Dean called everyone gathered at the gym to hear his announcement. It has been a week since Noah and I were first suspected of Grace's death, and naturally, practically everyone believes that we are to blame. I bite my tongue as I see Noah smiling at me. I'm still troubled by the possibility that he is the perpetrator, so I made the decision to keep going to proceedings until I could prove his guilt or innocence. I have been observing his movements covertly for the past few days, and to be honest, other than his bipolarity, I didn't see anything unusual.
I gave him a satisfied nod as he waved his hands enthusiastically in my direction.
"Dear students! You are here to gather because of the field trip this coming Friday. The wavers will be distributed by the SSC officers, and we strongly need the parents consent within tomorrow." He continues to inform us about the activities he was planning and even introduces the faculty members who will be escorting us for the trip. Dean wasn't coming, but Miss Jamisson was. Nawala ang gana ko makinig nang siya na ang nagsasalita sa unahan para paalalahanan ng mga rules and regulations during the trip. I busied myself looking at my nail when someone tapped my shoulder.
"Can I talk to you?" said Hunter. He was not looking at me but at Miss Jamison, but I'm pretty sure he was talking to me.
"What for?" I annoyingly ask.
"Don't worry, it's not about my feelings about you." My gaze automatically switched to his face. He was not in his clingy aura this time, but instead he was very serious, like deadly serious. I sighed deeply, thinking that maybe he just wanted to blame me too for Grace's death.
"I've received the ugliest and most brutally possible words for the past week, Hunter. Your words are not going to hurt me anymore; quit it," I said.
"I am not blaming you, Liv. I am actually giving you the privilege to prove your innocence by finding out who really drugged Grace," he said. I cleared my throat.
"As much as I wanted to clear my name, the investigation is closed, and I have never gotten a chance to see the autopsy result," I said.
"You have a hacker friend, right?" tiim bagang ko sana siyang lilingunin nang pihitin nang kamay niya ang panga ko at derekta akong pinatingin sa unahan kung saan nakatingin sa akin si Miss Jamison.
"Meet me after this at the library. Bring your friend with you," he stated before walking away from me.
My mind was blown up by the conversation with Hunter. I didn't even get a chance to ask why I had to bring Noah. But I'm naturally curious.
Following the announcement, I realized that Noah was following me as I entered the school library. Many of the pupils have already entered the lecture hall as the lesson has begun. The SSC officials, including this bitch Miles, who rolled her eyes at the sight of me, are the only students still present in the library. Hunter has asked for both Noah and myself to be excused. I'm not sure how in the world he managed that, but it seems like he uses his position as President of the Sport Team. After noticing our arrival, Hunter, who was positioned at the librarian's desk, gestured for us to follow him.
"He wanted us to follow him," Noah whispered at nauna pang sumunod kay Hunter. Muli ay lumabas kami nang library hanggang sa makarating kami sa tapat ng maliit na office. That's when I confirmed na ginamit nga niya ang pagiging ST President niya para sa pag-uusap na ito.
"Get in." Hunter opens the door. It was a small office and messier than I thought. Kuha ko naman na magulo talaga ang buhay nitong si Hunter, but I didn't expect his personal space to be this messy. Nagkalat ang patong-patong na varsity uniforms at kahon ng mga sports shoes and other sports necessities, including some protective gear, bands, knee straps, a net, a ball, and even an energy drink that has been piled up higher than me.
"Akala ko opisina to, bodega pala." Eventually, unable to contain his thoughts, Noah lets slip everything that has been on his mind. Hunter glared at him, but I nearly clapped when I saw Noah displaying the same reactions as Hunter. In fact, he appears much more dangerous and vicious than Hunter. Perhaps as a result of his flawlessly shaped jaw and eyebrows. While Hunter is also attractive, Noah exudes pride much more. Though his expression was expressionless, he was arched his left eyebrow. Yes, without even trying, he does appear quite strong and threatening. I'm curious how he manages to balance all of his many personas.
