LORELEI

haay naakakapagod talaga ang magbyahe. We were on our way back to our apartment...I'm with Al nga pala. kagagaling lang namin sa Manila

Nang makarating kami sa apartment ay sinalubong kami ni Loki and oh he has a company...Jamie, tsk

"Oh Lorelei, you're here" sabi ni Loki na para bang nasurpresa siya sa pagadating ko...Tsk ang Sabin niya

naistorbo ko lang sila

"Yah, obviously" sabi ko in a sarcastic way

"By the way I need you to come with me" Loki said

"Where?" I asked

"You'll see" Loki said

"Pero kagagaling niya lang sa byahe that's why she needs to rest" Al said kaya naman napatingin kami sa kanya

"I know but--" Loki said pero bago pa man niya matapos ang sinasabi niya ay sumingit na si Jamie

"Oo nga naman, She badly needs to rest at saka I'm here naman. I can go with you" Jamie said

"Lorelei's the only one I can trust regarding this case" Loki said as he diverted his gaze to me. Natahimik naman si Jamie dahil doon sa sinabi ni Loki..Tsk How rude

"Ok.Ok I'll go with you, magpapalit lang ako sa taas" sabi ko at akmang papanhik na ng magsalita ulit siya

"You don't need to change " Loki said and he started walking towards the door kaya sumunod na ako sa kanya pero bago kami lumabas ng pinto ay iginiya niya sa akin ang kaliwang kamay niya kaya napatingin naman ako dun at sa mukha niyang nakapokerface pa rin kaya naman tinanggap ko na lang yung kamay niya then we head out

"Where exactly are we going?" tanong ko kay Loki pero tinignan niya lang ako at idineretso na lang ang tingin sa daan. Nga pala we were on our way papunta sa isang company building? Ewan yun yung nakikita ko eh....Chanax Corp. weird name

Tama nga ang hinala ko, huminto kami sa tapat ng building ng Chanax corp. sinalubong naman kami ni Inspector Estrada? Tumingin naman kami ni Loki sa kanya

"It's good to see you again Loki and Lorelei" bati sa amin ni Inspector Estrada nginitian naman siya ni Loki pero ako nananatiling nakanganga pa rin napansin niya yata yun kaya dumapo ang tingin niya sa akin

"Later Lorelei"sabi niya at ngumiti kaya naman naitikom ko ang bibig ko, nakakahiya grabe. Nagsimula nang maglakad si Inspector Estrada

"So what is it that you want to tell us?" Loki said as he follows Inspector kaya sumunod na rin ako

"Well may nanghihingi kasi sa akin ng tulong tungkol sa isang missing person" sabi naman ni Inspector Estrada tumango naman si Loki kaya nagpatuloy sa pagsasalita si Inspector Estrada

"Humingi na daw siya ng tulong sa mga police pero hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin nahahanap ang kapatid niya and since kayong dalawa ang sa tingin ko ay makakatulong sa akin kaya tinawagan ko si Loki kanina" Inspector Estrada said

"Sino po ba yung tutulungan natin?" tanong ko pero bago nia masagot ay huminto na siya sa tapat ng isang kwarto. 'Office of The Handler' we went inside the room and a beautiful white lady who's wearing a red tux with a white tube inside pairing with a black pencil cut skirt greeted us.

"Good morning Inspector. Have a seat" sabi niya at iginiya kami sa isang malaking sofa. Naupo naman siya sa harap namin

"So sila na ba yun?" tanong niya kaya napatango naman si Insp.

"I hope you two can help me find my sister. Oh by the way I'm Sian Marian Sanchez 30 years old. My sister nga pala is Danica Marie Sanchez." Sabi niya sa amin

"Heto yung initial report sa amin ng mga pulis" sabi ni Insp. Sabay abot sa amin ng isang folder, kinuha naman iyon ni Loki at binasa , ako naman ay tahimik lang na nakaupo at nagmamasid sa kabuuan ng kwarto

Black and white ang design ng kwarto, may mga paintings na black and white rin at karamihan sa mga ito ay vases na may kakaibang design it's like abstract pero ang pinakanakaagaw ng pansin ko ay ang painting ng isang vase. Kakaiba ito kasi parang may nabura o binurang part ng design kasi malabo yung bandang gitna ng design parang may naspill na kung anong liquid doon kaya nagkamix na yung design nito

"That's one of my sister's designs, beautiful isn't it?" nagulat naman ako ng magsalita si Mam Sanchez

"Maganda nga po pero bakit po parang may naspill na something doon sa painting?" tanong ko

