it for you, freelance, and you can run it—that is, if my boss at Lembayung post doesn't mind.”

"Tell you what? You run the story in your newspaper first and I'll run it here the day after tomorrow. I do that kind of thing all the time.”

“I'll call you then. But first, I need to talk to your cousin. Agreed?"

Rangga agrees to have her cousin call her, so Jilena returns to finish her story about the indictment involving Noah. There wasn't much to tell, so the story didn't draw much time and he was able to send that email. When she talks to Detective Wira, she finally manages to make him give in and agrees to have Lesti listen to the tape, promising not to tell her what the tape is about to anyone. He cannot sleep at night, if he does not pursue every possibility as a clue in the case of Mariana's death. He's got something he thinks could lead him to the real culprit and he's determined to find evidence of it to catch the culprit. Now to find out what the mysterious thing is. Maybe Rangga's cousin will call him soon.

...*...

Jilena put a frozen dinner in the microwave. Tonight he will have an herbal chicken dinner with roasted red potatoes in a soft honey mustard sauce. If it only feels as good as it sounds. As he stood in front of the microwave, watching his food roll inside, his phone suddenly rang. He picked it up from the counter when the timer rang that his dinner was over.

"Hello." He took out a small plastic tray from the oven with the potholder.

"Jilena Margaretha?" a woman asked.

"Yes, I." Jilena pushed the microwave door shut with her elbow and moved it to the table.

“I'm Rangga's cousin. He said you want me to call you again.”

"Oh yeah. Cousin Rangga, ”said Jilena to the woman on the phone, as she put down hot food and sat on the chair. “When we spoke last week, I asked if the forensic team had found a small object, such as buttons, or earrings, or something like that.”

"That's right, I remember that." The volume of sound is getting smaller. "They haven't confirmed it at the time, but let me check the file here. Fortunately almost everyone goes.”

The sound of crumpled papers sounded across.

"Here we go. It looks like a cufflink.”

"Is there DNA in it?"