LORELEI

COULD THIS night get any better? I was not expecting Loki to show up at the crime scene. Akala ko'y kasama na niyang natutulog si Jamie doon sa hotel suite namin. There was no way he could have found out about the murder, unless someone told him.

"Interesting deduction, but absolutely wrong." The arrogant detective's tone was obviously condescending and he wasted no time to take a jab at his brother. Minsan na nga lang magpaka-detective ang kuya niya, bigla pa niyang susupalpalin ng kanyang "nope, you are wrong" statement.

"I thought you were already asleep." Luthor's cold gaze stared at him, slightly surprised to see his brother still up this late.

"Thanks to Hugh's message, I escaped from the grasp of Hypnos," Loki said, walking toward our spot with a menacing grin across his lips. "Daddy's bodyguard knew that this case might interest me so he decided to forward to me the photos he took from the crime scene."

At ang buong akala ko, kumukuha ng litrato si Hugh para may initial documentation siyang maibibigay sa mga pulis kapag dumating na sila. Thanks to him, I would be in an awkward situation.

Loki was looking at my direction, but I avoided his gaze. I couldn't stand a second looking at the eyes of a man who broke my trust. I could have walked out of this room, but there's a case to be investigated. Solving the crime was far more important than my beef with Loki.

"You said that my theory is wrong," Luthor put his hands behind me, addressing his younger brother. "How can you say so?"

"According to your theory, the killer threw a rock at window to create a hole then threw the key next," Loki answered, approaching the shattered glasses. "But do you see any rock near the window or anywhere in this room?"

Sa paggala ng mga mata namin kanina, wala kaming nakitang bato o kahit pebble man lang. Normally, I would have been amazed by how Loki debunked the theory, but not now. We were not in good terms so I had to keep up a skeptic facade.

"The culprit might have broken the window glass before he left this room. Through that method, he wouldn't have any difficulty on throwing the key back here from the outside," Luthor jerked his thumb toward the window area.

"Wrong!" His younger brother pointed at the shattered glasses. "If that person broke the window from the inside, these shards should have been on the other side of the window, outside. But since these fragments fell inside this room, the force would have come from the outside. Do you agree with my deductions, Lorelei?"

Oh, he's asking me? Parang business as usual lang ulit. After what happened a few hours ago?

"There's something red on the right hand nails of the victim," I intentionally ignored his question, raising the chairman's stiffening hand. I leaned my head closer to it, trying to identify what the red pigment was. Posible kayang dugo ito na tumalsik mula sa katawan ng biktima?

"Obviously, there's no sign of struggle." Parang kabute na sumulpot sa tabi ko si Loki. Instinctively, my body leaned away from him. "He seemed to be too relaxed when he was being murdered. If one observes his clothes, there are no creases."

Could he maintain his distance from me? Hindi ako komportableng malapit siya sa akin. If he thought that despite everything that happened, we could return to the status quo, he was absolutely mistaken.

"His necktie, though covered in blood, was properly placed as well as the buttons," Loki added.

I have my own eyes and my vision is perfect. I can see without any difficulties the observations he was pointing out. There was no need for him to state the obvious.

Someone then knocked on the open door. Paglingon namin sa pintuan, nakabalik na si Hugh kasama ang head of security na si Jojo.

"We examined, though not thoroughly, the security footages," Hugh started, pulling a small notebook from his pocket and handing it over to me. He was to be blamed why an unwanted presence was here. "Nandyan ang timeline ng pagpasok at paglabas ng tatlong hotel staff sa kuwarto ng chairman. Wala nang ibang pumasok dito, at least, base sa kuha ng CCTV camera."

"Dinagdag na rin namin ang recording sa reception desk phone," dagdag ni Jojo. "Mula nang pumasok sa kanyang kuwarto si boss, dalawang beses siyang tumawag sa landline."

I checked the detailed list and saw clearly how the events leading to the discovery of the corpse unfolded. Loki peered over my right shoulder. Sinubukan kong ilayo mula sa kanya ang note ni Hugh, but he kept on trying to take a peek at the list.

06:56 - Pumasok sina Olivia at Chairman sa kuwarto.

07:07 - Lumabas si Olivia sa kuwarto at bumalik sa reception desk.

07:28-Tumawag si Chairman sa front desk para magpahatid ng steak.

07:42-Inihatid ni Jodie sa kuwarto ang pagkain ni Chairman.

07:49-Lumabas na si Jodie sa kuwarto at pumunta muna sa kusina bago bumalik sa front desk.