"Nung time kasi na ginagawa niya yan ay mag-isa lang siya, hindi naman niya akalain na darating ako kaya nagulat siya at natapunan niya ng tubig yung painting niya. Sinubukan niyang isalba pero mas lalong kumalat kaya hinayaan niya na lang. Sa totoo lang inabot siya ng 1 week para lang ifinalize at gawing mas detailed yang painting na yan" sabi niya kaya napatango na lang ako

"Hey, Lorelei you might want to take a look at this" Loki said that's why I diverted my gaze at him then to the folder he's holding. I took the folder and read it

Missing Person

Name: Danica Marie Sanchez

Age: 26 years old

Works at Chanax Corp. (Handles the manufacturing and designs)

Reported missing at 3:00 pm

Last seen: around 8:30 am, 2 days ago

According to Ms. Sian Marian Sanchez she last saw her sister eating breakfast at their house 2 days ago, after that she didn't saw her again.

According to Mr. Arcee Villanueva, Ms. Danica Marie's secretary he last saw her in her office at around 8:30 am 2 days ago. He also said that "Ms. Danica arrived at her office at exactly 7:33 in the morning, after that she received a call and got out from her office and that was the last time that I saw her".

According to Mr. Bienvenito Cruz, one of the guards of the Chanax Corp. Building "Huli ko siyang nakita mga bandang alas-nuwebe ng umaga dalawang araw na ang nakakaraan. May dala-dala siyang case na kulay gray at nagmamadali. Pagtapos nun hindi ko na siya nakitang pumasok ulit".

"Nga pala heto yung cellphone ng kapatid ko. Natagpuan nila yan kanina lang sa harap ng building namin" sabi ni Mam. She handed us the plasic bag with the phone inside it. Nagsuot naman ng gloves si Loki at sinuri ang cellphone. Binuksan niya ito at tumambad sa amin ang wallpaper ni Ms. Danica, Isa siyang quotation

"The company has five members including me and my sister. Make a square and get the answer."

Yan ang eksaktong nakalagay sa wallpaper ni Ms. Danica

"What does she mean by that?" tanong ni Ms. Marian

"I don't know but we need to find it out" Loki said. Sinubukaan niyang iunlock yung phone pero may password. Nagtry siya nang nagtry pero palaging mali

"Mukhang mahihirapan tayong buksan yan" sabi ko kay Loki

"If Herschel was here..."sabi ko pero nagulat na lang ako ng nagsnap si Loki at nagdial sa kanyang phone. Maya-maya may sumagot ditto

"Hell--"

"I need your help. Come at the Chanax Corp. Building. Bring your hacking materials with you and please hurry up" rinig kong sabi ni Loki at pinatay na ang tawag

"Who's that?" tanong k okay Loki

"Herschel" tipid na sagot niya. Oh I guess alam ko na kung bakit. Walang ano-ano'y tumayo si Loki at isa-isang tinignan ang mga paintings, sumunod naman ako at tumabi sa kanya. Huminto siya sa painting na binanggit ko kanina

"What can you say about this?" tanong niya sa akin

"Well base sa design para nga talagang may nagspill na something dito pero hindi ako naniniwala sa paliwanag ni Ms. Marian kanina kasi kung tubig lang ito hindi sana mabubura lahat and besides sabi niya kanina 1 week ang inabot niya para lang gawing detailed at ifinalize tong painting niya di ba? So meaning hindi basta basta mabubura na lang yung design niya " sabi ko kaya naman napangiti siya at tumango. Nilapitan niya yung painting at bahagyang inamoy ito

"I think I know what happened here" he said and he's wearing his smile again. Tsk, that smile

"Spill" sabi ko pero umiling lang siya

"Later" sabi niya kaya ibinaling ko na lang yung tingin ko sa painting

"This painting is really weird" sabi ko

"Why is that?" sabi ni Loki

"Para kasing may message na gustong iparating pero dahil sa pagkakabura ng ibang parte hindi ganoon kaclear" sabi ko

"Morse Code" sabi ni Loki at doon lang nagsnap sa akin

"Maybe pwede nating basahin tong nasa bandang taas since hindi naman siya ganoon naapektuhan ng spilling" sabi ko. Yung design kasi is like nahati sa 3 columns, yun siguro yung hati o kaya spaces so kung tignan parang ganto eh

{. . . l - -l . . .} yan lang yung visible so kung babasahin yan SMS

"SMS as in message or text?" tanong ko kay Loki

"Maybe we can find that on Ms. Danica's phone" sabi ni Loki at naglakad na pabalik sa sofa

"So may nakuha ba kayong impormasyon?" tanong ni Insp. Si Ms. Marian naman ay tahimik pa rin

"So far wala pa naman, we're just waiting for a friend of mine to arrive" sabi naman ni Loki. Maya- maya'y tumunog ang cellphone niya sinagot naman niya ito

