The Detective's Tale
Fadli immediately explained that the person killed in the study was named Dr. Hilman. A week ago, his wife, Ririn, called the police because her husband hadn't been reachable and hadn't come home for two days after going to an island in the Thousand Islands to inspect a machine they were developing there. Then, when an investigative detective was at their house taking a statement, Dr. Hilman suddenly returned and asked the detective to leave. After giving a statement, the case was closed and considered resolved.
But a few days later, his wife called the same detective again. She reported domestic violence committed by her husband against her and their child. The detective immediately contacted Fadli and asked him to come along, as it might not be an ordinary case. The detective had noticed something strange about Dr. Hilman's behavior when he first returned home. Fadli agreed, and they both went to Dr. Hilman's house. When they arrived, they met his wife, who said the doctor was fine and had only accidentally committed violence because he was tired from work.
As Fadli was about to leave the house, he saw Tari rushing out. Fadli and the detective left the house, but as soon as they opened the gate, they heard a woman's scream from inside. Of course, Fadli and the detective immediately rushed back in. Once inside, they saw the wife lying on a table with a hole in her stomach. The detective immediately called headquarters for backup, and Fadli checked room after room until he reached the doctor's study. He saw the room filled with strange writings and the doctor's body, split in half. He also saw blood trails on the floor, as if something bloody had dragged itself out of the room.
"And after that, you came and brought the victim's child," Fadli added.
"So, he was developing something, sir?" Diaz asked.
"That's the story. His wife said he went to an institute on the Thousand Islands to visit his colleague, who was working with him to develop a machine for a new energy source," Fadli replied.
"So what was that creature, sir?" Indra asked.
"We don't know yet; we're still investigating that. But this isn't the first time this has happened. Two days ago, there were similar cases in South Jakarta and West Jakarta," Fadli said.
"Oh, so there are three cases like this, sir?" Amanda asked.
"Correct. All of them are similar, and the creatures at the crime scenes were also the same as what you saw earlier," Fadli replied.
"Oh... but when we met it, the creature was still alive and attacked us," Alex said.
"Same here. The creature also attacked the police officers at those two locations, but they managed to incapacitate it with continuous gunfire. And what's most interesting, all three people who were split in half had just returned from an institute in the Thousand Islands. We're investigating there," Fadli responded.
"I see," Nara said, thinking.
"And how is the victim's child doing?" Fadli asked.
"She's sleeping in my room," Amanda replied.
"You need to protect her because there's a possibility she's being targeted for escaping. In the two other cases, no one survived, even children. She's safer with you here," Fadli stated.
"But we have to go to campus next week for orientation. Will that be okay?" Diaz asked.
"Just bring her along, no problem, right?" Fadli replied.
"Okay, we understand. While you're here, Mr. Fadli, we'd like to show you something Tari brought. Please wait a moment, sir," Amanda said.
Amanda went inside, accompanied by Fani and Shin, to retrieve a notebook and a smartphone that was charging. Fadli waited, lighting another cigarette.
"Mr. Fadli, is it really okay to tell us all of this?" Indra asked, curious.
"If my superiors found out, it would definitely be a problem. That's why I said I'm here as a guest, not an officer, and there's a reason why I'm telling you," Fadli replied.
"What is it, sir?" Alex asked.
"The reason is because you ran earlier and didn't answer my questions," Fadli replied.
"But wouldn't running make us suspicious, sir?" Diaz asked.
"You could have easily killed me, couldn't you? The proof is you easily defeated the creature that caused many casualties among officers at two other locations when dealing with it. But you didn't kill me and chose to run. That means you're not bad people. Remember what you looked like when we met earlier," Fadli explained.
"That's true..." Nara said, turning to look at Indra, Alex, and Diaz beside her.
"Why are you looking at me?" Indra asked.
"Oh, no reason, hehehe..." Nara replied.
"But you're amazing, sir. You're not scared of us," Diaz said.
"My job is to deal with things like this. If I were scared, I would have retired a long time ago," Fadli replied.
Amanda returned with Fani and a now-awake Tari. They sat in the middle, directly in front of Fadli. Indra, Alex, Nara, and Diaz stood behind the three. Tari immediately handed her smartphone and notebook to Fadli. Fadli then opened the notebook. He saw a design of a strange machine with unknown writing, then flipped the page and saw a photo of an aquamarine gemstone and a pendant necklace taped inside the book.
"Hmm, interesting. May I take these two pieces of evidence for study?" Fadli asked Tari.
"Of course, sir," Tari replied.
"Oh, and also the pendant necklace you took from Dr. Hilman's study, right?" Fadli added.
"Huh... how did you know we took it?" Indra asked.
"I saw the tiger-man in the middle holding that necklace, and when he ran, he took it with him," Fadli replied.
Indra and Diaz immediately turned to look at Alex, who stood between them with a furious expression.
"Why didn't you just pocket it?" Indra asked.
"My pants don't have pockets," Alex replied.
"Jeez, why didn't you give it to me? I have plenty of pockets," Diaz retorted.
"What about it, Nara?" Indra asked, looking at Nara.
"I don't know, I'm confused," Nara replied.
"Hmm... it seems you know about that pendant necklace. Can you tell me about it?" Fadli asked, immediately reading the situation.
Nara explained to Fadli that the pendant necklace belonged to her mother, stolen when she was still in Kalimantan, and was one of the reasons she was studying in Jakarta. She didn't want to give the necklace to Fadli because she had just found it again.
"Okay, I understand. You can keep the necklace, but is there a story behind it?" Fadli asked.
The six of them looked at each other, then Amanda turned to look at Fadli.
"Alright, we'll tell you. It seems Mr. Fadli can be trusted," Amanda said.
Finally, Amanda showed Fadli her vision and explained her theory, helped by Indra, Alex, Nara, Diaz, and Fani. Nara also talked about the pendant and gemstone, which she had heard about from her father. Hearing their story, Fadli's eyebrows furrowed, and his face suddenly became serious. Tari, listening, also gasped and trembled.
"Is all that true, sis?" Tari asked.
"That's how I saw it, and my visions are rarely wrong unless we can prevent them," Amanda replied to Tari.
"I believe your vision, but this can't be our primary basis yet. Alright, I'll talk to my superiors to expedite the investigation in the Thousand Islands. I'll keep you updated on the developments, confidentially, of course. But I need you to promise me one thing," Fadli responded.
"Promise what, sir?" Amanda asked.
"You must stay in continuous contact with me. I consider you my colleagues, and I trust you. I hope you trust me too. One more thing: don't act recklessly like today, because it will be troublesome if anyone else finds out. We're working together outside of official police channels. I also promise to protect your identities," Fadli replied.
The six of them looked at each other and nodded. Then they turned to Fadli in front of them.
"Understood, sir," they all replied.
"And for Tari, please keep our conversation confidential. I'm taking these two pieces of evidence to the office, and I might ask for a bit more information from you. Understood?" Fadli said, looking at Tari.
"Understood, sir," Tari replied.
"Good. Let's wrap up for today. I'll be counting on your help in the future. If I ask you to apprehend something beyond human capability, you'll be willing, won't you?" Fadli asked, looking at all six of them.
"Of course, sir," Indra replied.
"Alright, I'll take my leave now. Get some rest. Oh, and can I get one of your numbers?" Fadli said, standing up and pulling out his smartphone.
"You can take mine, sir," Amanda replied.
Amanda pulled out her smartphone, and she and Fadli exchanged numbers. After saving the contact and sending a quick "missed call" to confirm, Fadli walked out of the boarding house, escorted by the six friends and Tari.