REVALAUN

Ainsley showed me her whole life, she played it inside my head as much as she could. Although some of the faces of the people she interacted with were blurry and sometimes a little distorted with color, but there were some instances they weren't. The expressions on some people's faces when they look at her with hatred and anger will later transitioned back to being blank and faceless. She couldn't remember what they look like but she did remember their emotions that reflected back at her.

I heard that people tend to suppress bad memories as a desire to forget them, but they cannot completely do so because the human brain won't let them. Kagaya ko, pinilit ko ang sarili na itago ang mga alaala at kinumbinsi ang sarili ko na hindi pa patay ang mga kapatid ko... na siyang nagtulak sa'kin para isara ang isip sa katotohanan.

No matter how hard we try to forget, we can't. We were never meant to forget.

Maybe I got her out of my head because her betrayal was a bad memory I wish to forget. Hoping that no one had ever done that to me, a friend I trusted end up turning her back at me.

I hope they won't turn their back at me.

I heaved a long sigh before speaking. "Jacqueline Paige is not the Ripper."

"We kind of know that already, man," Tobi groaned, leaning on his seat.

Umiling ako sa kanya. "Like what happened to Jacqueline Paige, the Ripper could've also incriminated Kid Schneider."

"A frame up?" Taylor asked, brows furrowing. 

"It's in the book. It was so obvious, I still can't believe nobody noticed," I told them. "Ilang beses nabanggit si Simon doon bilang serial killer. Nakasulat sa first point of view ang story, sa perspective ng main character... ng author."

They remain silent.

"This isn't just a story anymore. It's more than that. I'm not just asked to write a story but I think what Magdelene Rice really wanted me to do was to find Simon. It's what I want as well."

"What will you gain with that?" Taylor asked.

"I'm not trying to gain anything," I muttered. I blew out a breath of frustration. "You see, Taylor, if we don't stop him, there will be no end to this. There will be more people whose lives will be changed forever by evil, there will be more victims and more sufferings."

Sumingit si Tobi. "Pero ano pa ang magagawa natin? The Ripper Murders case is already closed. Hindi rin natin mahihingi na pabuksan ulit ang kaso. Kung may maiprepresenta tayo na ebidensiya posibleng mabubuksan pa."

Then, I guess we have to find one. The recent events might pull a new thread.

"What do guys think about what happened last night at the orphanage?"

I saw Detective Davis winced at the mention of it, and she instinctively touched her arm. 

"Last night was a show," she answered.

"Exactly. He only let Schneider around so he could use him as a scapegoat," I said. I felt my hands becoming clammy from the sweat, I clenched and unclenched them to relax.

Since Schneider's dead... he most likely wanted us to think we're in a dead end.

"Dr. Corazon and Rage Uy's murders were also almost identical to how the Ripper planned out his murders, but the possibility of them being a copycat can't be overlooked," Tobi claimed, rubbing his hands together nervously.

My eyes narrowed at him. "What are you talking about? The Ripper's still alive. You know it's Simon."

"Hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na si Simon... ay si Gavin," amin niya. Umiwas siya ng tingin sa amin. "Even if he is, he might've been a copycat."

"He's not a copycat, Tobi. I'm sorry."

Detective Davis sighed. "I know it's hard to believe but it's the truth, Tobi. A friend's now became an enemy."

"I still can't believe it," he mutters. "If he really is the Ripper, why return now?"

In all honesty, I still don't understand why the Ripper became silent after Ainsley died. Because of his silence everyone assumed that the murders finally come to an end along with Ainsley's death. We know he's definitely not the type to stop. What made him lay low for two years?

Then I remembered the Dying Moon.

Tanda ko mula sa mga alaalang pinakita sa'kin ni Ainsley ang pagbibigay niya ng libro sa babaeng nagngangalang Daphne. Ang nars na kaibigan ni Penelope at ang taong pinadala ni Magdelene Rice para obserbahan ako.

Riley Hyde was also asking for the book, demanding I should give it to her based on Simon's orders. What does he want from the Dying Moon?

Narinig kong tumikhim si Detective Davis. "If we want to find something to incriminate him with. Remember he left quite a trail in the warehouse."

Tobi beamed. "I could stay at the lab and wait for the results. Then, I'll come back with Taylor to tell you what we've found."

"I'll help Tobi gather the data," Taylor offered.

I looked at Taylor, and that's when a thought came into mind.

"Taylor, maybe you should write about this."

Nanlaki ang mga mata nila.

Tinaas ko ang kamay ko para pigilan sila. Kailangan ko pa ipaliwanag sa kanila kung ano ang ibig kong sabihin.

I draw in a quick breath. "It will keep the people talking, and once they do, they won't have a choice but let us reopen the case."

Halata sa mukha nila na hindi sila sang-ayon sa suhestyon ko, all but one — Taylor looked impressed.

Nagkasalubong ang tingin namin, at doon ko nakumpirma na nagkasundo kami.

