A/N: This is the finale part of Chapter 48! AGAIN: NO SPOILERS, PLEASE! Let's not ruin other people's reading experience. Thank you!
LORELEI
I WOKE up with a beeping sound beside me. Pakurap-kurap pa ang aking mga mata habang iginagala ang mga 'to sa paligid. Nasaan na ba ako? This wasn't obviously my room in the apartment. Hindi ganito kababaw ang unan ko. Hindi rin kulay puti na may logo ang kumot ko. Hindi rin ganito ang arrangement ng kuwarto ko. The walls around me were painted white. There was also curtain to my left. The scent reeked strongly of iodine and disinfectant.
I must be in a hospital room.
Ipinikit ko ang aking mga mata at pilit na inalala kung ano ba ang nangyari. Wala naman akong naramdamang masakit sa akin. My muscles only felt weak. Dahil na rin siguro matagal akong nakahiga rito. I needed to stretch my arms and legs.
Muli kong iminulat ang aking mga mata. Sinubukan kong umayos ng pagkakahiga. Napansin kong may nakatihaya sa couch na nasa kaliwa ko. Base sa hairstyle at sa posture niya, that must be my Tita Martha. Malamang binantayan niya ako buong magdamag.
But why was I here again?
Oh, yeah.
I think I remember it quite well.
Back in my dad's wake, Alistair and Loki revealed that the Friedrich Rivera that we knew wasn't the real Friedrich Rivera. Based on the DNA result, he's my uncle who used the name of Friedrich Rivera and pretended to be him.
Kung tama ang pagkakatanda ko, sinubukan siyang hulihin ni Munroe, pero isinipa niya ang stand ng funeral wreath at pinabagsak sa sahig. The fake Friedrich grabbed the gun from him and leaped toward us.
"I'm sorry, Lorelei. I'm only honoring your father's wishes."
BANG! BANG!
The fake Friedrich shot at the lights above us, dimming the room completely. Dahil sa putok ng baril, may mga bumukas ng pinto at nagmadaling pumasok, nagtatanong kung kanino galing ang gunshots. I couldn't see well in the dark—well, none of us could—but I noticed the shadowy figure of the fake Friedrich running past the people who entered the room and ran out as quickly as he could through the exit.
"Are you okay, Lori?" tanong ni Alistair. Inilabas niya ang kanyang phone at itinurn on ang flashlight nito. Itinutok niya sa akin ang ilaw, sinusuri ako ng mga mata niya mula ulo hanggang paa.
Hindi ko alam kung paano sasagutin ang tanong niya. Physical, yes, I was perfectly okay. But mentally, emotionally and psychologically? No. The revelations that night were too much for me to absorb. Information overload.
"Let's get her to the chair," Loki said.
I took a step forward, but I lost my balance. Agad nila akong sinalong dalawa at inalalayang tumayo. They asked me again if I was okay, to which I nodded. Sinubukan kong humakbang ulit, pero halos natumba na naman ako. Nagsimulang umikot ang paningin ko. Naging dalawa ang Loki at Alistair na nakikita ko. Dumagdag pa ang dalawang Jamie na bigla akong niyakap at halos yugyugin ang katawan. They were telling me something, but I couldn't understand anything.
My eyes rolled until they shut completely. Everything faded to black.
Sa muling pagmulat ng mga mata ko, I felt light-headed. Parang nakalutang ako. I was already lying on this bed, with a doctor and nurses attending to me. Naalala kong nasa bedside ko si Jamie habang nakatayo sa likuran niya sina Alistair at Loki. My hearing was still clouded so I couldn't make out what they were saying.
Bumigat ang talukap at muli na namang pumikit ang aking mga mata.
And that's how I got here. I must have passed out due to my lack of sleep and overfatigue. Hindi ako nakatulog nang maayos nitong mga nakaraang araw. Idagdag mo pa ang sakit sa pusong naramdaman ko dahil sa mga nangyari.