08:16-Hinatid ni Kenneth sa kuwarto ang damit na susuotin ni Chairman sa party.

08:21-Lumabas na si Kenneth sa kuwarto at nagtungo sa staff's area.

08:46-Tumawag si Chairman sa front desk para sabihin matutulog muna siya at huwag siyang iistorbohin.

11:33-Pinuntahan nina Kenneth at isa pang hotel staff ang kuwarto ni Chairman paa katukin pero walang sumasagot.

01:55-Pinuntahan nina Kenneth at dalawa pang hotel staff ang kuwarto ni Chairman.

02:02-Tinawagan ang head of security para ipabukas ang kuwarto ni Chairman.

"Are you certain that whoever was on the phone talked to the real chairman?" tanong ni Loki.

Tumango si Jojo. "Naka-record sa voice log ang conversation ng chairman at ng receptionist. I can attest na boses ng boss namin 'yon. Mabilis lang ang pag-uusap nila dahil nag-utos lang naman si boss."

If we were to believe the timeline, the chairman was killed after 8:46 p.m. But if that's the case, sino ang pumatay sa kanya? Walang ibang taong nahagilap ang CCTV camera except the three hotel staff. Imposible ring dumaan sa bintana ang killer dahil wala siyang matutuntungan unless he's spider-man. It would be absurd to think that a ghost killed the chairman. Loki would just laugh that off.

There must be a trick to make it look an impossible locked room case.

"Indeed," Loki nodded, turning to me. He must have read for the nth time my line of thought. "The crime may look perfect, but it isn't."

Bakit bigla-bigla na lang siyang sumusulpot sa tabi ko? I had no intention of talking to him or sharing my deductions. If he thought that he could already catch me off-guard by getting himself involved in the same case that I'm investigating, he's utterly wrong.

"You have already interviewed the hotel staff who went to his room, haven't you?" Loki asked, looking sidewards at the people near the doorway. "Did you find anything strange with their statements? Something that will shatter the implausibility of anyone among them committing the crime?"

"Luthor, why don't we check the scene the outside and see how the culprit could have thrown the key back here?" I grabbed his older brother's cold hand and dragged him out of the room. Loki looked a little embarrassed by me intentionally ignoring him.

"Fine, then, I have to ask them myself," he muttered after I offered no reply.

At doon na kami nagkahiwalay ng landas. I feel guilty for having to drag Luthor into this mess. He wasn't involved in this little affair, pero dahil nandito na rin lang siya, damay-damay na.

"Congratulations. You have just snubbed the greatest detective of Clark High," Luthor commented in the most monotonous voice he could make. "The little argument that you had earlier, was it really that serious to warrant this sort of reaction from you?"

We stopped in front of the elevator, waiting for the lift to come down from the twelfth floor. "Has someone already betrayed your trust, Luthor? Were you lied to or kept in the dark about something you should have known?"

"To my recollection, no." Luthor slowly shook his head. "I am inclined to think that no one will dare. Is that why my brother and Jamie got you pissed? Because they did not tell the truth to you? I recall you asking me at the bar on why people lie."

"Your brother trusts me so much that he chose not to tell me about his suspicions on Jamie," I explained. Halos magpanting na naman ang tenga ko. The wound in my heart, though not literal, began to hurt again. "We have been investigating the Moriarty case for a couple of months already. So why did he do that? And this snake who took the form of a human named Jamie? She dared lie to my face about her involvement with your organization."

"So you consider these acts of betrayal as justification for your blatant disregard of my brother's presence?" Luthor asked, putting emphasis on the word "betrayal."

"I bet you would feel the same way if you were in my shoes," I replied.

"While we are on the topic, I do have one question," he turned to me, his hands still behind his back. "Based on our confrontation at the island, you have suspected that I am Moriarty, though that was partially incorrect. Have you, by any chance, told my brother about your suspicions? Have you told him that you saw and heard me at the abandoned warehouse where you were kept hostage?"

"Of course, I haven't!" I answered. If Loki knew about what happened at the warehouse, I can't tell what he could have done to Luthor. Imagine his fury upon learning that his brother is on the side of the enemy.

"Are you planning to tell him about what I told you back at the island?" he shot a follow-up question.

"No. Maybe someday," I answered decisively. "Do you want the hell to break loose? Why are you asking those questions anyway? The issue is about your brother and Jamie."

"I hope that you get what I am trying to drive at," Luthor sighed, his emotionless eyes darting sideward glance at me. "That you and my brother are no different. You kept some things from each other. That makes it quits, doesn't it?"

