A/N: Fifth update for the week! I might take a few days break before posting the next update. Enjoy the weekend!
LORELEI
"Hello? Who's this? Hello?"
I STARED at Sir Friedrich Rivera with widened eyes. Was he the one who got my call? Was he the owner of the mysterious number?
Inilapit ko sa aking tenga ang phone habang patuloy pa ring nakatingin kay Sir Rich. Naningkit ang mga mata ko sa kanya.
"Hello?" tanong ng taong nasa kabilang linya. Kumunot ang noo ko nang marinig ang ibang boses. I observed the instructor in front of me and tried to listen to what he was saying. He kept on talking to whoever called him while the person whom I called kept silent as if he's waiting for my response.
So Sir Rich wasn't the owner of the number that texted me yesterday? What a relief. For a second, I thought he might be the third party. Nakahinga ako nang maluwag.
"Sino 'to?" tanong ng lalaking nasa kabilang linya. He sounded like a teenage student. Something didn't feel right. "Prank caller ba 'to?"
"This is Lorraine," pakilala ko. I decided to not use my real name to see if he'd notice it. "Were you the one who texted me yesterday?"
"Texted you?"
"Yeah." Hindi ko pa rin nilubayan ng tingin si Sir Rich. "You told me to check my locker."
"Check your locker?" Natawa ang lalaking nasa kabilang linya. "Wala akong matandaan na may tinext akong gano'n. Hindi rin kasi ako makakapag-text kahapon kasi nawala ang phone ko."
Nawala?
"Kakakuha ko lang ngayon sa lost and found ng school namin," paliwanag ng lalaki. "By the way, are you also from Clark High? I find your voice angelic. Do you wanna have a cup of coffee with me?"
Ibinaba ko na ang tawag. Tama ang number na tinawagan ko. 'Yon talaga ang number na nag-send ng message sa akin kahapon. Pero mukhang ibang tao na ang may hawak nito. Kung totoo ngang nawala ang phone niya kahapon, someone could have picked up his phone, sent me the "check your locker" text, and surrendered it to the lost and found section. There's no way I could trace whoever the mysterious texter was.
"Sorry about that," Sir Rich said as he pressed a key on his phone and slid it back into his pocket. "Parent of my student who can't attend his classes today. So where are we? Ah, about giving you more time to think about it."
I smiled. Medyo awkward lalo na't sandali ko siyang pinaghinalaan."Yes, sir. Marami ho talaga kasing nangyayari sa ngayon. I'm interested in the prospect of having my books published, but I need to really clear my head before I make the decision."
"That's understandable. Making rushed decisions is bad," he nodded. "I hope I'm not being nosy, but isn't the Augustus case over yet? You mentioned that you still have a lot to think about. I figured it might be one of the reasons why."
"Sometimes things can get complicated," I replied, sighing. Medyo pagod na ang tono ko. Well, totoo naman. Nakakapagod na rin kasing araw-araw na mag-isip ng kung ano-ano.
"Just like chopping off a Hydra's head," he commented. "You cut off one head, two more would regrow in its place. It's like getting two more questions for every one answered."
I guess that's a perfect description of our dilemma right now. We started with the list of a specific number of questions. Instead of crossing each question off every time they're answered, the list kept on getting longer.
"I wish you good luck on your quest." Napatingin siya sa tatlong libro na hawak niya. "By the way, I wanna give these books to you."
He carefully handed me over the three books. I read the titles and the authors. The Aria of Blood and Ink by Laurel Weinder. The Serenade of the Siren by Dr. Harvice I. Ferri. The Innocence of a Guilty Suspect by Atty. Trojan Caballo. They weren't familiar to me. But judging by the covers, I think these are crime fiction novels. "Para ho saan 'to, sir?"
"Those were some of the books printed by the publishing house that I used to work for," Sir Rich answered, smiling as he looked at the books on my hands. "I don't know kung makatutulong ang mga 'yan para makapagdesisyon ka. But you can study how they edited and formatted the books. If you want to be a published writer, I believe you want to be in a good company. See if they're worth your trust."