Maybe I needed some rest? But I don't want to miss my dad's wake. It's my duty as her daughter to see it through. Nancy's there to take care of it, but my presence is still needed. Mas okay na ang pakiramdam ko ngayon kaysa sa unang paggising ko. Pero nanghihina pa rin ang kasu-kasuhan ko.
So what now?
What's gonna happen now? Right after those revelations? I may have known the answers to some of my questions, but as Sir Rivera—sorry, I meant the fake Friedrich— mentioned to me a while back, these mysteries are like hydra's heads. Every time you answer one question, two more questions grow out of that answer.
Well, I may not know the answer anymore. The fake Friedrich must be on the run by now. The police must be searching for him. He wouldn't let himself be caught by the cops. He's been in the prison before. He may not want to return there again.
At least I knew that the real Friedrich Rivera might be my biological father.
What time was it anyway? Napahawak ako sa aking tummy. I was feeling hungry. It's still dark outside the window and my aunt was already asleep, so I guess it's midnight? Maybe I should go back to sleep. Ayaw ko namang istorbohin ang tita ko na mukhang mahimbing ang tulog. She already did a lot for me the past few days. I don't want to inconvenience her anymore.
Muli kong isinara ang aking mga mata at isinlide ang katawan ko sa kama para bumalik sa pagkakahiga. My eyelids still felt heavy so going back to sleep wouldn't be that difficult.
All I could hear was the beeping sound of the machine beside me. The noise was annoying at first, but I found it relaxing now. The silence and the beeps. What a perfect combination.
Until I heard the door creaked open. The lock was bolted as quietly as possible, but my ears still caught the soft clicking sound. Slowly advancing footsteps followed.
Agad na namulat ang aking mga mata. If it's already midnight, visitors aren't allowed anymore. Pwedeng hospital staff ang pumasok, but they should have turned on the lights to see clearly.
So who's in my room? What were they doing here?
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Naramdaman kong namuo ang pawis sa aking noo kahit malamig ang kuwarto.
There's only one person on earth who might try to visit me by this time: the fake Friedrich or Fritzgerald Rivera. I don't know what to call him. He's presumptively my uncle, but I couldn't get myself to think of him that way.
Naisip kong sumigaw ng tulong upang magising si Tita Martha, but we might be dealing with a dangerous person here. Ayaw ko siyang masaktan. Instead, my eyes narrowed to make my face look like I was still asleep. If worse comes to worst, I'd try to fight him with the little strength that I had left.
A person in a green nurse medical scrubs uniform tiptoed his way to my bed. I couldn't see his features clearly, but I noticed a surgical mask covering half of his face. He went to the side of my bed, pulled a chair, and sat on it. Hindi ko siyang pwedeng balingan ng ulo dahil mahahalata niyang gising ako at sinusundan ko siya ng tingin.
Lumakas ang pagkabog ng puso ko, parang nayayanig ang buong katawan ko. My heart was beating so loudly, I could hear it ringing in my ears. I felt cold sweats on my forehead. I hope he wouldn't notice.
What should I do?
Why was this person here?
"Lorelei," he spoke in a low voice. There's no doubt about it. He's the fake Friedrich. I recognized his accent. "I know you're awake. You may open your eyes. Don't worry. I promise that I won't hurt you. If I do, I would be dishonoring your father's wishes. Your real father. Please, talk to me."
I squeezed my eyes shut before opening them slowly. Dahan-dahan kong ibinaling sa kaliwa ang aking ulo. His half-covered face greeted me. His eyes gleamed with sadness. I could feel it.
Sinubukan kong manatiling kalmado. Ayaw kong mag-iskandalo. Ayaw kong magising si Tita Martha at mapahamak dahil sa lalaking 'to. He promised that he wouldn't try to hurt me. But could I still trust his words? He lied to me. He pretended to be someone who he wasn't. Those were clear red flags.
He also killed my dad Walter—or had him killed the moment we were about to mend our relationship. That makes him the worst human being for me. Even Stein Alberts couldn't hold a candle to him.
