A/N: The fifth day of the second wave of updates!
LORELEI
"How are you, Loki? Did you miss me?"
"Oh, hello there, M's successor."
STEIN ALBERTS is back. The last time we interacted with him, if I remember correctly, was when we chanced upon him in the mall. Gusto sana naming i-cheer up si Jamie noon na parang na-trauma. Ipinagpilitan ni Stein na sumama sa amin, kaya no choice kami kundi i-entertain siya. Pero mukhang mas lumalakas ang malas kapag nagsama kami na tila may sumpa at siya na tagadala ng masasamang balita. A case happened in the mall and we had to investigate it.
Now he's here in the flesh. The only difference from the time we were with him is that the four of us are complete. Naka-coma pa kasi noon si Alistair. Stein floated the idea of joining the QED-4 just in case my childhood friend never woke up again.
I shut my eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Loki's really unpredictable. I didn't expect him to drop the s-bomb nonchalantly. That was an important piece of information in the Moriarty mystery. Pero parang wala lang sa kanya.
His straightforward approach, however, had an effect. Stein went silent for a few seconds. Malawak pa rin ang kanyang ngiti at pakurap-kurap ang kanyang mata na parang Christmas lights. He was stunned. Maging siya, hindi niya in-expect ang sinabi ni Loki.
So we are right. Stein is the incumbent Moriarty. He succeeded whoever originally held the title.
"Successor?" he spoke after five seconds of awkward silence. Yeah, I counted. "What do you mean, Loki?
"You know what I mean, don't you?" Loki asked with a straight face. 'Di naiwasang mapatingin sa kanya nina Jamie at Alistair, kunot-noo at naningkit ang mga mata.
Oo nga pala. We haven't told them about the "successor" clue. We've been busy with the dead man's switch kaya hindi pa namin nasasabi sa kanila. We can't afford to be distracted. We can deal with that piece of puzzle once this is over. I hope they wouldn't feel left out kung hindi kaagad namin shinare ang info.
Bumalik na ako sa aking upuan. Binatuhan ako ng tingin ni Alistair habang si Jamie ay pabulong na nagtanong. "W-What did my Loki dear mean by successor?"
"Later," I mouthed at her before returning my gaze at our unexpected and unwelcome visitor.
"Before your friend Augustus died, he was about to spill the beans on you," Loki went on. Nakasubaybay pa rin ang kanyang mga mata sa bisita namin. "Unfortunately, he was taken from us before he could even finish. So all we had to do is fill in the blanks."
But Stein already knew that. Nag-report na sa kanya si Jamiie noong araw na namatay si Augustus. He would have known about the late editor's unfinished words.
"Ah, yes. My friend Augustus!" Still smiling, Stein locked the door before walking toward the round table. "Do you mind if I take a seat—"
Bago pa siya makaupo sa bakanteng monobloc chair, Loki kicked the seat away from him. Sa sobrang lakas ng sipa, the poor thing hit the wall. Walang nagawa si Stein kung hindi mapabuntong-hininga.
"You can't sit with us," Loki declared.
I would have scolded him for the disrespectful behavior, but our visitor deserved it anyway.
"Fine!" Stein gave up the thought of being seated near Loki. Inilayo niya ang upuan mula sa table at doon siya pumwesto, malapit sa may pintuan. "You satisfied now?"
"Nothing's more satisfying than seeing you leave this room," Loki answered. He's on fire. He wouldn't miss the opportunity to make Stein feel that he's unwelcomed here. "So what brought you to our lair? You didn't come here for an afternoon tea, did you?"
"First of all, I wanna congratulate you for this new gig," Stein said, roaming his eyes around the execom office. "Dissolved na ang QED Club, but you still found a way to make yourselves useful. By the way, in case we haven't sorted this one out, I had nothing to do with your club being dissolved."
We know. It was Loki's dad who used his influence in the school board to have us kicked out of Room 315. Gusto na niyang itigil na namin ang pagpapanggap bilang detectives at enjoy-in ang aming high school life. Kapag daw nagpumilit kami, ipapa-expel niya kami para hindi na kami makialam sa mga case. The joke's on him because his plan ultimately failed. Luckily, Tita Frigette intervened.
"And it's really nice to see you doing well, Alistair!" Stein said, motioning to my childhood friend. "I really prayed for your fast recovery. I hope it isn't late, but I'm sorry for what Cedric did."
"I can't say the same about seeing you, but thanks," Alistair said, returning the courtesy.
"Sana'y hindi ka magalit kasi sinuggest ko sa mga kasama mo na ako na ang papalit sa 'yo sakaling 'di ka nagising," Stein replied, leaning forward. "I wanna know kung ano'ng meron sa inyong apat. You know the danger, but you still kept on pursuing me. It's as if you're trapped in a spell."
