Chapter 35: The Culprit is A Vampire?
I woke up feeling halfway comfortable and halfway not. Nang tuluyan kong iminulat ang mga mata ko ay nagulat na lamang ako nang mapagtantong nakayakap ako kay Gray! Mabuti na lang at ako ang unang nagising kaysa sa kanya. Baka 'pag siya ang nauna ay nakakahiya! My head was on his arm at nakayakap ako sa beywang niya!
I took the liberty of using the bathroom upang maghilamos at magmumog. Nang lumabas ako ng banyo ay gising na si Gray. He looked at me with his messy hair. He smiled gently, uttered 'morning' at siya naman ang pumasok sa banyo.
Nang lumabas siya mula sa banyo ay inutusan niya akong suotin ang sapatos ko dahil aalis na kami. When we went out the room ay nakatayo roon si Cooler. I saw Gray threw him dagger looks.
"Where's the car that I've asked your father last night?" tanong ni Gray kay Cooler. He's cold and he refused to look him. Your father. He addressed Cronus, their father as 'your father'. Mukhang hindi pa nito matanggap ang ama at kapatid.
"I hope you will consider his proposal. You're still a Vander after all," wika ni Cooler.
"Stop talking nonsense. Sinagot ko na 'yan kagabi," buo ang desisyon na wika ni Gray. I remained standing behind him.
I heard Cooler sighed. "The car's waiting outside. Hindi ba muna kayo kakain?"
"No thanks," Gray said at tiningnan ako upang sumunod sa kanya. Nang humakbang na siya ay sumunod ako sa kanya but Cooler held my arm.
"Amber can we talk?" he asked me at nagulat na lang ako nang hilahin ako ni Gray palapit sa kanya, causing me to free from Cooler's grip.
"No you can't," he said at nakipagsukatan ng tingin kay Cooler.
Cooler grabbed me again but Gray held tightly kaya hindi ako nahila ni Cooler. Magkapatid nga sila, they're both hardheaded and stubborn. I winced in pain when they both grabbed my arms. Hindi ako lubid ng tug-of-war upang hilahin nilang dalawa!
"I'm sorry," wika ni Cooler at binitawan ako. Hindi na ako nakasagot pa dahil hinawakan ako ni Gray sa kamay at bumaba na kami sa hagdan at lumabas ng mansion.
"I know you don't want to be back to Bridle wearing that dress, you can go with me at our house," wika ni Gray sa akin nang lulan na kami ng kotse. Sa bahay mismo nila? Pumayag ako at sinabi na niya sa driver iyon.
Hindi nagtagal ay ipinatigil ni Gray ang kotse sa harap ng isang napakalaking bahay. It may not be as huge as the Vander mansion kung saan kami galing, but it was also huge enough. There was a sign at the side of the gate, Iverone Silvan, Attorney at Law. Bumaba na kami ng kotse and he rang the doorbell.
"Who's Iverone Silvan?" I asked him at itinuro ang sign sa tabi.
"My mom," sagot niya. What? His mom's a lawyer?
"I thought she's a police detective," wika ko and he nodded.
"Yeah, she was," sagot niya. "It's just lately when she pursued law and eventually passed the bar exam."
Binuksan ng isang matandang babae ang gate. "Ivan! Nako, anak! Na-miss ka na namin," she said niyakap ng mahigpit si Gray. Tuwang-tuwa ito nang makita si Gray.
Gumanti naman ng yakap si Gray dito. "I missed you more Nana. Nandiyan ba sina Mommy?"
"Si Arvie nandoon yata sa Singapore, at si Ivy naman, mukhang abala sa hinahawakan niyang kaso ngayon," wika ng katulong. She glanced at me at saka pa lamang niya ako napansin.
"Ivan, anak? Mag-aasawa ka na?" Lumapit siya sa akin at kinilatis ako mula ulo hanggang paa.
"Hmmm, hindi na masama. Maganda rin naman, tisay, makinis ngunit anak, ang bata-bata mo pa," sabi niya matapos akong i-assess.
Natawa ng bahagya si Gray at inakbayan ang babae. "Sorry to disappoint you Nana but she's just my classmate at Bridle. Her name is Amber." He smiled at her at nakaakbay pa rin dito nang pumasok na sa loob ng gate. Nahihiyang ngumiti naman ako sa babae.
