Chapter 28

"Isabelle..."

I jolted awake by the baritone voice of Atty. Alvarez. Seryoso na itong nakatitig sa akin ngayon.

"Are you alright?"

Napakurap-kurap ako at madaling inayos ang sarili. We've been waiting inside the car for almost four hours since this evening when we arrived. Pareho kaming pagod at walang tulog dalawa. He told me to get some sleep and so I did.

"You were dreaming again." Paliwanag niya nang makita ang kunot sa noo ko.

"I did?"

He nodded his head. His bloodshot eyes gazed over the peaceful port from a distance. "Yeah. I was worried. And your phone keeps on ringing. You might want to answer that."

"Shit."

Napamura ako at mabilis na kinalkal ang phone sa loob ng bag. Stupid Belle! You should've turned it off earlier!

Tumakas ang kulay mula sa mukha ko nang makita kung gaano kadami ang mga missed calls ni Alas at ang mga text messages niya sa akin. Pati si Krista, Julius, at Ella ay kanina pa ako tinatadtad ng text. I scrolled past their messages of worry of my whereabouts to look for a particular message but didn't found it.

Muntik na akong mapatalon sa gulat nang bayolente na namang tumunog ang aking cellphone. I quickly switched it to silent mode before answering the call.

"H-Hello?"

"Kanina pa ako tumatawag sa iyo, Belle." Kalmadong wika ni Ma'am Patricia mula sa kabilang linya.

"Pasensiya na, nakatulog ako sa sobrang pagod." I glanced at the dark port again. Mangilan-ngilan pa ang mga tao. Naririnig ko ang marahang pagbugso ng mga alon sa dagat ngunit wala pang bakas ng Chinese vessel na hinihintay namin.

"You better talk with them now. Naghihintay lang din sila ng go signal mo."

"Alright. I will. Thank you, Ma'am Patricia."

She instructed me some more before ending the call. Nag-dial ulit ako ng numero at pagod na sinapo ang ulo ko. Mallory immediately picked up the call.

"Belle!" she cried. "Oh my God! Nanggaling dito ang asawa mo kanina! He's very mad and frustrated. I hate to lie to his face when I told him I didn't know where you are right now."

"Oh... please don't tell him yet." I murmured.

"Yes. I understand the situation."

"We're just waiting for the Chinese traders."

"Belle... sobrang delikado ng ginagawa mo ngayon, alam mo ba iyan? I know you have your reasons why you won't tell Alas about your plans but... it's just so dangerous." She sounded afraid and heartbroken at the same time.

Napangiti ako sa sinseridad ni Mallory para sa aking kaligtasan. "Don't fret about it, Mal. I'm going to be alright. Atty. Alvarez is with me."

"Okay..." she sighed in relief.

"When we go back to Governor Generoso, I'm going to need your help. You're going to be the witness of your mother's death, orchestrated by the ex-governor. Can you do that for me, Mal?"

"Yes..." she trailed off. "Yes, I will. I've talked to Sage about it and he is very persistent that you tell your husband about your crazy plan..." nerbyos na halakhak ang pinakawalan nito bago nagpatuloy. "I told him that we should trust on you, and everything's going to be fine."

"Was Zeus with him earlier when he talked to you?"

"Yes. That poor boy. He must've been so tired."

Huminga ako nang malalim. "It's going to be over soon. We all have to endure for a while but I promise to put an end to this."

"Alright. Basta't mag-iingat ka, Isabelle..." anito ulit sa nag-aalalang tinig.

"Yeah. I will."

I bid goodbye and finally turned off my phone. Binalingan ako ni Atty. Alvarez.

"Mallory has a point. Bakit hindi mo nalang sabihin sa asawa mo?" biglang sabi niya sa akin.

"I have... reasons." Wika ko. I licked my lower lips nervously. Bago pa man makasagot sa akin si Attorney ay tumunog ang kaniyang cellphone. He put his earphones on and talked to someone in a quiet manner. After ending the call, he turned to me and pointed to the van outside.

"They are the special FBI agents who will help us today. And they brought the female asset that you've asked for."

"Good. I should talk to them..."