Nagpaalam na siya sa akin at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad sa hallway. Ako nama'y bumalik na sa aming classroom dala-dala ang mga librong ibinigay niya sa 'kin. I still have a lot on my plate, I couldn't give time to read or skim through these novels. Maybe once I'm no longer preoccupied.
The thought of my stories being published was exciting me. Habang nakatingin ako sa mga librong ibinigay sa 'kin, for a moment, I daydreamed about how my books would look like. But it instantly faded in my mind as soon as I saw Rosetta's face in the seat next to mine. She smiled at me as she kept on writing. I didn't bother to return the gesture.
As I was answering the essay questions, biglang nag-beep ang phone ko. Baka galing na naman 'to sa third party. I checked the notifications and saw not an unregistered number, but a familiar name. Looks like someone wanted to talk.
Pagsapit ng lunch time, I told Alistair na mauna na siya sa 'kin. We're still on the maintaining-the-order duty kaya kailangan naming pumunta ulit sa cafeteria. We would hit two birds with one stone. Eat and do our duty. Sabay na dapat kaming apat nina Loki at Jamie, but I had an urgent meeting to attend. Since I wasn't the one who set this meeting, I couldn't reschedule it.
"Ayaw mo bang samahan kita kung saan ka pupunta?" tanong ni Alistair.
I shook my head. I really appreciate his concern, but he doesn't have to feel worried about me all the time. "I don't think I'd be in any danger. Trust me. Puntahan mo na sina Loki at Jamie. Baka hinihintay ka na nila."
"Basta kapag may kailangan ka, i-text mo lang ako," may pag-aalalang sabi ni Alistair.
I nodded. "By the way, make sure that Loki becomes more friendly when he tells some students to pick up their trash. He can be rude sometimes. Or most of the time."
"Noted."
"Also make sure he eats something. Try to convince him to eat vegetables," dagdag ko. Parang naghahabilin ako bago pumunta sa malayong lugar. "Napapadalas na kasi ang pagkain niya ng fast food. He needs to eat healthy."
"Convince him?" Alistair chuckled. "Sigurado ka riyan?"
"You know what I mean, don't you?" I smiled at him. Yes, I was subtly asking him to force a piece of vegetable down Loki's throat. Hindi siya basta-basta makapapalag kapag si Alistair na ang nagsabi sa kanya. I wouldn't be there to remind him of proper eating habits so I trust my childhood friend to act as my proxy.
Then I went off to the library. This might be the new meeting place now. What a great choice too. As the sliding door opened, I walked in and my eyes roamed around. There were only a few students inside. Lunch time na kasi kaya malamang, kumakain muna sa cafeteria ang bookworms na mahilig tumambay rito.
I remember the first time I went here, Loki told me that he's been banned from entering the library. I don't exactly know what he did, but he probably played a prank on the librarian or pointed out that the arrangement of the books wasn't properly following the Dewey Decimal Classification. Anything small that he could turn into a big issue.
Dito rin itinago 'yong bomba na naka-strap pala sa isang estudyante. That was the time when Stein recovered from his coma and returned to school. With a literal bang. Jamie and I worked together to find out where the bomb was. Briefly we shared a heartfelt moment when she told me why she's so into Loki. She said that he reminded her of her late brother.
Her late brother Jaime Santiago. The former president of the student council. An alleged victim of Moriarty's machinations. And the name that Augustus told me before he took his last breath. He's also the piece of the puzzle that might help us understand better the whole M mystery.
Dahil sa dami ng nangyayari, hindi pa namin natututukan ang anggulo na 'yon. I hope we could be finally done with Augustus' box and Rosetta's request so we could focus on him. How did he fit into all of this? Why would Augustus speak of his name? Was his death really an accident? If not, was Moriarty behind it?
But those were questions for another time. And I hope that once we got the answers, we wouldn't get more questions. Like the hydra's head analogy Sir Rich mentioned earlier.
I walked straight into the Archive Section of the library. Dito nakalagay ang mga published material tungkol sa history ng Clark High at ang mga research paper ng mga faculty at staff. Some of the most boring stuff, Loki would probably say if he was here. Mas maliit ito kumpara sa ibang section. May tatlong bookshelves lang ang nandito. And as expected, walang tao rito. Well, why would anyone read about the school history?
