A/N: Fourth update for this week! We're nearing the end of Chapter 45! Brace yourselves because two to three parts left before we move to Chapter 46.
LORELEI
THIS WAS one of the most awkward minutes of silence in my lives. Nagpalitan kaming apat ng tingin habang nakatutok ang mga mata ni Maggie sa amin. Her spectacles shone as the light above struck upon them.
I understood where she's coming from. She felt that they're being kept out of the loop. I also felt that way when Loki hid what he suspected about Jamie all along. Hay. Sumagi na naman sa isip ko ang confrontation namin noon sa hotel. Kaya I couldn't say that she's demanding or she's overreacting about our decision to not tell them what we knew so far.
If there's one thing that I learned the hard way in my high school years, ito ay kung gaano kahirap magtiwala. Not only to the people that you don't know that well, but also to people you know the best. Giving your trust to someone is like exposing your bare neck to that person, hoping that he wouldn't slit your throat at any chance that he might have.
Again, to be fair, we really intend to tell Maggie about what we found it. But we had to confirm everything. Hindi kami pwedeng basta-basta magsabi ng impormasyon dahil posibleng may mali o may sinasadyang linlangin kami.
"Rye and I are waiting for your answer," Maggie said, tapping her fingers impatiently on the table. "Oh, bakit biglang umurong ang dila n'yo? Did someone cut your tongues off?"
Lumingon ako sa aking mga kasama. Whoever's gonna tell them what they wanna know would carry a heavy burden. Gaya nga ng naisip ko kanina, it's either we tell them the entire truth or only some parts of it.
"Who shall have the honor?" tanong ko. I don't wanna volunteer. I don't want that burden on me. I have lied and omitted some truths a couple of times before. Ayaw ko nang dagdagan pa ang kasalanan ko.
Surprisingly, Loki raised his hand. I was honestly expecting Alistair. I would be confident kung siya ang magsasabi. He probably had the same thought as me on thinking whether to tell the truth or just some bits.
"Go ahead, Loki." Maggie reclined in her seat, turning to the person who volunteered to brief her. Napatingin din si Rye sa kanyang direksyon. "Tell us what we need to know."
"We're looking at the angle where Augustus had been already poisoned before he got inside the board room." Loki's reply was straightforward. "We found out through a source that strychnine was found in his body. That's what your spies heard in the cafeteria."
"Kaya ba sinubukan n'yong i-check ang mga security footage sa Office of Campus Security?" tanong ni Rye. Feeling ko'y ini-interrogate kami ngayon. Napakaseryoso kasi ng boses siya. Rye looked and sounded serious all of the time, pero iba ang aura niya ngayon. "'Yon din ba ang rason kung bakit kinausap nina Lorelei at Jamie ang mga classmate ni Augustus at ang editorial staff ng Clarion kanina?"
Tumango si Loki. "We want to trace his steps since the moment he entered the campus premises. But we hit a roadblock along the way. The campus police made sure that we wouldn't have access to the videos and get information from Augustus' acquaintances. It looked like a deadend."
"You do know na jurisdiction 'yan ng campus police, 'di ba?" tugon ni Maggie. "And as far as I know, your assistance in the investigations is no longer welcomed by the new chief."
"We can't dismiss the possibility that they faile—"
"What's more surprising is that you've decided to investigate without telling me first," Maggie cut his words short. Hayan na, unti-unti nang tumataas ang boses niya. "Nag-aala-QED Club na naman kayo kung saan feel n'yo na pwede n'yong imbestigahan kahit anong ma-trip-an n'yo? Hindi na 'yan pwede rito."
"Balak talaga naming sabihin sa inyo ang plano namin," singit ni Jamie, medyo malumanay ang kanyang tono. She probably thought na hindi niya dapat sabayan ang approach ni Maggie na may pagka-confrontational. "Naunahan mo lang kami kasi kinonfront mo kami agad tungkol dito. We would have volunteered the information in this meeting. Right, guys?"
Tumango kaming tatlo. That's what we agreed on after all.
