Pulchritude Case
Page 09's

The electric kettle hissed, signaling that the water had boiled. Arlo poured it into a cup filled with coffee grounds. He stirred it while walking towards the dining table. The journalist is compiling a report on a news story. There was a stabbing at a subway station recently. The news shocked the general public and raised concerns. Arlo is presenting the news neatly so that listeners or readers can easily digest it.

As a newcomer journalist, it is certainly not easy to live his day mingling with seniors. It is considered trivial and doubtful to be an everyday food. In the world of work surely everyone has experienced it, risk in every field of work is common. Life as the backbone makes Arlo have to find a job to support the family. He is not an orphan, but the father who should be in charge of his son is lazing and choosing as unemployed.

Arlo lives with his father and sister who are still sitting in Junior High School, while his mother, he returned to his birthplace and never returned until now. Thinking about the father's own nature can sometimes be stressful. The middle-aged man still likes to get drunk, deceive people and look for trouble. Since her mother left, Arlo struggled alone to provide for the economy. The mental pressure he had been feeling all along turned him into a tempramental man.

"Why is Dad always like this anyway? Please give me back the money,"

"Ah, just shut up! You little kid don't have to interfere."

"Well, that's not true! Dad's a shame, Mia hates!"

Tanawat hit his daughter's head, he was emotionally ignited in a drunken state like this. Every word that comes from anyone feels sensitive to him. So that he did not hesitate to play rough with his own son. Mia was crying while whimpering in pain. The boy only wanted to warn his father to return the deposit that should have been given to someone else. Because they are neighbors with an elderly person, every month the child entrusts money to Tanawat. However, the man broke the trust and swallowed the money as if it belonged to him. Insolent right?

Hearing the commotion from the middle room, Arlo rode apoplexy. He was disturbed, his concentration crumbling due to endless fights. He walked over to the two while carrying a vase of flowers. Without a second thought Arlo threw it in front of the two of them. His hands clenched, the young man walked away full of anger then grabbed the father's collar. Seeing a person with a face stupefied, bouncing and staggering was the thing he hated the most in the world. Every time I saw his father in that condition, it felt like Arlo wanted to hit him. It sounds ungodly, but for him Tanawat has crossed the line.

"Return the money." - Arlo.

"For what?" Tanawat. "Even if you never even give me money—get outta the way!"

"You failed as a father! Where is your responsibility to meet the needs of the family? Don't you realize your wife left because she was frustrated with your attitude."

"How many times have I told you, don't swallow money that's not yours, but look at you. Just opening your eyes isn't strong enough to feel the most hurt." Arlo said.

Hearing that remark, Tanawat hit him hard. While Mia screams to see her family beating each other. Miris and painful when watching family members quarrel with each other. There was never a word in his family. Every day always heard the quarrel, Tanawat himself could not control his speech. He did not think before saying, whether it hurt the interlocutor or not he did not even care. The pressure and depression are what Mia now feels, even more so Arlo.

"Enough!" Mia screamed loudly to break up the quarrel, but the father pushed her.

"Mia!" Arlo's eyes widened to see his sister crashing to hit the chair. The girl's head was bleeding.

Having exhausted his patience, Arlo hit his father on the head using a glass jar that was not far from his reach. Instantly the blood poured out, the man drooped backwards and was unconscious. Mia was crying watching him. Anger, disappointment, sadness and other pain Arlo overflows in the form of violence. He turned into a monster, no matter who he beat up.

"Dad? Daddy's? Daddy?" Mia tried to wake him up, there was no response. He checked his pulse.

"Dad? Daddy!" his yell. Something unwanted happens. "Sister, what are you doing? No, Dad!" Mia crying in Tanawat's chest.

Arlo looked at his palm, he trembled after coming to his senses with what he had done. Arlo panicked and scared, he ruffled his hair while shouting loudly. Not sparing her tears, she was depressed to feel her life condition. Forced to stand at the end of the ravine while the wind pressured him to fall into it. Mental stress affects Arlo's personality. He would turn violent when someone provoked his emotions.

"Sister," Mia cried profusely, she did not expect that her brother would go this far.

