A/N: After a one-day break, we're back!
LORELEI
"I shall become the next Moriarty."
LUTHOR'S REVELATION left my mouth hanging open and my eyes blinking. He had spoken only six words, but it took me more than a minute to process everything. Iniisip ko kung nagkamali ba ako ng dinig o nagbibiro ba siya—which was something he wouldn't do given how serious he is most of the time. Even Loki had to stare at him in silence for a moment.
Whether to be amazed or afraid, I wasn't sure. Magkahalong emosyon ang naramdaman ko. On one hand, his plan sounded noble to me. He knew that the notorious M's organization couldn't be taken down by simply removing its leader. Someone who has genuinely good intention needs to take control and dismantle the group from the inside. And he's willing to carry that burden because he thought he's the right person for the job.
On the other hand, his plan involves a huge risk. Maraming factors ang kailangan kasing i-consider. If he's not careful enough, Stein might sense his betrayal and have him eliminated before he could make any move. And should he succeed in taking over, assuming everything goes according to his plans, he couldn't dissolve the group with a snap of his fingers. Baka may ma-encounter siyang resistance mula sa loob. Someone might try to challenge him for that position.
What can go wrong will go wrong. That's Murphy's law. In this intricate case, there are several angles where the whole M mystery might end in the way that he or we did not anticipate. We can't expect everything to go smoothsailing.
But Luthor sounded like he could successfully pull it off. I absolutely had no idea what's going on in his calculating mind, pero malamang na may pinanghuhugutan ang kanyang confidence. He doesn't strike me as a person who would say something if he wasn't sure he could do it.
It's all coming together now. This must be the reason why he asked me—or us—to remove Augustus from play. Kung nandito pa ang editor-in-chief, mahihirapan siyang isakatuparan ang kanyang plano. As one of the group's senior members, Augustus could have been Luthor's fiercest rival to be the next Moriarty. Therefore, he had to be removed out of the equation. Well, I have to thank my uncle for that.
With the editor-in-chief gone—or the black bishop, as how Luthor called him—no one stood between him and the title of Moriarty, except the current holder himself. Jaime died in a car accident and was succeeded by Stein. Bastien killed himself while in police custody. Augustus was poisoned by my uncle. Rosetta turned out to be on the good side.
In retrospect, I should have seen this scenario coming. When I confronted Luthor about his connection to M, he had already mentioned that he's only waiting for the time to strike. He would bring down the group from the inside while Loki would attack from the outside. As he kindly put it, a two-pronged offensive.
Maybe I had already considered the possibility that he might take this path, but I quickly dismissed it because of the risks that came with it? Remember when I asked him what would happen if the current black king falls? He refused to answer the question. Either he didn't want to spoil me with his plan or he hasn't decided whether to proceed with it or not.
Now, one thing's for certain: He has already made up his mind. On the night he revealed to Loki about being one of them and now that he has shared his master plan of bringing down the group, he's going all in. All cards on the table. I don't know exactly what preparations he and Rosetta had been doing all this time, but he must already be positioning the pieces on the giant chessboars that is Clark High.
At this very moment, the goal is to checkmate Stein Alberts. Loki and Luthor may have had a number of disagreements, but they'd surely both agree on one thing: Putting an end to M's organization.
But a thought buried deep in the abyss of my mind scares me.
Should Luthor succeed in his plan to assume the role of the new Moriarty, won't he be corrupted by the crown? He may be unique in his own way, but he's still a human like everyone else. Being the Luthor Mendez does not make him immune from temptations. He may have this heroic ambition of stopping the madness that is Moriarty, but the possibility of him getting lost along the way still exists, no matter how small it may be.
Just like Jaime Santiago.
While I may have left some room for doubts, he's the only one who has the perfect vantage point to snipe the rest of the organization. I have no choice but to trust him. For now.
The next day, sabay na kaming umalis ng apartment at naglakad patungong school ni Loki. He's usually quiet kapag naglalakad kami, pero may kakaiba sa kanya ngayong umaga. He looked like he's in deep thought. When we arrived at the crossing, he kept on walking even though the stoplight was red for pedestrians. I had to quickly pull him back before a van almost sideswiped him.
