TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains some details that might be disturbing to some readers, including, but not limited to, references to sex and drug use.

Please be mindful of these sensitive themes and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.

BEATRICE

LAST TONIGHT, I lost a mentor, a confidant. Today, that reality had not sunk in. When I was being interviewed in the police station, I was still in denial. I saw what happened with my very own eyes, but I was wishing that everything's just a cruel joke played on us by Sir Zafra.

But I did not cry last night. Nor did I cry this morning. I had not lost someone so important in my life, so I did not know how to grieve. They said that everyone had their own way of expressing grief. Maybe this was mine. Being on autopilot the whole day. Being numb to almost everything. Natapakan na ang sapatos ko, natapunan na ako ng mainit na coffee, muntik na akong masagasaan sa daan, pero wala akong naramdaman.

Sinubukan kong umiyak sa girl's comfort room habang naka-break kami kanina. Pero kahit anong pilit ko, walang luha na tumulo. That added to my frustrations. Why couldn't I feel anything? Why couldn't I cry for a person who was important to me?

I could not do anything else so I decided to do what I usually do. Read my notes. Do our seatworks. Eat at lunchtime. Go to the student council office.

I sat on my own desk and stared at the envelope that was lying there. I had always consulted my decisions and my opinion with Sir Zafra. Sometimes I was not that confident with what I was doing, so I needed someone to validate my feelings. I found that satisfaction on sir. But he was not a yes-man or a passive listener. There were times that his opinion was against mine, and he made me realize that my position might be wrong.

Binuksan ko ang envelope na nakapatong sa desk ko at sinilip ang laman nito. These were copies of the results where Coleman Cortez and some of his fellow basketball players tested positive for drug use. I still had no idea who left this in the student council office and addressed it to me. Unang akala ko nga'y baka si Sir Zafra mismo ang may gawa. But after hearing his side this weekend, I dismissed the possibility.

The last thing that Sir and I talked about was what to do with this document. He did not give me an outright answer. He presented two sides. I could go after the varsity players and be remembered as the officer who deprived us the chance to make a comeback in the inter-school tournament. Or I could dismiss this anonymous tip and let them play and represent our university, hoping that they would bring glory.

If I had known that would be our last discussion, I would have chosen another topic.

So what should I do? Wala na akong mahihingan ng advice. Wala na akong masasandigan kapag confused ako sa isang bagay. I was on my own now. No one was going to validate or challenge my opinion.

"Are you okay, Bea?"

My shoulders jerked when I heard the voice of the USC president. I quickly slipped the papers back inside the envelope. My eyes raised my gaze at them as my lips forced a smile.

"I'm perfectly okay. Thanks for asking, by the way."

"Perfectly?" USC President Presley Tejeros repeated. "You've been staring at that document for a while as if you were lost in your thoughts. And you haven't printed copies of the agenda for this afternoon's meeting."

I put down the envelope and quickly rose to my feet. "Sorry! It slipped from my mind. Medyo lutang ako ngayong araw kaya hindi ako maka-focus. I'll print the agenda right away. Pasensya na talaga."

Aalis na sana ako sa aking desk, pero hinarangan ako ni Presley. "Is this about the news of Sir Zafra's death?"

My eyes looked down. May kirot sa puso ko na marinig ang pangalan niya. I nodded.

"You two must be quite close." He crossed his arms and leaned against my cubicle wall. "You look so devastated after learning about his untimely demise."

"We're kinda close," I agreed. Truth be told, I did not know what I was to him. Was I just a colelge student who loved to pester him with mundane problems? Or was I a friend who he was willing to listen to? Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to ask. I would not get that chance anymore.

"Would you like to take the afternoon off?" Presley asked. "Maybe you need some time for yourself. Maybe you need to grieve."

As much as I wanted, I did not know how. "Hindi ko kailangang mag-excuse sa meeting natin mamaya. Our personal feelings have nothing to do with council work. Kailangan kong ihiwalay ang dalawa."