My mouth gaped at the same time that we heard the "ding!" of the elevator. The doors slid, and Luthor gestured to let me in first.

Was he trying to imply that I'm a hypocrite? Galit ako kina Loki at Jamie dahil pinaglihiman nila ako. 'Yon pala, ako rin ay naglihim sa kapatid niya? I was not expecting Luthor to agree with me or my actions. But him slapping my alleged hypocritical stance to my face was something that I did not see coming.

Yes, I admit that I kept some things secret from Loki because I did not want to disrupt the status quo. But at the same time-Ugh! Why did Luthor have to point that out? My unreasonable disregard of Loki's presence was becoming more pathetic.

The elevator doors opened again as we reached the ground floor. The entrance lounge was visibly deserted with only a few hotel staff inside. Walang tigil ang kanilang bulungan, malamang ay pinag-uusapan pa rin ang pagkamatay ng chairman.

We exited the building and went to the side where the room with a broken window could be seen. Tumingala ako at bumilang ng tatlo bago nakita ang kuwarto kung saan natagpuang patay ang biktima. Kitang-kita ang basag na salamin. I went closer to the building and examined the ground just directly below the room. There were no broken shards down here.

This confirms Loki's theory: Whoever broke the window did it from the outside. The question is, how did the culprit manage to slip the key into the hole?

Pumulot ako ng maliit na bato sa tabi-tabi at pinaghagis-hagis ito sa kamay ko. Loki pointed out earlier that the window was broken but not by a rock. Wala kasi kaming nakitang bato sa crime scene kanina.

Imposible namang may butas na ang bintana bago pa nangyari ang krimen. The chairman would have noticed it while he was still alive. Plus, the three hotel staff confirmed that the window was not broken by the time they entered the room. But one of them may be lying.

"What could have the killer used in lieu of a rock to break that window?" Luthor asked with his chin up, observing the crack from the same ground. "You need something that's as hard and dense as a rock to break that. Otherwise, that thing would have bounced off."

"Assuming that he used another hard object to create the crack, paano naman niya naipasok ang susi?" I touched my chin, trying to think of an item strong enough to break through the window. "Oo, pwede niyang mabutasan ang bintana sa unang tira niya, pero paano niya masisigurado na masu-shoot ang susi sa ginawa niyang butas?"

"Unless the killer attached the key to that hard object," Luthor pointed out. "The next question will be: how did that object vanish from the crime scene?"

"Kung naka-attach ang susi sa isang matigas na bagay, dapat nasa tabi lang ito ng susi noong makita natin sa room kanina," sagot ko. I can't recall seeing anything near the key. "To make things complicated, walang ibang nakadikit sa key. Walang tape o sinulid na pwedeng gamitin para i-attach ito."

"Can we consider the possibility that the culprit, assuming that he's among the hotel staff who were huddled in front of the chairman's room, quickly took away that object before we arrived?" tanong ni Luthor.

"That is possible," I nodded. "Pero maraming mga mata ang nakamasid kanina. The head of security was also there. They might have noticed if someone picked up something in the room."

"An object that vanishes is the key to this locked room mystery," Luthor remarked. "Until we figure that one out, we can't move forward with the investigation."

Bigla akong nakaramdam ng lamig, hindi dahil katabi ko si Luthor, kundi dahil lumalamig na rito sa labas. The time was past two o'clock already. Hindi ako nakapagdala ng jacket para labanan ang lamig. I rubbed my palms together.

Teka, malamig? Nawawalang bagay na ginamit na pambato?

I think I have already figured out the trick on how the killer returned the key to the room through the window!

"You look enlightened," Luthor commented, walking closer to me. "Have you found out how he did it?"

I nodded. "May idea na ako kung ano ang ginamit ng killer para mabasag ang bintana, maisama ang susi at mawala ang ginamit niya na parang bula."

"Care to compare notes?"

Halos mapatalon ako sa gulat nang marinig ang boses ni Loki. I was so preoccupied with the case that I failed to notice his presence.

"Seeing that there's no rock or other object lying around in the room that the killer could have used to break the window, I already know what he used," Loki said, picking up a pebble and throwing it at the room's window. The stone did not make it to the crack and was bounced off by the glass. "Let's see if we got the same conclusion."

"Luthor, is it just me or someone's really talking around here?" I asked the man beside me, taking no notice of his brother's presence. I remember a few months ago when Loki got upset and pretended that I wasn't present in the apartment. "Lumalamig na rito, baka may nagpaparamdam nang multo. Why don't we return inside?"

