A/N: This update was originally posted on April 1, but was unpublished because of some changes in the previous chapter. There are no significant changes in this update.

LORELEI

IT'S TIME to make a move.

Magkakasama kaming naglakad nina Alistair at Margarette palabas ng campus. Wondering why the three of us were together? At nasaan na ba sina Loki at Jamie? Let's take two steps backwards.

Pagkatapos kong makipag-usap kay Luthor kanina, bumalik kami ni Alistair sa execom office para ituloy ang meeting. Meron kaming dalawang tasks na pending: Una, i-review ang mga liquidation report, specifically sa mga published issue ng Clark Clarion since two years ago. 'Yon ang mga dala-dalang papel ni Maggie na nasa hawak niyang folder.

Pangalawa, isagawa ang planong i-clog ang ventilation ng Clarion editorial office para mag-install ng hidden cameras. This might be the trickier task dahil hindi dapat mapansin ni Augustus na may kakaiba sa gagawing pag-aayos ng ventilation. Kapag nakatunog siya, he would be on guard and our surveillance would be useless.

Para mabilis na ma-accomplish ang parehong tasks, we decided to divide them between two teams. Mas efficient na may division of labor kaysa lahat kami ang naka-focus sa iisang task.

Alistair and I were assigned to review the reports together with Maggie. That meant Jamie and Loki would be in charge of finding ways on how to bug the Clarion's office. Imagine how happy Jamie was nang malaman niyang kasama niya sa task si Loki.

"Today is my lucky day!" she declared. Kaunti na lang ay mag-victory dance siya sa loob mismo ng execom office. Loki, however, wasn't amused. What do you expect from him? Mas bagay nga na siya ang naka-assign sa gano'ng task dahil idea niya naman 'yon.

Mabilis din humupa ang saya ni Jamie nang malamang sasamahan silang dalawa ni Rye. Apparently we have to work in threes. A senior execom member must always supervise us. Rye was a good choice para i-handle si Loki. Sorry, Jamie, pero mukhang ayaw talaga ng tadhanang ma-solo mo si Loki.

Ngayong lunch time, napagdesisyunan ng team ko na puntahan ang printing press na nagpa-publish sa mga issue ng Clarion. Ang sabi ni Margarette, walking distance lang daw ito kaya hindi na namin kailangang sumakay sa kotse ni Alistair. Mabuti't medyo makulimlim ang kalangitan. Hindi kami masyadong naarawan at nainitan.

"These are the official reports na isinubmit ng Clarion," sabi ni Maggie. Iniabot niya sa akin ang ilang sheet ng papel mula sa folder. "Naka-attach diyan ang mga quotation na galing mismo sa printing press."

I skimmed through some of the documents. Sa quotation makikita kung magkano ang gagastusin para sa production ng mga release ng Clarion: Tabloid, broadsheet, newsletter, magazine at literary folio. Naka-indicate dito kung ano ang size at ilang pages ang bawat issue, anong klaseng papel ang gagamitin, ilan ang colored pages at iba pang detalye.

For the review of the liquidation reports, we were hoping na may mga makita kaming discrepancy. Seeing the quotations for every issue of Clarion, naisip kong baka dinodoktor ni Augustus ang mga 'to para pataasin ang ire-request nilang budget. Kumbaga, papatungan niya. Ang sobra, mapupunta sa bulsa niya o sa bulsa ni M.

"These look authentic," komento ni Alistair matapos obserbahan ang mga quotation na naka-attach. "Kung finorge ito ni Augustus, he did a really good job."

"As the editor-in-chief, malamang may alam siya sa photo manipulation," dagdag ko. Inoobserbahan ko kasi ang pirma ng general manager sa right side ng papel. Gaya ng sinabi ni Alistair, mukhang authentic nga. "Piece of cake lang sa kanya na gumawa na sarili niyang quotation at pagmukhaing ito ang totoo."

"We would know once we meet the general manager," sabi ni Maggie. Ibinalik niya sa loob ng folder ang mga papel. "Ipagko-compare natin ang nasa records nila at ang quotations na hawak natin. Once na may isang hindi nag-match, we got him."

