AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the updated 2022 version of Chapter 20-Part 1. If you are re-reading this part, you may observe some changes from the previous version.
CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains references to kidnapping that may be upsetting for some readers. Please be mindful of this sensitive theme and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.
LORELEI
MORIARTY'S IDENTITY was still a mystery, but we were one step closer to unmasking him. Ngayong hawak na namin ang kanyang number—o kung sinumang malapit sa kanya, sakaling hindi kanya 'yon— it was only a matter of time bago namin malaman ang katotohanan. Loki advised us na huwag munang ilabas ang aming alas. Gaya sa isang card game, kailangan daw naming maghintay ng tamang opportunity bago ilahad ang mga hawak naming baraha. Sa gano'ng paraan, mas masisiguro naming ang victory.
"When I dial this number, I wanna see that person answer my call so I can confirm whether he's Moriarty or not," Loki told me when I brought up the topic in our apartment last night. Mukhang mas ginanahan siya dahil sa progress namin sa case. "Texting or calling him now is an idiotic move. Let's stand by and wait for our window of opportunity."
Thanks to Jamie and her God-given retentive memory, extracting Moriarty's number from Officer Bastien Montreal's phone went so smoothly, we did not even break a sweat. Well, not really. We had to punch Loki in the face so he would appear injured and unconscious. That way, the officer who responded to Loki's call would let his guard down, making himself vulnerable.
Kapag naiisip kong malapit na naming malaman kung sino si Moriarty, lalo akong nae-excite. Sa hinaba-haba ng case na ito, sino ba naman ang hindi masasabik na makaabot sa katapusan? It would also be thrilling to know if the person behind that codename was someone who could shock us to the core or leave us dumbfounded.
Nine-thirty ng umaga nang ipinatawag ako ni Loki sa clubroom. In-expect kong dalawa na silang nandito, pero tanging si Loki ang naabutan ko. Hindi ko nasilayan ni anino ni Jamie. Kadalasa'y nauuna siya sa akin dito tuwing breaktime.
"She told me she'll be late," sabi ni Loki. Malamang nabasa niya sa mukha ko ang tanong sa aking isipan. Nakasandal siya sa nakasanayan niyang monobloc chair. Wala na yata siyang balak na mag-request ng swivel chair na dati niyang inuupuan. "By the way, do you know what X means? There are three X's at the end of Jamie's message."
"X?" Inilagay ko sa mesa ang aking bag at saka umupo sa kabilang dulo nito. Hindi na nakapagtataka na wala siyang kamuwang-muwang sa gano'ng expressions. "If I'm not mistaken, X can be an expression of affection. Are you familiar with XOXO? No? The X represents kiss while the O represents hug. But X can also mean target, like in X marks the spot."
"Why would she send me three kisses?"
Bumuntonghininga ako nang makita ang nakakunot niyang noo. Even if he could read any person like an open book, his obliviousness to simple gestures related to expressing emotions was something worth taking note of. Ito namang si Jamie, mukhang interesado talaga kay Loki. That was fairly obvious—in Loki's own voice— after she kissed him in the lips and hugged him tightly in two separate occassions.
Sometimes I wondered why she joined our club. Was it because of her interest in solving mysteries? Or was it because of Loki? Siya lang ang makapagsasabi n'on.
My train of thought was interrupted when someone knocked on our door. Hindi na ako nagkaroon ng chance na sabihan siya ng "come in" dahil kusa na mismo niyang binuksan ang pinto. A familiar figure emerged, shooting us with his cold stares that raised every hair in my body.
"Brace yourself, Lorelei. The apocalypse is about to begin," bulong ni Loki habang nakatitig sa kuya niyang si Luthor. Matagal na rin mula noong huli ko siyang nakita. "Shall we expect the seven angels to blow their trumpets and for the four horsemen to arrive now?"
