LORELEI

I WAS not confident with Loki's idea. After asking him about it repeatedly, he told us the specifics of his plan. Masyadong complicated. Masyado ring malawak ang net na gusto niyang gamitin na panghuli sa isda. Pwede ring istorbo sa ibang tao. Alistair and I expressed opposition to it, but he and Jamie would not budge.

We reached an impasse so we decided to call it a day. Baka kailangan muna naming itulog ito para magkaroon kami ng better perspective. Hinatid kami ni Alistair gamit ang kotse niya. Kami ni Loki ang una niyang hinatid sa aming apartment. Sunod niyang inihatid si Jamie na sa isang subdivision pala nakatira.

That evening, after taking my shower and changing my clothes, I got out of my room and went to the living room. Nakaupo sa isang couch si Loki, abalang-abala ang mga daliri sa mabibilis na pag-type sa keyboard ng kanyang laptop. For a second, I thought that he was composing an email again for his late friend Rhea. But he was so serious and aggressive with the way he pressed the keys, he must be composing something else.

"Is something wrong?" he asked without flicking his gaze at me. "Do you wanna discuss my brilliant plan to capture the poser? Or do you wanna convince me to reconsider? Because I won't."

I took my seat on the other couch. Given the similarities of our current case and his—how should I put it?—unusual habit, my curiosity got the better of me. "This may be personal to you, and I may be crossing the line here. But I'm curious: Are you still sending emails to . . . you know?"

"Who?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

"I send a lot of emails to a lot of people. Be specific."

"Rhea."

His thin fingers froze from typing, the harmony of keys being pressed came to a halt. His eyes met mine. Our gazes at each other lingered for a while. Silence ensued as if the world suddenly went on mute. I dared not to break it.

"Is that why you stared at me strangely this morning?" he asked as his fingers resumed flying across the keyboard. "Because the case somewhat reminds you of what I've been doing with my correspondence?"

In his eyes that were as cold as winter and as dull as ditchwater, I observed a glint of sadness when the client was telling us her case. He might come off as tactless and emotionless most of the time, but the circumstances of Megan's dilemma must have struck a chord with him.

Wrong move. I should not have probably asked him. "Never mind. If you're uncomfortable talking about it, I wouldn't push—"

"Do you think I'm crazy for sending her messages despite knowing that she'll never reply to me?"

My gaze transfixed on him for a minute. "I don't think you're crazy. I think you're still grieving. Maybe that's your way of coping with loss. May iba't ibang way naman ang bawat tao kung paano i-process ang pagkawala ng mga mahal nila sa buhay."

From what I heard, it had been more than half a year since Rhea passed away. If he had been emailing her since the date of her death, then he must have composed dozens of emails for her—all of which went unread and unanswered. Despite receiving no response, he continued sending messages to her.

Gano'n ba kalaki ang void na iniwan ni Rhea sa kanya?

"But?" he spoke after a minute of silence.

"But?" I echoed, my eyebrows furrowed. "Wala naman akong sinabing but."

"You wanna add something, right? Your thought doesn't end at validating my coping mechanism."

I sucked in a breath. Ewan kung paano niya nalaman, pero meron pa akong thought na hindi tinuloy sabihin kanina. I was afraid that it might hurt his feelings or I might intrude into his personal affairs.

Since he asked for my self-censored thought, I might as well share it. Mas mabuti nang maging honest ako sa kanya.

"But," I breathed, "at some point, you have to put an end to that habit and move on. You can't be stuck in the past forever. You shouldn't hold on to that pain or grief. Walang mabuting maidudulot sa 'yo 'yan—" I clapped my hand over my mouth. Mukhang napasobra yata ako sa pinagsasabi ko. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be intrusive or what. I just let you know what I genuinely think."

"Your honesty is appreciated and your comment has been noted." He kept on typing without raising his gaze at me. His inscrutable eyes reflected the light from his screen. Hindi ko masabi kung nalungkot o nasaktan ba siya sa mga sinabi ko. Pwede ring walang epekto sa kanya. He had been always that way.

