The Open Coffin: Prelude to Murder

CHAPTER 29

The governor laughed, "Don't fret, Madam. Everything is perfectly fine."

The governor then turn his attention to Glenn, "Your First Lady is overly conscious of the preparation. Did she supervise the whole thing?"

"In fact, she did Mr. Governor. That's why she's very much concern about the outlook of everything," Glenn replied as he smilingly looked at Myra. Of course, Glenn knew why his wife was acting that way. She was thinking of the threat of her husband's life. However, Glenn repeatedly assured her that nothing was going to happen to him. He had explained to her many times that he had foolproof security.

Glenn held Myra's hand and pressed it gently: a way of assuring her not to worry.

The dinner began, and as usual the center of the conversation was politics. Governor Mendoza asked Glenn, "So, Glenn, what would be your first act as a congressman if you are elected—and I'm sure you will be?"

"Well," Glenn cleared his throat, "as you already know, Governor, the fifth district of Pangasinan is purely an agricultural district, and majority of the people are farmers, who depend their subsistence on the land they till. Seventy-five percent of these farmers are small farmers, owning less than a hectare of farmland. They kept on complaining about the constant increase in the price of fertilizers. So I decided that my first act as a congressman is to file a bill requiring the government to subsidize any price increase of fertilizers. And this is the gist of my campaign speech tomorrow in Urdaneta."

Vice Governor Calderon remarked, "I think there was already a similar bill filed in congress by a certain Congressman Baraquio of Isabela. Unfortunately it didn't went beyond the committee level, so it was consigned to the waste basket of history."

"That's right, Sir," Glenn replied, "that bill had one weakness, that is why it was junked. One of the provisions states that only those farmers with more than one hectare of land could avail of the subsidy. That's unfair because a majority of famers in the Philippines are marginal farmers. As I understand, Congressman Baraquio is a rich farmer owning almost fifty hectares of farmland."

Governor Mendoza said, "I think that congressman filed that bill hoping that if it's passed into law, he too would be benifited. God! It's good his bill was rejected."

"Some politicians pass laws that would work for their own advantage. What a shame! Well, Mr. Buencamino, I hope you won't follow the same path of self service."

Glenn looked at the Vice Governor and said, "I will not, Sir. My platform is for the marginal farmers, and I swear to God that I will do everything I can to help them."

Governor Mendoza smiled and said, "That would be a fine rhetoric to use tomorrow Mr. Buencamino. I'm sure that those little farmers of yours will give you a thunderous applause."

"And a thunderous vote!" Vice Governor Calderon added.

"You can be sure, gentlemen, that that would be the gist of my speech tomorrow," Glenn announced.

The party went on with gaiety and fun. Glenn totally forgot the danger that awaited him in Urdaneta the following day.

**********

The idea that Victor and Vincent could be using disguises was unsettling to Homer. If his hunch was right, then they would have difficulty indeed in catching the two brothers and their henchmen. He told the matter to Reuben and Jonas.

Reuben Lacerna suggested, "Why don't we arrest them? Anyway, we have proof that they are the criminals."

"Yeah, I think Reuben is right," Jonas agreed.

But Homer shook his head in disagreement, "We can't do that. We don't have warrant of arrest to be issued by the Regional Trial Court Judge of Urdaneta. To convince his Honor to issue us the arrest warrat, we must have concrete evidence that the Cambas were indeed the killers of Julian Casimero and Conrad Manansala. We must also have compelling evidence that they are about to kill Attorney Glenn Buencamino. The only evidences we have a purely circumstantial."

"But what about the statement of Anthony Galso. He admitted that the Cambas are planning to kill Attorney Buencamino," Viray argued.

"His admittance was verbal. Our mistake is that we did not take down his statement, then let him sign. He can just deny his statement," Homer explained.

"So, what's your plan Sir?" Viray asked.

Homer thought for a while. Then he remembered Pastor Lorenzo Pascual. He made a mental image of the pastor and kept on studying his features mentally. Then he took Victor's picture and compared it with the picture he had on mind. There was striking similarity!

"Shit! The pastor we met this morning was Victor Camba!" he exclaimed.

"What! Are you sure Sir?" Aquino was surprised by the revelation.

Viray, Santos and Lacerna too were surprised by what Homer had just revealed to them.

"The son of a bitch successfully made a fool of us!" Homer hissed.

"Then we can easily recognize him now," Viray said. "

Homer looked at him," I think you are right. Our problem now is Vincent, the hitman. I'm sure as hell that he is also in disguise."

Again Homer was in deep thought. Who could be Vincent? A priest? A cop? What? The next day, May 3, would be the day. If Vincent could get an entrance to the sports complex, he must be someone that the cops would have a high regard. A media man? Possibly! All media men covering the campaign rally must present their credentials to the cops manning the gate. If that was the case, Vincent must be in possession of a fake credential, assuming that he disguised himself as a reporter. And the gun that he's going to use. How would he manage to smuggle it in without being detected? It is therefore imperative that all reporters must use another entrance and that they should be thoroughly searched. "I hope I'm right," Homer thought.

Then Homer spoke, "Gentlemen, be on the look out of a fake reporter tomorrow."

The four cops looked at each other. "How would we do that Sir?" Jonas asked.

"They have to use another entrance so that they can be thoroughly searched. We man that

separate entrance," Homer explained.

"Then so be it, Sir," Jonas assented.