A/N: THANK YOU FOR ONE MILLION FOLLOWERS!
LORELEI
I GOT home safely last night. During the whole ride home, I was on guard. Something might happen out of nowhere. Pero mabuti't naging maayos ang pag-uwi ko.
Mr. Vasquez dropped me off my apartment around ten in the evening. Sa sobrang dami ng mga nangyari kahapon, hapong-hapo na akong pumasok sa aming unit. Medyo naibsan ang pagod ko nang sumalubong sa akin si Freya. I poured some cat food into her container. Baka makatulog ako, hindi ko pa siya napapakain. How about me? Mabuti't nakakain na ako sa ospital kaya 'di na ako nakaramdam ng gutom. Naghilamos na lang ako at nagpalit ng damit.
The apartment unit felt different without Loki's presence. Kahit madalas ay nakaupo siya sa couch habang nagbabasa ng libro o habang nagla-laptop nang walang kinikibo, iba pa rin na physically wala siya roon. Well, he wanted to solve the case of his brother's poisoning kaya naintindihan ko kung bakit biglaan ang desisyon niyang huwag sumabay sa akin. Natutuwa pa nga ako, hindi dahil solo ko ang unit, kung 'di dahil nakita ko ang determinasyon niya bilang concern sa kanyang kuya.
I turned on the four locks on the doors, cradled Freya in my arms, and grabbed the giant Theodore the teddy bear from the couch. I'm somewhat confident na walang basta-basta makapapasok sa unit, but just in case... Kasama kong matulog sina Freya at Theodore sa aking kwarto.
Paggising ko kinabukasan, I greeted "good morning" paglabas ko ng kwarto kahit wala naman palang taong nakaabang sa akin. Again, it felt strange that Loki was not in his usual spot in the couch. Nasanay na akong nandoon siya. Nakakapanibago talaga.
A question then popped up on my mind: What if Loki decides to return to the Mendez residence and leave Tita Martha's apartment for good? Would I feel—Oh, nevermind. It's too early to deal with hypothetical questions.
Pagkatapos kong magtimpla ng gatas, umupo ako sa couch at nag-stretching ng mga braso't paa. I then noticed the book that Loki was reading yesterday. The Serenade of the Siren. One of the books that Sir Friedrich Rivera gave me a few days ago. Hindi ko pa pala nababasa 'yon. Hindi rin kasi ako maka-concentrate sa dami ng mga nangyayari. I picked it up and scanned the front cover.
Kumusta na kaya si Sir Rich? He confessed to a crime that he might not have committed at all. There's no way for us to prove his innocence until Inspector Morgan Morales cooperates with us and gives us access to the campus police's resources. Which, I think, would be taken care of today. Kung mag-iiba ang isip ni Tito Odinaire, posibleng magbago rin ang isip ni Inspector Morales.
Binuklat ko ang libro at sinimulang basahin ang unang chapter nito. Medyo maaga pa naman kaya may oras pa akong magbasa. Sir Rich told me to observe kung magugustuhan ko ba ang pagkaka-edit at pagkaka-layout ng libro, dahil gano'n din daw ang magiging approach sakaling mapagdesisyonan kong mag-submit ng manuscript sa kilala niyang publishing house. Hindi naman ako expert sa editing at layouting, but the pages looked nice, I guess?
But my reading was interrupted when I heard three knocks on the door. I quickly dropped the book and unbolted the door locks. At first, I thought that was Loki. But it turned out to be my aunt.
"Good morning, Lori!" Smiling from ear to ear, Tita Martha showed me a bag of pandesal. "Napasobra ang bili ko nito. Nag-almusal ka na ba?"
Kukunin ko na sana sa kanya ang dala niya, but she insisted to bring it herself inside. Pinapasok ko siya sa loob. Kumuha ako ng isang pandesal bago muling bumalik sa kinauupuan ko. Nothing beats the combination of a hot drink and a hot pandesal.
"Tulog pa yata si Loki?" nagtatakang tanong ni Tita Martha sabay tingin sa pinto ng kuwarto ng kasama ko.
"Sa kanila ho muna siya umuwi kagabi," sagot ko. Muli kong kinuha ang librong binabasa ko. "May family emergency kasing nangyari."
