Project LOKI ①

Chapter 13: Moriar-Tea Party (Part 2)

If he was telling the truth, posibleng sinadya silang paghiwalayin para ma-solo ng killer si Serena dito sa clubroom. But I still could not understand why there was another teacup here and how the victim was killed. Kahit saang anggulo tingnan, talagang iisipin na baka nga siya mismo ang paulit-ulit na sumaksak sa sarili hanggang sa mamatay siya.

"You should call the campus police," utos ni Loki sa kanya. "We need to have this teacup and that pair of scissors examined for fingerprints, though I highly doubt that the analysis will yield a game-changing result."

Hinintay muna naming dumating si Inspector Estrada at ang kanyang mga tauhan. He let out a long sigh upon arriving at the clubroom. Ito na ang pangalawang bangkay na dadalhin nila sa morgue ngayong umaga. Ito na rin ang pangalawang beses na nakita niya kami ni Loki sa crime scene. Ini-request sa kanya ni Loki na dalhin sa lab ang dalawang bagay na gusto niyang ipa-analyze.

"May magnet ba kayo ng kamalasan o ano?" tanong niya sa amin bago inilabas ang bangkay at ang mga bagay na dapat nilang suriin. I wondered if he had already asked that question to Loki who had been with him way before I enrolled here.

AND THE waiting game began. Wala kaming nagawa ni Loki kundi mag-stay sa clubroom at hintayin ang resulta ng analysis na hiningi niya. Paikot-ikot siya sa mesa habang nakakrus ang mga braso at nakatingin sa sahig, tila malalim ang iniisip.

"Are you okay?" tanong ko.

"Me?" Sandali siyang huminto at lumingon sa akin. "I'm perfectly fine. Don't mind me."

Nagsinungaling na naman siya sa akin. Hindi siya perfectly fine. Ganito rin ang itsura niya noong nalaman naming involved si Moriarty sa serial disapperances noong isang linggo.

"I'm just wondering why two students—who did not have suicidal thoughts according to people around them—would take their own lives?" Nagpatuloy siya sa pag-iikot. "I have a feeling that they were murdered, and Moriarty made both incidents look like suicide. But how? Another thing is the teacup. Maybe that's the final piece of the puzzle we're missing."

"May connection kaya ang dalawang biktima?"

"When I visited the first victim's class earlier, I caught a glimpse of Selene's face so I immediately recognized her when we arrived at the second crime scene. So Austin and Selene are classmates who have been killed around three hours apart."

"It's Justin and Serena."

Halos magdikit ang mga kilay niya sa akin. "What?"

"His name's Justin, not Austin. Her name's Serena, not Selene." Lagi ko ba dapat siyang i-correct tuwing mali ang nababanggit niyang pangalan? Matalino naman siya. Kung kaya niyang i-memorize ang details ng isang case, kaya rin dapat niyang mag-memorize ng pangalan.

Anyway, wala pang conclusive proof na m-in-urder ang dalawa, pero 'yon na agad ang kino-consider na angle ni Loki. Mukhang convinced na siya nito.

"Naisip mo na ba kung bakit silang dalawa ang napiling target-in ni Moriarty o kung sinumang agent niya?" Sinundan ko siya ng tingin. "Ano'ng mapapala niya sa pagpatay sa isang aspiring basketball player at isang member ng Photography Club?"

"I don't know why he's interested in taking their lives. But these two cases have one element in common—the teacups found in the crime scenes." Hindi pa rin siya huminto sa pag-iikot, muntik na tuloy akong mahilo. "Aside from challenging me, Moriarty's motive behind these deaths is still a mystery to me. Maybe he has one. Maybe he hasn't."

Masyado niyang ine-enjoy ang imbestigasyon. I saw it in the glint of joy in his gray eyes. Gano'n na gano'n din ang expression niya noong inimbestigahan namin ang serial disappearances. Whenever Moriarty was involved, it excited him to the point that he tended to treat the victims as pieces of the puzzle for him to pick up and put together.