MORRIE

IT WAS all part of the plan. With most seniors backing out from the prospect of joining the Quadetective Tournament, it wasn't that difficult to identify who among their juniors would be considered for the prestige of becoming the House champion. Not everyone was an achiever, and not everyone wanted the burden of responsibility. So narrowing down the list wasn't hard.

For Holmesians, Harriet was a top contender. It's only logical to assume that she would be considered based on her academic performance and the extracurricular stuff that we got involved into. That's why I had to ask Aiden Alterra to dig some dirt on her (where he failed miserably). Since I couldn't rely on the Adlerian, preparing a Plan B was a sound move.

All we needed to do was anticipate how someone like Harriet would react to a threat and how we could limit her moves so she would be driven into a corner. As expected, she got instantly pissed by the threat and unsurprisingly accused our House of being behind it. Her next step would be to try and foil our plan.

Knowing the circumstances would come to that point, it was easy to set everything in motion.

Harriet was akin to a bull. Once she saw a red cape, she would charge at it without any serious consideration. When Aiden messaged me to meet him, I already had a inkling that the impatient Holmesian must have reached out to him and used our connection to lure me to a trap. The meeting place he chose—near the abandoned clock tower—was already suspect, so my mind ran through dozens of possibilities on how the encounter would end up. Expectedly, they immobilized me and brought me to a place where help was out of reach. When Harriet began interrogating me, that's when I laid out my trap. I told her everything that she needed to know and she fell for it. Whether or not she doubted any word that escaped my lips, I was unaware.

Of course, I got some help from my brother. He's the one who ensured that the trio would be able to enter the Manor. The success of our trick depended on it. He's also the one who escorted them to the library. We didn't want them roaming around mindlessly in our territory, so it's better to bring them to where we wanted them to be.

"Do you really want me involved in this plan?" my brother Arturius had asked being oriented about it. "Sayang. Gusto ko pa naman kayong makitang magtagisan ng galing sa tournament. If you two have unfinished business, this is the perfect opportunity for you to settle it."

"Don't worry, I can beat her in academics," I had replied. "Besides, you want the two of us to clash because you strongly believe that she's going to be the Holmesian alumnus' choice. You want to engage in a proxy war with him and probably beat him again to make a statement."

"You got me." His lips had twisted into a smirk. "But a teensy bit of a deep-seated rivalry will make the competition more interesting. Houses Moriarty and Holmes have been enemies since the founding. Everyone's gonna be interested if they can beat us this year! Papatok 'to sa mga mahilig gumawa ng kuwento at magpainit sa laban."

"As much as I want to duke it out with Harriet, I cannot disregard the presence of other Houses. We're not the only two factions competing." Depending on the circumstances, this season's tournament might not be just about our two rival Houses. "What's your decision? Are you going to help us out?"

"Ano ka ba, Morrie? How can I say no to my little brother? Count me in!"

"So it's okay with you if Harriet gets disqualified and not face me in the arena?"

"If she falls for your trap, then she doesn't deserve to face off with you in the first place. But she can still bounce back if she manages to slither her way out of the likely conviction. Good luck sa kanya at sa mga kasama niya. Anyway, walk me through with the specifics."

Then the rest was exactly how it transpired. Harriet, Wilhelmina and Aiden entered the Pandoran Library. Some council officers barged in and took them into custody. We summoned their House leaders. I was freed. The next move on our part was to file an official complaint. They were caught red-handed, so a guilty verdict was to be expected. Unlike what my brother mentioned, there was no way that those trespassers could escape conviction.

I hoped that Harriet and the others wouldn't think so badly of me, no matter how questionable my reputation was in their eyes. This wasn't personal. This was just us playing the game.

AFTER OUR Thursday afternoon classes, I went straight to the mock courtroom in Baker Building. This was specifically designed for student taking Criminal Law course in their senior year. What a fitting venue to hold the trial of the WHA trio.

Such a shame that our four-person alliance was short-lived. But that's how the world worked. Alliances could be formed in one instance, then broken in the next one. We, the ravens of House Moriarty, would never need other species to survive. We only had to rely on each other. Some would call us unkindness. Other would prefer to call us conspiracy or treachery. And we would kindly take those remarks as compliments.

Speaking of the three, they arrived around the same time that I did. The trial was scheduled at five in the afternoon. Attendance was a must for both parties. I sat at the mahogany table on the left while they settled down at the right. We're not the only ones inside. With me was the justiciar of House Moriarty, Jaira Riverston. Her straight black hair reached past her shoulders and her auburn eyes bore the fire of justice. Since this was some sort of a trial, someone needed to stand as my lawyer.

The same could be said for the other party. They got a bespectacled Watsonian as their counsel. I hadn't met her before, but if she's representing the three Houses, that meant they had absolute faith and confidence in her.