Dala na rin siguro ng pagkalutang ko ngayong umaga kaya hindi ko na masyadong in-elaborate kay tita kung ano talaga ang nangyari. Mahaba-habang usapan din 'yon kung titingnan. Mabuti't hindi na siya masyadong nagtanong.
"Ah, siya nga pala." Palabas na si Tita Martha sa unit nang napahakbang siya paurong na parang may nakalimutan. "Kinumusta ako ng papa mo kagabi. Pinapakumusta ka rin niya. Baka dumaan si Walter dito next week. Inaayos pa kasi niya ang kanyang schedule kaya 'di pa niya masabi exactly kung kailan."
"Oh?" Napakurap ang mga mata ko. It's been more than a month since I last saw my dad. It's kinda surprising for me to hear na kinumusta niya ako. Hindi ko tuloy maiwasang magduda kung talagang nangumusta siya o dinagdag lang 'yon ni tita para ipamukhang concerned ang papa ko sa akin.
Since we had a heart-to-heart talk last time, I wouldn't be surprised kung susubukan na niyang ayusin ang relationship namin. And that's a welcome development for me. If he wants to meet with me next week, walang problema sa akin. If he's taking step to show genuine care to me, I'd be really glad. I'd do the same to him. I guess that's what my late mom would have wanted.
Ramdam kong nakatingin sa direksyon ko si Tita Martha. "Pinapasabi rin niya na sana raw ay hindi na naka—"
I lowered the book that I was reading as I gazed at my aunt's confused look. Nakakunot ang noo niya at bahagyang naningkit ang mga mata. "Tita?"
She was staring at me until she shook her head. Her confused face returned to normal. "Sorry, may naalala lang ako. Ano nga ba ulit ang sinasabi ko?"
That looked strange to me. Gano'n din ang reaksyon niya kahapon nang maghatid siya ng pandesal at mapatingin din kay Loki habang nakaupo rito sa couch.
"You were saying na sana hindi na naka—, then naputol na ho 'yong sinasabi n'yo."
"Ah!" Tita Martha clapped. "Sana raw hindi na naka-block ang number niya sa 'yo. Para pwede ka niyang tawagan o i-text anytime."
I can't recall kung tinanggal ko na ba sa blocked list ang number ni papa mula nang magkausap kami. Well, kung hindi pa, tatanggalin ko na lang mamaya.
Tita Martha bade me good morning again before she left the unit. Sinubukan kong basahin ulit ang libro, pero wala na akong ma-absorb ni isang salita. I could read, but I couldn't fully understand what I was reading. Sumuko na ako at nag-prepare na sa pagpasok sa school.
I hope na wala munang mangyaring kagimbal-gimbal ngayong araw. But who am I kidding? Surprises might be waiting for us today.
***
"What? Luthor got poisoned yesterday afternoon?"
Alistair didn't see that coming. The look on his face was that of surprise. Sa sobrang tense ng mga nangyari kahapon, nakalimutan ko na siyang sabihan tungkol sa pagkalason ni Luthor. I was holding my breath the whole time and I couldn't stop myself from worrying if he would survive the moment he was rushed into the emergency room. Marami ring gumugulo sa akin kaya nawala na tuloy sa isip ko.
That's probably a bad news that he wasn't expecting this early. Nasa labas kami ng classroom, nag-uusap habang hindi pa dumarating ang aming homeroom teacher.
"He's already in a stable condition now," I told him. His face then looked relieved. "Kailangan niya muna sigurong magpahinga nang ilang araw habang inoobserbahan siya ng mga doktor."
"How did Loki take it?" he asked after taking a pause. "We know kung gaano ka-complicated ang relationship niya sa kanyang kuya."
"Well, he showed some concern for his brother," I replied, recalling on my mind the talk we had beside the vending machine last night. "Inamin niya kagabi sa akin na kahit paano'y nag-aalala siya sa kanyang kuya. Hindi nga siya sumabay sa akin sa pag-uwi sa apartment kasi pinili niyang umuwi sa kanila at imbestigahan ang poisoning incident."
