Chapter 13: Cast-Iron Certainty

AMBER

THE room was filled with tension as the QED Club started to show-off their skills when it comes to deduction. Loki was so sure he did not destroy the lock when he used his lock picking kit at sinigurado niya sa ‘yon amin. The case became more complicated as Gray revealed that this was a locked room murder.

The mood was different right now. This was no longer a game.

Jeremy snapped and stood in front of us. “I think I know already what happened here,” he declared, kaya lahat kami ay nabaling ang atensyon sa kanya. I hope he’s gonna say something sensible and not one of his puns. “I know who the culprit is!”

Everyone looked surprised at tila mas nabalot ng kaba ang silid. His declaration was even followed by the loud rolling thunder sound. Nakatulong ba ang pag-retrace niya sa galaw ng suspek para magkaroon siya ng matinong deduction?

“Sino?” tanong ng producer na si Sir Michael B.,” Nabalot din ng curiosity ang mukha nina Sir Arturo at Ms. Veronica.

Jeremy eyed everyone inside the room to add thrill to his deduction show. There was silence. “It’s the ghost of the construction worker!”

I saw Loki flash a disappointed expression at napaface-palm naman si Gray. Jamie eyed him from head to foot and sneered. Lorelei and Alistair maintained a neutral look, mukhang ayaw nilang ipakita kung gaano ka-stupid ang sagot ng kasama namin.

Jeremy took that opportunity to explain his theory further. Kung wala siyang matinong paliwanag, sana’y manahimik na lang siya. He’s not only embarrassing himself, but his entire team as well. “Just look at the setup of the crime! The room is locked and the victim’s head was bashed by something hard and heavy. What if maso ang ginamit ng multo? Dos por dos? Tubo? There are so many possibilities!”

“The possibilities are infinite but I’m a hundred percent certain that your nonsense theory is not one of those. How did you become part of your detective group if you believe in ghosts and stuff that only fools would believe in? Do you screen your members properly?” Loki said, dismissing Jeremy’s idea. He addressed the last question to Gray.

In our defense, our detective group isn’t even as what he expects it to be kaya walang criteria sa pagpili ng mga miyembro.

Pero paano naman niya naisip ang ideyang ‘yon? No matter how Loki and Gray say ghosts aren’t real, hindi ko pa rin maiwasang kilabutan sa naisip ni Jeremy!

It may be nonsense, but still scary. I noticed how Jamie clung to Loki when Jeremy opened that idea.

“This is purely done by someone with a murderous intent inside this house, and not some inexistent ghost that Jeremiah from your team is talking about,” Loki insisted, looking at Gray’s direction.

Sinasadya niya bang maliin ang pagbanggit sa pangalan ni Jeremy para asarin ito sa ‘nonsense’ na theory?

“Don’t mind him,” biglang bulong ni Lorelei. Nabasa siguro niya sa ekspresyon ko ang tanong sa aking isip.
Jeremy scowled at him. “Excuse me lang, Loki, ha? My views and opinions do not necessarily state or reflect those of the other members—and correction, it’s Jeremy not Jeremiah.”

“That’s not intentional,” paliwanag naman ni Alistair. “Loki is not good with names kaya minsan mali-mali ang tawag niya sa mga tao.”

Kakaiba ‘yon, ah? For someone who’s intelligent to not properly recall the names of the people who he has met recently.

Loki purposely ignored my friend and scanned the room. “The culprit is someone who’s brave enough to kill someone despite knowing that detectives are here. Maybe the killer underestimated our capabilities to pull the curtains down to this heinous crime.”

“Loki’s right.” Gray nodded. Iginala rin niya ang paningin sa bawat isa na naroon. “There’s no way that a ghost could have done this. The killer took advantage of the mansion’s history but forgot we’re here and we don’t believe in anything that defies logic.”

“Given that both teams stayed together before discovering the body, we can narrow down our suspects to . . .” Alistair turned to the other parties na naroon at halos hindi rin makapaniwalang wala ng buhay ang kasama nilang si Damian Domingo.