Lumabas ako ng SUV sa unang pagkakataon. Kaagad na binalot ang katawan ko ng malamig na hangin habang naglalakad ako patungo sa nakaparadang van sa may di kalayuan. Nararamdaman kong nakasunod sa akin si Attorney. The door automatically opened up for me.

"Isabelle Avanzado?" one of the officers, dressed as civilian spoke quietly to me.

Tumango ako. Mas nilawakan nila ang bukas ng pintuan. From there, I could see the equipment that they have and the weapons that they brought with them, should the Chinese traders attempt to fight back later on.

"We've heard the recording you've sent to us. We're just waiting for the said vessel to arrive and once the traders hands the deliveries, this is when we arrest them." Paliwanag sa akin ng isang pulis.

"Actually... I don't know where they put the drugs." Nag-aalangan kong wika. "I was just told to fetch it from them and a man will be waiting for me at the port. He could be here right now!"

"The drugs are inside a living dog's stomach." Paliwanag naman sa akin ng isa. "Matagal na namin itong iniimbestigahan. You are right. The governor is just a mere façade. He is drug lord and he uses the money from townspeople to support his business with the Chinese traders. Anytime today, nagkakahalagang P80 million na shabu ang nasa loob ng tiyan ng aso na siyang ibibigay sa iyo."

Parang gusto kong maduwal sa naiisip. "What do you mean by that... they sliced the dog's stomach to place the drugs inside, stitch it up, and then when it is finally delivered, they would slice it open again."

"Unfortunately, yes. This is how clever they are to conceal their crimes. They are very careful not to get caught."

I felt sick. There is no end to the cruelty and evilness of the ex-governor. How many dogs did their syndicate slaughtered just to have all the drugs delivered to the country? Hindi ko ito lubos maisip.

And my mother... did she went here a lot to retrieve those dogs and hand it to the man waiting at the port? The ex-governor blackmailed her to do it. She acted like everything's normal until she got to the point where she could no longer stomach what the governor is forcing her to do.

Napakuyom ang kamao ko. Now I understand why my mother wanted to run away so bad. I understand her fear for the safety of the three of us. I doubted her and now... she's gone.

An angry tear escaped from my eyes, hot and burning. Marahas ko itong pinalis. This isn't time to show weakness, Belle. Ilang gabi kong pinag-isipang mabuti ang planong ito at ngayong isinasagawa na, kailangan kong mas lalong tatagan ang aking loob.

I took in a deep breath.

"Vessel spotted." Wika ng isang lalake sa harapan at bahagyang tinanggal ang tingin sa tinututukang laptop. "I repeat, vessel spotted."

Mabilis na kumilos ang mga police officers. They rushed quietly out of the van and positioned themselves. The female undercover winked at me and then got out of the van, too. Nanatili kaming dalawa ni Atty. Alvarez sa loob at naghihintay.

"We'll have to be a little farther from the port." Biglang wika ulit ni Atty. Alvarez, dahilan upang mapatingin ang isa sa mga tatlong police officers na naiwan nalang sa loob. "Buntis ang kasama ko and I can't have her safety risked once they happen to exchange bullets."

"Buntis ka?" gulat na tanong ng officer sa akin.

I hesitantly nodded my head. The police officer nodded his head and then started the engine. Unti-unti nitong inatras ang van na aming sinasakyan at umalis ng port. Mula dito ay hindi ko na tanaw pa ang paparating na vessel, pero rinig na rinig ko ang usapan ng mga police officers at FBI special agents na ngayo'y nagkalat at pinapalibutan na ng paparating na mga Tsino.

"Back up to the left. Over!"

Kinakabahan ako habang nakikinig sa usapan nila. It's a bit muffled and fuzzy because of the devices used and I could barely make out their conversations, but I know that they are in a very dangerous situation right now. However, they are trained to deal with these kind of things and it made me a little better.

"Papasok na si Aquino sa loob." Announced the guy wearing the headphones to us. Tiningnan niya ako saglit bago niya ibinalik ang kaniyang tingin sa laptop.

Hindi ko pa man naibubukas ang bibig ay nakarinig na kami ng alingawngaw ng bala mula sa di kalayuan. I yelped and jumped on my seat. Bigla nalang nawala ang mga boses ng mga nag-uusap na mga special agents at napalitan na ito ng putukan ng baril.