"I knew it." Alistair grinned. "Kahit ano pang sabihin ni Loki, sa loob-loob niya, nag-aalala pa rin siya. No matter what mask he wears, we still can see right through him."
If there's one thing that I can be sure of, Loki doesn't easily give away not only what he thinks, but also what he feels. He may look cold on the outside, but he's sometimes a softie on the inside. He has many layers, and only those who are willing to peel those layer could see the true him.
"But who would dare poison Luthor in the comforts of his own home?" Napahaplos sa kanyang baba si Alistair at tumingin sa malayo. That's the question on everyone's mind. "How could that person have acted so quickly? Hindi ba gano'n ka-secured ang bahay ng mga Mendez?"
Right, he hasn't been in the Mendez residence yet. Kaming dalawa pa lang ni Jamie ang nakapunta roon, noong kinidnap kami nina Hugh at Munroe. I could still hear the way Hugh told us, "Surprise, b*tches!" Alistair was still recovering around that time.
"It's really well secured," I said. "May mga surveillance camera daw sa iba't ibang parts ng residence. Mahigpit din ang mga naka-assign na security guards sa gate. This may be an exaggeration, but not even a rat can easily get inside."
"An inside job then?" Alistair turned his gaze at me. We had already considered that possibility too. "Kung wala sa labas ang lumason sa kanya, the only possible explanation is that someone on the inside did it."
"'Yan ang aalamin ni Loki," I replied. Hindi ako gano'n ka-confident na malalaman agad niya ang totoo overnight, but he might have found some clues while asking around. Maybe he'd share his findings with us later.
"ANO? NILASON SI LUTHOR?"
Maggie almost had the same reaction as Alistair, pero mas gulat ang kanya. May kasama pa siyang pagpalo sa mesa. Napatayo pa nga siya. Halos malaglag ang kanyang panga at pakurap-kurap ang mga nanlaking mata sa akin. She stood like a shocked statue for a few seconds.
"My God!" Jamie exclaimed, covering her mouth with her right hand. "Sino'ng gagawa niyan sa future brother-in-law ko? How dare that person!"
We met at the execom office during our morning break. Maliban kay Maggie, kaming tatlo lang nina Alistair at Jamie ang nandoon. Loki was nowhere to be found. Rye was roaming around the school building, doing the regular execom duties.
"Kaya ba hindi pumasok si Loki dear kasi binabantayan niya ang kanyang kuya?" tanong ni Jamie. "Dumaan kasi ako kanina sa classroom nila. Sabi ng mga classmate niya, 'di raw siya pumasok ngayong umaga. Sabay sana kaming pupunta rito."
I already suspected that Loki might skip classes. But not for the reason that Jamie mentioned. Yes, he cares about his brother, but he'd rather find out who poisoned Luthor than to stay in the private room watching his brother sleep.
Nang mahimasmasan na si Maggie, bumalik na siya sa pagkakaupo at sumandal sa upuan. Ipinagkrus niya ang kanyang mga braso. She still looked totally stunned by the news. Para siyang sinampal nang malakas sa mukha at naalog ang utak niya.
I recalled Luthor's last words before he went unconscious in the car. "Not Maggie," he said. Parang sinabi niya 'yon dahil inakala niyang si Maggie agad ang paghihinalaan namin. Which was something that we considered at first, but dismissed immediately later on.
"He's still okay before I left him yesterday, right?" she muttered, staring blankly at the wall. "Bago kayo dumating ni Loki sa gazebo."
I felt Jamie's and Alistair's questioning stares at me. I haven't told them that Loki and I went to the Mendez residence yesterday afternoon. Hindi kasi nila dapat malaman ang rason kung bakit kami pumunta roon.
"Then he collapsed a few minutes later," I added, ignoring the way they looked at me. "Mabuti't agad na na-prepare ng kanilang family driver ang sasakyan kaya mabilis namin siyang naidala sa ospital. Don't worry about him. He's already stable."
"Sino ang posibleng gumawa nito sa kanya?" Sa akin nagbato ng kunot-noong tingin si Maggie. "At bakit siya ang nilason? Ano ba'ng kasalanan ni Luthor?"
