A/N: Before anything else, I wanna say that I enjoyed reading your theories in the previous chapter. I dedicate this update to EVERYONE who tried to solve the aconite case!
Now back to you, Mav!
MAVIEL
PROCESS OF elimination? For Landice, it may be as easy as slicing a cake. But for me, sakit ng ulo.
Parang nananadya na talaga ang tadhana. Ako pa talaga ang inilagay sa spotlight at kung kailan wala pa sina Sigmund o Nikolai. If this is how Landice wants to teach me the way of a deductionist, I don't know if he's doing it right.
I browsed my scribbles on the tissue paper. Naisulat ko naman ang pagkasunod-sunod ng mga pangyayari but I couldn't identify kung sino sa tatlo ang pumatay.
Baka guni-guni ko lang, ngunit naramdaman kong nakatitig sa akin ang mga mata ni Landice. Mahirap sabihin dahil natatakpan ang mga ito ng kanyang buhok.
I call upon the God of Deductions! Bigyan mo ako ng wisdom upang ma-solve ang kasong ito! Baka kailangan ko ring uminom ng milk tea na favorite ni Sigmund para tumaas nang thirty percent ang deduction prowess ko?
Muli kong ibinaling ang aking tingin sa tatlong pangalan. Sino kaya kina Angela, Benedict at Carla ang pumatay kay Victor? Maraming traces daw ng lason ang naiwan sa kamay ng biktima. The killer probably had a direct physical contact with him. Ang problema, lahat ng tatlong suspek ay nagkaroon ng contact sa kanya.
Angela shook hands with him the moment he arrived at the cafe.
Benedict gave two sachets of creamer to him for his black coffee.
Carla handed him the knife used to slice the cake into equal portions.
Using process of elimination, everyone remained a suspect. Nakakainis.
Lumingon ako kay Landice na pa-relax-relax sa kanyang corner habang nagbabasa ng libro. "Can you give me another clue? I'm stuck."
"In a real investigation, no one will give you a hint," sagot niya bago inilipat ang pahina ng kanyang binabasa. "Get used to it."
Ugh! Why did I even bother asking him? Mukhang kailangan kong isa-isahin kung sino sa kanila ang most likely na lumason sa biktima.
Let's start with Carla dahil siya ang unang pangalan na nakita ko sa tissue paper. Pwede niyang ilagay ang lason sa handle ng knife na hinawakan ni Victor. Pag-slice niya sa cake, meron nang lason sa mga kamay niya. That could explain why there were traces of poison on the cup's handle and the fork he used to eat the cake.
But why didn't the police detect any poison on the knife's handle? Maybe Carla wiped it clean bago ito kinuha ng mga pulis? Anyway, Carla was still on my suspect list.
How about Ben? Siya ang nagbigay ng dalawang sachet ng creamer kay Victor. Kaso wala namang ni-report ang mga pulis na may lason ang ininom ng biktima. Pwede ring nasa sachet ang lason but the police should have reported any traces of it. Maybe I could strike Ben's name off my list.
Up next was Angela. The only contact she made with the victim was when they shook hands. Suspicious, huh? Posible kasing merong lason ang kamay niya at naipasa ito sa kamay ni Victor. Hindi na kataka-taka kung bakit may lason sa handle ng baso at sa tinidor ng biktima.
Muli akong lumingon kay Landice. This time, I hope he would answer my question.
"How can wolfsbane kill someone?"
"Sniffing or ingesting," he answered without looking to my direction. "Depends on the dose."
Ang tipid naman nitong sumagot. But thankful ako na hindi niya ako ini-snob.
Back to the case, how did the poison enter the victim's system? Walang na-trace na lason sa ininom niyang coffee. Wala ring lason doon sa kinain nilang cake dahil kung meron, dapat maging ang mga kasama niya'y nalason din.
