Chapter 15: Sticks in a Bundle

AMBER

GRAY?” pukaw ko nang mapansin ang pananahimik niya. He’s always in deep thought whenever something is bothering him.

Another reason could be the QED Club’s leader. Loki’s competitiveness brought out Gray’s will to win kaya matapos mag-walk out sa living room ng QED Club, agad na humingi ng permiso si Gray sa mga suspect na inspeksyonin ang mga kwarto at gamit nila.

They were gladly cooperative, saying they had nothing to hide anyway and gave us the go signal. We went to their rooms to check samantalang naiwan si Math kasama ang mga suspect at crew sa sala. She said she would guard them para masiguradong wala sa kanila ang aalis doon to dispose whatever.

“Kaunting-kaunti na lang, papatulan ko na talaga ang Loki na ‘yon, eh,” Jeremy said as we searched Sir Arturo’s room. He flipped every pillow on the bed. Maging ang drawer at cabinet ay isa-isa niyang binuksan

. “You’ll prove him right if you do that, Puns,” Gray said as he rummaged through the drawers. “Besides, I see him as a worthy rival. I admit he possesses the qualities of a detective, minus that cocky attitude.”

I mentally rolled my eyes. Akala mo naman, hindi ka rin mayabang. He may be not as blunt and rude as Loki pero may itinatago rin naman siyang kahanginan. Sila na siguro ang patunay na hindi palaging totoo ang kasabihang, ‘Birds of the same feather flock together.’
Look at them, parehas silang mayabang ngunit nagka-clash pa rin ang mga ugali nila.

“At hindi n’yo man lang pinaglaban ang grupo natin. Hahayaan n’yo bang gawin niyang Quadrumvirate ang pangalan ng grupo natin kahit na Detective Triumvirate Plus One naman tayo?” Jeremy aired his sentiment.

Well, kung ako ang nasa posisyon ng QED Club, I’d rather call the group Quadrumvirate kaysa mag-aksaya ng laway at boses para sa napakahaba at walang kuwentang pangalan ng grupo.

We were all focused on searching the murder weapon or anything useful inside the room kaya pinili naming huwag pansinin si Jeremy. Ngunit sadyang makulit siya.

“Abo?” he nudged Gray, wanting to defend the group.

“I’m busy, Puns,” sagot ni Gray.

Jeremy frowned and turned to me. “Bestie?”

“Jeremy, mabuti pa, tumulong ka na lang sa paghahanap instead of whining. If Loki underestimated us, we’ll make him choke on his words.”

He sat on the bed with a stomp. “Baka kasi ‘yong multo talaga ang may gawa.”

Gray darted him a glare. “Puns, again and again, ghosts don’t exist,” Gray said, looking annoyed.

“Weh, ‘di nga? Hindi ‘yon totoo? ‘Di ba may ‘ghost-to’ ka kay Bestie? Ayieee!” he teased with that annoying grin followed by a more annoying giggle. At malamang kung nasa tabi niya ako ay sinundot-sundot na niya ako sa tagiliran. Well, he’s luck that I was on the other side of the room. If he was near me, I might have punched him right in the face.

Gray looked at my direction. Nang magtama ang tingin namin ay agad siyang nag-iwas ng tingin. “J-Just keep searching, Puns!”

We found nothing suspicious on the writer’s room. Like he claimed, nasa mesa nga ang script ng show na nire-review niya. I noticed na medyo organized siya dahil malinis ang kanyang kwarto at hindi nakakalat ang kanyang mga papel.

Sunod naming pinuntahan ang kwarto ni Sir Michael B. Naka-play pa sa kanyang laptop ang isang episode ng American version ng ‘Whose Deduction Show?’ Marahil ay hindi na niya nagawang i-pause ‘yon nang umalis siya sa kwarto matapos makarinig ng pagtili.

“Ang init naman dito!” Jeremy complained at pinaypayan ang sarili gamit ang kamay. “Sira ba ang air-con?” He walked toward the air-conditioner at sinubukang i-adjust ‘yon. “Ayun, hininaan pala.”