"Tsk ayaw naman ako papasukin guards" rinig kong sabi ng kausap niya. Probably Herschiel, mukhang narinig naman yon ni Ms. Marian kaya agad siyang nagdial sa phone niya. Mga 1 and half hour rin bago nakarating si Herschiel dala-dala ang 'hacking materials' niya daw sabi nga ni Loki. And still he's wearing his laboratory coat at gulo-gulo pa rin ang buhok niya

"So ano bang maipaglilingkod ko" tanong nito

"You can hack phones right?" tanong ni Loki

"Yup nasan ba?" Herschel asked kaya ibinigay naman ni Loki yung phone ni Ms. Danica at inumpisahan na niya ang trabaho niya. After siguro mga one hour ay natapos na niya

"Here's your phone, dinisable ko na yung security niyan. Don't worry wala akong ginalaw na files diyan. Una na 'ko Lorelei, Inspector at Ms. Marian...Loki" sabi ni Herschiel at nagbow

"Sige, salamat" ssabi ko naman dahil wala yatang gustong magasalita sa amin dahil busy sila Loki at Insp. Sa cellphone ni Ms. Danica, I think they're sharing their opinions with each other. Sinamahan naman ni Ms. Marian si Herschel kaya naiwan kaming tatlo ditto.

Silence fulfilled the room for about 1-2 minutes bago nagsalita si Loki

"There is only one message here and one call log. And if we look at her files, pictures probably, most of them are stolen and edited after that, nothing else" Sabi ni Loki while swiping the phone screen. Pagkatapos niyang suriin yung cellphone ay ibinigay niya ito sa akin that's why I took it and observe

"By looking at its outer appearance, masasabi kong masyadong maingat si Ms. Danica dahil wala man lang makikitang bakas ng scratches at mukha itong bago" sabi ko at in-on yung phone, at ini-scan ito

"Bago" rinig kong bulong ni Loki, bigla namang nagring yung phone ni Insp. Estrada, tinignan niya ito bago sinagot

"Excuse me" sabi ni Insp. Bago umalis ng kwarto. Kasunod naman niyang pumasok sa kwarto si Ms. Marian

"So did you find anything? I need to go na kasi I still have a lot of works to do. Kung may kailangan kayo tawagin niyo na lang yung secretary ko, she will provide you anything. Bye!" sabi nito at umalis na. Ngayon dalawa na lang kami. SILENCE........ I can almost hear the sound of crickets

*ring*ring*ring*ring*ring*

Napatalon naman ako sa gulat nang magring ang phone ko, tinignan ko kung sino ang tumawag at nagflash sa screen nito ang pangalang Alistair. Sinagot ko ito

"Hello?"

"Hello Lori nasaan ba kayo?"

"Huh? Ah nadito kami sa---" huh? Namatay? Tinignan ko ang cellphone ko at............LOWBAT hay nakalimutan ko nga pala magcharge *sigh*

"Problem?" tanong ni Loki

"Lowbat ako eh peram nga ng phone mo tawagan ko lang si Al" sabi ko kaya inabot naman niya yung phone niya. Agad ko namang kinuha ito pero habang nags-scan ako sa contacts hindi ko mahanap yung no. ni Al dinouble check ko pa pero wala talaga

"Wala ka bang number ni Al?" tanong ko kay Loki, kaya napatigil naman siya saglit bago nasgalita

"I must've deleted it" Loki said

"Ano? *sigh* let's switch our SIM then" sabi ko at akmang bubuksan na cellphone ko nang mapasnap si Loki

"That's right the culprit must've switch Ms. Danica's SIM and MEMORY card into another phone, or maybe a new phone so that the phone cannot be used to track him or her" Loki said while still checking out the phone

"Hmm, baka nga, kasi the phone looks new. Pero if ever na ganoon nga kailangan natin malaman kung sino ba ang may gawa nito para na rin mahanap natin si Ms. Danica" I said and then silence surrounds us again but it didn't last long because the door suddenly opened and came Inspector Estrada wearing a confused expression

"What's with the face Inspector?" I asked

"Well tumawag kasi sa akin yung secretary ni Ms. Danica at sinabi niyang tinawagan niya raw yung number ni Ms. Danica, nagring daw ito then may sumagot pero walang nagsasalita but then may narinig daw siyang bulong ng isang babae na nagmura" sabi ni Inspector

"Pero sabi niya hindi daw ito kaboses ni Ms. Danica kase mas kaboses daw ito na babae rin pero hindi niya natuloy yung sasabihin niya kase bigla na lang namatay yung phone" Inspector added. Napaisip naman ako dun, How did it happen that Ms. Danica's secretary called her phone where in fact Ms.Danica's phone was in our hands? Could it be that the phone we had is not the real one?