"Simula nang mag-aral ka roon sa Bridle madalang ka na kung umuwi rito. Dati noong sa Athena ka pa, madalas ka namang umuuwi ah. Kayo ni Mikmik!" tila nagtatampong wika nito.
"Sorry na Nana. 'Wag ka ng magtampo, alam niyo namang malayo ang Bridle diba?" Gray answered.
"Oo na. Teka kumain na ba kayo? Ipaghahanda kayo ni Tessie ng pagkain," wika nito at nagpaalam muna na pupunta ng kusina.
Napatingin si Gray sa akin at inaya ako sa taas. "Let's go upstairs at nang makapagbihis ka," wika niya at pinasunod ako sa kanya. We went upstairs at napansin ko ang malalaking mga litrato sa gilid ng hagdan. It was Gray when he was few years younger. He was with a beautiful young woman in one of the portraits.
"I don't know that you have a sister," I said while looking at the pictures.
"I don't have one. That's my mom," he answered and I almost tripped. What?! His mom!? Bakit mukhang ilang taon lamang ang tanda nito kay Gray?! She's very sexy and beautiful too!
"WHAT?! That's your mom? Are you joking? She's too young to be your mom!"
"She's 17 when she carried me in her womb," kwento ni Gray. "That's why we looked like siblings."
I saw another photo and it was two young boys, one carrying a basketball while the other is carrying a soccer ball. "Hey, is this Khael?" I asked at tinuro ang larawan. Bata pa sila roon, mukhang nasa mga seven years old pa lamang.
"Yup."
"Kyaaaaah! He's so cute!" I exclaimed and I saw his face crumpled.
"He's not. Tingnan mo oh, ang lakas ng loob bumungisngis, eh bungi naman!" he said and pointed the gap in Khael's teeth.
"Kaya nga ang cute niya. Look at your smile, oh no. You're not smiling," I told him.
"Parehas kami bungi niyan kaya ayaw kong ngumiti," he said and frowned. That's when I burst into laughter! Sabay talaga silang nabungi?! He pouted when I laughed hard at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad. I stopped myself from laughing at sumunod sa kanya. He went inside a huge dressing room at binuksan ang malaking walk-in closet. There were so many ladies' clothes there.
"Choose anything you want. Kung gusto mo rin ay maligo ka muna," he said. Wait, there were so many clothes that I can borrow there but there's no way I'll be borrowing underwear!
"But Gray—" shit! Paano ko ba iyon sasabihin?
"What?"
"Ano kasi —" Damn! I really can't say it!
"Ano nga? You want me to undress you? Just tell me," he said and smirked. I know I'm as red as a tomato now! Ano ba ang pinagsasabi niya?!
"Pervert! I just wanted to tell you that I can't borrow underwear!" Oh! There! I finally said it.
"Edi suotin mo na lang ulit — awwww!" I stepped hard on his foot.
"Nababaliw ka na ba? I can just wash my underwear and let it dry using your dryer! The problem is bra! I'm not wearing any bra!" I screamed on his face. His eyes widened and his ears are becoming red. Saka ko lang din na-realize kung ano ang sinabi ko!
"Why are you not wearing your bra?" he asked at kating-kati na ang kamao kong dumapo sa mukha niya. What a very stupid question!
"Arrrgh! I'm not wearing any dahil may built-in foam itong damit na ito!" I hissed at him. Crap! It's so awkward to discuss your undergarments with a guy!
"What are we going to do now?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.
"I thought your IQ is superior pero tanga ka rin pala! You can just ask someone to buy me one," I told him. Uh stupid Gray! So stupid!
Naningkit ang mga mata niya at umiwas ng tingin. "There's no way I'll be telling them to buy you underwear. You tell them yourself! Tatawagin ko si Dezza at ikaw ang magsabi sa kanya."
Hindi na niya hinintay ang sagot ko. Agad siyang lumabas ng silid at nang bumalik siya ay may kasama na siyang dalagita. "She's Dezza. Pwede kang makisuyo sa kanya," wika ni Gray.
Ngumiti sa akin si Dezza at gumanti rin ako ng ngiti. "Hi po Ate Amber," she said and I smiled at her. "May nais po ba kayo?"
