Chapter 42: Phantom of the Opera (Part 1)

It's the last day of November at bukas ay papasok na ang buwan ng Disyembre. What's with December by the way? Ah, Pasko. At Araw ni Rizal. Uh, my birthday too. My 18th birthday.

At dahil Ber months na ay malamig ang panahon. Umuulan din sa labas at nasa may bintana lang ako habang nakatanaw sa patak ng ulan sa malawak na soccer field ng Bridle. It was Saturday morning at katabi ko ang isang baso ng gatas. I just received an early call from my parents abroad. They were asking me for my debut's preparation as well as the gift that I want.

Kung ako ang papipiliin ay ayaw ko ng cotillon but Mom was the one persistent about it. Ayon sa kanya ay nakagpareserve na sila ng Grand Hall ng isang hotel with a capacity of 100 guests. Meh! I only have less than 10 people to invite in my mind. Well, iimbitahin naman siguro nina Daddy ang mga kamag-anak namin. I'm not close with my cousins kaya sila na ang bahala. Kakalapag ko lang ng baso nang muling tumunog ang cellphone ko. It was Gray.

Uh, why call this early? Alas sais pa lamang umaga. Agad ko iyong sinagot at hindi man lamang ito binati.

"Good morning," he said on the line. "Huhulaan ko kung nasaan ka. Nasa may bintana ka at tinitingnan ang patak ng ulan?"

I rolled my eyes at iginala ang paningin sa labas. He must be watching me from somewhere. "Where are you?" tanong ko sa kanya. "Stop looking at me."

"I'm somewhere out of Bridle. Maaga akong tinawagan ni Detective Tross and I'm on my way there," sagot niya. I can hear a car's engine kaya marahil ay nagsasabi ito ng totoo.

"How do you know I'm beside a window?"

"Simple! Malakas ang naririnig kong patak ng ulan. It's too early to take a walk around Bridle kaya sa may bintana lamang ang naiwan na lugar kung saan maririnig mo ang malakas na patak ng ulan. Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth," sagot niya.

"Fine. Bakit ka tumawag? I'm sure you didn't call just to deduce where I am sitting," wika ko. It's too early. Malamang kung hindi tumawag sina Daddy ay tulog pa ako hanggang ngayon.

"I want to ask a favor. Maari mo bang kunin ang envelope na nasa drawer ko? I will text you an address at ihatid mo rito. Please?" he asked. Malambing ang boses nito, palibhasa may pabor.

"Too tired," I said grumpily. Naghikab pa kunwari ako.

"Please?"

"Ayaw."

"Please? Please? Please?"

"Ayaw. Ayaw. Ayaw."

"Amber, please?" pagsusumamo nito. I gave up. Pagbibigyan ko na lang.

"Don't end the call, I'm going now," wika ko sa kanya at sumunod na ito. I walked my way towards the boys' dorm habang dala-dala ang payong ko. Tahimik doon at tila wala pang gising dahil walang tao sa lobby.

"No one's at the lobby," pagbibigay-alam ko sa kanya. "You should have asked your roommates to do this you know."

"Umuwi sila kaya walang tao sa room namin. I'm on the first floor by the way. Room 101," wika niya. Wait, he wants me to enter their room?! That's too awkward! Kadalasan pa naman sa mga lalaki ay makalat. What if there are used underwear na nakakalat doon?! That's gross!

"Damn you Abo!"

"Wag mo akong tawaging Abo."

"Or should I call you Filter?! You know like the one you used in photos, Grayscale!"

"You're not funny Amber," wika niya.

"I'm not joking! Masyadong buwis buhay ang ipinagagawa mo sa akin!" I hissed at him. Hello? Bawal ang babae sa boys' dorm! Amd what of may mga lalaking hubo't hubad sa loob ng dorm? Oh no my virgin eyes!

"Really? All you have to do is to open my drawer at kunin ang envelope doon. Tapos." wika niya.

"You owe me big for this!" wika ko at pinihit ang pinto na may markang 101. I was expecting a super messy room but it was the exact opposite. It was a very organized room. Maayos ang tatlong kama. Wala silang kurtina, sa halip ay blinds ang naroon. Why their room does looks like a bachelor's pad?

