Chapter 3: The QED Club

LORELEI

MY eyes gazed at the hardbound books stacked in the shelf.

They looked old and dusty. The pages have also turned yellow and crisp as if the owner never opened them again after buying them years ago.

I looked around the study and observed mahogany desk at the center of the room. Yumuko ako at kinapa ang ilalim nito. There was nothing in there. I pulled the drawer and rummaged through the pieces of paper and folders. Nothing was there as well.

Nasaan kaya ‘yon?

“Are you planning to steal important documents?”
I lifted my curious gaze and saw a young man with a blank expression on his face. His jet-black hair was unkempt, with some strands of his fringe almost covering his eyes. Speaking of eyes, his are lackluster, having that permanent bored look on them.

That young man is Loki Mendez, a high school student who has a knack for solving mysteries. His black eyes may look dull, but I assure you, they are as sharp as the hawk’s. He is too observant that nothing—not even tiniest details—can escape him. Fine, that was an exaggeration. May ilang bagay rin siyang nami-miss. He’s not perfect, like everyone else.

Nakapamulsa siyang lumapit sa desk kung saan ako nakayuko. I stood upright and smoothened my skirt. “I’m looking for a switch.”

Loki’s eyes squinted as he observed me with his scrutinizing eyes. “So you have also noticed that thing?”

“If by ‘that thing,’ you mean a ‘secret room,’ yes.” I nodded. “How did you know?”

“I was walking around this house for a while,” he said, pacing back and forth. “Looking for secret passages, the one that allowed the culprit to escape unnoticed. Unfortunately, there was none. But I found something strange. There seems to be a space at the center of this second floor.”

We are currently inside the mansion of the Romualdez, a wellknown family in the city. The security is tight and not everyone is allowed to visit this place. But because of a request, we managed to enter. The house has three floors, each is equipped with surveillance cameras. The study, however, doesn’t have any camera installed on the ceiling.

I nodded. “Ganyan din ang naisip ko.” That’s exactly why I went to examine this study, to check if there’s a door leading to another room. Ngunit wala akong nakitang ibang pinto rito maliban sa palabas ng kwarto. So I moved on to another theory that there might be a secret door leading to a secret room, hence my search for a switch.

Loki went to the bookshelf that I was checking earlier. He leaned closer to the dusty volumes. If he tried to sniff, he might sneeze. Kung meron siyang allergy sa alikabok, siguradong madali itong mati-trigger. “Did you move any of the books here?”

I shook my head. Tiningnan ko lang kanina ang mga libro, pero wala pa akong ginalaw na kahit ano. “I’m planning to check that shelf last.”

“So you didn’t move the three books here?”

Kumunot ang noo ko sabay tingin sa kanya. Muli kong pinuntahan ang shelf at sinuring maigi ang mga libro. He pointed at the hardbound book entitled: The First Triumvirate of Rome: Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus, Gnaeus Pompey Magnus and the Fall of the Roman Republic. I like reading books, but not that kind of book.

“I’m not that interested in ancient Roman politics,” I replied. Inilapit ko pa ang mga mata ko sa shelf. How did Loki know that these three books were moved? Was he only guessing? No, he doesn’t guess. He probably noticed something on this shelf that I wasn’t paying close attention to.

“Don’t waste your time with that desk. The answer to the mystery is right under your nose,” he said. “This bookshelf is in a perfect position to act as a door to another room.”

“So we just have to find the right books to pull?” I crossed my arms. “There are at least a hundred of them here. Paano natin malalaman kung alin d’yan?”

“Sherlock once said, ‘You see but—”

“‘You do not observe,’” I finished the line from the world’s greatest fictional detective that he’s fond of quoting when something so obvious was staring at me right in the face. Muli kong sinuri ang row ng shelf kung saan nakalagay ang librong, ‘The First Triumvirate of Rome.’

Aha! There’s a break on the dust pattern sa surface. That would only happen if the book was pulled out of this shelf. Nakita kong gano’n din ang hitsura sa rows ng dalawa pang libro.

“Shouldn’t we barge into the secret room now?” I asked, jerking my thumb toward the shelf. May halong pag-aalala ang boses ko. “Every minute that passes is critical.”

“If that person can endure thirty-six hours of isolation, he can probably endure thirty minutes more,” Loki said nonchalantly.