"Ano kasi, can you buy me a pair of underwear?" pag-aatubiling tanong ko. My smile vanished as I turned my eyes towards Gray. "But I don't have money! I lost my clutch," wika ko. Crap! Kapag minamalas ka nga naman.
Kinuha naman ni Gray ang kanyang pitaka at naglabas ng tatlong tig-iisang libong papel at ibinigay iyon kay Dezza. She looked at the money with amusement. Tiningnan ko rin ng si Gray na nakataas ang isang kilay.
"What?!" he asked nang mapansin ang tingin ko at ang pag-aatubili ni Dezza na kunin ang pera.
"I'm not asking Dezza to buy me Victoria Secret's underwear! That's too much for a pair of it!" wika ko at ininguso ang kamay niyang may hawak ng pera. Kumuha ako ng isang libo at ibinigay iyon kay Dezza.
"Malay ko ba," he whispered at ibinalik ang natitirang pera sa wallet. "Pumili ka na ng damit and you can take a bath at my room's bathroom since sira ang heater ng mga shower sa guest room."
Nang iwan niya ako ay sinimulan ko nang linisin ang katawan ko. Matapos maligo ay nasa kama na ang pinabili ko kay Dezza at agad akong nagbihis at bumaba. I looked for Gray but he's nowhere to find. I looked around the house at natagpuan ko siya sa labas.
"Who was that?" tanong ko nang nilapitan ko siya.
"Our neighbor, Kuya Janus. Amber do you think vampires exist?" he asked me in a serious manner.
"How would I know? I never saw one."
"Well, we'll see for ourselves later," he said at pumasok na sa loob.
***
Matapos kaming mananghalian ay isinama ako ni Gray sa bahay ng kapitbahay nila na kausap niya kanina. Ayon umano kay Kuya Janus ay may bampira sa bahay nila. He doesn't want to believe it but he saw it with his own eyes. Ayon dito ay nakatatanda nitong kapatid ang bampira. It was recently when his brother's private nurse was killed by a vampire. There were two holes on her neck which looks like a vampire's bite.
He tried reporting it to the police but they won't believe him. May mga kababalaghan din umanong nangyayari sa bahay nila. His basis for pointing out his brother as the vampire was because they caught him on the act. Nahuli umano ito nina Janus nang minsang marinig nila ang sigaw ng dalawang taong gulang na pamangkin nito.
When they rushed into the room, they saw their brother held his niece. They saw how he raised his head from the child's neck. There were traces of the child's blood on his mouth at may dalawang butas naman sa leeg ng bata kung saan nagmumula ang dugo.
They can't ask him about it dahil hindi ito nakakapagsalita simula nang ma-stroke ito. Ang tanging nag-aalaga rito ay ang kanyang asawa. Bago pa rin umano ito na-stroke ay ayaw na nitong makalanghap ng pagkain na may bawang which was also one of the basis of their suspicion about him becoming a vampire. He invited Gray to check the situation dahil halos mabaliw na raw ito sa kaiisip kung naging bampira nga ba ang kanyang kapatid.
Nasa harap kami ngayon ng malaking bahay nina Kuya Janus. There were high walls at nagulat na lang ako nang mapagbuksan kami ng gate! There were so may reptiles around! There were salamanders, komodo dragon, snakes at kung ano-ano pang mga reptiles! What made me held tight to Gray were the snakes na nasa kanya-kanyang transparent boxes! And it was from the smallest to a large one!
"I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you that Kuya Janus' brother is a herpetologist kaya normal lang na maraming reptiles dito. Don't worry about their fangs, it's been removed," wika ni Gray. Pumasok naman kami sa bahay at panay ang hawak ko kay Gray! Geez! Those snakes are creepy!
Sinalubong kami ni Kuya Janus sa may pinto ng bahay. "So, ito ba ang kaklase mong si Amber?" tanong nito kay Gray. He talked to us again tungkol sa kababalaghang nangyayari.
"I really don't know what to do. Ni hindi ko alam kung ano ang sanhi ng lahat ng ito. If Kuya Morris really became a vampire, what cause him to become one?" tanong ni Kuya Janus.
"I don't really think that vampires exist Kuya Janus though there were really some tribe or cult who drinks blood as a form of tradition. Did your brother leave home to go somewhere bago pa man nangyari ang pag-atake ng sinasabi niyong bampira?" I asked him.