"There are some sites that had discussed the Ripper Murders with some shred of doubt with the way it ended. They'll be the first to believe us," Taylor claimed, nodding his head at me.

"May mga taong..."

Pinutol niya ako. "Hindi naniniwala na si Jacqueline Paige ang Ripper. Marami. Most of them are her fans, they questioned why the murders were pinned on her, and why there were little to no details about her sudden death."

"Paano mo nalaman?"

"Nasabi sa'kin ni Gavin noong iniimbestigahan pa nila," paliwanag niya. "They think they're supporters of the Ripper and his ideals."

Hindi ako makapaniwala na may mga tao pang hindi naniniwala na si Ainsley ang Ripper. There are still people who continue to believe in her. They fought to prove she was innocent, in the only way they knew they can, and that is writing about why she couldn't be the killer they all thought she is.

"While most people couldn't care less how the case ended with Jacqueline Paige's suicide, there were some who created forums, websites, and pages demanding a reinvestigation. They continue to protect her from the mudslinging hatred the others were still throwing at her. Even in death," Taylor explained further.

Our eyes were wide as we stare at him, jaw dropped and speechless. Detective Davis was the first to recover.

"Taylor, how did you know all of this?"

He shrugged. "Lots and lots of research." When he saw us still staring, he let out a sigh. "I looked it up when Revalaun brought up the possibility of the Ripper being alive, so I did a little investigating. Mostly because I wanted to prove him wrong but... I found something interesting."

Silence.

"Jacqueline Paige didn't kill herself," he told us.

Pinanlakihan ko siya ng mata.

"Hindi ba kayo nagtaka na walang pinakuha na magsagawa ng autopsy sa katawan ni Jacqueline Paige?"

Tobi was the one who answered. "Actually, I found it odd. They only announced she committed suicide after they found her body, but they never made any official statement."

"Well, that's because they had her killed."

Kinuwento niya sa amin kung paano, he discovered that the higher ups were behind it.

"So, one of the higher ups wanted revenge on her for killing his wife?" Tobi asked, wide eyed in horror.

They got the wrong person. Ainsley didn't deserve to die like that.

Taylor continued telling us what came into fruition in his secret little investigation. 

He interrogated the wardens who were present the night she died. With Gavin's help, they got to look at the cameras. Unfortunately, he found nothing since the cameras were angled the wrong way, it was far from the prison holding cells. The long hallway of Tartarus was lined with special holding cells on the left side, and on the right were glass windows overlooking the open yard of the facility. That is where they usually take out the prisoners to get their daily exercise or have a breath of fresh air.

The windows were to high for any of the prisoners to reach. I think its only purpose is to let in the sunshine.

"They deleted a clip from the cameras directed at that angle. I noticed since one of the videos skipped five minutes," he informed us. "I saved it on my phone just in case."

"Just in case of what?" I ask.

He shrugged. "In case we're going to need to use them."

Tobi laughed. "I gotta hand it to you, Taylor. You're always one step ahead."

"You have to be prepared at times like this."

Taylor brought out his phone again, scanned some files on his phone and then showed us a video clip. He first showed us the clip that has a cut in the time interval. He paused at the last second then he played it again.

"There was a flash of light!" Tobi declared, leaning close to the screen to confirm what he saw. Our eyes widened when Taylor replayed it, and saw that there was indeed a sudden flash of light.

Tumango si Taylor. "At first I thought it was just a reflection of the lights but it was a sudden flash that reflected on the glass windows."

"I think I know what that is," Detective Davis interrupted. "That flash of light could've came from a gun."

Taylor nods. "I figured as much, so I went inside to investigate the cell where she died. Fortunately, I found gun powder residue inside the cell."

"It's already been two years and yet there are still traces?" Hindi makapaniwalang tanong ni Detective Davis.

"They never cleaned up. They left the cell as it is."

"Idiots," she muttered. "They're too confident they won't be found out."

Napakunot-noo ako.

"I'm not following," I confessed.

Detective Davis looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You've been hanging around us since Gavin became a detective and you still don't know how a gun works?"

I shrugged, giving in and not wanting to argue anymore.

"It's called a muzzle flash, Revalaun. It came from the end of the gun caused by excess gases, unburned gunpowder from behind the bullet, and when fired it interacts with the oxygen in the atmosphere causing the flash," Tobi explained.

So, that's how Taylor knew about the gun powder residue. It proved his guess that it was a gun flash he saw on the windows.

"After I asked Gavin to investigate it further, I heard the assailants were stripped off of their ranks." Taylor's expression turned sour.

"Why do I feel like there's a 'but'?" Huminga ako ng malalim.

"But they got back on duty."

I knew it.

"Let me guess, they were pardoned?" Detective Davis asked bitterly.

"That's not all they did," he mused, shaking his head. "While you're recuperating, I saw the three officers who died with Rage Uy, I recognized them as the assailants who murdered Jacqueline Paige."