Here he went again with his exaggerated interpretation of his brother. He spoke of Luthor as if he was a spawn of darkness or an abomination that would bring the world to ruin. Before, Loki likened him to an evil wizard who could emerge from a demonic pentagram or materialize from a plume of black smoke. God knews how many allusions about his brother he could come up with.
"I have been informed that there are three of you now." Tuluyan nang pumasok si Luthor, nasa likod ang mga kamay at iginala ang mga mata sa clubroom. The sound of his footsteps sent chilling sensations to me. Hindi ko mawari kung anong klaseng aura ang meron siya at kung bakit ganito lagi ang nararamdaman ko kapag malapit siya. "Maggie told me that your newest member is a spitting image of your late friend."
"I assume that this is not a social visit. Shall we cut to the chase?" reklamo ni Loki. The mere presence of his brother was probably enough to annoy him or change his mood. "What do you want from us?"
Huminto siya sa tabi ng upuan ko. His towering figure loomed over me. "I have come here to say hello to my younger brother."
"Don't give me that crap. You won't go out of your way just to visit me and say hi."
"Very well, I will no longer beat around the bush. The student council is requesting for your club's assistance."
"What kind of assistance? Is it to dominate the world or eliminate the threats to your secret empire? If either's your answer, I don't wanna take part in any of it."
"Oh . . . I highly doubt that you will refuse to take on our request." May inilabas si Luthor mula sa chest pocket ng blazer niya—isang maliit na envelope—at ipinakita kay Loki. "Thirty minutes ago, a letter was delivered to the student council's office. We thought that as our campus' detective club, you are the right person to take charge of this case. You are the expert in this sort of thing, so . . ."
"Why do you think we'll accommodate your request?"
"This card came from a very close friend of yours. Someone who has probably grown tired of waiting in the shadows and decided to shake things up."
Iniabot ni Luthor sa kanyang kapatid ang envelope. Hindi 'yon kinuha ni Loki—ni hindi man nga siya pinansin—kaya ibinigay niya sa akin. Pati ako, nadamay sa away ng magkapatid na ito.
Sinuri ko ang envelope. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang mabasa ang pangalang nakasulat sa likod nito.
"M-Moriarty?" bulalas ko. The mastermind's name was written in cursive. The strokes of every letter was splendidly done.
Dahan-dahan ko itong binuksan at inilabas ang isang card. Naka-print dito ang ilang numbers kagaya sa code na ginawa noon ni Loki nang nagpanggap siyang dinukot at dinala sa storage room ng gymnasium.
Lumapit sa akin si Loki, mabilis na hinablot ang card. Bigla siyang nagseryoso matapos marinig ang pangalan ni Moriarty.
"We are planning to send it over to the campus police and ask them to check if there are any fingerprints on it," sabi ni Luthor habang pinagmamasdan ang reaksyon ng kapatid. Dahil magkatabi silang nakatayo, hindi ko naiwasang pansinin ang height difference ng dalawa. Sobrang tangkad ng nakatatandang Mendez habang kinulang sa height ang nakababata.
"You're a fool if you think that Moriarty or whoever wrote this letter would leave any traces." Hinawaka ni Loki sa eye level ang card at masusing sinuri ng mga mata niya. "He's far too meticulous to leave breadcrumbs for us to pick up and follow."
"Nevertheless, the student council deems that this message should not be taken lightly. You should know by now what your friend is capable of." Nanatiling kalmado ang boses ni Luthor, pero may halong babala ang tono niya. "It might be the name of his next target or the location of a bomb that he planted somewhere in the school."
"He's not my friend so stop referring to him as such." Bumalik si Loki sa upuan niya at sumandal doon, hawak-hawak pa rin ang card. "By the way, why don't you refer this case to your student executive committee? They're also investigating the Moriarty case, aren't they?"
"They have their hands full at the moment, following the stunt that you pulled yesterday. Maggie is not pleased with you interfering with their business. You cut loose the thread that could have led them to that mystery man."
"Some sacrifices have to be made. They're no way closer to Moriarty than we are."
