CHAPTER 6: VISION

SORCHA'S POV

There was no one in the office when I arrived. Hindi na iyon nakakapagtaka dahil alas-singko pa lang ng madaling-araw at siguradong abala ang mga naka-night shift sa loob ng iba't ibang unit ng laboratory para sa mga ebidensya na inaanalisa nila.

I'm usually scheduled from seven in the morning to seven in the evening. Pagkatapos no'n ay may susunod na shift sa amin ng mga kasamahan ko. Twenty-four hours kasing bukas ang forensic department.

Pero minsan kapag maraming trabaho at ayoko pa rin namang umuuwi ay lumalagpas ako sa oras ko. Sanay na ang mga panggabi na nakikita nila ako na nagtatrabaho pa rin.

It's fine with me even if I don't get paid for the hours that I spent outside of my schedule. Kapag mismong ang mga boss naman ang nagtatanong kung pwede akong mag-overtime ay may bayad naman iyon. But even though I don't ask them to pay me for the hours that I voluntarily give the company, nagugulat na lang ako kapag araw ng sweldo at nakikita kong binabayaran pa rin nila ang mga oras na iyon.

"You're here early."

Muntik kong mabitawan ang bag na dala ko nang may kumilos sa sofa na nasa isang panig ng opisina at malapit sa aquarium. Sa pagtataka ko ay nakita ko roon si Daze na kanina ay nakatalukbong ng kumot kaya hindi ko siya napansin.

"Ikaw ang maaga," kunot ang noo na sabi ko. "Why are you here?"

"May shoot kasi ako kagabi na inabot ng madaling-araw." Naghihikab na umupo siya. Gulo-gulo ang buhok niya at lukot din ang damit niya. "Dito na ako nagpahatid at baka dumiretso ang tulog ko. Ma-late pa ako na makita ka."

Naiiling na inayos ko ang mga dala ko sa desk ko. "Mayroon namang mga kuwarto ang Dagger. You could have stayed there if you asked one of the employees."

"Oh, I know. I showered there. Pero mahirap kasi akong gisingin talaga kaya kapag doon ako natulog ganoon din. Saka ilang oras na lang naman. I asked one of your co-workers, and she allowed me to sleep on the sofa. She was even kind enough to give me a blanket." Tumingin siya sa kisame na para bang nag-iisip. "I didn't get her name though."

I opened the monitor on my desktop computer. "What she look like?"

"She's pretty. She has cute Bambi-like eyes, and she has a beautiful dimple."

Pretty na may cute at beautiful pa. "That's Daesyn."

"Cute name."

"Paulit-ulit?" bulong ko.

"Ha?"

Inismiran ko siya at umupo ako sa office chair ko. "Wala. Ang aga-aga ang tsismoso mo. Matulog ka na lang diyan."

"Ang aga pa pero ang init na ng ulo mo." Nang naniningkit ang mga matang nilingon ko siya ay ngumisi siya. "Pero bagay sa'yo. Lalo kang gumaganda. Paano pa kapag good mood ka? My heart won't be able to handle it."

Inignora ko ang sinabi niya at ibinaling ko na lang ang atensyon ko sa screen ng computer ko. Ang kaso habang patagal nang patagal ay hindi ko na magawang tiisin ang mabigat na tingin ng lalaki na ramdam na ramdam kong nakatuon sa akin.

Magkasalubong ang kilay na nilingon ko siya. I found him lying on his side on the couch with his face leaning on his hand as he watched me. "What?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking about how your classmates when you were in college managed to concentrate on studying while you were around. Kung kaklase kita baka wala na akong naintindihan na kahit ano kasi papanoorin na lang kita maghapon."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Siya naman ang napakunot ang noo. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

"That calling you beautiful feels like an understatement, and I doubt there's a word out there that could best describe you."

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to my work. "Kulang ka lang sa tulog kaya itulog mo na 'yan. Kung hindi ka makatulog, pumunta ka sa cafeteria para kumain kasi baka gutom lang."

"I'm already wide awake. You're better than coffee. Isang tingin pa lang sa'yo buhay na buhay na ako." Tumayo siya at hila-hila ang kumot na humila siya ng upuan para tumabi sa akin. Isinandal niya ang siko niya sa lamesa at nangalumbaba siya. This is his usual position. Hindi ko nga alam kung may natututunan siya kapag may sinasabi ako kasi parang nakatulal lang siya sa akin. "So... you really don't know that you're beautiful?"

"I look okay."

"You don't look okay."

I snorted. "Wow. Thanks."

"No! That's not what I meant. I just don't think you're only okay."

"Then there's something wrong with your vision."

"I have perfect vision according to my doctor." Umangat ang kamay niya na parang aabutin niya ang buhok ko pero hindi niya itinuloy iyon nang tumigil ako sa pagtipa sa keyboard na nasa harapan ko. He probably knows that he'll get his own hand bitten off if he touches me suddenly. "Walang nanliligaw sa'yo noong college ka?"

"Wala."

"I'm pretty sure a lot of men showed you their interests, but you probably scared them off."

