CHAPTER 34: VULNERABLE

SORCHA'S POV

"Can we make that a bit clearer?"

Sinunod ni Rye ang sinabi ko na kasalukuyang tutok na tutok sa laptop niya. We're in the conference room, but we're not alone. It's currently jam-packed here since aside from us, there's Daze, the seven bosses, and some of SP, BPs, and even bolsters, all gathered in this usually huge room but now feels small because of everyone.

When a case is about to end or nearing its conclusion, it's natural for the whole Dagger to buzz with energy. Hindi nga lang ganito na parang lahat ay willing makisali sa case. Siguro dahil na rin ang mga nakaraang case namin ay karamihan umiikot sa mga asawa ng mga boss namin kaya gustuhin man namin ay hindi kami garapalan kung makiusyoso dahil madalas ay sobrang higpit ng mga impormasyon sa mga iyon. Overprotective din kasi talaga ang mga Dawson. Unless they need our expertise, we tend to keep our distance.

However, Daze has been with us these past couple of weeks, not just as a client but more like he's one of us. He's like an intern slash an office pet. Kaya siguro ganitong ka-invested ang lahat. Meron pa ngang mga nasa labas ng salamin na haligi ng conference room at nakikitingin sa mga kaganapan dito sa loob.

"You're sure this is a St. Ignatius tree?" Thorn asked me.

"Yes. It's not common in Australia, though, and some of the places there could be unfavorable for it. But places like Queensland could be suitable for growing the tree." Nilingon ko si Daze. "And this photo was taken in Queensland, right? You lived there before your family moved to Melbourne?"

"That's right," he affirmed.

Ibinalik ko ang atensyon ko sa mga boss ko. "This alone can't be enough to say that it was used to poison Santana."

"So it's a coincidence?" the eldest Dawson asked again.

"No. It's just that the St. Ignatius tree is more common here in the Philippines. While we can't say that the tree in the picture was the same tree Ballard used to create strychnine poison, it's most likely that it was her inspiration. It's not uncommon for people like Ballard to have the manifestation of narcissistic traits. The way she uses it as her codename feels like she's proud of it. Like she finds satisfaction knowing that she's the one who thought of it." Itinuro ko ang larawan. It feels a bit eerie. It's been years since the photo was taken, and yet it's like we're being transported back to the time that it was captured. "It's too big of a coincidence. Everything that is happening to Daze revolves around that tree. The gift, the poison, and now that picture."

"What about the woman in the photo? Grace Abadiño?" Axel Dawson asked. "You said that she looked familiar."

Tinanguhan ko si Rye na may pinindot sa laptop niya. Lumabas sa screen na nasa unahan ng conference room ang dalawang larawan. The first one is the original picture of the woman, and the second is the edited one.

"Well, fuck," Gun Dawson murmured. "She looks like Vanessa Santana."

Ang kapatid ko ang sumunod na nagsalita. "As of this moment, we're confirming her relationship to Santana. If we're basing it on her age, in the picture she's probably thirteen to fifteen years older than Daze. Santana's mother has nine other siblings. She's third to the youngest. I talked to her on the phone, and she told me that it's been years since she talked to her older siblings. It's possible that Abadiño is Vanessa Santana's older cousin."

Hinilot niya ang sentido niya. My brother looks like he runs around the whole country. He looks stressed and no one can blame him for it. Ang daming nangyari ngayong araw na ito samantalang may dalawang oras na mahigit pa bago magbago ng petsa ang kalendaryo.

He managed to bring in Ballard, and she's now currently being detained inside the interrogation room. Nandoon ang ilang mga BP para masiguradong hindi siya makakapunta sa kahit na saan. Now my brother has even more puzzle pieces to work with because he needed to bring us here after what we discovered in Daze's home. All while contacting everyone and deploying people to make the pieces more concrete.

"I talked to one of our contacts in Australia. Abadiño was working with Daze's parents, but they filed a report that she ran away with some of Mrs. Henderson's jewelry." Kuya Nevan's jaw hardened. "She was missing around the time after Vanessa Santana was found dead."

Kita ko kung paanong napakuyom ang mga kamay ni Daze. The picture was still blurry until Kuya Nevan said those last few words. The piece seems almost farfetched, and yet they're really proving to be vital to the investigation.

Despite it, despite the possible answers just within reach, I know that this is costing Daze. Dahil kung totoo ang mga naitatagni namin ay ibig lang sabihin niyon ay may kinalaman ang pamilya niya sa mga nangyayari sa kaniya. That his parents are the major players in this game, not just Ballard.

"Vanessa Santana's parents are old-school. They don't really use social media that much. Vanessan Santana, however, is on every platform. We checked, but there's no Abadiño on her friend list," Kuya Nevan continued.

"It's not uncommon for people not to use their real name on social media," I supplied before I turned to Rye. "Can we access her messages?"

Tumango ang lalaki. "Daesyn's working on it. She needs a few more minutes."

Ibinalik ko ang atensyon ko sa kapatid ko na nakatingin din sa akin. "Has Ballard been travelling?"

Umiling ang kapatid ko. "Neither did Santana, but based on her search history, she's trying to find a job there." He glanced at Daze. "Though Abadiño and the Hendersons visited the Philippines not long ago."

With the way Daze straightened beside me, this is probably news to him as well. I couldn't stop the anger that flared inside me. I mean, what kind of parents will go to the country where their son is and don't even make time to meet him?

The answer was simple, I guess. The kind of parents that might have hired someone to ruin their son's career.

My brother's eyes flashed while holding my gaze, and it was as if he could read my mind. "You think?" he asked me, not minding the room with pairs of eyes looking at us.

"It's possible, right?"

"Santana's dead, Abadiño possibly suffered the same fate for all we know," he said.

