11-1 Secret Meeting at the Police Headquarters
National Police Headquarters.
In one of the rooms at the Police Headquarters with a closed door, a sign reads:
Privacy.
Police officers passing by the door didn't dare to knock.
Outside the room, police officers were busy at work. Some were waiting at the front post, some were receiving citizen reports, and others were chatting while drinking coffee.
One police officer named Nurman greeted his friend.
Nurman: "Morning, Hamzah! A cup of coffee!"
Hamzah smiled and showed a glass filled with coffee.
Hamzah: "Good morning too. Are you on patrol duty?"
Nurman: "No! Today, I'm on standby at the office. How about you?"
Hamzah: "Me too, on standby."
They fell silent, sipping their coffee.
Nurman: "Did you see the commander's room door, Hamzah?"
Hamzah glanced at the closed door labeled Privacy.
Hamzah: "Is the commander in a meeting?"
Nurman nodded, sipping his coffee again.
Nurman: "Lately, gang activities have become uncontrollable."
Hamzah: "They dare to extort and force parking fees."
Nurman: "Sometimes they even commit assaults."
They fell silent again, enjoying their morning coffee.
Nurman: "Maybe the commander is discussing it in the meeting."
Hamzah nodded.
***
11-2 Inspector General Haryono
Meanwhile, inside the room with the door labeled "Privacy."
A long table separated five police officers sitting opposite each other.
At the end of the room, a large monitor was turned on.
Inspector General Haryono, 55 years old, led the meeting. His face was furrowed, and his thick mustache added to his authority.
Inspector General Haryono: "Take a look at the monitor."
The participants turned their heads.
The face of a beautiful woman appeared. Her smile was sinister. A paper fan in her right hand waved slowly.
Below the photo was written:
MARIANA
Inspector General Haryono: "There have been dozens of cases related to Mariana, but not a single one has brought her to court."
Next to him sat Commissioner Fadli sipping his coffee slowly.
Commissioner Fadli: "Mariana is very slippery, like an eel."
Inspector General Haryono: "Several illegal businesses—from drug trafficking, illegal weapons, to human trafficking... all lead to Mariana."
Commissioner Fadli: "All the evidence disappears. And witnesses back out."
Haryono: "True. Witnesses are afraid because of threats."
Fadli: "The police can't act without witnesses and evidence."
AKBP Aditya, with a clean-cut square face and thick glasses, was part of the police investigation team.
AKBP Aditya: "Let's look at the monitor."
***
11-3 Incident in Ramayana Basement
Aditya opened his laptop connected to the monitor.
Aditya: "Here is the latest intelligence report from the CCTV footage at Ramayana Mall."
The participants looked at the monitor screen.
Aditya: "There was an incident in the basement of Ramayana Mall."
On the monitor appeared a pair of twin girls in pink jackets throwing knives, which were blocked by Mariana.
Fadli sipped his coffee again while twirling a pen between his fingers.
Fadli: "According to intelligence, their names are Rani and Rina. First semester students at UI."
Aditya pressed a button on his laptop. The monitor switched images.
Aditya: "There was also a mysterious woman in a red jacket caught on camera."
The meeting attendees focused back on the monitor.
On the screen, a woman in a red jacket was throwing needles, blocked by Mariana.
Haryono: "The woman in the red jacket!"
Haryono raised his eyebrows and looked more carefully at the monitor.
Haryono: "Isn't the man with the red jacket woman Burhan, one of our members?"
Aditya: "Correct! That man is Burhan, one of our officers."
Fadli: "And the woman in the red jacket… intelligence suspects her name is Nagini."
Aditya: "We are still investigating her background."
***
11-4 Mariana the Slippery Eel
Aditya looked at his laptop. His thick glasses helped him read the letters more clearly.
Aditya: "The woman in the red jacket was also seen fighting the Red Gang in Kampung Rambutan."
Fadli: "The case is handled by Burhan."
Haryono: "That's true about the Red Gang. Burhan has already filed a report."
Haryono extinguished his kretek cigarette and placed it in the ashtray. He stared at the monitor.
Silence fell again in the room.
Haryono: "We must act. Mariana has played above the law for too long."
Fadli sipped his coffee again, sighing in frustration.
Fadli: "For the past few years, we have tried to catch Mariana, but evidence always disappears."
Aditya: "Mariana is not only cunning, but according to intel, she is protected by powerful people within our ranks."
Haryono lit another cigarette.
Haryono: "We must find a way to catch her."
Fadli thought for a moment, still spinning the small pen on his finger.
Fadli: "Let's start with Nagini, the woman in the red jacket."
Haryono: "Don't forget! Burhan must be interrogated as well. Why didn't he report who Nagini is?"
Aditya nodded and closed his laptop. Instantly, the monitor went dark.
***
11-5: KPK Secret Meeting
KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission) Building
In one of the large rooms on the third floor of the KPK Building, four senior KPK officials sat facing each other at a long table.
In front of them was a large monitor screen.
The four watched the still-dark monitor. The atmosphere was silent and tense.
Yes, they were holding an important meeting!
No significant activity except preparing meeting materials.
One participant was seen flipping through documents in a folder.
