LORELEI

WHAT DID he say? Stein Alberts wants to join the Q.E.D. Club? Is he joking?

"You won't take my words seriously, I presume." Stein crossed his arms over his chest. "But I meant it when I said it. Don't you think it is time for us to make peace and work together?"

Make peace? Nagbibiro ba siya? After everything that he and his "friends" did, there will be no peace. Loki's thirst for justice won't be quenched until he catches Moriarty.

"Early onset dementia is pitiful." Loki shook his head. "The Q.E.D. Club is a group for detectives, not for criminal masterminds such as yourself. Our current mission is to find and bring the man codenamed Moriarty—also known as you—to justice. Are you a fool to join the hunters hunting you?"

"The hunt would be incredibly fun then," Stein smirked. "Don't you crave for a hunt full of thrill? Hindi ba kayo nabo-bore dahil laging napuputol ang pisi na magkokonekta sa akin at sa ilang nangyayari sa Clark High? That must be so frustrating."

"No thanks," Loki answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "You can join the club once I'm dead."

Ganun ang in-expect kong isasagot niya. I would be extremely surprised if he agreed to it.

Stein snorted. "You do know that I won't let that happen... unless worse comes to worst. Now that you have mentioned it, I'd like to apologize for the behavior of one of my rogue agents."

Biglang napakapit sa braso ko si Jamie. I could feel her hands trembling. She looked okay... for now. But painful memories can be triggered any time lalo na't kaharap namin ang lalaking may pakana ng gulo. Or so it seemed.

"It must have been traumatic for the both of you to undergo such ordeal." Stein's voice was apologetic as he faced us. "You have my sincerest apologies. Don't worry. The perpetrator has been dealt with already."

"The police found a suicide note near his corpse when they discovered him in the abandoned building," Loki butt in, his eyes keenly transfixed on the young criminal mastermind. "But you and I know what really happened."

"Anyone who lays a finger on you or leaves a whiplash mark on your pretty face deserves death." Stein looked at Loki's facial scars. "That's my golden rule."

Liar. Gusto kong isampal sa kanya ang salitang 'yan. That wasn't his golden rule. That was Luthor's. I can see through you act now, Stein Alberts. Continue acting as if you were the real Moriarty.

"In lieu of your rejection to my club application, why don't we drink a cup of tea somewhere?" The bespectacled man roamed his eyes around the area. "Minsan lang tayo magkita sa mall at baka hindi na mangyari ito sa susunod. Sounds good?"

"And why should we do that?" tanong ni Loki.

"Because you owe me a favor," sagot ni Stein. "Have you forgotten already?"

"At bakit kami pa ang may utang na loob sa 'yo?" Jamie spat. Lalong napahigpit ang kapit niya sa akin. "Matapos ang pinagdaanan namin sa isa sa mga galamay mo, do you think that we will share a table with you? You do not sit with us!"

Napatawa na lang ang lalaking nakasalamin. "Who called that rogue agent to stop him from whipping Loki and bring your friend to the hospital immediately? Who sent someone to stop that madness? If it weren't for me, Loki would have been more physically hurt than he is now and you girls might have had an unpleasant experience."

No, it was not you. It was Luthor. Stop taking all the credit!

"I deserve some credit for your rescue. An expression of gratitude will be much appreciated," Stein insisted. "Will you still refuse my gesture of goodwill?"

"Whatever you did won't change anything," Loki spoke coldly, his words sent shivers down my spine. "You are still a monster. We don't drink tea with monsters."

"Ouch," the young criminal mastermind touched his chest. "Your words wound me."

"Enjoy your cup of tea by yourself. I hope you don't get poisoned," Loki said before turning to us. "Lorelei, Jamie, let's go."

"No..." bulong ko.

"Hmm?" Parehong napatingin sa akin sina Loki at Jamie. Stein only shot a sideward glance.