"I must insist." Presley stared at me directly in the eye. His tone was also serious. "Don't take it negatively, okay? I'm not asking you to excuse yourself because you were sloppy today. I honestly think that you might need some time for yourself, even for just today."

"But I still can—"

"Bea," he called my name with emphasis. His gaze was still lock onto me. "Take the afternoon off. You are hereby excused. Don't worry. I will ask Franchesca to take the minutes of the meeting later."

Franchesca or Cheska is the USC vice president. Not sure if she was going to appreciate being asked to do someone else's job.

"If that's what the USC president wants." I smiled at him. One of the things that I admired about Presley was that he genuinely cared for the members of his council. He did not treat us as chesspieces he could move at his own pleasure. He always checked on us. And that was exactly what I wanted to be as the next USC president, if I would ever be elected.

"By the way, may I ask something?" He glanced at the envelope on my desk. "What's inside that thing? A report you're preparing to present in our council meeting? Or a form for the next general elections?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I also threw a glance at that thing. "It's for my project. Hindi ko kasi alam kung isa-submit ko na 'to sa prof ko."

No one in the USC knew about the anonymous tip that I got. Why? Because I did not want to present something that was not fully verified. Baka kasi hindi legit itong test results. Baka makuryente ako at ma-dissappoint sa akin si Presley at ang iba pang USC officers. I had to be sure that the info was genuine.

"I know you're going to nail that project," Presley said. "O, ano pang hinihintay mo? You may now excuse yourself."

"Thank you." I picked up my shoulder bag and pushed my swivel chair toward the desk. "I promise, babawi ako bukas. Ipapahinga ko lang siguro ang sarili ko para ma-relax ako."

I was about to make my way out of the office when I heard three knocks on the door. Bumukas ang glass door at pumasok ang isang lalaking may familiar face. I almost dropped my bag when I recognized him.

"De-detective?" I muttered to myself, my eyes widely staring at the police detective who just entered the USC office.

"Excuse me?" he almost shouted. Meron siyang kasama na babae na siniko siya sa tagiliran. She was probably a cop too. "We're looking for Beatrice Benison—oh, there you are!"

He turned in my direction and walked toward me. He flashed a wide smile that looked like he was bringing good news. But I felt that he was bringing the exact opposite. My instinct told me.

Napahakbang ako paurong, pabalik sa aking desk. But I realized that I should not, so I stood my ground.

"Good afternoon, Sir," I greeted him. Lumabas din sa kani-kanilang cubicle ang iba pang USC officers.

"How can we help you, Sir?" Presley asked. He just got out of our conference room. Tiningnan niya mula ulo hanggang paa ang hindi namin inaasahang bisita.

"I'm here for Beatrice," the detective answered, motioning his hand to me. "I have an update on the Zafra murder case—"

M-Murder?!

His female companion nudged him on the arm. "We'd like to invite her again to the station."

"Hihiramin muna namin siya sa inyo. Okay lang ba?" tanong ng detective.

"I excused Bea from this afternoon's council meeting so she can take a rest." Presley glanced at me. "She's not in her best mood today—"

"No, I can handle this." I looked at him first before turning to the detectives. "Gusto ko ring malaman kung ano na'ng update sa nangyari kay Sir Zafra. Maybe this will give me some relief."

"Now that's the spirit!" the male detective exclaimed. "We're also going to invite the other three. Do you know where they might be?"

"May ibinigay kaming contact number sa inyo kagabi, 'di ba?" I recalled. "Baka pwede n'yo silang tawagan o i-text."

"I prefer to personally pay them a visit and tell them the news," the detective insisted. "Baka kapag nalaman n'yo na gusto ulit namin kayong makausap, bigla n'yo akong pagtaguan—"

Again, his female companion nudged him on the arm.