Gray stopped as he looked at Jeremy’s direction. He had that face which says, “I’ve got something.” Lumapit siya sa mesa kung saan nakalapag ang laptop ni Sir Michael B.
katabi ng pagkaing kinuha nito sa kusina at isang soda can.

He stared at it for quite some time before smiling to himself. “I think I know already what’s the mystery behind the vanishing murder weapon.” He ran his thumb on the puddle made by the soda can on the table. “Let’s check the remaining room and see how the killer completed the locked room trick.”

Huli naming pinuntahan ang kwarto ng direktor. Her laptop was open at halata sa naka-flash sa screen na nire-review niya ang magiging takbo ng show. I found her luggage beside the bed kaya binuksan ko ‘yon. Mga damit at mga gamit sa katawan ang laman ng kanyang maleta. I was about to close it when Gray crouched beside me.

“Sandali!” he exclaimed and picked up the sewing kit na kasama ng mga gamit ni Ms. Veronica. Inilabas niya mula roon ang karayom na may mahabang sinulid. “Amber, do you remember the episode of that anime na palagi ninyong sinasabi ni Alonzo na panoorin ko?”

Alonzo is his childhood friend—si Khael Alonzo na mula sa Athena High School. Like him, Khael has a knack for mystery and detective stuff. Siguro’y isa ‘yon sa dahilan kung bakit nagkakasundo sila ni Gray. They are good friends despite their obvious remarks and blunt claims na mas magaling sila sa isa’t isa.

Khael and I are fond of watching episodes of Detective Conan but Gray isn’t. He prefers reading books of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ellery Queen, and Agatha Christie. Ilang beses na namin siyang kinulit na panoorin ang anime. Guess what? It looks like he has already started his marathon of the episodes.

I blinked at him. “O, bakit?”

He smiled. “I have a favorite episode.”

Napangiwi sa kanya si Jeremy. “Seryoso ka ba d’yan, Abo? Ngayon mo talaga naisipang makipagkuwentuhan kay Bestie tungkol sa paborito mong episode? Ako nga, may favorite episode din pero pinagkakalat ko ba?”

He ignored Jeremy and continued. “It’s the episode where Shinichi and Heiji had a deduction battle. East versus West.”

Tama si Jeremy. Medyo weird nga na ngayon pa niya naisipang magkuwento tungkol sa paborito niyang episode. Kung sa ibang pagkakataon ay baka nag-share na rin ako ng paborito kong mga story arc at episode pero pinigilan ko lang ang sarili ko.

“Uh, so why the sudden recollection of that episode, Gray?” I asked.

He smirked victoriously as he held out the sewing kit na kinuha niya mula sa luggage. “What happened is something similar to that trick. The pieces are falling perfectly. Now let’s go back to the crime scene as I demonstrate how this crime was perpetrated.”

***

“WE’VE already figured out the truth behind this case,” Gray declared as he walked around with his hands in his pockets. He was obviously addressing his words to Loki, who brought out the competitiveness in him mula pa no’ng una naming na-meet sa TV station ang QED Club nang magsimula ang round one ng show.

Loki cleared his throat to get his attention. He had that victorious grin on his face which tells me he also solved the case. “Can I get a piece of paper?” tanong niya. “Since you got the floor first to spill your deductions, I want to write mine as a proof that I won’t be copying your theories.”

Ipinatawag ni Gray ang lahat ng involved sa kwarto ng host na ngayon ay isa nang crime scene. Sinundo pa ni Jeremy mula sa labas ang QED Club na mukhang may progress sa kanilang imbestigasyon.

Before starting the deduction show, sandaling nagkausap sina Gray at Loki sa labas, malayo sa mga mata ng tatlong suspek. Nag-sorry ba si Loki kay Gray dahil sa inasta nito kanina? Alistair hinted earlier that he might talk to their leader.

