KANINA pa siya nasa labas, sa ilalim ng mainit na araw. Ilang establisyemento na ba ang pinasok niya, at ilang footage ang kanyang napanood? The scorching sun and the hunger made her dizzier.
Ipinasya niyang pumasok muna sa isang restaurant upang mananghalian. It was almost one in the afternoon.
Habang naghihintay ng kanyang inorder ay inilabas niya ang cellphone mula sa bulsa. Napangiwi si Niccola nang makita ang ilang missed call mula sa mga kasamahan sa trabaho.
Nag-dial at may tinawagan. Nakadalawang-dial na siya bago sumagot ang nasa kabilang linya. "What?" malat ang boses na bungad ng nasa kabilang linya nang sagutin ang tawag.
"Alson Rye! Ngayon ka lang nagising? Hindi ka pumasok?!"
"A-Ate?," utal nito na biglang nabuhayan ang boses. "Ahm, masakit ang ulo ko kaya hindi muna ako pumasok," Alson, then laugh nervously.
"Kakalaro mo 'yan ng video games. Mai-estress ako sayo, Alson. Mabibigwasan talaga kita!"
"That's police brutality, Ate Niko," mahinang bulong nito ngunit narinig pa rin ng dalaga. "I love you, 'Te. You're the best ate in the world. How can I help you, Mi Hermosa?"
"'Wag mo 'kong daanin sa ganyan." Napabuntung-hininga siya. "Find information about the man named Justin Alonzo. Take a glimpse at his phone too. I'll send you his picture."
"Did you run my program on his phone?" tanong nang kapatid mula sa kabilang linya, the playfulness was gone. Naririnig pa niya ang pagtipa nito sa keyboard ng laptop.
"Uhuh... It is urgent, Al. Send it to me, bye." Iyon lang at pinatay niya ang tawag.
Aside from video games, her younger brother was a young genius. At his age, he was already developing software. He was a definition of a computer genius. Kaya nga lang, may katamarang mag-aral si Alson at minsan ay nagdadahilan upang 'di makapasok. Mas gusto nitong maglaro ng video games kaysa magbasa ng libro.
Binuksan niya ang powerpoint ng kanyang cellphone at gumawa ng presentasyon.
NAKAUPO si Mason sa isang sulok ng conference room habang matamang nakikinig sa mga nagpre-presenta sa harapan. Inaya siya ng chief ng departamentong iyon na sumama sa loob habang nagbe-briefing ang mga ito.
The criminal investigation was not his field of expertise. He was a combatant soldier. Ngunit nakuha ang kanyang atensiyon sa kasong hinahawakan ng grupo.
"There was no foul play. It was an accident," matatag na pahayag ng isang may-edad nang pulis. "No other DNA was found and no other evidence recovered on the scene that will indicate a homicide."
"The cleaning lady is most likely the suspect. Dahil sa pagpapahiya sa kanya ng biktima sa harap ng mga bisita nito ay nagalit ang matanda. She plotted the murder, clean the crime scene using the peroxide to get rid of all the shreds of evidence, then headed out as if nothing happened. Dahil siya rin ang naglilinis ng surveillance room ay nalaman niyang nag-malfunction ang CCTV cameras nang araw na 'yon. It was a perfect time to commit a murder," sabi naman ng isang mas nakababatang pulis.
Nagdedebate ang lahat nang biglang bumukas ang pinto ng conference room. Lahat nang mga mata ay napatingin sa dalagang bagong dating.
"Can I present, Sir?"
"You're very late, Villarama," sita ng isang pulis na seryoso ang mukhang nakatingin sa bagong dating na pulis.
"My apologies, Sir. But I assure you that the information I acquired is... interesting," wika niya na bahagya pang humihingal.
"Go ahead," it was the chief.
Sumaludo si Niccola sa direksiyon ng chief at pumunta sa harapan.
Isinaksak niya ang flash drive at lumabas ang kanyang presentasyon sa malaking screen.
"Melissa Dela Merced, twenty-six years old. An actress by profession. No kids and never been married. She was found dead inside the bathroom of her condominium unit. I haven't read the autopsy report, but she died because of concussion and blood loss..." Tumigil sandali si Niccola upang kompirmahin ang sinabi.