"But we had here Ms. Danica's phone and no one called" sabi ko habang hawak-hawak ko ang phone ni Ms. Danica si Loki naman ay tahimik lang na nakaupo sa sofa at mukhang malalim ang iniisip

"Baka naman nagkamali ng nadial?"tanong ni Insp., well possible nga iyon but somethings telling me that this phone in my hands is not the real one

"Hindi kaya si Ms. Marian ang may gawa?" tanong ko. Loki rose up from his seat and place his right palm in front of me that's why I handed him the phone. He scan it for about a minute and then a smile formed on his lips like he had just solved the world's problem

"So, any findings?" tanong ko kay Loki but still nakangiti lang siya and kung kanina ay natuwa pa ako nung ngumiti siya ngayon naman parang iba na eh...ang creepy kase

"You know your smile only explains that you found something but it will not show us what you found." Sabi ko kay Loki kaya naman naging seryoso ulit ang mukha niya

"This is not Ms. Danica's real phone" Loki said. I knew it! This is just a fake one but Ms. Marian gave this, why would she......oh..

"Does this mean Ms. Marian gave us the wrong phone?" Tanong ko

"Pero bakit naman niya gagawin yun kung siya mismo ang humingi ng tulong sa atin?" tanong naman ni Inspector. Loki just shrugged and walk to his seat

"Maybe someone must've switched the victims phone in order to cover his identity...or maybe her...." Loki said as he rested his head on the Headboard of the sofa and close his eyes

"If Ms. Marian is not the one who switched the phone, then who?" tanong ko, kasabay naman nun ay ang pagpasok ng isang babae na sa tingin ko ay nasa late 30's ang edad, morena ito at medyo maliit ngunit kung titignang mabuti mukha lamang itong nasa 20's ang edad

"Hello, I'm Zachary Hale and I was looking for Ms. Marian Sanchez. Is she here?" tanong nito. Umayos naman ng upo si Loki samantalang lumapit naman si Inspector kay Ms. Hale or should I say MRS?

"Hi, I'm Inspector Estrada and these two were my companions, we are here to investigate about th---" Inspector was not able to continue his sentence when Loki interrupted

"Please have a seat madam" Loki said. At iginiya ang isang single chair sa aming panauhin. Hindi naman na itinuloy ni Inspector ang kanyang sinasabi

"Why are you looking for Ms. Marian by the way?" Loki asked as he sat on the sofa

"Well she is my business partner and I just want to talk to her about some business matters. And by the way, what is it that you were saying Inspector?" Mam Hale said but again before Inspector ould utter a word Loki speaked

"Just let him Inspector" bulong ko kay Inspector

"Haaay, sige bahala siya" wika nito

"You said about business, did you mean with the Chanax Corporation?" Loki asked Mam Hale

"Yes, and it's about the designs that they wants to sell" Mam Hale answered. Nanlaki naman ang mata ko nang marinig ko ang sinabi niya, si Loki naman ay nanatiling kalmado lang

"If the designs is what you need to talk about, then you should be talking to Ms. Danica right?" Loki asked

"Huh? I thought she's dead? That's why I want to talk to Marian to see if she will accept my offer. Since the last time that I came here everything happened was a chaos, God I don't want to remember those things" Sagot naman ni Mam Hale. Naguluhan naman ako sa sinabi ni Mam Hale, paano nanyaring patay na si Ms. Danica eh missing pa lang siya di ba? Idagdag mo pa yung mga designs ni Ms. Danica na balak daw ibenta ng Corporation nila. I thought gumagawa ng designs si Ms. Danica para sa kompanya nila hindi para ibenta

"A chaos?" Loki asked

"Yes, Marian and her sister fought that time because Danica declined my offer" said Mam Hale. Loki's poker face turned into an interested expression. His hands were in his chin while thinking. Kung ayaw ni Ms. Danica na ibenta ang kanyang mga designs noon bakit ngayon ay parang gustong-gustong ibenta ni Ms. Marian ang mga ito.

"When was this?" Tanong ni Loki

"Three days ago" Sagot naman ni Mam hale. Meaning kung three days ago nangyari ang offer then it was the day before huling nakita si Ms. Danica. Pero hindi ba ang sabi ni Mam Hale kanina ay titignan niya pa lang kung mag-aagree si Ms. Marian ngayon sa offer nito dahil wala na man na raw si Ms. Danica

"By the way who told you that Ms. Danica's dead?" tanong ulit ni Loki, napakunot naman ang noo ni Mam Hale

"Wait, why are you asking me questions, are you some kind of detective?" Mam Hale asked, Inspector cleared his throat before butting in

"Tulad nga ng sabi ko kanina, we are here dahil kailangan naming imbestigahan ang kaso tungkol kay Ms. Danica at para na rin mahanap siya" paliwanag ni Inspector pagkatapos non ay tumingin siya kay Loki na nakapoker face na naman