He thought for a while at umiling. "I don't think there is any place he went."
Ibig sabihin, the possibility that he has encountered tribes who have been drinking blood as part of their tradition has been eliminated.
"Pwede ba naming makita ang bata?" Gray asked him at tinawag naman ni Kuya Janus ang isa sa mga katulong at pinakuha ang bata. When she arrived, she was carrying the two-year old kid. It was his daughter, Jehan.
Sariwa pa ang sugat sa leeg nito, and it really looks like it was bitten by some sharp fangs. It could have been the snakes but since he assured us na lahat ng ahas ay tinanggalan ng mga pangil, thus snake bites are impossible.
"It really looks like caused by sharp fangs," komento ni Gray and I agreed. How was it possible? Kuya Janus even said that he saw him bit the child.
"How about the maid who was killed? Does she have the same bite marks?" tanong ko.
"Yeah."
Gray was lost in his thought. Kapag ganoon siya ay unti-unti nang may bumubuo na idea sa isip niya.
"Who are that brats Janus?"
Sabay kaming napalingon sa pinanggalingan. It was a fat woman na donyang-donya sa suot. She was holding a Home Magazine habang binibigyan kami ng mapanuring tingin.
"Ah, kapitbahay natin Ate Jana," Kuya Janus said to the lady. She just raised her brows to us bago umalis.
"Pagpasensyahan niyo na si Ate. Ganoon talaga iyon, lalo na nang dumating siya dito. She's from Spain at nagpunta rito nang ma-stroke si Kuya. Sa susunod na linggo ay babalik na rin iyon sa Spain. Why don't you tour around the house? Maybe you can solve the mystery about the vampire if you do so," wika niya at tumawag ng isang katulong na maaring maglibot sa amin sa paligid while have some things to do.
We both agreed at kasalukuyan na kaming lumilibot sa paligid. Una kaming nagpunta ay sa bakuran. There were really varieties of reptiles there from different sizes and color. Matapos kaming maglibot doon ay pumunta kami loob, and that's when I bumped into a lady. She was in her formal business attire with her hair in a bun supported by a silver chopstick with adornment. Nang mabangga ko ito ay tumilapon ang mga dala-dala nito.
"Nako! Pasensya na po! Hindi ko po sinasadya," wika ko at nagsimulang pulutin ang mga natapon nitong bagay. Tumulong na rin si Gray sa pagpulot niyon at ibinigay iyon sa babae.
"It's fine. Pasensya na rin, I wasn't looking at my way. Kaibigan ba kayo ni Janus?" tanong niya sa amin.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm the son of Silvan in the neighborhood, my name is Gray and this is my classmate Amber," pakilala ni Gray sa amin.
"Really? Oh, hi!" bati niya sa amin. "My name is Monette. I'm the wife of Morris," wika niya. She was the wife of the 'alleged vampire?' "Mauuna na ako sa inyo, I still have to attend the needs of my husband. Well he's been stroked by now so he can't speak and move well enough kaya I have to go."
We went inside a room full of animals. It was like a huge zoo lalo na nang magawi kami sa reptile room na kung saan naroon ang iba't-ibang uri ng reptiles. Lumapit si Gray sa isang tila aquarium kung saan may malaking ahas.
"Wow! He has a yellow-bellied sea snake. This type of snakes is found in tropical oceanic waters," he said at tila amazed na tiningnan ang ahas sa loob niyon. Uh! He's amazed huh? Ako nga ay ni hindi halos makatingin doon!
Inilibot ko ang paningin sa loob ng reptile room and I saw a small cabinet on one side with a sticker in it which says Do Not Open. At dahil likas sa akin ang kuryusidad ay lumapit ako roon at binuksan iyon. There were small bottles of liquids there with different labels.
Isa-isa kong binasa ang mga nakasulat sa mga maliliit na bote.
(Atractaspididae)
- Burrowing asp –
(Elapidae)
- Black Mamba -
(Colubridae)
- Boomslang -
(Elapidae)
- Death Adders
(Viperidae)
- Russell's Viper -
Wait, these are —
"Venoms," Gray said from my back. Hindi ko namalayan na nakalapit na pala siya sa akin.