"Si Alistair nga mismo ang nag-remind sa amin na dapat sabihan namin kayo," dagdag ni Jamie sabay turo sa katabi ko. "Kung may plano kaming gawin na bawal o hindi tama, trust him that he'll be the voice of reason in our team."
Natahimik si Maggie habang pinalipat-lipat sa amin ang kanyang tingin. Makalipas ang ilang segundo, bumuntong-hininga siya at nag-relax ang kanyang mga balikat.
"How about what happened to Lorelei yesterday? She didn't just pass out, did she?"
Napatingin silang lahat sa akin. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I felt like they wanted me to respond. I hate this feeling.
"Yesterday, I received a message from an anonymous texter," kwento ko. Kailangan kong maging maingat sa mga sasabihin ko. "He told me na i-check ang aking locker. Dahil hindi pa nag-i-start ang aming class, bumaba ako sa locker area. I found a hard drive that resembled the one that Alistair saw in Sir Ephraim's apartment. I thought that it might be Augustus' box."
"Really?" pagulat na tanong ni Maggie. "Kung totoo ang hinala mo, sino ang nag-iwan noon sa locker mo?"
Marahan akong umiling. That's the million peso question. "Hindi ko rin alam. The anonymous texter didn't introduce himself. Wala ring hint kung kanino galing. Alistair tried to check the footage captured by the camera outside the locker area but..."
"The video footage can't be found," Alistair finished, shaking his head. "The office believes na nagkaroon ng technical glitch kaya hindi na-record."
"Sinubukan ko ring tawagan ang number na nag-text sa akin, kaso walang kamalay-malay 'yong estudyanteng sumagot," dagdag ko. I still remember how I hung up when he asked me kung gusto niyang magkape kami. "Sabi niya, nawala raw ang phone niya kahapon at kakakuha lang niya sa Lost & Found office nitong umaga. Al and I verified it nang dumaan kami roon kanina."
"So where is it?" tanong ni Maggie. "If you already have the box, why didn't you tell us?"
Nagbato ako ng tingin sa aking mga kasama. I was getting closer to another crucial information. "Unfortunately, it was stolen from me."
"Kaya ka natagpuang unconscious sa locker area at dinala sa clinic?" tanong ni Rye na tinanguan ko naman.
"Did you see who stole it?" Maggie asked. "If yes, who is the thief?"
Napalunok ako ng laway. I don't mind sharing with them the events that took place. But the identity of the one who stole the hard drive from me? Doon ako nagdadalawang-isip kung dapat ko bang sabihin sa kanila.
"One of M's minions," Loki spoke before I could. "As much as we wanna reveal the identity of our mysterious thief, we need to verify the information first. We don't wanna feed you with a misleading info."
"Could it be Rosetta, the student that you met with this morning on the rooftop?" Rye asked, clenching the lollipop between his teeth.
I tried to keep a straight face para hindi ako makapagbigay ng kahit anong hint. I failed in front of Hel earlier. I don't wanna fail now.
"We can neither confirm nor deny that," Loki replied. He saved me from the troubling of lying or giving away the answer. "I acknowledge that you are our superiors here and that you need to be informed of everything. But we need you to trust us when we say that we have to verify the information first."
"You know that I don't trust you that much," Maggie retorted.
"Well, trust them instead." Loki jerked his thumb toward us. "Right now, we can only confirm two things: First, the hard drive is now in the possession of Stein and his gang. Second, speaking of Stein, he believes that there's a third party involved here. I'm inclined to believe in his theory as well. We don't know yet if it's a man acting on his own or a group. But they likely had something to do with the deaths of Augustus and Sir Refrain."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because Stein told us yesterday that no one from their side was ordered to kill Augustus or Sir Refrain," Loki revealed. "We would have recorded his admission, but there's a phone jammer in the Math and Physics room where he asked us to meet."
Napasandal si Maggie sa kanyang upuan at dahan-dahang ipinihit ito pakaliwa tapos pakanan. Si Rye naman, naparkrus ang mga braso habang kagat-kagat ang kanyang lollipop stick.
"This is too much to process," Maggie broke her silence. "I didn't know that so much has happened in the past few days."
