CHAPTER 33: PUZZLE

SORCHA'S POV

"Paki explain nga ulit kung bakit magkakasama tayong lahat ngayon?"

Nagkibit-balikat si Pike na nasa passenger seat habang ang kapatid ko naman na nagmamaneho ay tinignan ako sa rear view mirror. "Pike will stay with Daze as his bodyguard because I need to go back to the office."

Nilingon ko si Daze. "At ikaw naman kailangan mong bumalik sa bahay mo dahil matagal mo ng hindi nakikita 'yon at gusto rin ng mga boss namin na i-double check mo kung may sa tingin ka pang iba na makakatulong sa case."

The man nodded. "That about sums it up."

"Eh bakit kailangang kasama ako?"

Daze batted his eyelashes at me. "Kasi kailangan kita."

Pike coughed loudly while my brother hurled as if he wanted to throw up. I rolled my eyes at them and then I gave Daze a look that seemed to bounce off him because he just beamed.

"You can help him check for things that might be able to help with the case," sabi ng kapatid ko nang makabawi siya sa kakesohan ni Daze. I'll probably react the same way when someone flirts with him in front of me. "Nagdala ka ba ng damit katulad ng sabi ko?"

Bago ako makasagot ay naunahan ako ni Daze. "Kung wala naman, pwede naman kitang pahiramin."

"Wala akong balak suotin ang damit ng kung sino mang ex mo na dinala mo sa bahay mo at nag-iwan ng mga gamit niya." Naniningkit ang mga matang tinuro ko ang kabilang dulo ng kinauupuan nami. Nasa kaliwa kasi ako habang nasa gitna naman si Daze dahil sinisiksik niya ako. "Doon ka nga. Umiinit ang ulo ko sa'yo."

Nakangusong umusog siya. "Damit ko ang tinutukoy ko. I don't bring women to my place." But he brings them somewhere else or he stays with them in those women's houses. "Bakit pakiramdam ko wala akong tamang maisasagot?"

Inismidan ko siya at pinagkrus ko ang mga braso ko at binalingan ko ang kapatid ko. "I brought my things with me. Do we really need to stay overnight?"

"Just in case I wouldn't be able to get back early. It's better to stay in one place to minimize risk. We can't mobilize another Dagger employee since we're all needed in the office. Si Pike lang ang pwedeng manatiling kasama niyo. With just Pike, even with you, Sorcha, that will leave you guys outnumbered in the event that something happens during transit." He glanced at Daze through the mirror. "Something's going down tonight, which is why I need to leave. I don't want to give you false hopes, but it's possible that we will be able to bring in Aubrey Ballard tonight."

The man beside me looks like he's lost for words. It's only natural. People in his situation want everything to be done, but when it concludes, it's hard to think about what to do next. Should he feel relieved? Is he allowed to even feel that way? Is another ball going to drop? Is it really over?

"Kung makukuha niyo na siya, bakit pa kailangan ng comprehensive reassessment ng evidence at materials?" The moment the question escaped my mouth, I instantly realized the answer to my question. What I read on my brother's face later proved my suspicion. "You don't think it's Daze's old manager or the director-producer?"

He sighed and nodded. "We established that Ballard doesn't have a concrete motive. Before her interaction with Daze, she didn't have any prior connection to him."

I helped with retrieving information from the account Aubrey Ballard took down. Wala siyang kahit na anong post tungkol kay Daze kahit bago pa ang naging paghaharap nilang dalawa. Considering that she's supposed to be a fan, she should have a couple of posts about him. Pero sa kabila niyon ay ang mga like at share na tungkol kay Daze ay mga pinost niya lang pagkatapos ng araw na nagkita sila at hindi bago iyon.

"The old manager and the director-producer have motives." Sumandal ako sa kinauupuan ko at tumingin ako sa labas ng bintana. I was talking more to myself than to the people in the car. "But they have no movements that can say that they're in contact with Ballard."

James Bennett, Daze's old manager, might have a grudge against Daze for firing him, but there is nothing that can tell us that he's involved with all of this. He's managing his own business, and he's not in the industry anymore. Abala rin siya sa nanay niyang may sakit.

Lowell is in prison, and he hasn't been in contact with anyone from the outside. I guess even his family couldn't stomach the things he did years ago. But Dagger is not disregarding the possibility that he made some friends in prison who have contact outside, which is why Lowell is still the frontrunner in this case.

"I just feel something off about this. That there's something missing." Bumuntong-hininga ang kapatid ko. "We'll probably get a better picture of the story once we have Ballard. Maybe I'm just overthinking things, and it's really one of the two main suspects."

"Or you're right that there's a puzzle piece still out there waiting to complete the picture. Sometimes you have to trust your gut feeling," Pike told my brother. "Cut yourself some slack, pare. Sige ka tatanda kang pangit niyan."

