Dagger Series #5: Unbowed

Chapter 17: Article

I feel like I'm about to throw up. Nagpapasalamat na lang ako na hindi nila ipinapakita sa akin ang aktwal na mga larawan ng mga biktima.

"The choice of weapons was also different. Some were struck with a knife, a hard object on the back of the head, or strangulation. Methods of body disposal weren't posed in a patternized way as well, but the perp didn't exactly try to hide them. This indicates that he's just not trying to use your land as a dumpsite for his kills, nor was he deliberately setting them up to be found. It's like he kills them, then he drags the bodies to a place that he has decided to be their grave. It doesn't matter where as long as it's inside your land," Gun continued.

Nabago ang nakalagay sa screen at napalitan iyon ng tila listahan. Most of what's written on the list was crossed out.

"There's no consistency with his crimes," si Pierce na siyang nagsalita sa pagkakataon na ito. "Walang resemblance sa physical aspect ang mga biktima, iba ang approach, and there's no similarities with the victims' deaths. Ang tanging nagkokonekta sa kanila ay ang lugar kung saan sila natagpuan. Idagdag pa ro'n ay ang paghukay niya sa bangkay ng grandparents mo. That one was very inconsistent with the perp's supposed MO."

"But we did pinned down an important link while you were in Cambodia," sabi ni Axel na kanina ay abala sa laptop na nasa harapan niya. "The victims all worked at the ranch."

My eyes widened in surprise. I've seen their identifications before. "I don't recognize any of them."

"That's because they started working for your family before you were even born. Ang ama mo ang nakatukoy sa kanila pero hindi agad-agad. Sa dami niyo rin na empleyado ay duda ako kung matatandaan niya lahat ang mga nagtrabaho para sa inyo. Lalo na at karamihan ng mga empleyado niyo noon ay nagtrabaho rin para sa pamilya ng nanay mo. Mr. Calderon wasn't sure how long they worked for the ranch, but he said that it was possible that they quit after your mother's death or not long after that. You were too young to remember them," Axel explained.

It felt like my mind was spinning with all the information. "The perpetrator... hindi ba siya nakuhanan ng larawan? From any security cameras?

"We surveyed the cameras already available around the land, and even some footage from private ones. Nagkabit din kami ng sarili naming mga kamera, but of course there's some areas that are physically impossible for us to reach. There's a lot of undisturbed terrain that we couldn't go to, but as said awhile ago by Kuya Thorn, there were hot spots. We made sure that it would be covered."

"And the mansion? Is it possible that he was caught on one of the cameras there?"

Kumilos si Thorn at muling nagbago ang naka-display sa screen. This time it was two still shots from a security footage. Doon ay kita ang isang maliit na delivery truck at sa isang larawan ay kita ang balot ng makapal na jacket na lalaking naka-mask. Aside from his short hair peeking out from the cap he's wearing, his features were completely obscured.

"That delivery truck was soon found abandoned at the side of an empty road, hours after it was reported missing by the real driver. According to him, may delivery siya para sa isang bahay na malapit sa residential part ng lupain niyo. Nang makarating doon ay tila abandonado ang lugar. At first he thought that the address was wrong, but he said that the gate opened. Ibinaba niya ang package, pumasok siya sa gate, at pagkatapos no'n ay wala na siyang maalala. He was struck and he fell unconscious. We took the package in evidence, but the contents were inconsequential things such as boxes and papers. Peke rin ang pangalan na nakasulat at maging ang contact number. Abandonado rin ang bahay," pagpapatuloy ni Axel.

"He didn't manage to identify the person?"

"He was focused on the box he was carrying, and the perp most likely came at him from behind the moment he stepped inside the gate." Bumuntong-hininga ang lalaki. "I hate cases like this. It's like a puzzle. If you don't have all the right pieces then we can't get the full picture."