Chapter 41: Murderer, Jeremy Martinez
(Development Chapter)

Jeremy wasn't talking as we walk towards the conference room. I have a wild guess about whoever is waiting for us inside the the room. Pagbukas niyon ay nakaupo ang taong inaasahan ko. Inilapag niya ang hawak na folder ng pumasok kami. On the other side of the table are the detective and the two cops na sinundan namin.

"The three of you, please have a seat", wika ni Chancellor Judas. His wrinkled face is staring straight to us. Nasabi na siguro ng mga pulis na kasama kami ni Jeremy.

Nang maupo kami ay muli itong nagsalita. "I heard so much about the two of you. Even Arman himself said something good about you. I'm glad that you have been good students and have helped in keeping this institution safe by identifying criminals within this campus."

Criminals huh? Definitely, Jeremy is not one of those.

"With all due respect Sir, we did not come here to hear the feedbacks about us", wika ni Gray.

Chancellor Judas is scary looking- no, not literally. In fact he's good looking. What I mean is, he's not the kind of person who gives smile to everyone. Siya yung tipo ng taong alam mong marami ang tumatakbo sa isip kapag nakatingin sayo. And right now, I know that there are many things that are running in his mind.

"Ano iyon?", tanong niya.

Saglit na natahimik doon while Gray is trying to formulate in mind what he's gonna ask. Sinulyapan ko ang dalawang pulis, they are grinning like crazy. Detective Adler is looking straight at Gray, waiting for his answer. Nang sulyapan ko naman si Jeremy sa tabi ko ay nakatingin lang ito sa mesa ngunit nakakunot ang noo nito. His fists are clenched and I can sense the imaginary dark smokes that are coming out of his body.

"Allow us to have our own investigation", wika ni Gray which made the chancellor raise his brows.

"I believe, that is beyond the duty of a Bridle student. Let the police handle it."

Nawalan ako ng pag-asa. Hindi ako basta-basta sumusuko when it comes to someone's disapproval about what I want to do but hearing it straight from the chancellor's mouth made it feel so hopeless.

"Hindi namin ito gagawin bilang estudyante ng Bridle. We're doing this as the accused's FRIENDS", wika niya, giving emphasis on the word friends which made Jeremy raised his head at tumingin kay Gray. His eyes were lethargic but I saw something glittered in it bago niya muling ibinaba ang paningin.

"Tsk. Mangingialam ka na naman Silvan?", Inspector Fenris snorted. I darted a glare at him pero binalewala niya. Hindi siya ang tipong nakukuha sa tingin

"I'm afraid I cannot permit your request Mr. Silvan. Leave it to the authority, you'd better focus on the prelims", the chancellor said.

Si Gray lang yata ang may lakas ng loob na makipag-usap sa Chancellor. I wanna ask questions ngunit walang lumalabas sa bibig ko. The chancellor's presence really intimidates me.

"We'll clear our friend's name by conducting the investigations and I assure you, we will ace the exams. Just allow us on this", Gray said. Acing the exam while conducting an investigation? Okay, sa kanya ay madali lang iyon but for me it will be challenging. Not that I'm an airhead, it's just that there are lots of things and revelations in my life these past few days kaya hindi ko maiga-guarantee ang pagfofocus ko sa pag-aaral.

"Tsk! Ang yabang talaga!", komento ni Inspector Boom. The detective is just staring at Gray, amused with every word he says.

"Inuulit ko Silvan, I will not permit it. Now you two are dismissed. Maiiwan si Martinez. Kailangan namin siyang makausap tungkol sa missing students case at sa isang pinatay. We have to do this right to avoid the media's intervention that might cause this institution's fall."

I felt my body shook. Malakas ang aircon doon but I'm sweating like a pig. Mukhang tama ang hinala ko tungkol sa chancellor. He's not friendly at all. Not even an inch.

Napasandal si Gray sa upuan. He flashed a dangerous grin. "I don't wanna do this but you pushed me to do it", wika ni Gray. Inihagis niya ang isang itim na maliit na bagay patungo sa chancellor. It looks like a small floppy disc. Kinuha naman iyon ng chancellor at sinuri.