Atty. Alvarez cursed and leaned over to get a closer look of the vessel that had probably reached the port by now. I tried to look too, but couldn't make out anything because of the darkness and it's very far from us. Tumatambol sa kaba ang puso ko. Nabulabog din ang natutulog na bayan at ang sigawan ng mga tao sa putukang nagaganap, madaling-araw pa lamang.

"A-Anong nangyayari?" natatakot kong tanong.

"Do not worry, we will immediately drive to safety if things aren't looking so good..." Atty. Alvarez was quick to assure me.

"Officer?"

What had been just three minutes of exchanging bullets with each other stretched like a lifetime for me. Halos hindi na ako makahinga nang maayos dahil sa sobrang kaba. I hugged myself and comforted myself all throughout.

"Dito lang kayong dalawa sa loob ng van. Arestado na silang lahat pero may mga kasamahan kaming sugatan at kailangan nila ng back-up." Wika ng lalaki sa akin at tuluyan nang hinubad ang headphones na suot. A trace of faint smile appeared on his lips, despite the situation that we have right now. "Don't worry, Mrs. Ferrer. The police will handle everything from here on. You have been a tremendous help to us."

I shakily nodded my head. Tulala pa rin ako hanggang sa makalabas na silang dalawa. Isa nalang ang naiwan at nagbabantay sa amin. So many things are running crazily inside of my mind right now. May napatay ba sa nangyaring barilan? Did the traders managed to kill some of the policemen? Paano yung lalaking nag-aabang para kuhanin sa akin ang dapat na idedeliver kong drugs? What about the poor, innocent dogs involved in this hideous crimes? And how long will it take before this news reaches the ex-governor and he realizes that I've betrayed him?

Naging maingay na sa labas pagkatapos ng intense na palitan ng mga bala. I leaned weakly against the heavy-tinted glass window of the van and waited for an update. Mahigit isang oras din kaming nasa loob bago kami pinayagang lumabas na.

I could see the media snapping photos of the newly-arrested Chinese traders. May dalawang ambulansiya din ang dumating. One police officer is bleeding heavily on the side of his stomach while the other one almost fainted in pain because of the multiple gunshots he took.

Tears streamed down my face. Attorney Alvarez clenched his jaw but did not say a word. Pinanuod lang namin silang posasan. The police officers did not answer any questions by the first of the media reporters who have come for the news.

Nilapitan ako ng isa sa mga police officers at ipinaliwanag ang nangyari. They will be brought to the local prison before they are transferred. Nanghihina akong tumango at napakapit sa braso ni Atty. habang nagsasalita siya. when he sincerely said his thanks and left, I turned to Attorney Alvarez.

"We need to get to Romblon immediately and find Allyssa Fortuno. Isa siya sa mga nagsampa ng sexual harassment sa governor. I want to know why she pulled the case off and I am going to convince her to help me, along with the six other women, to fight against him."

"Assuming we get these women to agree with you..." Attorney crossed his arms over his shoulders and then gazed at the ground, seriously thinking to himself. "What are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to fight him in the court, with all the new cases we've got against him, until the jury decides that this evil should rot in jail for the rest of his life." I said, gritting my teeth.

"You really are determined to bring him down, huh?"

"Six cases of sexual harassment, smuggling of illegal drugs, and three murder convictions..." I took a deep breath and tipped my head. Sumabog na ang liwanag sa kalangitan. Bagama't pagod, ang kulay kahel na langit ay nagbigay ng pag-asa sa puso ko. "He will never get away with all of the evil things he's done."

Natatawang iniling ni Attorney ang kaniyang ulo.

"You are one of the craziest clients I've ever handled. And this is one of the craziest cases I've ever encountered. Do not worry, I will defend you, in honor of your mother, in the court and will make sure that the ex-governor will rot in jail forever."

Isang tipid na ngiti ang iginawad ko sa kaniya bago ako naglakad patungo sa sasakyan, determinadong makaalis na sa lugay na iyon at masagawa ang susunod kong plano. If I have to search the entire country for these six women, I will. Fortunately, Attorney did the job for me already. Now, all I have to do is to convince them how wicked of a person he is and that he belongs to the jail. Hindi na dapat siya magkaroon pa ng tiyansa na makalaya pa.