If I were a random person who knew Maggie was the last person that Luthor saw before he collapsed, I would have definitely suspected her. Pero gaya nga ng sinabi ni Loki, Maggie would be so dumb to poison Luthor in his own residence where she could be the number one suspect.
I would trust Luthor's words and cross Maggie's name off my own suspect list.
"Nang pumunta ka sa bahay nila, may nakasalubong o nadatnan ka ba na ibang kausap ni Luthor?" tanong ko. I tried to frame the question in a way where I wouldn't sound that I was suspecting her.
Marahang umiling ni Maggie. "When I got to his house, I found him alone in the kitchen, making his own cup of tea. Tapos pumunta kami sa gazebo para doon na mag-usap. He didn't mention anyone to me."
"We're thinking na baka sa tsaa inilagay ang lason," dagdag ko. "That's the last thing he drank before he collapsed. Loki would surely have that shattered cup checked for poison."
"No one touched his tea except him," Maggie recalled. "Wala rin ibang lumapit sa kanya maliban doon sa kanilang family driver. Si Vasquez yata 'yon. He showed him his phone then Luthor nodded at him."
Kung tama ang hinala ko, that might be the message sent by Loki telling their family driver to fetch us at the apartment. So Luthor knew that we were coming.
"Do you think the third party had something to do with it?" nababahalang tanong ni Jamie. "Noong umaga kasi, 'di ba, ipinakalat 'yong tsismis na connected si future bro-in-law kay M? Coincidence ba na that afternoon, something bad happened to him?"
I wanted to ask Jamie kung may reaksyon ba si Stein sa ipinakalat na balita ng Clarion at sa pagkaka-invite ni Luthor sa campus police. Well, I expect that she'd share that info to us sakaling may sinabi sa kanya ang boss niya.
"I don't think it's the third party," tugon ni Alistair nang may pag-iling. "Kung tama ang theory natin na posibleng pinilit si Sir Rivera na umamin sa isang krimen na hindi niya ginawa, poisoning Luthor would only undermine the real third party's diversionary tactic. Kung gusto niyang kay Sir Rivera matuon ang hinala na siya ang third party, he shouldn't do something that can negate that point."
Alistair had a point. Kung ang third party nga ang lumason kay Luthor, that could prove that Sir Rich is innocent of the crime he was taking responsibility for. Mababalewala ang effort ng totoong third party na ilihis sa kanya ang imbestigasyon.
"Could it be M?" Maggie squinted her eyes at us. "But why would he go after Luthor? The VP isn't one of his accomplices, right?"
Napalunok ako ng laway. If Luthor were an innocent person who's being falsely linked to M, Stein and his accomplices had no reason to do him any harm. Mas makatutulong pa nga sa kanila dahil maliligaw ang mga nag-iimbestiga.
Unfortunately, that's not the case. Loki and I know the truth about Luthor's connection with M, so if the organization would go after him, there's only one reason that I could think of: silencing Luthor.
Nagawi sa akin ang mapanuring tingin ni Alistair. "The only reason M would have Luthor poisoned is either the latter's getting in their way or there might be some truth in the Clarion's allegations."
I returned his gaze. He already saw the content of Augustus' notebook and he believed that the late editor-in-chief was only trying to implicate Luthor to M's organization as a distraction. But Alistair's sharp. If he puts two and two together, he'd come to the truth.
"There's no way na may katotohanan ang accusation na linked si Luthor kay M," natatawang sabi ni Maggie. "I don't know if I should share with you our conversation yesterday, but Luthor assured me that he had nothing to do with M or his organization."
Alistair narrowed his eyes slightly. "And you believed him?"
"Of course." Maggie nodded. "Why would Luthor lie to me, of all people?"
I tried to keep a straight face. Parang ako tuloy ang nasasaktan para kay Maggie. Luthor would choose to lie to her—even if she's his most trusted person in Clark High—because the truth might hurt her. Noong una'y kay Loki ako nag-aalala. Ngayon, kay Maggie na.
"Ang mabuti pa siguro, bisitahin natin ang future bro-in-law ko mamaya!" Jamie exclaimed. "Let's show him how much we love him! Lalo na ako siyempre, kapag naging sis-in-law na niya ako."