"I hate to say it but we owe Stein a great deal of favor," sabi ko. I meant none of those words. "As long as he won't try to poison our tea, I see nothing wrong about his suggestion."

"Fret not! I won't do such thing," Stein assured.

Confused, Loki's eyes narrowed into slits. "Are you out of your mind? You wanna fraternize with the enemy?"

"He saved us. That's a fact. No matter how many bad acts a person did, we should never overlook the good ones."

With a clenched jaw, Loki glared at the criminal mastermind. "I did not know that you possess some hypnotism skills. Is that how you managed to change Lorelei's mind?"

Itinaas ni Stein ang kanyang mga kamay kasabay ng mabagal na pag-iling. "Believe me, I did not do anything to her. But she has a point. Let's set aside the 'evils' that I have done and pretend that we are best buddies sharing a table and drinking tea. What do you think, Lorelei? Madali lang naman 'yon, 'di ba?"

Nagkatitigan kaming dalawa ni Loki. I could see the disbelief etched on his face. Huwag kang mag-aalala. Hindi pa ako nabe-brainwash ni Moriarty. I hope my colleague understands that this is an opportune moment. Repugnant, yes. But if we want to know more about our enemy, Stein's proposal would be the perfect chance.

I gave a nod to Loki, mentally telling him to trust me. Napapikit na lang siya bago hinarap si Stein. "Fine. But don't get a wrong impression about it. You are still a monster and our enemy."

"May I suggest my favorite tea shop—"

"Our choice, not yours," Loki cut him short. "We won't let you control the rules of the game."

"Fine! Fine!" Stein raised both hands in surrender. "Your choice."

Sinimulan na namin ang paglalakad patungo sa tea shop na sinasabi ni Jamie. Loki led the squad, Stein was in the middle, while Jamie and I were at the back. Sa paningin siguro ng iba, mukha kaming squad goals.

Biglang hinawakan ni Jamie ang braso ko at bumulong sa aking kanang tenga. "What were you thinking, Lorie? Bakit ka pumayag na makasama natin ang lalaking 'yan? You know how much Loki hates him!"

"May dahilan kaya ako sumang-ayon sa proposal niya." Kinailangan ko ring hinaan ang boses ko upang hindi marinig ni Stein. "Do you really think that I will let him share a table with us? No. But we can't let this opportunity pass. We have to make the most out of it."

"If Loki trusts your decision, then I should too," Jamie beamed a faint smile. "Sana nga lang, wala talagang binabalak na masama ang lalaking 'yan. If he tries to lay a finger on Loki dear, I will strangle him with my braided hair."

Napangiti ako sa sinabi niya. Naalala ko kasi ang sinabi noon ni Loki na kayang pumatay ng tao gamit ang naka-braid na mahabang buhok. He actually told me to braid my hair so we can test it. But I refused.

"Not bad," Stein commented when we arrived at the destination. Halos occupied na ang lahat ng mga table doon. Luckily, may isang grupo ng magkakabarkada na kakatayo lang at lumabas na ng tea shop.

Umupo na kaming apat at hinintay na tanggalin ng shop personnel ang mga cup na pinaggamitan ng mga naunang customer. How I wished that Alistair was here instead of the spider.

Come to think of it, this is the first time that Loki, Jamie and I went out together. Lagi kasi kaming nasa school, nagso-solve ng mga kaso na kadalasa'y pakana ng kasama namin ngayon. We did not have time before to go out not as detectives, but as friends.

I wish we can do this thing again kapag nagising na si Al. At sana next time, hindi na basta-basta susulpot si Stein. What a coincidence, by the way.

"Dahil ako ang saling-pusa rito, let me take your orders," Stein stood, fixing his collar. "Don't worry, my treat."

Nagkatinginan muna kaming tatlong taga-QED Club. There was some air of uneasiness around. We did not trust the man who volunteered to take our orders. And we will never trust him even in such a little task.

