A/N: Third update for this week! We're on a roll! This was supposed to be the solution chapter on the coded message, pero medyo napahaba. Hehe~ Enjoy reading!

LORELEI

I THOUGHT our job would be easy. My expectation was kinda high since I was partnered with Jamie to talk to people who might have noticed something strange on Augustus on the day of his death. Ipinagmamalaki kasi niya ang kanyang charm na kaya niyang makuha ang mga sagot na hinahanap namin.

But it turned out that I was wrong. Wait. We were wrong.

"Hello! Can you talk to you for a minute?" tanong ni Jamie sa unang estudyante lumabas sa isang classroom.

"Sure! Tungkol saan?" masiglang tugon nito nang nakangiti.

As soon as our afternoon period was finished, nagkita kaming dalawa sa tapat ng isang classroom. Our first stop was Augustus' class. Hinabol talaga namin bago pa tuluyang umalis ang mga estudyante roon. She was pretty certain na may mag-i-stay pa nang ilang minutes matapos ang class dismissal. Gano'n daw kasi ang ugali niya noon. Kadalasan daw ng mga naiiwan sa classroom, 'yong mga tsismosa.

"Classmate mo si Augustus, right?" tanong ni Jamie. May natunugan akong kalungkutan sa boses niya. "I'm really sorry about what happened to him. But we wanna ask kung may napansin ka bang kakaiba noong araw na namatay siya? Did you notice him eating, drinking or snorting anything suspicious?"

Biglang nawala ang ngiti sa mukha ng estudyante, tila ninerbyos. What's with his reaction?

"Pa-Pasensya na," tugon nito. "Nasabi ko na sa campus police ang sagot sa tanong mong 'yan. Baka pwedeng sa kanila n'yo na alamin."

Jamie flashed an awkward smile. She looked surprised na hindi tumalab ang kanyang charm. "Pwede mo naman sigurong i-share sa amin kung ano ang sinabi mo sa kanila, 'di ba? Sharing is caring!"

"Sorry talaga." Umiling ang estudyante at naglakad palayo kahit hindi pa namin siya tapos kausapin. "Baka pwedeng iba na lang ang kausapin n'yo."

We watched as he quickly walked away from us. Hihirit pa sana si Jamie pero pinigilan ko siya. As much as I wanted to get information, we shouldn't force it from someone who doesn't want to tell us anything.

Sinubukan din naming tanungin ang iba pang estudyante na nasa loob ng classroom, but they all gave us almost the same answer.

"I've already told the campus police about what I know. You better ask them."

"Sorry, hindi ako pwedeng magsalita tungkol diyan. Tanungin n'yo na lang siguro ang campus police."

"Sinagot ko na 'yan noong isang araw. Hingin n'yo na lang 'yong sagot ko sa mga nagtanong sa 'kin."

Maging sa Clarion office, halos parehong sagot ang nakuha namin mula sa isa sa mga editor nito. I wasn't familiar with the staffers except that female editor who asked me if I wanted to submit my blog entries for their literary folio.

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer your question," Agatha Cortez, the literary editor, replied. "We've been told by the campus police not to share any information to anyone except them."

"But you do know that you can trust us, right?" tanong ni Jamie. "We're from the QED Club, the promoters of justice in Clark High! Gusto rin naming mabigyan ng justice ang pagkamatay ng editor-in-chief n'yo."

"You accused Augustus of corruption," Agatha replied. I could feel contempt in her voice. "He told us days before he was killed. You didn't like what he wrote about your club months ago kaya gumaganti kayo sa kanya. You used your position in the execom to launch an investigation against him, against us."

Kumurap ang mga nakatitig kong mata sa kanya. For a minute, I was at loss for words. Her voice was full of conviction. She sounded like she one hundred percent strongly believed everything that their chief told them. Augustus painted us the villain. But the truth is, it's the other way around! He made it sound like we were on working on a petty revenge plot against him. He spun the narrative. He tried to condition their minds.