Una naming nahanap si Allyssa Fortuno. In a sleepy town of San Andres, I found her sweeping their yard with a blank look on her face.

"Allyssa Fortuno?"

Nag-angat siya ng tingin sa akin. Tulala siya nang ilang segundo bago niya ako nakita nang husto. Inayos ko ang malalaking sunglasses sa aking mga mata at tipid na ngumiti sa kaniya.

"May kailangan ho kayo?"

I smiled politely at her. Nasa likod ko lang si Attorney. We only got six hours of sleep from our flight before we moved again.

Nag-aalangang lumapit si Allyssa sa tarangkahan ng kanilang bahay at pinagbuksan kaming dalawa. Kumahol ang alaga nilang aso sa amin, dahilan upang sumilip ang isang matandang babae mula sa loob ng kanilang bahay.

"I am Isabelle Avanzado Ferrer..." I held out my hands.

She hesitantly accepted it and nodded her head. "Isabelle Avanzado...?" natigilan siya nang mukhang may maalala. "Isabelle? The daughter of Margaret Avanzado?"

I nodded my head. Horror instantly filled her face. Mabilis niyang nabitawan ang kamay ko at bahagya siyang umatras.

"A-Ano pong ginagawa niyo dito?"

"Nandito ako para kausapin ka, Allyssa." Mahinahon kong wika sa kaniya.

"Wala na po tayong dapat pag-usapan, Ma'am. Matagal na po akong nag-resign bilang sekretarya ng governor at sa tingin kop o kailangan niyo nang umalis—"

"Please..." I pleaded. "Inatras moa ng demanda mo mula sa governor. Why is it?"

She averted her gaze. Allyssa looks like she's about to cry any moment from now. Nakaramdam ako ng matinding awa para sa kaniya. I held her arms gently.

"Can we talk? Privately? Please?"

"Hija, sino iyan?" tawag ng matandang babae na ngayo'y mabagal nang naglalakad papalabas ng kanilang bahay, nakahawak sa kahoy nitong sungkod.

Kaagad na pinalis ni Allyssa ang mga luhang lumandas sa kaniyang pisngi. She cleared her throat and faced the old woman.

"Ah... kaibigan ko lang po dati, nanay. Sa loob nalang po kayo at kakausapin ko lang siya saglit."

The old lady scrutinized me. I offered her a kind smile before she nodded her head and went back to their tiny house. The dog didn't stop barking at us, lalo pa nang pinapasok na kami ni Allyssa sa kanilang bakuran at pinaupo sa kahoy na upuan lilim ng punong Bayabas.

"Allyssa... I want you to be honest with me. Did the ex-governor threaten your life? Is this the reason why you suddenly fled from Governor Generoso and called the case off against him?"

Matagal na hindi nakasagot si Allyssa. I can feel that my hunch is right, and I only need to confirm it with her. Pagkatapos nang ilang segundo ay marahan niyang tinango ang kaniyang ulo.

Hindi na niya napigilan ang emosyon niya sa biglaang paglandas ng mga luha sa kaniyang mga mata. She cried silently in front of us.

"A-Ang sabi niya'y papatayin niya daw ako at ang nanay ko kapag hindi ko iniurong ang demanda laban sa kaniya..." she sobbed. "He paid me a great amount of money para magpakalayo-layo at..." she cried some more.

Napakuyom ang kamao ko sa galit. Nag-uumapaw na talaga ang sama ng loob at poot ko sa ex-governor. He just proves to me that he indeed, belong not just in jail but to hell. I hope he burns in hell as well!

"I want you to help me..." wika ko sa kaniya.

Pinalis niya ang mga luha sa mata at pinilit na kalmahin ang sarili. Iniling-iling niya ang kaniyang ulo, bakas ang takot sa maamo nitong mukha.

"I can't... I've accepted his money and I am afraid that he will come back to haunt us kapag tinangka ko pang ilaban ang kaso sa kaniya. Matanda na ang nanay ko at ayaw kong madamay pa siya sa ganitong klase na gulo."