"Well I would have believe you if you don't have these kids with you. Do you think it is necessary to bring here your kid and his girlfriend? This is not just an ordinary case Inspector" Mam Hale answered, namula naman ako sa sinabi niya. Grilfriend daw ako ni Loki. Tinignan ko ang reaksyon ni Loki at nagulat ako nung nakatingin din siya

"Sila ang mga co-detectives ko, mga highschool detectives sila and natulungan na nila ako sa maraming kaso" sagot naman ni Inspector

"But still it is not enough reason to let them involve in here" She said. Kung kanina ay gandang ganda pa ako sa kanya ngayon ay parang gusto ko na siyang palabasin sa kwartong ito. Speaking of, How did she enter in this room kung ang pakaya niya talaga ay si MS. Marian lang? Hindi ba dapat ay nasabi na ng secretary ni Ms. Marian sa kanya na may meeting siya?

"Why, are you afraid that we find anything that will lead us to where the victim is?" tanong ni Loki kaya naman nanlaki ang mga mata ni Mam Hale at mukhang kinabahan siya pero mabilis niya ring naicompose ang sarili niya

"No! Why would I?" Mam Hale asked in a sarcastic tone but I can still sense that she's nervous

"Maybe because you have something to do with it." Loki said again. It was like he was really sure that Mam Hale had something in her sleeves and Loki's trying to confront her to say the truth.

"I-I don't.So don't accuse me that I planned everything!" Sigaw nito at saka tumayo at lumabas ng pinto. Padabog nya itong isinara

"Bakit mo naman ginawa yun?" tanong ko kay Loki, pero nagshrug lang siya

"Sa tingin mo ba may kinalaman talaga siya sa kasong ito?" tanong ni Inspector Estrada habang hinihimas ang kanyang baba

"Yes, I do think Inspector. But she can't do it by herself only" Loki said

"You mean she has an apprentice? Something like that?" Tanong ko kaya napatingin naman siya sa akin

"Yes" Loki said as he look directly in my eyes

"Okay then what should we do now?" I asked Loki

"Maybe we should wait for Ms. Marian to arrive because we still don' have any evidence" Loki said and sat. Naupo naman ako sa tabi niya. Tsk I'm hungry. I saw Loki looked at me in my peripheral vision the diverted his gaze on the wall clock at right side of the room

"It's already past 12" Loki said out of nowhere, napatingin naman si Inspector sa kanya

"Oo nga noh, gutom na siguro kayo teka kakausapin ko lang yung secretary ni Ms. Marian" sabi ni Inspector at lumabas ng room. Pagkaraan ng ilang sandal ay bumalik na si Inspector na may dalang pagkain

We ate in silence, siguro dahil pare-parehas kaming gutom. After we finished our meals ay sakto nmang dating ni Ms. Marian

"Nainip ba kayo? Pasensya na ah natagalan kasi yung meeting naming dahil nagkaproblema sa kompanya" sabi ni Ms. Marian

"What happened?" Loki asked her

"Haay yung mga Investors kasi naming nagrereklamo na dahil bumaba daw ang mga income na nakukuha nila dulot na rin ng pare-parehas na designs na ibinebenta sa merkado. Yung iba daw ay naghahanap ng ibang designs Pero dahil wala pa rin hanggang ngayon ang kapatid ko wala kaming maibigay na bagong designs" sabi nito. Medyo nakaramdam naman ako ng awa kay MS. Marian dahil sa kanya lahat natambak ang mga Gawain na dapat sana ay sa kapatid niya

"Anyways naglunch na ba kayo?" tanong

"Yeah, kakatapos lang po" I answered

"Imbitahan ko sana kayo sa bahay namin. Tara?"tanong nito

"Sure!" Loki said in an interested tone. I wonder what has got his attention?

We arrived at the Sanchez residence at exactly 1:04 pm, it was a long trip. Siguro mga 45 minutes din yung byahe plus traffic pa. If I will describe the place all I can say is IT'S HUGE, It has 4 floors excluding the ground floor. Yung paint ng house ay pinaghalong gray and blue, meron din silang garden with a huge fountain at the center.

Itinour naman kami ni Ms. Marian sa bahay nila

"This is the living room, pero hindi ito kailanman pinuntahan ni Danica, ewan ko ba dun kasi hindi daw peaceful dito" Ms. Marian said as she walks into the living room, Hindi naman kami nagtagal doon at lumipat naman kami sa iba pang lugar like kitchen, library,master's bedroom and the maid's room.