By ‘that person,’ he was referring to a 9-year-old kid who’s at the center of the kidnapping case that was consulted to us. Oh, wait. Loki and I are part of the QED Club of Clark High, the one and only detective group in the campus. But the club isn’t a two-man act. We have two other members who are also busy with their own tasks at the moment.

Here’s what we usually do.

When students find themselves baffled by mysteries, they come to us for consultation. They tell us their problems, we solve their cases. Most of the time, we solve petty cases like looking for a lost pet, tracking a prankster, and debunking ghost mysteries. That greatly annoys Loki because he doesn’t want to waste his time with mundane investigations. But sometimes the heavens hear his plea, serious cases come to our doorstep. This kidnapping case is one of them.

How did we end up in this mansion? A friend of my classmate went to our clubroom and asked if we could locate her missing nephew. She said that the kid simply vanished on Tuesday afternoon. What’s more puzzling was the fact that no one saw the kid leave the premises.

“Loki dear!”

A bubbly young woman with braided hair hanging over her left shoulders barged into the room with brimming energy. Nagmamadali siyang lumapit kay Loki at hinawakan ang braso nito. One might assume na may relasyon sila dahil sa kanilang pilit na closeness.

“Nagawa ko na ang ipinagagawa mo! Shouldn’t you be proud of me?” sabi nito.

Meet Jamie Santiago, another member of our detective club. Her broad smile accompanied by her sparkling white teeth always brightens up the room. At minsan, nakahahawa ang pagiging energetic niya. She’s like a cheerleader who would boost the morale of the team by merely existing. Si Loki lang yata ang hindi masyadong tinatablan. Also, she’s clingy to him, like how she locked her arms on Loki’s.

“Did you check the security footages thoroughly?” Loki asked.

Jamie nodded twice like a good puppy. “Nakita kong pumasok siya sa premises ng mansyon pero wala akong nakitang indication na may lumabas kasama niya I reviewed the video thrice and I could play the scenes exactly the way I saw it.”

One remarkable thing about Jamie is her gift of retentive memory. She could recall instantaneously what she has seen moments ago. Her talent is a huge advantage for our club. Mas mapapadali kasing ma-identify kung may nagbago sa crime scene o may bagay na ginalaw sa isang lugar.

“That confirms my theory that the victim never left this house,” I muttered, gazing at the bookshelf behind me. I had already suspected na walang tagalabas na pumasok sa mansyon para kidnap-in ang bata. “Can’t we free him yet? He must be so scared to be inside that room.”

“Just wait a little more,” Loki told me before turning to our other member. “Jamie, can you be so kind to summon the family here? It’s time we draw the curtain of deception and reveal the obvious truth.”

“Right away!” Jamie saluted as she left the room. Kaya mainam talagang si Loki mismo ang mag-utos sa kanya. Because if I were the one to ask her, she would only roll her eyes and ignore me completely.

It didn’t take long before the entire household gathered in the study. Only five persons of interest huddled in front of the mahogany desk: Ramon Romualdez, the father of the missing child; Raffy Romualdez, the uncle and owner of this mansion; Aling Ester and Aling Felicidad, the two maids; and Generoso Garcia, the security guard.

“We have good news for you,” Loki began, addressing Sir Ramon. “We have located your missing child.”

Napabuntonghininga ang lahat nang marinig ang mabuting balita. Napa-sign of the cross pa nga ang dalawang kasambahay. But I could feel that one of them was scared of the news. Dahil walang ibang tagalabas na pumasok sa mansyon, nasa kanilang lima lang ang puwedeng nagtago sa bata.

“Nasaan na siya?” tanong ni Sir Ramon, may halong pagkasabik at pangamba ang boses. “Saan siya dinala ng mga kidnapper?”

Loki pointed his forefinger down. “He’s right here. Not under the floor. In this study, the truth is he never left the house.”

Everyone around us gasped. All along they thought that the kid was in an abandoned warehouse or somewhere. Well, everyone, except the real kidnapper. He must be so terrified that his trick was about to be unraveled.

“And the one who plotted this elaborate yet stupid plan is in this room,” Loki revealed, eliciting another round of gasps. Para siyang isang storyteller na nagbibitiw ng cliff-hanger para mas may suspense ang revelation. He likes a touch of the dramatic after all.