Naningkit ang mga mata ni Luthor, nanatiling blangko ang mukha niya. "What do you mean?"
"Need not to know." Ngumisi si Loki sa kanya. "You've already played the messenger. Can you leave us now? Your presence here is an irritant. I need to concentrate. If this message does spell doom to someone, time is of the essence."
Nagkatitigan muna ang magkapatid. Si Luthor ang unang kumalas ng tingin. Kung ako siguro ang nasa posisyon ni Loki, hindi ko matatagalan na makipagtitigan sa kanya. May something sa mga mata niya na nagpapangilabot sa akin.
"Let us know once you have cracked that code." Tumalikod na si Luthor at saka naglakad palabas ng clubroom. "It is imperative for the student council to be properly informed about your progress."
"Yeah, yeah. Just leave so we can make progress as soon as possible." Loki shooed him away.
Dahan-dahang sumara ang pinto. Sandaling nagkaroon ng katahimikan sa loob.
"You don't get to see the vice president of the student council visit a club," sabi ni Loki, lumipat ang tingin sa akin mula sa pinto. "The fact that he delivered this card to us in person means that they're seriously concerned about it. He could've sent an errand boy to do that menial task, but he didn't."
"Then let's start cracking it!" tugon ko. "Wala na tayong oras na dapat sayangin. Kung may buhay na nasa peligro, mas kailangan nating bilisan ang pag-decode diyan."
Agad akong tumayo at lumapit sa tabi niya. Muli kong tiningnan ang code. Kumuha siya ng notebook, pumunit ng isang page at mabilis na isinulat ang sequence of numbers doon. Sa ilalim, may isinulat siyang series of letters. Nang sinubukan kong basahin . . .
"Simple substitution doesn't work!" Nilamukos niya ang papel at ibinato sa trash bin sa sulok. Muli siyang pumunit ng bagong page mula sa notebook at nag-scribble doon. Binasa ko ang isinulat niya. Wala ring sense ang ikalawang series kaya nilamukos ulit niya ang papel at itinapon 'yon sa basura.
I thought that it would only take him less than a minute to crack the code. Mukhang hindi ito gaya ng ibang na-crack na niya noon. Ano pa ba'ng aasahan namin? Posibleng si Moriarty ang nasa likod nito. Duda akong bibigyan niya si Loki ng code na easy i-solve.
"I-try mo kaya ang Polybius square?" payo ko. Gano'n din ang itsura ng code na ginamit niya noon, kaya naisip ko na baka pwedeng ma-apply ang parehong method of deciphering.
Umiling siya bago binilugan ang numbers 0 at 4. "There are two single digit numbers here. Polybius square only works for two-digit numbers."
I looked again at the numerical sequence before shooting another suggestion. "Paano kung katulad 'to ng double code na ginawa mo? After getting the first set, we write down the letters that precede each of them. Take one step back, remember?"
"Might be worth a try." Sinunod niya ang suggestion ko at mabilisang isinulat ang panibagong sequence of letters. Pero gaya ng nauna, the result did not make any sense to me or to him.
Napasabunot siya sa buhok habang nakatutok pa rin sa card. This was one of the rare moments where I saw him visibly frustrated. "If Moriarty chose a cipher that I'm not aware of, he had me in this one. Maybe it's not one step back, but one or two steps forward?"
He scribbled another sequence which he then crossed out when it made no sense to him. Halos mapuno na ang papel na kanyang sinusulatan, pero hindi pa rin niya nakuha ang sagot na may sense.
Dala ulit ng pagkainis, nilamukos niya ang papel at ibinato sa pader. Tumayo muna siya't naglakad-lakad sa palibot ng mesa. Ramdam ko ang frustration niya. "Every code follows a pattern. That's what makes them crackable. Either this series of numbers means nothing and Moriarty's messing with me or I missed something of importance."
Kinuha ko ang card mula sa mesa at muling binasa ang nakasulat dito. Nakakuha sa atensyon ko ang pambungad na nasa itaas. "Para saan kaya ang 'Greetings from Henry VIII' na 'to? They won't include it here if it's not relevant, right?"
