The investigation didn't stop with that one piece of information. The air conditioner grew colder. The sound of keyboard tapping continued to fill the room. Saiful wanted desperately to finish everything faster, but the information he'd just provided only made the next questions take deeper root.
"What time did you and your wife work until?"
"My wife and I left my employer's house at five in the afternoon."
"You said earlier that when the lights were off, it meant the victim was out of the house."
Saiful nodded. "Kia did leave the house around the time we got off work. So at five in the afternoon, there really wasn't anyone home."
"Do you know where the victim went?"
Saiful shook his head. "Kia never told us when she was going anywhere. At most, she'd let us know what time she planned to come back."
"Did the victim say when she would return?"
"Kia didn't say anything that day. But from what I saw, she seemed to be in a hurry. Her face looked really serious."
"When you first saw the victim last night, what condition was she in?"
"Just like that, sir. I swear to God, I didn't do anything to her. I didn't touch her. I was scared. People say that if you touch a body, you'll leave fingerprints. I didn't want my fingerprints there. But I couldn't leave either. I don't know how to explain it. My body just went limp. I was shocked to see the corpse and all that blood, especially since she was my employer. She was someone I'd seen healthy just a few hours earlier. All I could do was just stand there, frozen. Then, not long after that, Ardi came home."
"What time did you hear the scream, then see the body and Ardi return?"
Saiful seemed to think for a moment. "I don't remember the exact time. It wasn't long after the isha call to prayer. Maybe around five minutes after it ended. Then I went straight to Kia's house. It took me about five minutes on foot because I had to go around to get there. Ardi came afterward. I don't remember how much later. I was sort of conscious and unconscious at the same time when I saw something like that, sir." Saiful once again emphasized his psychological state that night.
"Did you know whether the victim had any close friends? Or anyone who often came to the house?"
"I don't think so, sir. While Kia lived here, she was pretty much a loner and didn't have any friends. For the past few months, while Kia was pregnant, Ardi's mother would come by once in a while. And..." Saiful paused briefly.
"Oh, right. I just remembered. A woman came to the house several times. She was tall and had short hair. But she never stayed long. Whenever that woman came, Kia would spend the whole day yelling and getting angry. Even the smallest thing could set her off."
"You don't know who that person was?"
"No, sir. Kia and Ardi are pretty private people. And whenever they argued, we chose to stay away, so we really knew very little about their private lives. We were just playing it safe, sir, because we were only workers in that house."
"Did that woman ever meet Ardi too?"
"Not as far as I know. She came during the day, while Ardi was at work."
"Do you know where Ardi worked?"
Saiful answered that he didn't know. All he knew was that his employer left in the morning at seven and came home at five in the afternoon.
"Five in the afternoon? Every day?" the police officer asked.
"As far as I know, whenever he came home, it was at five. But Ardi didn't come home every day. Sometimes he only came home two or three times a week. It wasn't consistent."
"Did he come home after seven last night?"
"Yes."
"So you're saying that time wasn't when Ardi usually came home?"