"Ang mga maid naming ang nag-hahawak ng mga gamit dito sa bahay like keys and sila din ang naglilinis" paliwanag nito habang naglalakad kami

"But I can't see any maid in here" I said as I look around the house

"Well pinagday-off ko muna sila" sagot naman nito. I was about to say 'Ambait niyo naman po' when Loki interrupt

"Can you show us to your sister's room?" Loki asked na para bang naiinip na,

"O-Okay hintayin niyo ako ha? Kukunin ko lang yung spare key" sabi ni Ms. Marian at nagmamadaling umalis. Kinalabit ko naman si Loki

"Do you think we can find something in her room?" I whispered

"Maybe, something that can be an evidence" Loki said. Later on Ms. Marian holding the key to Ms. Danica's room. She opened it and we were all shocked from what we saw, well maybe except Loki who's now walking towards Ms. Danica's body. Chineck niya ang pulso nito pero...

"She's dead. Inspector please call the cops" Loki said at doon lang yata natauhan si Inspector Estrada at agad na tumawag sa police, lumabas na rin ito ng kwarto. I look at Ms. Marian who's crying right now with her mouth covered. Well, I can't blame her sino ba naman kasi ang hindi maiiyak kung matagpuan mong patay na ang mahal mo sa buhay di ba? Niyakap ko naman siya to comfort her.

Loki didn't waste his time observing the crime scene. I can see that he's carefully examining the victim's body after that I wasn't able to watch what he's doing, well he's fine anyway. After about 10 minutes before the cops arrived. Kinuha na nila ang bangkay ni Ms. Danica at pinaalis na rin kami sa kwarto para daw imbestiahan ang crime scene. Gusto pa nga sanang pumasok ni Loki pero pinigilan na siya ni Inspector dahil wala daw siyang awtoridad para makielam sa kasong yun. Mabuti na lang daw talaga at nag-observe si Loki kanina.

"Let's go somewhere far from this place" Loki said and started walking, but before he can even walk through the door a police officer stop him

"Hindi ka pa pwedeng umalis, kukuhanan ka pa namin ng pahayag" sabi nito na naging dahilan kaya nainis sa kanya si Loki. Mukhang balak pa atang sumbatan ni Loki ang police officer kaya pumagitna na ako

"Excuse me officer, kukuhanan nyo pa kami ng statements right?" I said nabaling naman ang atensyon nito sa akin at tumango saka inilabas ang notes nito. Kinuhanan niya nga kami ng pahayag tungkol sa nangyaring pagpatay, sinabi ko naman na kasama ko si Ms. Marian nung mga panahon na yun

"We've just got inside the room and then we saw Ms. Danica's dead body" Loki said, kasalukuyan kasi siyang iniinterview ngayon. Maya-maya'y lumapit sa akin si Loki

"Where's Inspector?" Loki asked

"Dunno'" sagot ko naman. Loki diverted his gaze from me to my back

"Let's go." Nagulat na lang ako nang may magsalita sa likod ko, s inspector lang pala

"Do you have it?" tanong naman ni Loki na siya namang ipinagtataka ko, ano naman yung sinasabi niya?.Inspector waved his right hand holding a folder

"let's go then" Loki said and started walking. Sumunod naman kami ni Inspector sa kanya. Napagkasunduan naming na sa office na lang ni Ms. Marian kami pupunta dahil na rin sa gusto daw makipagkita sa amin ni Ms. Marian

When we arrived at the office, I sat down at the sofa while Inspector sat down at the single chair. Loki was still standing but then he suddenly walk towards the table of Ms. Marian. The room has two tables one has a name plate written Eng. Sian Marian Sanchez and the other one was CEO Danica Marie Sanchez. Teka, bakit hindi namin napansin yung table na isa kanina?

"Bakit may table na diyan?" tanong ko pero tinignan lang ako ni Loki, si Inspector naman na ang sumagot

"Hindi mo ba napansin kanina pa diyan yan" sabi ni Inspector. But I didn't really saw that table before

"You're thinking too much, kaya hindi mo napansin" Loki said, Finally! Huminto na rin siya sa paglalakad kakahilo kaya

"So may mga nakita ka na bang evidences? Or may suspect ka na ba?" tanong ni Inspector

"Meron na hinihintay ko na lang siya. How about you Lorelei, what can you say?" Loki asked me. Well matagal ko ring pinag-isipan to

"I think hindi lang isa ang nagplano nito, pero isa lang ang masasabi ko. Whoever did this ay malapit siya kay Ms. Danica" I said, Loki smiled looks like we got the same person in mind

"Inspector can you show us the designs?" Loki said kaya naman iniabot ni Inspector ang folder na hawak niya kanina. Lumapit naman ako kay Loki para makita rin yung mga designs. Namangha naman ako sa mga nakita ko. Different designs pero ang weird kasi may mga designs na para bang ancient writings ito na pinagsama-sama but I'm sure of one thing. Hindi lang ito basta isinulat lang dahil magulo ito kung titignan pero habang tinititigan ko itong mabuti naiimagine ko na ang kakalabasan nito bilang isang vase na para bang may gusto itong iparating.