"How did you get in here?" I muttered.
Hinilala pababa ni fake Friedrich ang kanyang surgical mask. "I told you a few days ago, didn't I? There's nothing more deceptive than appearances. When people see you in these medical scrubs, they'd think you're one of the hospital staff. This uniform can give me access to any room. Including yours."
Indeed. He managed to fool me. He managed to fool anyone who thought that he was a good guy.
Kahit nanghihina pa ako, kumuyom ang mga kamao ko habang nakatitig pa rin sa kanya.
"Why are you here? What do you want?"
"I'm here to talk to you. I want you to listen to what I have to say."
"Talk?" I spat the word like poison. Nakaramdam ako ng pagbigat sa aking dibdib. Napakagat ako sa aking labi habang pinipigilang tumulo ang mga luha ko. Bumabalik na naman ang sakit. "After everything you did, you still want to talk? Shouldn't your first word be 'sorry'? For killing my dad Walter! For hurting me!"
His eyes looked down. He went quiet for a moment. He then raised his eyes at me. "I wish I could be sorry for what happened to your dad, but I couldn't. He deserved it. He's a monster."
"You're the monster!" Hindi ko na napigilang pagtaasan siya ng boses. Suminghal ako habang pilit na pinapakalma ang aking sarili. Kung nasa maayos lang sana akong lagay ngayon, nasampal ko na siya. Ipapatikim ko sa kanya ang sakit. That wouldn't be enough to make him feel what I went through, but at least I could try to vent out my anger at him.
"Let me explain everything," he said. "This will be the last time that I will talk to you. I want you to know the truth before I leave. I don't want to leave you in the dark on what happened."
I drew in a sharp breath as my gaze lingered on him.
"You heard from your friend that I was convicted for the crime of murder. You must be thinking, once a criminal, always a criminal. But the records only revealed half of the truth. I was falsely accused of murder. I was framed for a crime that I didn't commit. I was convicted by the Metropolitan Trial Court and sent to jail. Reclusion perpetua. But my brother and your dad—real dad—Friedrich didn't want me to rot in detention. He helped me win my case in the Court of Appeals, then in the Supreme Court. I was acquitted due to a technicality."
My eyes squinted at him. Should I still believe his words? Wala na akong tiwala sa kanya. For all I know, he might be making that story up.
"You can check the case records, if you don't want to believe me. While I was still in prison, I was exchanging messages with your real dad. Naikuwento niya sa akin ang isang babaeng nagngangalang Lauretta—ang mama mo. Friedrich was a bestselling mystery novelist back in the day. Your mom happened to be a fan. They met in a booksigning event, then in a charity event where the Rios family was a major benefactor."
Lalong naningkit ang mga mata ko sa kanya. There's no way I could confirm what he had said. If he's making this up, he's good at it.
"Later in our exchanges, Friedrich told me that Lauretta was feeling unhappy in her marriage. Walter treated her like a delicate flower. He put up fences around her. He didn't want her to leave the garden. Walter went on with his duty as the heir of the Rios family. Legacy, legacy, legacy—that's what he's all about. He neglected your mom for years."
The "legacy" line sounded familiar to me. I could relate to it. "Then my mom found her happiness in another man?"
The fake Friedrich nodded. "Your mom found freedom in Friedrich. They secretly met each other in numerous occasions. But they had to stop when Lauretta learned that she's pregnant. At the time, Friedrich thought that Walter finally managed to sire a child with her. He agreed to stop whatever they had. The two never talked or met again."
My lips parted slightly. Now he sounded more believable. I only knew the summary, but his narration fitted my idea of the events. "Did he suspect that the child might be his?"
He shook his head slowly. "But he was happy to know that your mom named you after one of his characters. Lorelei from the Serenade of the Siren. Your mom's death broke his heart. Magmula noon, hindi na siya nakapagsulat ng nobela. His career as a novelist faded into obscurity. Ni hindi na niya naisipang magkaroon ng pamilya. That's how much he loved your mom. And Walter took her for granted."
