WILHELMINA

Like in typical Filipino action films, the police arrived late. The action was over when they secured the perimeter of the abandoned building.

Ligtas na sina Harriet at Aiden ngunit nakatakas ang taong nagtangkang patayin sila. The hotel staff still had some tricks up his sleeves, something that we failed to account for.

Today's encounter should remind us of how dangerous our chosen career is. Hindi mo alam kung kailan malalagay sa panganib ang buhay mo. Nakaka-thrill minsan na lumutas ng mga kaso. Ngunit habang lumalapit sa katotohanan, lalong napapalapit sa kapahamakan. Ang kailangan ay maging maingat.

Harriet did me a favor when she saved me at the abandoned clock tower a few days ago. Tinatanaw kong utang na loob ang pagkakaligtas niya sa akin. When I started suspecting that something bad might have happened to her and Aiden, I did not hesitate of coming to her rescue. I would still help her even if I did not owe her any favor.

With or without reason, we should help people. With or without favors, we should extend a helping hand to them.

Salamat sa mga gadget na ibinigay sa akin ng isa sa aming mga professor, nakatulong ako para masigurong hindi matutuloy ang masamang balak ng salarin. We have a tech enthusiast instructor in the university and he always offers his new inventions to me for trial testing. Hindi sa inaasahan kong may mangyayaring ganito, ngunit lagi kong dala-dala ang mga ito para sa anumang posibleng senaryo.

Some may wonder why the hotel staff and the policeman did not hear the buzz noises created by the retractable pen. Habang tumatanda ang isang tao, humihina ang kanyang pagdinig at nahihirapan ang kanyang tenga na ma-pick-up ang mga tunog na may mataas na frequency. The pen that I used to communicate with Harriet and Aiden could release 17 kilohertz. Sa gano'ng kataas na range, mahihirapan ang mga nasa edad dalamwpu pataas na marinig 'yon.

The retractable pen could also release a deafening screech. Our tech enthusiast professor told me that the feature was inspired by the sound cannons used by the riot police as crowd controller. Dahil sa nakakabinging tunog, naiistorbo ang likido sa ating mga tenga kaya nawawalan ng balanse ang makakarinig nito.

We saved our classmates, and ourselves too, from peril. However, no one could save us from the scolding that was about to come. Kahit na natukoy namin kung sino ang salarin at muntikan na siyang mahuli, mali pa rin ang ginawa naming pag-alis sa kalagitnaan ng klase.

SPO1 Cosmiano put her hands behind her back, her sharp eyes shooting piercing glances at the four of us. Kasama niyang dumating ang mga rumespondeng pulis dito sa warehouse. "Masaya akong malaman na ligtas kayong apat. Pero sino ang nagbigay sa inyo ng authorization para habulin ang isang potential serial killer?"

"Nadala kami ng curiosity, ma'am, kaya we acted on impulse," sagot ni Harriet. Apart from curiosity, she was also driven by the desire to gain the upperhand in our class activity. I have known her as the probably the most competitive Holmesian. But being competitive could sometimes lead us to precarious situations.

"Hindi ko pwedeng basta-basta iwan ang partner ko," dagdag ni Aiden. I doubt that he had the same burning desire to solve the case as soon as he could. He had no choice but to get himself dragged along with his partner's curiosity. "Sinundan ko siya sa basement parking ng hotel para i-confront 'yong salarin. Pero gusto kong malaman n'yong sinubukan ko siyang pigilan. I told her na mas mabuti kung i-inform muna namin kayo. But she refused."

"Ano?" Kumunot ang noo ni Harriet, akmang bibigwasan na si Aiden kung wala ang aming instructor sa paligid. "Hanggang dito'y ilalaglag mo ako? Ang akala ko ba, partners tayo? So why did you tell her about that?"

"We are partners by name only," Aiden replied, taking this opportunity to air his grievance. "Kung hindi dumating sina Morrie at Mina, malamang magka-partner din tayong pumunta sa langit. Gusto kong ipaalam kay ma'am na sinuggest ko sa 'yong i-consult muna sila bago tayo kumilos."

"By now, you should have realized where recklessness can lead you. You were brought in this warehouse and you two were about to be executed!" bahagyang tumaas ang boses ni SPO1 Cosmiano. Sunod siyang tumingin sa aming dalawa ni Morrie. "At kayo, I commend you for telling the situation immediately to the police. Kaso dapat ipinapaubaya n'yo sa amin ang ganitong sitwasyon."

Dala na siguro ng kahihiyan kaya napayuko kaming apat. Nasesermonan din kasi kami sa harap ng iba pang pulis sa crime scene. Whether it was out of curiosity or not, we should have informed the proper authorities and let them handle the situation.

