A/N: This is the tenth update in a row and the penultimate part of Chapter 44!

LORELEI

THE SEARCH for the whereabouts of the dead man's switch continues.

Dapat ay maaga kaming aalis ng apartment para simulan ang paghahanap sa tinutuluyan ni Sir Ephraim. Kaso medyo late na kaming nakatulog kagabi. Alas-dos na yata ng madaling-araw. Si Jamie kasi, pinilit kaming sulitin ang minsang sleepover sa apartment namin.

After our video call with Hershey, we played another card game called "Exploding Kittens." Saktong nagising na si Freya noon at tinabihan ako para manood ng laro. Loki and Alistair easily got the mechanics of the game while Jamie had a hard time understanding it.

Then we watched a horror movie, as Jamie suggested, in our living room. Meron siyang external hard drive na puno ng downloaded movies at TV series. I don't really believe na gano'n siya katapang para manood ng horror. Alam kong gusto niyang i-take advantage ang nakapatay na ilaw at ang nakakakabang atmosphere dito.

When I glanced at her, nakapikit lang siya at napapatili habang nakahawak ang kamay sa braso ni Loki. Typical Jamie. Loki was only eating popcorn as he boredly watched the film. Alistair wasn't frightened by the jumpscares at all, parang nanonood lang siya ng classroom discussion namin. Me? I had a pillow prepared just in case na may nakakatakot na scene.

So ang ending, parang tulog-mantika itong si Jamie. Magkatabi kaming natulog sa kama ko. She wanted to sleep in Loki's room, but I objected to the idea. Even Alistair aired his opposition against her suggestion. I was more worried about what she'd do with Loki, than what Loki would do to her. The last time she slept in the other room, Loki said that he built a wall of pillow between them.

Mag-isang natulog si Loki sa kanyang kuwarto habang si Alistair ay sa couch natulog. Binigyan ko siya ng unan at kumot para hindi siya lamigin.

By ten in the morning, gising na sina Loki at Alistair, ine-enjoy ang kanilang morning drinks. Based on the aroma and their personal preference, I could say that Loki had a cup of coffee while Alistair had a hot mug of chocolate.

Binati rin ako ng Freya paglabas ko ng aking room. She rubbed her furry body on my left leg. Binuhat ko siya at marahang idinuyan sa aking braso.

"Jamie, gising na!" tawag ko sa kasama kong tulog pa rin hanggang ngayon. Mag-a-alas-onse na ng umaga. Wala akong narinig na tugon kundi ang kanyang paghilik.

She left me with no choice but to use necessary force. Pinuntahan ko siya sa aking kama at kiniliti sa tagiliran. I knew that she's a good actress, but I didn't know that she's a good dancer too! Parang uod siyang sumasayaw habang binubudburan ng asin.

"Lori, stop!" she said as she grabbed both of my hands. Ayaw pa kasing tumayo, eh. "Heto na, babangon na!"

Nagsiligo at nagsibihis na kaming apat. I expect that today's gonna be a long day. We had no time to waste.

"We're lucky," I said as I strapped in my seatbelt. We got inside Alistair's car. "Today's a Saturday. May therapy session mamaya sa private rehab center si Sir Ephraim. This might be our chance to retrieve the box."

"Teka lang, Lori," tawag sa akin ni Jamie sa likuran. "Babayaran mo ba ang hinihinging P20,000 nitong blackmailer? He threatened na kapag hindi ka nagbayad within twenty-four hours, ire-release niya ang audio recording, tama?"

The switch texted me last night, around nine in the evening, about the details of the transaction. Gusto niyang magbayad ako through G-Cash, an electronic transaction app. He gave me the mobile number, which was different from the one he used to text me, at doon ko raw ita-transfer ang pera. I don't know if he's being careless, but as far as I know, pwedeng ma-trace kung kanino naka-register ang number na ibinigay niya. Requirement 'yon kapag gumagawa ng G-Cash account.

Maybe he's using his own name. Maybe he's using another person's name.

"If we can steal the box from him before nine o'clock, there's no need to transfer even a single peso," sagot ko. If worse comes to worst, naka-ready naman akong magbayad. My savings can shoulder the fee.