Anuman ang pinag-usapan nila, mukhang bumalik din sa status quo ang lahat. Loki was back to his overconfident self. I mentally rolled my eyes. Ayaw pa rin talaga niyang magpatalo. Well, if that’s what it would take to calm his competitive soul, then fine! Nagkusa pa akong bigyan siya ng papel para sulatan niya. He approached the nearest table and jotted down whatever he had on his mind about the case.

Everyone huddled in front of us, waiting for the conclusion of the case. The suspects stood there waiting for the show to finally start. Alam kong isa sa kanila ang salarin at malamang ay nangangatog na ngayon sa takot sa kaloob-looban niya. Whoever that was, that person was successful in pretending he wasn’t sweating over this.

“The QED Club is highly anticipating their win in this deduction showdown,” Gray said, looking directly at Loki. “Let me ask you: How do you think the trick was done? How did the culprit hide the murder weapon?”

“You’re too focused on the idea that the victim was killed with a murder weapon that the culprit carried or hid.” Lumapit si Loki sa katawan ng biktima kung saan naroon ang one liter na water bottle. “The victim was drugged to sleep by the culprit through slipping something in this innocent drink. When the host fell unconscious, the culprit repeatedly slammed his head on the floor, causing severe injury that eventually led to his death.”

I was surprised that we figured out different tricks.
Mukhang malaki ang kumpiyansa ng mga kasama ni Loki sa deduction nila at gayundin kami kay Gray.

Kanino kaya ang tama?

Marahang tumango si Gray, slightly impressed but he did not look convinced. “How about the room temperature? You noted it was warm when we entered earlier.”

“The warm room’s temperature is not that relevant,” sagot ni Loki na may kasamang dismissing gesture ang kamay. “The victim probably wanted the room to be warm or the culprit wanted to manipulate the rate by which the body stiffens. At room temperature, rigor mortis is complete in about three to six hours, right? If the temperature is higher, the onset is rapid. But we are fully aware that around an hour before the body was discovered, the victim was still alive. Conclusion? It was a deliberate move by the killer to mislead us. Looks like he was successful in misleading your team.”

“I regret to inform you that your deduction on how the victim was killed is entirely wrong,” nakangising sagot ni Gray. I swear the look on Loki’s face was rare. Kung nakapaghanda lang ako ng phone ay baka na-video-han ko na ang reaksyon niya. Gray’s confident demeanor wiped off the smirk on Loki’s face and made him lose his tongue for a while.

Si Jamie ang unang nakabawi sa pagkasupalpal kaya agad siyang nagtanong. “Paano mo naman nasabi na mali ang deduction ni Loki dear tungkol sa trick?”

“No, the room’s temperature played an important part to make this crime complete. Mali si Loki nang sinabi niyang gumamit ng sleep-inducing drug ang salarin. He’s also wrong that the floor was used to kill the victim,” Gray said, looking at the unmoving body.

“But again, there’s nothing in the room that can be used to bash the victim’s head,” Alistair reminded us. “The only option left, as Loki said, is the floor. Nang maging duguan na ang biktima, the culprit placed the body near that spot to let the blood form a puddle and conceal the fact that he used the floor.”

“We checked everyone’s room and personal belongings, but none of them brought sleeping pills or any drug,” dagdag ko. Still, Loki wasn’t fully convinced.

“If you say my deduction is wrong, then what do you think happened?” tanong niya kay Gray.

“The murder weapon is this innocent bottle of water here.” Gray pointed at the plastic bottle on the floor. “The water inside this one liter bottle was frozen solid at ‘yon ang ginamit ng salarin. He bashed the victim’s head over and over again. When the victim collapsed on the floor, the killer turned on the heater para malusaw ang ice at mag-leak sa sahig. That will create an illusion na umiinom lang ng tubig ang biktima nang inatake siya. Of course, no one would suspect the innocent bottle. Yes, there should be blood all over the bottle, but the culprit was clever enough to make us believe it rolled on the floor kung saan may dugo ng biktima.”