"Allyssa... please..." I pleaded once again. "I promise you that I will put him behind the bars for the rest of his life. He killed my parents. And he's more than just a mad maniac as you've known him. He's a sick psychopath! Kailangan niyang mabulok sa kulungan habang buhay!"

Marahas niyang iniling muli ang kaniyang ulo. "Ayokong mapahamak pa ang nanay ko dito, Ma'am... naiintindihan kong gusto mo ng hustisya, pero hindi kita matutulungan. Natatakot ako para sa kaligtasan naming mag-ina. Raul Armendanez is rotten to his very core. He is not someone that you should messed up with."

"Please..." napapaos ang boses kong wika.

"We will offer you maximum security in exchange for your cooperation for this case." Hindi na napigilan ni Atty. Alvarez na magsalita.

Mahigpit pa rin n ailing ang naging sagot ni Allyssa sa amin.

"Gusto ko lang po ng payapang buhay kasama ang nanay ko. Ayaw ko na pong madawit sa kung ano mang gulo ang dala ng mga Armendanez."

Tears streamed down my face. Ayokong mawalan ng pag-asa sa kasong ito. I have to persuade her! But how can I convince her to risk her mother's safety in a dangerous game that I am playing right now?

"Ang mabuti pa po'y umalis nalang kayo. Kalimutan niyo nalang pong nagkausap pa tayong dalawa. Hindi ko po talaga kayo matutulungan, pasensiya na..." she said quietly.

Wala kaming nagawa ni Attorney kundi ang umalis na bigo sa bahay ni Allyssa Fortuno. With a heavy heart, we went back to the hotel we were staying in.

"Should we extend our stay here?" Attorney asked as he was driving towards the hotel.

"Yeah..." I croaked. "I'm not leaving Romblon until I convince her to cooperate with me."

"We could ask other women in the list." He suggested. "Some of them may be even willing to speak again."

"No." mariin kong wika. "We will have all of them in the court. Magsisimula tayo kay Allyssa Fortunato. Hindi ako titigil hangga't hindi ko siya napapapayag."

He sighed and then nodded his head. Nagkulong ako sa kwarto ko pagkatapos. He tried to invite me to dinner to the restaurant downstairs but I rejected. Gusto ko lamang ipahinga ang pagod na pagod ko ng katawan. I want to know how my baby Zeus is doing right now. Alam kong poprotekahan siya ni Alas kung sakaling nalaman na ng governor ang plano ko. He can't harm my child for as long as Alas is with him.

I missed the both of them.

Marahang katok na naman ang pumukaw sa akin. With spinning vision, I got up of bed and then padded towards the door. Binuksan ko ang pintuan at bumungad sa akin si Attorney. Mukhang bagong paligo na ito at sa likod niya'y nakasunod ang isa sa mga waiters sa baba, dala-dala ang isang tray ng pagkain.

"I had your dinner brought here. You should eat a little, Isabelle..." anito sa akin at pumasok na sa kwarto.

I let them both step inside. Inilagay lang ng waiter ang pagkain sa round table, tinanong kung may iba pa ba akong gusto at umalis na.

I heaved a sigh.

"Hindi mo naman ito kailangang gawin, Attorney..." turan ko.

"Your husband is not here to take care of you. You should take care of yourself." Seryoso niyang wika. May folder siyang iwinagayway sa aking harapan. "I've got the information that you are asking me of. But before I show you this, I may have to ask you to eat first..."

I pursed my lips, slightly amused by how clever he is. Pagod akong tumango at naupo sa round table.

"Kumain ka na, diba?"

He nodded his head at me. Inilapag niya sa kama ko ang folder at tinanaw ang bukas na pintuan patungo sa balkonahe ng aking kwarto.

Nakakatatlong subo pa lang ako ng pagkain ay may kumatok na naman ulit. Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa ni Attorney.

"Ako na..." aniya.

Sinundan ko siya ng tingin papunta sa pintuan nang buksan niya ito. Hindi pa man niya nabubuksan ang bibig, isang malakas na suntok na ang sumalubong sa maamo nitong mukha, dahilan upang bumagsak siya sa carpeted floor ng kwarto.

"Alas!" I shrieked when I saw the dark face of my really, really angry husband, clenching and unclenching his fists.