"What now, Hunter?" I said, making the two boys shift their gazes at me, but this time they both look softer than later. Tsk, mga baliw.
"Okay, let's be seated first." Sa wakas ay saad nito, kaya naupo naman agad ako sa monoblock chair na nasa unahan ng desk niya. Si Noah naman ay naupo narin sa tapat ko, at si Hunter naman ay sa kaniya mismong office chair.
"Para saan ba'to?" sabi ni Noah na sa paligid naman nakatingin at panay ang lingon.
"It's about Grace." Derektang sagot ni Hunter na nakapag pahinto kay Noah at agad na humarap. I feel something's off about them. They seem to be not on good terms. Magkakilala naba sila? Well, Hunter is ST president. Noah probably knew him. But the way they act right now makes me think that there is something deeper behind this. But whatever it is, it's out of my business. What I really wanted now was to feed my curiosity. So again, I broke up their staring contest and began asking.
"What about Garce?" I asked, making Hunter look at me instead of Noah.
"Well, I really don't believe she killed herself," he said, and Noah mumbled something in his mouth that didn't reach my hearing.
"She didn't; the police confirmed that some substance was injected into her body, causing her to act like that, and they assumed that we did that to her," I annoyingly said.
"Yeah, pero hindi ninyo ba napapansin kung bakit bigla-bigla nalang sila nag conclude ng walang besehan. I heard they arrested you without any prior evidence in hand."
"It's all about money. Grace's parents think that the last person she spent with is the one who injected her with this unknown substance, and they paid the judge to get a warrant of arrest. They said that Grace was freshly discharged from the hospital she was confined to, and she got straight to school, which is the reason why she came late at halos wala na ring naabutang klase, and there she found Noah. They chatted and decided to have a quick review for all her missed classes when she personally said to Noah that she was getting back to school." I stated, and Hunter nodded his head to confirm my statements.
"Sofia can testify to my testimonies," Noah added, and this time ako naman ang napatango. During the interrogation, Sofia stated that she was standing in front of Noah and Grace in the lecture room, dahil hinihintay niya ang kaibigan niyang dumating. She's a sophomore BEED student, and her friend is from the next room. So, to make a long story short, she was standing there in the hallway when she noticed Grace's appearance. Binalak niyang lumapit dahil malapit din siya dito. But when she saw Noah inside, binawi niya ang balak dahil alam daw nitong na-miss ni Noah at Grace ang isat-isa dahil best friends nga raw ito. So bumalik siya sa dating pwesto at pasulyap sulyap na pinanuod ang dalawa.
"To be honest Hunter, your my witness. Nasa gym ako that time diba, but then you came and annoyed me so I decided to go straight to BSIT building dahil may usapan din kami ni Noah. Nainip akong maghintay sa labas dahil mainit at masakit sa balat kaya pinuntahan ko na siya sa lecture room. Sofia saw me and nagkausap din kami saglit. When Noah noticed me outside the lecture hall, he approached me through the glass window. It seems that's when I became aware of Grace's peculiar movements. Initially, I thought she was just irritated with whatever she was studying since she was pulling her hair, but then she started vomiting blood and choked herself. Noah turned and observed the circumstances. While I grabbed Sofia and instructed her to call for assistance, he attempted to stop Grace. That's it; what followed was wildly unpredictable. Despite Noah and my best efforts, she proved to be too strong to stop," I explained.
"Grace is not the same as she was then. Five minutes before she leaps from that building, she doesn't look like the Grace I'm with. There is no chance that she is in a normal state; I can't explain what happened," Noah remarked with disappointment.
"Indeed, I think it's quite strange when she starts suffocating herself. To be honest, she is really frail. Do you recall the time we met your mother at the hospital, and she unintentionally spilt her coffee on me?" Noah nodded, so I'll go on.