The ambiance just got more intense inside. If either Gray or Loki will ask the others kung nasaan sila no’ng mga oras na pinatay ang biktima, I’m pretty sure they would use their cocky tone and bragging attitude. They might rub them the wrong way kaya nagkusa na akong magtanong. “Sino-sino pa ang nandito maliban sa atin?”

“When we arrived here, there were other five crew members. Dalawang cameramen at tatlong production assistants na tumutulong sa pag-set up. Na-meet na natin kanina ang direktor na si Ms. Veronica, ang writer na si Sir Arturo, at siyempre, ang producer na si Sir Michael B,” confident na sagot ni Jamie. She sounded so sure with the numbers. I cannot recall seeing the other crew members maliban sa mga cameraman na tinutukan kami ng kanilang equipment pagpasok pa lang sa mansyon.

I expected Loki to question the figures she mentioned but he only gave a single nod. He trusts her that well, huh?

“Given the ground that we have to cover, I think it’s better if we split up. Maybe we can ask everyone including the cameramen and the production assistants to gather in the living room,” suhestiyon ni Lorelei bago tumingin sa kanyang kasama. “Jamie, puwede bang ikaw ang mag-ikotikot sa labas ng mansyon? Maybe there are other entrances or exits that the culprit used to complete his trick.”

Napatingin muna si Jamie kay Loki, parang nanghihingi pa ng approval. Loki nodded and Jamie returned her gaze at Lorelei.

“No problem!” Jamie replied, flipping her hair and throwing a glare at Jeremy. “But I have one request.
After that guy talked about the ghost of the construction worker, I need someone to come with me. Maybe someone can accompany me, Loki for—”

“Ako!” nakangising boluntaryo ni Jeremy, much to Jamie’s disappointment. “Ako ang sasama sa ‘yo ‘tapos, iiwan kita sa labas para imaso ka rin ng multo—”

I shut him off with a punch to his gut. He frowned at me bago lumapit ay Jamie. “Joke lang, Jamie! Sige, samahan na kita sa labas pero bago ‘yon, may tanong muna ako. Ano ang nasa ilong ng mga multo?”

Jamie looked visibly confused. “What?”

“Eh ‘di . . . BOO-ger!” sabay tawa nang malakas. “Ito pa. Saan nagbabakasyon ang mga multo?” tanong niya kay Jamie. I forgot to inform everyone na walang sinasantong oras o pangyayari si Jeremy sa pagbato ng mga pun niya na kung tawagin niya ay ‘quizzes.’

Somehow irritated, Jamie looked more confused than ever. “How would I know?”

“Eh ‘di sa Mali-BOO!” Natawa na naman ito.

Napa-face-palm na lang tuloy ako. Even Gray and Math could not help but let out a sigh. Kailan ba siya titino sa buhay? His puns were so inappropriate but what could I do? Kahit nga nasa bingit na siya ng kamatayan ay makukuha pa rin niyang magbiro.

Thankfully, Lorelei stopped him before he could spread more of his foolish ideas. “Math, maybe we can ask the three staff members here as well as the cameramen and production assistants to stay at the living room para mas madali silang hagilapin kapag may mga katanungan tayo sa kanila.”

“Sure!” Math exclaimed, flashing her smiles that displayed her tiny dimples. “I’ll gather everyone in the living room.”

Jeremy volunteering to accompany Jamie and Lorelei asking Math to help her out—mukhang imbes na competition, magkakaroon na ng cooperation sa pagitan ng aming teams. And that’s a welcome development. Kaso nga lang, siguradong hindi magsi-sit well ang gano’ng setup sa competitive naming kasama. Yes, I was referring to Gray and Loki.

Agad na pumunta ang dalawa sa living room kasama sina Ms. Veronica, Sir Arturo, at Sir Michael B. Sumabay rin sa kanilang paglabas sina Jamie at Jeremy, the former looking annoyed at the presence of the latter.