I agree. Sana nga'y magbunga ang pagpunta namin doon. It would make our investigation much easier kung may makikita na kaming bala laban kay Augustus. Once we proved that he falsified these documents and embezzled money from the Clarion, we can ask him to cooperate with the investigation against M.

Tama nga ang sinabi ni Maggie. Hindi gano'n kalayo ang printing press mula sa campus. Probably a three to five-minute walk only. We got inside the two-storey building. Pagpasok pa lang namin, agad na ipinakita ni Maggie ang authenticated letter mula sa Accounting Office na nagre-request na bigyan kami ng access sa records na may koneksyon sa mga ipina-print ng Clarion.

Pinaupo muna kaming tatlo sa lobby habang hinihintay ang paglabas ng general manager. Medyo awkward ang sitwasyon. I wanna talk to Alistair about our plan, but Maggie was there. I don't wanna involve her yet sa discussion. Eventually we would. But not now.

"Hanggang ngayon, hindi ko pa rin maintindihan." Strangely, Maggie was the first one to break the awkward silence. "How do you manage to survive being with Loki? He's a magnet of tragedies. I already told you about the misfortune that befell those who get close to him, right, Lorelei?"

I smirked. Naalala ko ngang ganyan na ganyan din ang pagkaka-describe niya noon kay Loki sa unang pagkikita namin. I already sensed her animosity toward him back then. Nothing has changed.

"I thought that once the QED Club is dissolved, mahihimasmasan na kayo," she went on. "Nothing connects the four of you anymore. Hindi n'yo na siya kailangang i-tolerate dahil wala na kayong club. Yet here you are. Sticking together and joining the execom. If the execom gets dissolved, I bet na sama-sama pa rin kayong apat at sabay-sabay na mag-a-apply sa isa pang club."

"Because it's not really the club that binds us together," I answered, looking at her. "It's the friendship that we've built over the past few months. I know, Loki would cringe at the word 'friendship,' but that's what it is. Na-dissolve man ang QED Club, hindi basta-basta madi-dissolve ang connection namin sa isa't isa."

I could see from my peripherals na ngumiti si Alistair at napatango. We must be sharing the same sentiment.

Kumurap sa akin ang mga mata ni Maggie. Parang pinipigilan niya ang kanyang tawa. "Your sense of friendship has blinded you! Maiintindihan ko 'yan kung ang pagkakaibigan n'yo ay gaya sa ibang magbabarkada. But this is not your usual circle. Being friends with Loki Mendez is entirely different and difficult. Lorelei, binalaan na kita noon kung ano ang mangyayari sa mga napapalapit sa kanya. Ilang beses na ba kayong nalagay sa panganib dahil sa kanya?"

Sorry, Maggie. But I'm no longer counting the times na nalagay ang buhay namin sa alanganin. I myself almost got dissolved by sodium hydroxide. Jamie almost got killed if M's goons used the charcoal brazier in the props room where she was being kept. The two of us got abducted by corrupted CAT cadets. Alistair fell into a coma after being hit in the head.

Alam kong concerned siya sa amin kaya niya nasabi 'yan. But I wanted to correct her mistaken notion. Loki's not here to defend himself. But I, as his friend, will.

"Maggie, Loki wasn't the one who brought all those tragedies in our lives," I told her. Tinitigan ko siya nang direkta sa mata. I wanted her to understand that Loki isn't cursed. He isn't a magnet of tragedies. "If you wanna blame someone, blame Moriarty. As long as hindi natutuldukan ang case niya, the danger will still linger."

"That may be the case." Maggie nodded. "But you can't deny that you got into trouble because you became associated with Loki. Maybe if you chose someone else as a friend, hindi n'yo daranasan 'yon."

"While we can say that we didn't sign up for the ordeals that we've been through, we still chose to stick with Loki," Alistair answered, smiling. "We could have kept ourselves away from him. We could have abandoned him. Sino ba namang gustong malagay sa panganib, 'di ba? But we stayed. We want to see this case through. We want to solve this case with him so no one will have to suffer the same fate as M's victims."

How I wish Loki heard what Alistair said.