Wait! Landice mentioned sniffing. If I remember correctly, Victor was rubbing beneath his nostrils and sniffing from time to time. That's it! Kung may bahid na ng lason ang mga kamay niya at pasinghot-singot pa siya habang kinakati ang ilong niya, the poison would go in through inhaling!
Kung hindi fast-acting poison ang wolfsbane, it might take a while bago ito umepekto. Mukhang alam ko na kung sino ang salarin.
With a victorious grin, I turned to Landice and proudly announced, "I know who killed the victim."
Landice lowered his book and slowly faced me. "Let me hear your deductions."
"The culprit is Angela," I declared with my voice full of confidence. "She laced her hands with powdered wolfsbane. When the victim shook hands with her, he got the poison."
Silence. Ni hindi man siya kumibo sa sagot ko. Maybe I needed to elaborate my answer?
"Victor had a habit of sniffing. He rubbed his finger laced with poison near his nostrils. Dahan-dahan siyang pinapatay nito nang hindi niya namamalayan. That also explains kung bakit may bahid ng lason ang hawakan ng baso at ang tinidor na ginamit niya."
Silence again. His face wouldn't tell me if I hit the bullseye or not. Baka sa sobrang pagkamangha niya sa deductions ko, nanigas na siya roon? Nah, impossible.
"Wrong," he said.
Oh, crap.
"Have you forgotten that Victor went to the comfort room in the middle of their party?" Landice went on reading and turning the pages of his book. "He stayed inside for around five minutes, probably due to an upset stomach. He would definitely wash his hands thoroughly and make sure that they are clean."
Uh-oh. I did not consider the victim's trip to the comfort room. "By doing so, matatanggal ang traces ng lason sa kanyang kamay. But he already touched some items on the table like the cup handle and fork before. Posibleng dumikit ulit sa kanyang mga daliri ang lason."
"Can you explain why the police did not find any trace of poison on the creamer sachet?"
Napaisip ako doon sa tanong niya. Kung may lason nga ang kamay ni Victor mula sa umpisa, lahat ng hahawakan niya ay dapat may traces na rin nito.
Ugh! Parang natutuyuan na ako ng deductive juices! I thought I already got the right suspect!
"Kung hindi si Angela, my second suspect is Carla." Sana'y tumama na ang aking deductions. "Ipagpalagay na nating may lason sa handle ng kutsilyo at nailipat 'yon sa kamay ni Victor nang mag-slice siya ng cake. That explains the flaw in my deductions earlier. Nauna niya kasing hinawakan ang creamer sachet bago ang kutsilyo kaya walang traces ng lason doon sa una."
"Again, the victim went to the men's comfort room after slicing the cake. He stayed inside for around five minutes, probably due to an upset stomach. He would definitely wash his hands thoroughly and make sure that they are clean."
Teka, parang inulit lang niya ang kanyang sinabi kanina. "Kahit malinis na ang mga kamay niya, posibleng malagyan ulit ng lason dahil hinawakan niya ang mga bagay na may traces na ng wolfsbane."
"The amount of wolfsbane on his hands, according to the police, is abundant. How could there be so much poison by merely touching those items with minimal traces?"
Mali na naman? Kung hindi ang dalawang suspek na babae ang salarin, that would mean...
"If Angela or Carla did it, there should have been traces of wolfsbane on their cups' handle and forks," Landice explained. "Wala tayong napanood sa video na pinunasan nila ang kanilang mga kamay, hawakan ng baso o ng tinidor. That leaves us with one suspect: Benedict."
What? I crossed Ben's name off the list! "Paano? Wala namang nakitang lason ang mga pulis sa creamer sachet na iniabot niya kay Victor. Wala rin namang lason sa mismong ininom ng biktima."
"The poison was somewhere else," sagot ni Landice. "Benedict only needed to make sure that the victim will go to that place."
Eh?
"At the start of the video, we saw Benedict coming out of the men's comfort room. He must have set up his trick while inside. Ang kailangan niya lang gawin ay papuntahin doon ang kanyang biktima. Enter the creamer sachet."