He wasn't wrong. I'm too focused on studying to date. Isa pa, I don't find any reason for them to want to date me. They probably just think I'm a challenge since I was always alone back then.

"I'm also sure that you have a lot of classmates that didn't like you back then."

Nagkibit ako ng balikat. "I'm not a likeable person."

"That's not true. They just don't like you because you're their competition."

Malakas na bumuntong-hininga ako at nilingon ko siya. "If you're guilty about the "trolls" incident and this is your way of making me feel better for the misunderstanding, then stop. I told you, it's not your fault."

"I'm not trying to make you feel better. I'm trying to understand why you can't see what I'm seeing."

"Maybe because I don't look at everything through rose-tinted glasses, Henderson. I'm not saying that I'm ugly. I don't look bad. I just look okay. My hair and eyes might make me unique in this country, but in this day and age where people could be blonde today and pink-haired the next day, I'm just one of the many."

I've received compliments, of course. Mostly from my family. Which makes them highly biased.

"I think something happened that distorts your view of yourself."

He extended his arm in my direction, but he didn't touch me. Instead, he reached for the arm of my chair so that he could tilt it to face him a little.

He wasn't touching me, and there's still space between us, but suddenly it's like he's consuming what separates us without moving an inch. I could feel the air thinning as he held my gaze.

"I told you, I have a perfect vision. And I plan to use it to show you what I see through my eyes. You're pretty extraordinary, Red."

BINUKSAN KO ang pintuan na nasa harapan namin ni Daze. Isa ito sa mga kuwarto na nandito sa first floor ng Dagger. It has already been prepared for his practical orientation that we needed to do today before we could let him face the real thing.

"Woah. What happened here?"

Daze is surveying the room with wide eyes. He's older than me by six years, but during moments like this, he really looks like an innocent boy who's about to get his innocence ripped off of him.

Nakaramdam ako ng hindi pamilyar na pag-iinit sa magkabilang pisngi ko nang ibang imahe ang lumabas sa utak ko sa naisip ko. Not that kind of innocence, Sorcha Byrne!

He probably lost that one a long time ago. Sa klase ng personality na meron siya ay hindi na nakakapagtaka ang bagay na iyon.

"This is a crime scene training room. It's a mock up that has been set up for you," I explained to him.

He made a sound of amazement as he scanned the room again. The room doesn't look like it's part of Dagger, mainly because it's been arranged to look like it's from a different place. It could be an office, a bar, a bathroom, or, like right now, an old bedroom.

Daze was about to step inside the room when I stopped him. "What do you need to do first?"

"Oh! Gloves!" Inilabas niya ang binigay ko sa kaniya na latest gloves kanina at isinuot niya iyon. He looks at me proudly. "Am I right?"

"Yes."

He grinned, as if my simple answer were an acknowledgement of some sort for him.

"Normally, we also wear protective eye gear and masks. But for the sake of your comfortability, we're not doing that today." And I also doubt that he'll be in full gear during his movie. I'm sure that while talent is the most important thing in acting, his face is also one of the things that the industry treasures the most. They wouldn't want to cover that up with a mask and goggles.

"What do you see?" I asked him. When he looked confused for a moment, I clarified, "Describe the room."

"It looks worn out. The walls look brown, but I don't know if it's the paint or if it's just dirty. There's a small bed on our right that looks broken and discarded, and there's a bigger one on the opposite side of it that looks newer. May mga nakakalat na damit malapit sa maliit na lamesa na may salamin na parang vanity. Magulo ang kusina. Beer bottles are everywhere. There's a small circular dining table with two chairs. Meron ding pintuan na baka papunta sa bathroom."

"Who do you think lives here?"

"A family? The bed could fit two people, and the smaller one is probably for a child." Nagsalubong ang kilay niya. "But if this is a crime scene, then the father must be abusive."

Tumatango-tangong inabutan ko siya ng kulay itim na bag. "If you think there's biological evidence present, such as blood and saliva, put it in the paper bag. If it's non-biological, put it in plastic bags."

"Bakit sa movies sa ziplock bag lang nila nilalagay?"

"It's transparent, so viewers can see the contents clearly, but it's not accurate. Sa paper bag talaga namin nilalagay kapag biological evidence. It helps preserve the evidence and prevent it from molding." I tipped my head to the room. "Find your first evidence."

I already expected that he would look for a mirror. Iyon ang unang laging tinitignan ng mga tao pagdating sa fingerprint. Which baffles me because not everyone touches a mirror, especially if it's mounted on a wall, they just look at it.

"How will you fit that in the evidence bag?" I asked when he stopped at the small vanity.

"Umm... break it?"

"And compromised the evidence?" Lumapit ako sa kaniya at iminuwestra ko na buksan niya ang bag. May kinuha ako roon na brush at lalagyanan. I carefully applied it to the surface of the mirror in a circular motion. "Usually, ito ang hinuhuli namin. Other evidence is more prone to contamination, so we take care of that first."

Halos nalagyan ko na ng powder ang buong salamin pero wala pa ring lumalabas doon. I moved to the silver handle of the drawer in the vanity. I heard Daze's sharp intake of breath when the latent print began to show.