For ordinary students, this place was the least favorite spot in the library. But for students who want to have secret conversations, this could be a spot.
Nabanggit kong walang tao rito, but I was wrong. I walked past two bookshelves and saw the towering figure of a male student. I didn't notice him from the outside. He was silently reading a thick year book.
"Sorry if I'm late," I said.
"I should be the one apologizing for interrupting your lunch time activities," Luthor replied, glancing at me for a second. "I heard that the execom asked you to discipline the students in the cafeteria."
Tumango ako at lumapit sa kanya. "They know what the word discipline means, but they have to be reminded. Minsan kasi, nakakalimutan ng ibang tao."
"I assume that my brother wasn't all pleased with the new assignment."
I stood next to Luthor and randomly picked a book from the shelf. Medyo suspicious kung may biglang papasok at makikitang hindi ako naghahanap o nagbabasa ng libro.
"You know him. Marami siyang say sa mga bagay-bagay. But the cafeteria duty is better than cutting crepe papers. Plus we can teach him how to be more polite when talking to people."
"Can you teach tricks to a dog that always bares its fangs and barks at suspicious people?" Luthor asked, flipping the page of the book.
I smirked. "He'd be offended by your choice of words."
For me, Loki wasn't a hopeless case. He may act rude and speak harshly to someone. But deep inside, I know he still has that kindness that I'd like to see. He could be a better man. Following Luthor's analogy, pwedeng sabihing matapang na aso si Loki, pero sigurado akong may cute doggy moments din siya.
"Bakit pala nag-iba na ang meeting place natin?" tanong ko, sandaling napasulyap sa kanya. "Don't you feel secured on the rooftop anymore?"
"I feel more secured here," he answered, his eyes roamed around the Archive Section for a moment. "Speaking of rooftop, I heard that the four of you went there to talk to a friend of yours."
"How did you know?"
"I have eyes and ears everywhere."
Of course, he has. Hindi na rin ako magtataka kung may iba pang nakapansin. We weren't that discreet when we took the stairs to the rooftop.
"I also heard from Maggie that you skipped yesterday's execom meeting because you were brought to the clinic," Luthor said. "Was there any problem?"
If that's his way of asking me if I was okay, then I appreciate the concern. I haven't told Luthor about the recent developments. I wasn't obliged to report to him every now and then. Pero dahil iisa ang goal namin, sharing information with him was okay. May mga isine-share din siyang info sa 'kin na nakatutulong para i-confirm ang ilang bagay, lalo na ang mga sinasabi ni Jamie patungkol kay Stein.
"You probably heard that someone killed Augustus' accomplice and stole the hard drive from him." I closed the book and put it back into the shelf.
"Maggie told me yesterday. She said that you were there when the accomplice was killed."
Humarap ako sa kanya at tumingala nang kaunti dahil mas matangkad siya sa kin. "And your group had nothing to do with it?"
I already heard the answer from Stein, but it's better to cross-check it from Luthor himself.
"None," he answered. "Stein raised the possibility that there might be another player involved in this already complicated game. A third—"
"A third party," I finished. Mukhang nagma-match ang sinabi ni Stein at sinabi niya ngayon sa akin. This could be a confirmation that they had nothing to do with Sir Ephraim's death. Why would Stein lie to his general anyway?
"He also told me yesterday afternoon that the hard drive he suspected to belong to Augustus is already in our possession. Whatever secrets we have in that storage device are safe," Luthor went on. "But something bothers me."
"What does?"
"Yesterday morning, Stein sounded so disappointed because the hard drive wasn't in our hands. When afternoon came, he became cheerful when he announced that we found it. Something must have happened within those hours. Then I heard you were brought to the clinic in the same afternoon that he shared the good news with me. I highly doubt that's a coincidence."
Well, what could I say? He's really Loki's brother.
Huminga ako nang malalim at muling naghanap ng librong kunwari'y babasahin ko. "Someone left the hard drive in my locker. I don't know who he is. We suspect he might be the third party. Tinext niya ako't sinabing i-check ang locker ko."
"The hard drive should have been in your possession then. But..."
Tumingin ako sa kanya, saktong nakatingin din siya sa akin. "But one of your friends stole it from me. I tried to stop her using my stun pen. I hit myself instead, rendering me unconscious."
