HARRIET

FOR THE record, Morrie was the last person I would dance with. Aiden was next to him.

Kahit na against ako sa idea ng Moriartard na 'to, hindi na ako umangal pa. Time was of the essence and his reasoning was sensible. Mas magmumukhang kahina-hinala kung tatayo kami sa gilid ng stage habang inaabangan ang assassin. The waltz, as Morrie pointed out, would provide a good cover for us.

Awkward. Really awkward. Ganyan ko ide-describe ang feeling habang hawak ni Morrie ang kamay ko. Parang nakukuryente ako kaya gusto kong bitawan. Sabay kaming naglakad patungo sa dance floor kung saan pang-romantic ang music at parang ang sweet ng mga nasa paligid namin.

After this case, I would no longer have any face to show to anyone. Me dancing with the enemy? Ridiculous! Naramdaman ko nga ang tingin nina Sherry at Locke nang inaalalayan ako ni Morrie papunta rito. My Golly! What have I done?

"Is this your first time dancing a waltz?" Napahawak ang kanang kamay niya sa baywang ko. Muli akong nakaramdam ng kuryenteng dumaloy sa katawan ko. Awkward. Really awkward. I forgot how to properly react. "Relax. This is just a dance."

Inhale.

Exhale.

I needed to set aside my hostile attitude toward Morrie and focus on our current quest. Mas importante ang buhay ng university chancellor namin kaysa sa petty competition ng mga House. At dahil doon, handa akong lunukin muna ang pride ko (ngunit iluluwa ko rin pagkatapos nito).

"Follow my lead," he whispered to me as we began swaying to his right. Gaya ng sinabi niya, sinundan ko ang mga hakbang niya. Sunod sa kaliwa, balik sa kanan tapos paulit-ulit lang. Depende ang bilis ng pag-sway namin sa rhythm ng music. Imagine what people would think of me once they see the two of us dancing to the tune of a romantic song!

"So how does dancing give us any advantage against the assassin?" tanong ko. Hindi ko siya kayang tingnan nang diretso sa mata. Mas magiging awkward lalo. Not to mention, staring into his lifeless eyes may drain the life of me. That may sound like an exaggeration, but that's how it felt like.

"He only has one chance to successfully kill his target." He looked to his left and watched the waiter serving drinks to the Holmesian tables. "If he fails in his first attempt, the success rate plunges down."

"At para masigurong magiging matagumpay ang plano niya..."

"Assuming that he isn't bringing a sniper rifle, he needs to get close to his target," Morrie finished my sentence as he gazed at me. I quickly looked away. "And being a waiter serving food and drinks to the VIP gives him the proximity."

"So whoever gets near the VIPs on the stage might be the assassin?" Ibinaling ko na lang ang tingin ko sa mga binabantayan naming waiter.

"There are three ways on how he can kill the target." Morrie made me turn like what the other men did to their partners. "First, by firing a gun at point blank range. Second, by stabbing the victim in the vital organs. And third, by putting poison in his food and drink."

"And out of the three possible scenarios..." I muttered since we were a few steps from a nearby pair, "...the third one is the most likely since the first two would be noticed by people around his target. Kaso magkakaproblema tayo kung dalawa o tatlo ang magse-serve sa mga VIP. Hindi natin alam kung sino sa kanila ang may dalang lason."

"That's where Aiden comes in." Morrie jerked his head to the left, pointing to the direction where Aiden — now in black vest and black bowtie — was talking to men wearing the same uniform. "He will tell us if one of his suspects will serve the food. Wilhelmina, monitoring the movements of every suspect closely, can inform us who among them is on the way to the stage."

"At doon natin siya pipigilan?"

"Yes, but we have to be sure. If we wrongly accuse someone of assassination, it will not only create panic among the attendees but it will also be embarrassing in front of the VIPs."

That would be a disaster. We were trying to be heroes tonight, kaya nga nakakahiya kung papalya kami. Kapag may nangyaring masama sa chancellor, God forbid, we would feel partly responsible because we refused to inform the authorities about the sinister plot. Kapag nagkamali kami ng suspek na huhulihin, malaking sampal 'yon, hindi lang sa sarili namin, kundi maging sa dangal ng mga House namin.

So much was at stake here, and we couldn't afford to lose.

Bzzz!