"I don't understand."
"He volunteered to get the creamer so he could replace them with tampered ones. No, it's not poison. It contained something that would force the victim to go to the comfort room."
Now I remember! Minutes after uminom ng kape ni Victor, namutla siya at mukhang masama ang pakiramdam.
"Laxative?" I muttered. "The creamer sachet that Ben gave had laxative kaya napabanyo ang biktima."
"The wolfsbane powder must have been sprinkled on the comfort room's inside doorknob. After Victor washed his hands, he touched the doorknob and voila. The hand was laced with poison."
"Teka, walang sinabi ang mga pulis na may natagpuan silang traces ng lason sa doorknob o kung saanmang parte ng cafe. They only mentioned some items on the table."
"Minutes before the victim collapsed, Benedict went to the comfort room. Doon na niya pinunasan ang doorknob upang walang makitang kahit anong bahid ng lason ang mga pulis. He then returned to their table as if nothing happened."
Napanganga ako habang pinapanood si Landice na i-type sa iPad ang pangalan ni Benedict. What Sigmund told me about him was true. He solved the case as soon as we finished watching the video. He presented his flawless deducions as if he was only reciting the alphabet. He was indeed the counter detective.
As he pressed the "enter" key, three words flashed on the screen.
WOLFSBANE IN CREAMER
Landice's mouth opened as he stared at those words. This was the first time I saw a slightly surprised expression on his face. Well, the first ever expression I observed on him since I started working here.
"Check the creamer. Now," utos niya.
Hindi na ako nagtanong kung bakit. Pumunta kaagad ako sa condiments corner kung saan nakalagay ang mga sachet ng creamer at sugar. The moment I checked on them, I heard a groan behind me.
"He-Hey! Anong nangyayari sa 'yo?"
"O-Okay ka lang ba?"
"Na-Namamanhid ang mukha ko," sagot ng customer na nakahawak sa kanyang leeg at tila nahihirapang huminga. Siya 'yong lalaking nagtanong sa akin kanina kung nasaan ang mga creamer.
This is bad! My head turned to Landice who's already on the phone.
"We need an ambulance here," I heard him speak calmly to the guy on the other line. "Someone has been poisoned. Wolfsbane."
Dinala ko sa kanya ang ilang sample ng creamer. He checked them one by one and noted the slight deformity on the sachet.
"Someone replaced the creamers," he concluded. "If you don't look closer, you won't notice it."
Things began making sense to me. The missing wolfsbane in the greenhouse. The case on the iPad involving wolfsbane poisoning.
Whoever left that iPad was clearly targeting the Moriartea Cafe.
Thankfully, the ambulance arrived just in time and took in one of the customers. Mabuti't kaagad naming na-solve ang kaso at wala masyadong customer kaya iisa lang ang nabiktima ng wolfsbane.
Due to the incident, however, we temporarily closed the cafe. Kailangan naming siguruhin na wala nang ibang sachet ng wolfsbane na naiwan.
"Disappointing." Landice muttered as he returned to his spot.
"I beg your pardon?" Was he disappointed na kaagad niyang na-solve ito?
He closed the book and lifted his head to look at me. Salamat sa makapal niyang bangs, hindi ko makita kung direkta ba siyang nakatitig sa akin.
"I don't know what Sigmund saw on you and why he chose you as a trainee," he answered. "You can't even solve a simple case."
Si-Simple? Sa tingin ba ng walking fridge na 'to, lahat ng mga detective trainee ay katulad niyang matalino at kayang lutasin ang isang kaso within a matter of minutes?
"Sorry kung hindi ko na-meet ang expectations mo. But I know that I did my best."
"Keep telling that to yourself. Ganyan ang sinasabi ng mga talunan."
W-What did he say? Alam kong hindi ko na-solve ang kaso but that would not mean that I'm a loser! This detective work isn't a game after all. There's no winner or loser here!
