Whose Deduction Show?

LORELEI | Chapter 03: The QED Four

LORELEI

MY EYES gazed at the hardbonund books stacked in the shelf. They looked old and dusty. The pages have also turned yellow and crisp, as if the owner never opened them again after buying them years ago.

I looked around the study and observed mahogany desk at the center of the room. Yumuko ako at kinapa ang ilalim nito. There was nothing in there. I pulled the drawer and rummaged through the pieces of paper and folders. Nothing was there as well.

Nasaan kaya 'yon?

"Are you planning to steal important documents?"

I lifted my curious gaze and saw a young man with a blank expression on his face. His jetblack hair was unkempt, with some strands of his fringe almost covering his eyes. Speaking of eyes, his are lackluster, having that permanent bored look on them.

That young man is Loki Mendez, a high school student who has a knack for solving mysteries. His black eyes may look dull, but I assure you, they are as sharp as the hawk's. He is too observant that nothing—not even tiniest details—can escape him. Fine, that was an exaggeration. May ilang bagay rin siyang nami-miss. He's not perfect, like everyone else.

Nakapamulsa siyang lumapit sa desk kung saan ako nakayuko. I stood upright and smoothened my skirt. "I'm looking for a switch."

Loki's eyes squinted as he observed me with his scrutinizing eyes. "So you have also noticed that thing?"

"If by 'that thing,' you mean a 'secret room,' yes," I nodded. "How did you know?"

"I was walking around this house for a while," he said, pacing back and forth. "Looking for secret passages, the one that allowed the culprit to escape unnoticed. Unfortunately, there was none. But I found something strange. There seems to be a space at the center of this second floor."

Currently we are inside the mansion of the Romualdez, a well known family in the city. The security is tight and not everyone is allowed entry to this place. But because of a request, we managed to enter. The house has three floors, each is equipped with surveillance cameras. The study, however, doesn't have any camera installed on the ceiling.

"Ganyan din ang naisip ko," I nodded. That's exactly why I went to examine this study, to check if there's a door leading to another room. Ngunit wala akong nakitang ibang pinto rito maliban sa palabas ng kwarto. I moved on to another theory that there might be a secret door leading to a secret room, hence my search for a switch.

Loki went to the bookshelf that I was checking earlier. He leaned closer to the dusty volumes. If he tried to sniff, he might sneeze. Kung meron siyang allergy sa alikabok, siguradong madali itong mati-trigger. "Did you move any of the books here?"

I shook my head. Tiningnan ko lang kanina ang mga libro, pero wala pa akong ginalaw na kahit ano. "I'm planning to check that shelf last."

"So you didn't move the three books here?" he asked.