My eyes glanced at Harriet who was shooting daggers at me. She had been looking that way since morning, as if I murdered someone. If it wouldn't make matters worse, I would have reminded her that they were the ones who committed an offense—sorry, offenses, plural. If stares could cut, I would probably be bleeding by now. Meanwhile, Wilhelmina and Aiden sat back silently.

A few moments later, the door to the back of the courtroom opened. A young lady around our age climbed the rostrum. Instead of her blue inverness cape, she was wearing a maroon robe this time.

"Please rise," Student Regent Jaycelle March said. We did what we're told. "The University Student Court is now in session. Today, we will hear the complaint filed by House Moriarty against three members of Houses Holmes, Watson and Adler. I shall be the presiding officer in this hearing, and the verdict shall be handed down by an impartial jury. Let's call them in."

The door at the back slid open again. A group of seven people wearing maroon robes walked in and sat on the bench to the left of the student regent. They wore masks that covered upper half of their faces. A measure to protect their identities thereby making them immune from being blackmailed, huh?

"Let's start the hearing of House Moriarty versus Aiden Alterra, Harriet Harrison and Wilhelmina Williams. Plaintiff, you may start with your opening statement."

Jaira glanced at me and I gave her a nod. She got to her feet and walked in front of our table. In a minute or two, she would show everyone here that she's a formidable bird of prey who could hunt down any animal—be it an eagle, a hound or a chameleon.

"My name's Jaira Riverston, the representative of House Moriarty in this hearing," she introduced herself first. Her voice was well modulated. "Two nights ago, the three defendants tranquilized Morrie Moreno with the use of a special gadget and detained him illegally in the clock tower and in the Holmesian Hall basement. They stole three student uniforms, wore them and trespassed into our Manor. Fortunately, they were caught by our council officers while in the act of breaking into one of our rooms."

I reclined in my seat and crossed my arms. If my calculation was correct, this trial wouldn't take too much time as the guilt of these three was already obvious. There was no excuse for what they did. A guilty verdict was a no-brainer. The only remaining question was the punishment that the jury would impose.

"They have broken not only one, but multiple campus rules and regulations," Jaira went on, motioning to the other table. "Their guilt will be firmly established later on. We humbly ask the jury to consider the maximum penalty of expulsion on them." She made everyone gasp before she returned to her seat and beamed at me.

Harriet, Wilhelmina and Aiden exchanged nervous glances. They didn't see that coming. Frankly, I wouldn't want them to be expelled. I only wanted them to be ineligible to participate in the tournament. A simple suspension would suffice. But our House leader got another idea in mind. He wanted to eliminate competition not only in the tournament, but also in the future. If those three were to be expelled, my batch wouldn't have any competent rivals anymore. We would easily win the House War this year and next year.

"Defendants, your opening statement?"

The bespectacled representative sprang from her seat. There was an air of confidence around her. She pushed her eyeglasses up the bridge of her nose. Let's see what they've got. "I'm Steffany Macintosh, the representative for the defense. I'm here to argue that the defendants are not violators, but victims of a scheme meticulously plotted by the plaintiff."

Oh, they're going for that argument, huh?

"We respectfully ask the jury for an acquittal or—should you find them guilty—a lesser penalty than the one proposed by the plaintiff. May true justice be served."

I glanced at the people in the juror's box. The student regent is a Holmesian, so it's best for her not to make the verdict as it could be perceived as biased toward or against a House. Calling for a jury would make the proceedings untainted. Thanks to the masks, their thoughts became seemingly inscrutable. It's hard to read what's going on in their minds. Could they be easily swayed? Could they be bribed? They had been carefully selected, so I had faith that they'd be truly impartial in their judgment.

"Plaintiff, you may now make your case."

"Thank you." Jaira stood again and approached the juror's box. "I have with me the victim of the defendants, Morrie Moreno." She spun around to face me. "Can you tell us what happened two nights ago?"

I cleared my throat first. "I received a message from Aiden Alterra, telling me to meet him in front of the clock tower. When I arrived there, one of them hit me with a tranquilizer dart, and I fell unconscious. When I woke up, I found myself tied to a chair in the abandoned clock tower, with the three of them surrounding me."

"What happened after that?"

"They asked me some questions. They promised to let me go if I answered. I did, but they reneged on their promise. Instead of freeing me, they brought me to the basement of Holmesian Hall and kept me there for an hour or two."

Jaira walked back to our table and grabbed the folders stacked on top of each other. She handed them to the jurors. "We had Morrie examined by Dr. Preciosa of the University Health Services. You can find proof there that his wrists and ankles were bound to a chair. Given the presence of a tranquilizing device and ropes, the act was clearly premeditated."

