Catch Him If You Can

01. Did we catch the demon?

Sunday afternoon, the first day of March.

Daniel was having a rough day. Agitated, restless, and hot, he turned off the television in his den and walked over to the terrace. He was hit immediately by a blast of summer heat. From a distance, he heard police cars... or was it ambulance?

"Dad! Help us grill the chicken!" her daughter called. He calls him his precious little Isabel.

"But the temperature is searing 42 degrees. Sure kayo gusto niyo pang magbarbecue?" He asked.

From behind, his wife appeared. She was thirty-nine years old but still looked striking with her tanned skin, fair complexion, wavy black hair that reaches her chest, and light brown eyes. "Oo naman, honey. Ayaw mo ba? Well, we can eat on the patio, or if you want, we can go to the beach to get a breeze of the ocean. What do you think?"

He married Mathilda when she was twenty-three and he, twenty-five. Daniel thought she had grown more beautiful over the years. Part of it is her personality, he thought.

Daniel looked at his wife, gave her a quick hug, and said, "Okay, barbecue it is."

"Ang daming langgam!" Isabel teased while putting up a disgusted face. The couple laughed. Just then, a loud clanging on their gate disrupted their simple joyous occasion, as if someone had been forcefully trying its way in. True enough, because within a minute, three police officers stormed its way inside. One was exceptionally lean and tall, and other two are exceptionally short and... stout.

"Where is he?" One of the police asked as he roamed his eyes to the spacious lawn before settling his gaze to the family.

"Ayun sir," Said another as he pointed to the direction of the father. Without wasting any second, the police officers dashed towards him in a firm, authoritative manner. Isabel gasped and quickly held her father's hand for comfort. She can feel his hands sweating.

"Sumama ka sa amin."

"Bakit?"

"Basta sumama ka sa amin!"

"Sabihin niyo muna kung bakit. Wala akong-"

And then it happened in a flash.

Police officers ganging up on Daniel.

A gun pointed on his head, while he was forced to kneel down.

His wife screaming.

"Daniel Gomez, ikaw ay inaaresto sa salang pagpatay at panghahalay kay Ana Esguerra."

Isabel almost fainted with what she heard. What? She thought confused, Raped? Killed? My father?

"Sir, you must be mistaken. My husband is not-"

"Ikaw ay may karapatang manahimik at magsawalang kibo. Anuman ang iyong sasabihin ay maaring gamitin pabor o laban sa iyo sa anumang hukuman..."

"Raped? Pinatay? Wala akong pinat-"

"Ikaw ay mayroon ding karapatang kumuha ng tagapagtanggol na iyong pinili at kung wala kang kakayahan, ito ay ipagkakaloob sa iyo ng pamahalaan..."

"Anong-"

"Nauunawaan mo ba?"

"Sandali-"

"NAUUNAWAAN MO BA?!" At that moment, the police officer pinned him to the ground with so much force that his face had turned a slight shade of red with each second of pressure.

"Get off my dad! You're killing him!" Isabel cried. It was only then that the officer lifted his weight, and twisted Daniel's arm on his back to roughly put the handcuffs.

"Dalahin nyo na yan!"

The two short officers yanked him up, and forcefully pushed him to walk. Daniel looked back at his wife and child with pleading eyes.

"I'll be fine, honey," he mumbled as he gave a faint smile of reassurance.

"No! Daddy!"

But both Isabel and Mathilda were helpless as they watched him being dragged outside their home and into the police car. Out in the yard, their neighbors are gathered as they watched the ordeal with squinting eyes, their hands over their mouth.

"Siya pala yung nangrape at pumatay. Mabuti nga nahuli na."

"Death penalty na yan. Demonyo."

~ End of Part 1 ~

To be continued!

Author's note:

About this chapter, I used the general manner of serving the warrant of arrest, well, at least on the part where they read to him his Miranda Rights!

Remember that in our laws, the general rule on arrest is that the arresting officer should only arrest a person by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by a Judge (There are cases though when arrest warrant is not needed)

The Miranda Rights or Miranda warning is an important part of an arrest, whether with or without warrant, before an officer may take custody of a person. Failure of the officer to state the accused's Miranda Rights will render the arrest invalid, and court may lose its jurisdiction over the person, which may lead to a case dismissal.

Although application of actual force, manual touching of the body, physical restraint or a formal declaration of arrest is not required, I included them in my story because that's what happens in reality anyway hehe.

See you next chapter!