I look at Loki who's narrowing his eyes now trying to decode what was written on it. But then hours passed but we can't read the designs. Tumawag na rin si MS. Marian, sinabi nito na wag na daw naming syang hintayin dahil nasa ospital pa daw ito, sinabi naman ni Inspector na babalik na lang kami bukas. Nung una ayaw pang pumayag ni Ms. Marian dahil patay na rin naman daw si Ms. Danica, pero dahil mapilit si Loki kaya napapayag niya si Ms. Marian.

We are now on our way to our apartment, nakasakay kami sa kotse ni Inspector Estrada. Walang nagsasalita sa amin, maybe because we're tired. Hindi ko namalayan na nakatulog pala ako, I just woke up and I was already in my bed. Bumangon na ako sa kama at dumiretso sa banyo para maghilamos, after that ay pumunta na ako sa baba. Nadatna ko naman si Loki doon na nakaupo habang nagkakape at nagbabasa ng diyaryo

"Good Morning" bati nito

"Good Morning din" bati ko at dumiretso sa kusina para kumain

"What's new?" tanong ko sa kanya habang nagpapalaman ng sandwich ko

"Well nothing's new, just the people protesting about the burial of Marcos on the 'Libingan ng mga bayani' "Loki said as he flips the newspaper to the next page. Iniabot ko naman sa kanya ang ginawa kong isa pang sandwich

"So anong oras tayo pupunta sa office ni Ms. Marian?" tanong ko sabay kagat ng sandwich

"Probably by nine" Loki said, napatingin naman ako sa orasan at nanlaki ang mga mata ko nung nakita kong quarter to nine na

"Bakit di mo naman sinabi agad?" tanong ko saka nagmamadaling umakyat para maligo at mag-ayos

"You didn't asked earlier" sagot naman nito. *sigh*

After siguro mga 5 minutes ng paliligo at 5minutes ng pagbibihis ay natapos narin ako, bumaba na ako

"Let's go" Loki said and we both made our way to the door

Pagdating naming sa office ni Ms. Marian ay wala pa siya dahil may business meeting pa daw ito

"Nagresearch ako kagabi tungkol sa mga ancient writings and I can say na early Japanese calligraphy ang ginamit niya" Loki said saka niya kinuha yung compilation ng mga deisngs ni Ms. Danica at sinubkang basahin ito pero puro numbers lang ang nakikita

9837365513398440648165741936752893472832

How can we solve this kind of code?. Loki tried everything he knew but always fail. Naptingin naman ako sa painting ni Ms. Danica na may design ng Morse code. Wait maybe there's something on her phone that can help us solve this case

"Loki nasaan yung fake phone ni Ms. Danica?" tanong k okay Loki

"Why?"tanong nito

"Maybe we can find something in there" sagot ko naman, Napatigil siya sa saglit sa ginagawa niya then biglang parang may naalala siya

"The quote!" sigaw nito saka ko lang naalala yung wallpaper nito

"The company has five members including me and my sister. Make a square and get the answer."

"What if we divide this numbers into five" I said and wrote it in the paper

98373 65513 39844 06481 65741 93675 28934 72832

"Nothing happens either" I said

"You already solved it" Loki said then wrote something on the paper

"Let's take the fifth number on every group of numbers for example this 98373, 3 is the fifth number" Loki said

33411542

"How many were the numbers?" Loki asked and so I count them and found that it was 8

"Let's divide this into two since according to the quote me and my sister" Loki said and this happens

33-41-15-42

"And the last process Polybius square" Loki said, Triny ko naman yung sinabi niya at hindi ako makapaniwala sa nabasa ko.... SIAN

"Sian" bulong ko. Ibig bang sabihin nito si Ms. Marian ang may gawa? Ibig sabihin din tama ang hinala ko, but this is still not clear. Nagtingin-tingin pa ako ng mga bagay na pwedeng maging ebidensya

Chineck ko na ang table ni Ms. Marian pero wala Chineck ko na rin ang table ni Ms. Danica pero wala din akong nakita. Napaupo na lang ako ng malakas sa swivel chair ni Ms. Danica nang may biglang bumagsak mula rito. Teka ano ito?

