LORELEI

THE SIREN of the firetrucks wailed as they arrived at the apartment. Mabilis na rumesponde ang mga bumbero at sinubukang patayin ang apoy. It took more than thirty minutes before the fire was under control and eventually put out.

Thank God that our room was spared from the flames. But half of the apartment building was burned. May mga maiitim pa ngang usok na lumalabas mula roon.

Tita Martha was biting her nails as she gazed at what remained of the west wing. Malayo ang kaniyang tingin, tila nanghihinayang sa ilang taon na ginugol niya para doon.

Loki, who was a meter away from me, was still hugging Theodore while his eyes were fixated on the building. I could see curiosity in his eyes. I have to say, he looked kinda cute with my teddy.

"I appreciate you saving my teddy bear from the fir—"

"MY teddy bear," he corrected, turning to me. "Theodore is mine, by right."

"Okay, fine! Your teddy bear!" We never settled before kung sino na talaga ang nagmamay-ari sa stuffed toy. Para wala nang argument, I gave up my ownership. "Pero bakit siya ang niligtas mo at hindi ang ibang bagay sa apartment natin?"

Iniharap niya sa akin si Theodore. Binabalik na ba niya ang ownership sa akin? "Look at his eyes. They have been modified."

I leaned my head forward to see what changed in the bear's eyes. I saw none.

"Herschel planted micro-cameras in them," he told me when my face made a confused expression. "They serve as my eyes whenever I'm not in my room."

"What have you done to my—to the teddy bear?" I protested. Bahagyang nagulat si Freya dahil sa reaksyon ko. "Theodore is supposed to be a stuffed toy, not a surveillance tool!"

"First, Theodore is mine, by right. I can do whatever I want to him."

How many times should he reiterate that? Binigti niya nga noong isang araw ang walang kalaban-labang teddy bear.

"Second, remember when my silver laptop was stolen? If only we had hidden cameras in the unit back then, we could have known who took it away."

Ah, yes. I can vividly recall the scene. His so-called Pandora's Box was used by a Clark Gazetta reporter to destroy our club. Up to now, we don't know who trespassed in our unit and stole the laptop.

"Hence I cannot let the fire to burn him," Loki finished, still hugging the bear.

Nabaling ang tingin namin sa fire marshall na naglalakad patungo sa kinatatayuan namin. Kakababa pa lang niya mula sa sunog na parte ng building.

"Mukhang nag-overheat na phone charger ang sanhi ng apoy," sabi niya. "Nagmula ang sunog sa Room 207 at mabilis na kumalat sa mga katabing kuwarto."

"Wala naman bang nasaktan? Nakalabas ba lahat ng tenants?" tanong ni Tita Martha. Kahit na nasunugan na siya, she still cares about her tenants. That's one quality I like about her.

Napayuko ang fire marshall at saka lumingon sa mga bumberong papalabas ng building. May bitbit silang itim na body bag.

"Sa kasamaang palad, may hindi nakalabas na tenant," malungkot na sabi ng fire marshall. "Natagpuan ang kaniyang labi sa kuwarto. Sunog na sunog na ang kaniyang katawan kaya mahirap na itong makilala."

"Where exactly did you find the body?" Loki asked.

"Sa kama niya. Nakahiga pa ang biktima nang matagpuan namin ang kaniyang labi."

I could see in Loki's face the suspicion in the circumstances of the victim's untimely death.

"Priscilla! Priscilla!" Isang lalaki ang lumapit sa body bag na ipinapasok sa ambulansya. Sinubukan siyang pigilan ng mga bumbero ngunit nagpumiglas pa rin siya.

"M-My Priscilla! Anong nangyari sa kaniya?" garalgal na tanong nito.

"Hindi siya nakalabas sa kuwarto niya nang may sumiklab na sunog," sagot ng bumbero. "Kaano-ano mo ba siya?"

"Li-Live in partner niya ako..." Mangiyak-ngiyak na tugon ng lalaki. "Dapat pala, hindi ko siya iniwan kanina! Dapat pala, nag-stay ako sa unit namin! E 'di sana hindi mangyayari 'to!"

"Do you know him?" tanong ni Loki kay Tita Martha. Mukhang hindi pa rin masyadong nahihimasmasan ang landlady namin.

"Si Bu-Bruno, ang kasama ni Priscilla sa unit." It took a few dead air moments before my aunt managed to reply. "Mag-iisang taon na silang tenant ko sa Room 207."

"Priscilla ko!" hagulgol ni Bruno nang tuluyan nang ipasok sa ambulansya ang labi ng kaniyang partner. What a sad story.

"My dear landlady, do you know any instance where those two had a little domestic?" Loki asked, his eyes were fixated on the grieving man sitting on the cold ground.

"A-Away?"

"Yes, away. Did you hear them yelling or throwing plates at each other?"

"Noong isang araw, narinig ko silang nagsisigawan," my aunt replied, her senses now coming back to her, thanks to Loki's question. "Biglang nag-walkout si Priscilla pagkatapos no'n. Tinanong ko siya kung anong problema. Dahil daw sa pera."