I promised cooperation in this case, so I would cooperate. "Around this time, nagpa-practice sa gymnasium ang team ni Cole para sa upcoming inter-school basketball tournament. You can expect Anastacia there too, since lagi siyang nanonood ng practice game."

"How about the four-eyed dude?"

"He's in the other wing. He's a writer in the Clarion so he must be in their editorial office."

"Great!" The male detective rubbed his palms together. "Sana'y wala pang umuuwi sa kanila. We really need to talk about the case. We have some interesting findings. So shall we?"

We left the USC office and walked along the hallway leading to the entrance lobby. Nag-excuse muna ang lalaking detective. Siya na raw ang pupunta sa editorial office ng Clarion para i-check kung nandoon pa si Desmond at para sunduin ito. Naiwan kaming dalawa ng female companion niya.

"By the way, I'm Verity Victorina," she finally introduced herself to me. "I was just assigned last night to the Zafra case."

"Uhm . . . Nice to meet you po," I replied awkwardly. Medyo lutang pa rin ako maging sa ganitong kasimpleng interaction.

"If you want a lawyer present in the station, now is the time to call one," Detective Verity said.

My eyebrows furrowed at her. "Are you considering us as suspects to Sir Zafra's death? Is that why your partner called it as a murder case?"

She returned my gaze. I felt her reluctance to answer my question. The awkward silence between us was very telling. "We prefer the term persons of interest. But we'll tell you more in the station. Hindi magandang pag-usapan dito sa campus ang tungkol sa case."

Napalunok ako ng laway. So my fears were true after all. One of us killed Sir Zafra. I already thought of that possibility, but it still came as a surprise to me. These two would not have come all the way here if they were not sure.

Minutes later, nakita na namin sa hallway si Detective Juste kasama si Desmond sa tabi niya. Desmond looked visibly pissed. He might be in the middle of writing an article when the detective barged in their office door and asked for him.

"Two down," Detective Juste proudly announced. "Puntahan na natin ang love birds sa gymnasium."

And that's our next spot. Pinaghintay kami sa labas ng gym habang pumasok ang dalawa sa loob. Desmond and I had an awkward moment. We did not usually speak that much unless it's related to an article he was writing about the USC's projects.

"Do you have a lawyer with you?" I asked, breaking the deafening silence between us.

"Mukha ba akong may kilalang lawyer?" pabalang niyang balik sa akin. "Hindi ko nga ma-afford ang tuition dito sa Clark U, lawyer pa kaya? Umaasa lang ako sa scholarship ko."

Staffers of the Clarion enjoyed some discount in their tuition fees, depending on the position. That was one of the incentives for being a writer. And that's why much was always expected from them.

"Ikaw, meron ka nang abogado?" tanong niya.

I shook my head. "Do I look like someone who has a lawyer on speed dial? Mahal kaya ang services nila."

"Bale mabubulok na siguro tayo sa kulungan niyan?" may halong birong sabi ni Desmond. "Walang magde-defend sa atin, eh. Dehado tayo. Baka sina Stacy at Cole, afford ang magpatawag ng abogado."

"Kung hindi natin afford, may i-a-assign namang public attorney sa atin," I replied. "We have a right to counsel after all."

"O baka pwede tayong maki-share ng lawyer sa rich kids nating kapwa suspect?" may halong biro ulit na sabi ni Desmond. "Lalo na kung wala sa atin ang pumatay kay Sir."

That was possible. May mga napanood na akong interview clip sa TV kung saan iisang abogado lang ang tumayo para sa grupo ng suspects. Maybe that could be applied to us as well, so we would not be burdened with finding a competent lawyer who could defend our innocence.

Moments later, the two detectives came out of the gym with Stacy and Cole beside them. Nagsama-sama na naman kaming apat. We walked to the parking lot and stopped in front of a police car.

"So shall we go to the station?" Detective Juste asked. "Are you guys gonna ride with us or with Cole here? I'm assuming na he also brought his car today."

"I did," Cole replied, nodding. Humarap siya sa amin.