Maayos na nakalagay sa shoe rack ang mga sapatos na naroon. There was an empty trash bin, malamang ay katatapon lamang ng laman niyon. There was also a red round carpet on the middle of the room. May mga poster sa dingding ngunit maayos ang pagkakalagay niyon, hindi maruming tingnan.

Abala pa ako sa pagtingin sa paligid nang tumunog ang cellphone ko at agad namatay iyon. Dead battery! I have no other choice but to find that envelope on my own. I figured out that Gray's bed was the one with gray sheets on the right side dahil may soccer ball doon. On his headboard was his file of books including the Sherlock Holmes series. Mayroon ding litrato niya roon kasama ang mama niya at ang kanyang papa. It must be his adoptive father.

Who would have thought na malinis pala ang mga lalaking iyon? I've been on his room sa tunay nilang bahay and it was organized too. I thought malinis lang iyon dahil sa mga katulong nila but I guess Gray is really an organized person. Maging ang penmanship niya ay malinis at maayos din unlike our other male classmates. The truth is mas maganda pa nga ang sulat-kamay niya kaysa sa akin. I found nothing on his bedside drawer kaya hinanap ko iyon sa pagitan ng mga libro ngunit wala pa rin.

Magkatulad lang ang desinyo ng girls at boys' dorm kaya marahil ay may tatlong drawer din sa ibaba ng cabinet ng mga gamit nito. It wasn't locked kaya binuksan ko ang drawer na may nakalagay na Gray. And I was shocked when I saw it too. Maayos din ang pagkakatupi at pagkakahanger ng mga damit nito. What the hell?! Hiyang-hiya tuloy ang drawer ko!

I opened the first drawer and I raised my brow nang makitang mga underwear ang laman niyon. Uh, this is really awkward! I prevented myself from touching any of it and I got a naughty mind. Darn, this is really not me. Kailan pa ako naging pilya pagdating sa pag-iisip? There was no envelope kaya binuksan ko ang pangalawa at mga gamit sa paglilinis ng katawan iyon. Mayroon ding lotion, deodorant at mga pabango. Inamoy ko ang isang pabango doon. Oh, he got a good taste in choosing his scent. Wala rin doon ang hinahanap ko kaya isinara ko iyon at binuksan ang pangatlo. There were wristwatches, shades at kung ano-ano pa and the envelope. Agad ko iyong kinuha at nagmadaling lumabas ng dorm. Bumalik na ako sa dorm ng mga babae. Agad akong naligo at ng matapos ako ay tinawagan ko si Gray kung saan ko iyon ihahatid. I brought along my phone and powerbank.

Malakas pa rin ang ulan nang umalis ako. Nang makarating ako sa adress na itinext ni Gray. Nagulat ako nang mapagtantong isa iyong opera house. Ano naman ang ginagawa ni Gray sa isang opera house? I called him nang huminto na ang taxi upang ipakuha sa kanya ang envelope.

Lumabas naman ito ng opera house at lumapit sa akin. "Thanks Amber! You're the best! Bumaba ka na, I'm having an investigation inside. I know you'd be interested too. You believe in phantoms, specter and the likes. Well that's this case all about," nakangiting wika nito.

"No way! Aalis na ak―"

He pulled me from the cab at binayaran na ang taxi. Urgh! I don't want to be involved in cases like this! My God! Phantoms? Even an opera house is very creepy.

"Why did you do that?" I scowled at him. Pwersahan ba naman akong hilahin palabas ng kotse?!

"Like I said, I'm working on a case here and I'm appointing you to be my assistant," wika niya. Assistant?

"I don't want to work a case with you here and I don't want to be your assistant," wika ko sabay irap.

"I said I'm appointing you."

"That's force labor! I'm still underage!" wika ko sa kanya ngunit hindi na niya ako pinansin.

"If you don't want to be my assistant, be a spectator then," wika niya. Hinawakan niya ang kamay ko at hinila ako papasok sa opera house. Malaki iyon at maluwang, gaya ng nakikita sa mga palabas. Pagdating namin doon ay naroon si Detective Tross at isang lalaki na nakasuot ng salamin.

"Hi Amber!" bati ng Detective sa akin. Ngumiti lang ako sa kanya at nang dumako ang tingin nito sa kamay ni Gray na nakahawak ay agad kong hinila ang kamay ko. I saw a grin flashed on his face.