"What's this?"

"A nameless device na may voice recorder at camera. It's a transmitter too so nakikita nila tayo ng live. Say hi to the ARC News Team", wika ni Gray which made the chancellor throw the device. I'm pretty sure it's one of Math's invention again.

"Did you sell us to the media?", hindi makapaniwalang tanong nito. His voice became ten times scarier than it was before.

"No. I'm giving that for free. One of my friend, Ara Brenan, a known reporter of ARC, is waiting for my signal to release that. I also gave her my statement about this case. Isang Go signal ko lamang ay mapu-publicize na ang mga ito. So, what do you think?"

I was surprised how Gray had predicted this situation. Inaasahan na ba talaga niya ang ganitong tagpo so he devised a brilliant plan? Kinuha ni Inspector Boom ang bagay na iyon at tinangkang sirain ngunit nagsalita si Gray.

"It's useless Inspector. Naka-automatic save ang mga narecord ng device na iyan just like your records kaya wala ding silbi kung sirain mo yan."

Ibinagsak ng pulis ang bagay na iyon sa mesa. "P*tang ina mo!"

"Oh, my Mom's a lawyer, not a harlot", sagot ni Gray which made the inspector more furious. Boo!

"Tuso ka Silvan", komento ni Detective Adler habang nilalaro sa kamay ang sigarilyo. I hadn't seen him light one.

The chancellor cleared his throat. "48 hours. I'm giving you forty-eight hours. After that, if you cannot present the real murderer, leave it to the police", wika nito.

"Thank you. I always thought that you'd do the right decision."

"Sana ay walang lumabas na kung anu-ano na makakasira sa pangalan ng Bridle", wika nito.

"I guarantee you", sagot ni Gray. He smirked at the cops and detective who are very furious.Wala na itong magagawa, we'll have our ass on this case whether they like it or not.

***************************

The crime scene is just what I expected it to be. Nagtaka ang ilang mga lalaki kung ano ang ginagawa ng tulad kong babae sa boys' dorm and they had a silly thought about me and Gray basing on their grins.

Pervert minds! We're cousins. And even if we're not, we're not gonna do that stupid idea you have in mind!

Kinausap namin ang in-charge sa boys' dormitory to allow me upstairs. The fifth floor is sealed dahil iilan din lang ang mga nag-ookupa sa mga kwarto doon. The whole floor is closed at pinalipat na sa ibang palapag ang iba. The students are clueless about the crime there dahil ang houseparent ang nakadiskubre sa patay na katawan ng biktima.

The room was a mess, nakakalat ang mga dugo at gamit. The room was marked by the police. May palatandaan sa sahig kung saan nakita ang biktima at kung ano ang posisyon nito. There were trails of bloods everywhere and the room showed signs of struggling. Nag-obserba si Gray sa isang dako at sa ibang direksyon naman ako. I'm hoping that the 48 alloted hours is just enough for us to clear Jeremy's name.

I still cannot believe that the Genesis was able to enter Bridle. Ah, hindi naman pala nakapagtataka. Napasok nga nila ang Athena na pag-aari ng Vander Mafia, ang Bridle pa kaya? But come to think of it, they had penetrated STA too! Ibig bang sabihin nito ay pinapalawak na nila ang kanilang nasasakupan?

Mga estudyante ng boarding school ang biktima nila. Maybe it is because there are no parents who can monitor their children 24/7 and personally.

Tiningnan ko ang isang martilyo na naroon. According to the files, the hammer was used to knock the victim's head and its handle contains Jeremy's fingerprints.

Yes, his fingerprints.

Inalala ko ang pag-uusap namin kanina nang iwan kami ng chancellor at ng mga pulis at detective sa conference room to read the case files.

"Je, it's positive that these are your fingerprints. Do you remember going up to the fifth floor?", tanong ko sa kanya. His face is serious at tila nag-iisip ito ng malalim.