Nasaktan ako sa huling sinabi niya. He may be biased against my dad Walter, but I felt that there were merits in that statement. He also took me for granted all these years, denying me of the love that I deserved. If my mom felt the same, I wouldn't be so surprised.
"Before Friedrich took his last breath, he grabbed my hand and looked at me in the eye as he muttered: Remember Lauretta." He took a pause as he mentioned my mom's name. "Ever since that day, I made it my personal mission to carry out his dying will. Your dad made your mom suffer. Indirectly, he made my brother suffer too. I promised that he would have his day of reckoning."
"Is that why you sent death threats to him days before his birthday? Is that why you hired an assassin to have him killed?"
"That's my sixth or seventh failed attempt," he answered without any hesitation. Mukhang proud pa nga siya. That hurt me. I couldn't find it in my heart to forgive him for trying to hurt my dad. "And that's the part where everything changed."
My eyebrows furrowed. Nanatiling nakatitig sa akin ang mga mata niya. Tila naluluha ang mga 'to.
"This is where I owe you a sincere apology. You may not forgive me once you learn of this," his voice cracked. "During his birthday party, I instructed the hired gun who infiltrated his security to shoot at you. I tried to make the death threats look like I was targeting him, when in fact, I was really targeting you."
My eyes slowly widened as my mouth gaped. What did he just say?
"I wanted him to feel the pain of loss," he went on. "He would surely be heartbroken if I take his heiress away from him. He would finally feel what my brother felt."
"What have you..." My voice trailed off. What happened that night... Me almost getting shot... Everything's making sense to me.
"I immediately regretted that decision!" he was quick to say. "I went to the hospital where he was rushed and waited for any news about him. I thought I could finish the job myself. I was there when the doctor talked to you and you told him your blood type. Yours is AB. Walter's is O. Doon ko napagtantong baka anak ka ng kapatid ko."
I... I didn't know what to say. He tried to have me killed? Just to exact his revenge?
"That day, I found a new purpose in honoring your dad's last words. I researched about you. I read your blog and found out that you're studying at Clark High. That gave me an idea. Why don't I try to get close to you? I quickly had my documents prepared and transfered to Pampanga as soon as I could."
Hindi ko na alam kung ano ang mararamdam ko. Should I be angry? Or should I be curious? He's making me feel both at the same time.
"But why? Why did you use my real father's name?"
"I don't know if your mom told you anything about Friedrich, so I decided to test it. I used his name and his credentials, hoping to elicit a reaction from you if the name is familiar once you hear it. When I introduced myself that night in front of the Clarion's office, you didn't seem to recognize it."
Even if my mom told me about the real Friedrich, I was probably too young to remember it.
"There I realized that the best way to honor not only your dad, but also your mom, is to be a father figure to you. I'm willing to sacrifice my own identity and pretend as your dad until my last breath. But alas, the truth has been revealed."
Kung sanang hindi niya ginawa ang mga bagay na 'di niya dapat ginawa, mas mahahabag ang loob ko sa kanya. Mas maiintindihan ko sana siya. He tried to have me killed. He attempted to have my dad killed, which finally succeeded a few nights ago.
Huminga muna ako nang malalim, ipinikit ang aking mga mata at ipinroseso ang lahat ng sinabi niya sa akin. Here we go again with the information and emotion overload.
Since he's been honest to me—and I hope he's telling me the truth—I might as well take this opportunity to ask him the questions pestering me the past few weeks. Kailangan ko munang kontrolin ang nararamdaman ko. Knowing the truth was more important than letting my emotions get the better of me.
"Were you behind Sir Ephraim's accident that made him unavailable to continue his job as a teacher in Clark High?"
"There was no vacancy so I had to create one," he admitted.
"You had him killed too?"
"He tried to extort money from me. Twice. When he remembered something that could point to me as the person who hit him with my car and when we met in Augustus' memorial service."