It started to dawn on Loki na tama ang isiniwalat ni Gray kung paano naisagawa ang trick at kung bakit mainit ang silid. He had that priceless look right now so Gray took that opportunity to continue being on the spotlight.

“After killing the victim, the murderer locked the room to make it more interesting. Locked room, huh? If you’re an avid fan of mystery and detective stories, I know hindi na bago sa inyo ang trick ng paggamit ng thread o string o fishing line para maibalik sa bulsa ng biktima ang susi, thus completing the locked room trick.” Inilabas ni Gray ang nakuhang sewing kit mula sa gamit ni Ms. Veronica.
Nanlaki ang mga mata ng direktor nang makita ang hawak ni Gray. “T-That’s my—”

“Yes, this sewing kit is yours. Nakuha namin sa mga gamit mo. Sorry if we took it without your permission,” pagtango ni Gray sa kanya. Napalunok naman nang ilang beses si Ms. Veronica. “Here, let me demonstrate how the trick was done. This method is very common kaya hindi imposibleng ginaya ito ng salarin mula sa mga napanood niya.”

Math assisted him in preparing the demonstration for the trick. He asked Jeremy to act as the victim at mabilis naman itong nahiga sa sahig, malapit sa katawan ng biktima. He even copied the body’s current position and ‘facial expression.’

“You just need to pass the thread and needle in the victim’s pocket. Just make sure na double ang ginawa mong loop para maging mas matibay,” Gray explained as he demonstrated it by passing the needle in Jeremy’s pants pocket.

Jeremy opened an eye. “Gray, I swear kapag natahi mo ang kayamanan ko . . .” sabi niya sabay lunok.

Gray opted to ignore him and continued his demonstration. “It’s done easily dahil hindi na kailangang lumiko para makapunta sa pinto. The culprit tied the key and took both ends of the long thread, bago lumabas ng kwarto. He then locked the room using the key, bago inilusot ‘yon sa ilalim ng pinto. By pulling the thread, he placed the key inside the victim’s pocket. Kailangan mo lang na maging maingat upang hindi maputol ang sinulid.”

Gray carefully pulled the thread at gaya ng sabi niya ay naipasok niya sa bulsa ni Jeremy ang susi. He pulled the thread forcefully this time upang maputol ‘yon at naiwan sa loob ng bulsa ang susi.

“That’s how it was done!” Gray stood after demonstrating the trick. Everyone was surprised by how he perfectly put the key inside the victim’s pocket—thanks to Detective Conan’s episode na siyang nakatulong sa kanya para maisip ang trick na ‘yon.

“Then who killed the victim?” basag ni Jamie sa katahimikan. The look on her face hinted that they still have something up their sleeve.

Jeremy raised the sewing kit kung saan kinuha ni Gray ang sinulid at karayom. “Of course, the owner of this sewing kit. It’s you, Direk Veronica!”

Napatingin ang lahat sa direksyon ng direktor. It was hard to imagine how a petite woman like her could have committed the crime. Namuo ang pawis sa kanyang noo at tila hindi siya makapaniwala nang pangalanan siya ni Jeremy.

“Totoong ako ang may-ari ng sewing kit na ‘yan, pero hindi ibig sabihin n’on ay ako ang pumatay kay Damian!” she said angrily nang makabawi mula sa pagkagulat.

Loki let out an agreeing sigh. “You have no other choice but to surrender. The Detective Triumvirate Plus One is right. You’re the only one who could have done that petty trick.”

Wait, what? Was it just me or Loki sounded less enthusiastic? Parang itinataas na niya ang puting bandera.

“Pero hindi nga ako! Sinasabi ko sa inyo na wala akong rason para patayin si Damian!” Halos lumitaw na ang mga ugat sa leeg ng direktor habang iginigiit na wala siyang kinalaman sa krimen.

“There’s no use denying it,” Alistair added after exchanging glances with Loki. “The police will be here at sigurado akong gano’n din ang lalabas sa imbestigasyon. They will surely check every corner of this mansion to find the object you used to prevent blood from splattering on your clothes. They will find a raincoat or a huge plastic bag around here.”