"Let's hope that we get the right apartment this time," sabi ni Loki na napangalumbaba sa car window. He had his sight focused on the scenery outside. "I don't want to waste time and effort again today."

"Shall we continue the search?" Alistair asked as he started sa engine.

Bumalik na naman kami sa Barangay Balibago. Dahil weekend na, may kaunting build-up ng traffic sa major highways sa city. This time, we know in which part of the barangay we're supposed to go.

Last night, after his brief lecture on cell tower triangulation, Hershey sent us a high-resolution photo of the map where the switch's location can be found. There are at least five streets in the area. Lumiit man ang scope ng search namin, hindi pa rin gano'n kadali ang hanapin siya.

"So what's the plan?" tanong ni Jamie. She leaned forward into the space between my seat and Alistair's. "Magbabahay-bahay ba tayo rito?"

"I suggest na i-check muna natin ang mga apartment sa lugar na 'to," tugon ni Alistair na inihinto muna ang sasakyan.

"Pero mukhang marami-rami ang itse-check natin, ah?" buntong-hininga ni Jamie. Lumingon siya sa aming likuran at tumingin sa hilera ng mga bahay. "Marami tayong apartments na nadaanan on the way here. It's like—what's the phrase again?—finding needle in a haystack."

"Then we must start removing some haystacks," Loki spoke after minutes of silence. "We must get out of this car and ask people around. We can't accomplish anything if we stay here."

"'Yan din ang naisip ko," pagtango ni Alistair sa kanya. "That's the only way we can further narrow the scope of our seach. We have a picture of him, don't we?"

I nodded. Ipinakita ko sa kanila ang litrato mula sa files na ibinigay ni Maggie. "We can show this picture around and ask kung may nakakita o nakapansin ba sa kanya sa area na 'to."

"Pero hindi naman gano'n kadali 'yon, 'di ba?" komento ni Jamie. "Sa dami ng mga taong dumaraan sa streets na 'to, they may not accurately recall seeing that person. Unless they have a retentive memory like me."

"Luckily, Sir Ephraim has a unique characteristic that people can easily notice," Alistair said, looking confident.

"His leg injury!" I exclaimed. "Mas tatatak sa memorya ng mga residente rito ang isang lalaking may hawak na steel cane at nahihirapang maglakad kaysa sa mga lalaking normal na dumaraan."

"Looks like his accident has some benefit to us," Loki jested, smirking. I glared at him, making his smirk fade in an instant.

"So let's go?" Akmang aalisin na ni Alistair ang pagkakalagay ng kanyang seatbelt, pero bigla siyang hinawakan sa balikat ng kasama namin.

"Why don't you leave this task to the girls?" Jamie said, smiling. "As you all know, I have the charisma and I can easily charm people to give me what I want. Mas magiging effective siguro kung kaming dalawa ni Lori ang magtatanong-tanong tungkol kay Sir Ephraim."

Wait, hindi ba siya nagkamali ng pangalang nabanggit? Ako talaga ang gusto niyang makasama? "I thought you'd suggest that Loki should come with you to... charm people."

"I would!" Jamie replied. "Pero ayaw ko kasing mainitan ang Loki dear ko. He can relax here and wait for us to return."

"Are you sure na kaya n'yo nang dalawa 'yon?" tanong ni Alistair. "Don't you want me to escort you two?"

"Baka kasi ma-intimidate ang mga tatanungin namin kapag may nakita silang bodyguard," sagot ni Jamie. "At baka magkaroon sila ng maling impression na boyfriend kita. No offense, Al. You really are a boyfriend material, but my heart is loyal to my Loki dear."

"Don't worry. None taken."

Wala mang reaksyon si Loki sa sinabi niya. If he were one of those men willing to kneel before Jamie, he would have felt touched by her loyalty. But he's Loki. Those words seemed to not matter to him.

May kinuha si Jamie mula sa kanyang maliit na bag. A pair of sunglasses. She put them on and turned to me. "Shall we go, my best buddy Lori?"

We got out of the car and walked on the streets. She clung to my right arm na parang mag-bestfriend talaga kami.