"Are you still thinking about your brother's plan?" tanong ko habang hinihintay na mag-green ang stop light.
"Kinda," he said as he darted a glance at me. "I can't say whether it's a brilliant or a stupid plan. What he's suggesting involves a great deal of risk! Kinda out of character, if you ask me. I never saw him as someone willing to go through great lengths to achieve something."
Well, things changed, so did people around us. Loki may be thinking that his brother must be some sort of a static character who isn't capable of developing. And that's unfair of him.
"Have you considered accepting his offer of alliance?" I asked, returning his gaze. Five seconds before the light went green. "You take down stein while he takes care of the rest?"
"He talked about it as if it's gonna be as simple as slicing a cake," he replied. Nauna na siyang tumawid sa pedestrian crossing. Sumunod ako sa kanya. "We don't know the true extent of their bloody group. Even if he succeeds, it's not gonna be easy to undo all the knots inside. If he sees himself as Alexander the Great who smartly dealt with the problem of the Gordian knot, he's a fool."
"Gordian knot?"
"A metaphor for an intricate problem that can't be easily solved," Loki explained. "A prophecy foretold that any man who could untangle the elaborate knots in the city of Gordium would be destined as the ruler of Asia. Alexander tried to untie the knot, but to no avail. He then thought of drawing his sword and slicing the knot in half. His reasoning? It didn't matter how the knot was loosed. Sounds like the ends justify the means to me."
I haven't heard of that tale, so thanks for the trivia, I guess?
"In my perspective, the M's organization is a Gordian knot—or a series of it!" Loki went on. "I assume that it's gonna be extremely difficult to loosen the impossibly tangled knot. Perhaps my brother will try to emulate Alexander the Great and slice the knot in half instead of trying to untie it."
But we don't know if making a bold move is enough to solve a seemingly insoluble problem. Sana nga'y alam talaga ni Luthor kung ano ang gagawin niya at kung ano ang magiging impact nito.
"Also, his take over plan might be a suicide mission," Loki added, looking at me. "If he isn't cautious in his movements, he might put himself in an unnecessary danger."
Napangiti ako. Wait, don't get the wrong idea. I was not happy that Luthor might be in any danger. That's not in my prayers. Never. "Did I just hear you express concern about your brother?"
"I'm more concerned of the mess that he might make," Loki replied. He could say whatever he wanted to say, but I really felt na may pag-aalala sa tono niya. Kahit katiting na pag-aalala 'yon, at least concerned pa rin siya, 'di ba? "If his complicated plan goes wrong, we might need to clean up after his mess."
"That's why he wants to minimize the risks, right?" I recalled, looking down. "That's why he wants us to cut ties with Jamie."
Ilang segundo ring natahimik si Loki, patuloy na nakatuon sa harapan ang kanyang tingin.
Muling sumagi sa aking isipan ang mga sinabi ni Luthor kagabi. Parang naririnig ko pa rin ang boses niya. Medyo nasaktan ako nang sabihin niya na posibleng maging liability si Jamie sa kanyang plano. The only reason I could think of about why she could become a problem is the fact that she's the sister of the organization's founder.
Even I shared the same skepticism. Luthor's concern was not entirely baseless. He's right when he pointed out that we do not know her very well. Ang tanging alam ko kay Jamie ay ang kanyang paniniwala sa good image ng kuya niya. Hindi pa namin alam kung aware ba siya sa mga pinaggagawa nito bilang original Moriarty.
If she knew it all along, I don't know exactly what I would feel. But a whispering voice in my head repeatedly tells me to "trust Jamie."
"When Jamie joined our club, I already had a suspicion that she might be working for Moriarty." Loki broke his silence, making me turn to him. "Since then, I kept a close eye on her and tried to convert her to our side."
"And you did," I replied. "Your conversion plan worked."
"I'd like to think so. The information that she gave us about Augustus embezzling the Clarion's budget proved to be important in our match against the late editor-in-chief."
If I remember correctly, that's right after our confrontation in the hotel where I found out that Jamie is a spy for Stein and that Loki already suspected it. Natanong namin kung may alam ba siyang impormasyon na makatutulong sa amin. She volunteered the info about Augustus.