“I guess this ends it,” Math said bago tumingin sa naluluhang direktor. “Do not try to run away tonight, Direk. Maulan sa labas at may nangyaring landslide sa daan kaya kahit tangkain mong tumakas, mahuhuli ka pa rin. Also, I have connections everywhere at hindi mahirap na ialerto sila kung sakaling tumakas ka. You can run but definitely, you cannot hide. If you want to be proven innocent, cooperate when the police arrives or better yet, remain silent and call your lawyer.”.

Nagulat ako nang biglang nilamukos ni Loki ang papel na sinulatan niya kanina. “So it all makes sense and my deductions are wrong.” Lumapit siya sa sulok kung saan may nakatayong trash bin. He successfully tossed the crumpled paper inside at nakapamulsang umalis. “That ends our investigation. Congratulations, Grant. Your team won.”

***

HONESTLY, I couldn’t believe how Gray made Loki concede defeat. I expected him to put up a good show and find loopholes in Gray’s deduction ngunit nakapagtatakang basta-basta na lang siyang sumuko.

He seemed . . . humbled. Epekto ba ito ng pakikipag-usap sa kanya ng teammates niya?

Matapos ang deduction show ay pilit pa ring iginigiit ng direktor na wala siyang kasalanan. She agreed to cooperate once the police arrives. Sir Michael B. volunteered to talk with her at kukumbinsihin niya raw ito na sumuko na lang at makipagtulungan. He went to the director’s room at doon masinsinang nag-usap.

Kinailangan ding bantayan ang kwarto sakaling maisipang tumakas ni Ms. Veronica.

The case was solved. We all headed back to our rooms while waiting for the police. Nang makabalik kami sa kwarto naming mga babae, parang hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala sa nangyari.

“I cannot believe what happened,” I told Lorelei na tahimik lang na nakaupo sa kanyang kama. “Did Loki just let that happen? Did he let Gray steal the show? Hindi man lang siya kumontra sa deductions ng kasama namin?” Yeah, I wasn’t referring to what Ms. Veronica did. I was referring to Loki’s action earlier.

Matipid na ngumiti si Lorelei. “Conceding loss is not Loki’s strong suit. But when he’s wrong, he has to admit he’s wrong.”

That’s exactly my thoughts too. Teka, nasaan ba sina Jamie at Math? Napatingin ako sa mga bakanteng kama nila. Hindi ba sila sumunod sa amin nang bumalik kami rito?

“Have you seen Math and Jamie?” tanong ko.

She looked around the room. When she did not see our roommates, she shrugged a bit. “Baka nasa boys’ room? Gusto mo bang puntahan natin?”

I did not think that much at tumango na lang sa kanya. Sabay kaming lumabas ng kwarto at pinuntahan ang room ng mga lalaki, only to find it empty. Nasaan kaya sila?

My phone rang and Je’s number registered on the screen. Mabilis kong sinagot ang tawag.

“Bakit wala kayo sa kwarto n’yo? Kasama n’yo ba sina Math at Jamie?”

“Bestie, pumunta kayo ni Lorie dito sa may porch,” Jeremy answered, keeping his voice low like he’s whispering.

Takot ba siyang may makarinig sa kanya? And what was he doing outside? Was he up to no good again?

Bago ko pa man siya matanong kung ano ang ginagawa niya roon ay pinatay niya na ang tawag kaya nagtatakang napatingin na lang ako sa aking phone.

What was he up to? And where was everyone else?

“Was that Gray?” Lorelei asked.

Mabilis ang aking pag-iling. “It’s Jeremy. Pinapupunta niya tayo sa may porch. Any idea what’s out there?”

Saglit siyang napaisip. “That’s where we found the concrete evidence that would unmask the killer.”