"Hindi ka ba magsisisi na ako ang pinili mong kasama?" I asked her. I wasn't used to her being this close to me. "You could have really asked for Loki. I bet he'd be willing to come with you, especially this is for a case."

"We know that Loki isn't the most sociable person in our team," Jamie answered. At least, she also acknowledged that fact. "Mas lalakas ang charisma natin kung tayong dalawa ang magkasama. No man can resist helping two girls who are looking for their long lost father."

"What?" my eyebrows furrowed. "Anong long lost father ang sinasabi mo?"

"That's gonna be our script!" Jamie exclaimed. "Hinahanap natin ang nawawala nating dad. Come on, Lori. Internalize it! Think as if you're looking for your long lost dad—"

Nahinto siya sa pagsasalita at sandaling natigil sa paglalakad. The smile on her face faded as she looked at me.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," I told her, forcing a smile.

It's been weeks since I found out that the dad that I grew up with wasn't my real dad. I have no idea who is and what he looks like or if he's still alive. Hindi ko rin nga alam kung alam niyang nag-e-exist ako. My dad Walter offered to look for my biologal father, but I turned down his offer. Maybe one day, we would cross paths in the most unexpected situation. Who knows?

"I-revise natin ang script!" sagot ni Jamie, nagpatuloy na siya sa paglalakad. "Ako na lang ang naghahanap sa aking long lost dad habang ikaw ay ang very supportive friend ko. Sounds good?"

Tumango lang ako. Hindi naman niya kailangang baguhin ang script niya dahil sa kalagayan ko. I wasn't offended by what she said at all.

We started asking people in carinderia, sari-sari stores and other small business establishments. Jamie put on her best acting skills. Napapaluha pa nga siya at napapasinghot habang ikinukwento kung gaano niya ka-miss ang kanyang long lost dad kuno. Ako naman, bilang ang kanyang ever supportive friend, pinapatahan siya sa pag-iyak at kina-caress ang kanyang likod.

But her acting bore no fruit. Lahat ng mga nakausap namin, sinabi na wala pa silang napapansin na lalaking naka-tungkod na napadpad sa kanilang establishments. All of Jamie's acting was in vain.

That was the case, until I saw a man on the streets. Isang magtataho.

Jamie was reluctant at first na puntahan at tanungin ang lalaki. But I insisted na baka makuha na namin ang sagot mula sa lalaking 'to. Bilang magtataho, umiikot siya sa mga street sa area. He might have encountered Sir Ephraim while he was roaming around. I hope he has a good memory.

Bumili muna kami ng dalawang basong taho mula sa kanya bago kami nagtanong. Nang ipinakita namin ang picture ni Sir Ephraim, I saw a hint of recognition.

"M-Matagal na ho kasi naming hinahanap-hanap ang papa ko—"

"Ah, ito 'yong bago kong suki, ah?" sagot ng magtataho, hindi na pinatapos pa si Jamie sa kanyang drama. "Tatay mo pala 'yon? Parang 'di kayo magkamukha, ah?"

"Saan n'yo ho siya nakita?" nasasabik kong tanong. Parang mas excited pa ako kaysa sa anak kuno na naghahanap sa ama niya.

"Doon sa apartment na may red na gate diyan sa kabilang street! Kapag dumaraan ako roon, lagi siyang bumibili ng taho sa akin. Mas nadaragdagan daw ang protein sa katawan niya."

"Thank you, manong!" nakangiting sagot ni Jamie. "At dahil diyan, pabili pa ho kami ng dalawang baso."

We immediately walked back to the car. Nakabuntot sa amin sina Alistair at Loki kaya hindi kalayuan ang kanilang posisyon. Pagpasok sa kotse, iniabot namin sa kanila ang dalawang baso ng taho na galing kay manong. Loki looked at it with disgust, but I told him that's good for his health. He never had a taho in his life, I guess?

"Found anything?" tanong ni Alistair bago sumipsip mula sa taho.

"Sabi ng magtataho, bagong suki niya raw itong si Sir Ephraim," sagot ko. "Nasa apartment daw siya na may red na gate sa kabilang street."

"Sabi sa inyo, eh!" pagmamayabang ni Jamie. "Effective ang tandem namin nitong si Lori."