"Do you recall what Stein told us yesterday?" Loki asked. "His organization has gotten weaker since we took some of his important pieces off the board. If Jamie's truly devoted to Stein and the organization, why would she share an info that later on became a heavy blow to their group?"
I nodded. 'Yon din ang isa sa mga dahilan kaya gusto kong maniwala at magtiwala na kaisa talaga namin si Jamie. Back then, she could have told us an insignificant detail that could have little to no impact to their organization. But no, she chose something that made them weak.
"However, there's one particular detail that doesn't add up to the rest. I've realized it quite recently." Loki held his chin. Muli akong napatingin sa kanya. "Jamie managed to join the organization by telling Stein that she hated her brother and she was thankful that the mastermind had him killed."
Naningkit ang mga mata ko. "Well, she believes that his brother's car accident was staged and that Stein was the one behind it."
"Last night, Rosetta showed us an old photo that strongly hinted the late Jaime and Stein's friendship in elementary. So if Stein respected Jaime so much, why would he accept someone who pretends to hate his idol?"
I cut away my gaze. That surely didn't add up to her story. An inconsistency in her narrative. Maging ako'y napaisip doon. "Either Jamie lied to us..."
"Or there's something we don't know about her brother and Stein's connection," Loki finished my sentence. "Or she's still hiding something beneath her adoration of her late brother."
Whatever that is, I wanted to know sooner rather than later para mapanatag na sa wakas ang loob ko. I don't want to wake up every day, go to school, and suspect that Jamie might be up to something.
Luthor's words had an impact on me. Pagkakita ko kay Jamie sa execom office nitong morning break namin, medyo nailang ako sa kanya. Matitipid ang mga sagot ko sa tanong niya.
"How well do you know her? How well do you trust her?"
Tila naka-on repeat ang mga salita ni Luthor sa aking isipan tuwing nagagawi ang tingin ko kay Jamie. Parang isang linya sa kanta na walang tigil na tumutugtog. Na-LSS na yata ako sa boses niya.
"Bakit parang namumutla ka, Lori? May sakit ka ba?" tanong ni Jamie sabay lapit ng kanyang mukha sa akin. "At saka kanina ka pa tingin nang tingin sa akin. May dumi ba ako sa mukha? Just tell me agad kasi ayaw kong mapahiya kay Loki dear."
I shook my head and forced a smile. Napansin kong nagawi sa akin ang tingin ni Alistair. "Pasensya na, may naalala lang kasi ako kaya medyo tulala ako minsan."
"Sure ka ba?" Idinampi niya ang kanyang palad sa aking noo. "Baka meron kang lagnat kaya ka nagkakaganyan? Hala! Don't tell me na nagkasakit ka sa kakaisip kung magkano na ang nasa bank account mo?"
"What?" Natawa ako sa sinabi niya. Mabuti't may pagkakuwela itong si Jamie kaya agad na nawawala ang pagiging awkward ko sa kanya. Her jolly attitude could sometimes make my suspicions subside. For all we know, she could be acting. But she could be not acting too. She could be genuine in her attitude toward me. Toward us.
Well, I shouldn't think too much about what Luthor told us last night. Ayaw kong maapektuhan ang pakikitungo ko sa aking mga kaibigan. Ni hindi nga ako masyadong nagpaapekto sa mga sinabi ni Stein kahapon.
For today's execom task, inutusan kami ni Rye na mag-cut out ng malalaking letters para sa susunod na school event. Time out muna kami sa Moriarty case dahil may urgent na ipinapagawa ang student council.
"Bakit 'di na lang bumili ng cutout letters ang student council?" naiiritang tanong ni Loki habang tinutupi ang isang kulay blue na papel. I gently slapped his hand to stop him from folding it. He let out a groan. Pangit tingnan kung may crease 'yon. "Did they run out of budget? Did they spend it all in their weekly Starbox coffee?"
"Meron pang budget ang student council, pero mas gusto nilang magtipid at ilaan ang funds para sa mas importanteng gastusin," paliwanag ni Rye. May ipinasok muna siyang folder sa drawer ng file cabinet bago lumingon sa direksyon namin. "It's your brother's idea to control council spending."
