*nagkakaroon ng problema sa chapter arrangement. Kindly read "Capitulum 02" first before this one.

Taves' residence
11:30 a.m.

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Lucky for them, there weren't any traffic on their way to the neighborhood.

'But of course, I doubt this is a coincidence.' Hindi na magtataka si Nico kung kumalat na ang balita sa buong Eastwood at kung pinagpi-piyestahan na naman ng media ang nangyari. As much as he despises the police department, hindi niya masisisi kung bakit naiirita rin sina Inspector Ortega sa pakikialam ng media. One minute you'll be solving a sensitive murder case and then the next they'll broadcast all the details to the public.

Nang maiparada na nila ang taxi ilang kanto mula sa bahay ng biktima, halatang nakahinga nang maluwag ang hepe nang makitang wala pang media van doon. Maya-maya pa, binalingan na niya ang dalawang detectives, "Sigurado ba kayong gusto ninyong tingnan ang loob? I can just have a team take pictures for you."

Nova nodded. "I think it's best if we take a look ourselves. Wala akong alam sa mga sakit, pero kung totoo ngang may foul play na nangyari sa pagkamatay ng biktima, we'll be able to spot it instantly. Right, Yukishito?"

Pero nang lingunin ni Nova ang kanyang katabi, doon na niya napagtantong nakalabas na pala ito. Napabuntong-hininga na lang ang dalawa nang makitang naglalakad na ang detective papalapit sa health workers. Nakapamulsa at chill lang.

"Hindi talaga maawat ang batang 'yan kapag may kaso. Don't you think he's being a little too 'passionate' with his job?"

"Well," Nova climbed out of the taxi and tied her pink hair in a ponytail. "It's my job to make sure his passion doesn't get him infected, inspector."

*

Imbes na forensic team at police officers, mga health workers agad ang sumalubong sa kanya. He flashed them his detective badge and studied the "safety measures" the ECDCP already did so far. Hindi na siya nagulat nang makitang may naka-setup na malaking transparent tent sa bahay ng pamilyang Taves. Base sa amoy ng mga kemikal at sa mga taong nakasuot pa rin ng biohazard suits, mukhang kakatapos na rin nilang mag-disinfect.

'Interesting.'

Habang nagmamasid sa paligid, hindi na niya namalayang nakalapit na pala sa kanya si Nova.

"Gosh! This is my first time seeing their actual containment procedures." Dumako ang kanyang mga mata sa bintana ng bahay kung saan natatanaw ang isang Christmas tree sa sala. The unfinished decorations already told the story. Nakakalungkot lang isipin na mga anak pa mismo ng ginang ang nakahanap sa kanya. "Sa tingin mo ba may foul play sa kasong ito?"

"I can't conclude anything right now."

Nico took a mental image of the place and scanned for clues. Sa ngayon, wala silang sapat na ebidensiya. Ni hindi pa lumalabas ang mga resulta para i-identify kung anong pathogen ang pumatay sa biktima. In this case, any bacteria, virus, or microorganisms that can cause a disease is called a "pathogen", so it might take some time to know which one caused this. Fortunately, the ECDCP follows strict containment protocols just in case this pathogen is among the top deadly ones.

Base naman sa interview sa asawa nito, higit isang linggo ring masama ang pakiramdam ni Mrs. Taves bago ito nangyari. Kung anuman ang sakit na 'to, kailangan nilang doblehin ang kanilang pag-iingat.

But if he were to be honest with himself, Nico has a weird gut feeling that there's something more to this death than meets the eye.

Or maybe it's just wishful thinking?

"We'll have biohazard suits prepared for the both of you," Inspector Ortega stated when he neared them. Kasama nito ang dalawang taong nakasuot rin ng personal protective equipment (PPE). Agad na ipinakilala ni Inspector Ortega ang mga ito, "Detectives, meet Dr. Joseph Fabella, the director of the ECDCP, and Ms. Clover Almeida, our resident virologist in Eastwood."