Ano pa kayang magiging reaksyon niya kapag nalaman niya na humihingi ng tulong sa amin si Rosetta para makaalis sa organisasyon ni M, na si Sir Jim ang nag-surrender ng phone na ginamit pang-text sa akin, at ang imbestigasyon ni Hel sa pagkamatay ni Sir Ephraim? Parang pumunta ka sa isang buffet tapos puno na ang plato mo pero pilit na nilalagyan ng pagkain ng nagse-serve.
"I will try to understand the reasons why you chose not to tell us these pieces of information immediately," she went on. "But this is your last warning. Don't do anything without express permission from us next time, lalo na kapag may balak kayong imbestigahan. We don't want to be at odds with the campus police."
"Understood."
She probably felt overwhelmed by what she found kaya she decided not to press on kung may iba pa kaming bagay na hindi sinasabi sa kanya. Well, we sounded cooperative when we told her some of the things that we know. Malamang, inakala niyang 'yon na lahat ang dapat niyang malaman.
The meeting was dismissed and we were allowed to go home.
Dahil wala na kaming gagawin sa school, dumiretso na kami sa parking lot kung saan nakaparada ang sasakyan ni Alistair. Nasanay na kaming lagi niya kaming hinahatid sa aming apartment. As usual I took the seat beside him while Loki and Jamie settled on the back seat.
"Parang si Maggie 'yong classmate mong gustong laging updated sa latest tsismis, no?" komento ni Jamie habang nilalaro ang kanyang naka-braid na buhok. "Pina-monitor pa niya kay Rye ang mga galaw natin na parang wala siyang tiwala. We're not the bad guys here, are we?"
Technically speaking, she's associated with the bad guys.
"Naiintindihan ko naman siya," tugon ni Alistair na sumulyap sa rearview mirror. "Dala-dala na natin ang pangalan ng execom kaya kung anuman ang gawin natin, sa kanya mabubunton ang sisi kapag may nagawa tayong mali. She's only looking after us, like an elder sister who cares for her younger siblings."
"Parang parents na gustong malaman ang lahat ng ginagawa natin," dagdag ni Jamie. "At least, that's what I heard from my classmates na todo bantay ng kanilang mga magulang... Medyo maluwag kasi sa akin ang parents ko. Only my brother was so protective of me."
I glanced at her through the mirror and noticed a glimpse of sadness in her face. From what I remember, her parents had already passed away a few years ago. His brother is also dead. Being reminded of the fact that she's alone now must have made her feel sad. Poor Jamie. At least I have my dad despite not being my biological father.
"But we have to find a way around the roadblock that is the campus police," Loki said. Nakapatong ang kanyang siko sa windowsill ng kotse at nakapangalumbabang nakatingin sa mga sasakyan at pedestrian na dinaraanan namin. "Maggie will only make our attempts at solving the Augustus case more difficult."
"Narinig mo naman siya, 'di ba?" tugon ni Alistair. "Dapat maging maingat tayo lalo na sa pakikipag-deal sa campus police."
"Don't you trust that Inspector Morales will find out who the poisoner is?" tanong ko sabay lingon sa kanya sa aking kanan. I saw a glimpse of him through the space between the headrest and the cardoor. "Despite his stern attitude, he seems sharp compared to then-Inspector Estrada. No offense meant."
"If he's really that sharp, he should have already caught the killer. That doesn't seem to be the case so it's time for us to step in."
"We have to tread carefully though," Alistair reminded him. "We can no longer do as we please. Kailangan nating sumunod sa protocol at irespeto ang jurisdiction ng campus police. Hindi na tayo basta-basta pwedeng mag-investigate ngayon."
Loki let out a some air in annoyance.
"Speaking of investigate..." That reminded me of something na hindi ko nasabi kaninang nasa execom office kami. "Hel was looking for you around lunch time. She said she's investigating the murder case of Sir Ephraim. She's looking forward to hearing from us. Yeah, she knows that we're onto that person on the day of his death."
I felt a sharping glare from the back. Obviously, that glare was from Jamie. She must be kinda disappointed that I brought up Hel's name. Ano'ng magagawa ko? Medyo relevant ang presence ni Hel kaya dapat ko silang i-inform tungkol doon.