"Kuripot," bulalas ni Loki na kumuha ng kulay pulang papel. Pinalo ko ulit ang kamay niya dahil balak na naman magtupi. Napatingin nang masama sa akin si Jamie. Hindi yata niya nagustuhang pinapalo ko ang kanyang dear.
"I will be reporting to the student council," Rye said as he walked toward the door. He held the knob and looked at us before turning it. "Pakitapos na agad ang cutouts para wala na tayong gagawin mamayang hapon at makauwi kayo nang maaga."
"Noted!"
Iniwan na niya kaming apat sa execom office.
"Ako na ang bahalang mag-drawing ng letters," sabi ni Alistair sabay kuha ng lapis at ng isang kulay blue na papel. "Kayo na ang bahalang gumupit. Okay lang ba sa inyo?"
"Okay!" masiglang sagot ni Jamie sabay pakita ng hawak niyang gunting.
Kumuha rin ako ng gunting at inilapag 'yon sa harapan ko. Napatingin ako kay Jamie nang pinaglaruan niya ang gunting at lumikha ito ng tunog na nakakapangilo sa akin.
While absently looking at her, muli ko na namang narinig ang boses ni Luthor. What would happen if we seriously entertained his idea of cutting our ties with Jamie? I guess things would surely not be the same again.
"Since I've got nothing better to do, maybe I can help with cutting the letters," Loki said out of the blue. Huminto si Alistair sa pagguhit habang sabay kaming lumingon ni Jamie sa kanya. Kaunti na lang ay malaglag na ang mga panga namin. It's kinda rare to hear him volunteer his services. He usually sits in one corner silently and lets us do the job.
Nagtaka tuloy ako kung ano ang nakain niya ngayong umaga. He did not eat anything in the apartment. Was it the effect of his brother's visit or his usual boredom? I appreciate his gesture. However...
"Kami na ang bahalang maggupit," tugon ko na may kasamang awkward na ngiti. Nagpatuloy na sa pagguhit si Alistair habang pinipigilan ang kanyang tawa.
"Oo nga, Loki dear! Umupo ka na lang diyan at mag-relax!" dagdag ni Jamie na ngumiti rin. "Baka masugat ka pa. Medyo matalim 'yong blade ng gunting. 'Di baleng ako na ang masugatan, huwag lang ikaw."
Kumunot ang noo ni Loki, palipat-lipat ang tingin sa akin at kay Jamie. I could see the confusion in his face. Mukhang iba ang inaasahan niyang magiging response namin. "I don't get it. Now that I have willingly offered my assistance, you want me to sit it out and let you three do all the work? Am I missing something here? Shouldn't you be thankful that I have entertained the possibility of helping? Because this doesn't happen quite often."
Sa totoo niyan, kahit nagpapasalamat ako na handa siyang tumulong sa amin, mas mabuti na kung uupo na lang siya at manonood. Ayaw kong maging judgmental, pero wala akong tiwala sa kanyang artistic at handicraft skills. Baka kapag pinahawak namin siya ng gunting at siya ang gumupit sa mga letra, may sumubra o kumulang. Baka kapag siya ang nag-drawing, hindi maging maayos ang kalalabasan ng mga 'to.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
"Kaya na naming dalawa ni Jamie ang manggupit," sagot ko sabay pakita sa kanya ng hawak kong gunting. "We appreciate your kind gesture of volunteerism, but we can do the tasks on our own."
"Baka pwede mong i-check kung may kulang pang letters kapag tapos na kami?" suhestiyon ni Jamie. She probably suggested that very simple task just to give him something to do.
"Fine!" Loki slid down in his chair and folded his arms. Pinanood niyang tapusin ni Alistair ang letter C habang nakaabang kami ni Jamie sa aming gugupitin. Pakiramdam ko'y na-pressure si Alistair na mabilis na tapusin ang lettering niya dahil sa kanya nakatuon ang atensyon naming tatlo.
When he passed the paper to Jamie, he shot a glance at Loki. "By the way, how's the case referred to us by Sir Johannes? Nabasa n'yo na ba ng manuscript na ibinigay niya?"
Oo nga pala! Merong hininging pabor sa amin ang editor-in-chief ng BEYOND. Muntik ko nang makalimutan dahil sa seryoso at bigat ng usapan namin kagabi. It completely fell out of my mind.