Kahit sabihin namin sa kanya ngayon ang totoo, kahit ipakita namin sa kanya ang mga ebidensya, she might not change her mind. I honestly thought of exposing what kind of a man Augustus was, but that may seem somewhat in bad taste. Anumang paninira sa kanya o sa reputasyon niya ay pangit tingnan. Augustus is already dead.

Thanks to him, everything that we do that involved the Clarion would be seen as an act of retribution. Kung lahat ng staffers ng Clarion ay may kaparehong mindset ni Agatha, I doubt they'd be willing to cooperate with us. Kalaban ang turing nila sa amin.

Even in death, Augustus still managed to give us more headaches.

"We're about to hold our editorial board meeting right now, so can you two kindly find your way out?" Agatha said politely.

"She's lying," Jamie said as soon as we got out of their office. "Nakasulat sa kanilang bulletin board na bukas pa lang ang kanilang editorial board meeting."

"Ayaw nila sa atin," may buntong-hiningang sabi ko. What else could we do but sigh in a fruitless quest? "Augustus already poisoned their minds against us. I don't know how he did it, but he did a good job."

Jamie shot a sideward glance at me. "Pero may iisang common denominator ang lahat ng sagot nila: Campus police."

Napansin ko rin 'yon. Sa dami ng kanilang in-interview, mukhang 'di natutulog sa pansitan si Inspector Morgan Morales. Since the day he assumed being the chief, hindi na kami nakikipag-collaborate sa kanila. He wasn't friendly to us. He made it very clear that he didn't want us loitering around the crime scenes anymore.

The only exception was during the solidarity night kung saan pumayag siyang mag-charade si Loki para i-stall si Augustus at ibang Clarion staffers habang nilolooban namin ang kanilang office. If I remember correctly, Luthor's the one who tried to convince him. Mabigat man siguro sa loob niya, hindi niya kayang basta-basta i-turn down ang request mula sa anak ng isang Odinaire Mendez. Loki and Luthor's dad seem to command respect from the law enforcement.

Kung sanang si Inspector Estrada pa rin ang campus police chief, baka hindi kami nahihirapan ngayon. He'd gladly cooperate and allow us to do whatever we want.

"Baka in-expect niyang makikialam tayo sa imbestigasyon kaya siniguro niyang wala tayong makukuha na kahit anong impormasyon," tugon ko. "I wonder how he managed to do that. Maybe he made them sign a form or something."

"Masyado yatang malakas ang shield nila laban sa charm ko!" pagmamaktol ni Jamie. "What will my Loki dear say once we tell him that we've got nothing? Baka ma-disappoint siya sa 'kin! You know how much I don't want him to be disappointed in me!"

"Wala naman kasi tayong magagawa," komento ko. "Campus police mismo ang kalaban natin. Sila ang may authority na mag-investigate sa mga case dito sa school. Frankly, we have no real authority to get ourselves involved. Pinapayagan lang tayo noon kasi friendly ang dating chief."

"Maybe I should try to charm this Inspector Morales..." Jamie muttered, looking down. "He looks really scary, pero baka mahanap ko ang kiliti niya. Come on! Who can resist someone enchanting like me, the Jamie Santiago?"

Literally anyone who isn't dumb enough to fall for her antics. Oops. That might hurt her feelings so I chose to keep that thought to myself. But good luck to her. Inspector Morales is serious and unrelenting. Parang bato siya na hindi basta-basta matitibag.

"May isa pa tayong pwedeng pagtanungan," sabi ko. Lumingon siya sa akin nang nakakunot ang noo. "Sir Friedrich. Ang bagong adviser ng Clarion."

"The one who spoke in Augustus' memorial?"

I nodded. Ayaw kong i-take advantage ang pagiging mabait niya sa 'kin, pero naisip kong baka willing siyang sagutin ang mga tanong ko. As the Clarion's adviser, he might have met with Augustus hours before the latter's death. Baka sakaling may napansin siya.

But he's already left the campus. Pinuntahan namin siya sa faculty room. Tanging si Sir Jim Morayta ang nadatnan namin. Bukas na lang namin siya tatanungin.