Dr. Fabella outstretched his hand to Eastwood's greatest detective, "You must be Detective Yukishito. Marami na akong nababalitaan tungkol sa'yo, at nakita ko rin yata kayo sa TV noong kasagsagan ng Robinhood Arsonist case..."

Pero imbes na makipagkamay, tumango lang sa kanya si Nico sabay sabing, "Dr. Joseph Fabella, 47 years old. You finished your bachelor's degree at Eastwood Central University with Latin honors. You were divorced not long ago... perhaps, a month or two prior to this meeting. Nagbenta ka ng sasakyan noong nakaraang linggo, taga-Ilocos ang pamilya mo, bisyo mo ang paninigarilyo... and I'd bet my dog that you're a night owl."

Bakas ang gulat at pagkamangha ng doktor sa mga sinabi nito.

"T-That's...all true. Pero paano mo nalaman ang lahat ng 'yon?"

Pati sina Inspector Ortega at Dr. Almeida ay sabik na hinintay ang paliwanag ng detective. On the other hand, the pink haired female sighed, as if she was already used to this scene. But of course, that didn't stop Nico from explaining.

"Criminal profiling became a hobby, so the age is just a lucky guess from your overall appearance. Aside from the fact that ECU is the only university in Eastwood that offers decent premed courses, freebie ng isang org ang ballpen nakasukbit sa bulsa mo. It was given to you during one of their recruitment campaigns. Talamak sa campus mga eksenang ganoon, and as a graduate there myself, my personal experience can back-up that theory...

As for the 'Latin honor' part, the size of your cranium is also larger than average, from what I can estimate. Craniometry, the measurement of the cranium, suggests that a larger cranium size implies a larger cranium capacity---brain size. Although the correlation between this and intelligence is still up for debate, based from some studies, it is still likely that you have good cognitive abilities, or even a high IQ, throughout your academic years.

May naiwang tan marks ng singsing sa daliri mo, Dr. Fabella. I can clearly see the light ban left on your skin. That, and the lack of ironing on your lab coat gave me the impression that you're already divorced. As a married man, your wife wouldn't allow you to leave the house looking like that...well, unless she doesn't give a damn about you anymore, of course. Anyway, I knew you sold your car because I am aware that divorce, with all those godforsaken paperworks involved, is still a bit expensive. Plus, at the back of your ID case, I can see a beep card for the LRT station, covering expenses for a week... Safe to say that it's been at least a week since you started adjusting to the 'carless' routine. Kung may sarili kang sasakyan, hindi ka sana nagtitiis sa pagko-commute lalo't malala ang traffic sa Eastwood tuwing ganitong panahon.

You're wearing a polo shirt made from 'inabel', a native fabric from Ilocos. It's rare to find that nowadays. You have smoker's lips---dark lips caused by nicotine from cigarettes. It reduces the blood flow and deprives your skin of oxygen, causing the melanin in your lips and gums to appear darker. Tungkol naman sa pagiging 'night owl' mo, bukod sa mukha kang kulang sa tulog, may natira pang shaving cream sa gilid ng mukha mo, Dr. Fabella. I don't think you've noticed, though. I assume that you stayed up late last night and was, unexpectedly, forced to get out of bed this morning due to this emergency, making you lose your much needed sleep," pagtatapos ni Nico sa kanyang mahabang paliwanag.

Dahil dito, hindi na nakaimik ang doktor. His expression bordered on shock and amusement. Kalaunan, mahina itong natawa at pinuri ang binata. Samantala, nakanganga pa rin sina Inspector Ortega, as if they were still processing everything he said. Detective Briannova Carlos sighed and muttered a "here we go again" under her breath.

Ilang sandali pa, nilapitan na sila ng isang worker para ibalitang handa na ang gagamitin nilang biohazard suits. Unti-unting bumalot ang tensyon sa paligid, muling dumako ang mga mata ni Nico sa bahay ng biktima.

'Are we up against a virus or another murderer?'

The suspicion never left his eyes.

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