"If you want, you can also consult the therapist in the guidance and counseling office," I suggested. "Malaki ang naitulong niya sa 'kin para ma-address ang mga thought at feeling na iniiwasan ko."

He maintained his silence and let his fingers aggressively pressing the keys do the talking for him. It must be a subject that he was trying to avoid. Ayaw ko namang makialam sa kanya kaya hahayaan ko na siya. I had already expressed my piece and made a recommendation. Kung anuman ang gawin niya, nasa kanya na 'yon.

But deep inside, I kind of hoped that he would address whatever issues he might have. It could give him some sense of peace.

THE NEXT day, during our morning break, it was business as usual in the clubroom. Nakaupo sa swivel chair si Loki, nasa kanan niya ako, nasa kaliwa niya si Jamie habang katabi ko si Alistair. We got nothing to do related to the "messages from the dead" or "poser boyfriend" case until four in the afternoon—except for some debate.

"Has anyone here changed their opinion on the method that I proposed yesterday?" Loki asked as he slowly swiveled his favorite chair and steepled his fingers. "'Coz I haven't changed mine."

"Neither have I!" Jamie seconded, raising her right hand. "Guys, it's the fastest way to reveal the truth and expose the poser! Huwag na nating pahabain pa ang imbestigasyon na 'to."

"It's the fastest yet it's the most complex way of solving it," Alistair argued, making some hand gestures. "I'm in favor of closing this case as soon as possible, but I'm not in favor of the proposed solution. Maraming factors na kailangang i-consider. May ibang tao na magiging involved. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to correct it."

As expected, he would not easily change his mind about it. Naintindihan ko ang punto niya kaya nga tutol din ako sa plano ni Loki. The more characters in the scene, the more chaotic it could be. Hindi bale sana kung masisiguro naming kontrolado talaga ang balak niyang scenario mula umpisa hanggang katapusan. But some variables might get out of hand. The risk would not be worth it.

"That sounds like a no from Alistair," Loki said before turning his chair to me. "How about you, Lorelei? You're the one who has the power to break the tie or maintain the stalemate. Have you changed your opinion about my plan?"

"I still agree with Al's points." I jerked my thumb toward my childhood friend, making Jamie sigh. "But I am open to considering your plan kung masasagutan mo ang tanong ko."

"Fire away."

"How much control do we have on the other variables?" This was my main concern.

"A hundred percent. If you fear that something will go wrong, then let me assuage your fears. We'll have full control of the terrain. We're gonna be in a controlled environment. Unless they're necessary to our plan, no other variables will be allowed to interfere. That, I can assure you."

"You sure?"

"I won't propose it in the first place if I'm not certain of its success rate. Margin of failure is between five to ten percent."

Most of Loki's plans had worked, nine out of ten. They might be controversial at times, but they got the job done. As long as something would not go wrong, maybe it was worth considering.

If that's the case . . . Nabaling muna ang tingin ko kay Alistair na nakatitig sa akin. Nakaramdam ako ng kaunting guilt. Sorry, Al.

"I'll only agree to it as long as you're confident that everything will be under our control," I told Loki. Hindi ko kayang ibigay sa kanya ang buong oo ko. Kailangang may kondisyon. "At kung sakali mang may mangyaring unexpected, magagawan natin ng solusyon agad. No matter how you try to paint it, there's risk in your plan."

"Do I look like the type of person who only comes up with Plan A?" Loki scoffed. "If I have to use the remaining twenty-five letters of the English alphabet just to assure you that every possibility is accounted for, then I would."

"Good. We must prepare for the worst case scenario."

He turned to my childhood friend next, his dry lips twisting into a triumphant smirk. "Any objections, Alistair?"

"It's three against one." Alistair glanced around us with a smile. "I respect the consensus of the majority."