"Kumusta naman kaya sina Loki dear?" tanong ni Jamie habang naglalakad kami pabalik sa execom office. "I hope they found something in the security footage."

Habang kami'y nagtangkang mag-interview ng mga malalapit kay Augustus, sina Loki at Alistair nama'y pumunta sa Office of Campus Security para i-check ang mga CCTV camera noong araw na namatay ang editor-in-chief. I'm a hundred percent sure na kung meron mang kakaiba, napansin na nilang dalawa 'yon.

"Speaking of Office of Campus Security..." bulong ko. Tumingin ako kay Jamie. "Alam mo bang dumaan si Hel kanina rito?"

Nanlaki ang mga mata niya't halos malaglag ang panga. Napahinto pa nga siya sa paglalakad. "T-Talaga?! That Impy was here?"

As expected, gano'n ang magiging reaksyon niya.

Tumango ako at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad. We still have a meeting in the execom office. Ayaw kong magalit sa amin si Maggie. "She trespassed into our campus premises kaya hinabol siya ng iba pang execom members. Hindi ko alam kung nahuli siya o successfully na nakatakas."

I saw her swallowing the lump in her throat as she put her hand on her chest. "Do you know what that means, Lorelei? Baka balak seryosohin ni Impy ang pagporma kay Loki dear! She must have fallen in love with him!"

Naningkit ang mga mata ko, bahagyang napailing. Not every girl who Loki meets and visits Clark High has an intention of making a move on him.

Jamie grabbed me by the shoulders, twisting my body and turning me to her. "You're my best buddy, Lori. As my best buddy, you must support me. We must do something about that Impy. We can't let her get close to my Loki dear!"

My eyebrows furrowed deeper. Bakit ba niya ako dinadamay sa sarili niyang problema? Should Hel and Loki become closer, that's not a concern to me. Jamie's only acting this way because she probably saw Hel as a threat to her romance story with Loki.

"Baka next time, sa apartment n'yo na siya bumisita!" she said. "You must be on guard always, Lori! For your best buddy!"

I gently removed her hands from my shoulders. "Hel wasn't here to flirt with Loki. She's here to investigate the murder of Sir Ephraim."

Nawala ang pagkabahala sa mukha ni Jamie, napalitan ng pagtataka. "The one who was shot in the apartment?"

I nodded. "Natagpuan na raw ang bangkay niya. As expected, the police initially thought it's a suicide, but Hel believes it's a murder. She found out na hinahanap natin si Sir Ephraim noong araw na namatay siya."

Jamie looked around and lowered her voice. "Does she suspect us? She's smart, isn't she? Dapat alam niyang wala tayong kinalaman doon."

"She doesn't think that we're capable of murder. But she wants to know what we know."

Napabuntong-hininga siya. "Mabuti naman kung gano'n. Kapag pinagsuspetyahan niya tayo, sasabunutan ko talaga ang Hel na 'yan!"

Teka, maalala ko lang. Kung talagang nakakausap ni Hel ang espiritu ng mga yumao na, she'd know that we had nothing to do with Sir Ephraim's death. Kung totoong may psychic ability siya, she should know by now kung sino o ano ang itsura ng taong pumatay rito. Unless, of course, she's just faking it.

"Bakit ba andami nating problema na kailangang harapin?" reklamo ni Jamie. Nagpatuloy na kami sa paglalakad. "Nauna na 'yong issue natin kay Rosetta at saka 'yong Augustus' box. Ngayon sumasabay pa itong si Hel at ang case ni Sir Ephraim. Kailan ba tayo magkaka-break? Can't we just chill for a few days nang walang iniisip?"

Actually, there's mystery case waiting for us to be solved: Jaime Santiago. The case of her brother's connection to the M mystery. We haven't told her about it. Masyado pa kaming maraming iniisip. Inevitably, we would deal with that problem in the near, very near, future. Sooner rather than later.

Pagpasok namin sa execom office, nadatnan naming nakaupo na roon sina Loki at Alistair. That was quick. Wala pang thirty minutes mula nang simulan namin ang kani-kaniyang task. Did they already find what they were looking for?