"Pwede kayong sumabay sa kaibigan n'yo," sabi ni Detective Verity. "Baka hindi kayo comfortable na sumabay sa amin."

"Pangit ding tingnan na sumakay kami sa isang police car," Desmond added. "Baka magkaroon na agad ng hinala ang mga estudyanteng makakikita sa amin na may ginawa kaming krimen."

"The boy's got a point," Detective Juste agreed. "Alam n'yo naman siguro ang daan papunta sa station, 'no? So hindi na namin kayo kailangang i-guide."

The two detectives got inside their cars first. Kami, sumunod kay Cole na naglakad pa nang ilang metro hanggang sa tumigil kami sa spot ng kotse niya. He got into the driver's seat and unlocked the car doors. Sa side ng passenger's seat pumasok si Anastacia habang kami namang dalawa ni Desmond ang nasa backseat.

"So . . . we're officially suspects now, huh?" Cole asked, looking at us through the rearview mirror.

"Persons of interest," I corrected him.

"What a fancy term for suspects." He scoffed. "May naka-ready na ba kayong abogado?"

"Wala," Desmond and I answered in chorus. We exchanged glances and simply averted our gazes.

"My dad knows a good lawyer," Cole said, his eyes back on the road. There was heavy traffic ahead so the car slowed down. He turned to us as his foot pressed the brake pedal. "I've already texted her before we got into this car. Maybe she can represent the four of us until you find your own lawyers?"

Since I found out about the drug test results, my opinion of Cole had become distorted. I did not care that much about him before. I was fine with him playing basketball. But that envelope changed how I viewed him. At this moment, it's hard for me to say if he was genuine with his offer of help or he was trying to win me over so I would not pursue the tip.

"That's . . . very kind of you," I commented, staring at him. Our eyes met, then he averted his gaze as the traffic began to move again.

"Wala naman akong choice kundi tanggapin 'yang offer mo," Desmond added. "Mas magaling naman siguro 'yang abogado mo kaysa sa kung sinong public attorney ang pwedeng i-assign sa amin."

Cole's smirk was visible from my seat. "She's one of those attorneys you won't want to mess with. Na-meet ko na siya before at ilang beses na niyang natulungan ang dad ko sa kaso. I can say that she's competent enough."

"Napagsuspetyahan din ba ng murder ang dad mo?" Desmond asked. I gave him the look that begged the question, "Could you ask more politely?"

But Cole laughed it off. "Hindi, ah. Just a minor case that my dad really had nothing to do with."

"Kung ire-represent niya tayong apat, may dapat muna siguro tayong linawin," Anastacia finally broke her silence since we got in the car. She glanced at me, then at Desmond through the mirror. "Did one of us here murder Sir Zack?"

She did not beat around the bush. I felt in her cracking voice how much she was affected by what happened. Sir's death must have been a heavy blow to her, the same way it was to me.

Silence ensued inside the car. I exchanged glances with Desmond, then with Cole and Anastacia through the mirror. Maybe one of us was guilty, thus the silence. Maybe we just did not know who should answer first.

"Kung murder ang pinag-uusapan, dapat may present na intent na patayin ang isang tao," Desmond explained. "Dapat may premeditation. Pinagplanuhan. Pinaghandaan. Gaya ng pagbili ng lason at paglalagay nito sa drinks niya."

He was quite right. I read some newspaper articles about high profile murder convictions. For the crime to be considered murder, the perpetrator must have taken advantage of superior strength, earned a price or reward, used any means that could cause loss of life, or made the victim suffer more.

In Sir Zafra's case, if he was truly poisoned, then it's obvious that there was premeditation, as Desmond had mentioned.

"Pumunta ako sa party para makasama si Sir bago siya umalis, hindi para patayin siya," Desmond went on. "Ang sagot ko riyan sa tanong mo ay no. I didn't murder him nor did I consider the thought of murdering him."