I do remember seeing them together right after the program in the school gymnasium. 'Yon ba ang moment kung kailan kinikilan siya ni Sir Ephraim?
"You had him killed too?"
He nodded. Ni hindi siya nagdalawang-isip sumagot. "He told me he has a file that could put me into trouble. He was in possession of the hard drive that contains the secrets of people in Clark High. I can't let him expose me. So... I hired someone to silence him and make it look like his death was suicide. That person took the hard drive and dropped it off in a place where I could retrieve it."
"Which you left it in my locker?"
Muli siyang tumango. "After I deleted my folder in that drive, I remembered that you're trying to solve the case. I wanted to help you so I pried open your locker and left it there. You wouldn't know it's me because I deleted the footage near the locker area."
"How about Augustus? Did you kill him?"
Huminga siya nang malalim, pakurap-kurap ang mga mata niya sa akin. "Weeks after I became the new adviser of the Clarion, Augustus asked me if I was the writer of the Serenade of the Siren. His parents had a copy of the book and they knew the author's real name. I said yes. Then he showed me a picture and asked me why I don't look like the person who stood beside his parents."
"So Augustus knew that you were just pretending as someone that you were not?"
"He threatened that he's going to leak the info if I don't stop helping with your investigation into his embezzlement scheme. Remember the quotations I gave you? He didn't appreciate me snooping around. I lied to him and promised that I wouldn't get myself involved. But you knew what happened. I helped get an affidavit from the general manager and pinned him down."
Wait a minute. During that board room scene, Augustus looked surprised when he saw Sir Rivera enter the room. 'Yon ba ang rason ng pagkagulat niya? Dahil hindi niya in-expect na makikialam pa ito? Now that makes sense.
"I had to maintain my cover," he went on. "He was too young, too clever. But he had to go. If only there's another way I could have dealt with him, I would have taken than choice. Unfortunately, there was none."
"How?" That's the question, wasn't it? "How did you kill him?"
"Facial powder. I switched the one with strychnine powder with the one in his desk the day before he died. He's quite vain, so I took advantage of it. It's one of the tricks that my brother used in his book."
"Why did you surrender yourself to the campus police?" I asked next. "Were you pushing your luck? Were you being arrogant?"
"I wanted to know if you're gonna prove my innocence," he answered, smiling. "I'm confident that the surveillance footages on the day Augustus died wouldn't show me getting any close to him. Hearing from the inspector that you made effort to prove that I couldn't have done it touched my heart."
Well, I acted the way he predicted.
"How about Luthor? Were you the one behind the leak?"
"He's a dangerous man, Lorelei," he answered with seriousness in his tone. "He's one of the people you're chasing. He's part of the Moriarty mystery. In case you didn't notice, I was secretly following you. I can't help but observe that you two are quite close. On the rooftop. In the archives section of the library. As your uncle, or your father figure, I want your boyfriend to be someone of great character. Imagine my surprise when I found his folder in the hard drive."
I only stared at him as I gulped. Matagal ko nang alam ang tungkol kay Luthor kaya hindi na ako nagulat.
"But... you already knew about that, didn't you?" Naningkit ang mga mata niya sa akin. "You knew that he's one of them?"
"It's quite complicated. Things aren't what they seem. Kayo na mismo ang nagsabi. There's nothing more deceptive than appearances. Whatever you found in the folder isn't the entire truth."
Napatawa siya nang mahina. "To think I went all through that trouble. Well, what should I expect from Friedrich's daughter? Manang-mana ka sa kanya. Kaya nga siguro mahilig ka sa mystery at nagsusulat ka ngayon ng cases na sino-solve n'yo."
If only I could know more about him. If only I could talk to him.
"I hope I have answered all your questions," my uncle Fritz said. "I have to go now. If I only had a choice, I won't leave your side. But you're in a good company anyway. I trust that they will take care of you. You won't be hearing from me for a long while."