For the second time, I dragged Luthor's left hand going back to the hotel.

"How long are we going to play this charade?" Loki raised his voice which was quite unsual for him. He always spoke in monotone.

Napahinto ako sa paglalakad pero hindi ako lumingon sa kanya.

"You are acting childish, Lorelei," he called me out. "First, you refused to share to me your interview with the three hotel staff. Now, you refused to compare notes with me. We can solve this case much faster together if only you cooperate."

"So it's my fault now?" I turned around to face the complaining detective. "Am I to be blamed if I want to solve this case by myself? Without any help from you?"

"You are just using that I-wanna-solve-this-case-alone as an excuse to ignore me," Loki retorted. "We both know why you are not cooperating. Just admit that you are still upset with what you found out last night."

"Yes, I am still upset that my trust was betrayed by people whom I trusted!" I fired back, my voice also rising. "And as I recall, we do not have a legal partnership that would require me to work with you every time there's a case. If I want to investigate it alone, I can."

"Let me remind you that we both belong to the same detective club-"

"WE ARE NOT IN CLARK HIGH!" I shouted back at him. I took a few moments to breathe. Mabuti't walang ibang tao sa labas ng hotel. "Your club's rules don't apply here."

"Just to be clear, there's no provision in the-"

"Can you two refrain from pointless bickering?" Luthor spoke calmly. He did not need to raise his voice to make Loki and I stop. There was something in his composed manner of speech that forced us to obey his request. "I don't want to take anyone's side in your club's affairs and I do not think that this is the right time to argue. The police are coming in a few and by the time they arrive, you won't have anymore access to the crime scene."

Natahimik kaming dalawa ni Loki, tila pinagagalitan kami ng kuya namin. Luthor's right. Time wasn't on our side.

"Now if you want to whine about how someone wronged you and how justifiable your response is, drop this case already and let us return to our suite to settle your dispute," Luthor added. "We will get nowhere if you continue arguing in the middle of the night."

"My priority is to solve the case," I said.

"Me too," Loki replied also. "That's why I came all the way from our room to here."

"Let us then return to the crime scene and continue your investigation," Luthor declared. "In the meantime, I want a ceasefire between the two of you until the case is solved."

Tahimik kaming pumasok ulit sa hotel at sumakay ng elevator. The situation inside the lift was undoubtedly awkward as Loki and I stood next to each other. No one spoke a word. That was probably the longest five seconds of my life.

Pagdating sa third floor, nakita naming nakalupong sa labas ng kuwarto ang tatlong hotel staff-sina Olivia, Jodie at Kenneth-na pumasok sa room ng biktima noong buhay pa 'to. Nandoon pa rin ang head ng security pero hindi na namin mahagilap si Hugh. The rest of the personnel probably returned to their workstation. Loki must have told the Chief Jojo to not let these three go.

"Thank you for waiting," Loki greeted as we approached the four men waiting. "As what I have said earlier, the killer can only be among the people who went inside the room of the deceased chairman-which is you three. It is also impossible for anyone to enter the room through the window. The only way is through the door."

"Teka, paano n'yo maipapaliwanag ang mga phone call ni chairman sa reception?" tanong ni Jodie. "Ang last niyang tawag sa amin ay ilang minutes pagkatapos lumabas ni Kenneth sa kuwarto niya. Sinabihan niya kaming huwag siyang istorbohin sa pagtulog niya. Narinig 'yon ng mga kasama namin."

"That could have been a recording played by the killer to create an illusion that the chairman was still alive past eight o'clock," Loki explained. "You have access to the call recordings, don't you? The killer could have copied one of your boss' previous 'wake me up' orders. Strangely, your boss' phone was nowhere to be found in the crime scene. The killer probably took it with him, dialled the reception desk's landline and played the recording."

"Teka, teka," humirit si Kenneth, nakakunot ang noo. "Ako ang huling pumasok sa room ni boss. Are you implying na ako ang pumatay sa kanya at nag-set-up ng sinabi mong trick?"

"You are indeed suspicious," I said, turning all their heads to me. "Remember when we interviewed you earlier? You said that you saw three stab wounds in the chairman's body. How did you know kung ilan ang saksak niya?"

"Hindi ba obvious? Makikita mo mula rito sa labas ang-" Kenneth pointed to the interior of the room where we could see the chairman still lying dead on the bed. But his mouth stopped moving halfway when he realized something.

