The Open Coffin: Prelude to Murder

CHAPTER 24

                Myra couldn't hide her fear when she learned that the people who want to kill her husband were still on the loose. Whenever Glenn was on the campaign trail, fear engulfs her whole being. She feared that one of these days, Glenn would be brought home with bullets in his head. Because of these nagging thoughts, she was always stressful. When she learned that Glenn refused to cancel his campaign rally in Urdaneta, she tried her best to dissuade him.

"Please cancel this rally in Urdaneta, Glenn. Your life is in grave danger," she begged.

But Glenn was firm in his decision, "I can't, Myra. Canceling the rally for the second time is not a good idea. The Governor and Vice Governor will be there. You know that they are throwing their full support for my candidacy."

"But you might get killed," Myra persisted.

"Nobody's going to die. Look, I'll be fine. I have tripled my security, and besides Mayor Edward Cordero assured me that every nook and cranny of the sports complex would be fully secured. Everyone coming in would be thoroughly searched for weapon. So there's nothing to worry about," Glenn assured her.

"But what if..."

Glenn pressed his index finger across Myra's lips, "Shhh! I'll be fine. I'm gonna be the next congressman of the fifth district of Pangasinan."

Myra had no other option but to hold her peace. She knew that persuading Glenn was an exercise of futility. If Glenn was determined on doing something, no amount of discouragement can stop him. Myra had to admit that she admired Glenn for his strong determination—for having an iron will to do what he intended to do despite any adversity. However, she had also to admit that such disposition scared her, for she knew that it could also endanger his life.

"Well, I'll just pray that you will be safe," she said.

"You can hope for that Darling," Glenn lovingly kissed her lips.

Myra's anxiety dissipated for a moment, and that gave her a sense of relief. However, she was aware that the nagging thought of her husband's possible assassination would recur. It's like a ghost that kept of appearing and reappearing. She felt that she was nearing the edge, and that was driving her crazy. How she wished that elections would disappear forever! Then Glenn would not be risking his life for a congressional seat. But the election cycle must go on...until God knows when.

Back in Camanang, Jonas Santos and Reuben Lacerna parked their squad car at spot in the farm where the car could not be easily seen. It was at the back of the hut. Jonas examined the hut and estimated it to be five meters long, three meters wide and about five meters high. It's body was made of bamboo with a thatched roofing. It was a typical hut found in typical barangay. One of its windows was facing directly the Camba rest house. From that window, one can clearly see any activity in that resthouse, except when it got dark. For this reason, Jonas and Reuben needed pairs of night goggles, which they did not have. In Urdaneta, every cop in the field was issued a pair of night goggles, a hand-held radio for communication, and a paralyzer, a twelve-inch long device used by cops in handling suspects who violently resisted arrest. It paralyzed the struggling suspect for thirty seconds. Since Jonas and Reuben were detailed in the office, they were not issued those gadgets, except their service pistols. So the only remedy was for them to walk a little bit closer to the south in order to have a clearer view of the house. Anyway, there were some trees to the south of the hut, and that was enough to conceal them from Anthony's eyes just in case he happened to look around. It was now past six o'clock in the evening, and darkness started to settle. Jonas and Reuben positioned themselves behind the trees about fifteen meters away from the rest house. Jonas would watch the front yard, while Reuben would monitor the back yard. They knew that there were only two entry points of the rest house: the front door and the back door. From where they were, they could clearly see anyone coming from the east or west of the rest house. There were still trees ahead of them, so they decided to move closer to the house. Now they had a much clearer view of their surroundings. There they watched and waited.