Naiwan kaming apat nina Gray, Loki, at Alistair sa kwarto ng host. The two lead detectives started checking around the area dahil baka may nakaligtaan silang i-check kanina. Samantalang si Alistair, nakatayo lang sa may pinto as if he’s on guard.

Sa initial na investigation ni Gray, lumalabas na inatake ng culprit si Damian habang umiinom ito ng tubig mula sa kanyang isang litrong bote. That explained why there was a water bottle on the floor, along with a puddle of the mixed water and victim’s blood.

I wondered why the water hasn’t completely evaporated gayong naka-on naman ang heater ng kwarto. I saw Gray felt the water with the tip of his finger at napakunot ang kanyang noo. He might have also the same question that I have in mind.

“If we try to look at the crime scene from another point of view, it is possible that the room is contrived to hide the culprit’s trick,” Loki commented. He looked at us as if he wanted to hear our thoughts about it.

“If the killer carried the murder weapon upon escaping, it would be easier to spot him. Based on the injury, the victim’s blood must have splattered all over during the attack. Maybe we can do a body check later?” Gray asked as he stood from checking the puddle.

Tama siya. If one of the people here committed the crime, malamang na may tumalsik na dugo sa damit o balat nila. As far as I can remember, everyone’s clothes were still the same mula nang makita namin sila sa dinner kung saan huling nakitang buhay si Damian.

“Or maybe the culprit used something inside this room. Mukhang malaki o ‘di kaya’y mabigat ang blunt weapon na pinanghampas sa biktima. If the killer carried a bloodied weapon outside, maybe some of us or the crew would have noticed that,” dagdag ko.

Gray nodded. “Maybe the culprit used ‘something’ in this room at iniwan ‘yon, hiding it in plain sight.”

Mula sa pagkakahalukipkip habang nakatayo sa may pinto, bahagyang lumapit sa amin si Alistair. “If you look around, there’s nothing here that the culprit can use to bash the victim’s head.”

Loki snickered. Nabaling sa kanya ang atensyon namin, expecting he would say something that either supports or debunks Gray’s deductions. Pero nanatili lang siyang tahimik na nag-i-inspect ng crime scene.

Gray sighed as he looked around the room, hoping to find anything useful. Pero tama si Alistair, wala ngang bagay sa loob ng kwarto na maaaring ginamit ng salarin.
How did the culprit commit his crime and make the weapon vanish as if it’s magic?

“Is one of you going to suggest that the culprit used a rock as a weapon and threw it outside through a secret opening here?” Loki asked in a mocking tone. “We have to wait for Jamie and Jeremiah to confirm that theory— if that ever crossed your mind—though I doubt the killer could have done that ridiculous trick.”

I mentally rolled my eyes and battled with the will to correct Loki about Jeremy’s name. Nabanggit na ni Alistair kanina na hindi gano’n kagaling ang memorya ni Loki sa pagtanda ng mga pangalan.

We continued inspecting the room to find anything that can help us solve the case ngunit gaya nga ng obserbasyon ni Alistair, walang kahit ano roon na maaaring gamitin bilang murder weapon.

Pagkatapos ng inspeksyon namin ay bumaba kaming lahat sa living room kung saan naabutan namin sina Lorelei at Math na nagtatanong sa tatlong production assistants at dalawang cameramen kung nasaan sila nang mangyari ang krimen.

“No good.” Math shook her head as she approached us. “Lahat sila ay may alibi. The PAs did some final checking at ang isa sa kanila ay naka-video call sa isang kasamahan nila sa station para masiguradong maayos ang lahat sa pagsisimula ng round two bukas.”

“How about the cameramen?” tanong ni Loki kay Lorelei na papalapit sa amin matapos panoorin kung anuman ang naka-flash sa preview screen ng camcorders.

Marahan siyang umiling habang papalapit. “May mga alibi rin ang mga cameraman. They were doing a test shoot around the mansion during the estimated time of the crime. Their alibi is airtight dahil may time stamp ang videos nila.”

Gray nodded slightly as he drifted into deep thoughts. Kapag gano’n ang ekspresyon ng kanyang mukha, alam kong hindi pa kongkreto ang nabubuong deduction sa utak niya.