"Me too," I answered next. "I had nothing against sir. He's my mentor. We maintained good relationship until his . . . I have no motive or whatsoever.

Yes, I kinda felt betrayed that he lied to me about Anastacia, and that they kissed before my turn in the one-on-one session with him. But would that be enough reason for me to poison him?

"How about you two?" I asked. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"Kaaayos ko lang sa relasyon naming dalawa ni Sir kagabi," Cole answered. "I'd be a fool to go to his despedida party and kill him in front of everyone. Alam kong alam n'yo na may history kaming dalawa. I'd be immediately suspected of the crime."

"Unless confident ka na hindi ka mabubuking ng mga imbestigador," Desmond said.

"Kagabi mo pa ako pinagsususpetyahan, ha?" Cole replied, slightly annoyed. "Dahil ba sinapak ko si Sir kaya iniisip mong ako na agad ang primary suspect? Hindi ako gano'n katanga."

"Ilang beses na sigurong natamaan ng bola ang ulo mo kaya naalog na't—"

"Do you want me to throw you out of my car? Nag-offer na nga akong isali kayo sa ire-represent ng lawyer ko 'tapos ganito pa ang—"

"Heto na naman kayong dalawa!" I scolded them, making their mouths shut in an instant. "The investigation will soon reveal if one of us killed Sir Zafra. It's useless to point fingers now."

"Basta ako, hindi ko siya magagawang patayin," Anastacia said, her eyes looking out the window. "Hindi ko rin siya magagawang saktan. He's more than just a guidance counselor to me. He's more than just a fellow in the repertory theater."

I knew. I already suspected as much when I saw the stain of her red lipstick on Sir Zafra's lips yesterday. Something was going on between them.

"So none of us did it, huh?" Cole asked.

"Or none of us wants to admit it," I added. Who would confess to killing a person? Even I would not be so stupid. Only my conscience could make me tell the truth.

We went silent in the car as Cole kept on driving. We arrived at the police station five minutes later. The detective's car parked in front of the building. Cole parked his car next to it.

"Welcome back," Detective Juste greeted us as we walked toward the station's entrance.

"Have you called your lawyers?" Detective Verity asked.

"Isang lawyer lang ang magre-represent sa aming apat," Cole answered, glancing at us individually. "We hope that's okay."

"Sure, no problem," the female detective replied. "As long as there's someone in the room who can advise you properly."

We pushed the double door and walked inside the station's lobby. No less than twenty hours later, we were back in this place again. This time, in a much more serious situation.

"I'll prepare the interrogation room," Detective Juste said, walking backwards and almost bumping into another officer. "Let me know when you're ready or when your lawyer arrives."

"She'll be here in ten minutes," Cole told the remaining detective. "Medyo traffic lang daw kaya male-late siya."

"Please make yourself at home." Detective Verity motioned to the vacant chairs on the side.

"Kung may isa sa atin ang pumatay kay Sir, talagang magiging home na niya ang precinct na 'to," Desmond muttered. That sounded like a jest, which none of us found funny.

We sat on the chairs and waited for the time to pass. Cole and Anastacia were having their moment beside me, the former asking the latter if she was feeling well. Desmond chose to spend his time typing on the phone with his quick fingers. He must be writing an article.

Me? Well, I just wanted to go home and sleep, let the heavy feeling inside of me loose. I was on auto pilot mode the whole day. Now, I regained control of my consciousness.

"She's here," Cole said. We all stood to greet the woman who walked in. "Good afternoon, attorney."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Cortez. I'm sorry for being late. I tried to drive as fast as I could, but the traffic was terrible."

The woman must be in his mid or late forties. Her raven hair was braided into a crown as if she was a queen of a kingdom. She looked regal in her posture. Her deep red lipstick matched the color of her outfit.

"I'm Frigette Corazon-Mendez, from the Corazon-Mendez & Associates Law Firm," the lawyer introduced herself. "You can call me Frig, Tita Frig or Atty. Frig. I really don't mind."