But Maggie wasn't convinced. Umiling siya na may kasamang pagpalatak. "Ang titigas talaga ng ulo n'yo, 'no? You remind me of Rhiannon. Matigas din ang ulo no'n tapos... uhm..."

Her eyes looked away and took a deep breath. The thought of her best friend must have disoriented her. Hanggang ngayon, dama pa rin niya ang sakit na mawalan. Well, it's not easy to move on from the death of a friend. I could say the same for Loki.

Minsan naiisip ko: What if one of my friends dies? How am I gonna deal with that situation? How am I gonna cope with the loss? It's a thought that I wouldn't want to entertain.

"I told her—" Napalunok si Maggie at napakurap ang mga mata. "I warned her that her association with Loki might bring her harm. With or without that M person, may possibility na mapahamak siya. I warned them to drop the M case, but they didn't listen. If only Rhiannon listened to me... If only Loki listened to me, she would still be here with us."

Halos pumatak na ang mga luha ni Maggie. I don't know what to say. Well, may mga naiisip akong sabihin, but I'm not sure if my words would not sound insensitive. So I chose silence. Better to say nothing at all. I only gently caressed her back while Alistair gave her a hanky.

"Bakit ba napunta rito ang usapan?" tanong ni Maggie. Tinanggal niya muna ang kanyang salamin at pinunasan ang kanyang nangingilid na luha. "We're talking about you and your cursed relationship with Loki. That man's cursed, I'm telling you. Parang siya si Midas. Imbes na nagiging ginto, napapahamak ang mga taong nahahawakan niya."

I let her wipe her tears. Her ill feelings toward Loki was so apparent on how she spat every word. People shouldn't make a connection with a cursed man. Because once they do, tragedy would follow them.

"Maggie," I called her name gently. "Have you forgiven Loki?"

"Me? Forgiving him?" she scoffed. "Hindi. I still blame him for what happened to Rhiannon. Every time I see him, I wanna slap him in the face. Whenever I hear him being reckless, I wanna scold him and remind of what happened the last time he did. Pasalamat siya't nakakapagtimpi ako. I have to be professional. I am the chairwoman of the executive committee after all."

"Darating ba ang araw na mapapatawad mo siya?" sunod kong tanong.

Maggie returned the hanky to Alistair, thanking him. She then shook her head. "I don't know. I can't say. Only time can time. Mabigat pa rin ang loob ko sa kanya. Maybe I hate him, for the lack of a better term."

"I don't think you really hate him," Alistair spoke, pocketing his hanky. "Oo, masama ang loob mo sa kanya. Meron kang pinanghuhugutan. Pero baka may mas nangingibabaw kaysa sa galit mo. I think you care about him. Kung talagang galit ka sa kanya, wala ka na dapat pakialam sa kanya. You would let him do reckless things. You would let him put himself in danger. But no. You still look after him."

Natulala sa kanya si Maggie bago biglang napahalakhak. "Alam kong mga detective kayo at mahilig kayong mag-assume ng ganito't ganyan. But don't ever second-guess my feelings about that person! You have no idea kung ano ang pinagdaanan ko dahil sa katigasan ng ulo at kapabayaan niya."

"S-Sorry," Alistair said. "I didn't mean to offend—"

"Do you know what's my last convo with Rhiannon was?" Maggie stared blankly at the wall, her eyes had a distant faraway look. "It's about M. Ni hindi man kami nagkumustuhan tungkol sa studies niya o sa execom duties ko. We used to talk about those things, but not anymore since she became busy with the investigation. I still remember the last thing she told me. 'M might be trying to be a Samaritan,' she said. Sasabihin niya raw kay Loki kapag nagkita silang dalawa."

M might be trying to be a Samaritan? Talagang sinabi ni Rhea 'yon? A Samaritan, by definition, is someone who gives help to people who need it. And I don't think that description fits M in any way. Baka nagkamali lang ng dinig itong si Maggie.

"Excuse me?"

Dahil sa sobrang seryoso ng usapan namin, hindi ko namalayan ang paglapit ng isang lalaking naka-polo na naka-tuck-in sa kanyang pantalon. Nasa forties na siguro siya, malaki ang pangangatawan. Nakasalamin din siya at may nunal malapit sa labi.