“Teka, paano ka nakasisigurong nasa amin ang kidnapper?” tanong ni Raffy na napapunas ng namuong pawis sa kanyang noo. “Baka kasi masyado kayong naka-focus sa amin kaya hindi n’yo napansin na isang outsider ang kidnapper?”

Jamie raised her right hand like a student eager for recitation. “Sir, I reviewed all the security footages around the mansion. No one else got inside this house except for everyone present here. Kaya nakasisiguro kaming walang tagalabas na involved dito.”

“Sinabi n’yong nandito lang ang anak ko,” pag-uulit ni Ramon. “Paano siya nagawang itago ng kidnapper? We searched every room in this house and we didn’t find him anywhere!”

“How well do you know everything about this house?” I asked. If he doesn’t know much about this place, there’s little chance he would have known about the secret room.

“My dad gave this house to my brother,” Ramon said, throwing a glance at Uncle Raffy. “We’ve been here for two years only.”

“So none of you knows about the secret room?” I dropped the bomb dahilan para magkatinginan ang magkakamag-anak.

Only one of them had a strange reaction.

The uncle.

Napatingin ako kay Loki na nakatitig din sa lalaking ‘yon. He must be observing that man’s reaction since he got here.

“Anong secret room?” tanong ni Raffy.

Trying to pretend to know nothing, huh? He could try that, but Loki wouldn’t let him off the hook easily.
“Who frequents this study?” Loki slid his hands into his pockets and walked around the room. His interrogation thus began.

Raffy raised his hand after two seconds of contemplation. “I do. Kapag kailangan kong mapag-isa, dito ako laging pumupunta.”

Loki squinted his eyes, one end of his lips curved. “I see. Do you always have this place cleaned?”

“Of course!” Raffy answered. Pagkatapos, tumingin siya kay Aling Felicidad, ang housemaid na naka-ponytail. “Lagi kong ibinibilin sa mga maid na linisin ang study.”

“You should fire them,” Loki said, tactlessly. Na parang gano’n lang kadaling magtanggal ng tao sa trabaho.

“They have done a terrible job at cleaning this room. Look at the bookshelf. Full of dust! A good housemaid wouldn’t let too much dust to settle in the shelf.”

“Ah, Sir, hindi talaga namin nililinis ang shelf,” paliwanag ni Aling Ester na napapakamot sa kanyang ulo. “Mahigpit ho kasi ang bilin sa amin na huwag papakialaman ‘yan.”

“Why?” I asked. That’s a strange order. Normally, people would want their bookshelves to be dust-free.

“Ilang dekada na rin ang ilan sa mga librong nand’yan.” Raffy took the turn to explain. “Hindi naman sa wala akong tiwala sa kanila, pero ayaw kong ma-mishandle ang mga libro. Pamana kasi sa amin ng mga magulang namin ‘yan.”

“So it’s you who gave the order?” Loki asked.

The uncle nodded.

“I assume you’re also the one who likes reading some of the books here?” Loki threw a follow-up question.

The uncle nodded again.

“Have you read the First Triumvirate of Rome book?”

“I’m a huge fan of ancient Rome,” Raffy replied, smiling. “Paminsan-minsan, binabasa ko ‘yan.”

“Have you read the part where Julius Caesar killed Pompey Magnus at the Battle of Pharsalus?”

“Of course, who wouldn’t know that?” Raffy nodded.

“That’s the decisive battle during the Roman Civil War.”

Loki smirked. “A true huge fan of ancient Rome wouldn’t say that.”

“What?”

“Caesar defeated Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus. He didn’t kill him there.” Loki sounded like a professor giving a lecture on ancient Rome. “After that decisive battle, Pompey fled to Egypt where he was killed and beheaded by an officer of King Ptolemy. I’m a hundred percent certain that an enthusiast of ancient Rome knows that fact.”

Raffy laughed nervously. “A-Alam ko naman ‘yon.

Nagkamali lang ako ng dinig. At saka matagal ko na ring nabasa ang part na ‘yon sa Roman history, baka nakalimutan ko na o napaghalo-halo ko ‘yong mga history na nabasa ko.”

