After finishing his notes, Heru reread them carefully.
He reopened the file on the theft at Felzein’s provisions shop and began trying to piece it together with the incident at Koba Baru Pharmacy.
A moment later, he asked, “By the way, how many culprits were there?”
Felzein took a moment to recall, “I counted five,” he said thoughtfully.
Heru appeared lost in concentration, until something flickered in his eyes.
“I suspect the perpetrators might be the very same ones who robbed your shop,” he said quietly.
Felzein narrowed his gaze, “What makes you think that?”
Heru tapped his pen against the open notebook, “The message scrawled on the pharmacy floor.”
Felzein looked puzzled, “What about it?”
“You said you happened to come across Rosa and Melati on the street, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Felzein replied, still unsure where this was leading.
“Well then,” Heru continued, a slow smile forming on his lips, “isn’t it possible that one of the culprits perhaps even Welly himself saw them getting into your car?”
Felzein stared at him, the idea slowly dawning, and then his eyes widened in sudden realisation.
“Good God… You might be right. One of them could very well have seen them enter my car.”
“And they assumed,” he added, scowling, “that I was some sleazy dirty old man.”
Heru couldn’t help but laugh, “Exactly! Haha! Whoever it was must’ve thought you were one of those rich old blokes with a penchant for keeping mistresses. I mean, flashy car, nice suit, what else were they to think?”
Felzein let out a disgruntled huff, “You’re insufferable. Just because I drive a decent car doesn’t mean I’m some lecherous old man.”
Heru was still chuckling, “Calm down, mate. No offence intended.”
Felzein rolled his eyes, muttering, “Bloody cheek.”
The conversation between Felzein and Heru had not gone unnoticed.
Rosa, Melati, Dewi, Rasya, and Wina had been listening quietly from nearby, their expressions gradually shifting as realisation dawned.
A small gathering of townsfolk, still loitering near the entrance of the pharmacy, leaned in subtly, their ears attuned to every word.
They nodded slowly, as though beginning to comprehend that in a world as twisted as theirs had become, almost anything was possible.
Rosa and Melati exchanged a meaningful glance, then stepped forward, their movements deliberate.
“Felzein…” Melati’s voice was soft, yet resolute. “Is it true what he said?”
Felzein inclined his head, “It’s entirely plausible, Mel,” he replied steadily. “In fact, Heru’s theory makes a good deal of sense.”
By now, Dewi, Rasya, and Wina had joined them, drawn in by the gravity of the unfolding revelation.
“Your corner shop was burgled as well?” Dewi asked, her brows lifting in surprise.
Felzein nodded once more and, with remarkable composure, began to recount the sequence of events, how the break-in had unfolded, the recovered CCTV footage, and the shocking truth that one of the culprits was none other than Welly, Melati’s former lover.
Heru, standing beside him, offered his own measured observation that when the theft at the provisions shop and the grotesque act of vandalism at Koba Baru Pharmacy were examined side by side, the hand behind both appeared disturbingly similar. Welly’s.
As the implications settled over them like a dense fog, a collective silence fell. Several people shook their heads slowly, a shared sigh passing through the crowd.
The world, it seemed, had grown stranger and far more cruel than they had once believed.
Dewi, her eyes soft with empathy, stepped forward and gently embraced Melati, “Be strong, dear,” she whispered.
Melati managed a small, wry smile, “I’m fine. I’ve stopped caring about Welly now."
Then, with a glance that flicked all too quickly towards Felzein, she added with quiet resolve, “His replacement is a thousand times the man he ever was.”
Felzein froze. For a moment, he could neither speak nor think.
Internally, a quiet, stunned voice whispered, “Good heavens… Melati… We’re not even properly a thing yet…”
“Replacement?” Dewi’s eyes followed Melati’s, and in a heartbeat, her jaw dropped.
“You mean to say… you two...” she asked, her voice barely more than a breath.
“I’m involved too,” Rosa interjected hastily, as though determined not to be eclipsed.
Felzein brought a hand to his forehead, shaking his head with a sigh, utterly at a loss.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake…”
“What?! You both…?” Dewi looked between them, eyes wide in disbelief.
Rasya and Wina turned to one another, sharing a glance that mirrored Dewi’s shock.
Eyebrows raised, mouths slightly ajar, as if the ground beneath their feet had shifted just a little.
Heru, along with a cluster of bystanders, could do little more than knit their brows in collective confusion, the meaning of the recent exchange eluding them entirely.
“Ahem...” Felzein cleared his throat with theatrical precision, a subtle yet deliberate cue to steer the moment away from further embarrassment.
The signal was clear, enough had been said.
He opened his mouth to speak again, but any words he might have uttered were abruptly drowned out by the sharp wail of approaching sirens.
The shrill cry of police vehicles sliced through the stagnant air, snapping the gathering out of its uneasy reverie.
Moments later, a convoy of police cars swept into the pharmacy's modest car park, drawing to a halt beside Felzein’s own vehicle with an air of grim urgency.
From the lead vehicle stepped a police officer, his gait brisk and authoritative. His eyes scanned the scene with practised vigilance.
It was Sergeant Bowo. Fate, it seemed, had impeccable timing.
Without hesitation, Sergeant Bowo strode towards the entrance of Koba Baru Pharmacy, his officers in tow, their expressions steeled against what awaited them.
“Rasya,” Felzein called gently, “Would you mind handing out some masks?”
“Ah... yes,” Rasya stammered, hastily fetching a box of surgical masks and intercepting the officers at the door.
She paused only long enough to distribute the coverings with apologetic haste.
The policemen hesitated briefly, puzzled by the precaution until the scent hit them.
The odour was thick and unmistakable. The pharmacy reeked of decay, each corner a silent testament to the grotesque disruption they were now tasked with investigating.
The officers took the masks without protest, their professionalism tempered by very human discomfort.
“Good morning, Sergeant Bowo,” Felzein offered cordially, his tone measured.
The officer stopped mid-step, his gaze narrowing as he regarded the speaker. Recognition dawned slowly, like the sun through cloud.
“You’re… Mr Felzein, aren’t you?” he asked, a flicker of surprise breaking through his otherwise impassive face.
Felzein gave a lopsided smile, his voice touched with dry humour, “Well, unless my twin brother’s taken up pharmacy crime scenes in his spare time. Yes, that would be me.”