"You cannot tell from this distance how many stab wounds the chairman sustained," paliwanag ko sabay pasok sa kuwarto. "The only way to confirm that is by entering the room and taking a closer look at the body. Kaya paano mo nalaman na may tatlong saksak sa katawan niya? You said that the last time you saw the chairman was when he was enjoying his steak. Clearly, wala pa siyang stab wounds noon. Unless..."

"Ba-Baka nagkamali lang ako ang sinabi kanina!" depensa ni Kenneth, namumuo na ang pawis sa kanyang noo.

Strangely, Loki was just standing a few steps from me, observing my deduction show with his hawk-like eyes. He was neither supporting my deductions nor countering them.

"O baka nadulas lang ang dila mo," tugon ko bago humarap sa head of security. "Chief, when you opened the door earlier, did Kenneth take a step further into the room?"

Umiling si Chief Jojo. "Wala akong pinalapit sa katawan hanggang sa dumating kayo kanina. Kaya imposibleng nakita niya nang malapitan ang mga saksak."

"That settles it," sabi ko sabay harap kay Kenneth. "After you took the key and locked the door, you needed to find a way to return it to the room. You used a clever trick to do that."

"Teka, linawin ko lang na hindi ako ang pumatay-"

"Ipinadaan mo sa bintana ang susi," I ignored his protest and went on with my explanation. "Kailangan mong maghagis ng matigas na bagay para mabasag ang salamin at maipasok ito sa loob. You did not use a rock because that would give your trick away once we find it lying on the floor. You used something that's as hard as a rock. But here's the catch, that something must also vanish before the body was discovered."

The question "How?" was written on the faces of everyone, except Loki and Luthor.

"Ice," I answered, drawing an amazed reaction from them. "You put the key in a container, poured water into it and let it freeze for an hour or two. The chairman was killed at around eight-thirty and the body was discovered at two in the morning, giving you a plenty of time to prepare and execute the trick. Noong tumigas na ang bola o bloke ng yelo kung saan nakapaloob ang susi, you went outside the hotel and threw the ice into the window. Nabasag ang bintana, nakapasok ang susi na nababalot ng yelo at nag-land malapit sa kama ng chairman. The ice then melted and the water evaporated before we could even find it."

Kenneth struggled to rebut my theory, but no words came out of his mouth.

"Maybe the head of security can check the security footages and follow where the suspect went to prove Lorelei's deductions," Luthor said, addressing Chief Jojo, to which the latter nodded.

"By following his footsteps, baka makita n'yo rin kung saan niya itinago ang phone ng chairman," sabi ko. "Pwede n'yo ring i-check ang kanyang sariling phone kung may naka-save na recording na ginamit niya noong tumawag siya sa reception desk. He might have deleted it already, but the police may be able to recover the file. The evidence will be there."

Kahit malamig dito sa hallway, tumatagaktak na ang pawis ni Kenneth. He couldn't directly look at me or anybody else. Nakayuko lang habang nakikinig ang dalawang kasama niya.

"As head of security, hihiramin ko ang phone mo para ma-check kung meron ngang recorded na boses ni boss diyan," sabi ni Chief Jojo. "Ite-trace din namin kung saan ka nagpunta matapos mong pumasok sa hotel room ng boss natin. Doon natin makikita kung ikaw nga ba talaga ang salarin."

"Bravo!"

Loki's slow clap reverberated in the narrow hallway. He looked impressed by the deduction show that I put up, as well as me stealing the spotlight from him. But him clapping did not give me a reassurance that my deductions were correct. I feel that it would be quite the opposite.

"Lorelei got everything right," he said, putting down his hands. "Except everything about the murder."

"Eh?" I blurted out. The words "I did it" was written all over Kenneth's face. Paanong mali ang naging deductions ko?

"This murder has been meticulously planned." It was Loki's turn to do the deduction show of some sort. "Consider it a stage play with actors and props. Kennedy is involved in this crime, but he did not kill the chairman."

"What?"

I would have wanted to correct him that it's "Kenneth," not "Kennedy." But I chose to zip my mouth and not disturb him debunking my theory.

"Kennedy did not kill the chairman, Judy did," Loki clarified, shocking everyone around. "Isn't it obvious? The murder weapon used to kill the chairman was the same knife that Judy brought in this room along with the steak."