"Wala talaga Amber and I don't sleepwalk kaya imposibleng nagpunta ako doon", sagot niya. "Oh, I hope that I would sleepwalk at nang mapatay ko rin kung sino talaga ang totoong gumawa nito!"

"Je!", saway ko sa kanya. I don't want him to joke like that.

"Kidding Amber. Inaaliw ko na lamang ang sarili ko. I might breakdown any moment by now", sagot nito. He called me Amber. It means that he's serious with this thing.

"Jeremy, do you have any idea who stole your cap?", tanong ni Gray sa kanya. Saglit itong nag-isip ngunit umiling lamang ito.

"Wala talaga."

Gray exhaled heavily. "Malakas ang ebidensya nila laban sayo. How the hell did your fingerprints scatter on the crime scene?"

"Hindi ko talaga alam Gray. Hindi kaya magkapareho lamang kami ng fingerprints ng tunay na salarin?"

Naaawa na ako kay Jeremy. What's the motive of the Genesis to put Jeremy into this mess? He's too kind to kill anyone!

"Je, that's impossible dahil one hundred percent na nagmatch iyon sa fingerprints mo", sagot ko sa kanya. If Je was framed up, the one who did this must have planned it carefully.

Seeing Jeremy so helpless ignited a sensation in me to do everything for him to clear his name. This sensation dug deeper inside me and now radiating outward. It was a desire to do something for Jeremy. A desire to figure out what the actual hell is going on and who the hell framed him up.

We were reading the case nang bumalik si Detective Adler. He sat comfortably in front of us and his gaze is like mocking us. I can see the words "Try harder within 48 hours losers" in his eyes.

"If I were you, I would be sitting by now on the lonely corner of the library and review for upcoming exams. Balita ko mahirap daw ang exams dito", he said, playing the cigarette in his hands. Wala ba talaga itong planong sindihan iyon?

"Fortunately, you are not us, so leave us alone", wika ko sa kanya. He let out a fake laugh.

"Come on, you have school and a lot of friends. You'd exchange a lot of friends na maaaring nagtatampo na ngayon dahil wala kayo doon because you're here trying to clear your friend's name? It's one versus many. Isa pa, you have exams to study."

I rolled my eyes at him. "As if any of that matters. You know what Detective? You're an itch to the sight. Mabuti pang umalis ka muna sa paningin ko."

"Really? I'm glad I'm an eyesore to a Vander", wika niya. Oh, I still haven't forgotten that the Vanders are his dream "break."

"Amber's right. Maybe you should leave", segunda ni Gray sa sinabi ko. I know he's irritated with the detective's presence too.

"Why? Don't you want me to hear your preliminary reasonings about this? Baka naman may tinatago kayo. You're making me think that the kid got an accomplice. Two brainy accomplice", wika niya.

The hell?! Is he referring to us? And like what I am saying Jeremy is not the killer! He isn't serious, right? He can't be!

That thought stopped my reminiscence. An accomplice, eh?

Accomplice. Like how Lupin III got Grognard or how Kaito Kid got Jii. There must be an accomplice!

"Gray!", I called him at nag-angat ito ng tingin. Lumapit ako sa kanya. "There's no doubt that the Genesis did this but we just can't prove it. Their existence is not known yet. Pero kung nakapasok sila dito sa Bridle, there must be an accomplice. If they were able to kill someone inside the dormitory, there must be an accomplice which is probably an student or staff here!"

"Tama ka. But since the occupants are more or less 300 male students sa Senior high department lamang, how can we narrow it down? Investigating 300 students is not possible within 48 hours", sagot nito.

I let out a sigh. Yes, tama ito. Paano nga ba?

"Bakit si Jeremy pa kasi ang nadawit dito", wika ko sa sarili ko.

"He's obviously framed up. Sino bang kriminal ang mag-iiwan ng kanyang cap at fingerprints? It seems like it's deliberately left for the police to trail."

He's right. Everything seems so contrived. The cap must have been stolen upang iwan doon ng tunay na salarin. The questionable thing is how did the culprit put Jeremy's fingerprints? At paano naiwan doon ang mga iyon? It was carefully tested and it really matched his medical records kept in the school's private computers. I look around the area at gayundin ang ginawa ni Gray.