"So!" Jamie clapped once. "Ko-contact-in ko na ang friend ko sa costume at props ng repertory theater. Ire-request ko na ang mga bagay na kailangan natin!"

I hoped that everything would turn out fine. I hoped that the plan would truly work. Otherwise, I would regret my decision of consenting to this plan.

BY FOUR in the afternoon, the four of us met again in the clubroom. Iniwan muna namin doon ang aming mga gamit para hindi sagabal sa mission. Na-contact na ang mga dapat contact-in. Naka-ready na ang items na gagamitin. All we had to do was to execute our plan.

Mas nanaig ang kaba sa akin. As much as I wanted to fully trust Loki and his scheme, I could not dismiss the possibility that something might not go as he had intended.

"Shaine, Megan, and our three suspects are on the way to the meeting place," I reported as I pocketed my phone. Ako ang in-assign na makipag-communicate sa client namin. "Tayo na lang ang kulang."

"Good." Loki gave me a nod. "Shall we go?"

Bringing a small duffle bag, we exited the clubroom and went on our way out of the campus. Hindi gano'n kalayo ang meeting place namin kaya hindi na kinailangan pang gamitin ang sasakyan ni Alistair. The location was just a stone throw away from the campus gates, along the stalls of food establishments on the streetside.

"Bakit pala napili mo ang milk tea shop na 'yon bilang meeting place?" tanong ni Jamie. Mabilis maglakad si Loki na nanguna sa amin kaya binilisan din niya para magkapantay at magkasabay sila. "Mahilig ka ba sa milk tea, Loki? Ano'ng favorite mong flavor?"

"Milk tea's not my thing." Loki casted a sidelong glance at her. "The owner once asked for my help in figuring out who among his employees accidentally poured cleaning agent in the equipment that resulted in the poisoning of two customers. He owes me a favor so I've decided to cash it in. I've already explained our situation to him, and he's definitely on board with it."

"So that's where your confidence is coming from," Alistair said. "You're predicting that everything will go exactly as you have planned because you will have complete control of the space."

"I assure you that no other customers will be inconvenienced by it. You have my word."

We were just a few meters away from the milk tea shop when we came to a halt. Habang palapit kami nang palapit, mas lumalakas ang pagkabog ng puso ko.

"Alistair and I will do our thing." Loki turned around to face us. "Lorelei and Jamie, do your thing too."

Jamie and I nodded. At doon na kami nagkahiwalay ng landas. Pumunta sina Loki at Alistair sa direksyon ng men's comfort room habang kami ni Jamie'y dumeretso na sa milk tea shop. Nakasabit sa pintuan nito ang sign na "Reserved. Please come back later." We ignored it and went inside. That must be one of the shop's precautions to make sure that no other customers would get involved.

The wind chime clinked as we pushed the door inward. My eyes darted around the meeting place. It was just big enough to fit in five tables and accommodate twenty customers at a time. Nasa likuran ang counter, machines at jars of ingredients para makagawa ng iba't ibang flavored drinks.

Nasa loob na ang limang estudyanteng—dalawang babae at tatlong lalaki—nakasuot pa rin ng royal blue blazer uniform. I recognized their faces because all of them were involved in the same case.

"Uy, Meg!" bati ni Jamie kay Megan, kunwari'y nagulat na makita siya rito. Kumaway siya sa amin kaya kumaway rin ako pabalik. Hindi naman kami nagkapansinan ni Shaine. We were not supposed to know each other in front of her friends.

"Kilala mo sila, Meg?"

"Yeah. I met them in one of our peer support group sessions recently."

Jamie and I lined up at the counter. The female barista gave me a look that bore some meaning. She must have been briefed by her boss on what was about to happen next.

"Isang matcha milk tea!" order ni Jamie.

"Wintermelon milk tea naman ang akin," order ko.

After paying for our drinks, we sat at the table next to Shaine's group. We heard them chatting and laughing with each other. Mabuti't walang ibang customer dito maliban sa amin ni Jamie. Baka naasar na ang mga 'yon sa kanilang ingay. I looked at Megan and observed her. She faintly smiled whenever someone would crack a joke.