"Rosetta..." Luthor muttered. He probably connected the pieces of the puzzle that were already presented to him. His sources told him that we talked to Rosetta this morning, so he put two and two together.
"Did you know that she's part of your organization?" I asked. Wala nang paligoy-ligoy pa. "She said that she served as Augustus' eyes and ears in the student body. Sa kanya raw galing ang ilan sa contents na nasa box."
"I did not." Luthor shook his head slowly. I looked into his eyes to see if he was looking. I could find any hint that he was. Well, I wasn't a lie-detecting expert. "But I heard about a very valuable asset who goes around and collects information from students, teachers and others. She might be that person."
"She also called herself the queen, but not in the traditional meaning of the word," I added. "Stein is no doubt the King of your organization. We initialy thought she might be his girlfriend or something."
"That makes her a valuable piece to capture," Luthor commented as he stared into the small gap between the books. "She seemed to be forthcoming with you. What did you say or do to make her talk?"
"She volunteered the info," I answered, shaking my head. "Hindi pa namin alam kung totoo ang mga pinagsasabi niya. She might be telling the truth. Or she might be lying to us. If it's the latter, posibleng may secret agenda siya."
"And what will she gain if she tells you the truth?" Luthor's eyes squinted at me. "Did she want to come clean about her involvement in the organization?"
Natahimik ako nang ilang sandali. I know the risk I was taking by telling him what we found out recently. We work on a kind of relationship where we carefully exchange information. Tuwing nagpapalitan kami ng nalalaman, laging may kaunting pagdadalawang-isip kung dapat ba naming sabihin 'yon. I hesitate. He hesitates. Still, we managed to build some sense of cooperation based on the trust between the two of us.
"That's what we need to find out." I could have told him the truth, but I decided to hold the remaining card close to my chest: that Rosetta wants to leave the organization. Luthor doesn't need to know everything. Not right now. "She told us a sob story on how she was dragged into your group. Maybe she's acting under orders from Stein kaya siya lumapit sa amin."
"I assume you've told me this piece of information so I can check if Stein has given anyone an order related to accessing the hard drive?" he asked.
"Yes, but discreetly if possible," I whispered to him kahit hindi ko naman kailangang hinaan ang boses ko. "If Rosetta is acting on her own or she has another agenda in mind, ayaw nating may mangyaring masama sa kanya, tama? As you said, she's a valuable piece to capture."
Should something unfortunate happen to Rosetta in the next few days, I would only have two suspects in my list: Jamie and Luthor. If they're really on our side, none of them would reveal to Stein about what Rosetta told us. This is a gamble. And I'm betting my complete trust in them.
"Let me see what I can do," Luthor said.
"Thank you."
"By the way, I summoned you here to give you something." He pulled a folder in between the pages of the book he was reading and gave it to me. "A present."
"Is it my birthday?" I jested as I opened the folder. May isang piraso ng papel sa loob. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang mabasa ang nasa letterhead nito. "Teka, heto ang—"
"I told you last time that I'd try to pull some strings," Luthor said, closing the book. "That's the toxicology report on Augustus. You can see what killed him."
Mabilis kong binasa ang report na nasa kamay ko. Augustus' death was bumped down in our list of priorities dahil nagkapatong-patong na ang mga iniisip namin.
"Cause of death is respiratory failure..." I read in a low voice. "...due to extreme strychnine exposure?"
"I asked one of my father's bodyguards about that poison," Luthor said. "He investigated some cases involving that trick. Exposure to high doses of strychnine can lead to death within fifteen to thirty minutes of exposure."
"At least fifteen minutes?" Iniangat ko ang aking tingin sa kanya. He nodded at me.
That didn't make sense. In my theory, posibleng nilason si Augustus noong nagkaroon ng blackout. I still have no idea how the killer shot him with a poisoned needle, pero malabong high doses ang mailagay sa isang karayom o dart. Also, there's two to three minutes gap between the blackout and the moment Augustus collapsed on the floor. Hindi pasok sa at least fifteen minutes ang theory ko.
"Augustus wasn't poisoned in the board room," I muttered. "He was poisoned before he got in there."
q.e.d.
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