Probably not. Though Alistair smiled at us, Loki didn't seem to be happy. Well, he wasn't usually happy. His expression was always blank. Mahahalata mong may nangyaring hindi niya nagustuhan. Mukhang wala rin silang napala sa kanilang task.

"How did it go?" I still asked, dragging a chair. Jamie chose the seat closest to Loki and sat on it.

Nagkatingin muna sina Loki at Alistair. The former nodded at the latter, probably a signal to explain what happened.

Marahang umiling si Alistair sa akin. "We asked the Office of Campus Security to let us check the footage on the day of Augustus' death, but they told us that the video has been sent to the campus police."

Them again? "Wala ba silang sariling copy?"

"We have to ask permission from the campus police to access the video," Alistair answered. "Dahil under investigation na 'to, kailangan nating mag-secure ng written authorization mula sa kanila."

So we're hitting a dead-end on this investigation, thanks to the campus police.

"Also, about your request..." Nakatingin pa rin siya sa 'kin. "Hindi na makita ang video footage ng camera sa labas ng locker area kahapon. Baka raw nagkaroon ng technical glitch kaya hindi na-save."

"What a lucky coincidence, huh?" I commented. Hindi ako naniniwalang nagkaroon ng glitch. The anonymous texter must have erased the footage that caught him on camera.

"How about you?" tanong niya sa 'kin at kay Jamie. "Kumusta ang pag-i-interview n'yo?"

I shook my head, flashing a disappointed face. "Ayaw magsalita ng mga classmate at Clarion staffer ni Augustus. Parang kasalanan sa kanila kapag kinausap nila kami."

"Lahat sila? Paano?"

Sasagot na sana ako kaso inunahan ako ni Jamie. "The campus police asked them to not tell anyone about what they saw! Nakakaloka, 'di ba? Tinodo ko na ang charms ko, pero hindi pa rin tumalab!"

"It seems that the campus police wants this case to be exclusive to them," Loki finally broke his silence. "That's a dumb move, by the way. They might have missed a detail that we could have easily noticed."

Wala naman kaming magagawa kasi jurisdiction nila 'yon. If only we could be friends with Inspector Morales, baka maisipan niyang i-share sa amin ang kanilang nalalaman.

"Lorelei," Loki called, making me look at him. "Can your source give us a copy of the security footage and the interviews of Augustus' acquaintances? If that person managed to get a copy of the autopsy and toxicology report, he might help us with our dilemma."

"My source isn't that well connected with the campus police," I answered. Ni hindi ko nga alam kung anong magic trick ang ginawa ni Luthor para makuha ang document na ibinigay niya sa 'kin. I could try asking for his help again, but I don't want to ask too many favors from him. "Baka oras na para kausapin natin si Inspector Morales? That's the only legal way we can have copies of the materials we need."

Alistair nodded. "Kung gusto nating ma-solve ang case na 'to, kailangan nating makipagtulungan sa kanila. They conducted a thorough search of the board room and nearby areas. They might have found something na makatutulong sa 'ting malaman ang katotohanan."

"But the chief made it clear that he doesn't want our assistance," Loki reminded us. "Do you honestly believe that we can change the mind of a man as stubborn and resolute as he is?"

"We won't know if we won't try," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. He probably had other ideas in mind to get what we needed. But that should be our last resort, not the first or second. "Bago natin idaan sa santong paspasan, idaan muna natin sa santong dasalan."

"Maybe I can try to charm him?" Jamie suggested. "Nasabi ko na kay Lori kanina na baka pwede kong kausapin si inspector. Malay n'yo, mabago ko ang isip niya, 'di ba? I need you to trust me."

I really wanna trust her charming skills, but I seriously doubt that her words could make a difference. Oh, well. Ako na mismo ang nagsabing idaan sa santong dasalan ang issue na 'to. We might as well give it a try.

"Pag-isipan nating maigi kung paano natin i-a-approach ang sitwasyong ito," sabi ni Alistair. "Kapag nagkamali tayo ng sinabi o galaw, we might totally lose the inspector's trust."

The three of us nodded while Loki only gave us a stare.