Speaking of the publisher, I have already sent photos of the publishing contract to Nancy. Siya na raw ang bahalang maghanap ng lawyer na expert pagdating sa mga kontrata. She'd get back to me once she receives a legal opinion.
Surprisingly, Loki pulled a folder from his seat. Nagawi ang tingin ko sa kanya at sinilip kung saan niya itinago 'yon. Hindi ko agad napansin na may dala siyang folder pagdating ko rito.
Bigla niyang ibinagsak ang kopya ng manuscript sa mesa. Halos liparin tuloy ang ilang colored paper sa paligid nito. Nagdadabog ba siya o ano?
"I'm glad you asked," he said. "This might be worth my time—and yours as well. It's only three hundred pages so it's a quick read for me last night."
Quick read talaga? Even I might take a few days to finish a book that long if I had schoolworks and other things to do. Sa kababasa niya siguro ng mga nobela kaya sanay na siyang magbasa nang mabilis.
"You can read the manuscript if you want, but I can tell you the important details so we can formulate theories on how the story should end," he went on.
Habang naghihintay ako ng letter na magugupit, inabot ko ang folder at binuksan ito. Bumungad sa akin ang title page. Mukhang naka-ready na ang inside layout. Ending na lang yata talaga ang hinihintay.
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EVERYONE IS SUS
written by
Bellamy Bernardino
BEYOND Publishing Inc.
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I remember Sir Johannes telling us that the name is the pseudonym of the writer.
"Here's the summary: Five college students slept over in their friend's house after partying. When they woke up the next day, one of them is dead. The remaining four are the suspects," Loki narrated. "Who killed their unfortunate friend? That is the question. The case feels like a typical whodunnit mystery to me."
Sandaling umangat ang aking tingin sa kanya bago ko muling ibinaling 'to sa susunod na page. Medyo divided ang atensyon ko sa pakikinig sa kanya at sa pagbabasa ng content ng manuscript.
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EVERYONE IS SUS
Copyright © by Alexandra Alegre (Bellamy Bernardino)
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.
Illustrations by Issabelle Isidro
Cover design by Coco Desideri
Edited by Fritzgerald Rivera
Layout by Layla Onofre
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, some places, and incidents are products of the author's imaginations and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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So her real name is Alexandra Alegre? I wonder why she chose not to use her real name, and why "Bellamy Bernardino"? May meaning ba ang pangalan kaya 'yon ang napili niya?
Would I be using my real name once I get my work published? Or would I resort to using a pen name like Alex? Come to think of it, my real father—Friedrich Rivera—used an anagram of his name—Dr. Harvice I. Ferri—as his pseudonym.
Sa totoo niyan, hindi ko pa masyadong napag-iisipan. Wala naman akong nakikitang dahilan upang hindi ko gamitin ang tunay na pangalan ko. Wala naman akong dapat ikahiya. Also I couldn't think of any fancy name.
Alistair took a pause as he steadied his hand firmly holding a pencil. "How exactly did the victim die?"
"Potassium chloride poisoning," Loki answered. "He was found dead in his bedroom, with an injection pen lying on his desk."
Potassium chloride is one of the drugs used in lethal injection. Depende sa amount na i-inject, kaya nitong pahintuin ang pagtibok ng puso. How did I know? Isa kasi sa mga biktima noon ni Cedric Castillejos a.k.a. Bastien 2.0 ang tinurukan niya nito sa school gymnasium.
"Bale may nanadyang mag-inject sa kanya ng potassium chloride?" tanong ni Jamie, sandaling natigil sa paggupit. "Hindi naman siguro niya tuturukan ng gano'ng chemical ang sarili niya, 'di ba?"
"That's the part where things get interesting." Ako lang ba ang nakapansin o talagang may kislap sa mga mata ni Loki? "When the police investigated the victim's bedroom, they found the injection pen with potassium chloride on the desk and another injection pen with epinephrine in his bag."
"Epinephrine?"
"A medication that blocks the progression of allergic response," Alistair explained. "Gamot 'yan ng mga nakararanas ng allergies. Kunwari, allergic ka sa soybeans at aksidente kang nakakain no'n, pwede mo 'yang i-inject sa sarili mo para hindi lumala ang kondisyon mo."