"Her hands were shaking, and I even saw you getting the pen out of her hand because she couldn't grip the pen properly. So I didn't really expect her to be that strong. In a short span of time, she was able to toss us off of her," I remarked, and the two males thought seriously. Alam kong gaya ko, iniisip din nila ang rason kung paanong nangyari iyon.
"Did you even get a chance to see the autopsy report?" Hunter asked, and we both shrugged our shoulders.
"Sa totoo lang, I feel something is wrong during our interrogation. Liv natatandaan mo nuong sinuntok ako ni Mr. Benedict?" tumango agad ako.
"That punch is not what I expected from him. He's a very large man with muscular arms and a well-built body, but he punches me like as if sinadya niyang suntukin lang ako at hindi dahil sa nadala lang ng galit." Bigla akong napahinto at tumitig sa kaniya. Sa pagkakatanda ko ng makaharap namin ang mga magulang ni Grace, Mr. Benedict is just standing quietly. His wife was crying and shouting, but he remained calm. And then, all of a sudden, Noah was being punched by Mr. Benedict. I can say that punching was not a joke. Kahit pa isang linggo na ang nakalipas, a bluish purple in Noah's jaw, is still visible. Ngunit hindi maipagkakailang may punto si Noah. With that huge build of Mr. Benedict, he can actually break Noah's face.
"Are you saying that Mr. Benedict is just acting the whole time?" Hunter exclaimed, making me stunned.
"Yeah, that's what I feel." Sagot nito na tila siguradong sigurado.
"Wait-wait speaking of Mr. Benedict. A month ago Grace was kidnap and she was held captive in almost two consecutive weeks. Mr. Benedict with all his power did nothing to find her daughter kung hindi pa nga nag report ang asawa nito na nawawala si Grace eh hindi pa magsisimulang hanapin siya. Although ilang araw na rin ang nakalipas bago pa mapansin ng ina ni Grace. When the police came for questioning Mr. Benedict, he said his not that close and currently not in good terms with Grace. He left early in the morning and go home almost at midnight, he was used of not seeing his daughter around 'cause she's always in her room sleeping. Grace's Mom said that she's introvert and she was used to it as well. Sa madaling salita sanay siyang hindi sila nagkikita araw-araw" Hunter suddenly stated. Noah jumps out of his seat, snapping his finger, and then walks around Hunter's office. I think he was trying to connect every piece of information. When he was satisfied, bumalik ito sa pagkakaupo at inilahad sa amin ang kaniyang conclusion.
"I need to confirm my theory before sharing my deduction, Hunter. Can I borrow your laptop?" Noah said, seeming very confused, but Hunter nevertheless gave Noah his gray laptop. Noah quickly opened the laptop after grabbing it. He started typing, scrolling, and looking for anything he wanted to confirm without giving any further explanation. After five minutes, he was finally finished. He then showed us Hunter's laptop, which listed the several businesses and nonprofit organizations in which Mr. Benedict was associated. I was particularly interested in the name of one of the businesses.
He owned the fast food franchise where Noah was employed. It reminded me of the enigmatic supplier of food. I'm not sure why, but it seems like this information supports the theory that whatever happened to Grace is also related to my case.
"What's wrong with that?" Hunter said and Noah was more than happy to share his theory.
"This is Mr. Benedict's business involvement including charities and projects for Young Ville. You can see that everything here is normal. His not a gambler and not even involve in any illegal matters but take a look at this." Hunter and I were both astonished when he switched the window.
"Did you just hacked, Mr. Benedict bank account?" Hunter almost yelled, mabuti nalang at napigilan din agad niya ang sarili. Though this man in front of us appears quite innocent, he possesses an incredible gift that everyone should be afraid of, thus I can't blame him for his reaction.
"Yeah I did, I pulled up all the bank account in the Philippines, and started to hack their databases, easily countering their firewalls and cyber security. I search for Benedict Marcello. I'm not surprise, he was fully loaded because Grace's father is not even interested in gabling. He was just fucos on business and Young Ville" he stated but Hunter was still not gained into the hacking.