"By the way Sir Lee, this is Amber my classmate, and Amber siya naman si Sir Lee. Director nitong Opera house," Gray said.

Bumati si Sir Lee sa akin at gumanti rin ako ng bati sa kanya. Matapos iyon ay agad na nilang pinag-usapan kung ano man ang paksa nila.

"Gray, those files that I sent you are the files of the two staffs na namatay," Detective Tross said. Binuksan ni Gray ang envelope na inihatid ko at mga files nga ang naroon.

The first one's name was Clyde Legaspi, the one who operates with the curtains and other stuffs. Ayon sa file ay namatay ito dahil sa heart attack.

"Heart attack?" Gray asked at nag-angat ng tingin kay Sir Lee. Tumango naman ang huli.

"The phantom triggered it. His last words when he died was he saw the phantom dressed in a grim reaper," sagot ni Sir Lee.

Muling bumaling si Gray sa isa pang file. It was a woman named Angela Dimagiba, an opera actress. Namatay ito dahil nabasag ang isang salamin and she was running out of fear and she didn't notice the shattered glass. She pierced her heart with the shattered pieces and died right away.

"Do you really think that there is a phantom or whatever you call it in this opera house?" Detective Tross asked.

"I heard some strange sounds like chains being dragged on the floor at minsan naman ay iyak at hindi lang ako ang nakakarinig niyon, lahat kami," wika ni Sir Lee.

"Hindi niyo ba naisip na baka may nangangailangan lang ng tulong? Baka nakadena," suhestiyon ko.

"We thought of that possibility that's why we checked the whole opera house ngunit wala talaga."

Nahulog sa malalim na pag-iisip sina Gray at Detective Tross. Maybe this case really puzzled them.

"Darating mamaya ang iba pang mga crew at cast ng opera para sa rehearsal. May kanya-kanyang karanasan sa nananakot dito sa opera house," dagdag ni Sir Lee.

Tiningnan ni Gray ang larawan ni Angela nang mamatay ito. There was a big mirror on the floor at may bahagi na nakasandal sa dingding and it was shattered into pieces. Nakatihaya naman sa gilid ang babae. There was a piece of shattered glass plunged in her heart. Napangiwi ako at iniwas ang tingin doon.

"Accident? The police identified this as accident?" Gray asked habang binabasa ang kalakip na police report doon.

"Yeah. That's an old mirror at palagi ko silang sinasabihan na mag-ingat dahil hindi na matibay ang frame niyon. Maybe Gela ran off at nabangga sa salamin. Nabasag iyon at natuhog niya ang sarili," wika ni Sir Lee.

Kumunot ang noo ni Gray habang tinitingnan ang larawan. "No matter how I look at it, this is a murder than an accident."

Nagulat kaming lahat sa sinabi nito. "Ano'ng ibig mong sabihin? Pinatay si Angela? How can you say so?"

"Look at the photo. If she accidentally crashed in the mirror, she should have been pierce on the glass that is still attached to the frame," Gray said.

"Pwede namang hindi. What if ang salamin na nakatusok sa katawan niya ay nabasag at humiwalay sa frame that's why hindi siya naka-attach sa malaking salamin," paliwanag ni detective Tross.

"Look at the mirror's position too. Sabi ninyo ay nabangga niya ito and that caused the accident. Now as I see in this photograph, nakatumba talaga ang malaking salamin, as if somebody bumped it. The mirror is facing the floor when the victim bumped it kaya kung aksidenteng nabangga siya at natusok niyon, the shattered glass pierced in her must have the mirror facing upward at nasa ilalim ang likurang bahagi but look at this photo," wika niya at inabot ang isang close up na larawan ng biktima. The reflective part was facing downward samantalang sa itaas naman nakaharap ang likuran ng salamin!

"Oo nga! Just look at the mirror and the body's position," I exclaimed.

"Keen observations Silvan. Tama ka nga," sang-ayon naman ni Detective Tross.

"The phantom killed her?" tanong ni Sir Lee.

"Well let me tell you one thing Sir Lee. This opera house has no phantom of a dead person but of a living criminal," Gray said and he flashed a smile on his lips. "A phantom criminal that we're going to discover who."