Alistair started the car engine once again and drove to the next street. Hinanap namin ang bahay na may description kagaya ng sinabi ng magtataho. Luckily, there's only one stretch of three houses here with red gates. Meron pa ngang nakapiskil na "apartment for rent" sa labas.

"That's a big downgrade from the apartment the other day," komento ni Jamie. Mukhang pinaglumaan na nga. My Tita Martha's apartment was way better. "Kahit ako, hindi ko pipiliing tumira diyan."

"He's having financial difficulties. What do you expect?" sagot ko na napatingin din sa apartment sa labas. "Kapag dumami pa ang na-extort niyang pera, baka lumipat na siya ng matitirhan."

"There are three units here," Alistair said, looking at the three red gates. "Saan kaya siya nakatira diyan?"

Hindi naman sinabi ng magtataho sa amin na tatlo pala ang apartment units na may red na gate. If he did, we could have asked kung saan dito nanunuluyan ang bagong suki niya.

"Why don't we knock?" tanong ni Jamie na akmang lalabas na ng kotse. Before she could get out, I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back. "Why, Lori? Magtatanong lang naman tayo, ah?"

"If he knows about our faces, he might be alarmed," paliwanag ko. "Kailangang maging discreet tayo sa mga susunod nating gagawin."

"So paano natin malalaman kung nasaan siya sa tatlong unit na 'yan?"

"Waiting for him to come out is the perfect strategy," Loki suggested. I sensed a hint of sarcasm. "Who knows? He might smack his head and miraculously think of leaving the house while holding a sign that says 'Hey, I'm here!' to us."

I rolled my eyes and ignored his remarks.

"Baka mamayang gabi pa siya lumabas, kapag oras na ng kanyang therapy session," sagot ni Alistair. Panigurado 'yon, pero hindi namin kayang maghintay nang gano'n katagal.

Sandaling natahimik sa loob ng kotse. Jamie's suggestion was better than waiting here. Kailangan naming katukin at kailangan kaming pagbuksan ng gate para ma-confirm namin kung siya nga ba ang nandoon. Kaso nga lang, hindi kami pwedeng maaninag ng target namin. It might ruin our plan.

Then an idea popped into my head.

"May naisip ka na, Lori?" Napatingin sa akin si Jamie nang bigla akong kumilos.

Inilabas ko ang aking phone at idinial ang delivery service ng isang fast food chain. Habang nagri-ring, iniabot ko ito sa aking katabi. "Al, can you try to speak like an older man? Magpapa-deliver tayo ng pagkain."

"Gutom ka na ba, Lori?" tanong ni Jamie. "Pwede namang mag-drive si Al papunta sa isang kainan tapos balikan na lang natin mamaya ang apartment na 'to."

Sandali kaming nagkatitigan ni Alistair. Mukhang iniisip niya kung bakit biglaan ang request ko ng food delivery. "I see. You're gonna use this to check kung saan siya nakatira sa tatlong 'yan?"

Mabuti't may nakasabit na plate number sa labas. I pointed at the numbers as I replied to him. "Give them the address, but don't tell them kung alin sa tatlong apartment unit ang pagde-deliver-an niya."

Nang mag-connect na ang call, Alistair tried his best to mimic how a thirty or forty year old man would speak. Narinig kong nagpipigil ng tawa sa likuran si Loki. I shushed him. Pasalamat siya't hindi siya ang pinili kong magpanggap na matandang lalaki.

"Twenty to thirty minutes," Alistair said as he hung up. "Gano'n katagal pa ang hihintayin natin."

And so we waited. Half an hour was excruciating slow. Inantok na kaming apat sa loob ng kotse sa kahihintay. Muli kaming naging alerto nang may humintong naka-motorbike na delivery man. Tila nalito ang lalaki dahil hindi niya alam kung alin sa tatlong bahay ang hahatiran niya ng order.

My phone rang again, but I ignored it. I wanted the delivery man to ring the doorbells of each unit and talk to the tenants. So he did. Isa-isa niyang pinindot ang doorbell. On the unit to the left, isang babaeng nasa twenties na ang lumabas at umiling. On the unit in the middle, isang lalaking nasa thirties na ang sunod na lumabas at umiling din.