"Yeah, these are venoms from the different venomous snakes," wika ko sa kanya. Ibinalik ko na iyon sa loob ng maliit na cabinet at inaya si Gray at ang kasama naming katulong na lumabas na roon.
"Nandito po ba kayo noong may namatay na private nurse ni Sir Morris dito?" Gray asked the maid with us.
Tumigil ito sa paglalakad at tumayo. "Oo. Takot na takot nga ako nang makita ko ang nangyari kay Joan! Totoo ang bampira!" she said at takot na takot ito. "Kaya simula nang mawala si Joan ay nahihirapan na si Ma'am Monette sa pag-aalaga kay Sir Morris."
"Bago pa man na stroke si Sir Morris, is he acting weird? May mga bagay bang hindi normal sa mga dating ginagawa niya?" I asked and she nodded.
"Oo. Palagi niyang sinasabi na nasa amin na ang mayroon siyang," she stopped and thought for a while. "Hindi ko maalala kung ano 'yon eh, basta pinakadelikadong ano daw ng ahas sa mundo at magkatapos ay tatawa siya na parang demonyo."
"Hindi ako naniniwala sa bampira, it's human act, I'm sure of it." Buo ang loob na wika ni Gray. "Noong nakita ni Kuya Janus si Mr. Morris, nakita mo rin ba siya nang kinagat niya ang bata?"
The maid nodded. "Oo. Nang iniangat niya ang ulo niya mula sa leeg ng bata ay may dugo sa gilid ng labi niya."
"That's remarkable," wika ko but just like Gray, I do believe that there is no vampire who was the so-called culprit of killing the maid and biting the child.
Sunod niya kaming dinala sa sala kung saan may nangyari ring kababalaghan. The maid said that they saw Mr. Morris in the mirror. He was very terrifying to look at dahil nakalabas umano ang mga pangil nito!
"Sigurado ba kayo na si Mr. Morris nga iyon?" tanong ni Gray and the maid nodded.
"Nakita talaga naming lahat," the maid said. Impossible naman yata na makita nila sa salamin si Mr. Morris. Aren't they're hallucinating?
Nagulat na lang kami nang lumapit sa amin ang isang matanda. "Totoo ang bampira! Totoo ang bampira!" she screamed.
"Pagpasensyahan niyo na si Ma'am Teresa. Nasaksihan kasi niya ang nangyari kay Joan at mukhang na-trauma. Pinsan siya ng namayapang si Sir Rolando, ang papa nina Sir Janus," kwento niya at nagpaalam na ihahatid na muna niya si Ma'am Teresa sa silid nito.
Naiwan kami ni Gray doon. Nakatingin siya sa kawalan at malalim pa rin ang iniisip. I have my deductions on my mind but I don't have any evidence about it. I looked at the mirror. It was impossible to see someone inside a mirror, right? I looked closely at it. I noticed light paint on its side. It looks like there was a larger mirror there but now it was replaced with a smaller one.
Bumalik naman ang maid na kasama namin so I asked her about the mirror. When she answered my question about it, I confirmed my suspicion and it provides a good reasoning! Agad akong umalis doon at pumunta sa likod na bahagi ng salamin. It was a door of a comfort room. Tinantya ko ang bahagi ng dingding kung saan marahil nakalagay ang salamin sa may sala.
It was also right behind a mirror. I examined it closely but it wasn't like the one found outside. Am I wrong on my deduction? I took a deep sigh at hinawakan ang salamin. It moved! Ibig sabihin ay may tsansa pa na tama ang naisip ko. I removed the mirror and confirmed my idea. Oh, so this is how the trick was done huh? Trick that you might think that what's happening was because of supernatural and fictional creatures.
Agad akong lumabas doon at bumalik sa sala kung saan ko iniwan si Gray. I was surprised when everyone was gathered there! Mukhang nag-aaway sina Kuya Janus at ang kapatid niyang si Ma'am Jana.
"It's your fault kung bakit halos malugi ang kompanyang iniwan ni papa! Kung hindi lamang dahil sa asawa mo ay baka tuluyan na itong magsara!" Ma'am Jana shouted at a man who was sitting in a wheelchair na tulak-tulak naman ni Ma'am Monette.