Detective Davis laughed at this. "Malinaw na kung bakit hinayaan nilang makabalik ang tatlong 'yon. They could have been planning to make them do the same thing they did to Jacqueline Paige."

They wanted him dead.

Bumaling ako ng tingin kay Detective Davis, at napansin ang matagal na paninitig kay Taylor, tila ba sinusubukan niyang basahin ang iniisip nito. Nagulat kami sa itinanong niya kay Taylor.

"Does Gavin know they were reassigned?"

Hindi sumagot si Taylor.

"Did you tell him?" Kalmadong ulit niya.

Kilala na namin si Blythe Davis, ang pagiging kalmado niya ay kabaliktaran ng tunay niyang nararamdaman.

Matagal bago sumagot si Taylor.

Napabuntong-hininga siya. "Yes, I did."

"I figured," she snorted, her eyes darkening. "Simon found out what happened to Jacqueline Paige. It's either he was infuriated that she was killed, or someone else did it before him. Why didn't you tell us about this?"

"I didn't know it would be important." Taylor glanced at me. "And I didn't want to encourage Revalaun."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "You didn't want to admit I was right."

"That too," Taylor replied, smirking.

We stayed in Detective Davis' room a little longer, catching up with what we missed these days. As it turns out, keeping ourselves from getting eaten by the stress we got busy on our own means. Tobi got himself busy in his lab with Taylor, teaching him about chemicals and other science-y stuff.

Meanwhile, detective and I were busy 'hanging out' in the diner, Tobi's words not mine. Just to be clear, I was working my shift and Detective Davis was busy scanning through her files. Pero kahit anong sabihin namin, pinagtawanan lamang nila kami.

Our laughs faded when the door swung open, and Gavin entered with plastic bags in hand. Sumilay ang ngiti sa kanyang labi nang makita kami, samantalang isang masamang tingin naman ang tinapon ni Detective Davis at Taylor sa kanya.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Tobi. We both know what's about to transpire with his sudden visit.

"Anong ginagawa mo dito, Gavin?" Detective Davis asks, her voice seething with venom. "I told you, didn't I? I don't want you anywhere near me or any of us."

He took another step inside, that's when I stood up and block his path.

Gavin swallowed. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but I'm tired of trying to understand in what kind of bullshit you're all in right now. I demand to know why you're treating me as if I'm a villain."

"You have no right to demand anything, Gavin!" Galit na sigaw ni Detective Davis sa kanya, her nose flaring and eyes dilated at him.

"What the hell did I do wrong?" he shouted, desperately. He put down the plastic bags he was carrying on a table near the door.

"We already know you're Simon, okay? So cut the crap."

Gavin's brows met in confusion, his jaw dropped and an eye twitched at the words. Nagulat kami nang bigla siyang tumawa at tinuro ako. There was humor in his eyes, and everything about what's transpiring in this room is like some kind of sick comedy to him.

In that moment, while he was laughing and pointing at me, I knew that Gavin has completely lost it.

"Isn't that the same bullshit he has been going on about?" Lumaho ang tawa niya, at napahilamos siya sa kanyang mukha. "Don't you realize how ridiculous it is? Hindi niyo siguro nakakalimutan na nababaliw na rin si Revalaun."

"Gavin, that's enough!" Taylor pushed him away forcefully.

"Don't push me around." Gavin shove him back.

Before I could stop them, they lunged at each other.

Napaatras si Gavin at tumama ang likod sa lamesa kung saan niya nilagay ang mga dinala niya. Lumabas ang Tupperware na may laman na tomato soup. Its contents spilled on the white floor, Gavin mistakenly stepped on it and almost slipped. He caught his footing and took a step backward, sets of shoeprints became visible after he stepped on the white floor from the tomato soup spill. I saw Tobi staring at it, so I couldn't help but look at it as well, the shoeprint pattern on the floor were vertical lines and small round shapes.

The two stopped fighting when Detective Davis shouted at the top of her lungs. "I'd rather believe a crazy person than a criminal!"

The emotions that embedded into the sudden eruption of emotions brought us all into a deafening silence. The silence made my blood run cold as the wind swept inside the room from the window, and the cold glare Detective Davis had thrown across the room to Gavin, who stood there with an unreadable expression on his face.

Taylor stood before him, sighing as he run a hand through his hair. Tobi let out a loud breath. While I tensed against the shaking of my limbs from the heavy tension hanging in every corner of this room. It was heart-breaking to see us all like this, on edge and reaching dangerously on the point of no return, our friendship's already tainted as it is, and now it's completely falling apart.

Gavin was the first one who broke the silence.

"Do you really think I'd do that?"he asks. "Is that the kind of person you see me as, Davis?"

Detective Davis didn't answer.

We held our breaths when Gavin nodded, and then turned to leave without sparing us another look or a single word.

***