That leaves the unit to the right. Pagkatapos mag-ring ang doorbell, lumabas ang isang lalaking tila nahihirapang maglakad. I could see a steel cane by his right hand. He also shook his head, turning away the delivery man.

Confirmed. Sir Ephraim was staying in that unit.

"So what do we do now?" Jamie asked.

"We wait. Again," sagot ko. "Pero baka pwede muna tayong kumain."

We couldn't sneak into the switch's apartment in broad daylight. Masuwerte kami't meron siyang therapy session mamayang ala-sais ng gabi. That would give us the perfect opportunity to steal the box, sakaling iniwan niya rito at hindi niya dinala.

We returned to our spot in front of the apartment by five in the afternoon. Mas mabuting mas maaga kaming pumwesto para mabantayan namin ang kilos ni Sir Ephraim bago siya umalis. We also observed the surroundings. Wala masyadong taong dumaraan sa street na 'to o tumatambay sa labas.

Five-thirty stuck. Saktong lumabas na si Sir Ephraim sa gate. A gray car stopped in front of his apartment. Ni-lock niya muna ang gate bago siya pumasok sa kotse. We waited for the car to drive away. Hinintay din naming mas magdilim pa.

"Like last time, Loki and I will sneak into his unit while you and Jamie will stay here as our lookout," paalala ni Alistair sa amin bago isinuot ang wireless earpiece at itim na cap.

"Let's get this over with," Loki sighed, putting on his wireless earpiece.

"Wait!" sabi ko sabay bunot ng isang bagay mula sa aking bulsa. It's my stun pen. "Sakaling kailanganin n'yo."

Alistair took it and gave me a nod. "Thank you, Lori."

Lumabas na silang dalawa sa kotse habang kami naman ni Jamie ay naiwan sa loob. Kung kaninang umaga, kaming babae ang naka-deploy, ngayong gabi, sila namang dalawang lalaki.

Nakabantay si Jamie sa kaliwa habang ako nama'y nakatutok sa kanan. So far, wala pa naman paparating na mga tao o sasakyan. There's nothing that we should be worried about.

Loki knelt before the gate and took out his lockpicking kit. Sa loob ng ilang sandali ng pagkalikot niya sa lock, nabuksan na niya ang gate.

"First obstacle down," pagmamayabang ni Loki sa call. "Approaching the second obstacle a.k.a. the door."

Wala pa ring kaming napapansing kahina-hinala sa paligid namin. I was expecting Jamie to talk to me, pero tahimik lang siyang nakamasid sa labas. Mukhang sineseryoso niya ang mission ngayon.

"Second obstacle down," Loki said. May narinig kaming pagkaluskos ng pinto sa call.

"We will begin our search in his unit," Alistair added.

Palakas nang palakas ang pagkabog ng dibdib ko, parang aatakihin na ako sa puso. While I was worried na baka may surprise na inihanda si Sir Ephraim sa loob, I was more worried kapag nakuha na ni Loki ang box at makita niya ang laman nito.

"We found a laptop and an external hard drive on his desk," report ni Alistair.

"He's really careless, huh?" Loki commented.

"Lori!" tawag sa akin ni Jamie. I ignored her at first. Ayaw kong ma-distract sa pagbabantay ko. "Lori, look! 'Yan 'yong kotse na sinakyan ni Sir Ephraim kanina! I can't be mistaken. Parehong model, parehong plate number!"

Lumingon ako sa direksyon niya at nakitang huminto sa tapat ng apartment ang isang sasakyan. If what Jamie said was true, then we're in deep trouble. Loki and Alistair were still inside the apartment!

"Danger, danger," sabi ko. "Bumalik si Sir Ephraim."

"Hindi muna namin kukunin ang laptop at hard drive," sagot ni Alistair. "Baka mapansin niyang nawawala ang mga 'to. He might suspect something."

I heard Loki click his tongue. I share his frustration. The box was already within our reach!

"Wala bang ibang exit diyan?" kinakabahan kong tanong, pasulyap-sulyap sa labas ng kotse. "Nasa gate na siya!"