"Why are you asking about their relationship?" bulong ko kay Loki na nakatingin naman ngayon sa sunog na kuwarto. "You won't be interested in that couple for no particular reason."

"Come with me," he said. Iniabot niya kay Tita Martha ang higanteng teddy bear sabay sabing, "They said that hugging something can positively change your mood. Have Theodore accompany you while we investigate this case."

"C-Case?" pag-uulit ni Tita Martha ngunit 'di na siya ni-reply-an ni Loki. Dahan-dahan ko ring binaba si Freya at itinabi kay tita. I told her stay beside my aunt at all times, hindi ko nga lang alam kung naintindihan niya.

"With your permission, we would like to enter the crime scene," my roommate told the fire marshall who seemed confused.

"Sorry ngunit hindi namin pinapayagan ang mga bata na mag—"

"My name is Loki Mendez, a high school detective, and this is Lorelei Rios, my assistant detective. Maybe you have already heard of our names before from a colleague of yours?"

Natigil sa pagsasalita ang fire marshall at nanlaki ang mga mata kay Loki. "I-Ikaw si Loki? Ang detective sa Clark High?"

My companion nodded. Why did he seem confident that the fire marshall will recognzie his name?

"I assume former inspector and now Officer Estrada told you about me," sagot ni Loki.

"O-Oo, ilang beses ka na niyang naikwento sa akin tuwing nag-iinuman kami. Ang buong akala ko'y isa kang fictional character at gawa-gawa lang ni Estrada ang mga kwento niya!"

"Now that you have seen me in the flesh, let me prove to you that my legend is real."

"Pero wala nang dapat imbestigahan dito. Natukoy na namin ang posibleng source ng sunog. What else is there to investigate?"

"Because this case might be an arson. And a murder one."

Pareho kaming napatingin ng fire marshall kay Loki. What is he saying?

"But I won't tell you my theory until I check the crime scene. So please?"

Ang fire marshall na mismo na humawi sa dilaw na cordon sa harapan namin. In a few words, he managed to convince the officer to let us in. Loki's charm sometimes works.

"Did you just make an excuse to enter the crime scene?" tanong ko habang inaakyat namin ang hagdanan. Napatakip pa kami ng ilong dahil sa amoy ng sunog. It stinks.

"I am not that bored so there's no compelling reason for me to loiter around a crime scene," he answered. "I do think that this is an arson and a murder. Ano sa tingin mo?"

"Hindi ko alam kung saan mo nakuha ang ideyang 'yan. Why would someone burn down half of an apartment?"

Nakarating kami sa second floor at diretsong nilakad ang pasilyo hanggang sa marating ang Room 207. Halos hindi na makilala ang kuwarto dahil sa pinsalang tinamo nito sa sunog. Nangitim ang mga pader, nabutas ang kisame at puro abo ang nadatnan namin sa loob.

Dahil sa nakakasulasok na amoy, napatakip kaming dalawa ng ilong. "Anong hinahanap natin dito?"

But Loki didn't reply. Nagpatuloy lang siya sa pag-examine sa buong unit. Nang satisfied na siya, pumasok siya sa isang kuwarto at doon namin nakita ang kamang yari sa bakal. It was barely recognizable as a bed.

"There's only one bedroom so the two tenants here are probably sharing the same bed," sabi ni Loki.

"And that is where the firemen find the burnt corpse of Priscilla," dagdag ko.

"They said that the body was lying here when they arrived. Do you find anything strange in that?"

I crossed my arms and stared at the disfigured steel bed. Sinubukan kong imagine-in ang mga nangyari bago sumiklab ang sunog. My eyes could see someone lying on the bed, sound asleep as the night fell. Then a fire erupted in the living room and spread all over the unit. Kumalat ang apoy sa kuwartong kinatatayuan namin hanggang sa umabot sa kama. I assume na may foam na hinihigaan ang biktima. The flame then engulfed the victim's body and burned her alive.

But wait, something's weird.

Napaangat ang tingin ko kay Loki. He probably could see from my expressions that I found something that was out of place.

"Your thoughts?" He asked, putting his hands inside his pajama pockets.

"If a fire broke out in this unit, she should have woken up, right?" tanong ko. "Sa init ng paligid niya, imposibleng hindi siya magigising. She would have tried to escape the room and save herself. Pero bakit sa kama natagpuan ang bangkay niya?"

"I can only think of two reasons why she stayed in her bed." Loki raised two of his fingers and walked around the steel bed. "First, she started the fire herself and committed suicide in this room. Second, for some reason, she couldn't move from where she was lying."

"She was tied up in bed!"

"Or she was already dead even before the fire had started." Loki stopped at the headboard of the bed and looked at me. "In other words..."

"She was murdered," I finished. "At may iisang tao lamang na makakagawa no'n. Her live-in partner."

Napatingin ako sa sala kung saan posibleng nagsimula ang apoy. "This fire was meant to cover up what he did to his live-in partner. He intentionally started it. Murder then arson."