"Look at the area too", wika nito.
"Mukhang nagkaroon ng munting kaguluhan dito basing on the scattered blood, marahil ay nanlaban ang biktima. And I don't see any signs of fighting from Jeremy."

"So do I."

Napangiti bigla si Gray. "I think we have a way to narrow down the dorm occupants that we should observe!", wika niya.

"Paano?"

"CCTV footage! There's one on the floor's entrance", wika niya at iginiya ako palabas ng silid. It seems that we can't find anything that can help us here. Pababa na kami sa footage area nang makasalubong namin ang ilan sa mga kaklase naming sina Marcus at Kevin. Nagulat ang mga ito nang makita kaming magkasama sa dorm ng mga lalaki.

Their grins were like the other occupants at mahinang tinapik ni Marcus ang balikat ni Gray.

"Bossing! Ikaw ha! Di mo naman sinabi sa amin na dinadala mo pala si Bossing ni Bossing dito."

I pouted when he said those. That's how they used to call Gray, Bossing. And they used to call me Bossing ni Bossing, that I find so annoying. Dati ay naiinis si Marion kapag naririnig iyon mula sa kanila that's why they refrain from calling me that way. Bumalik lamang iyon nang mawala si Marion.

"Binata na si Bossing! Alright!", Kevin exclaimed at nag-high five pa ito at si Marcus.

"Tumahimik nga kayong dalawa", wika ni Gray. "We're just finding out some things."

Kakaiba pa rin ang ngiti ng mga ito nang magpaalam kami sa kanila. Geez! They're gross! We headed towards the security management of the dorm but unfortunately, ayaw nilang ipakita sa amin ang footage. Ayon sa kanila, the police already warned them not to show it to us.

"May itinatago ba kayo sa amin kaya hindi ninyo iyan ipinapakita?", Gray asked the security head.

"Wala naman pero ang mga footage ay para lamang sa mga pulis kaya kung nais ninyong makita ang mga iyon, lumapit kayo sa kanila."

They won't divulge further information for us kaya umalis na kami doon. We can't force them to show us the footage sa kung sinu-sino ang mga nagpunta sa ikalimang palapag.

"Wala na tayong magagawa", wika ni Gray. "What are we gonna do now?"

He sounded desperate. Gaya ko ay nais din nitong linisin ang pangalan ni Jeremy who is now detained at the conference room. Ang nakakainis pa roon ay pinosasan pa nila ito! Curse them to the pits of hell for doing that to Jeremy!

"As of footage access, I know someone who can help us", wika ko. "Someone who can hack the system footage."

"You mean Ryu?"

I gave him an assuring smile. "Exactly. Go and ask him to do it. May pupuntahan din ako", wika ko sa kanya at nagmadaling umalis but he was fast enough to hold my arm bago pa ako makalayo.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm seeing someone part of Genesis", sagot ko sa kanya na ikinakunot ng noo niya.

"Why is that? And who?"

"Basta."

"They're dangerous-"

"I know but trust me on this. This person won't harm me, don't worry", wika ko. Saglit na tumingin siya sa mga mata ko bago ako binitiwan. I smiled at him again and ran towards the backdoor exit.

I have to talk to that person! I ran towards the back of the gym and walk across the withering grass. I don't mind the bushes that started to prick my skin. Behind the trees there is a fence. Cut out of that fence is a hole known to only some of the Bridle students. I slowly snuck out through that hole na madalas na naming dinadaanan. After a few moments, I am out of the high walls of Bridle, open for anyone to see. Naalala ko ang wika ng chancellor.

No one is allowed to leave the school without the company of a parent or guardian but who cares?

I have to see that person. I really have to prove that Je is innocent. Why does the police thinks the other way? How could they judge him for doing it? Nandoon ba sila noong mangyari iyon? Nang makalabas ako ay napansin ko ang ilang mga reporters na nag-aabang pa rin sa labas ng Bridle, waiting for the gates to open. I hid myself and waited for a taxi na agad namang dumating. I told the driver my destination and relaxed a little inside the cab.