“Evidence?” pagtataka ko. “Kung meron kayong nakitang pruweba, bakit hindi n’yo ipinakita kanina? Loki should have presented that evidence during Gray’s deductions!”
Pero tikom lang ang bibig ni Lorelei. Parang may alam siya na ayaw niyang sabihin. What’s going on here?

“Let’s see kung bakit tayo pinapupunta roon ni Jeremy.”

Halos takbuhin na namin ni Lorelei ang nabanggit na porch sa harap ng mansyon. Hindi pa rin tumitila ang ulan at madilim sa labas. Lorelei mentioned na hindi na gumagana ang ilaw sa bahaging ‘yon kaya inilabas ko ang aking phone na magsisilbi sanang flashlight. But she told me not to turn it on.

Maingat na lang kaming naglakad sa dilim. There were no sign of Jeremy or anyone from the QED Club in the area.

Tama ba ang narinig ko kay Jeremy kanina? Sa porch nga ba niya kami pinapupunta?

“Siguro, umalis na sila—”

Lorelei pulled me to the side and gestured to make me quiet. I did as I was told. Hanggang sa nakarinig kami ng mga papalapit na yabag. The steps were light and cautious. A silhouette of a man appeared a few steps before us. He lit a cigarette before crouching down and started digging in the dirt.

It was him? Ano’ng ginagawa niya rito?

“Waiting at leisure while the enemy labors is actually a good strategy.”

Teka, boses ‘yon ni Loki! Naaninag namin siya nang tila may spotlight na nakatuon sa kanya. Lumapit siya sa taong nakaluhod pa sa mamasa-masang lupa at may hinuhukay.

It’s the creative writer Sir Arturo Cruz! So the case is not closed yet!

Fear and surprise dawned on his face when he realized he was caught in the act. Napanganga ang kanyang bibig at nahulog ang sinindihan niyang sigarilyo. Pero kahit nahuli na siya ay sinubukan pa rin niyang magdahilan.

“Ano’ng ibig mong sabihin?” nanginginig na tanong niya.

“The QED Club already knew it was you that killed the host. We deliberately staged a wrong deduction show and pointed at the wrong culprit so that you will lower your guard,” dagdag ni Gray. Sunod na natuon sa kanya ang spotlight. He scowled a bit at napatakip ng kanyang mga mata. “Stop it, Puns! Masakit sa mata.”

Doon ko na napagtanto ang lahat. Ang pag-uusap nina Gray at Loki bago mag-start ang deduction show, ang mabilis na pagsuko ni Loki, ang matipid na sagot ni Lorelei sa akin kanina—something happened behind the scenes and I was not a part of it!

Jeremy giggled and appeared from the dark nang itinapat niya sa mukha ang hawak na flashlight. “That was brilliant, wasn’t it? Ayaw mo ‘yon? Literal na nakatutok sa ‘yo ang spotlight?”

There was a clicking sound at lumiwanag ang paligid dahil sa malaking emergency light na dala ni Math. It made Sir Arturo more confused at nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin niya sa kanila. “What is this all about?”

Alistair, who stood on the sidelines, walked closer to the new culprit. “You fell for the trick that Gray demonstrated earlier. However, it’s impossible to execute that method in a short period of time at masyado ‘yong risky. Kung sinulid ang ginamit nila sa halip na fishing line, malaki ang chance na maputol ang sinulid habang ginagawa ang trick kahit pa idoble ‘yon. Isa pa, masyadong time-consuming ang trick na nai-demo ni Gray. Kailangang magtagal sa labas ng pinto ang culprit para makompleto ang trick.”

“That’s right!” Jamie appeared out of nowhere. “You felt relieved na si Ms. Veronica ang itinuro naming salarin, but it was really a trap to catch you red-handed.”

Kinakabahang tumawa si Sir Arturo. “But it’s just as what you said. Malamang, si Ms. Veronica—”

Loki flashed a mocking smirk. “You failed to take into consideration that the director is not of the appropriate height to hit the victim in the head and render him unconscious.”