“How about them?” Tumingin siya sa direksyon ng direktor, ng writer, at ng producer. Mukhang hindi pa sila natatanong nina Math at Lorelei.

Bahagya namang nagulat ang tatlo.

“Bakit kasali kami?” hindi makapaniwalang tanong ng direktor na si Ms. Veronica. “Do you really think na kaya naming patayin si Damian?”

“I don’t think there’s something wrong to know kung nasaan kayo nang mangyari ang krimen,” sagot ni Alistair. “We also have to narrow down our list of suspects para madali naming ma-solve ang krimen.”

“Fine!” Tila iritable pang sagot ng direktor. “I’m in my room. Nire-review ko ang shot list para masiguradong maayos ang takbo ng shooting bukas. If you aren’t aware of how I work, I always make sure everything is perfect when the cameras roll. Every frame, every angle, pinag-aaralan ko talaga.”

I had the impression that Direk Veronica Vega was a bit perfectionist. Ilan na sa mga work niya ang pinarangalan at puro papuri ang binabanggit tungkol sa kanya ng mga kasama niya. Walang duda kung bakit matunog ang pangalan ng direktor.

“Can anyone prove your alibi?” tanong ni Alistair.

“I prefer to work alone kaya wala akong kasama sa kwarto,” Ms. Veronica replied with her brow arched. “I have my own routine at kailangan kong mag-concentrate.”

The other two took their turn of answering the same question..

“I’m also alone in my room,” Sir Michael B. said, his eyes looking down. “Pinanonood ko ang American version ng Whose Deduction Show. Gaya ni Direk, mag-isa lang ako kaya walang makaka-confirm sa alibi ko.”

He was shaking mula pa kanina nang mapagtantong wala ng buhay si Damian. Maybe he was not that used to seeing dead bodies—more so of a colleague’s dead body.
“Nasa kwarto lang din ako,” sagot ni Sir Arturo nang siya na ang tanungin. “I was checking the flow of the show para maging maayos ang mga shot bukas. I have to review the script and all over and over lalo na’t katrabaho ko si Direk Veronica.”

His fear of disappointing the director just confirmed the rumors na medyo perfectionist nga siya.

A phone beeped at agad na inilabas ni Sir Michael B. ang kanyang gadget mula sa bulsa. He made some swiping gestures on the screen. Bahagyang kumunot ang kanyang noo habang mentally na binabasa ang natanggap niyang text message.

“Hindi agad makakarating ang mga pulis,” sabi niya habang nakatingin sa phone. “May landslide na nangyari kaya blocked ang daan papunta rito.”

The landslide was a bad timing, but knowing the way to this deserted mansion, hindi nga malabong magkaroon ng aberya papunta rito lalo na’t hindi maganda ang panahon. Maulan pa nga hanggang ngayon.

“So the floor is ours to unveil the truth behind this crime.” Gray smirked. “Kung gayon, walang makakapagvouch sa mga alibi ninyo?”

“We can narrow down the list of our suspects to three,” Loki mumbled as he looked at them.

Ms. Veronica violently stood up. “What?! Hindi namin magagawa ‘yon!”

“Tama si Direk!” dagdag ni Sir Michael B. “Wala kaming motibo para patayin si Damian!”

To our surprise, Sir Arturo stood at nakapamulsang hinarap si Sir Michael B. “Wala nga ba? Hindi ba tutol ka sa pag-hire kay Damian bilang host ng programang ito? You raised it to the management but you weren’t heard. Malakas ang kapit ni Damian sa taas kaya wala kang choice kung hindi ang makatrabaho siya kahit labag sa loob mo. For some reason, you hated him. Isn’t that enough reason to kill him?”

“Aaminin kong tutol ako sa pag-cast sa kanya,” pagrarason ni Sir Michael B. sa paratang sa kanya ng writer. “Wala akong galit o anuman, medyo nainis lang ako dahil masyadong mataas ang tingin niya sa sarili. He proudly boasted na siya ang magiging dahilan para tumaas ang rating ng Whose Deduction Show!”