Mahina akong napatawa sa sinabi ni Pike. He's older than my brother pero minsan parang same level lang ang utak nila. Magkasundong-magkasundo kasi sila.

"So you also need me there," I said after awhile.

My brother shrugged. "It's hitting two birds with one stone. You're good at noticing the littlest of things, and the client wants you there." Napapalatak siya nang may maisip siya. From the look on his face, I know his back to his pain in the ass self. "Hindi ko alam kung matutuwa ako para sa kapatid ko na may nakakatiis sa kasungitan niya o maaawa ako sa'yo, pareng Daze. Out of all the people in the world, forensic expert pa ang nagustuhan mo. Don't you know that they notice every little detail?"

Pike chuckled. "Right? I once took a sip of Khione's coffee, and I put it back down before she returned. Pagbalik niya ay ibinigay niya na lang sa akin ang kape dahil tutal hayok na hayok daw ako. Apparently, she knew I touched it since it moved from the original angle she placed it."

Napataas ang kilay ko at mukhang hindi lang ako ang ibang may iniisip dahil nang huminto sa stoplight ang kapatid ko ay nilingon niya si Pike at nagsalita siya. "Khione pala ha? Kaya pala tambay ka nang tambay sa forensic department."

I could have sworn that Pike's face reddened. "Ha?"

"Love is in the air in the forensic department," pakantang sabi ng kapatid ko.

I felt a hand take mine, and when I looked at Daze, I found his eyes already on me. "Indeed."

NAPALITAN ang puting ceiling na kanina ko pa tinititigan ng mukha ni Daze na ngayon ay nakatayo na at nakatunghaw sa akin. There's a spark of amusement in his eyes as he leans over to look at me.

"Malamig diyan." Inilahad niya sa akin ang kamay niya. "Come sit on the sofa with me."

Umiling ako. "I'm tired of your sofa."

After I went through Daze's things and sealed everything that might be useful to the investigation, I camped on his sofa to work since I brought my laptop with me. Tinulungan naman ako ni Daze at Pike sa pagtingin sa mga gamit ng binata pero dahil may sarili akong sistema na nagugulo dahil sa kanilang dalawa ay pinalayas ko muna sila.

"And you like the floor better?"

"For now," I said with a shrug.

Imbis na pilitin akong tumayo ay kumilos siya para tumabi sa akin. Katulad ko ay humiga siya sa malamig na carpeted floors. Though, instead of looking at the ceiling, he was looking at me.

"I like your house," I told him when silence stretched between us.

I could hear the smile in his voice. "I'm glad you like it."

"You should sell it."

"Why?"

"Para bibilin ko," simpleng sagot ko.

Napatawa siya. "How about you stay here and be my roommate?"

"Ano ako? College student?"

"Not that kind of roommate." Nang lingunin ko siya ay nakita kong nakangisi siya. "The literal one."

Nilukutan ko siya ng ilong na ikinatawa niya lang ulit. Napakaharot. It's like he never runs out of things to tease me about. It comes naturally with him, apparently.

"Dapat ang buong pangalan mo Darien Zeon Talanderson."

His laugh filled the room, and I couldn't help but smile at its sound. His laughter died down, but his smile remained as his eyes roamed around my face. "I really love your smile. I want to see it on you all the time, but I also don't want to."

Napataas ang kilay ko. "Why?"

"Because I don't want anyone to see it. I want it to be just mine."

Pinaikot ko ang mga mata ko. "Pati ngiti ko gusto mong i-monopolize."

"Hindi lang ngiti mo."

Napapailing na binalik ko ang mga mata ko sa ceiling. I felt Daze move, and from my peripheral, I could see him leaning on his elbow so that he could look at me better.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's a twin thing."

"A twin thing?"

"My brother is bothered by something, and now I also feel off about something I don't know." Itinulak ko ang sarili ko paupo at nilingon ko siya. "Wala na bang ibang gamit dito sa bahay mo na hindi pa natin tinitignan?"

"There's some boxes in the attic, but those are just my grandparents' stuff. Wala sa mga iyon ang galing sa mga fan ko."

"Show me."

Umupo siya at inabot niya ang kamay ko. He helped me up, and without letting go of my hand, he led me towards the stairs. He waved at Pike, who's talking with someone on his phone who just nodded at us.

Dumiretso kami ni Daze sa kuwarto niya. I've seen the room since Pike and I went with Daze to secure some stuff that we could bring to Dagger. His room is adorned with rich wood tones and a mix of neutral colors such as gray and blue.

There's a king-size bed in the middle of the huge room, which I didn't pay much attention to when we came here awhile ago, but now it's as if it's pulling me to look at it. My imagination seems to align with it because it's like I could see Daze lying down on the bed, telling me to come over.

"Are you imagining me on it?" My face heated up when I saw him grinning at me playfully. "Because I'm certainly imagining you gripping my sheets tight while one of my favorite parts of you is gripping me tighter.

