"Inspector Ortega, ano nang planong gawin ngayong posibleng magkaroon ng pandemic dahil sa isang serial killer?"

"Dr. Fabella, natukoy na ba ng ECDCP ang virus?"

"Bakit wala pang nilalabas na guidelines tungkol dito?"

"Nagkakaubusan na ng supply ng mga alcohol at face masks kanina sa mga local grocery stores, anong masasabi ninyo?"

"Ano nang progress ng top detectives ng SHADOW at DEATH sa kasong ito?"

Detective Nico Yukishito felt another headache coming its way. Nanood lang siya sa TV, pero pakiramdam niya siya ang nai-stress sa tanong ng mga journalists. Paano na lang kaya kung pinilit pa silang umattend sa press conference? He sure as hell wouldn't last a minute and either walk out of the buzzing hall to go to the nearest coffee shop or hide under the table to evade their inquiries.

Dumako kanyang mga mata kina Inspector Ortega at Dr. Fabella na isa-isang sinasagot ang kanilang mga tanong. Much to everyone's irritation, their answers remained vague which, in turn, led to another round of questions.

Walang-ganang kinuha ni Nico ang kanyang mug na nakatapong sa tumpok ng academic journals at kalmadong humigop ng kape. He tossed the empty mug afterwards, not caring about the loud crash behind him.

'Kung paano nila naha-handle ang ganitong mga bagay, I guess I will never know.'

Pero sa lahat ng mga "sagot" at paalalang binigay nila sa media, iisa lang ang nakapukaw sa atensyon ng detective...

"---ayon na rin sa kagustuhan ng opisina ng mayor, ipagpapatuloy pa rin natin ang normal na operasyon sa bayan. We can only advise the public to not panic and be wary when going outdoors. Hangga't hindi namin natutukoy ang virus, makakabuting laging magsuot ng face mask, gumamit ng alcohol o hand sanitizers, at maghugas ng kamay. This is in order to prevent any further infections. The Eastwood Police and ECDCP will do our best to contain the situation, with the help of our best detectives," Dr. Fabella stated, even though he looked like he was troubled that they didn't get the mayor's full cooperation on this case.

Napangisi si Nico, 'Scripted, huh? How I wish they came up with better lines.'

Ilang sandali pa, bumaling ang head ng ECDCP kay Inspector Ortega na mabilis na dinagdag, "We'll update you on the progress of this case. Inaabisuhan namin ang lahat ng taga-Eastwood na doblehin ang pag-iingat---mula sa virus at mula kay Unknown Disease."

The screen of the mini-television turned to black as Nico pressed the power button on his remote control. Binalik niya ito sa lumang garapon ng creamer sa kanyang harapan at huminga nang malalim. Goldilocks momentarily raised her head when she heard him sigh, pero agad rin itong bumalik sa pagkain. 

While leaning on this favorite blue couch, the detective stared up as if he can make a spectacular discovery on the ceiling like what René Descartes did when he discovered the stupid Cartesian plane.

His mind automatically recalled the conversation they had with Maestro.

["Now, listen... See that symbol?"]

'Obviously.'

Nonetheless, the two detectives did as they were told. Tiningnan muli ni Nico ang kakaibang guhit sa bato...

["It's called 'Ceh' or 'Keh', whichever way you'd like to spell it. Modern English translations call it the 'Red' or 'Deer'. Ang symbol naman na nasa batong binigay mo kay ninong ay si 'Yaxkin', whose name can be translated as 'First' or 'Green Sun'...but the English translations are of least importance, I assume. The point is, correlated ang dalawang simbolong 'yan---ang 'Ceh' at 'Yaxkin'. Have you heard of the Mayans?"]

The Mayans?

"The ancient Mayans... One of the most well-known civilizations who lived in present-day Mexico, Salvador, and Guatemala. Kilala sila sa kanilang mga templo at calendars na nagpe-predict ng 'end of the world' na hindi naman nangyayari," Nico said. It was foolish, indeed. Makailang beses nang natakot ang mga tao dahil sa doomsday na nakasaad sa Mayan calendar. Beside him, Nova listened carefully as the symbologist spoke again.

["Good to know you have sufficient knowledge. But I suppose only a few people know that there are actually two Mayan calendar years---una ay ang 'Sacred Round' o 'tzolkin' calendar na may 260 days at ang ikalawa naman ay ang 'Haab' calendar na may 365 days, kahalintulad ng atin. These two calendars coincide every 52 years. Anyway, ang pagtutuunan natin ng pansin ay ang Mayan Haab calendar o mas kilala sa tawag na 'Vague Year'...

Like I said, it has 365 days, almost similar to our Christian calendar. It was used way back in 100 B.C. Ang pinagkaiba lang nito, walang leap year at nahahati sa 19 months ang kanilang taon---18 months have 20 days while the last month has only about 5 days."]

"Ano naman ang kinalaman ng mga simbolong ito sa Mayan Haab calendar?" Nico asked.

["Detective, ang mga buwan sa Mayan Haab Calendar ay nirerepresenta ng mga glyphs na katumbas ng zodiac signs natin ngayon. Yes, those 19 months are each represented by a certain 'Mayan Zodiac', as some might call them."]

"You mean...?"

["Indeed, 'Ceh' and 'Yaxkin' are part of the Mayan Zodiac... Kung ano ang kinalaman ng mga simbolong ito sa mga biktima at kung paano sila naging 'clue' sa kaso ninyo, I'm afraid you'll have to figure that out on your own, detective."]

"What about the numbers?"

["I'm not a mathematician. I'm merely just a scholar and symbologist, detective. Best of luck, to you and your companion."]

After that, Maestro ended the call.

Muling binalikan ni Nico ang mga ebidensyang nahanap nila sa crime scene.

First stone :  'Yaxkin'    135

Second stone:   'Ceh'/'Keh'     225

Agad na kinuha ni Nico ang kanyang laptop sa ilalim ng sopa at mabilis na nag-search tungkol sa Mayan Haab calendar. Sandaling tinitigan ni Nico ang imaheng lumabas. A circle with 19 symbols arranged with their corresponding names.

Just like what the symbologist told him, Yaxkin and Ceh were there. 'Kung sinuman si Unknown Disease, mukhang edukado rin siya. The killer seems to know his ancient history well,' Nico concluded. Pero hindi pa rin siya mapalagay sa mga numerong nakasulat. Anong kinalaman nito? How do the numbers fit in this mess?

Another headache threatened him as his thoughts lingered on the information they already know, so far. Like the Mayans, did UD predicted---no, 'estimated'---that the Chua family will die next? Kaya ba ito nagpunta sa shop malapit sa Mockingbird apartment? At ano naman ang kinalaman ng crate na dala-dala niya? If the killer was carrying the source of the virus, shouldn't it be sealed so that it wouldn't accidentally infect him?

Goldilocks hopped next to him on the sofa and snuggled into his lap. Pagod na ngumiti ang detective, slumber already tickling his senses as he caressed the golden retriever's head.

"Masyado pang maaga para bumuo ng profile ng killer, Goldilocks. But whoever that bastard is, we'll beat him at his own game."

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