"I'm Arturo Miguel, ang general manager ng printing press. Kayo ba 'yong magre-review kung nagma-match ang records namin sa records n'yo?"

Sabay-sabay kaming tumayo at kinamayan ni Sir Arturo.

"Yes, sir," sagot ni Maggie. She sniffed and cleared her throat. "My name's Margarette. This is Lorelei and that is Alistair. We are members of the executive committee and we have been authorized by the Accounting Office to do an audit."

"Okay ka lang ba, miss?" may pag-aalalang tanong ni Sir Arturo. "Namumula ang mga mata mo."

"Don't worry about it, sir," nakangiting sagot ni Maggie. "Napuwing lang ako."

"Sure ka, ha?" tanong ni Arturo. "Regarding your request, let's discuss it in my office."

Sumunod kami sa kanya sa loob. Dalawa o tatlong kwarto yata ang nilampasan namin bago kami nakarating sa opisina niya. He asked us to take a seat before his desk.

"Meron bang problema kaya nagko-conduct kayo ng audit?" tanong ni Sir Arturo habang inililipat ang mga pahina ng hawak niyang blue book.

"Wala naman ho," sagot ni Maggie. "Talaga pong once in a while, nire-review namin ang expenditures ng bawat club at organization. Gusto rin kasi naming malaman kung pwede pang taasan o ime-maintain ang naka-allot na budget sa kanila."

The truth is, we're here because we'd like to know if there's any corruption in the Clarion. But the general manager doesn't need to know that, does he?

"Ah, heto!" Lumapit sa amin si Sir Arturo at inilapag ang dalawang blue book sa mesa. "Nilo-log namin dito sa records ang bawat transaction. This is for this year and the other one is for last year. You can check each item na may label na CLARION. Kapag may agreement na kami ng editor, we sign that part in acknowledgment na 'yan ang pagkakasunduan naming presyo."

Kinuha ni Maggie ang blue book at isa-isang ikinompare ang mga nakalagay roon at ang mga hawak naming report ng Clarion. Excited kaming makita ang ma-records at mapatunayang tama ang hinala namin.

However, every time Maggie turned the page and saw the numbers in the record for the Clarion, unti-unting nawawala ang ngiti sa aming mga labi.

The total costs, the number of pages, the size of the releases, the cover materials, the paper quality—they all matched the ones indicated in the Clarion's report. And that's for all the issues. In short: Walang discrepancy ni isa sa kanilang mga issue.

Nagkatinginan kaming tatlo at tila natulala nang sandali. Maybe this wasn't what we were expecting.

"Are you OK?" tanong ni Sir Arturo. "May nakita ba kayong hindi nag-match kaya ganyan ang mga mukha n'yo?"

Maggie forced a smile as she shook her head. "No, sir! In fact, masaya kami na wala kaming nai-spot-an na discrepancy sa records."

"Ah, gano'n ba?" tango ni Sir Arturo. "Meron pa ba akong maitutulong sa inyo? Is there something else that you might wanna look at?"

"No, sir. We're already satisfied with what we've seen."

We tried to hide our disappointment as we left the printing press. I was hoping na kahit isa o dalawang discrepancy lang, meron kaming makikita. Pero wala talaga. Clarion is clean.

"Is it possible that Augustus tampered the records of the printing press?" tanong ko. "Hindi mahirap hanapin ang gano'ng type ng log book. They could have bought one, changed the figures of Clarion's transactions and rewrote the other details para magmukhang authentic at mag-match sa isinubmit nilang reports."

"I don't think so." Alistair shook his head. "The logbook for last year looked worn out. Kahit gaano pa ka-talented si Augustus o ang mga kakilala niya, hindi gano'n kadaling i-recreate 'yon."

"Maybe we should accept that this is a deadend," buntong-hininga ni Maggie. "And we have wasted an hour for nothing."

Bumalik na sa campus at dumiretso na muna sa aming classroom. Saktong mag-uumpisa na ang afternoon period nang makabalik kami. Mamaya na lang namin pag-uusapan sa execom office ang aming discovery—na wala naman pala.