“Maybe the more appropriate explanation is that this hardbound book is one of the keys to the secret room.” Loki pulled the first of the three books from the bookshelf and placed it on the desk. “Aside from this, two more books were removed here recently. How did I know? The break in the dust pattern.”

“Dust pattern?”

“Dahil hindi mo pinapalinis ang shelf na ‘to, naipon ang mga alikabok. Kaya no’ng tinanggal mo ang ilang libro, nagalaw ang pattern nito,” paliwanag ko sa mga nakakunot-noong magkakamag-anak.

“You have probably read or watched from one of those cliché movies a scene where there’s a switch in a bookshelf,” Loki said as he pulled the two other books. After that, we heard a click and the shelf slightly moved. “Voila! The secret room.”

Nagmadaling lumapit sa shelf ang tatay ng nawawalang bata at iniusod ito papunta sa kaliwa. Lumingon naman ako sa aking likuran kung saan tulalang nakatingin ang nanginginig na ngayong si Raffy. He couldn’t believe that his trick was exposed.

“Charlie!” The father cried, rushing to the side of the poor child. Nakatakip ng duct tape ang bibig nito habang nakatali ang mga kamay at paa sa likuran. He was isolated inside that empty room for how many hours already. Imagine how terrifying it must have been for him.

“The only one who knows about the existence of the secret room . . . “ Loki turned around to point his finger at the culprit. “ . . . is none other than the uncle.”

Nanlaki ang mga mata ng lalaki at sa isang iglap, may namuong pawis sa kanyang noo. His facial expression was priceless. The word ‘guilty’ was written all over his face. Figuratively, of course.

“Hindi por que sa akin ang bahay na ‘to, ako lang ang nakaaalam ng secret room na ‘yan,” depensa ni Raffy. As expected from culprits, hindi siya basta-basta aamin. He would desperately try to deny it. “Baka may iba pang nakaaalam na may ganyan dito sa study!”

“So you are admitting that you know about this secret room?” Loki wasn’t buying whatever defense he was putting up. “If that’s the case, did you tell anyone in this household about it? Did you check that room?”

“Bale . . .  kasi . . .”

“You didn’t, because if you did, your disappearing trick would be exposed,” Loki went on. The walls were closing in on our primary suspect. “I believe the child will identify you as his kidnapper once he regains his consciousness. You have to lure him in this study after all, and only you, a relative, can do that.”

Humakbang paurong ang tito, pailing-iling pa ng ulo. “Nagkakamali kayo! Wala akong kinalaman d’yan! Isa itong setup para ako ang maiturong suspek!”

“You can deny it all you want,” Loki said. “But this is a checkmate already. You should be on your knees, confessing your crime to everyone around.”

“P-Pero—” The uncle tried to make out some words, but he was choking. Everyone in the room was looking at him with piercing stares.

“Bakit mo nagawa ‘to, Raffy?” nanggagalaiting tanong ni Ramon. Kung hindi niya lang hawak ang kanyang anak, malamang ay sinunggaban na niya ang kanyang kapatid. “Dahil ba sa pera kaya naisipan mong palitawin na dinukot ang anak ko para makahingi ka ng ransom?”

Yumuko si Raffy at ilang segundong natahimik. Denying his involvement in this case was futile. “Ang totoo n’yan, naisanla ko na ang bahay na ‘to dahil sa utang. Nalulong ako sa sugal. Hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili ko. Minamalas yata ako kaya nagkapatong-patong ang utang ko. Pero hindi ako tumigil. Umasa ako na mananalo pa rin ako nang malaki kaya ko naisipang magpatuloy. Pero, lalo lang akong nabaon—” Biglang tumakbo palabas ng kwarto ang salarin. Lahat kami ay nagulat dahil sa bilis ng kanyang kilos. We thought he would surrender without any resistance.

Loki stood beside me and watched as the culprit slipped through our grasps. Si Jamie naman, umakmang susundan na ang salarin sa labas ng kwarto ngunit natigilan nang mapansing hindi kami sumunod. The family driver went after the man while the two housemaids attended to the unconscious child.

“Hindi ba natin siya hahabulin?” tanong ko. “He might try to escape from his crime.”

“You know me. I don’t want to waste too much of my energy so let’s not go after him,” he answered without any hint of worry. “Besides, we have already found the kidnapped victim. That’s what the request is all about, isn’t it? Finding the missing child. We found him. Case solved.”