Panic attacks Arlo, he is confused how to. And in the end the young man forcibly pulled Tanawat. He dragged her into the backyard. Mia continued to cry and expressed her sadness. Not wanting his neighbors to know, he decided to bury his father in the backyard. If Arlo turns himself in then who will support his sister? No, he had to cover up the matter. No one knows about his actions. Mia's problem, she can silence him.

"Unsolence—no, Dad!"

"Shut up!" he snapped while pushing Mia.

"I'll report Kak—ya, I'll do it." The girl ran into the house, she grabbed the phone and dialed the emergency number.

"Mia!" He chased.

Arlo took the thing and slammed it. He gripped his sister's arm and looked at the girl with a sharp look as if he wanted to finish her off as well.

"Do you not understand, Mia? If I go to jail then who will meet your needs. How can you eat, buy books, pay for school and so on. Think of it!"

"You killed him, Kak—why?" her crying is breaking.

"Mia! Mia! Calm. You still have me, your brother. I'm asking you to forget about this and assume that nothing ever happened, okay?" Arlo tries to calm the sister by hugging her, but Mia refuses.

"How can I forget this, while my own brother is the murderer! You're horrible-,"

Arlo slapped him. He could not bear to hear the grievances of his sister. Roughly the young man dragged her towards the room and locked the door. For a while Mia will she brackets so as not to mess up her goal. The tempramental youth ran into the backyard, accompanied by dim lighting Arlo dug the ground to bury the father's body. The situation is getting worse when the rain falls accompanied by the roar of lightning from above.

"Dad—Dad should be quiet right there. No, I didn't kill you, really." Arlo leveling the land that still arises.

"I'm sorry, Dad." He cried with regret, then shouted while looking up at the sky.

Events that he never imagined. It would have been a lifetime of regret for Arlo, but clearly his actions have crossed the line and deserve to be punished. No matter how bad our parents are, it should be that as a child we should give in. Disappointment towards the attitude of parents is not something that needs to be extended, maybe Tanawat changed like that because the wife left.

A child never knows what his parents think. The burden on the minds of children and parents is very different. Age can also be the influence of changing the way someone thinks. Their reasoning may not be the same as that of young people, Arlo should understand that. However, how else, the rice has become porridge. Time cannot be played back, and Tanawat's life cannot be installed like an application. Get Arlo ready, get a reply from the creator.

*Tanawat: name of Thailand (his father is Thai).

Hiraet Phloxier is again the main choice as a gathering place for the rich. This is where the prosecutors and their staff are enjoying dinner. All this was done by their leader, Rendy Warren, to celebrate his birthday. The man treated the employees of Ethereal with a sumptuous meal from one of the elite restaurants. The event was attended by Val and Dariel.

"You hear? The loser has reportedly been arrested by police for abusing women. It's disgusting, Governor Andy's confidant turned out to be a pervert." Rendy's cerocos, followed by some of his supporters laughing.

"You'll soon take that position, sir. Take it easy, a bully fly is dead." added a man in glasses.

Gossiping, demeaning and gossiping about others has become their habit. Watching his enemies get caught or fall is the most fun thing to talk about. Plus Rendy is a selfish guy who doesn't want to be outdone by anyone. The leader is aiming for the post of mayor, and the person being talked about is his rival. Luck approached him, it was certain that he would become the new mayor candidate. The position that Rendy had been craving.

There is no clean or good personality among these people. If anything, it can be counted on the fingers. Dirty ways have become a habit to be rampant and cultivated like caring for disease. Dirty government will probably continue into the next generation. And I don't know when this kind of chaos continues, and nobody wants to fight the bad. Although there are, they will still lose because whoever holds the highest power or the most money is in power.

Amid the busyness of his colleagues talking about people, Val had observed the atmosphere of the restaurant. Phlox flowers are everywhere as decorators as well as fragrances the room. The fragrance of the flower reminded her of the scent of Carrolyna's body. Exactly the same with the body, but I don't know all this may be just a coincidence or even he who can't distinguish the smells.