The old man on the wheelchair was crying. Mukhang marami itong gustong sabihin ngunit hindi lang nito masabi dahil hindi ito makagalaw dahil sa stroke.
"Stop it Ate! Walang ginawang masama si Kuya sayo!" galit na wika ni Kuya Janus.
"What now Janus?! Nakalimutan mo na bang muntik na niyang patayin ang anak mo?! Hindi na siya nagkasya sa dugo ng private nurse niya at sinubukan pang patayin ang anak mo! He's not your brother anymore because he has turned into a vampire!"
"Sorry to interrupt but I guess there's no vampire here who killed the nurse and attempted to kill a child. It's all human work," Gray said. Mukhang buo na ang deduction nito.
"Huwag kang makialam dito! Usapang pamilya ito!" Ma'am Jana shouted ngunit parang wala lamang iyon kay Gray.
"Let's hear him out. I've asked him here to investigate this case. I have known him since he was a child and I know he got brains and good reasoning na makakatulong sa atin," Kuya Janus said.
"There's no vampire. It's someone's doing who wanted all of you to think that the innocent Mr. Morris who become a vampire did it," Gray let out a victorious smile. "Tama ba Mrs. Monette?" Nagulat naman ang lahat at halos hindi makapaniwala! Uh, yeah. We have the same culprit in mind.
"Ano'ng ibig mong sabihin?" mahinahon nitong wika. Mukhang sanay ito sa ginawang pagkukunwari na wala itong kinalaman. Lumapit si Gray sa kanya at kinuha silver na hair chopstick na nasa ulo nito. Its tip was sharpened. Kapag sinaksak ka ng ganoon ay magmumukhang kinagat iyon ng pangil.
"You used this hair adornment together with the venom that you got from the reptile room upang patayin ang nurse. You kept that venom to avoid comparison in case the police would suspect anything about it," deklara ni Gray.
"Nababaliw ka na ba? Walang nagkulang sa mga venom na naroon," Ma'am Monette said.
Nakisingit na rin ako sa usapan. "Of course there is. The venom of the most dangerous snake scientifically known as Oxyuranus microlepidotus or the inland taipan. He had such collection of venom dahil ayon sa mga katulong, before he got sick ay sinasabi niya mayroon siyang venom niyon," I told them at nagulat silang lahat. I knew about it because I read its name in the reptile room's notes but couldn't find the venom's bottle.
"Yeah. An inland taipan has the most dangerous venom with subcutaneous injection LD 50 or median lethal dose is 0.1% in bovine serum albumin in Saline ayon sa records na nasa reptile room," dagdag ni Gray.
I saw Ma'am Monette's face tightened. Bumaling ito sa mga naroon. "Bakit ba tayo maniniwala sa mga bata na walang basehan sa mga pinagsasabi nila!"
Gray stepped forward and raised a small notebook on his hand. "Sorry but we have your husband's research as basis and evidence," he said.
The old woman stepped forward. "We saw him! We saw Morris bit Janus' child! He has become a monster!" tila natatakot na wika ng matanda.
"Tama si Tiya! Nakita nating lahat ang ginawa ni Morris sa anak mo Janus!" Ma'am Jana said. They were really puzzled by this make believe story of vampire.
"The story behind that goes like this. Ma'am Monette pricked the child with these thing coated in the venom of the inland taipan, and Sir Morris, knowing that it could cause death with 30 minutes, he sipped the venom from the child's neck to avoid it from spreading from the child's body and by that he saved the child," Gray said at halos matulala si Kuya Janus. He might be thinking that the one he was blaming for the almost death of his child was actually the one who saved her!
"That's impossible! If he sipped the poisonous venom ay sana wala na siya ngayon. You said that it's the deadliest venom!" galit na wika ni Ma'am Monette. She still didn't turn herself in.
"Venomous snakes are often said to be poisonous, but poison and venom are different things. Poison must be ingested, inhaled or absorbed, while venom must be injected into the body by mechanical means like you did when you killed the nurse and almost killed the child. It is harmless to drink snake venom as long as there are no lacerations inside the mouth or digestive tract except for some snake venom," paliwanag ni Gray.
"But what could be her reason if ever that's true?" tanong ni Kuya Janus. He was still surprised ngunit mukhang nakabawi na ito.