"Tita, my friends here don't have lawyers with them," Cole explained, gesturing to us. Desmond flinched at the word "friends" while I subtly raised an eyebrow. "So do you mind if you—"

"Provide them legal counsel too?" Atty. Corazon-Mendez asked. "Sure, I don't mind. As we speak, none of you here is being charged with murder and is set to be on trial. So I'm happy to be of service to you and your friends. And don't worry about the fee."

"Thank you, attorney," we said in chorus.

"Just do what I tell you, okay?" She beamed at us, which we reciprocated. But her smiled faded in an instant as her face and tone turned serious. "If I tell you to shut up, please do shut up."

The way she warned us, I would not think of doing the opposite.

"Before we go inside the lion's den, let me ask you a simple question." Atty. Corazon-Mendez took a dramatic pause as she cast a glance at each of us. "Did you four conspire to murder your guidance counselor?"

"That's ridiculous, tita. Hindi kami gano'n ka-close na apat—"

"No, there's no way I would plan to murder Zack with—"

"Masyado namang imposible ang anggulong 'yan, attorney—"

"I don't think we have a compelling reason to work together and kill—"

Atty. Frig did a zipping motion in the air. We instantly stopped talking and threw glances at each other. None of us would want to be scolded. Definitely not by her.

"My first advice: Do not answer more than what is asked of you," she said. "If the detective throws you a yes-or-no question, just answer yes or no. Don't elaborate unless they ask for an elaboration. Are we clear?"

We nodded.

"So let's be done with this."

Detective Verity greeted our lawyer and escorted us to the interrogation room. She closed the door as we got inside. Detective Juste welcomed us as if we were attending a mini-conference. We sat around a long, steel table where a laptop was lying there.

"Thank you for coming all the way here, attorney," Detective Juste began. His partner sat beside him. "We've invited your clients here because they're now being considered as persons of interest in the murder of Zacharias Zafra."

"What are the facts?" Atty. Corazon-Mendez asked. "How did you conclude that this is murder?"

The detective slid a folder to her across the table. Our lawyer opened it and started reading the documents while occassionally glancing at the detective. We leaned closer to her so we could also read the contents. I noticed the autopsy report and toxicology result on the heading.

"The medical examiner found traces of potassium cyanide in his body," Detective Juste explained. "If you don't know, potassium cyanide releases an asphyxiant that affects the body's ability to use oxygen. Ergo, the victim's bluish purple lips when these kiddos found him dead."

I appreciated the brief chemistry lesson. This confirmed that Desmond's theory about the manner of death was correct.

"The use of poison indicates premeditation," the detective continued. "Una, kailangang bilhin ang chemical. Pangalawa, kailangang pag-isipan kung saan ito ilalagay. Based on our findings, the wine glass that the victim drank from had traces of the poison. The other wine glasses, the wine bottle, and the ice bucket did not have any."

"The circumstances do make this incident a murder case," Atty. Corazon-Mendez agreed, turning the document to the next page. "May I ask how did my clients become persons of interest?"

"If we were to believe their testimonies and the CCTV footage from the camera installed outside the house," Detective Verity answered, ". . . no one else was present that day except for these four."

"In other words, one of them did it," Detective Juste finished. "No one else could have done it."

"Pero wala kaming rason para patayin si Sir!" Anastacia blurted out. "Bakit namin siya lalasunin kung wala naman—" Her mouth came into a halt when the lawyer raised her right hand.

"You're saying that the four of you do not have any motives?" Detective Juste said. "Well, the contents of the victim's phone strongly disagree. They're enough to turn you from persons of interest to suspects."

Sir Zafra got something on us? What was he talking about?

He turned the laptop to face us and hovered his hand over the space bar. He almost pressed it, but he hesitated for a second. "Before I show you the following contents, I wanna let you know that you may find them disturbing. You are warned."

We gave him a nod, and then he pressed the key.

What we saw next was something that totally caught us off guard. Something unexpected.