Oh, so this Damian was so full of himself, huh? Kung dahil lang sa kayabangan kaya siya pinatay, ang babaw naman. Look at Math, kahit gaano siya kayabang, buhay pa naman siya hanggang ngayon kahit palong-palo na si Jeremy sa kanya.

“Parehas lang naman kayo na may motibo para patayin si Damian.” Tumingin siya sa direksyon ni Sir Arturo. Nawala naman ang pagngisi ng huli. “Hindi ba’t may galit ka rin sa kanya? Ikaw na mismo ang nagsabing malakas ang kapit ni Damian sa management kaya nang i-request niya na tanggalin ka bilang writer sa isa pang TV program, natanggal ka nga,” sabi ni Ms. Veronica.

“Ano’ng sinasabi mong—”

“You’re furious when you found out about it at sinubukang mag-appeal sa management. Ngunit tumanggi sila kaya wala kang nagawa at nag-back out na lang, hindi ba?”

Loki slid his hands inside his pockets and observed the three as they exchanged words. He looked like he was enjoying the word war between them. Kulang na lang ay kumuha siya ng popcorn at kumain habang pinanonood sila.

Mapaklang tumawa si Sir Michael B. Mukhang hindi pa tapos ang bukingan nila. “Parang ang linis mo naman, Direk. Kung tutuosin, ikaw nga ang mas may motibong patayin siya. Hindi ba’t palagi kayong hindi nagkakasundo sa mga program na magkasama kayo? Ilang beses ka nang nagreklamo na hindi sumusunod si Damian sa mga direction mo kaya bilang director ay nahihirapan kang makatrabaho siya. I heard you even appealed to the management na palitan siya bilang host but unfortunately, hindi nangyari. You have to work with him whether you like it or not. Hindi kaya ang pagpatay sa kanya ang naisip mong paraan para hindi mo na siya makatrabaho sa kahit anong proyekto?”

“At saan mo narinig ‘yan—”

“So you all have grudges against the victim,” komento ni Gray kaya sabay-sabay silang napatingin sa kanya.
All three denied the accusations at muling nagtalotalo. Kanya-kanya silang ng paggiit kung sino ang may pinakamatindi ang motibo para patayin ang biktima.

Lorelei took that opportunity to question them. “Hindi ba kayo lumabas ng kwarto nang mangyari ang krimen? Maybe you have observed something suspicious.”

“Lumabas ako ng kwarto para kumuha ng drinks sa kusina,” tugon ni Sir Arturo. “Pagkatapos no’n, lumabas ako para magyosi. I tend to relieve my stress through smoking. Walang ibang nakakita sa akin sa labas kaya I doubt that can count as an alibi.”

“Ako naman ay lumabas para kumustahin ang mga cameramen,” sagot ni Ms. Veronica. “Tinanong ko sila kung okay na ba ang mga equipment o kailangan pa ng additional para mai-coordinate ko sa station at nang makapagpadala sila bago magsimula ang round two bukas.”

Lorelei confirmed with the cameramen kung totoo ngang kinumusta sila ng direktor. That claim was verified by the two, ngunit saglit lang daw si Ms. Veronica roon at agad ding umalis.

“Lumabas din ako ng kwarto para kumuha ng chips at drink sa kusina,” wika ni Sir Michael B. “Nang pabalik na ako sa kwarto, nakasalubong ko si Sir Arturo na papunta naman sa kusina. Nakita ko pang binuksan niya ‘yong ref.”

Sir Arturo nodded. “Oo, nakita ko si Sir Michael dahil kumuha ako ng tubig bago lumabas.”

Gray and Loki observed all of them intently hanggang sa bumukas ang front door at pumasok sina Jeremy at Jamie. Medyo nabasa pa sila ng ulan dahil siguro sa pag-iikot nila sa labas.

“Got anything useful?” Alistair asked.