Muli kong ibinalik sa manuscript ang aking atensyon. I quickly flipped over the pages, skimming some paragraphs of expositions and dialogues, until I reached the second to the last one. That's the acknowledgment page.
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My journey as a writer is like a giant jigsaw puzzle. It takes more than one piece to see the big picture and appreciate its beauty. I'd like to thank the following people for completing the picture.
To my editor, Sir Fritz, for teaching me how to not only become a better writer, but a better person too. (Sorry for being makulit minsan!)
To the illustrator, Ate Isa, for the handsome and beautiful faces of my beloved characters.
To the cover designer, Kuya Coco, for the amazing book cover that surely catches people's eyes.
To my mom and dad, Monalisa and David, for always supporting my passion for writing.
To my beshies Mychaela, Beatrice, Laarny, and, Elizabeth for the friendship that goes beyond its meaning. (I really miss you, girls!)
And to the readers of my mystery trilogy who have been my rock in my journey.
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So this was the part where the writer thanks everyone who's been there, ha? Meron na akong ilang pangalan na naisip na ilagay sa magiging future novel ko—
Hmm? One of the lines caught my attention. Muli ko itong binasa habang nakakunot ang aking noo. Parang may something doon, pero hindi ko masabi kung ano. What could it be? Why was my attention drawn to that line?
"Here's what happened."
Umangat ang tingin ko kay Loki. Kumuha siya ng malinis na bond paper at black marker mula sa drawer. He drew four rectangles with varying sizes. I assume that's the layout of the house where the crime took place. Sunod siyang kumuha ng mga nagupitang colored paper na may iba't ibang kulay—blue, yellow, green, red, at gray. He cut a small circle from each paper and labeled them A, B, C, D, and V.
At first, I was confused why wrote V instead of E on the last circle, but I realized the letter must mean "victim."
"I didn't have time to memorize the names of the characters so let's refer to them as Suspects A, B, C, and D." Loki placed the five circles on the largest rectangle. "After the late night party, the five college friends went to the house of V, the unfortunate victim, and decided to spend the night there."
Nahinto kaming tatlo sa ginagawa namin para panoorin ang visual dramatization ng pagkukuwento ni Loki. We leaned closer to his "crime scene" and watched closely how he moved the circles.
"Before going to V's house, they went to some stores. Suspect A bought spring rolls with chili sauce, Suspect B bought a box of cookies, Suspect C bought a tub of ice cream, and Suspect D bought bottles of soymilk. V bought nothing because he's the host. That's his contribution to the sleepover." Loki narrated. Sabay-sabay na iginalaw ng kanyang mga daliri ang mga bilog sa labas ng bond paper na tila naglalakad ang mga 'to. "When they arrived at the house, they went to the living room, watched a series on Netflix, and enjoyed their food and drinks."
"Does V have allergies?" tanong ni Alistair habang nakatingin sa circle ni V. "He has an epinephrine pen so I assume he's suffering from a food allergy."
Loki nodded. "He's allergic to peanuts—an allergy that really sucks. Anyway, the five of them were enjoying the Netflix series and the food... until they noticed the swelling and redness on V's face."
"Teka! Kung alam niyang allergic siya sa peanuts, bakit pa siya nakikain?" pagtataka ni Jamie. I had the same question in mind. "Gano'n ba siya kagutom na ready siyang sumpungin ng kanyang allergy? Kinda dumb of him."
"To be fair to V, he's cautious with the food he's eating," Loki answered, raising V's circle. "He didn't take any of the cookies because they contained nuts. He didn't taste the ice cream because it contained cashew nuts. He didn't drink the soymilk because it contained almonds."
"If he didn't eat three of the food they bought, did the spring rolls trigger his peanut allergy?" Ako naman ang nagtanong. I was staring at Suspect A's circle. "But how? May mani rin ba roon sa lumpia?"
"Chili sauce. Based on the investigation, the shop where they bought the spring rolls puts peanut oil in their sauce. V dipped the rolls in the sauce and ate them, thus triggering his allergies."
"Tapos? Tapos?" may pangungulit na tanong ni Jamie. "Hindi pa naman siguro siya namatay noon, 'no? Kasi nasa sala pa silang lima tapos sa kuwarto siya natagpuang patay?"