Manghang tumango-tango ang ibang mga kasamahan niyang pulis. Natanggap na marahil ng tanggapan nila kanina ang resulta ng autopsy sa biktima. Nagpatuloy siya, "...the crime scene was wiped out." Nalipat ang screen sa larawan ng kotse ng biktima, kuha iyon mula sa CCTV ng isang beauty parlor na malapit sa condominium building. Nakalagay sa larawan ang petsa at oras ng pagdaan ng artista.
"At around eleven-thirty in the evening, the victim arrived at her condominium unit. When she entered her room, she walked directly to the bathroom and took a shower. Hindi niya namalayan na may taong pumasok sa loob pagkalipas ng ilang sandali dahil kasalukuyan siyang naliligo."
Si Mason ay nakatutok ang atensiyon sa dalagang nagpe-presenta sa harapan. Hindi niya mai-alis ang mga mata sa babaeng pulis. She looked confident. She spoke confidently and smartly as if she really knew what she's doing.
"Pumasok ang suspek sa loob ng silid ng biktima at nang hindi ito makita sa loob ay tumuloy siya sa banyo. Hypothetically, they got into a serious discussion and things heated up. Both parties got angry. Melissa, because the man enters without her permission. And the man snapped because he didn't get the answer he wanted from her. He–"
"This is all just theories, Villarama. How can you prove that?" one of the senior police interjected.
"Sir, I have evidence to support my claim. Just let me talk and you'll decide," walang emonsyon ang mukhang sagot ng dalaga sa kasamahang pulis.
"Proceed. Let's hear you out," said PSMS Ramos.
Niccola cleared her throat before speaking. "Nang magalit ang lalaki ay hindi niya mapigilan ang sarili. He grabbed the victim and pinned her on the tiled floor. Nanlaban ang biktima kaya naihampas niya ang ulo nito sa sahig. The woman passed out because of the sudden hit. The man raped the unconscious victim. Nang magkamalay ang biktima ay muli siyang nanlaban kaya inihampas ulit ng suspek ang ulo nito sa sahig. The hit was bad and the victim was bleeding. Nang makita ang pagdurugo mula sa babae ay kinuha niya ang bleach at kinuskus ng mataam ang banyo upang mawala ang kanyang mga bakas doon," mahabang paliwanag niya at inilipat ang presentasyon sa susunod na slide.
"This is the victim's toiletries. The bottle of shampoo was missing. There were a body wash and a conditioner but there's no shampoo." Napakunot ang noo ng karamihan na hindi mai-konekta ang binabanggit ng pulis sa nangyari. "Six in the morning, Justin Alonzo arrived at the crime scene and saw the victim lying dead on the shower's floor. He was with his younger sister and that's true. He said at the interrogation yesterday that he was inside the house the whole time that night of the homicide. But that was a lie." Lumabas sa screen ang kuha ng kotse ni Alonzo. "Dumaan siya sa beauty parlor na 'to na malapit sa condominium ng biktima ng alas-dose at muling dumaan pabalik ng mga ala-una y medya ng madaling-araw."
"That's what your reference to suspect him as the murderer?" tanong ng chief.
"When I saw the man inside the interrogation room yesterday, I noticed that he was wearing a worn-out shirt and he didn't use a gel or a wax to fix his hair." Nagsalubong ang kilay ng lahat dahil sa sinabi ng dalaga. "Gentleman, isipin niyong kayo si Alonzo. Bibisitahin mo ang girlfriend mo sa bahay niya. Won't you wear your best attire and wore your hair fancily?" Tumango-tango ang lahat sa pagsang-ayon. "Now, dahil sa pagkataranta ay hindi niya nagawang ayusin ang sarili. He dragged his sister early in the morning to use her as his alibi." Tumigil sandali ang dalaga at napatikhim. "Ahm, Alonzo used to have a romantic relationship with the victim. Weeks ago nagkahiwalay silang dalawa at hindi na muling nagkabalikan pa pero sinabi niya kahapong sila pa ng biktima."
"And how did you know that?"
Tumingin ang dalaga sa chief at muling tumikhim. Nalipat sa isang particular na larawan ang nasa malaking screen. "This is the conversation of the victim and Alonzo this past few weeks. Gusto ni Alonzo na makipagbalikan ngunit ayaw ng biktima. Yes, for some reason the victim called Alonzo that night. Nang malaman ng lalaki na nasa bahay nito ang biktima ay agad siyang pumunta ro'n. Then the rape and the homicide happened."