"I can only see minimal potential in you. Sigmund will waste his time and resources teaching an onion-skinned trainee."
Napakuyom ang mga kamao ko at napakagat ng labi. No matter how smart this man was, he's already crossing the line. I was only a trainee for crying out loud!
"You want me gone? Okay, fine!" sigaw ko kay Landice sabay tanggal ng suot kong cap. "Are you happy now?"
I walked out of the cafe, still wearing my Moriartea Cafe uniform. Bahala na kung anumang insulto ang ibato ni Landice sa akin. Ipapakuha ko na lang bukas ang naiwan kong school uniform sa locker nila.
Saktong-saktong pagtawid ko sa kalsada, Sigmund was crossing the pedestrian lane from the other side. Tinakpan ko ang aking mukha, umaasang hindi niya ako mapapansin. I hope his mind was preoccupied by his thesis proposal.
Nang mag-red na ang traffic light, tumawid na kaming mga pedestrian. Sana 'di niya ako mapansin. Sana 'di niya ako mapansin.
"Where are you going?" Narinig kong tanong niya nang malampasan ko na siya. Nagpatuloy ako sa paglalakad, kunwari'y wala akong narinig, ngunit bigla niyang hinila ang kamay ko.
"A-Ano ba?"
"You miserably failed in hiding your presence. Nikolai can teach you a thing or two about that." Sa gitna pa talaga kami ng daan huminto. "You're still wearing our work uniform, paanong hindi kita makikilala niyan?"
Oh, crap. Dapat talaga nagpalit ako ng damit bago ako umalis. Si Landice kasi.
BEEP! BEEP!
"Hoy! Tatawid ba kayong dalawa o ano? Malapit nang mag-green light!" bulyaw ng isang truck driver.
"Doon nga kayo sa gilid magdrama, huwag sa gitna ng daan!"
"Okay! Okay! Calm down, bro!" sagot ni Sigmund sa kanila bago niya ako itinawid sa kabilang side. Nang malayo na kami sa mga driver na mainit ang ulo, hinarap niya ako. Ni hindi ko siya magawang tingnan sa mata.
"Something happened, I can tell. I don't need to use much of my deduction prowess to notice it. Was it Landice?"
I just gave him a nod. Ayaw ko nang idetalye pa ang masasakit na salitang binitiwan ng workmate namin.
"Come with me." Hinawakan niya ang kamay ko at hinila patungo sa direksyong pupuntahan niya. Mukhang hindi naman niya ako ihahatid pabalik sa workplace namin.
"Te-Teka! Saan mo ako dadalhin? 'Di ba may duty ka pa sa cafe?" Muntik na akong madapa, salamat sa suot kong heels, dahil sa ginawa niyang paghila sa akin.
"We will wipe that gloom look off your face. You look prettier when smiling."
He brought me to an ice cream parlor just a block away from the highway. He ordered two scoops of chocolate ice cream for both of us.
"Chocolate is an easy fix for the blues." Para siyang commercial model na ineengganyo akong bilhin ang kanilang produkto. "It increases the serotonin levels in our brains. It's the same chemical released when we're in love."
Napabuntong-hininga muna ako bago isinubo ang isang kutsara ng ice cream. Medyo na-conscious ako dahil pinapanood ni Sigmund ang pagkain ko.
I don't know kung magic ito o ano, but I felt more relaxed than the way I was minutes ago.
"Now that's better," he said as he took in a spoonful of ice cream. "Kapag malungkot ka, kumain ka lang ng chocolate ice cream o uminom ng hot choco. Chocolate na lang ang hindi nang-iiwan sa atin."
Dahil sa sinabi niya, napatawa ako nang mahina. Hindi niya bagay ang mag-joke o humugot.
"Did Landice assign you to solve a case?"