"Loki you need to take a look at this" I said saka ko inabot ang bagay na iyon kay Loki. Isa itong box na pahaba ang design at kulay itim. Loki opened it

"Cryptex" wika nito. Kinuha niya ang nasa loob then I saw something like a scroll pero kakaiba ito dahil may mga parang numero ito

"ano yan?" tanong ni Inspector nang makalapit siya sa amin

"Cryptex, a portable vault used to hide secret messages. It is a combination of the words cryptology and codex" Loki explained to us,ngayon mas malinaw na sa akin

"Baka nandiyan ang kasagutan sa tanong natin" sabi ko pero napaisip din ako, paano naman naming mabubuksan yun kung hindi naming alam ang password?

"But we can't open it" Loki said

"Edi sirain mo na" Singit naman ni Ispector pero

"Hindi pwede dahil kapag pinilit itong buksan ay lalong mawawala kung anomang nakasulat ditto, There's this some kind of liquid that will melt the paper. And it wll spill if we try to open the Cryptex by force" Loki said. Hmm, napakahirap naman..wait baka pwedeng gamitin yung numbers kanina

"Try mo nga yung 33-41-15-42" sabi kay Loki. Inencode naman ni Loki ang sinabi ko saka niya binuksan at tama nga. May sulat itong laman

Kung sino ka man na nagbabasa nito ngayon, tulungan mo sana ako. Matagal ko nang inoobserbahan ang kilos niya pero hindi ko lang ipinahalata dahil baka patayin niya ako agad. Please, siguro kung nababasa mo ito ngayon ay malamang patay na ako pero hindi ako matatahimik kapag hindi siya nahuli.

Simula nung natalaga akong CEO ng kompanya namin ay palagi na siyang galit sa akin, lalo na kapag napupuri ako dahil sa mga designs ko. Akala ko noon ay simpleng tampo lang pero tumagal pa ito at lalong lumala. Minsan nga ay napapansin ko na may nakamasid sa akin kaya naman nagpalit ako ng secretary ginawa ko itong lalaki. Nung mga araw na iyon nawala naman yung taong sumusunod sa akin pero nitong mga nakaraang araw lang bumalik ulit at mas malala pa dahil nagpapakita sa akin ang taong yun. Naging balisa ako dahil sa takot ko, pinagbantaan niya kasi ako na kapag nagsumbong daw ako ay papatayin nila ako. Tinago ko ito pero minsan nadudulas ako at nasasabi ko minsan.

Hindi ko na ito pahahabain pa tulungan mo ako si Sian ang may gawa nito sa akin at mamayang gabi papatayin na nila ako...pero pakisabi naman sa kanya na mahal na mahal ko siya

Nagmamahal,

Danica Marie Sanchez

Nakaramdam naman ako ng awa ng mabasa ko ang sulat niya. Kahit na pinagtangkaan na ang buhay niya hindi pa rin nagbago ang pagmamahal niya sa kanyang kapatid

"So case solved?" Tanong ni Inspector, looks like it

"Yeah" Loki said

...............................................

THIRD PERSON'S POV

"Ang sabi ko sa inyo bantayan niyo lang ang kilos niya hindi ko sinabing patayin niyo agad siya!" singhal ni Marian sa mga kasama niya. Ang mga ito naman ay nanatiling nakayuko

"Tsk, you can now get out. GET OUT!" wika nitong muli kaya nagmamadali namang lumabas ang mga tauhan niya. Naglabas ito ng sigarilyo at sinindihan ito ngunit palaging namamatay. Natakot naman siya kaya napasigaw siya

"Danica layuan mo ako" wika nito pero ilang sandal pa ay may mga pumasok na pulis

"This is Clark Police sumuko ka na kung ayaw mong masaktan" sigaw ng isang pulis. Pumasok naman ang ilan sa mga ito at pinosasan si Marian

"You are under arrest"

.............................

*tok*tok*tok*

"Oh my god, guys did you see the news? Grabe, How can she kill her own sister? Tss dahil lang sa posisyon? psh" pambungad ni Jamie ng makapasok siya sa unit namin

"Buti nga siya may kapatid pa eh" Jamie sadi. Pfft, may pinaghuhugutan yata siya. Pero tama naman kasi siya eh

"Kakastress" narinig kong wika nito bago ako makarating sa kusina, naabutan ko naman doon si Loki na nagbabasa na naman ng diyaryo. I was about to speak but then I chose not to bother him

"What is it?" tanong nito. Well there's no turning back now

"Ahm, curious lang kasi ako kung bakit mo tinanggap yung kasong yun?" tanong ko

"It was my way of expressing my gratitude to Inspector Estrada" Loki said withot looking at me.

"Oh well if you say so" sabi ko

"Ahm wait another thing, about dun sa phone ni Ms. Danica do you think si Ms. Marian ang may gaw nun?" I asked but this time nakatingin na siya sa akin

"No, I think Ms. Daniella purposedly give the wrong phone to her sister, And if you want to know about her death, ask the police" he said then continue reading, tsk sungit..

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