Loki chuckled. Nagawi sa kanya ang tingin namin. "I have an idea why you wanna join us. Is it because you don't have friends in your organization? Do you envy us?"
That statement from him came as a surprise to me, Jamie and Alistair. Ilang segundo ring natuon sa kanya ang tingin namin. I can feel that Loki considers us his friends, even if he doesn't say it. Para kasing pinapahiwatig niya sa kanyang sinabi na "I found friends in our group. You didn't find any in your own, did you?"
"Deep inside, you must be longing for genuine companionship." Loki wouldn't just stop savoring the confused look on Stein's face. "But you can't find that in your own group because the people there do not care about friendship. They do not care about anything except the pleasure of hurting people, causing trouble and making money."
Kapag talagang itong si Loki ang nagsalita, dire-diretso na't walang preno ang kanyang bibig. Minsan lang magkrus ang landas namin at ng aming bisita kaya malamang sinusulit na niya. He would burn Stein at every turn. I hope the young mastermind brought some aloe vera because the wounds are gonna sting.
Hindi siya nilubayan ng tingin ni Stein na napahinga pa nang malalim. I can't say kung na-offend siya dahil meron pa ring ngiti sa kanyang mga labi. Some of Loki's words may have pierced through his smiling facade.
"When you are part of an organization where the members have varying interests, it's hard to find someone you can call a friend. A true friend," Stein answered, touching the bridge of his eyeglasses. "But believe me, I have a few that I can consider as friends. But sadly one of them is dead."
Okay lang ba na makaramdam ng ganito? I felt somehow sorry for him. He masterminded some of the crimes in Clark High, but we can't disregard the shred of humanity that he has left. He's still human after all. Napariwara nga lang.
"I wanna congratulate you for bringing down Augustus." Stein began to clap his hands as he slowly shook his head. "Bravo. I really thought he was invincible, that he covered his tracks perfectly. But you proved him wrong."
"You must be in mourning," bored na sagot ni Loki. "Another chess piece off the board. How many pieces have you lost recently?"
Chess piece... Muli na naman sumagi sa isip ko ang mga sinabi ni Luthor. The black King is here, in our office. The one who carries the title of "Moriarty" like a crown. As soon as we resolved the Augustus situation, nothing would stand between him and Stein, and he could finally proceed with his plan.
Wait a minute. An idea popped into my head. There's this angle na ayaw kong i-entertain. If he's turned evil, Luthor might want to dethrone Stein so he could claim the title of Moriarty and be the king of the organization. What if Stein did the same? What if he became the successor because he stole the crown from the original Moriarty.
Throughout history of mankind, hindi na kakaiba ang scenario kung saan nagko-conspire ang ilang tauhan ng hari para patalsikin siya sa trono. We have no idea on the extent of M's organization, but if Stein got enchanted by the idea of playing the King, he might have started a coup to oust whoever the monarch was.
I know, my ideas may sound far-fetched, but I can't help but entertain them. Nag-o-overload na yata ang mga impormasyon sa utak ko kaya kung ano-ano nang theory ang nabubuo ko. I sometimes wish that I was just a passive observer who would only watch as the truth unfolds. Walang direct interaction sa mga event. Just like an audience. But I'm part of this case so I felt it's my duty to engage with the mysteries.
"I really don't count." Stein rolled his eyes. "But if I were to be frank, tinik ko rin sa lalamunan itong si Augustus. He was one of the oldest members, but I can't exactly call him as my friend. If he were, I would have delivered a eulogy for his memorial service this morning."
"Because he threatened to expose you if something bad happened to him?" Loki asked, smirking. "In my own definition of friendship, he can't be considered as one."
"Yeah. It's a toxic friendship, if you ask me," Stein sighed, shaking his head. "Parang may taong nakaakbay sa 'yo tapos may patago siyang itinutok na baril sa tagiliran mo. Gusto ko siyang batukan kaso baka kalabitin niya ang gatilyo. I'd be dead."
"So do you deny having a hand in his death?" tanong ko, dahilan mapatingin siya sa akin.
I already confirmed from Jamie and Luthor that Stein didn't want to have Augustus killed. But in Stein's point of view, we shouldn't have been aware of that information. Jamie, being his spy, wasn't supposed to tell us about what they were talking about. Luthor, being one of his generals, wasn't supposed to break his confidence.
Pinagkrus ni Stein ang kanyang mga braso at sumandal sa kanyang upuan. "Kayo ang mga detective dito. Now tell me. Do you think that I had something to do with it?"
"No, you're too smart to do something stupid," Loki answered. "You won't hurt someone who can hurt you more. But I wonder what secrets did Augustus keep about you and your organization. They must be so delicious that he managed to make you not touch him."