I admit that I was sad that we found nothing. In-expect ko nang posibleng dead end ang pinuntahan namin. Pero masakit pa rin pala kapag naging totoo ang expectations. Mas masakit ang aktwal na masampal ka kaysa isipin na masasampal ka pa lang.

We have no choice but to rely on Loki's alternative—surveilling Augustus while he's in the editorial office.

"Lori, bakit ang lungkot mo yata?"

Napaangat ako ng tingin. Bumati sa akin ang nagtatakang itsura ni Rosetta. She combed her long hair with her fingers. "W-Wala naman. Hindi lang ako nasarapan sa kinain kong lunch."

I know it's a lame excuse, but Rosetta would buy it anyway.

"Pwede ba kitang istorbohin sandali?" tanong niya. "Namomroblema kasi ako, eh."

Wala ako sa mood, pero sige. Let me hear what she had to say. "Ano naman ang pinoproblema mo?"

"Lo and behold!" Ipinakita niya sa akin ang isang maliit na vial na may lamang liquid. "Rosetta's own creation! I'm planning to venture into the perfume business. I've already started making my own formula. Smell it!"

Medyo rude kung tatanggi ako kaya kinuha ko ang hawak niya at ini-spray sa wrist ko. I smelled it. And it smelled great. Better than average perfumes.

"It smells nice, 'no?" nakangiti niyang tanong.

Tumango naman ako at pilit na ngumiti pabalik. "Do you want my opinion kung papasa ba 'yan sa market?"

"Hindi, hindi! That's already taken care of!" pailing-iling na sagot niya. "Dahil wala naman akong physical store, gusto ko sanang magtayo ng online shop. May dalawa akong online partner choices na kino-consider. I want to know which one's better."

"I'm listening," tugon ko.

"Sa first online partner, masyado siyang strict. Ang gusto niya, kung ano 'yong naka-set sa price list, 'yon lang ang susundin. Bawal magpatong nang sobra," paliwanag ni Rosetta. "Sa second online partner naman, mas maluwag! Pwede naming patungan 'yong presyo basta pagkasunduan namin kung magkano."

Dahan-dahang nanlaki ang mga mata kong nakatingin kay Rosetta.

"Kung iko-compare natin ang dalawa, P150 ang benta ko sa first partner, habang pwedeng umabot ng P200 doon sa second partner ko," pagpapatuloy niya. "Iko-consult ko sana sa'yo kung justifiable ba na taasan ko 'yong price per item ng perfume ko. Walang problema roon sa partner ko kasi agree naman siya, tapos dagdag-kita rin 'yon sa kanya. What do you think?"

Napatayo ako mula sa pagkakaupo at napahawak sa magkabilang balikat ni Rosetta.

"Rosie, thank you! May naisip na akong explanation doon sa problem namin!" bulalas ko. Muli akong nabuhayan ng loob. The path we took earlier wasn't a dead-end! "And regarding your concern, justifiable naman basta alam mong worth-it ang presyo ng product mo."

"You're welcome, Lorelei!" Rosetta smiled. "I'm always happy to help. Thank you rin sa advice mo. I can make up my mind now!"

Agad kong pinuntahan si Alistair sa kanyang desk. Busy siya sa pagbabasa ng notes namin para sa susunod na subject. Sorry, pero kailangan kitang istorbohin. I might have made a breakthrough in the investigation!

"Al! I think I've figured it out!"

Ibinaba niya ang kanyang binabasa at iniangat ang tingin sa 'kin. "Lori? What is it?"

"We've been working on the assumption that Augustus alone adjusted the price in the quotation, right?" sabi ko. "We're thinking na he falsified the quotations and submitted them to the accounting office. Mas malaki ang patong niya, mas marami siyang makukuhang pera para sa kanya at sa organisasyon nila."

"Yeah." Alistair nodded, squinting his eyes. "But that theory has been proven wrong as of lunchtime. Walang adjustment na nangyari. Hindi niya dinoktor ang nakalagay sa reports. The costs in the Clarion's quotations matched the figures in the printing press' records."

"What if Augustus and the general manager agreed to adjust the price for printing?" I asked. "What if they're in this together?"

There's only one conclusion that I could think of: Augustus and Sir Arturo are accomplices in this scheme.

q.e.d.