"There's only one entrance and exit here," sagot ni Alistair. "We will find a place to hide muna. Baka may nakalimutan lang siyang kunin."

"I can hear him unlocking the door," sabi ni Loki.

Napahawak ako sa aking dibdib. I don't know what's going on inside. I could only rely on what our two boys were saying.

"We hid under his bed," Alistair whispered. "We can hear his footsteps getting louder."

"Let's hope he doesn't look under," Loki muttered.

Napamura na si Jamie sa sobrang tense. I also wanna cuss, but that wouldn't change the situation even if I did. "Ano nang gagawin natin, Lori? Should we distract him?"

"Alistair still has a stun pen," sabi ko. I took a deep breath as I put my hands together. "Pwede niyang gamitin 'yon just in case na kailangan."

"Too risky at the moment," sagot ni Alistair. "We don't know if he's armed or not. Medyo madilim din sa loob ng unit."

Napatingin ako sa labas ng apartment. Maybe Jamie was right. We needed to create a distraction. We had to save our boys!

"We'll create a distraction," sabi ko. "Grab the laptop and hard drive, use the stun pen on Sir Ephraim, then run outside. Okay?"

"What? Wait, Lori—"

Saktong palabas na ako nang may humintong isang motorbike sa tapat ng apartment. Strangely, it didn't have any plate number. Bumaba mula rito ang isang delivery man ng isang sikat na courier. Pinindot niya ang doorbell at naghintay sa labas. Napabalik ako sa loob ng kotse.

"Someone rang the doorbell," Loki said. "What's going on there?"

"May dumating na courier," sagot ko. Nakita kong binuksan ni Sir Ephraim ang gate at pinatuloy ang delivery man na may bitbit na box. "Hindi muna kami gagawa ng distraction."

"Napaka-late naman yata?" tanong ni Jamie, nakamasid pa rin sa gate.

"Now we're hearing two sets of footsteps," Alistair said. "Itinatanong ng lalaki kung saan niya pwedeng ilagay ang malaking kahon."

"The courier said it's from Augustus Moran," Loki added. "I didn't know they have a courier in hell."

What? May ipinadala pang package ang patay na? Didn't Sir Ephraim already have the box? What's going on here?

"Hindi pa lumalabas ang—teka, ano'ng nangyayari?" sabi ni Alistair. "Nag-aaway silang dalawa?"

"Oh, sh—" Loki's words were cut short.

Then there was a minute or two of silence. The beating of my heart was so loud, it might burst out of my chest. Why weren't they responding?

"Alistair? Loki dear?" nababahalang tawag ni Jamie.

"Hey, how are you two?" paulit-ulit kong tanong. "Okay lang ba kayo, ha? Ano bang nangyari? Bakit natahimik kayo?"

"I can't just stay here!" Hindi na nakatiis si Jamie at tuluyan nang lumabas ng kotse. I felt the same. Hindi pwedeng tumunganga lang ako rito! Kaagad akong sumunod sa kanya. We don't know what happened inside, but we had to make sure that Loki and Alistair were safe!

Pagbaba namin ng sasakyan, nagmadaling lumabas ng unit ang courier at sumakay sa kanyang motorbike. He drove away as fast as he could, na parang sa insidente ng hit-and-run.

"Loki! Al!" tawag ni Jamie.

We rushed inside the apartment unit. Nadatnan naming nakahandusay ang katawan ni Sir Ephraim sa sahig, may namuong pool ng dugo sa kanyang ulo. Loki and Alistair stood before the corpse.

"My God!" Jamie gasped as she saw the dead man on the floor.

Iniwas ko ang aking tingin sa ulo at itinuon ang atensyon ko sa kanang kamay. May hawak itong baril. Suicide? No, that wasn't possible.

Loki knelt beside the corpse and fixed the way that the dead man was holding a gun. Suot niya ang pares ng latex gloves na laging dala-dala niya. Maayos niyang inilagay ang daliri nito sa gatilyo ng baril.

"Before you get the wrong idea, we didn't kill this man," he said, lifting his gaze at us. "He had a struggle with the courier, then Alistair and I heard of a muffled gunshot."

