An idiot, a quad-genius prince, the silent senior, the boy, and the girl who knows a hundred codes with a whole funny venture crossing the universe for one mission.
An immortal god named Medieval kept the secrets of how to be immortal through a cryp...
Kesyla started. "Ayon sa autopsy report he was choked. He didn't die because of the tree. There were signs of struggle in his neck and arms."
Malaki ang eyebags ni Jedi nang humarap siya sa mga kaibigan. "Saya Herom was the son of the national museum's owner. 22 single." Nakakunot niyang sabi habang nakatingin sa kinikilig na si Kesyla. "You know that he is a potential killer right?"
"Wala kang paki! Ang gwapo niya." Inirapan lang siya ni Jedi.
"The assistant security had a heart attack at nasa opital siya ngayon. Under questioning naman ang anak ng biktima pati ang farmer."
Gabe wrote on his sketchpad everything he gathered. Binigay nga niya ito kay Jedi.
Jedi read it aloud. "The intention of the killer was to create his last masterpiece. It was not to open the vault. The suspect was an artist and the accomplice was his lover. The position of the body was centered because he wants to portray the main subject as a dying man in his art."
Tama ang kutob ni Envinci. What he saw on the man's body was some red paint that was mixed with his blood when he died.
"He was already dead when they placed him in the center. He didn't die because nadaganan siya ng puno. The tree does not even grow in the soils of the museum. It grew in the Quezon City Creeks."
"Kung saan nakatira yung anak ng may-ari ng national museo ng manila, yung pogi?" Tanong ni Kesyla. Gabe nodded.
"May note na nakasulat. No, he's innocent."
Kinross out na nga ni Kesyla ang lalaki sa listahan niya. That leaves them 3.
"Basag ang window dahil doon sinubukang tumakas ng accomplice ng suspect. Nasugatan niya ang sarili niya ang sarili kakamadali. But that blood was mixed with the cat's blood, a lame and rush art to cover his accomplice's. Ang pagkakapwesto ng pinto ay dahil sa doon niya pinatay ang pusa, dahil doon niya nakita iyon."
"But there is a blood mark of a foot on the floor. Kanino yon sa pusa rin?"
"That was part of his art. That was the dead man's foot mark. Kaya tingnan mo may dugo sa talampakan sa white shoes na suot niya. Isinuotan pa ng suspek ng sapatos ang biktima. Because he was portraying his childhood. What the fuck, this is insane!"
"Continue." Utos ni Envinci. Hindi lang natigil si Cosine sa pagkain ng lollipop niya habang nakatingin sa window ng garden.
Pero maiging nakikinig.
"That is why from afar. The whole scene looks like a painting. A crime scene in a white and pure indoor garden with the right amount of leaves and flowers, but tainted with the death of a man and a cat. The garden symbolizes life. But that life could turn into death when (the tree) grows. A metaphor for growing up, it is when our innocence vanish (that is why pinatong nila ang matandang puno sa tao). And so does death arrives."
"Dang, you sure are poetic, Senior Gabe." Biglaang sabi ni Cosine na hindi pa rin nagkukulit ngayon.
She looks 50x hotter when she's not in her usual state. Just staring and giving off a bad bitch vibes.
Napangisi si Envinci.
"Confirmed." Sagot ni Envinci. He knows. He just wanted to confirm it. Kasi kahit na alam niya ang sagot wala pa rin siyang tiwala masyado sa sarili niya.
But he is gaining his confidence now because of what Cosine told him yesterday.
He picked the two pictures.
Nagulat si Kesyla pero kalaunang naintindihan na din.
Tumango si Gabe at nagulat din si Jedi.
"His own son? And the farmer na sinabing wala siya nung araw na iyon? They were lovers? They look like they were grandfathers! What the fuck?!" Sigaw ni Jedi.
"But why?" Asked Senior Gabe yun lang kasi yung hindi niya masagot.
Kung bakit.
"Eh sino ang main suspect?" Tumayo na si Envinci nang hindi nasasagot ang tanong ni Jedi.
"Let's go may pupuntahan pa tayo. Pinadala ko na rin sa mga may hawak ng kaso ang ebidensya na magtuturo na sila ang suspects."
Napangiti na si Cosine at sinundan na si Envinci.
Sa kabilang banda ay parehong nakulong ang anak ng biktima. He wanted to be an artist but his father told him that he would never be successful in art, because there is no future there. His anger towards his father grew and he eventually got involved in drugs to cope up. Got in a relationship with his father's co-worker and he planned to use him and put all the blame on him if everything goes wrong.
His life was the depiction of the art, as he grows old he knows that his dream as an innocent child to be an artist died along with his relationship with his father.
Though he ended up making his father the best masterpiece he had done, and gained the popularity he dreamt of. They both paid the price.
_____
Cosine stretched out her arms wide. "Waw! Grabe, wala na bang ididilim ang manila?" Ilang araw na silang hindi nasisikatan ng araw dahil nga hindi na nasisikatan ng araw ang aquifex city.
"Ano ba yung code patingin nga?" Tanong ni Jedi kay Envinci.
B(W) Q(N) F(S) H(E) G(NW) H(S) B(E) K(N)
S(SW) D(S) V(W) N(N)
R(E) F(N) U(SW) B(W)
B(SE) I(NW) L(SE) S(NE) R(N)
"Oh, looks like the News Cipher," Kesyla said.
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The letters in the parentheses are;
N= North E= East S= South W= West NE =North East NW= North West SE = South East SW= South West
B(W) Look for the west side of B. Then that's your letter.
Nag-iikot na naman si Cosine at nakatingin lang si Envinci sa kanya.
"Yeah, and what does it say?"
"Alliance with Saya Herom."
Nanlaki ang mata ni Kesyla at agad na sumama ang timpla ng mood ni Jedi. Nanonood lang si Senior Gabe habang ramdam na ramdam na siya ang 5th wheel sa kanila.
"So siya ang pupuntahan natin ngayon?"
"Yes!"
And they rode the fastest water slide in the city. The only transportation to Quezon City Creeks.