"Uhm... Mine would be—"

"Nah, no need to tell me." Stein interrupted. "Kahit na hindi n'yo tinanggap ang application ko sa inyong club, let me showcase my deduction prowess. Jamie probably prefers a drink that will boost her serotonin levels. Chocolate milk tea, I assume?"

Kumurap ang mga mata ni Jamie bago siya tumango. "How did you k—"

"Lorelei, yours would be a coffee-free drink. You never bought a single canned coffee at school. Chocolate? Possible. But looking at the shop's menu, maybe you would choose... green tea latte?"

Paano niya nalamang ni minsa'y hindi ako bumili ng canned coffee sa school?

"And lastly, Loki..." Stein squinted his eyes as if he was trying to read Loki's mind. "Strawberries and cream."

With a slight hint of surprise on his face, Loki stared at the criminal mastermind. His lips parted as he was about to say something, but he remained silent. Maging siya siguro'y nagtataka kung paano nalaman ni Stein ang gusto niyang order-in.

"I hope you wouldn't regret not accepting me in your club." Stein did not bother explaining how he knew what's on our minds. There must be some sort of trick on it. "Ako nang bahala sa orders n'yo. Mag-relax muna kayo riyan."

Nasorpresa ang dalawang kasama ko, maging si Stein, nang tumayo ako at lumapit sa kanya. "I will come with you. I need to make sure that you won't slip poison in our drinks."

He sighed. "Don't you trust me, Lorelei? I told you earlier na wala akong balak na lasunin kayo. Gusto ko lang enjoyin ang Saturday afternoon ko kasama ang QED Club."

"Distrusting you was the wisest decision I have ever made since you introduced yourself as Moriarty," I said. And how in the world can I trust someone who's only acting in place of a real criminal mastermind? He lied to us before. He's lying to us now.

Iniwan muna namin sina Loki at Jamie sa table habang sinamahan ko si Stein sa counter. Kinailangan naming pumila dahil may tatlong naunang customer sa amin.

I can't help but wonder what's going on in Stein's mind. Bigla-bigla na lang siyang nagyayang uminom ng tea kasama ang mga taong huma-hunt sa kanya. Three versus one. He's obviously outnumbered. Wala naman akong napansing nakabuntot sa amin habang papunta kami rito.

He raised his head slightly and looked up at the menu. His spectacles shone as the light in the shop struck on them. He was terrifying the last time we met in the Math and Physics Laboratory. But today, he doesn't have the same menacing aura. Criminal masterminds need to have a day-off sometimes, I guess.

"You have questions for me," he muttered after minutes of me looking at him. "I can feel your stare and see you in my peripheral vision."

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I heard his voice that was dead serious. He had enough fun earlier.

"Do you think that I have no idea what you are trying to do?" he asked, shooting a sideward glance at me. "I expected the three of you to reject my application, which you did, and my insistence to have tea with you three."

"You're a fake, aren't you?" The words escaped my lips.

"Fake?" He repeated, raising his left eyebrow. "Aren't we all? People always feign something when they face other people. They feign innocence. They feign arrogance. They feign interest. You feigned sincerity when you said you wanted to return the favor. What makes you different from me and from the rest of us?"

"How about you? Don't you feign acting as if you are the real Moriarty?" sagot ko sa kanya.

The ends of his lips curved into a smile. "Despite everything, you still have doubts if I am the real one? Your friend Loki seems to be pretty convinced about it. What do you know that he doesn't know?"

I shrugged. "Just a hunch. I always leave some room for doubts."

He removed his eyeglasses and started wiping the lenses clean. "People believe what they want to believe. People see what they want to see."

"But people believe what they were led to believe."

Ngumiti lang siya sa akin at hindi na sumagot. When it was our turn, Stein gave our orders. Naghintay kami sa gilid ng counter na i-serve ang mga inumin namin. I watched him closely as he carried the tray to our table. By some sleight of hand, pwede siyang palihim na maglagay ng lason.