Given everything that he did, I couldn't say if I still want to hear from him anymore.
He stood, leaned closer to face, and kissed my forehead.
"Goodbye, Lorelei. I wish we reunited under different circumstances."
Itinaas na niya ang kanyang surgical mask at binigyan ako ng may panghihinayang na tingin. I wish I could feel sorry for him, but I could not. He turned his back to me and was about to walk out of the room.
No, I couldn't let him get away!
Pinilit kong bumalikwas sa aking pagkakahiga at hinablot ang kanyang kamay. He quickly turned to me with curious eyes that begged the question, "What?"
"Turn yourself in. This time, for real."
His eyebrows knitted. Dalawang kamay na ang gamit kong panghawak sa pulso niya. Hinigpitan ko pa ang aking hawak.
"Please, uncle." That word almost got stuck in my throat. But I had to say what needed to be said.
"I can't. I can't go back to that wretched place—"
He may have done some unforgivable deeds, but he still had a heart. Wasn't that why he did everything that he did? I could still appeal to his emotions. I could still knock on his conscience.
I could go on and curse him to death for what he did. But the solution, I believe, is for him to pay for his crimes. If I could talk to him to surrender and face the consequences of his actions, that would be a better outcome not only for me, but for the both of us.
"If my dad—your brother—is exactly as what you've just described, this is what he would have wanted," I said. "This is what I would have wanted!"
Ilang segundo kaming nagkapalitan ng tingin. Walang kumibo sa amin. Tanging ang pag-beep ng machine sa gilid ko ang narinig naming ingay.
He stared at my hands grabbing him by the wrist. I thought he'd slap them away. But he didn't.
Bumuntong hininga siya't umupo sa gilid ng aking kama. Nanatili siyang tahimik habang nakatingala sa kisame. Nanatili naman akong alerto dahil baka may trick siyang gagawin.
"Maybe you're right. Maybe this is exactly what my—"
The door slammed open, startling the two of us. Nagising tuloy si Tita Martha na palinga-linga sa paligid ang tingin. Quick and heavy footsteps followed. Two men in casual dress with guns in their hands appeared. They showed us their police badge.
"Don't move! Don't move!"
Inilagay ng aking uncle ang kanyang mga kamay sa likod ng kanyang ulo at lumayo sa kama ko. Lumapit sa kanya ang isa sa mga pulis at sinimulan siyang posasan.
What were the police doing here?
How did they know that my uncle would be here?
"Mr. Fritzgerald Rivera, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you..."
Sunod na pumasok sa kuwarto si Officer Estrada. Una siyang napatingin kay uncle bago sa akin.
"Okay ka lang ba, Lorelei?" tanong niya. Hinawakan niya ako sa balikat at mabilis akong sinuri ng kanyang mga mata. "Sinaktan ka ba niya?"
Umiling ako. Nakatuon pa rin ang aking atensyon kay uncle. Baka kasi may bigla siyang gawin gaya ng stunt niya sa lamay ni papa.
"Pasensya na kung nakaistorbo kami," sabi ni Officer Estrada na napabuntong-hininga. "Tama nga ang sinabi nina Loki at Alistair. Magtatangka ang tito mo na bisitahin ka rito sa ospital. Pasensya na kung naglagay kami ng listening bugs. Kinailangan naming lagyan para ma-monitor ang sitwasyon sa loob."
So that's how they managed to react quickly. I thought it was just a coincidence that they suddenly barged in.
Muli akong tumingin sa aking uncle. Nagawi rin ang tingin niya sa akin. For a moment, our eyes locked into a staring contest. His hands were cuffed behind him. In-escort na siya ng mga pulis palabas ng kuwarto.
"Goodbye, Lorelei."
q.e.d.
If you've again "enjoyed" reading this update, share your thoughts or theories on Twitter using the hashtag #ProjectLOKI!
Please avoid directly mentioning the names of characters that can be considered spoilers. Reaction posts, memes, and GIFs are okay, as long as they do not give away the context.