“Babatuhin ko na sana ng sapatos, eh!” Jamie exclaimed, dropping her black shoes with heels on the floor and slipping her left foot in it. “But as what Loki dear said, hayaan na natin ang suspek. Our duty as the QED Club is over. Let’s leave it to the police.”

“Shouldn’t we see this case through until the end?” I asked. “Yeah, the case has been solved, but it isn’t closed yet because the culprit hasn’t been arrested yet. Can you live with the fact that we let a kidnapper escape?”

We then heard a loud thud below.

“I told you that we won’t chase after him, but that doesn’t mean we will let him escape,” Loki smirked as if he had already expected what happened downstairs.

Lumabas kaming tatlo kasama ang ibang members ng Romualdez household. On the stairs we found the escaping uncle being held down by another young man whose fringes swayed to one side. His muscular frame suggests that he’s been working out regularly, thus keeping himself in shape. May katangkaran din siya, mas angat nang kaunti kay Loki. He’s wearing the distinctive royal blue blazer and red necktie of Clark High.

“Al!” I called him.

Alistair Ravena or Al is my childhood friend and the newest member of our detective club. He recently transferred to Clark High from University of San Bartholomew-High School in Manila. We were classmates back then. Doon ako nag-aral hanggang sa kinailangan kong lumipat ng school—thanks to an incident in the past. Months later, nalaman kong nag-transfer na rin si Al dito kaya ngayon, magkaklase uli kami.

Kung hand-to-hand combat lang ang pag-uusapan, Al can subdue any opponent with his physical prowess. Aside from his knowledge of melee combat, he’s also a good detective like Loki. I still remember their first meeting. May nangyaring murder sa isang cafe kaya nagtagisan sila ng galing sa pag-solve ng kaso. The result was a draw. They never considered it a competition anyway.

“I knew that Alistair would be standing guard here,” Loki said, walking down the stairs and touching the railings. “You knew that the victim might try to escape. Is that why you are there?”

Al beamed at us. He also has a habit of flashing his pearl white teeth. “Mukhang hindi n’yo na rin kailangan ang tulong ko sa pag-reveal kung sino ang nasa likod ng kidnapping. I figured that I would be more useful if I wait here, just in case the suspect tries to escape; and I was right.”

See his foresight? There’s no way he could have known na susubukang tumakas ng salarin, but he still thought that it’s a better idea to be waiting here than joining us in the study.

Pilit na nagpumiglas ang suspek sa sahig, parang isang uod na binudburan ng asin. But Al held him down firmly. This is now the dead end for him.

“How terrible is it for a man to use an innocent child for his own self-interest,” Al sighed, looking extremely disappointed. “The child trusted you, and this is what you did to him?”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Loki stood near the head of the subdued uncle. “For a man who was willing to gamble everything, sacrificing his own relative wouldn’t be off the table.”

The police arrived fifteen minutes later and arrested Raffy Romualdez. Sunod na dumating ang isang ambulansya. Ramon’s son was too pale and his small body was trembling. He needed to be checked by the doctor as soon as possible.

Posibleng na-dehydrate ang bata habang nakakulong sa secret room.

Ramon turned to the four of us. “Thank you for finding my kid.” At kumpara no’ng nasa second floor kami, mas maaliwalas na ang mukha niya ngayon. But there’s still a tinge of worry on his face. “Kung wala kayo, baka kung ano na’ng nangyari sa anak ko.”

“Wala ‘yon sa amin, Sir! Helping people is our job,” masiglang tugon ni Jamie. “Masaya kaming nagkasama na kayo uli ng anak n’yo.”

“You take good care of your child, Sir,” Al reminded him. “Right now, he needs you to be on his side.”

“Tama.” Ramon nodded. Bago siya pumasok sa loob ng ambulansya kung saan ipinasok ang anak niya, lumingon siya sa amin sa huling pagkakataon. “Tatanawin ko ‘tong malaking utang na loob. Don’t worry, I will find a way to repay you.”

“If there’s a case that baffles you, you know who you’re gonna call,” Loki proudly said before making an about-face turn. “Let’s go.”

The siren of the ambulance went off as we walked toward the car parked in front of the Romualdez mansion.

Another case was solved and closed.

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