Napamuestra si Stein sa kanya. "There's your answer. No one is dumb enough in our organization to consider the idea of killing him. I made it clear that Augustus should never be harmed in any way. Sounds familiar, right? You are enjoying the same protection as my late colleague."
Unless there's a rogue agent in his group, him vouching for his members can be trusted.
"So you came here to deny what we've already suspected?" Loki asked. "You could have texted any of us."
Stein shook his head. "No, I'm here to make a deal."
"Sorry, but we do not make a deal with the devil," Loki replied, his hand motioning to the door. "You may now leave. Please."
"Pakinggan n'yo muna ako, okay?" sumbat ni Stein. "You and I are aware that we've been given 48 hours since yesterday before the secrets are revealed."
We nodded. I'm curious kung ano ang deal na i-a-alok niya sa amin. He doesn't usually make deals with us.
"I assume that you've started your search for whoever was entrusted with the secrets, the same with us," Stein continued. "So it's a race between our two teams. Sino ang unang makakahanap sa pinagkatiwalaan ni Augustus? Kayo o kami?"
"Are you proposing anything?" Loki asked impatiently. "You went all the way here to declare that a game is on between us? As I said, you could have texted any of us."
"I went all the way here to tell you my commitment," Stein said, his tone became serious. "Should we find the person we've been looking for and retrieve whatever device that Augustus left him, we promise that we will not leak any of the contents to the public."
"But you can use whatever is in Augustus' Box for blackmail, right?" I commented. They're also in the extortion business kaya hindi malabong gamitin nila ang mga nakalap na sikreto ng late editor para mangikil sa ibang tao.
"Augustus' Box?" Stein chuckled. "Is that what you call it? Parang Pandora's Box? How appropriate."
"Once the box is opened, people whose secrets it contains are doomed," Loki explained. "You are doomed as well."
Me too. And Luthor.
"Your question about me using the box's contents for blackmailing is an entirely different subject," Stein answered. "Right now, our priority is to stop Augustus' swan song. The secrets of the people in Clark High shall be respected. Don't you agree? Kaya nga may ganitong commitment ako sa inyo."
"But why should we care about your commitment?" tanong ni Loki. "Do you think we care at all?"
"I want you to make the same commitment," tugon ni Stein, seryoso ang kanyang tono. "Should you retrieve the box, you shall not leak any of its contents to the public."
"You mean, contents that may be damaging to you and your organization?" Loki scoffed.
"I could care less about the secrets that Augustus had on me," Stein shrugged. "But there is a piece of information in there that the public must not know. Not tomorrow. Not in our lifetime. Never."
So the secret he's trying to protect was not about him... Kung hindi sa kanya, kanino? Why would he go through lengths to tell us what worries him the most?
"Maybe you can share to us what that piece of information is?" Loki insisted.
"You can make that bargain with me once you get hold of the box. For now, it's strictly a competition between the two of us," natatawang sagot ni Stein. Tumayo siya't lumapit kay Loki sabay alok ng kanyang kanang kamay. "Do I have your word? Do I have your commitment?"
Loki stood face-to-face with Stein and looked at him in the eye. "I can't make any assurances right now because I can't make the decision on my own. You see, we are democratic here. We will follow what the consensus of the majority is. And no, I'm not gonna shake your hand. I only stood to stretch my legs."
Stein snickered, withdrawing his hand. "If we cannot have a mutual agreement, then I might be the one to fulfill Augustus' last wishes. Kami na mismo ang mag-e-expose ng mga sikretong nakalap niya. Minus the secrets that I care about, of course."
"That is, if you can beat us to it," Loki smirked, his tone was challenging. "May the best finder wins."
Hindi na nagpaalam si Stein sa amin. Dire-diretso na siyang lumabas ng execom office. He must be disappointed that he didn't get what he wanted.
"We get to dictate the terms, not him," Loki said as soon as the door was shut. "He and his organization are at a disadvantage here. They will suffer the heaviest blow once the box is opened or if we retrieve it before they do."
That would have been okay, kung sanang wala rin akong sikretong pinangangalagaan. Sakaling sina Stein ang maunang makakuha sa box, they might find my audio clip in there. They would have something against me.
"Teka lang, Loki dear?" Jamie spoke. She was strangely quiet all throughout the conversation. "Ano pala 'yong nabanggit mong successor kanina?"
"You mentioned that Stein is M's successor," Alistair recalled. "I know what that word means, but what's the context?"
Loki remained standing as he turned to face us. "Lorelei and I deduced that Augustus was trying to say Stein is a successor of Moriarty. Not subordinate. Not substitute. But someone who has already claimed the title and playing the part currently."
"It's like a crown na pwedeng ipasa," I added, para mas vivid ang explanation. "Even if Moriarty is captured or is killed, someone will take over his position."
