THE BORDER'S CRUSADERS [Part 1]

008 PROFILING

008
PROFILING

(KNOWLEDGE: Profiling is primarily a method of character analysis. You can observe someone's speaking habits, posture, body language, and general appearance. You can tell how someone is feeling and what they're thinking if you have a natural talent for reading people. A brief evaluation of a person using a profile may be helpful. However, profiling isn't a precise science, therefore you might not be accurate in your predictions.)

"So ang ibig mong sabihin, nasa malapit lang sa atin si Reynalyn? But how come we didn't know? Three weeks na siyang nawawala. Maging ang mga tauhan niya, hindi alam kung nasaan siya at hanggang ngayon pinaghahanap siya tapos sasabihin mong she's just somewhere na malapit lang?" Jo tried to calm herself down dahil sa revelation ni Manel sa kan'ya. They were sitting face to face sa sofa ng mini office at that moment. Manel was in the long couch while Jo was in the single sofa.

"Noong una hindi rin ako sigurado. Pero nang nakita ko ang expression ng mukha niya nang inilapit niya ito sa CCTV camera, it sends me obvious clues. Don't tell me na hindi mo alam, commander? I will be very disappointed dahil parang kinakalawang ka na." Walang prenong sagot ni Manel. At nang napagtanto nito na may mali sa sinabi niya, napahawak ito sa bibig saka humingi ng pasensya sa nakatatanda. "Apologies." Sinserong sabi nito na tumayo mula sa couch at yumuko pa.

"No, it's okay, Attorney." She motioned Manel to sit down again na sinunod naman kaagad ng abogado. "Maging ako sa sarili ko hindi na rin alam kung tama pa ba ang mga memories and information na nasa utak ko after that fire. But anyway, sa'n na nga ba tayo?" She averted the topic dahil baka matumba na naman siya ng hindi inaasahan.

"As what I was saying, Reynalyn isn't missing nor abducted. Hindi ko alam kung anong mayroon sa babaeng 'yon but I am certain na wala siya sa panganib. The way she moves as seen from the footage, lahat ay kalkulado. Una, pumasok siya at lumabas nang kalmado. Wala akong nakitang pagmamadali sa kilos niya. Pangalawa, why would the abductors, kung mayroon man, choose that convenience store? Ang lame naman kung hindi nila alam na gumagana ang CCTV camera doon. Third, she gave out how many clues? Three? I haven't seen a victim na ganoon ka-metikulosa sa mga signs and codes. Fourth, ang linis pa rin niya. Don't get me wrong, but if I was one of the abductors,  lalo na kung isa sa mga alakdan, hindi ko na ito hahayaang magpalakad-lakad pa sa paligid o kumain ng cup noodles sa convenience store. I would just kill her right away and dump her somewhere else. Fifth, aside from being a professional teacher, I know that she is a former theatre actress." Mahabang salaysay ni Manel.

"And where do you think she is exactly right now?" Tanong muli ni Jo, tunog desperada.

"Bakit hindi mo puntahan ngayon mismo, commander?" May sarkastikong tanong pabalik ng isa.

"Ha? Anong ibig mong sabihin, Attorney?"

"Alam kong this is one of your ways to test the team's skills after those absences. Hindi na ako ganoon kabata pa para hindi malaman ang ganitong tactics mo. You and Miss Dominguez possibly talked about this while you were recovering." Malumanay na ang boses nito."And another thing, commander. Hindi ka ganoon kagaling umarte." She chuckled.

Jo bursted her laughter out. Kanina pa niya pinipigilan ang halakhak niya sa assembly hall.

"Ano, commander? Tama ako, 'di ba?"

KINABUKASAN...

Maagang nagising si Zarena para ipaghanda ng breakfast ang sarili niya. 5a.m. pa lang ay tumayo na siya mula sa kaniyang higaan. She fixed her bed the usual. Binuksan niya ang bintana at malaya niyang tiningnan ang tanawin sa labas habang papasikat ang araw mula sa kaniyang sariling modern tree house. The tree house was built with two storeys. Sa unang palapag ay makikita ang kaniyang working office. May sala set, kitchen, and a rest room. Naroon din sa ibaba ang working room kung saan siya gumagawa ng kaniyang mga obra, anonymously.  Via calls and e-mails, sa ganiyang paraan siya kumikita, professionally. She is a fine artist. Sa taas naman ng tree house ay buong bedroom. The motif of her tree house is a combination of a wood and pastel yellow.