Napahawak ako sa wireless headset sa kanang tenga ko. Natatakpan ito ng aking nakalugay na buhok kaya hindi basta-basta mahahalata ng mga taong nakapaligid sa akin. Thanks to Mina, we found a more efficient way to communicate our findings.

"Aiden speaking. Nagtatanong-tanong ako sa mga waiter dito. May tatlong pumunta sa comfort room kanina. Ang kaso, wala ni isa sa kanila ang kaboses ng narinig ko."

"Harriet speaking," hininaan ko ang aking boses. "Posibleng hindi natural voice ang gamit niya ngayon. He would take every precaution to disguise himself as an entirely different person for the role."

"Can we have their descriptions?" tanong ni Morrie sabay hawak sa kanyang wireless headset. Dahil sa itim niyang buhok, hindi rin halata ang nakasuot na device sa kanyang tenga.

"Ang una'y lalaking matangkad at payat, kulot ang buhok at matatalim ang mga mata. Parang once in a blue moon siya ngumiti. May dala-dala siya ngayong service plate at naglalakad papunta riyan sa harapan, sa may kanan n'yo."

Hinanap ko ang lalaking naka-itim na vest na tugma sa description ni Aiden. Found him. It wasn't that difficult to spot someone who was not smiling in a cheerful event.

"Ang pangalawa'y lalaking bansot at mataba, naka-push back ang buhok at laging naka-smile. May kausap siyang Holmesian ngayon sa may kaliwa n'yo."

Iginala ko ang aking mga mata sa puwesto ng House namin at nai-spot-an ang taong idine-describe ni Aiden. Compared to the first one, that waiter was all smiles. Parang wala sa itsura niya na may balak siyang patayin ngayong gabi. But looks can be deceiving.

"Ang pangatlo'y lalaking maputi, maayos ang pagkakasuklay ng buhok at merong braces. Katamtaman ang tangkad at pangangatawan niya. Papunta siya ngayon sa area ng mga professor natin."

The last one wasn't hard to find since we were only a few feet away from the instructors. He looked decent enough to be plotting an assassination. But who knows what he was hiding beneath his gentle smile?

"Wilhelmina, did you spot them all?" Morrie asked.

We heard short and long buzzing noises from our headset. Hanggang sa mga ganitong sitwasyon, Morse code pa rin ang gamit ni Mina.

-•-- • •••

"Tell us who among those three is approaching the stage." Morrie was speaking as if he was the team leader of the entire operation. "Observe if one of them is acting suspiciously."

-•-• --- •--• -•--

"Aiden, move closer to the stage in case we need support," he added.

"Roger. May naisip na akong plano."

Nagpatuloy kami sa pagsayaw ni Morrie habang binabantayan mula sa puwesto namin ang mga suspek. They continued serving food and drinks to everyone not on the dance floor.

"If he wants to poison the university chancellor, this is the perfect time," Morrie muttered, his eyes glued on the tall guy serving drinks on the Holmesian tables. "If he uses a slow acting poison, he would have the time to escape before his target collapses from his chair."

"Hindi natin siya hahayaang makatakas. Hahabulin ko siya hanggang sa labas," sabi ko, nakatingin sa kabilang direksyon at sinusundan ang kilos ng waiter na nagse-serve sa mga professor namin. No suspicious movement so far.

"Among the four of us, only you have the stamina to chase down the culprit."

I don't know if that was a compliment or an insult coming from the Moriartard. Compared sa kanya na ilang metro pa lang ang itinatakbo, pagod na kaagad, 'di hamak na mas mahaba ang stamina ko.

••• --- -- • - •••• •• -• --• •• -• - •- •-•• •-•• --• ••- -•-- •----• •••

•--• --- -•-• -•- • - •••

This was one occasion where I hoped that Mina would speak instead of using Morse code as a way of communication. Mas mapapadali ang trabaho namin kung hindi na namin kailangang i-decode ang sasabihin niya sa utak namin.

Papalapit na ang matangkad na lalaki sa stage, dala-dala ang isang service plate na may food at drinks. Meron pa siyang kasamang dalawang waiter na kapareho rin ang kanyang dala.

Teka, bakit kasama niya si Aiden sa pagse-serve?

Still calm, Morrie pressed on his earphone and spoke, "We need to make sure that the chancellor won't take a bite or sip his drink."

"Aiden here. Ako nang bahala."

Whatever that guy's thinking, sana hindi mabulilyaso ang plano namin. A miscalculation would cost us the chancellor's life. And that's a scenario I would not want to see realized.