Huminto si Loki sa paglalakad, nabaling ang tingin sa akin. "Do you know who Henry VIII is?"
"Probably one of the monarchs of the United Kingdom?" nag-aalangan kong sagot. Hindi ako familiar sa majority ng personalities sa world history. "It sounds like a perfect name for a king."
"You're right about him being a king." He crossed his arms across his chest and went closer to me. "Henry VIII is the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty in England. Apart from being married to six wives in the hopes of getting a son, I don't think he contributed anything significant to the world of cryptography."
"Again, why would Moriarty include it here if he wasn't relevant?" Napahaplos ako sa chin habang nakatitig pa rin sa pangalan ng hari. "Why would he put something unnecessary if it's not important in the solution? Maybe there's something with Henry VIII that could serve as a clue to cracking this code."
"Interesting insight, Lorelei." Hinablot niya mula sa akin ang card at muling sinuri 'yon. "There has to be something with this fat British monarch."
"Paano kung ang eigh—"
Naputol ang gusto kong sabihin nang biglang may kumatok sa pintuan. Kasabay ng pagbukas nito ay ang pagpasok ng babaeng mukhang nahihiya pang tumuloy.
"Sorry, but we're currently busy at the moment." Loki dismissed the young woman without looking at her. Alam kong masyado siyang preoccupied sa code, pero hindi niya kinailangan na maging rude.
"Uhm . . . Gusto ko sanang itanong kung dumaan dito si Jamie?" mahinhing tanong ng babae, inilibot ang tingin sa clubroom namin. "O baka alam n'yo kung saan siya pumunta?"
Pagbanggit sa pangalan ng member namin, lumingon ulit sa kanya ni Loki. "She hasn't come here yet. She said she'll be late."
Napatingin sa sahig ang babae at napahawak sa dibdib. "Saan kaya siya pumunta? Pumasok kasi siya kaninang umaga sa klase 'tapos bigla siyang lumabas ng classroom. May pupuntahan daw. Nagsimula na 'yong first subject namin pero hindi na siya bumalik."
Nagpalitan kami ng tingin ni Loki. Kahit hindi niya sabihin, mukhang pareho kami ng iniisip. Masama ang kutob ko sa ipinaalam ng babae sa amin.
"'Di ba nag-text sa 'yo si Jamie kanina?" tanong ko. "Ang sabi niya, male-late siyang pumunta rito sa clubroom."
"But she failed to attend her morning classes. Therefore . . ." Mabilis niyang inilabas ang kanyang phone at ch-in-eck ang inbox. Sumilip na rin ako sa conversation thread nila ni Jamie. Past nine o' clock ang huling text message na s-in-end sa kanya.
Loki (9:09 AM):
Come at once to the clubroom if convenient. If not, still come.
Jamie (9:18 AM):
Good morning, Loki~ Sorry, male-late ako. May ipinapagawa pa kasi sa amin. Hahabol ako kapag tapos na kami. Okay lang ba? Thank you! xxx
Loki (9:20 AM):
K.
Maging si Jamie, nabiktima na rin ng napaka-meaningful na "K" ni Loki. But more importantly, kung hindi nga nakapasok ang babaeng 'yon sa klase nila ngayong umaga, may dalawang posibleng scenario: Una, naisipang magbulakbol ni Jamie at gusto niyang ipakitang nasa klase siya kaya gano'n ang sagot niya. Pangalawa, ibang tao ang nagpadala ng text message kay Loki para hindi magmukhang kahina-hinala sakaling hindi siya nakapag-reply.
Loki's features darkened as his eyes narrowed into slits. He must have realized the most likely explanation as to what happened to Jamie.
"You were right about the meaning of letter X," he told me with a serious look on his face. "Considering the recent news, it's probably meant to mark the target. In this case, it's our very own Jamie Santiago."
q.e.d.
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