The jurors opened the folders and skimmed through the pages. Everything written there was nothing but the truth. We didn't have to fake anything. Harriet and her conspirators did it for real.

"Now," Jaira turned to the defendants' table, "may I ask the trio to confirm whether or not they lured Moreno out, rendered him unconscious, brought him inside the clock tower, and bound him to a chair?"

The three looked at their representative who gave them a nod.

"We did," Harriet answered.

"May I also confirm that you detained him in your own residence hall?"

"We did."

An outright admission was all we needed. We had this case in the bag.

Jaira faced the jury again. "The defendants themselves have confirmed that they committed illegal detention, a serious offense. That alone shall warrant a severe punishment. But that's not all they did."

I cast a sideway glance at my seatmate Andrei. A single shot wasn't enough. We needed to unload all of the bullets in our cartridge to guarantee absolute victory.

"I also have with me a member of the House Moriarty council, Andrei, who had first-hand knowledge about the other charges against the defendants. Can you tell us what you know?"

"Nakatanggap ako ng message mula kay Morrie, nakisuyo na kumuha ako ng uniform niya at manghiram ng dalawang pambabaeng uniform," Andrei began. "I wondered why he had asked me to do that favor, but I didn't question him kasi sa pagkakakilala ko sa kanya, ayaw niya na tinatanong siya. I put the clothes in a paper bag and left them in front of the clock tower gaya ng instruction sa message niya. Little did I know na hindi pala siya ang nag-utos sa 'kin."

"And then?"

"We found three suspicious students in our Manor's library. May hidden cameras sa bookshelves kaya namo-monitor namin ang mga galaw roon. When we noticed na nabuksan ang secret room, doon na lumakas ang kutob namin at doon na rin kami kumilos. We found the three of them inside that room, looking for something."

"Do the defendants deny Andrei's version of the events?" Jaira asked.

"No, we don't," Harriet answered.

Jaira grabbed the tablet PC on our desk and made some taps as she approached the juror's box. She handed it to them. "That's the video footage of them wandering in our residence hall. They slightly changed their appearances, but it's fairly obvious that it's them, judging by the colors of their hair and stature. Not only did they lure someone under false pretenses and detain him for hours, they also stole three House uniforms, entered the Manor without permission, and tried to steal our properties. Again, they have admitted to the accusation. Their guilt is as clear as water."

"That's for the jury to decide," the student regent interjected. "Is there anything else that the plaintiff would like to present?"

"None. We rest our case."

Jaira went back to our table. Her presentation was concise and clear, even a fifth grader could make a sound conclusion of their own. Andrei gave her a thumbs up while I nodded at her. Great job. The evidence was right in front of the jury's faces. There's no way the three would walk away unscathed.

"Defendants, you may now offer your rebuttal."

Steffany rose from her seat. "Before I present our counter-arguments, we'd like to establish the motive of the defendants for allegedly breaking some university rules and regulations. Harriet?"

So they wouldn't just throw in the towel, huh? Let's see how they're going to defend the indefensible. This might entertain us for a while.

"A few days ago, my seniors received anonymous blackmail threats asking them to withdraw their application or reject their nomination as representative of our House to the Quadetective Tournament in exchange for not exposing their secrets." Harriet paused to turn to her conspirators. "I consulted Mina and Aiden if their Houses had the same dilemma."

"Yes, we had," Aiden added as Wilhelmina nodded. "Kaya pahirapan sa amin na makahanap ng representative kasi umuurong ang prospects ng House council. Nakaaalarma na may ganitong pandaraya kahit na hindi pa officially nagsisimula ang tournament."

"Even I got a blackmail card," Harriet revealed. "Hindi ko alam kung bakit pati ako ay nadamay, but the masterminds must have considered me a potential candidate from a lower year and wanted to eliminate me, too."

She's right about that part.

Steffany picked up a transparent pouch with cards inside. She brought it before the jury. "These are the cards that the seniors from Houses Holmes, Watson and Adler received anonymously." She then turned to their own table. "What happened next?"

"We had a hunch kung sino o sino-sino ang posibleng nasa likod ng blackmailing incidents." Where was Harriet's smug face and tone? She looked and sounded so humble. Was this part of their strategy? "Gusto naming patunayan kung tama ba o mali ang hinala namin kaya namin nagawa ang mga bagay na nabanggit ng plaintiff."

"So you only had the best interest of your Houses in mind?"

"We did. We still do."

"Point of inquiry?" Jaira's right hand shot up in the air. The student regent acknowledged her. "Are the defendants accusing our House of being behind those incidents?"

"We do," Harriet answered after getting a nod from Steffany. "We have strong reasons to believe that you masterminded the whole scheme."