We waltzed through the crowd of couples to get closer to the stage. Isang talon mula sa puwesto namin, maaabot ko na ang entablado. We watched closely as our target waiter began placing the plates and glasses on the VIP table. The university chancellor picked up his utensils and was about to take a bite when suddenly...

CLANK!

Glasses shattered on the stage. Lahat kami'y napatigil sa aming galaw at napatingin kay Aiden the waiter na mukhang sinadya 'yon. What a good way to get everyone's attention!

"Now's the chance!" I jumped onto the stage, grabbed the tall waiter's wrist and tackled him on the floor. Natigil ang music. Natigil ang pagsayaw. Natigil ang pagkain ng mga attendee.

"Te-Teka, a-anong ginagawa n'yo?" His eyebrows met as he tried to look at me. Sinusubukan niyang pumalag at pakawalan ang mga kamay niya. Dahil sa higpit ng hawak ko, he felt helpless.

"Mister Chancellor! Do not touch any of your food or drink!" I warned the middle-aged man in front of me. Gulat na gulat din siya sa bilis ng mga pangyayari, pati ang mga katabi niya. "This man put poison in your meal!"

Kinapkap ko ang bulsa ng pantalon ng waiter at naramdamang may maliit na bote sa loob. Inilabas ko ito at ipinakita sa mga taong nakapaligid sa amin. It was labeled as an anti-depressant.

"Gamot ko 'yan!" the waiter insisted. Muli siyang nagpumiglas ngunit hindi pa rin siya nakakawala sa akin.

"Ano ang nangyayari dito, Miss Harrison? Mister Alterra?" Sumampa na rin sa stage ang ilan sa mga professor, kasama na si SPO1 Cosmiano na nakasuot pa rin ng police uniform.

"Narinig ko kanina sa comfort room na pinaplano niyang patayin ang university chancellor," sagot ni Aiden na pinupulot ang malalaking piraso ng bubog sa sahig. If you don't know who he was, mapagkakamalan mo talaga siyang waiter. "Pinigilan namin ang masama niyang balak."

Kinapa ko pa ang loob ng kanyang mga bulsa hanggang sa makuha ang isang piraso ng papel. Nagulat ako nang makita ang "t" mark na nakasulat doon. Kung gano'n, ang lalaking 'to ay...

"Baka pwede nating ipa-check sa laboratory kung totoong anti-depressant ang laman ng bote," suhestiyon ko sabay abot ng bote kay SPO1 Cosmiano.

"Let me have that checked," sabi ni Dr. Wendy, ang director ng university health services, na nakasuot ng red dress na may isang strap at hanggang tuhod ang haba. "If this is poison, we will find out in the lab results."

"Tch!"

The waiter twisted his body in full force, breaking away from my grip. Bigla siyang tumalon mula sa stage at tumakbo patungo sa exit ng Grand Hall.

"Don't let him get away!" I shouted. Hahabulin ko na sana siya pero nakalimutan kong naka-heels pala ko. Kung sanang hindi ko suot ang mga 'to, I would have run after him.

Dala ng takot, tumabi ang mga estudyanteng nasa dance floor na nakasalubong niya. Morrie did not even do anything! Nakatayo siya na parang estatwa at hinayaang dumaan sa harapan niya ang assassin. Luckily, SPO1 Cosmiano jumped from the stage and started pursuing the waiter. Hindi man ako makahabol sa kanya, may naisip naman akong ibang paraan.

"MINA!" I shouted to get the attention of our Watsonian friend who was a few steps away from the escapist. Buong puwersa kong hinagis sa kanya ang ipinahiram niyang stun pen. Salamat sa salamin niyang nagpalinaw ng kanyang paningin, nasalo niya ito kaagad.

"TABI!" Kumuha ng isang kutsilyo ang waiter mula sa nadaanan niyang mesa kaya lalong natakot ang mga nasa daraanan niya. Iwinasiwas niya ito sa kanyang harapan.

Hindi umalis sa kinatatayuan niya si Mina. Kalmado siyang nakatayo na parang walang panganib na patungo sa direksyon niya.

PSSH!

Kasabay ng pagtigil ng waiter sa pagtakbo ay ang pagbitiw niya sa hawak na kutsilyo. When he collapsed on the floor, SPO1 Cosmiano quickly jumped on him and restrained both of his arms.

It was a game over for the assassin.

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