"Ugh! Sige pa, Zack. Sige pa!"

"You really like that, Stacy?"

"Yes! Yes! Make me—ugh!—your slave."

"Say please sir."

"Ugh! Please sir, make me your—ugh!— slave!"

There was no mistaking it. The voices in the sex video were Anastacia's and Sir Zafra's. I averted my gaze and looked at the star of that show. Her jaw almost dropped on the floor and her eyes went so wide in horror. Even Cole was stunned at what he was watching.

"No need to watch the whole video. You probably got the context." Detective Juste pressed another key. "Next."

"High na high na 'tong si Cole!"

"Uy, Rhys! Huwag mong i-record!"

"Wala naman akong nire-record, ah? Sobrang high mo na siguro kaya kung ano-ano ang iniisip mo."

"Gago! Hindi pa ako gano'n ka-high! Kapag may nakakita sa video, yari tayo!"

"Bakit ba kasi dito tayo sa school nagwi-weed? Pwede namang sa bahay n'yo?"

"Nando'n mommy ko, pre. Gusto mong palayasin niya ako?"

My eyes blinked as I watched Cole and his teammates puffing smoke in the gym's locker area. So the tip was right all along. I looked at him. His head hung in shame.

"Next?" Detective Juste pressed a key.

"Here's the answer key to the midterm exams."

"Saan n'yo ho 'to nakuha, Sir?"

"You don't need to find out, Des. Ang importante, hindi ka na mahihirapan sa exams n'yo. O, bakit? Parang ayaw mo?"

"Hindi yata ako komportable na mag-cheat."

"Walang masama kung gusto mong pairalin ang pride mo at hayaang bumagsak ang sarili mo sa exams. Pero paano na ang scholarship mo?"

". . ."

"Kapag hindi mo na-maintain ang grades mo, matatanggal ang academic scholarship mo. Maaapektuhan pa ang status mo as student aide dito sa Guidance and Counseling Office. Do you wanna risk it all for the sake of your pride?"

". . ."

"Think about it, Des. Sometimes, you need to play dirty to survive this cruel world."

"May punto kayo, Sir. Hindi ko rin mapapakiusapin si Sir Paciano kapag nakakuha ako ng 84 sa subject niya."

"So take it. What matters right now is for you to continue your studies and finish your course."

"Thank you, Sir."

Desmond squeezed his eyes shut as he listened to the audio clip. There was no available video, but I immediately recognized his voice.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. If the three of them had these secrets in Sir Zafra's phone, maybe I also had one.

"And last . . ." Detective Juste made a dramatic press.

"I don't know what to do, Sir. I lost the receipts for liquidation of our outdoor event."

"How much?"

"Thirty-five thousand pesos.

"Hindi mo ba pwedeng idahilan na nawala ang mga resibo?"

"Strict ang Accounting Office pagdating sa student council funds. They will ask me to reimburse the expenses. Hindi ko kayang abonohan ang gano'ng kalaki na amount."

"I guess you're in luck."

"Huh? What do you mean, Sir?"

"I happen to know someone who works in a printing press. They print receipts of various establishments. Baka pwede akong makahingi ng mga resibo sa kanya tapos 'yon ang isa-substitute mo sa mga nawalang resibo."

"Ta-Talaga, sir?"

My eyes looked away. I also took a deep breath. I did not know that he recorded our conversation.

"These aren't the only files in his phone," Detective Juste said as he turned his laptop back to face him. "Marami pang files na nakapangalan sa mga estudyante at faculty members ng Clark University. You spoke highly of your instructor. But after seeing these contents, I can't help but think of him as a collector of blackmailing paraphernalia."

I also did not think he would be capable of this.

"So do you still believe that your clients do not have any motive to kill the vic?" Detective Juste asked.

-30-

If you've enjoyed this update and you have some thoughts/theories to share, let me know by posting or tweeting with the hashtag #Every1Suspect!