Right! That was bothering me all along when Gray stated his deductions. The victim Damian is almost six feet tall. Kung hinampas siya sa ulo, malabong maabot siya ng direktor na hindi katangkaran. I also don’t think she had enough strength to incapacitate the victim like we claimed. Baka isang hampas pa lang niya, nabalibag na siya ni Damian.

“I was impressed that the other team got how the victim was killed and debunked the mystery of the vanishing weapon,” sabi ni Loki. He slipped his hands into his pocket as he looked around. “But I was disappointed when they considered a make-believe trick to explain the locked room.”

“Make-believe trick?” painosenteng tanong ni Sir Arturo.

Loki nodded. “There’s no mystery to this locked room murder. The key to solving this mystery is a duplicate key.” Inilabas niya ang susi na nasa bulsa niya. Iba ‘yon sa susi na natagpuan sa bulsa ng biktima. Hindi rin ‘yon ang susi na nakuha ni Gray sa floorboard.

Mababakas ang gulat sa mukha ni Sir Arturo nang iwinasiwas ni Loki ang susi sa harapan niya. He was frozen and unsure what to do.

“Graille and I—”

“Loki!” putol sa kanya ni Jeremy. “It’s Gray, not Graille!”

Oh, he could just let that go instead of interrupting him!
Tiningnan lang siya ni Loki bago nagpatuloy. “Before the deduction show started, Gray and I met and compared our notes. We tried to fix the loose ends of our deductions. Consolidating our theories is a wise move. We were too engrossed on believing that there’s no weapon used while they’re too convinced that it was a complicated locked room murder.”

Tama siya. Ni-recall pa nga ni Gray kung ano ang favorite episode niya ng Detective Conan para maipaliwanag ang locked room trick.

“But perfection draws suspicions. We had varying deductions so we only needed to connect the dots and come up with one truth.” Loki turned around and pointed his finger toward the writer. “The real murderer is none other than you, Sir Arturo. After you killed the victim, you went outside the mansion to bury the evidence.”

His stiff expression said it all pero patuloy siyang tumanggi. “I . . . uh . . . dropped my lighter kaya hinahanap ko rito. May sentimental value kasi sa akin kaya—”

His mouth froze when Alistair raised a dirty raincoat. “We found this exactly where you are standing right now. And surprisingly, it came with the key that Loki showed earlier. Unlike the director, you have right height and right strength to slam the victim with the frozen water. You only had to keep yourself from being bloodstained so you wore this poor raincoat.”

Despite his obvious guilty reaction, Sir Arturo tried to make his way out of the hole that he himself dug. “Hindi ko alam ang pinagsasabi ninyo! Baka kay Sir Michael B. ang raincoat na ‘yan!”

“I forgot to inform you that one advantage of the QED Club is Jamie’s retentive memory. She recalled you wearing this raincoat upon your arrival here,” sabi ni Loki.

Tila proud na nilaro-laro naman ni Jamie ang dulo ng kanyang naka-braid na buhok. “You were the only one who went outside the mansion—the only one who tried to bury these puzzle pieces to Damian’s death.”

Ngunit nagmatigas pa rin si Sir Arturo. Nanlilisik ang kanyang mga mata nang tumayo siya at sinubukang tumakas. He was heading toward my direction kaya mabilis ko siyang hinarang. He was ready for my attack.
He twisted my arm as he pinned it on my back.

“Bestie!” sigaw ni Jeremy.

I kicked his shins kaya napamurang nabitiwan niya ako. I was ready for another kick ngunit mabilis na nakalayo siya sa akin at hinablot si Lorelei! He got a Swiss knife pointed at her neck!

“Lorelei!” I panicked. I tried to think straight to save her from the desperate murderer. Napatingin ako sa direksyon nina Loki but they were calmer than expected.
Hindi man lang ba siya nag-aalala? Even Jamie! Tila si Alistair lang ang nag-aalala sa mga kasama niya.