Ibinalik ko sa kaniya ang mga hawak ko at itinuro ko ang camera na nakasukbit sa leeg niya. I took a couple of pictures of the print before I gave it back to him, and then I retrieved the tape, scissors, and a piece of small card from his bag. I cut a piece and put it over the print. I pressed it gently, and then I lifted it off and attached it to the card. Sinulatan ko ang label no'n at pagkatapos ay inilagay ko iyon sa maliit na compartment ng bag.

Tumayo ako at hinarap ko siya. "Gather the evidence that is more obvious. Not what looks complicated." Itinuro ko ang kusina. "Utensils, beer bottles, cigarette butts, clothes with blood, toothbrushes, anything."

There was a dazzled look on his face, and for a moment he just stared at me. Nang taasan ko siya ng kilay ay ngumisi siya at sumaludo. "Roger that, Ma'am."

Naglakad siya papunta sa kusina pero bago makarating doon ay nilingon niya ako at kumorte siya ng puso gamit ang mga kamay niya.

I sighed. "This is going to be a long day."

He spent almost more than an hour combing the whole place. The things he gathered grew into a towering heap. Nang matapos siya ay nilingon niya ako at nag-thumbs up siya na para bang sinasabing tapos na siya.

Umalis ako mula sa pinagkakasandalan ako at naglakad ako papunta sa kusina. I opened the dirty fridge, and Daze's eyes widened. He hasn't checked it yet.

"Give me the camera."

Inabot niya agad sa akin iyon at sinimulan kong kuhanan ng laman ng freezer. There's beer, fruit juices, chocolate drinks, open cereal boxes, milk, and frozen food in the freezer, such as hotdogs, nuggets, and other easy-to-cook foods. I opened the cupboards, and there's a stack of cup noodles and dehydrated food that you can just put hot water on.

"Did you find any women's clothes?" I asked Daze when I straightened up.

"No. Just men's clothes, and I think there was one small pink dress."

"Any menstrual pads or period items?" Nang umiling siya ay iginala ko ang tingin ko sa paligid. I took in everything that I saw, as if they had a voice that could whisper.

"Did you help them set this place up?"

I glanced at the man. "No. I asked them not to so that I could show you how to do this properly."

"But this is fake, right?"

"The evidence? Yes. But any mock crime scene is based on real-life situations. If you think about any crime, there's a high chance that it's really happening out there. Knowing Dagger, this could be one of the past cases they received or a case they helped the authorities with." Sinalubong ko ang mga mata niya. "That's the kind of world that we live in."

My gaze caught a footstool near the sink.

"We usually just assist the detectives when we're asked to go to a crime scene. Detectives know what evidence to gather, so most of us just wait for what they collect at the laboratory. But sometimes we are needed at the crime scene to provide specialized analysis, such as bloodstain pattern analysis, or in situations where there is a body. But since we want to show you how to gather evidence, we're doing everything now, including the initial assessment." I looked around us one more time before I met Daze's eyes. "When a detective arrives at a crime scene, it's like watching a movie. They could see the narrative just by seeing, hearing, and smelling. When a forensic scientist steps foot at the crime scene, it's all the evidence that leads to the story. Every strand of hair, speck of blood, and even a piece of clothing."

Daze didn't let go of my gaze. "What do you see?"

"I see a room without windows. This could be the basement of a house. There's two beds that suggest that a family might have lived here, but there was no clothing or menstrual items that could suggest that a woman stayed here. There's two chairs for the dining table, and the food in the fridge is full of things that a child mostly eats. There's also food that is easy to make by just adding hot water to it." Huminga ako ng malalim. I don't like this kind of scenario, but like I told Daze, this is the kind of world we live in. "There's no sign of struggle to suggest that someone died here. No sign that the place has been robbed. So what is the crime here?"

"I..." He massaged the box of his head, the usual smile on his face gone. "I don't know."

"When she first got here, she was wearing a pink dress. She used the small bed at first. It was a child's bed. She slept on that bed. Until she can't anymore because she's forced to use the other bed. The one she shared with the perpetrator." Itinuro ko ang footstool na malapit sa amin. "She's small enough back then to need that. She stayed here, maybe for a couple of years. Not enough time for her to become a full woman. Women get their period at the age of ten to fifteen. She's somewhere around that age."

Daze cursed under his breath. This is just a mock-up, but he understands. In the beginning, it felt like a game. Now it doesn't. Because this might be a mockup, a simulation, but it's a reflection of what is out there.

"This is an abduction case," he murmured.

"It is."

He looked like he wanted to throw up. It makes me remember the first case I received. I finished the job, but my brother found me in the bathroom, throwing up everything that I ate.

I might look unfeeling, and I might look cold to some, but I'm still human. And despite being in this job for years, even though when facing a case I need to put on a mask, it doesn't mean that I'm not affected by every one of them.

"Let's go drop this off at the office," I told him. "Then we're going out."

"Where are we going?"

"I'm going to buy a plant and a milkshake."

There were a lot of emotions that crossed his face. He settled with a small smile. "I thought you didn't like sweet things?"

"Who said anything about sweets? I want a dark chocolate one."

_____________________________End of Chapter 6.