After almost two hours ay narating ko na ang destinasyon ko. I spent my two hours inside the vehicle thinking of the possible words that I will tell that person. I paid the cab quite a lot for this but I don't mind. Kailangan ko talaga siyang makausap.

I stared at the gates of Athena High School for a while then I slowly let myself in without the guard noticing. Abala kasi ito sa kakatingin sa cellphone niya. I guess he's playing something. Good job Mr. Guard! You just let me in! Thank you!

Tinakbo ko mula sa gate hanggang sa classroom na pinapasukan ko dati. It's past three at malamang ay uwian na mayamaya lang. I slowly snuck in and searched for Zywon ngunit wala ito doon. Damn! Nasaan kaya iyon?

Napansin ko ang isang estudyante na lalaki na nagtatakang nakatingin sa akin. Yeah, I'm still in my Blue PE shirt, black shorts and white shoes with my backpack. Great,isn't it?

There was a big print in my shirt which was Bridle High School kaya hindi kataka-taka kung ganoon ang tinging ipinukol nito sa akin.

"Oh, Hi!", bati ko dito. "Ako nga pala yung dating exchange student ng Bridle dito. Mind if I ask you something?"

He smiled at me. "Ikaw nga! Kaya pala pamilyar ang mukha mo. Sure! What is it?"

I gave him my sweetest smile. "Saang palapag ng dorm si Zywon Deltran and what's his room number?"

Bahagya itong nagulat sa tanong ko but in the end he decided to give me the right information. Agad akong pumunta doon at naghanap nang daan. I remember what Jeremy said once when he saw Zywon climbing down the emergency ladders. Oh well, that's no sweat for me kaya hinanap ko iyon at nagsimulang umakyat. After a while ay narating ko na ang bintana and just like what I expected, Zywon was there. Marahil ay hindi ito pumasok. I slowly lift myself and pushed the window open. The ball that was placed there fell on the floor which made Zywon glance towards the windows. He was surprised to see me climbing on his window.

Lumapit siya doon and that's when I was able to let myself inside their room. Good job Amber!

"What the hell are you doing here?", gulat niyang tanong.

Kasalukuyan kong pinapagpagan
ang sarili ko. Meh, the ladders are so dusty. Hinubad ko rin ang suot na backpack and threw it on the nearest bed. Their room has only two beds.

"Where's your roommate?", I asked habang iniikot sa paligid ang paningin. It isn't as clean as Gray's but it isn't bad at all.

"I rented this whole room for myself kaya wala akong roommate. Now tell me, what are you doing here?", he asked and crossed his arms.

Ngayon ko lamang napansin na naka-topless ito and he's only wearing his boxer shorts...?! What the hell?!

I felt myself blushed bago ako tumalikod sa kanya. "Pwede ba! Wear some decent clothes!"

"I wasn't expecting anyone to emerge from that window so I'm not in my best suit", wika niya, sarcastically. Narinig ko ang papalayong hakbang niya and I heard a cabinet opened. Ilang saglit lang ay pinalingon na niya ako and he was now on his-

He's now wearing his shorts but still topless! Ano ba ang idinidisplay niya?! Muli akong tumalikod sa kanya.

"Shirt please."

I heard him groan. "Ang arte!"

Nonetheless, I heard his footsteps again at nang pinalingon niya ako ay suot na niya ang kulay itim na damit. Hindi ako maarte! Sanay akong makakita ng lalaking topless, but seeing him makes me uncomfortable.

"Now, will you tell me what you are doing here?", he asked again.

"Tell me, who's the Genesis' member lurking around Bridle, murdering students after using them and framing Jeremy?" deretsang tanong ko.

His handsome face wrinkled when I said the name Jeremy. "What the hell? Jeremy, the weirdo?"

Halos hindi ito makapaniwala sa tanong ko. I stared straight to his eyes and I saw worry in his coal
eyes.

He's worried for Jeremy! That's what I saw in his eyes.

Yes. He's worried for Jeremy. My Jeremy.

#

-ShinichiLaaaabs