"You did that in just five minutes?"
"Uh-yes?" Noah said na parang patanong ang tuno.
"Dude! You can be a billionaire within an hour!" I maintain my laughter's inside, but Noah throws him a pile of used varsity uniforms from his reach.
"Gagawin mo pa akong kriminal gago!" singhal nito.
"Tsk, akala mo naman hindi krimen yang ginagawa mo ngayon," pabalik na sambit ni Hunter.
"Atlest hindi naman ako nagnanakaw diba," depensa ni Noah.
"Stop that, just continue Noah," singit ko kaya bumalik na muli sa kaseryusohan ang dalawa.
"Mr. Benedict owns nearly half of the businesses here in Young Ville, as I was about to mention. Whether he shares ownership or owns it outright is the question. In essence, his fully funded bank account is unquestionable, but it didn't stop me from investigating further and uncovering several concealed bank accounts in Italy. Although the security is not jokes, I was able to decipher the code. Huge sums of money are kept secret in several accounts. 534 billion pesos, mostly in the form of deposits, and a few million more in purchases and withdrawals made up the largest account. The unusual issue here is every purchases and withdrawal were linked in this nameless bank account. Though difficult to ascertain, it was evident that all transactions made in this anonymous bank account serve the interests of the account holder alone. To make matters worse, Mr. Benedict transferred 300 million pesos to this bank account immediately following Grace's murder and 200 million pesos just before she was abducted."
"Are you saying that Mr. Benedict murdered his own daughter?" Hunter said.
"There is a chance that he hired someone to do that and in order to clean his crime, he pick random people that is possible to be a suspect and charge them with murder," Noah continued, and this time Hunter became furious. He continues to stroke his temples after running his fingers through his hair. He appears to be well acquainted with Grace and her parents, who are also impacted in this way. Well, let's start with the background history that is based on my observation at the moment.
I believe Grace was Hunter's long-term girlfriend.
"To further my explanation, I also hacked this bank account, but fortunately they have skilled and very tricky code, preventing me from entering the main system. I can say that some genius hacker was keeping this account and detected me entering their code. Fortunately, they blocked my work and sent me this message." Noah turned the laptop back to him and started typing for a few seconds before twisting it back to our view.
"SOME THINGS ARE MEANT TO BE DISCOVERED.
BUT ONCE THEY'RE UNLEASHED,
THERE'S NO TURNING BACK."
My heart stopped beating. Hunter was equally perplexed, but just before he could ask any questions, the screen turned red and started typing on its own. While Noah tries to figure out what's happening to Hunter's laptop, the three of us go into an uproar.
"What the hell is happening!?!" said Hunter, appearing both anxious and alarmed. Si Noah naman ay walang tigil ang ginagawang pagtipa sa laptop ngunit kalaunan ay napasabunot nalang sa kaniyang sarili at pigil hiningang lumayo duon.
"Anong nangyayari!" tanong ni Hunter. Inabangan ko ang kaniyang isasagot.
"I was hacked," putlang sambit ni Noah dahilan upang sabay-sabay kaming mapalingon sa laptop na hanggang ngayon ay kusang kumikilos sa kaniyang sarili. Letters, numbers and words keeps appearing, tipong nakakahilo na tingnan. Ang mabilis na pagkilos ng screen ay lalong nakapagpapadagdag ng kaba ko hanggang sa...
"YOU ARE ENTRUDING THE PROPERTY OF THANA"
When the screen reopened after going completely black, Noah was so confused by the code that he yanked his hair, grabbed the laptop, and smashed it against the tile floor. Hunter was yelling, nearly crying with the sight of his laptop being crushed over the tiled floor but Noah didn't stop smashing the poor machine. He even picked it up and threw it repeatedly against the wall.