"If someone's body was burned in a fire, there's no need to conduct an autopsy. Whether the culprit stabbed the victim multiple times or slit her throat, there's less chance that we will ever find out. Bruce deserves some credit for being creative."

"Loki!" I called him out. "Hindi ito ang oras para purihin mo ang kasuklam-suklam na ginawa ng isang kriminal! He killed his partner and let the fire burn her to crisp!"

"We will bring that man to justice," tugon niya. "Me complimenting his genius doesn't mean that I condone his crime. Let's start revealing the truth, shall we?"

Lumabas na kami ng Room 207. Pakiramdam ko, dumikit sa balat at damit namin ang amoy ng sunog. Nadumihan din ang mga malilinis naming damit, thanks to the ashes in the area.

Sinalubong kami ng fire marshall sa ground level. He looked curious about what we found out in the room where the fire started.

"The fire was not caused by carelessness," paliwanag ni Loki. "Someone set up the whole thing so he can erase any traces of his crime."

"Kumbinsido pa rin kayo na isa itong arson?" pagulat na tanong ng marshall. "Kung ganon, sinong nasa katinuan ang magsusunog ng isang building na may tatlong palapag?"

Ngumuso si Loki sa aming kanan. "The drama actor over there. The fire started in his unit. Isn't he fortunate that he wasn't in when blaze started engulfing their room?"

Nilapitan ng aking kasama si Bruno na nakaupo sa may sementadong sahig, tila tulala pa rin. If he's playing an act right now as a grieving man, I must say he's good at it. Teary eyed, sniffing every now and then, the look of sadness in his eyes and trace of melancholy in his face.

Loki leaned quickly to my ear and whispered, "I will deliver the first blow, you will follow up with another, okay?"

"I'm sorry for your loss, Bruce." Loki's monotonous voice didn't sound as if he's genuinely sorry about what happened. "So tell me, why did you kill your live-in partner?"

What the heck. You can't just go around asking why someone killed another human being!

"Ano?!" Kumunot ang noo ni Bruno at nagpukol ng hindi makapaniwalang tingin sa aking kasama. "Hindi ko alam kung anong isyu mo, brad, pero kaunting respeto naman para sa akin. Nagluluksa ako ngayon tapos magbibiro ka ng ganyan?"

"Let me take it from here," bulong ko kay Loki bago ko ibinaling ang aking tingin sa suspek. "Pagpasensyahan mo na ang kasama ko. Talagang walang preno ang bibig niya paminsan-minsan. Pwede ba naming malaman kung nasaan ka at kung bakit wala ka sa unit nang mangyari ang sunog?"

"Nakipag-party ako sa mga ka-brad ko sa may bar diyan sa Balibago," sagot ni Bruno. "Kung sanang alam ko lang na magkakasunog dito, hindi ko na sana iniwan si Pris! Nailigtas ko sana siya! Anong klaseng partner ako?"

"Someone who deserves an award for best acting?" Loki jested.

"Iniisip n'yo bang may kinalaman ako sa sunog? Kaya ba ganyan umasta ang boyfriend mo sa harapan ko, ha?"

"First of all, hindi ko siya boyfriend," I clarified before the idea is planted in his head. "Second, we are looking at all angles about the suspicious death of your partner."

"Suspicious!"

"The firemen found her corpse lying on a totally burned bed. Don't you find that suspicious?" Loki explained. "If she woke up and she tried to escape, sa ibang parte dapat ng unit n'yo makikita ang bangkay niya. If I were in her shoes, I would go near the windows and breathe in fresh air until the smoke suffocates me."

"Naisip namin na may dahilan kung bakit hindi siya makagalaw," dagdag ko. "Either nakatali siya sa kama o pinatay na siya bago pa man sumiklab ang apoy."

"And who among the tenants here could do either of the two to her? Using the process of elimination, only one name and face pops up. Yours, Bruce."

"Bruce ka nang Bruce e Bruno ang pangalan ko!" Nanlaki ang mga butas ng ilong ng suspek habang nagrereklamo. "At bakit ko naman papatayin ang live-in partner ko?"

"According to the landlady, you and Priscilla got into a quarrel recently," sagot ko. "Kung anuman ang pinag-awayan n'yo, posibleng 'yon ang motibo kung bakit pinatay mo siya at nagsimula ng sunog dito."

Paulit-ulit ang pag-iling ni Bruno, mukhang 'di siya basta-basta aamin sa krimeng ginawa niya. "Kayong dalawa na feeling detective, ang lalakas n'yong mambintang ng kung ano-ano. Sige! May ebidensya ba kayo na magpapatunay na ako nga ang pumatay sa kaniya?"

"You are nothing but a fool if you think you just committed a perfect crime," sagot ni Loki. "You might be thinking that you have weaved a perfect web, but there must be a loose thread somewhere. My partner and I are going to look for it."

"Tama na ang satsat, detective boy! Patunayan n'yo kung kaya n'yo!" nakangising hamon ni Bruno. I finally saw a crack in the mask he's been wearing since we first saw him.

If he really killed his live-in partner, he's messing with the wrong duo.

q.e.d.