"If she claims to be my daughter, she should know by now that we had nothing to do with Sir Refrain's death," Loki said.
"She doesn't think we're involved," I replied. "Pero gusto niya pa rin tayong makausap. To shed light on some things, probably."
"We will deal with her once we're done with the things we have on our plate. One bite at a time," he said. "By the way, is there any development with our mysterious texter?"
Mabuti't pinaalala niya. Muntik ko nang makalimutan sa sobrang dami ng iniisip namin. Inilabas ko ang aking phone at chineck ulit ang message na natanggap ko bago mag-start ang afternoon classes namin.
"I got a call from an unknown number." I began reading the riddle again. "He asked me kung nabuksan ko na 'yong regalo niya sa 'kin. Safe to assume na ang caller ang siya ring nag-iwan ng hard drive sa locker ko."
"What did he want?"
"As we suspected, plano nga niyang ibigay sa akin ang password sa hard drive," sagot ko. "I didn't tell him na may nagnakaw no'n mula sa 'kin. So he's still thinking that Augustus' box is still in my possession."
"What a generous man."
"Well, gusto niya munang pasakitin ang mga ulo natin bago ma-access ang hard drive." I held out my phone and showed them what's on my screen. Loki and Jamie leaned forward to get a closer look. Alistair could only throw a glance since he's driving. "Nag-send siya sa akin ng riddle. I have no idea how to decode it. But you can try."
I hope this mail finds you well.Last year, I had a trip around Luzon.I bought handmade clay ceramics in Tiwi, Albay.I drank kapeng barako in Lipa, Batangas.I prayed to our Lady of Manaoag in Manaoag, Pangasinan.I saw the hanging coffins in Sagada, Mountain Province.I bathed in the Magibuay Falls in Tagkawayan, Quezon.You can say that I've been to many places,always with only four of my trusted acquaintances,but the ones and thousands don't matter,because only those in the middle ground shall come together.
Inilabas ni Loki ang kanyang phone at itinutok ang camera nito sa screen ng aking phone.
"I can forward the text message to you—"
But it's too late. Nakunan na niya ng litrato ang riddle. Sumandal siya sa upuan at ini-level sa mga mata niya ang kanyang phone. Jamie being Jamie, inilapit niya ang kanyang mukha kay Loki at tumitig sa phone nito. Sa sobrang lapit ng dalawa, kung biglang pepreno si Alistair, baka mahalikan niya sa mukha si Loki. Maybe that's what she's going for kaya gano'n siya ka-close. Or maybe I was looking into it too much.
"Parang pinagyayabang niya na andami niyang napuntahan last year, ah?" komento ni Jamie. I jokingly thought that was the mysterious caller's travel bucket list.
"May ibinigay bang clue ang sender kung ano ang dapat nating makuhang sagot?" tanong ni Alistair na napasulyap sa akin. "Is it a series of letters, words or numbers?"
I shook my head. "Hindi ko na naitanong sa kanya kasi bigla niyang ibinaba ang tawag. I should try asking him, 'no? He might not reply at all, pero at least, sinubukan ko."
Mabilis akong nag-tap ng mga letra sa aking screen. I don't wanna expect na sasagutin niya ako, but I was still hoping that he'd give us a hint. Sumilip ako sa rearview mirror para tingnan si Loki. Gaya ng inaasahan, blangko ang kanyang facial expression. Mukhang hindi pa naman siya nahihirapan sa pag-a-analyze sa riddle.
"I find it strange na 'mail' ang salitang ginamit niya imbes na text o message," sabi ni Alistair. "My gut feeling tells me na may kinalaman 'yon sa pag-decode niyang riddle. Choice of words matter. He wouldn't have used that word if it's not relevant."
"Your gut feeling is right," Loki seconded, raising his gaze at him. "The word 'mail' is the major clue on how we'd get the answer. Is there anything about mails that we can use as a code? Like a series of letters or numbers..."
"Mail..." Alistair mumbled as he kept his eyes on the road. "The postal codes?"