We took our drinks but hesitated to poke the straw through the plastic lid. Nagkatinginan muna kami nina Loki at Jamie bago ibinaling ang tingin kay Stein.

"For the nth time, I didn't—Okay, fine! Let me assure you that your drinks are not poisoned." Itinusok ni Stein ang straw sa plastic lid ng paper cup at sumipsip nang kaunti. He ordered a caffe macchiato for himself.

Nang hindi siya nag-collapse matapos ang ilang minuto, we poked the plastic lids of our drinks using the straws. We sipped slowly.

Then there was an awkward silence. Nagkakatitigan lang kami nina Loki at Jamie while Stein was observing us.

"Ako lang ba o parang double date ito?" Stein jested as he placed his drink on the table. "Loki and Jamie. Lorelei and I. Kung hindi n'yo ako sinama at kayong tatlo lang dito, magmumukhang third wheel si Lorelei."

Muntikan ko nang maibuga ang iniinom ko. He would be the worst date that I will ever have in my life kung ganun.

"Shall we play deductions, Loki?" Stein crossed his legs and put his hands on his lap. "Pampalipas oras lang. Ayaw n'yo rin kasing magsalita."

"Pass," Loki answered before taking another sip. "I prefer hide-and-seek. You play the seeker while we hide somewhere in this mall. Sounds fun?"

"Too much legwork." Stein waved his hand dismissively. "Tatakasan n'yo lang ako. Why don't we play murder instead? Hindi na natin kailangang lumabas ng tea shop. If you were to kill a random person here, how would you do it? Just a simple mental exercise. Whaddaya say?"

"You wanna know how I will kill you?" Loki asked. "Simple. Lace one end of your straw with poison or the tabletop where you rest your hands."

"Strangle you with my braided hair," Jamie answered as she twirled her crowning glory.

"Drop an icecube with encased poison in your drink," sagot ko naman. "Hintaying malusaw ang yelo hanggang sa humalo ang lason sa inumin mo."

Patango-tango lang si Stein habang sinasabi namin ang aming mga sagot. "So you three want to murder me. I understand why. But if I were to kill one of you, I would do it with a firm handshake."

Handshake? How can he kill someone using that technique?

"Can you tell us how?" Stein directed the question to the man across him.

"You will lace your hand with powdered poison." The straw was half an inch away from Loki's lips when he started deducing. "Once your hands make contact, the poison will be passed on the victim. If he licks his fingers or wipes his mouth, the poison will enter his system and kill him eventually."

The criminal mastermind gave him a slow clap. "As expected from you."

"As for the killer, he can easily wipe off the poison from his hand in the comfort room," Loki went on, biting the tip of the straw. "The police won't detect any traces of it."

"But what if—"

KYAAAAAAAH!

Nakarinig kami ng malakas na tili ng babae mula sa labas. Loki, Jamie and I rushed outside to see where it came from. Nagtipon-tipon ang ilang mallgoer sa isang side.

When we saw what the crowd was looking at, Jamie quickly turned her look away while Loki heaved a long sigh. We thought that this afternoon trip to the mall was gonna be peaceful. But we were wrong.

A pool of blood formed near the body of a young woman. Her face was no longer recognizable.

"Like a squashed tomato," Stein commented as he stood beside us.

Napatingala kaming dalawa ni Loki sa second at third floor ng mall. There was no visible stab wound on the body. Due to the state of the woman's face, mukhang nahulog siya mula sa taas.

"Heto ba 'yung sinasabi nilang sumpa sa mall na 'to?" bulong ng katabi kong nakikiusyoso.

"'Di ba may nagpakamatay na rin dito two months ago?" dagdag ng kasama niya.

"Cases seem to follow us anywhere," Loki said, turning to us and gazing at the criminal mastermind. "How convenient."

"Just before you get the wrong impression, I am not involved here," Stein explained as we shot him with curious stares. "I'm on holiday today."

q.e.d.