Also visible was a bespectacled woman with short hair opening a laptop, then pressing the "On" button.
Beep!
The monitor connected to the laptop lit up automatically.
The bespectacled woman was Tina, one of the KPK's best cyber team members.
In front of Tina sat AKBP Satrio, a senior investigator with a cold face. A cup of steaming hot coffee sat before him.
The aroma of morning coffee made the atmosphere more lively.
He led the meeting.
Next to Tina sat Rustam, a young investigator with files spread across his desk.
Beside the files was a small cup with the aroma of coffee.
***
11-6 Tina's Presentation
AKBP Satrio opened the meeting with a firm voice.
Satrio: "Friends, let us pray that this meeting will go well."
All participants nodded, then fell silent and prayed.
After the prayer, they each sipped their coffee.
Satrio: "This meeting will discuss bribery within our ranks."
Rustam: "We have prepared the files, gathered from intelligence."
Tina: "We also have CCTV footage showing some of our members accepting bribes."
Satrio: "Do you know who they are, Tina?"
Tina: "This is only a preliminary suspicion, Sir."
Rustam opened his laptop and added,
Rustam: "They are Arizal and Diono."
Satrio showed no reaction, no surprise.
Satrio: "I already suspected that. Do you know their suspicious activities?"
Rustam: "Commissioner General Arizal and Iptu Diono. Their names appeared in several reports of suspicious transactions."
Tina: "They are also suspected of running illegal businesses, Sir."
Satrio: "Illegal businesses?"
Tina adjusted her glasses to confirm.
Tina: "Preliminary suspicion is that they are backing someone's illegal operations."
Rustam: "According to intel, they also accepted bribes to smooth those businesses."
Satrio frowned.
Satrio: "So they are taking dirty money?"
Rustam: "Correct, Sir! Large sums have entered Arizal and Diono's accounts."
Tina: "Not only bribes into their accounts, but also money through fictitious companies."
Satrio: "So they are involved with illegal gangs in Jakarta?"
Tina: "Correct, Sir."
Satrio: "Who often deals with them?"
Rustam: "Mariana. This name appears in many stalled police cases handled by Arizal and Diono."
Satrio: "Why haven't we arrested her?"
Rustam: "Not enough evidence, Sir."
***
11-7 Mariana's Illegal Business
Satrio: "Does Mariana have big businesses?"
Tina again adjusted her glasses.
Tina: "Mariana's legal businesses are just a cover, Sir!"
Rustam: "There are indications she pays police to protect her illegal operations."
Tina: "Preliminary suspicion is Mariana bribed Arizal and Diono."
Satrio leaned back, exhaling.
Satrio: "Do you realize, every case handled by Arizal and Diono just disappears?"
Rustam: "That's true, Sir!"
Satrio: "And so far, every officer or team who tries to dig deeper suddenly disappears."
Rustam: "They get transferred to other cases, Sir!"
Tina: "Even the evidence collected by investigators vanishes!"
Satrio sipped his coffee, his head feeling hot.
Satrio: "Missing evidence and transferred investigators! This is no coincidence!"
Tina adjusted her glasses and stared at her laptop screen.
Tina: "Look at the monitor."
All meeting participants immediately looked at the monitor.
Data appeared: several phone numbers, call dates, and GPS positions during calls.
Tina: "I've tracked their communications. Diono and Arizal had several secret meetings with Mariana."
Satrio tapped the table with his finger, sighing in frustration.
Satrio: "This will be a big case. But we can't be reckless."
Rustam: "Right, Sir! Arizal has many connections inside the police. If we make a wrong move..."
Tina: "...we could become their targets!"
Rustam scratched his itchless head.
Rustam: "So, what is our next step?"
Satrio looked at everyone in the room. His heated mind started working.
Satrio: "We have to be careful!"
***
11-8 Satrio Speaks Firmly and Authoritatively
Satrio: "Let's start with the financial transactions of Arizal and Diono."
Rustam: "We'll dig up indisputable evidence."
Satrio: "If we can link this money to Mariana, we'll have a strong basis to bring them down."
Tina smiled knowingly.
Tina: "Meaning, we lure them out of hiding."
Satrio: "Exactly. We make them think they're still safe... until it's too late for them!"
Tina adjusted her glasses which were sliding down, then pressed a button on her laptop.
Tina: "Let's look at the monitor again."
Satrio and Rustam watched the large wall monitor connected to the laptop via HDMI cable.
Tina: "This is CCTV footage from Kembang Setaman Discotheque."
The monitor showed a brief meeting between Arizal and Mariana at the discotheque.
Satrio: "Isn't that Arizal and Diono?"
Tina: "Correct, Sir!"
Satrio: "They are receiving a large envelope from Mariana?"
Tina: "That's right, Sir."
Rustam: "This is the first evidence of Arizal and Diono accepting bribes."
The meeting grew silent.
Tina: "We have tried our best to find evidence."
Rustam: "And we have now found the first proof of police members taking bribes."
Tina closed her laptop. The monitor went dark.
Satrio looked around. His eyes sharp. His voice firm.
Satrio: "Alright! We start investigating Arizal and Diono."
Rustam & Tina (in unison): "Ready, Sir!"
End of chapter 11
To be continued chapter 12