Tumango si Loki. "The postal office uses a series of number to sort out the mails and identify in which areas they must be delivered. Each town or city has their unique postal codes. Angeles City is 2009 while the neighboring Mabalacat City is 2010."
"That's why the sender specified the name of the towns sa riddle," bulong ko habang muling binalikan ang message. "May limang lugar siyang binanggit dito."
"How about the ceramic clay and kapeng barako?" tanong ni Jamie. "Don't they mean anything?"
Loki shook his head. "Just some additional details. So if we get the postal codes of these five places, we'll get closer to the answer."
I turned on my mobile data and opened my phone browse. "Bale kailangan nating i-search kung ano ang postal code ng Tiwi, Albay—"
"Four-five-one-three."
Lumingon ako sa back seat at napansing nakapikit si Jamie. Muli kong ibinalik ang aking tingin sa phone screen. The numbers 4513 appeared on my search result. She got it right.
"For Lipa, Batangas, it's 4217. For Manaoag, Pangasinan, it's 2430."
Sinabayan ko ang kanyang recitation ng pagse-search sa Google. She got the next two postal codes right.
"For Sagada, Mountain Province... 2619. And for Tagkawayan, Quezon... 4321."
Muli niyang iminulat ang kanyang mga mata. Nakuha niya ang lahat ng tama.
"Paano mo nalaman ang mga postal code?" tanong ko. Well, should I really be surprised? She probably read a book of postal codes and memorized every single digit in it.
"Don't be so amazed, Lori," pagmamayabang ni Jamie. Teka lang, I wasn't so amazed. Hindi ko lang in-expect na kabisado niya ang gano'ng klaseng impormasyon. Who on earth would waste time memorizing postal codes? "Mahilig kasing magbigay ng bonus item ang Social Sciences teacher namin noon, tapos minsan postal code ang tinatanong niya sa amin."
Now that explained the mystery.
"So does that mean na 45134217243026194321 ang password ng hard drive?" kunot-noong tanong ni Jamie. "Masyado naman yatang mahaba?"
"Diyan na malamang papasok ang second half ng riddle," sagot ni Alistair, muling nagawi ang tingin sa rearview mirror. "Kung napansin n'yo, laging four-digits ang bawat postal code. 'Yon siguro ang tinutukoy ng line na always with only four of my trusted acquaintances."
"The last two lines tell us which numbers to eliminate," Loki added, nodding. "The ones and thousands don't matter. Only those in the middle ground shall come together."
"The ones and the thousands places refer to the first and last digits of each postal code," I muttered as I started deleting those numbers on my phone's notes. "Kapag tinanggal mo ang mga 'yan, tanging ang dalawang number sa gitna ang matitira at ang dapat pagsasama-sam—"
Biglang nag-beep ang aking phone at nag-pop up sa notification ang isang text message mula sa anonymous number. I didn't have to open the entire message dahil nakita ko na sa preview ang sagot niya.
Hint: 10 digits
"Ten digits daw ang passcode," I shared with them.
Loki smirked. "So the answer must be 51-21-43-61-32—"
Nahinto siya sa kanyang sinasabi't dahan-dahang naningkit ang mga mata niya. It looked like he had realized something.
"Is something wrong, Loki dear?" tanong ni Jamie na napahawak sa kanyang balikat.
Loki sat frozen for a few more seconds before shaking his head. "Nothing."
"You sure?"
"A hundred percent."
I don't believe him. May napansin siya kaya bigla siyang natigil. He wouldn't stop in the middle of showing off just because of "nothing." No, there must be something in those numbers that made him pause.
Anyway, if our answer was correct, then only we have to key to open Augustus' infamous box. The only problem was that the hard drive wasn't in our possession.
At ito ang gustong makuha ni Rosetta. Ang tanong ngayon ay kung ibibigay ba namin sa kanya ang susi o hindi.
What would it be?
q.e.d.
If you've enjoyed reading this update, share your thoughts or theories on Twitter using the hashtag #ProjectLOKI! Also, please avoid directly mentioning the names of characters that can be considered as spoilers.