Earlier, we had asked Shaine to bring Megan and the three male suspects to this milk tea shop so we could put our plan into motion. Hindi umangal ang mga kaibigan niya, lalo na si Megan, kaya cleared na agad ang unang condition ng plano namin—or more specifically, plano ni Loki.

What would happen next was going to be the climax of the plan.

"Mabuti't hindi ka na umangal kanina?" tanong ni Jamie. We got to talk about something so we would not look suspicious. "Kung hindi ka nag-agree sa plano ni Loki, deadlock na naman tayo. Are you trying to impress him or what? Kaya ba nagpakipot ka muna kahapon?"

Kumunot ang noo ko. Saan ba niya napupulot ang mga akusasyon niya? "Jamie, genuine ang concerns ko kaya hindi ako pumayag no'ng una. You know the premise of this plan. Kapag may hindi umayon na factor sa atin, pwede tayong mapahamak. I was not trying to impress him or anyone."

"Don't you trust Loki? Kahit sa case ko no'n, tutol ka rin sa binalak niyang gawin. Kung 'di ko sinabing okay sa 'kin na gawin akong pain, baka nag-alangan siyang ituloy ang plano niya."

"I'm just making sure that none of us will get into serious trouble. Alistair must be thinking the same, too," I explained. We were after the big picture, the broader implications, and the potential consequences that Loki could overlook sometimes. "Masyado siyang creative at minsa'y theatrical sa mga plano niya minsan. I can't be a yes-woman to the whims and wishes of our club president."

"Whoa!" Jamie raised both of her hands. "Are you implying na yes-woman ako?"

"I didn't say that. My point is, we shouldn't say yes to all of his ideas—no matter how exciting they are—just because he's the president. Someone needs to keep him in check. Always."

"I find your lack of trust in him disturbing. Loki knows what he's doing. Mas nauna ka pa sa 'min ni Al kaya dapat mas may tiwala ka sa kanya."

"Mas nauna ako sa inyo kaya mas kilala ko si Loki—"

"One matcha milk tea for Jamie and one wintermelon milk tea for Lorelei?"

Sabay na kaming tumayo para kunin ang orders namin. Habang binibigyan kami ng straw, nag-ding! ang aking phone. I checked the notification alert that crossed my screen.

Loki: It's showtime.

My gaze flicked up at Jamie. This was the cue. I gave her a nod and she nodded back.

The wind chime clinked again as the door swung open. Pumasok ang dalawang lalaki na nakasuot ng opera mask at naka-itim na jacket. Pabalik na sana kami ni Jamie sa aming mesa nang nahinto kami. They brought out guns and pointed them at us.

"Walang gagalaw!" sigaw ng matangkad na lalaki sa malalim niyang boses. "Ibigay n'yo sa amin ang mga phone n'yo kung ayaw n'yong masaktan!"

"Huwag kayong aalis sa upuan n'yo o gagawa ng gulo kung gusto n'yo pang makaalis nang buhay dito!" banta naman ng kasamahan nito na mas maliit.

"KYAH!" tili ni Jamie.

BANG!

Napayuko kami't napatakip ng mga tainga. Umusok ang baril ng matangkad na lalaki.

"Huwag din kayong mag-ingay kung ayaw n'yong putukan ko kayo."

"Ilabas n'yo na ang mga phone n'yo. Bilis!"

Jamie was the first to voluntarily offer her phone to the armed guy. I also handed them my phone to cooperate with them.

"Paki-input ang passcode para ma-access namin 'yan," sabi ng matangkad na lalaki.

"S-Sige po! B-Basta huwag n'yo kaming sasaktan! Please!"

She input her PIN code and I also input mine, giving them complete access to our devices.