Naantala ang pag-uusap namin nang bumukas ang pinto ng execom office. Maggie emerged from the doorway, her eyeglasses gleaming with the light from above. Sumunod sa kanya si Rye na nakasampay sa balikat ang kulay asul na blazer. Since classes were already over, he could take it off and wear it like a cape.

"Sorry kung medyo na-late kami," she said as she walked toward her favored seat in the room. Inilapag niya sa mesa ang dala-dala niyang folder at ipinatong ang kanyang mga kamay sa surface.

Naka-dekwatro namang umupo sa kanyang tabi si Rye. Sumandal siya sa kanyang upuan at naglabas ng bagong lollipop.

"Shall we start the meeting?"

Tumango kaming apat kay Maggie.

"Ano ang magiging agenda natin?" tanong ni Jamie.

Maggie touched the bridge of her eyeglasses. "You tell me. What do you want us to discuss?"

Kumunot ang mga noo namin at nagpalitan kami ng tingin. What's with her tone?

"Pasensya na pero hindi namin gets," tugon ni Jamie. Same thought here. "Kayo ang nagpatawag ng meeting na 'to, 'di ba? Shouldn't you be the one setting the agenda of this meeting?"

"Aren't you the ones working behind our backs?" Maggie said, her tone was dead serious. Parang siya ang instructor namin na nakikipagtawanan tapos biglang magseseryoso. "You've been keeping us out of the loop."

"Where did you get that idea?" Loki asked, his eyes narrowing into slits.

Tumango si Maggie kay Rye na naglabas ng kanyang phone. He made a few quick taps. May kutob na ako kung saan patungo ang discussion na 'to.

"Yesterday morning, Lorelei went to the Math and Physics clubroom kahit na hindi siya member ng club na 'yon," Rye narrated, scrolling through his phone. "Later that afternoon, she was found unconscious in the locker area and had to be brought to the clinic."

"Something happened in the locker area," sumingit si Maggie na nakatitig sa 'kin. "I don't think na nadulas ka't nauntog ang ulo sa sahig kaya nawalan ka ng malay."

"This morning, the four of you went to the restricted rooftop with a classmate of yours," Rye continued. "Hindi naman masamang makipag-usap sa ibang estudyante, but why did it have to be in a less crowded place?"

"Maybe we just want to breathe some fresh air and appreciate the landscape of our school?" Loki jested, which Maggie or anyone didn't find funny.

"Nitong lunch time, pumunta si Lorelei sa library kahit ayon sa classmates n'yo, wala namang assignment o seatwork na nagre-require ng research."

Hindi ko naiwasang mapalunok ng laway habang nakikinig sa kanya. Did they know that I met with Luthor?

"Matapos ang halos labinlimang minuto, sumunod siya sa inyo sa cafeteria at sumabay kumain. May ilang nakarinig sa inyo na pinag-uusapan ang strychnine. Isang uri ng lason. After taking your lunch, naghiwalay na kayong apat. Pumunta muna sina Lorelei at Alistair sa Lost & Found section bago pumasok sa kanilang klase."

"Teka lang!" Napataas ng kamay si Jamie. "Are you guys secretly following us?"

But Rye ignored her protest. "Pagka-dismiss ng afternoon classes, Lorelei and Jamie went to Augustus' class, the Clarion office and the faculty room. Loki and Alistair, meanwhile, went to the Office of Campus Security. Wala naman kaming ibinigay na task na magre-require sa inyong puntahan ang mga 'yan."

Ibinaba na ni Rye ang kanyang phone at iniangat ang tingin sa amin.

"It's fairly obvious that you four are working on your own," Maggie said, her fingers interlocking. "Which is not acceptable. You are no longer in the QED Club. You are now part of the executive committee that answers directly to me."

Plano naman talaga naming i-inform siya sa mga development, humahanap lang kami ng tamang tiyempo. We don't intend to keep her in the dark for too long.

Ang tanong lang sa isip namin: Should we tell her the entire truth or just some parts of it?

"Now tell us. What the hell is going on?"

q.e.d.

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