"That's illegal surveillance, Villarama!" mariing usal ni PSMS Ramos. "Hindi maa–"
"Proceed." Natigil ang lalaki ng magsalita ang chief. Napabuntung-hininga at sumandal sa upuan.
"I searched Dela Merced's condo this morning. I found this..." lumabas sa screen ang larawan ng isang butones. "...marahil dahil sa maliit ay hindi to nakita kahapon... Justin Alonzo took up an IT course in college. He finished his second year but shifted to another course. Nonetheless, he got the skill for hacking databases. He used to work part-time in an IT company to support his study and learn a thing or two about computers. He deleted the footage that day." Sa tulong ng kanyang nakababatang-kapatid ay nakuha niya ang mga impormasyong 'yon. "Just about minutes ago pieces of evidence were retrieved inside the compartment of Alonzo's car. We found these..." muling nalipat ang nasa screen. "...the bottle of shampoo whom he uses at the victim's hair to erase his trace. The shirt he had worn that day. One button was missing. And the third evidence is the used condom. Nakabalot ang mga 'yan sa isang pouch at marahil ay nakalimutang itapon ng suspek dahil sa pagkataranta."
"Hindi tatanggapin ng korte ang ebidensiya dahil wala sa tamang proseso ang pagkalap–"
"I backed her up," the chief interjected. "She called me an hour ago. I send another team to search for Alonzo's things. The evidence is probably at the forensic department at this moment." Namangha ang lahat sa sinabi ng chief nila. "Men, I want you to learn from Villarama. Look at every angle and search thoroughly. You are now dismissed. The warrant will be issued in a minute or two."
Bumukas ang ilaw sa loob ng conference room at nakalarawan ang pagkamangha sa mukha ng mga naroong pulis. "Wow Villarama, kailan mo ako papakasalan?" tanong ni Santos sa dalaga.
"Later. Kapag pumuti na ang uwak at nagkaroon na ng buhok si PMSg Hernandez," pabirong sagot niya na ikinatawa ng mga nakarinig.
Lumabas na ang halos lahat sa loob ng silid. Naiwang nakaupo ang chief at si Mason. "What do you think of her?" tanong nito sa binata. "Impressive, right?" Tanging tango ang itinugon ni Mason dito. "She's good and passionate. Not to mention her physical aspect. Exactly your type, my son."
Napakunot ng noo si Mason at napatiim ang bagang. "Don't play cupid, old man... I'll go ahead, Ninong." Mabilis na lumabas do'n si Mason. Naraanan pa niya ang grupo ng mga pulis na kasama sa briefing kanina. Hindi niya maiwasang pagmasdan ang dalagang pulis nang mahagip ito ng kanyang mga mata.
Nagawi ang tingin ni Niccola sa matangkad na lalaking nakatayo malapit sa kanila kaya nagsalubong ang kanilang mga mata. Ano na naman ang ginagawa ng lalaking 'to rito? sa isip niya. Muli niyang naalala ang nangyari sa loob ng elevator at nagsimulang mag-init ang mukha.
Si Mason ang unang nag-iwas ng tingin at tumuloy sa paglalakad paalis sa lugar na iyon. He straddled his Ducati, put his helmet on, and drove fast away from that place.
He took a visit to his godfather's office, Mason asked for his opinion about an important matter.
He and his father were not on good terms. They were not close either. Mas malapit siya sa ninong niya na kaibigan din ng kanyang inang nasa Ireland bukod sa kanyang ama.
Hindi siya makapag-desisyon kung kukunin ba ang alok na trabaho ng Philippine Navy. He left his former job in the US Navy because he was tired of seeing violence and terror. He flew to the Philippines and was planning to stay low for a while when suddenly, he received an offer from the admiral himself.
Mason was driving fast, enjoying the embrace of the wind in his body when a woman's face entered his mind.
Mas binilisan ni Mason ang pagmamaneho dahil sa mga bagay na pumapasok sa kanyang isapan na hindi niya gustong isipin. Driving always made him forget about the things that bugged him. But it didn't work at that moment. The image of her while talking in front of everyone with confidence was engraved in his mind.