The people at the other table followed suit. The three guys over there chose not to resist or pull off a risky heroic act. In-unlock muna nila ang lockscreens bago iniabot sa holduppers ang kanilang phones. Even the female barista at the counter gave hers.

The armed guys put the phones inside a bag. They pointed their guns at us as they walked back to the milk tea shop's door. Nang nakalabas na, kumaripas sila nang takbo palayo.

"Gago ang mga 'yon, ah!" reklamo ni Simon na biglang napatayo.

"Habulin kaya natin 'tapos upakan natin?" tanong ni Trevor na tumayo rin. He cracked his knuckles.

"Hindi pa nakakalayo ang mga 'yon! Pwede pa natin silang mahabol," segunda ni Vaughn, akmang tatakbo na.

"Sandali!" Tumayo kami ni Jamie, nakataas ang aming mga kamay. Napatigil sa pagtakbo si Vaughn bago pa siya nakalabas.

"Kami nang bahalang humabol sa kanila," sabi ni Jamie. "Sumasali kami ni Lorelei sa track and field kaya mabilis ang takbo namin. Hindi rin kami agad hihingalin. Maaabutan namin ang dalawang mokong na 'yon!"

"Baka saktan nila kayo? Mas mabuti kung kaming mga lalaki na ang hahabol!"

"Hindi man halata, black belter yata 'tong kasama ko." Itinuro ako ni Jamie sabay harap sa akin. "Let's go, Lorelei? Bago pa sila tuluyang makalayo?"

Tumango ako sa kanya at sabay kaming tumakbo palabas ng milk tea shop. We ran to an alleyway kung saan nadatnan naming naghihintay roon sina Loki at Alistair na bitbit ang isang bag. They were only in their white longsleeved polos.

"Nice acting!" Jamie clapped. Nakipag-apir siya sa dalawa. Tanging si Alistair ang um-apir sa kanya. Tinitigan lang ni Loki ang kamay niya. "Pwede na kayong mag-apply sa next theater production!"

"I hope they weren't too frightened," Alistair replied with a frown. "It must be so traumatizing to experience being robbed."

"I won't be surprised if they were. Your acting was so convincing, one of the boys must have pissed in his pants," Loki jested. Umalis na siya sa pagkakasandal sa pader. "Let's pat each other on the back later. Time for the moment of truth."

They took the phones out of the bag and distributed them to us. I got Vaughn's. Masuwerte kami't naka-unlock na ang gadgets kaya hindi na namin kinailangang manghula ng password o mag-risk na ma-block mismo.

"Check the messaging app," Loki instructed. "The dead boyfriend's account must be logged in there."

I followed his instruction, clicking the switch account option and scrolling down the list. Maliban sa name ni Vaughn, puro buy and sell pages ang nandoon. I double checked just to make sure. Pero wala talaga ang pangalan ni Roel doon.

"Not here," I said.

Alistair held up Simon's phone. "Not here, too."

"Neither here." Loki shook his head after checking Trevor's phone.

We turned to Jamie whose forehead creased and eyebrows furrowed. "Uhm . . . This is weird."

"What is?"

She showed the lockscreen which displayed the picture of Megan and Roel, taken probably in a photo booth. "Naka-log in ang account ni Meg dito, so I assumed that this is her phone. But upon checking the albums, puro pictures ni Roel ang naka-save dito. May couple pictures din sila, pero mas marami ang pictures ng boyfriend. Then, I checked the switch account option. Guess what?"

My eyes went wide as my mouth gaped.

"Nasa list ang account ni Roel. Plus, this isn't the same phone na ipinakita sa 'min ni Meg kahapon. Ibang model 'yon, parang brand new pa nga. Ito naman, medyo outdated na. Meron ding scratches sa tempered glass nito, habang 'yong kanya, wala. Trust me, my memory's quite sharp."

I exchanged glances with Loki and Alistair. That means . . .

"So . . . Meg was the one who took her boyfriend's phone?" I concluded. "And she's also the one messaging herself?"

—to be continued—

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