"Do you have any evidence to substantiate your claim? Or is it just a product of your gut feeling and animosity toward our House?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have any. That's what we aimed to find and retrieve from your Manor. Little did we know that it was just a trap."

"See? You acted on a mere hunch. I also want to put in on record that some seniors of our House have also received the same threats. If you think about it, we're also victims here."

We're not the type of people who would sail in a ship without plugging all of its holes. Of course, we had some blackmail cards prepared just in case the jury would ask for proof on that claim. We got that fully covered.

"Plus," Jaira added, "whatever their motive is, it doesn't justify their actions. The irrefutable fact is that the defendants broke the rules. They admitted to it moments ago."

"What if they were led to break the rules?" the defense counsel asked. "What if they were the ones really lured into a trap?"

"What do you mean?"

Steffany crossed the center. "Their intrusion to House Moriarty's territory was almost a success because they were fed the information that they needed to know. They were also assisted in entering the Manor and guided to the library by someone from your House."

"Care to explain what you meant?"

"Mr. Moreno, you said that they'd asked you some questions and you'd given them answers, correct?"

I leaned forward as I nodded. It seemed that they're serious about putting up a legal fight. Bring it on.

"You gave them the exact location of where the blackmailing materials were allegedly located?"

"I was under duress that time. All I wanted was to get out of the situation."

She turned to the jury. "With the information that Mr. Moreno volunteered, the defendants got an idea on where to find the materials. All they needed to do was to sneak into the Manor, which wasn't easy." She looked back at the defendants over her shoulder. "Can you tell us how you got inside the Manor?"

Harriet and Aiden glanced at each other, probably mentally asking who should answer.

"May biometrics system sa entrance ng Manor," Aiden responded. "Sinubukan ni Harriet ang fingerprints niya, pero na-access denied siya. Mabuti't may dumating na taga-House Moriarty at tinulungan kaming pumasok nang hindi na masyadong tinatanong ng gatekeeper."

"May we know who that person was?"

"Arturius Moreno, brother of Morrie and an alumnus of House Moriarty," Harriet answered. "He recognized us the moment he saw us outside the Manor. Imbes na isumbong niya kami sa gatekeeper, pinapasok niya pa kami. He even invited us for tea in the common room and volunteered to guide us to our destination."

I leaned my back against my seat. Where are they going with this argument?

"Is this Arturius Moreno present here?" the student regent asked.

"He's not available, unfortunately," Jaira answered.

"If the jury wants proof, I assume that the video evidence submitted by the plaintiff a while ago would have included the older Moreno and the defendants walking in the corridors of their Manor." Steffany gestured to the juror's box. "You can see him with them from the moment they entered the Manor and until he left them in front of the library."

Jaira raised a hand. "Sorry, but I don't see how that's going to help your case."

"Our point is," Steffany took a dramatic pause, "Members of House Moriarty had the opportunity to stop the three defendants, yet the former allowed the latter to carry out their plan. If the younger Moreno didn't give the location or if the older Moreno didn't help them enter the Manor, none of these would have happened. Which begs the question, was it part of a deliberate trap?"

"I think you're reaching here—"

The doubledoor at the courtroom's entrance swung open. We turned our heads in that direction. A guy in red cape walked in hurriedly. I recognized him instantly as our House leader. His creased forehead and furrowed eyebrows told me that something's wrong.

"I apologize for the interruption," Yohan told the student regent. "But I'd like to talk to our justiciar urgently."

"Granted."

Confused, Jaira walked toward him. Yohan leaned closer and whispered in her ear. Her eyes went wide.

What prompted our House leader to drop by here? And what's with Jaira's reaction? Did something serious happen?

"Apologies to the student regent and the jury," Jaira said upon returning to our table. "But I would like to inform you that House Moriarty is withdrawing its complaint against the defendants. We will no longer pursue this case."

"What?!" The people on the other table made some confused faces. They shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders, wondering what on earth had happened.

I looked up at Jaira with squinted eyes. Even I got a couple of questions. What's going on here? What's with the change of tune?

"Is that what House Moriarty wants?" the student regent asked.

"It is."

"Very well, since the plaintiff has decided to withdraw the complaint, this trial will no longer proceed. The case is dismissed."

"What's wrong?" I asked as soon as Jaira settled down. "What did the leader tell you?"

She looked me straight in the eye before letting out a sigh. "Someone sent him recordings of our council meetings where the blackmail scheme was discussed. The unknown sender threatened to make those clips public unless we withdraw our complaint against those three. Yohan had no choice but to abide. He can't risk the council and the House being ruined by those recordings."

I averted my gaze. Only members of the House council were invited in the meetings. Therefore, if the recording happened during one of their sessions, that meant there's a traitor inside the council itself. Maybe they're the same person as the one who stole the materials in the Pandoran Library.

Who could it be?

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