THE SOUND OF SILENCE (TO BE PUBLISHED UNDER TDP PUBLISHING HOUSE)

Chapter Twelve: Come, Tell Us How She Died

I.

"Do not ruin the crime scene!" Ludwig roared at us as he flashed a fierce and furious face. "Bloody hell, this is madness!"

I saw the body of my poor classmate, Charisse, leaning against the wall, with a knife buried in her chest. In her left hand, she clutched a keypad phone, its screen glaring with an urgent alarm notification.

After a few minutes of silence, it rang again, piercing to the eerie stillness of the morning. It was that wretched composition of Beethoven, Für Elise.

Fear crept into my bones. It enlivens the dark memory I had in the past. I wanted to scream but I was distracted by Ludwig's weird gesture.

I looked around the room and observed my companions. May mga nanlumo't umiiyak, may mangilan-ilan namang nagpipigil ng emosyon, at may ilan ring nagkukuyom ng palad nang dahil sa galit. Maging si Sir Lendon rin ay hindi na rin napigilan ang pangigninig ng kaniyang mga kamay dahil sa nararamdaman.

While examining the crime scene, Ludwig scrutinized the doorknob first. As he carefully inspected it, he said, "The door was locked from the outside, so this was no locked room mystery."

Nanginginig ang boses ni Ludwig sa ngayon. Tila ba'y nag-aapoy ang dati'y nagyeyelo niyang mga mata. Mas lalo tuloy akong natakot ngayon. Minsan ko lang kasing makita ang side na ito ni Ludwig at alam ko sa sarili kong he was just few moments away from a breakdown.

Maya-maya pa'y ibinalik naman niya ang pansin sa keypad phone na hawak ni Charisse. Masusi niya itong tiningnan at saka pinag-aralan ang bawat bahagi nito.

"Ludwig," I asked my best friend, who was now silent. "Anong nakita mo? Let me see it."

Hindi niya ako pinansin, bagkus ay agad na itinuon ang atensyon kay Bryson na ngayon ay tahimik pa rin. "Bryson, take some photos of the body," Ludwig commanded with an authoritative tone. "Double time!"

Nangibabaw ang boses niya sa buong paligid. Kahit papaano'y naiintindihan ko siya. As a detective, it was his job to apprehend the culprit and prevent them from doing another crime.

Bryson seemed to understand his assignment, so he immediately followed.

Agad-agad na kinuha ni Bryson ang kaniyang camera mula sa kaniyang kuwarto at pagbalik niya'y agad na kinunan ng mga larawan ang buong crime scene.

"Are you done with the victim?" tanong ni Ludwig sa kasamahan namin. Tumango naman ito. "So, puwede ko nang kunin ang cellphone, ano?"

Maya-maya pa'y kinuha na niya ang hawak-hawak na phone ng biktima para i-examine ito. Lumingon siya sa akin at saka ibinigay ang phone. "You want to know the contents of the phone? Here."

He let me read the message before focusing his attention to the corpse. He carefully inspected the body as he fetched a small notebook from his pocket.

This is what I read from the phone:

Congratulations to the Top 11 of the elite class!

1. Sylvia Ramirez

2. Charisse Domagoso

3. Bryson Brooks

4. Elise Montreal

5. Hyacinth Henderson

6. Afiqah Kamarulzaman

7. Dylan Alvarez

8. Gianne Rodriguez

9. Yla Rivera

10. Fraulein Elizabeth Albertson