"Tandaan n'yo, kahit wala tayo sa university, liable pa rin kami sa kung ano ang mangyayari sa inyo," nagpatuloy si SPO1 Cosmiano nang walang sumagot. "Mabuti't walang masamang nangyari sa inyo kundi malalagot kami lalo na sa mga magulang n'yo."

There was another round of silence. We were equally guilty of not following the protocol. Harriet's curiosity card wouldn't work against the standard operating procedure, hence her silence.

"Hindi sa sinisisi ko kayo, pero kung ipinaubaya n'yo sa amin ang pag-aresto sa suspek, we could have handled the situation better at hindi siya nakatakas."

"Sorry, ma'am" was all we could say.

I also pondered on that thought as well. Paano kaya kung hinintay muna namin ang mga pulis na paligiran ang warehouse? The hotel staff would have had a hard time escaping from them. They could give him a chase and they could close off some checkpoints.

On the other side, if we did not act sooner, Harriet's and Aiden's lives would have been in terrible danger. Nakahanda nang makipaglaro sa kanila ang salarin kanina. Every second that passed was critical.

"We have already notified our units in the city to be on alert," SPO1 Cosmiano said. "We are talking about a serial killer here. In the meantime, we will submit a report to your House leaders about your behavior in this case. Your actions may have been commendable, but don't do it again, understood?"

Iniwan na kami ng aming instructor at pinuntahan ang mga crime scene investigator na kumukuha ng mga litrato sa scene. Partikular na kinukuhanan ng sample ang pumatak na dugo sa sahig mula sa suspek matapos ko siyang barilin kanina.

"Curiosity almost got you killed," Morrie commented, sighing. Pinapanood niya ang ginagawang analysis ng mga CSI. "If we failed to notice your disappearance in the class earlier, your bodies would have been found on that exact spot. We would be compelled to mourn for you in the university. On the plus side, if that happened, you would have been regarded as heroes."

"Oh? Gusto mong magpasalamat kami sa inyo?" pabalang na sagot ni Harriet. Whatever words come out of Morrie's mouth would be enough to trigger her. "FYI, kahit hindi kayo dumating, may plano na ako kung paano makakatakas mula sa salarin. Holmesian kaya ang kausap mo. Did you honestly think that I would let that man to shoot me at point-blank range?"

"A little expression of gratitude won't be remiss," Morrie said coldly.

"Then thank you..." tugon ni Harriet sabay tingin sa akin. "...Mina, for saving us. Kung hindi dahil sa... ano bang tawag doon? Noise bomb? Hindi madi-distract ang salarin."

If I remember correctly, the four of us are around the same age. Yet there were moments where two or three of them acted like seven-years-old.

"At pati ang pagbaril mo sa kamay ng suspek kanina!" dagdag ni Aiden. "Asintadong-asintado ka. Paano mo nagawa 'yon?"

Isinulat ko sa aking iPad ang isang salitang naka-Morse code: "•--• •-• •- -•-• - •• -•-• •"

What I lacked in hand-to-hand combat, I make up with my shooting skills. Kapag meron akong spare time, nagte-train ako sa archery range at shooting range sa university. I have learned how to shoot a target precisely with an arrow or fire a gun at someone who might pose a threat.

Dito ang unang beses na nagamit ko ang ilang buwan kong pagsasanay sa pagbaril. Only a few people, Watsonians being most of them, knew that I was good with shooting.

"Mina did all the effort to save us," Harriet argued, keeping up her tirades against the Moriartian. "Kaya dapat na pasalamatan natin siya, Aiden. Sigurado akong 'yong isa diyan, umupo lang sa sulok at walang ginawa. He couldn't even take down an old door with all his strength or catch up to a running target. Weak."

While it was true that my actions eventually led to their rescue, it would be unfair to say that Morrie did nothing. He may not be a man of action who would draw a sword and face his opponent in a duel. He's a strategist who preferred to be behind the front lines. Naiintindihan ko naman kung bakit gano'n ang attitude ni Harriet sa kanya. After all, these two are mortal rivals.

Sa ngayon, hindi ko maiwasang mapaisip tungkol sa sinabi ng salarin kanina. When he was asked about their modus operandi, he shared that he was not alone in the task of hunting down acquitted criminals. May iba pang involved sa mga pagpatay. And what's scarier was that they were killing in the name of justice.

He had a point when he said that the justice system in the Philippines was not working. But as Harriet argued earlier, that was no reason to take the law into their own hands.

Kung sanang nahuli siya ng mga pulis, baka may mapiga pang impormasyon tungkol sa mga kasama niya. Unfortunately, he narrowly escaped our grasp, leaving more mysteries than answers about their motivations.

Pakiramdam ko, hindi pa rito nagtatapos ang kasong 'to. At sa tingin ko, nagsisimula pa lang ang totoong misteryo.

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