Muling nagawi ang tingin ko sa baril. Wala namang nakalagay na silencer doon.

"The courier must have removed it as soon as he killed the victim," Loki explained. I thought I was thinking out loud, but maybe he noticed the confused look on my face as I stared at the gun. "He then placed the gun in the victim's hand to frame this case as a suicide."

"Wala na rin ang laptop at external hard drive na nandito kanina," Alistair said, clicking his tongue. "The courier must have taken those devices with him."

"I bet he also took the victim's phone," Loki muttered, picking up a piece of paper on the floor and unfolding it. "It's fairly obvious that whoever killed Sir Ephraim knew about his identity as Augustus' switch and the existence of the box."

"A-Ano nang gagawin natin?" tanong ni Jamie na nakabalikwas pa rin ang tingin mula sa bangkay. "S-Should we report this incident to the police?"

"That seems to be the logical action," Alistair nodded.

"But not right now," Loki retorted. "Remember that we broke into this apartment. Can we explain to the city police what we're doing here? There are some cases where the first person to discover the corpse is the killer. Do you wanna be suspected by the incompetent police?"

"So we'll pretend that we didn't know that someone was shot here?" I asked.

"Don't worry," Loki replied, staring at the corpse. "The police will look at this case as a suicide. They won't see it as a homicide."

"But what if—just a what if—they consider the homicide angle?" tanong ni Alistair. Nababahala talaga siya. "We were here. Won't they trace this case back to us? Won't they wrongfully suspect us?"

"As long as we don't leave any DNA evidence, they can't pin this crime on us," kumpiyansang sagot ni Loki. Ipinakita na niya sa amin ang nakatuping papel na binasa niya. "This is a suicide note prepared by the killer. Handwritten. Looks like he spent time and effort mimicking the victim's handwriting."

"So this was premeditated..." Alistair muttered. "That courier didn't just intend to steal the box. He intended to kill its keeper as well."

"Once the police find the note, they will quickly jump to a conclusion that the man committed suicide," Loki went on. "That's how dumb most of them are. They won't think for a second that we killed him."

My hands began shaking uncontrollably. Sinubukan kong pigilan ang panginginig ng mga 'to. I clasped my hands together and tightened my grip. Ilang beses din akong huminga nang malalim para pakalmahin ang sarili ko.

Things weren't supposed to go down this bloody route. Dapat may kukunin lang kami sa unit na 'to tapos aalis na agad kami. We didn't expect to encounter a murder here.

"S-So what are we gonna do next?" tanong ko. Nagpalipat-lipat ng tingin ang mga mata ko sa tatlo kong kasama. Jamie only shrugged her shoulders as she was clasping herself while Loki and Alistair exchanged glances.

"We need to get out of this apartment as soon as we can," Loki suggested. Mas hininaan pa niya ang kanyang boses. "We shall leave no traces that we've been here. No strands of hairs. No fingerprints. No footprints. We will burn our clothes and our shoes. We shall never speak of this incident again."

"Isn't that too much?" Alistair asked softly. "Why do we have to bu—"

"We have to make sure that nothing can be traced back to us," Loki cut his words short. "I don't want any of us going to prison because of this man. You can debate me all you want, but he had it coming. Keeping people's secrets and using them for extortion put a target on his back. Understood?"

Tumango kaming tatlo sa kanya. We couldn't stay in this place any longer. Kailangan na naming umalis bago pa may ibang makakita sa amin.

"This might be the perfect crime that was ever pulled off in the city," Loki muttered, leading the way to the door. "If only the killer propped up the victim in a chair and shot him in the temple instead of the chin."

We quickly left the apartment and walked at a normal pace as if nothing happened. Mabuti't walang nakatambay sa labas ng unit kaya walang nakapansin sa paglabas namin. Pagkasakay namin sa kotse ni Alistair, ilang minuto rin kaming natahimik. Puro pagbuntong-hininga lang ang narinig ko.

Alistair started the car and drove away from the apartment. We all went silent as we're stuck in a traffic jam. No one dared to break the silence.

I guess the question right now in everyone's mind is: Who stole the box? 

q.e.d.

Don't miss the last part of Chapter 44 tomorrow! Buckle up!

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