The Incomplete Detective [Volume 1]

[14] Status Switch

SEBASTIAN

Facing the urgency, the Alethean Detectives are now giving a run to catch up to the fleeting time. Delvin already drove off with his motorcycle since his destination is farther than mine, which is only five or six kilometer away from our University. Meanwhile, nakatayo pa rin ako sa harapan ng kalsada ng South-Eastern gate ng unibersidad habang itinataas sa ere ang aking cellphone.

Nawalan kasi ng signal kaya hindi ko magamit ang online application na pantawag ko sa mga blue taxi. Wala pa naman sa kanila ang dumaraan ngayon sa tapat ng unibersidad. Marahil ay naghihintay ang karamihan sa may mall ilang metro ang layo mula rito.

Mayroon namang jeep, pero ayaw ko ang nakikipagsiksikan sa mga sardinas sa isang lata. Alam kong urgent matter ang ginagawa namin, pero hindi ko kayang isantabi ang pagka-germaphobe ko. Minsan ko nang sinubukan ang sumakay ng jeep kasama si Delvin at nahimatay lamang ako—so if I want to help in resolving this case, I need to keep my consciousness intact.

People may call me "stagy" as they please, but still! I'll stand for myself since this who I am.

After eight minutes, I finally detected the pivotal signal. Mabilis akong tumawag ng blue taxi. Thankfully, in a blink of an eye, mayroong tumanggap kaagad ng aking request—usually, mahirap makakuha ng pickup request lalo na kapag naghihintay sila ng pasahero sa may mall.

Lady Luck seems to repay the misery of missing the signal for few minutes with the arrival of my ride within a half minute. Kaagad akong sumakay sa backseat ng blue taxi at pinakita ang Google Map na naka-flash sa screen ng cellphone ko, showing the address of our destination.

"Right away, sir," sabi ng matandang driver na nag-salute pa sa may rear mirror sa loob ng taxi—seems like I found myself an energetic driver who treats his passenger with the utmost Filipino hospitality.

Along the way, I crossed my arm in front of my chest, hands holding on my elbows. Pinapanood ko lamang ang mga linalampasan naming mga sasakyan at building sa glass window. I sniffed the scent of lavender coming from an air-freshener habang sinusubukan kong alamin ang cipher method na puwedeng ginamit ni Leonardo—if he's really the creator of this map-like cipher. What could someone like a cat lover, appreciator of the Ancient Rome, literary writer will use?

I can use his profile to psychoanalyse or theorize a way to crack the ciphered message. Mayroon kasing pagkakataon na ginagamit ng isang tao ang sarili niyang hilig sa paggawa ng isang bagay—cipher techniques are not exempted.

"Mukhang malalim ang iniisip niyo, sir ah?" nakangiting tanong ng driver na napatingin sa rear mirror sa loob ng sasakyan. "Baka gusto niyong magkuwento, sir. Handa naman akong makinig kung ikakagaan ng kalooban niyo."

Ayaw na ayaw ko sa mga ganitong driver kahit na kinagigiliwan sila ng nakakarami especially the aliens. They are friendly and approachable—no doubt about it. However, hindi nila mabibigay ang standard ng katahimikan na gusto ko. Ayaw ko rin na mayroong nanghihimasok sa buhay ko. Probably, they do it for a good purpose, but I don't need someone to talk to right now.

"I prefer silence," I said, glancing on the driver's seat for a second.

In that moment, I took a chance to search the visible parts of the old taxi driver. He was wearing a blue polo and black slacks. May katabaan ang pangangatawan. Kalbo. Round-shaped face. Light tan complexion. A V-shaped black tattoo is protruding on his right short sleeve.

"Pasensya na, sir," the driver answered awkwardly before zipping his mouth throughout the drive.

Habang binabalot ng nakakakalmang katahimikan ang aming pag-usad, I calmly pondered upon the profile of Leonardo. Currently, ka-text ko rin si Lora na nagse-send sa akin ng mga impormasyon patungkol sa yumaong novelist—our tech genius did stalk the guy's social media accounts kaya mabilis lang ang pagdaloy ng facts sa aming message thread.