Jamie shook her head. “Nothing’s strange outside. Maulan kaya maputik sa labas. If the culprit made use of a window or any secret passage to enter or escape, dapat may footprints na naiwan doon or muddy prints sa windowsill, but no, there was none.”

Loki squinted his eyes at the three. “That means one of them is lying.”

“What if the culprit is actually a . . .” Jeremy looked at
us with wide eyes. “. . . spiderman?”

Napasinghap kaming lahat sabay simangot. This guy would never ever learn.

He frowned as he tried to insist his idea. “Come on, do not dismiss that—”

“Or you could have killed the victim and acted stupid to avoid suspicion,” naaasar na sabi sa kanya ni Loki. I swear he’s close to throwing something at his face or beat him up with a chair.

Sinimangutan siya ni Jeremy. “Okay, that’s foul. Magkasama lang tayong walo. Nang mag-CR kami, kasama ko rin sina Bestie at Jamie kaya malabong ako ang pumatay. But hey, believe me! The killer made it look like he escaped through vanishing into thin air, taking the murder weapon with him.”

“Or that’s what the killer wants us to believe,” sagot ni Math at confident na ngumiti. “I’m sure we will figure out the truth of this case before the day breaks.”

“You’re right. I’m absolutely certain that the QED Club will figure this one out. Now if you will excuse us . . .” Loki said as he gathered his members through a mere eye contact. “. . . because we have some important things to do.”

Exchanging glances with one another, his members looked confused. Gayunpaman, sumunod pa rin sila sa kanilang club president.

“Saan kayo pupunta?” Gray asked. “We have a case to solve.”

Loki turned around to face us with that taunting smirk. “Why would I tell you? We’re enemies, remember?”
Weren’t we supposed to work together now that this has taken a darker turn? I hate to say this, but Loki was still being competitive despite what happened. Hindi tama ang inaasal niya sa mga sandaling ito.

“But this is no longer a game,” naiinis na saad ko.

He looked at me with the same lackluster eyes. “I know. But we don’t need to work with your team to get things done. We can do it on our own.”

He resumed walking away samantalang apologetic na napatingin sa amin sina Lorelei at Alistair. Si Jamie? Ayun, mabilis na sumunod kay Loki habang sinasabing, “Wait for me, Loki dear!”

“Al, my best friend! Hahayaan mo bang gano’n na lang ang gawin niya?” Jeremy said, blinking like a puppy. “Hahayaan mo ba si Loki na paghiwalayin tayo? We have a strong bond, remember? Ilang oras lang tayo sa van at sa room but we came out with one heart! Huwag nating hayaang maging hadlang si Loki!”

Math cringed a bit. “What did you call Alistair? ‘Best friend?’ Like yuck, you could have chosen an appropriate way to call a gentleman like him.”

He looked at Math with narrowed eyes. “Ano’ng gusto mong itawag ko sa kanya, Maya? ‘Baby?’ Yuck din! Okay na ‘yong best friend.”

“Loki!” tawag ni Alistair. Loki stopped on his track at lumingon sa kanya. “This isn’t the time to make everything about a rivalry.”

“Tama si Al,” dagdag ni Lorelei. “If we work together, mas mapabibilis—”

“Since when did I allow our club to work with others? I trust ourselves to close this case. We do not need to work with a detective group with four members yet they call themselves Triumvirate.”

Hanggang kailan ba siya manggigigil sa pangalan ng grupo namin? Hindi ba uso sa kanya ang pagmo-move on?

He left the living room with Jamie clinging to his arm. Wala namang nagawa sina Alistair at Lorelei kung hindi sundin ang kagustuhan ng kanilang club president.

Before leaving, nilingon kami ni Alistair at mahinang nagsalita. “We have to work together to solve this case.”
“Thanks, best friend!” Jeremy said, raising his fist. “Fist bump, best friend!” Tila maluha-luha pa siya dahil sa labis na pagka-touch sa kabaitan sa kanya ni Alistair.

Alistair accepted Jeremy’s fist bump before following the others who exited the living room.

Looks like this was where we would prove we weren’t stupid as how our name sounded. 

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