Napalunok ako pero pilit na iwinaksi ko ang bumabalot sa akin na pakiramdam. Pinanlakihan ko siya ng mga mata. "Shut up and show me the attic."

Ngingisi-ngising dinala niya ako sa malaking walk-in closet niya. He let me go to pull down the attic ladder to reveal the access point towards the ceiling.

"I'll go up first," he told me.

Walang kahirap-hirap na umakyat siya at nang makarating siya sa taas ay sumunod ako sa kaniya. He reached for my hand, and he tugged me upwards so that I could easily climb.

I was expecting the kind of dusty attic I often see in horror movies, but Daze's attic is well-lit, and it's also clean. Mukhang pinalilinis niya iyon. Hindi rin basta kinahon lang ang mga gamit at tinambak. All things are labeled and enclosed in airtight, waterproof container boxes.

The place has an automatic light mechanism, the floor is carpeted, and there's even glass cabinets with anti-tarnish jewelry boxes in them. May mga laman iyon na mga pambabae at panlalake na mga accessory.

"Lahat 'to sa grandparents mo?"

Daze nodded. "I don't want to sell them, but I also don't want to just store them carelessly. They are meticulous about everything they own, and they always remind me not to be negligent with my stuff just because I can buy another to replace it."

"They sound like great people."

"They were."

"They're not close with your mother?"

"My mother is their only daughter. They loved her, but my mother didn't make it easy for them to do so. She always gets herself tangled with the wrong people, and she doesn't care if she's heading down a path of destruction. When my mom got married, though, my grandparents were relieved at first. Akala nila magbabago siya. She's married after all, and she even got pregnant."

He led me to the boxes, and we started opening them. There are old books, journals, vinyl records, and even expensive-looking silverware.

"She didn't change?"

Daze shook his head. "She got worse. My father and she weren't a good combination. Kahit pa nang dumating ang kapatid ko. My brother was left to helpers a lot that he basically grew up being taken care of by them. They were busy with a lot of things, but never busy because of their children."

"What are they busy about?"

"Their careers, fucking their way to stardom, gambling, drugs... you name it."

Tinulungan ako ni Daze na hilahin ang isang container na puro mga albums. Umupo ako sa sahig at nilabas ko ang mga laman no'n para tignan isa-isa.

"But your grandparents liked you and your brother?"

"They did. My brother contacted them first. He wanted to know them even though our mom didn't want to. We send them greeting cards and gifts on their birthdays and during Christmas. Pero hindi kami humihingi ng kahit na ano pabalik. We don't want our mom to know. She's mad at them for basically disowning her. My grandparents stopped giving her money, no matter what she said to them. She tried to use us for awhile, but when my grandparents told her that they have money for my brother and me that we can get at the right time, she went berserk, knowing that she couldn't get to it."

"Have they tried to contact you after they died?"

Mapait na ngumiti siya. "She went back here to the Philippines. She brought Dad with her. They were high during the funeral. After that, they couldn't even wait to be called by the lawyers. Mismong ina ko ang kumontal sa lawyer ng grandparents ko."

"But she didn't get anything?"

"Not a single cent."

That's a motive. I couldn't bear to say it out loud. It was just a possibility. A small one. But I don't want to tell him because I know that despite him being estranged from his parents, they're still his parents. I don't want to say things I don't have proof of.

"What's this?" I asked him when I found him looking at me. Daze could be too observant sometimes, and I don't want him to read what I'm thinking about.

Tinignan ni Daze ang tinuturo ko na album. "That's one of the pictures my brother and I sent to our grandparents."

May mga picture na solo lang niya o ng kapatid niya, merong magkasama sila, merong mga litrato na mukhang kuha nila kasama ng mga nag-alaga sa kanila, at merong ilang family picture.

Kumunot ang noo ko nang mapansin ko ang isang larawan. Grant Henderson is in the picture, as is Daze, who seems to be fourteen or fifteen years old. There's a woman with them who looks like she's in her late twenties or early thirties.

I pointed at the woman. "Who's this?"

"She's a maid who's been with us for a few years." Nang hindi kaagad ako nagsalita at nanatili lang akong nakatingin sa larawan ang kumunot ang noo ng lalaki. "What is it?"

Inalis ko sa album ang picture. "There's something familiar about her. I want to make sure first."

I scanned the other pictures quickly, and I was about to close it when I noticed something else.

Daze and his brother are sitting on top of a car parked in front of what I think is their house in Australia. Grant Henderson has a small smile on his lips, while Daze is beaming at the camera. But that wasn't what I was focused on.

"Sorcha?"

I touched the picture with my finger, placing it on top of the tree beside their house that has yellow, round-looking fruit. Only it's not a fruit. It's a bean.

"This is a St. Ignatius tree."

__________________________End of Chapter 33.