"Why? Why kill them?"

"Because they know too much. Ballard faked her death years ago to try to ruin Daze. It didn't work. Years later, Daze's parents went to the Philippines with Abadiño. It's possible that Santana and Abadiño were in contact. Santana wanted to work in Australia, and her older cousin had worked there for years. If there's a coincidence here, it's the fact that Santana was a fan of Daze, and Abadiño is employed by the Hendersons." Binalingan niya si Daze. "Do people employed by your parents sign confidentiality agreements?"

"Yes. They have high-profile lives, and they have things to hide from the public. Hindi nawawala ang confidentiality agreements sa kanila."

My brother turned back to me. "Then it's possible that it's likely those employed by the Hendersons are also keeping a low profile. They might be required to keep their employment and related information confidential."

Confidential. A secret. "Maybe the same goes for Ballard. She's been keeping a low profile because she's supposed to be dead. Her existence is a secret, but no sane person will agree to that unless she's being paid a lot."

I could feel my blood pulsing in my veins, and my brother was quick to catch on to where I was. "Then she became greedy. The Hendersons came here, probably on the pretense of a vacation. Technically, this is Florence Henderson's mother land."

"Somehow, Santana just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She wanted to meet her cousin. To ask for help finding a job in Australia."

"She saw Ballard. Someone she recognized because she's Daze's fan. Ballard has been hiding for years, and she takes pride in it. Knowing that she's been recognized, she can't accept that. So she killed Vanessa Santana," my brother added.

"But there's still a loose end. With Abadiño working for the Hendersons for years, she has heard and seen a lot. She kept her mouth shut. She's being paid for it. But Vanessa Santana is still family. An innocent person reached out to her."

"So she needs to go too," he murmured.

"That leaves us to Ballard. Is she just someone hired to carry out the Hendersons crimes? Is she just motivated by the money, or is there something else?"

"That's what we're going to find out through Ballard herself." I'm pretty sure my brother's eyes and mine are both gleaming with chilling intensity. "She's going to start talking, whether she likes it or not."

The room was quiet, and no one was moving. Except for Trace Dawson, who decided to raise his hand as if he were a dutiful student in a classroom.

"Motive for the Hendersons?" he asked.

He probably knows already. In fact, all the people in the room, including Daze, probably have an idea already. But I know Trace is asking the question because it's important for the answer to be heard. In an investigation, every part of the narrative is crucial, and laying down every piece of it helps in constructing a complete narrative.

"Money," magkasabay na sagot namin ng kapatid ko.

"Daze inherited everything from his grandparents. He also has his own money. If they want to pin the murders on him in some way, Daze's mother could contest the management of his assets, or at least a portion of the inheritance. Though her ability to contest is limited, there's still a possibility that she could try to use that angle." My brother rubbed his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. "But I think it's the least likely option. I think they just want to ruin Daze's career."

I nodded, my own face dimming at the thought. "They want to isolate him. They're trying to make him vulnerable. Ruining Daze's career could do that. When everything falls apart, then that's when they'll make their move."

"They'll try to reestablish their relationship with Daze. When he has no one anymore, they will try to be there. When that happens, they will have access to his money."

Under the table, I reached for Daze's hand without looking at him. This couldn't possibly be easy for him. We're talking about his parents. People who should be the ones protecting him. Not people he should be protected from.

I could hear Arcane murmuring from behind us. "No offense, but twins could be a little creepy, don't they?"

"Right? Parang iisa ang utak nila," bulong ni Warrick.

Binigyan ko sila ng matalim na tingin pero hindi ko magawang itanggi ang mga sinasabi nila. Kuya Nevan and I can have a full conversation without saying a word out loud.

Here in Dagger, we have our own responsibilities. Magkaiba ang ginagalawan namin na departamento ng kapatid ko. But when we work together, it's like our twin bond is in hyperdrive, and it's creating a synergy that results in a seamless collaboration like no other.

Our parents used to say that when we're together, we can create great things that could either make the world a better place or unleash chaos in it.

"Who's going to talk to Ballard aside from Nevan?" Thorn asked the room.

Walang salitang tumayo ang pangalawang nakatatandang Dawson. If he's up, then good luck to Aubrey Ballard, because Gunter Dawson could be compared to a fire-breathing dragon.

There was instant activity in the room, and people started filtering out. There's a lot to do. But instead of going with them, I didn't move in my seat, even when the last Dawson gave me and Daze a look before leaving us to ourselves.

I turned to Daze when everyone was gone, and I found him looking at our joined hands. I don't think he's seeing them, though. It was as if his mind was elsewhere.

"Daze," I whispered, squeezing his hand gently.

A small smile lifted his lips. The kind of smile that I hate to see on him. "It's funny. The connection of the St. Ignatius tree to Ballard was surprising. The connection between Vanessa and Grace is even more so. But the part about my parents being part of it for money? It didn't take me as much by surprise as I expected it to. How funny it is that I couldn't be surprised that they are capable of doing this to those innocent people? To me, their own son?"

I felt like my heart was being torn to shreds when a single tear fell down Daze's cheek. The ache feels intensely painful, but it's scaring me as well. I don't think I have ever felt anything like this when what's happening is not even directed at me and instead the sharp edge of the situation is being pointed to another person.

In his vulnerable moment, I realized that I, who was beginning to feel for him, was being left vulnerable as well.

Emotions are secondary to me. Facts and evidence are always in the first place. I always pride myself on being grounded in precise and logical things. Things that are easy to explain, easy to handle, and more predictable. And yet here I am, exposed, open, and vulnerable because I'm starting to feel.

I was right before. Feeling too much could indeed cause everything to spiral out of control. It's already happening. I'm already in the whirlwind of what I fear the most.

______________________________End of Chapter 34.