"Probably because of her embezzlement. You said na nalulugi ang family company ninyo, right? It's also possible that it caused his husband's current condition. The nurse knows about this too kaya pinatay niya ito in a way that no one could imagine. She did it to the child to confirm all of your suspicions about Mr. Morris being a vampire," Gray said at halos hindi makapaniwala ang lahat. Panay naman ang tulo ng luha ni Mr. Morris who was unable to move from his wheelchair.
"Huh! Interesting deduction but how will you explain his sudden hatred for food with garlic as well as his appearance in the mirror? Surely monsters like him could have done it!" wika ni Ma'am Monette.
"It's no mystery at all, just pure trick," wika ko at napabaling ang atensyon nilang lahat sa akin. I instructed one of the maids to stay at the bathroom where I saw the mirror. "About the garlic, it's normal for aging people to have a change in tastes and preferences. As of the mirror trick, look," tinuro ko ang salamin and they all saw the maid's face na pinakiusapan ko roon.
They were all surprised by that!
"How was that possible?" tanong ni Ma'am Jana.
"It's a one-way mirror, which is partially reflective and partially transparent. I asked the maid to turn off the lights in the bathroom where the other side of the mirror is, while this other side of the mirror is brightly lit so it allows viewing from the darkened side but not vice versa. But if we shine a light just like what I asked the maid to do, we are able to see her. When you see Mr. Morris in this mirror with the fangs, it's probably an edited picture of him. Ma'am Monette did it to complicate his husband," paliwanag ko. That was the trick behind the mirror. You will know if it's one way or not if you pressed your fingers in it. It's totally different from a normal mirror though it's not really that noticeable.
"Nang-aakusa kayo! You don't have any evidence about it! I am saving the company and not embezzling money from it!" she shouted at us.
"Of course we have evidence. Show everyone the passbook and bank records that we helped you picked up kanina. It says everything. As of the murder, we can have a luminol test on this to prove if there are remnants of blood here. We can have it examined for poison too," mahinahong wika ni Gray at napatigil naman si Ma'am Monette. Mukhang wala na itong kawala.
Nagulat na lang kami nang nilapitan ito ni Ma'am Jana at sinampal ng malakas.
"It was you all along then! Ang kapal ng mukha mo! You even put the blame on my brother since he's on his weakest state!" umiiyak na wika ni Ma'am Jana at muli itong sinampal. "You're worse than all the snakes in this house! I don't know that we are living with the most dangerous snake at ikaw iyon!"
Napayuko na lamang si Ma'am Monette. Everything was exposed now. Muli pa sana itong sasampalin ni Ma'am Jana but Kuya Janus stopped her.
"Enough Ate. We'll let the police handle her. Let's not put justice into our hands. It must be in its proper procedure. Kahit ako ay kating-kati ng ihiganti ang anak ko at si Kuya Morris but we should do proper procedures. The police are on their way," wika nito sa mahinahon na paraan and Ma'am Monette burst into tears.
The police arrived at nagpaalam na rin kami sa kanila. They all thanked us for unveiling the truth at humingi ng paumanhin si Ma'am Jana sa amin dahil sa unang pagtrato niya sa amin. We were walking on our way towards Gray's house. Nagulat na lang ako ng tumigil siya sa paglalakad at hinarap ako.
"Are you afraid of snakes?" tanong niya sa akin. His face was very serious.
"Of course! Panay nga ang kapit ko sa sayo kanina diba?" I answered him. Nasa tabi kami ng daan. It was a subdivision area kaya walang masyadong sasakyan at mga tao sa palagid.
"Are you really sure?" he asked again.
"Kulit din ng lahi mo ano? Oo sabi eh! I would probably freak out kung hindi lang naka-case yung mga alagang ahas nila doon. Bakit ba?" wika ko sa kanya. Uh, he's acting weird. What's with that oh-so-serious face anyway?
"Because you were carrying one on your foot," he said at ng tingnan ko ang isang paa ko, there was really a small snake clinging there.
"CHEESECAKE! PIZZA! LASAGNA! GET THAT FREAKING THING OFF MY LEG PLEASE!" I cried at iniyakap ang sarili ko kay Gray.
Oh yeah, it's like the small snake was clinging on my foot while I am clinging on Gray. Great. Just great.