"That's a pretty good idea. Ano kaya ang pwede nating dalhin para sa kanya—"
Our "visit Luthor planning" was interrupted when the door of the execom office swang open. Most execom members knock before they open the door. But this one did not. I could only think of one person who wouldn't care so much about the proper decorum.
"Sorry for being late," Loki greeted as he entered the room. Halos mapatili si Jamie pagkakita sa kanya. I smiled at him and he nodded at me. Ilang oras lang kaming hindi nagkita magmula kagabi pero parang antagal ng paghihiwalay ng landas namin.
Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, I couldn't say that he had a good night sleep or sweet dreams. Maybe he stayed all night just to study his brother's poisoning incident.
Dumiretso siya sa bakanteng upuan sa pagitan nina Jamie at Alistair. Pinag-reserve talaga siya ng seat ni Jamie para magkatabi silang nakaupo. "Oh, I only said 'sorry' because I want you to forgive my tardiness today so I can repeat being late next time."
"Lorelei told us about what happened to Luthor," sabi ni Maggie, hindi na pinansin ang pagiging late niya. She's more concerned on his brother than his tardiness. "Kumusta na siya?"
"He's still alive and breathing," Loki answered dryly. "It takes more than a poison to take him down. He must have signed a contract with the devil to protect him from any mortal harm."
I rolled my eyes. Here he goes again with his brotherly insults.
"Did you find anything?" tanong ko. "May idea ka na ba kung sino ang lumason sa kuya mo?"
"I have an idea or two on who did it," Loki replied, turning to me. "But I'd rather discuss something else. Can we visit the campus police station?"
"Huh? Why?"
"I wanna know if my dad has already called the inspector to cooperate with us in the investigation of Augustus' case."
Hindi ko pa pala nasasabi sa kanila na ang daddy ni Loki ang may pakana kung bakit 'di kami pinapayagan ni Inspector Morales sa mga crime scene. Maggie allowed us to leave the execom office. She was so shaken that she didn't think too much about giving us permission. She'd probably let us do anything that we want.
Loki had to explain to Jamie and Alistair everything along the way to the campus police station.
"Bakit ganyan ang future dad-in-law ko?" paghihimutok ni Jamie. "Dapat nga'y supportive siya sa Loki dear ko, eh."
"Justified naman ang reason niya," sabi ni Alistair. "The more we get involved in these case, the more danger we attract. As a father, he doesn't want his son to be in harm's way."
"You and my dad might get along so well," Loki commented, to which Alistair only smiled.
Huminto muna kami sa tapat ng campus police station at saka huminga nang malalim. So this is our second attempt to convince Inspector Morales to let us get ourselves involved in the investigation. Kapag hindi gumana 'to, ibig sabihin, Tito Odinaire hasn't changed his mind about the topic. That would mean Tita Frigette would step in and try to use the inspector's secret as a bargaining chip.
Sabay-sabay kaming apat na pumasok sa loob. Pagkabukas ng pinto, binati kami ng malawak na ngiti ng police officer sa front desk. Pero mabilis na napalitan ang ngiti ng pagkunot ng noo at pagsimangot. I could read the words "Kayo na naman ulit?!" written across his face.
"We're here for Inspector Morales," Loki told him. Wala nang bati-bati. Direct to the point na agad.
"Just as I expected. You'd be paying me a visit as soon as you can."
Lumabas si Inspector Morales mula sa kanyang office at lumapit sa amin. He put his hands behind him. Hindi ko naiwasang mapatingin sa peklat sa kanyang ilong. Tita Frig knew the story behind that scar, and Tito Odin didn't want that story to be used against the inspector. I couldn't help myself but get curious about it.
"Good morning," Loki greeted him. Tumayo kaming dalawa ni Jamie sa likuran niya. Tanging silang dalawa ni Alistair ang nasa harapan namin. "I assume that my dad called you?"
"He did." The inspector nodded. "I got off the phone with him an hour ago."
"So will you step aside or still stand in our way?"
The inspector lifted his chin as he inhaled deeply. He looked more terrifying than usual.
What would it be, Inspector Morales?
q.e.d.
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