Gray tried to step forward too upang makatulong but before he could step forward, we heard a buzzing noise along with Sir Arturo’s groan bago siya bumagsak sa lupa at nawalan ng malay. When I turned to Lorelei, she raised a pen; which was obviously not an ordinary pen.

“I always carry this with me,” nakangiting wika ni Lorelei bago muling itinago ang pen sa kanyang bulsa.

‘Yon pala ang dahilan kung bakit kalmado sina Loki at Jamie. They knew that Lorelei was bringing a stun gun disguised as a pen with her. She requested Alistair to carry the unconscious Sir Arturo to the living room at doon na lang hintayin ang mga pulis.

***

THE moment the police arrived, nagising na si Sir Arturo. Gray apologized to Ms. Veronica dahil sa pagturo at pag-aakusa niya rito for the sake of misleading the real murderer and capturing him red-handed. Gulat na gulat ang kanyang mga kasama sa trabaho nang malaman ang totoong nangyari. This time, he did not deny his crime at inamin ang motibo sa pagpatay sa biktima.

“Gaya ng sinabi ninyo kanina, may galit ako kay Damian nang ipinatanggal niya ako sa show. I desperately needed money around that time dahil may sakit ang tatay ko. Kung hindi ako makakuha ng trabaho, ibig sabihin ay wala rin akong pera na puwede ko sanang gamitin sa pagpapagamot sa kanya. I was so happy na napili ako ng management para sa malaking project na ‘yon. It could have been my big break. I even told my father na maipagagamot ko na siya, na hindi na niya kailangang magtiis.”

His voice cracked habang pinipigilan niya ang mapaluha. “But Damian . . . Damian used his influence to remove me from that project. Halos magmakaawa ako na ibalik ako dahil kailangan ko ng pera. Sinubukan ko ring lumapit sa mga kakilala ko para makautang pero gipit din sila no’ng mga panahong ‘yon. That job was my only resort pero ipinagkait pa niya ‘yon sa akin. His reason? Wala lang, ayaw niya lang sa akin. I failed to fulfill the promise I made to my father na maipagagamot ko na siya.”

Humakbang palapit sa kanya si Ms. Veronica at tinapik siya sa balikat. “And you lost your father a few weeks after you were removed from that program. I’m . . . I’m sorry for your loss.”

Mapait na ngumiti si Sir Arturo at muling tumango. “‘Yon ang dahilan kung bakit nagawa ko ‘yon kay Damian. This was the perfect opportunity to exact my revenge. Ayaw kong marami pa ang maging katulad ko na dinaraan niya sa kanyang impluwensya at kapit sa nakatataas. He’s the worst person in the station so killing him can be justified.”

“Correcting what’s wrong with another wrong is still wrong,” Gray told Sir Arturo who looked at all of us with a genuine smile.

“Alam ko,” pagsuko niya. “And I underestimated all of you. I chose the time where brilliant detectives like you are around to commit my crime. Pero hindi ko pinagsisihan ang ginawa ko. He deserved it dahil napakasama niya.”

Muli siyang napabuntonghininga at mapait na ngumiti bago siya inihatid ng mga pulis papunta sa sasakyan.
His eyes told me he deeply regretted it even if he said otherwise. Maybe he regretted becoming the person he once thought he would never become.

We’re here to show off our deduction skills but in the end, things got out of hand. What was supposed to be a game turned into a real, tragic murder.

Well, I guess what happened only caused a louder spark in the rivalry between Gray and Loki.

Or maybe not.

Despite their respective bragging rights that they are better than the other, nagawa pa rin nilang makipagtulungan sa isa’t isa. I only hated the fact that I was kept out of the loop about the plan. Ipinaliwanag naman sa akin ni Gray na hindi na niya ako na-inform dahil biglaan din ang pakikipag-usap sa kanya ni Loki bago ang deduction show kanina.

In the living room, the two men crossed the aisle and shook hands with each other. A genuine shaking of hands. No sign of competition. No sign of getting ahead of each other.

They were satisfied that the case has come to its conclusion and that the killer was brought to justice.

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