"Now that makes sense..." Jamie muttered, looking down. "Kaya pala noong na-comatose si Stein, there's an internal discussion on who's fit to replace him. Kung natuluyan siya, a new Moriarty would have been crowned."
"If he's the successor and the current Moriarty, that means na may naunang Moriarty sa kanya," Alistair realized, touching his chin. He raised his gaze at me. "Who might that person be?"
"He's either dead, incapacitated or missing," Loki answered, sliding down to his seat. "We can safely assume that there are two Moriarty's: the former and the incumbent."
And that's the next mystery that we might have to deal with, once the Augustus mess is resolved.
"I know that this is a good development," Jamie said, frowning. "Pero bakit hindi n'yo agad sinabi sa amin? I assume that Alistair didn't know about it until today."
"Yeah, I had no idea as well," my childhood friend nodded. "But it's okay for me. May dahilan siguro kaya 'di pa nila nai-share sa atin."
"Sorry, but we got sidetracked by Augustus' threat," Loki reasoned. Which was true.
"There's so much going on, we didn't have time to discuss it," I added.
"Once we're done with the switch issue, we would have told you anyway," Loki finished. "Right now, we need to focus on the case at hand. We need to find the switch before Stein and his minions do."
"Ganyan din ba ang sasabihin n'yo kung itatanong ko kung bakit 'di n'yo na-share sa akin ang plano n'yong charade noong Tuesday?" tanong ni Jamie. Her aura changed. Nabura ang ngiti sa kanyang mukha. She must be referring to the act that Loki and Luthor played out, which Alistair and I came up with.
Sandali akong napatingin kay Alistair. We did not discuss the aftermath of that plan since everything went well (except for Augustus dying). I thought Jamie would easily understand and accept why we didn't need to inform her.
"Sa ating apat, ako lang ang hindi nakakaalam na may gano'ng gimik pala kayo," pagpapatuloy ni Jamie, napakapit sa kanyang dibdib. "You three were following a script habang ako, parang tanga na nagulat sa mga nangyari."
"In our defense, we needed to make your reactions genuine," sagot ni Alistair. "It would have been believable kung mas natural ang reaksyon ng mga taong nakapaligid sa atin."
"Maggie also didn't know about the plan," dagdag ko. "Hindi rin namin siya sinabihan na—"
"BUT SHE'S NOT ONE OF US!" sigaw ni Jamie, dahilan para mapatahimik ako. Nangilid ang luha sa kanyang mga mata. She bit her lower lip. Napatitig kami sa kanya.
Parang bumigat ang dibdib ko. There's something else that we know, but we haven't told her yet: her brother Jaime being Augustus' last word. Kapag nalaman niyang hindi namin sinabi sa kanya agad, who knows what reaction might she have.
"I know that I'm tainted, I know that I'm one of them," Jamie said, sniffling. "But I have shown you na sa inyo ang loyalty ko, 'di ba? Do you still doubt me? Do you still not trust me?"
"Don't be a drama queen, Jamie," Loki said. "Alistair also didn't know about the successor clue, but that doesn't mean we don't trust him. We only didn't have—"
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, LOKI DEAR!" Jamie shut him up with a yell. Tuluyan nang tumulo ang mga luha mula sa kanyang mga mata. I can't recall, but this must be the first time she shouted at her Loki dear. Jamie in her normal self wouldn't do that. Not in a million years.
Pakiramdam ko, she's undergoing the same struggle that I had when I found out that Loki suspected all along she might be a spy of Moriarty. It strained my relationship with him and it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
"Ilang araw ko ring iniisip, 'bakit 'di kaya nila sinabi sa 'kin?' Hindi ba ako katiwa-tiwala?" Jamie wiped her tears off with a handkerchief. "Pero hinayaan ko na lang. I kept telling myself na baka ngayon lang 'to. Baka 'di sinasadya."
"Jamie," I called her name softly. I understand what she's going through. I've been in her shoes. "We are sorry kung na-hurt namin ang feelings mo—"
"Kung na-hurt?" Jamie repeated, scoffing. Napatingin sa kisame ang mga mata niya habang nagpupunas pa rin ng luha. My bad. Wrong choice of words. "You hurt my feelings by making me feel not trusted! You might think na OA ako ngayon, na pinapalaki ko ang isang maliit na bagay. But I'm only human. What do you expect?"
Pinuntahan ko ang puwesto niya para i-comfort siya, pero bigla siyang tumayo. I tried to caress her back but she slapped my hand away. Binangga niya pa ang balikat ko bago siya patuloy na naglakad patungo sa pintuan.
"Sorry, but I need some air," Jamie said, still wiping her tears. She slammed the door as she left the room.
Nagkatinginan kami nina Loki and Alistair. Maybe we should have been more considerate with what she might feel.
q.e.d.
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