"Yes, she brought the knife, but that doesn't mean she-and not Kenneth-killed the chairman!" I argued. "Kung inundayan niya ng saksak ang chairman, paniguradong lalaban ito, 'di ba? And the chairman, being a man with large build, could have simply overpowered her. If that happened, the murder plot might have failed."

"Have you forgotten that there was no sign of struggle on the chairman's body?" Loki reminded me. "I assume that when Judy stabbed the chairman, the latter was lying peacefully on the bed and without any chance of resistance. The victim must have been drugged and lost consciousness."

"How can Jodie make the chairman fall asleep and murder him within a span of seven minutes?" I asked, recalling the time frame by which the hotel staff entered the room. I don't think someone can murder another person without making a mess in a short period of time.

"Judy killed the chairman, yes, but she did not drug him," Loki answered, pointing his finger to another female staff. "Olivar did."

All heads next turned to the lady biting her nails. She looked as nervous as the other two. Guilt was becoming visible on their faces. And it's Olivia, not Olivar.

"That's right!" Loki put his hands inside his pockets. "This murder was orchestrated by the three hotel staff who went inside the chairman's room. Remember, Olivar was asked by the victim to come with him to his room. That must be the time where she lulled him to sleep using a drug."

Olivia looked down, her hands trembling.

"She then stole the chairman's phone," Loki went on. "She probably gave the gadget to Kenneth, who called the reception desk and played another recording of the chairman's voice, asking for a steak to be delivered in his room. That became the signal for Judy to commit the murder."

Jodie's eyes only blinked as the murder scheme began unravelling. She couldn't utter any word in their defense. Loki's theory was apparently becoming more correct than mine.

"Bringing the steak with her, Judy went to the chairman's room where she found him lying unconscious on the bed," Loki peeked at the room, looking at the corpse. "She probably ate a portion of the steak first or threw it somewhere before picking up the knife. She had to create an illusion that the victim ate the food that he did not really order. Armed, she stabbed the chairman three times. Then she left the room as if nothing happened. By that time, the chairman was already dead."

"Te-Teka! Mali ang sinasabi n'yo! Hindi si Jodie ang pumatay kundi-" Kenneth tried to interrupt but Loki cut him off by continuing his explanation.

"Minutes later, Kennedy delivered the coat to the dead man's room and searched for the key to make it look like a locked room mystery. He left the room and once again called the reception desk using the chairman's phone and played the victim's recorded voice, reminding his staff to not disturb his sleep. Unfortunately, his sleep would no longer be disturbed since he was already dead by that time. Kennedy proceeded to do the key-in-the-ice trick to return the key to the victim's room. He probably took advantage of the fireworks display to throw the ice into the window. Everyone's attention was on the shining lights in the sky. The loud whistling noises drowned the sound of shattering glass."

"NAGKAKAMALI KA!" sigaw ni Kenneth. "Walang kinalaman sina Olivia at Jodie rito! Ako! Ako ang mag-isang nakaisip at pumatay kay boss!"

"You are willing to take all the blame for the crime, huh?" Loki raised his eyebrow. "Unfortunately, the sword of justice doesn't fall only on the sacrificial lamb. Everyone who took part in the conspiracy must be judged. You are a co-conspirator who tried to provide an alibi for the killer as well as for yourself. You three must be judged."

"Huwag n'yong idadamay silang dalawa!" pakiusap ni Kenneth. "Ako na lang!"

But his words fell on deaf ears. Loki walked away and left the fate of the three hotel staff to the head of security. Luthor and I followed him to the elevator lobby. I took one last glimpse of the three people who shared in a single crime. All I could see was grief and guilt.

Saktong pabukas ng pinto ng elevator, lumabas ang mga pulis na kakarating lang. We waited for them to get out of the lift before going in.

Once again, Loki proved that he was still superior when it comes to detective work. My deductions were partly correct, but they still lacked pieces to complete the puzzle. But that changed nothing about what I feel. I was still upset about what he did. Some stains cannot be easily washed away.

We returned to our hotel suite and went to our respective bedrooms without bidding each other good night-or good morning, which was more appropriate, given that it's already three-thirty.

Nadatnan kong nakahiga na sa queen-size bed na kama si Jamie, mahimbing ang tulog. If I were a murderer, I would have covered his nose and mouth with a pillow until she ran out of breath. But I was no killer. Kahit matindi ang galit ko sa kanya, ni minsa'y hindi ko naisipang gawan siya ng masama.

Humiga na lang ako at ipinikit ang aking mga mata. I hope that this was just a nightmare. Later in the morning, the three of us would talk.

q.e.d.