Unexpected Stranger

QW

"AM I speaking with Mary?" Jackson asked. In front of us is Mary, the daughter of the victim and the defendant. There was fear in her mga mata as she makes tingin at us and her kamay are nakaposas. 

She baba her tingin and nodded her head gently. Her hands are intertwined, but I can still see how her fingers nginig. I don't know if it's because she was already caught, or our presence just make her takot. 

"Yes," she replied in a mababang boses. A buntonghininga escaped from Jackson's labi while I am just making tingin at Mary, making suri her reactions. 

She's natatakot, I can see that.

"I would like to ask you some questions regarding the case. Is it okay with you?" Jackson make tanong again. At that moment, Mary raised her ulo and looked at us, fear is more evident in her eyes. 

"B-But. . . Baka po," she yuko her ulo again, "lalabas siya," she said in a low na voice. I can rinig how she hinga ng malalim and even her hininga is shaking. 

"Can you, uhm, control it?" Jackson make tanong, a little bit hesitant. Mary singhot and nod her ulo. 

"Minsan po nako-control. Pero ang hirap po kapag nakikita niyang masaya sina mommy at daddy. The switch. . . It happens too fast to the point na hindi ko po mako-control minsan." She anagat her tingin at us again. Her eyes look so malungkot and I can't help but feel malungkot for her situation. Damn, that must be so hard. 

"So, that's the trigger, then? 'Yong papa and mama mo?" Jackson put his hands on the lamesa and tingin intently at Mary with magkasalubong na eyebrows. Mary make tango at us. 

"Do your parents know ba about Bree?" I make tanong and waited for her sagot. She licked her lower labi first and let out a sigh. 

"Si mommy lang po ang hindi nakakaalam." Tears suddenly fell from her eyes and she hastily punas her pisngi. "Every time the switch happens, I can't remember anything po. But I know that Bree was planning something against my mom when I suddenly saw the white bottle on my bedside table. I tried so hard to stop her but. . ." She wasn't able to tapos her sagot because she suddenly cried hard. 

I iwas my tingin from her and tapped my dibdib lightly when I felt pain in my puso. I saw how she stopped Bree, but Bree was. . . I don't know. She was in control of the situation. And I can't imagine the trauma she went through upon realizing that her mommy was namatay, and her other identity did that which makes Mary feel somehow. . . responsible. 

"Mary, here. Tissue." Jackson pushed the box of tissue towards her. With cuffed hands, Mary kuha one piece of tissue and punas her mata. 

"I'm. . . I'm so sorry. If only I could turn back the time, I would have burned that white bottle instead of just disposing it." Her luha fell again. "Buhay pa sana si Mommy." And my puso went out to her. 

I taas my kamay and reached for her hand. "It's not your fault naman, eh. The root of all the happenings in your buhay is no other than your dad. If it's not because of what he gawa to you, then Bree shouldn't have existed." 

Mary seems natigilan of what I sabi and looked at me then at Jackson. Her mata are full of sadness as her tingin is palipat-lipat at us. She, then, averted her gaze and looked down. 

"You can file a case against him, you know. But I won't be the one to defend your dad. I don't have the guts to defend someone like him. He doesn't deserve to be defended in the first place. Kung pwede lang." Jackson chuckled humorlessly and gritted his ngipin.

I sighed and I can't help but agree to Jackson. When the crime clearly happened even with witnesses and CCTV, criminal trials still exist. The worst case? The murderer has a pagkakataon to be freed.