"Sort of. Someone left an iPad and asked us to solve a murder scenario. I will tell you more about the case later," sagot ko bago muling sumubo ng ice cream. "Ginawa ko naman ang lahat, halos pigain ko na ang utak ko sa kaiisip kung paano pinatay at sino ang pumatay sa biktima. But—"
"But in the end, it was still Landice who solved the case, right?" He finished my sentence. "So he decided to test you today kung kailan wala ako."
"He said that I have little potential to be a detective."
"What we need to do is maximize that potential."
"He also said that you will be only wasting your time trying to teach me with your methods."
"I don't think so."
I shot a curious gaze at him. "Sa tingin mo ba, may patutunguhan itong detective training?"
"Of course! Hindi naman ako tataya sa kabayong alam kong matatalo sa karera. Do you get what I mean?"
Tumango ako kahit hindi ako sang-ayon sa ginamit niyang analogy.
"Listen, Landice's test doesn't end in the case resolution." Ibinaba niya ang hawak na kutsara at humarap sa akin. "He's still testing you at the moment."
"Anong ibig mong sabihin?"
He lifted his head and his eyes had a faraway look in them. "When I was tested, I also failed to solve the case. I was overconfident back then."
"Ta-Talaga?" Parang hindi ako makapaniwala na papalpak si Sigmund.
"A complex case, if I may describe it," he chuckled at the thought. "But I took that failure as a lesson. His words were harsh, but I didn't allow them to get into my head. That's his other test: He wants to know whether you will give up or not."
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The chocolate ice cream helped me clear my mind. "I can't just give up, can I?"
"Legally, you can't. You are bound by our contract."
I knew he would bring that up kapag nabanggit ko sa kanyang balak kong mag-quit. Mukhang wala na akong ibang magagawa kundi ipagpatuloy kung anuman ang nasimulan ko.
"Okay, fine. I will return to work."
"Excellent!" he exclaimed saka niya inubos ang ice cream sa kanyang cup.
"By the way, how's your thesis proposal?" tanong ko habang nilalaro sa kutsara ang nalusaw na ice cream.
"Oh, that?" He wiped his mouth first before replying. "Just like you, it was a rocky road for me. Skeptical pa ang Research instructor namin kung tatanggapin niya ang topic ko."
"Bakit? Ano bang balak mong gawan ng study?"
"I'd like to keep it a secret until makapasa ang topic ko sa kanya." He looked at the clock display on his phone. "I think it's time to return to the cafe. Okay lang ba sa 'yo?"
"Temporarily closed ang shop dahil sa nangyari kanina. Someone was poisoned using wolfsbane, but don't worry, he's still alive."
"Wolfsbane..." Naningkit ang mga mata ni Sigmund sabay hawak sa kanyang baba. He must have realized the coincidence of a missing wolfsbane plant in the greenhouse and the poisoning at the cafe. "Tell me more about the details later, okay?"
I nodded. "At medyo nahihiya ako kay Landice dahil nag-walkout ako sa harapan niya."
"Don't worry, as long as I'm on your side, you are protected."
He winked at me before starting our walk back to the cafe. As a loyal protegee, sumunod ako sa kanya. Kailangan kong kapalan ang pagmumukha ko kapag muli kaming nagkaharap ni Landice.
I must say na kapag nandiyan siya, mas comfortable ang aura sa paligid ko. Hindi kagaya ng isa namang kasama na parang yelo kaya ang sarap ihampas sa pader.
Nakakailang hakbang pa lang kami mula sa ice cream parlor, nanindig ang mga balahibo ko. I felt that someone was glaring at us so I looked around the vicinity. Where did that come from?
"Is something wrong, Mav?" tanong ni Sigmund.
Smiling, I shook my head slowly. Baka guni-guni ko lang.
~M~
NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:
DUN-DUN-DUN—DUN—DU-DUN—DUN—DU-DUN!
"He's back! He's back! The manager is back!"
P.S. The author will take a one-day break. Five to seven chapters left before Moriartea ends!