DESPEDIDA GONE WRONG. What's supposed to be a memorable send-off party ends up in tragedy as the celebrant drops dead after making a toast. Of all the possibilities, murder seems to be most likely scenario. And the suspects? The four attendees who w...
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JUSTE
THEY SAID that time is neutral. Time didn't care about who's going to be affected by it. Some people ran out of time. Some people had too much time. But for me, time was my enemy, but only when I was just a couple of minutes away from clocking out of duty.
From fifteen minutes, I counted down to ten. Ten became five. Five became three. The more I was anticipating it, the slower the time moved. Parang ayaw akong paalisin muna sa police station. The longer I stayed here, the more chances that a fresh case would land on my desk.
Come on, time! I had already arrested two criminals and interrogated five suspects. Hindi pa ba sapat 'yon para mabigyan ako ng pahinga?
I was swiveling my chair in my workstation when something caught my attention. Sandali kong nakalimutan ang countdown. Through my peripheral vision, I saw two police officers escorting a group of four youngsters—two boys and two girls—to the station's waiting area. They all looked shaken.
Were they minors caught sneaking in a bar? Unlikely. They looked young, but they didn't look too young. College student na siguro ang mga 'yon.
Were they involved in an altercation? Impossible. Walang sugat o pasa sa mukha ni isa sa apat. Maayos pa rin ang kanilang buhok at damit. Kung sangkot sila sa rambol, dapat magulo na ang itsura nila. Their hairdo would be in a mess and their clothes would be soiled.
Were they robbed? Imposible rin. May mga suot pang relo at jewelry, at may hawak pang phone ang apat. A robber wouldn't miss those items. Lilimasin ang lahat ng pwedeng limasin sa kanila.
Curious, I rose from my seat and went to the desk next to mine. Maybe the patrolman who brought them here could tell me what had happened.
"Guerrero?" I called the plump policeman who was busy filling out some papers. "Bakit dinala ang apat na batang 'yan dito sa station? Ano'ng kaso nila?"
"Isa sa kanila ang nag-report sa amin na biglang nawalan ng malay ang kasama nila sa bahay," sagot ng patrolman. "May pa-despedida party para do'n sa nag-collapse. Wala na siyang buhay nang makarating kami ro'n."
I crossed my arms. "What angle are we looking at?"
"Sa initial assessment namin, posibleng homicide 'to. Umiinom ng wine ang biktima bago siya nag-collapse sa sahig. May amoy ng almond galing sa bibig niya kaya posibleng nalason siya. Sinusuri na ang bangkay ng medical examiner para i-confirm kung tama ba ang hinala namin."
I squeezed my eyes shut the second he mentioned homicide. That's my turf. Dahil wala na yatang ibang detective na nandito sa station, malamang sa akin mapupunta 'to.
"Sige, balitaan n'yo na lang ako bukas kung ano ang findings." Bumalik ako sa aking workstation at hinablot ang itim na jacket na nakasabit sa backrest ng swivel chair ko. Pasimple akong naglakad palayo roon at papunta sa lobby.
"Baka pwede mong tanungin ang apat na witness bago ka umalis?" pahabol ni Guerrero. "Wala na palang ibang homicide detective dito maliban sa 'yo at kay Verity."
I stopped dead on my tracks and let out a long sigh. Uwing-uwi na ako at gusto ko na talagang tumakas sa station. But alas, duty called. Part ako ng Major Crimes Division kaya kung tama ang hinala ni Guerrero, sa desk ko babagsak ang case na 'to.
Mukhang mapapa-overtime na naman ako nito. My Netflex marathon would have to wait a little longer. I really wanted to watch that documentary film on Bundy.
"Fine!" I turned around and walked back to the patrolman's desk. "Pwede mo bang ibigay sa akin ang initial details?"
Iniabot niya sa akin ang kanyang notepad. Mabilisan kong binasa ang mga nakasulat doon. Medyo nahirapan akong intindihin noong una kasi ang pangit ng penmanship ni Guerrero. He better learn to write eligibly.
"I got this," I muttered as I wore my jacket and grabbed my own notepad. Ano pa ba'ng choice ko kundi gawin ang trabaho ko?
I walked toward the four witnesses. The girl with ponytails was fidgeting, the boy beside him was holding her hand. The girl with short hair was looking downhearted. And the boy wearing glasses was sitting still. Then they all ducked and whispered to one another. Bumulong pa sila e dinig na dinig ko naman.
"Remember, everything we say here can be used against us."
"But we didn't kill Sir Zafra, so we have nothing to hide to the police."
"I'm not telling you to keep your mouths shut. I'm just reminding you that we have the right to remain silent."
"Tama is Beatrice. Mas mabuti nga kung magsasalita tayo kapag may kasamang abogado."
"We're only here out of courtesy. To provide information to what happened tonight."
"Indeed, you have the perfect right to remain silent." I halted just a few steps away from them. Lumingon silang apat sa akin. "Thanks to you all, I have to work overtime. I'm Detective Juste Justiniano, the one begrudgingly in charge of this case."
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