"When V realized that he's having allergic reaction, he quickly ran to his room, looked for his epinephrine pen and injected it into his body," Loki narrated, moving the red circle into a smaller rectangle. Sunod niyang iginalaw ang apat pang bilog na lumapit sa pinasukang box ng pula. "The four suspects checked on V in his room where he gave them a thumbs up and told them that he's gonna be fine."
"Pero hindi siya naging okay?"
Loki shook his head slowly. "V told his friends that he's gonna take a rest for a while. The four suspects returned to the living room until they fell asleep on the couches and on the floor. The next morning, they noticed that V hasn't come out of his room, so they knocked on the door. When they heard no response for fifteen minutes, they took the door down and found him peacefully lying in his bed with one hand clutched on his chest."
Thanks to him, we did not have to go through three hundred pages just to understand how the story went. Pero kailangan pa rin naming basahin ang manuscript para masigurong wala siyang nakaligtaang detalye. I mean, he forgot the names of the characters. Baka may iba pa siyang nakalimutan.
"What do you think?" Loki asked, casting a glance at each of us. "How are we gonna wrap up the mystery?"
"We need to know what the writer's intention was," Alistair answered. "Sigurado akong meron siyang bini-build up sa apat niyang suspect bilang sagot sa misteryo. I doubt that she started the story without any idea on who among the four is the culprit."
"Speaking of four, the story is written in the perspectives of the four suspects," Loki added. "They have distinct voices so you won't be confused on who's who. I must say that if the murderer is really among them, the writer hid their sinister thoughts very well."
"Kung may idea talaga siya kung sino, bakit hindi niya pa isina-submit ang last chapter na may sagot sa mystery?" tanong ni Jamie. Napatango ako sa sinabi niya. "O kung tinatamad siyang magsulat, bakit hindi niya sinabi sa kanyang editors kung sino ang killer at kung paano nagawa ang krimen? That way, they can write the ending that still follows the writer's intention. Mas mapadadali pa ang kanilang trabaho!"
I guess that was one of this request's bigger mystery. Bakit biglang hindi nagparamdam ang writer? Bakit wala siyang sinabihan tungkol sa magiging ending ng kanyang kuwento? May malala ba siyang sakit kaya hindi siya makapagsulat? But she could have properly informed her editor that she's sick. Mas magiging considerate pa nga sila sa kanya.
Ayaw kong isipin ang possibility na 'to, pero baka may nangyaring masama sa kanya? That's the most likely reason why she couldn't make contact with the editors. Maybe there's another reason, but I couldn't think of it at the moment.
I returned to the first page of the manuscript. I trailed my fingers along the writer's name.
What happened to Bellamy Bernardino? What was the answer that she really intended—
My eyes slowly grew wide as a sudden realization hit me. Mabilis kong inilipat ang mga page hanggang sa marating ulit ang acknowledgments part. Alam ko na kung bakit nakapukaw sa atensyon ko ang isang line doon. I checked the title page, then back at the acknowledgments again.
"What is it, Lori?" Napahinto ulit si Jamie sa paggupit ng letra. "Parang nakita mo na ang sagot diyan, ah? Share mo naman sa amin!"
"Did she encode the answer to the mystery in one of those pages?" Loki asked curiously. "Is that why you have that look in your face?"
I closed the folder and my eyes flicked up at them. "I still have no idea who's the culprit. But I might have an idea on why the writer Bellamy—or Alexandra—cannot write the resolution of the case."
Nanliit ang kanilang mga mata sa akin, nakaabang sa mga susunod kong sasabihin. I hope what I was about to say would make some sense.
"Naisip n'yo bang kaya hindi niya maisulat ang huling chapter ay dahil hindi niya alam ang sagot?"
Halos magdikit na ang mga kilay ni Jamie. "Narinig mo ba ang mga sinabi namin kanina, Lori? We don't think na sisimulan niyang sumulat ng isang mystery kung wala siyang idea kung paano ire-resolve ito. She won't pose a question if she doesn't know the answer!"
"What if hindi niya alam ang sagot dahil hindi talaga siya ang sumulat ng kuwentong ito?" tugon ko.
q.e.d.
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