"By the way, this event was attended by the two candidates for deputy chief prosecutor. Congratulations, both of you." said Rendy, both of you were grateful.

"We have a very good and competitive successor. Like Attorney Dariel, he's the mayor's son, Mr. Reynold Bastian." The deputy chief prosecutor adored him.

"Seriously? Prosecutor Dariel is Mayor Reynold's son?" said a white-haired man, he was surprised. While Val looks arrogant to hear it.

"Hey, don't forget Prosecutor Val. Cool and hardworking man, son of the Cinderella University Rectorate." - Leo, Val's senior.

"Oh, wasn't he arrested for the theft of a body?" throwing off the bespectacled man, his goal said it wanted to insult him.

Val smiled faintly, the cold aura from the man was like intimidating the minus-eyed man. He most dislikes if someone brings something unimportant in a discussion like this. Isn't it clear that the case is just a slander from the strange intelligence member? Do I need to operate my eyes to see more clearly? Oh, wait, don't touch that emotional man if you don't want to get beat up by him.

"Hey! Oi! Oi! Stop, sir. Prosecutor Val doesn't seem to like what you're saying" Leo said.

"Or else Prosecutor Val will scratch you all out." added another man interspersed with laughter.

"Oh, I'm scared." teased the glasses guy, then apologized.

Lazy to respond to unsavory babble, Val decides to go to the toilet to avoid. Wash your face and sit still for a while to look at his handsome face. No-no, it means to dampen emotions. If I can be honest, then Prosecutor Val is no less handsome than Prosecutor Dariel. With a strong jawline and a firm face line, so that it radiates how masculine the man is. Uh, but don't fall in love with him, watch out Lo!

Val comes out of the toilet, overhearing a conversation of two male waiters talking about something that caught his attention. Without any courtesy Val followed them secretly. Exit the restaurant, from the end there featuring a wooden building like a warehouse. Pick-up cars emerged from the rear gate, they shouted at someone to immediately drop the item. Val came closer in curiosity.

"It stinks!" the grouse of the man in the hat after opening the oval-shaped plastic package.

"Don't complain, pick up quickly." the driver scolded.

Surprisingly, the wrap was similar to a corpse body bag. A hand came out of the bag. They're taking him to a warehouse that doesn't know what it contains. At first Val was just curious to peek at the premium ingredients from the restaurant. However, after looking at the pouch he felt that something was amiss. They brought someone's body? Hey, is this .. wait! Now the prosecutor's been linking him to the recent theft of bodies. Oh, I don't know if he should leave before he gets into trouble.

Returning to follow his colleagues, Val continues to be haunted by curiosity. He was immersed in his own thoughts, ignoring his comrades was joking. The more thought arises various questions and things that he never realized so far. Dariel observed him, from the way the man was silent, showing that he was thinking about something. Could it be that Val found something strange in this restaurant? What Val now strung together in his head might be as thoughtful as Dariel. There is a big secret behind the success of Hiraet Phloxier.

The show is over, they go home. Val immediately rechecked the details of Carrolyna's death. In front of the computer screen he read various articles about the case. His instincts led to juxtaposing Carrolyna's case with the theft of a corpse. After a thorough reading, Val discovers some similarities that surprise him. From the fragrance of Phlox flowers, the scent of the victim's body, the body in a plastic bag and Hiraet Phloxier. They are probably related to each other. Is the case really related to occult things, such as pesugihan or other black magic?

Damn it! It will trouble him in the future. Must be related to invisible creatures. He's been pretty haunted by them during the search for the girl's case. And if Val is able to uncover this conspiracy it might be profitable, but will the investigation go smoothly without the creatures being disturbed? Ah, impossible. They will certainly disturb and terrorize him. However, if left unchecked it will probably take a lot of casualties. Innocent people who will be their victims.

"If it's someone's body, but for what?" Val thought hard. He twirled the pen between his fingers.

"The Phlox flower is the same as the fragrance from the corpse of Carrolyna—Hiraet Phloxier—there is only one person who understands this puzzle." He thinks of Dariel, most likely Val wants to see him and ask for 'help' from the charming prosecutor.