MORIARTEA

[09] Process of Elimination

A/N: Before anything else, I wanna say that I enjoyed reading your theories in the previous chapter. I dedicate this update to EVERYONE who tried to solve the aconite case!

Now back to you, Mav!

MAVIEL

PROCESS OF elimination? For Landice, it may be as easy as slicing a cake. But for me, sakit ng ulo.

Parang nananadya na talaga ang tadhana. Ako pa talaga ang inilagay sa spotlight at kung kailan wala pa sina Sigmund o Nikolai. If this is how Landice wants to teach me the way of a deductionist, I don't know if he's doing it right.

I browsed my scribbles on the tissue paper. Naisulat ko naman ang pagkasunod-sunod ng mga pangyayari but I couldn't identify kung sino sa tatlo ang pumatay.

Baka guni-guni ko lang, ngunit naramdaman kong nakatitig sa akin ang mga mata ni Landice. Mahirap sabihin dahil natatakpan ang mga ito ng kanyang buhok.

I call upon the God of Deductions! Bigyan mo ako ng wisdom upang ma-solve ang kasong ito! Baka kailangan ko ring uminom ng milk tea na favorite ni Sigmund para tumaas nang thirty percent ang deduction prowess ko?

Muli kong ibinaling ang aking tingin sa tatlong pangalan. Sino kaya kina Angela, Benedict at Carla ang pumatay kay Victor? Maraming traces daw ng lason ang naiwan sa kamay ng biktima. The killer probably had a direct physical contact with him. Ang problema, lahat ng tatlong suspek ay nagkaroon ng contact sa kanya.

Angela shook hands with him the moment he arrived at the cafe.

Benedict gave two sachets of creamer to him for his black coffee.

Carla handed him the knife used to slice the cake into equal portions.

Using process of elimination, everyone remained a suspect. Nakakainis.

Lumingon ako kay Landice na pa-relax-relax sa kanyang corner habang nagbabasa ng libro. "Can you give me another clue? I'm stuck."

"In a real investigation, no one will give you a hint," sagot niya bago inilipat ang pahina ng kanyang binabasa. "Get used to it."

Ugh! Why did I even bother asking him? Mukhang kailangan kong isa-isahin kung sino sa kanila ang most likely na lumason sa biktima.

Let's start with Carla dahil siya ang unang pangalan na nakita ko sa tissue paper. Pwede niyang ilagay ang lason sa handle ng knife na hinawakan ni Victor. Pag-slice niya sa cake, meron nang lason sa mga kamay niya. That could explain why there were traces of poison on the cup's handle and the fork he used to eat the cake.

But why didn't the police detect any poison on the knife's handle? Maybe Carla wiped it clean bago ito kinuha ng mga pulis? Anyway, Carla was still on my suspect list.

How about Ben? Siya ang nagbigay ng dalawang sachet ng creamer kay Victor. Kaso wala namang ni-report ang mga pulis na may lason ang ininom ng biktima. Pwede ring nasa sachet ang lason but the police should have reported any traces of it. Maybe I could strike Ben's name off my list.

Up next was Angela. The only contact she made with the victim was when they shook hands. Suspicious, huh? Posible kasing merong lason ang kamay niya at naipasa ito sa kamay ni Victor. Hindi na kataka-taka kung bakit may lason sa handle ng baso at sa tinidor ng biktima.

Muli akong lumingon kay Landice. This time, I hope he would answer my question.

"How can wolfsbane kill someone?"

"Sniffing or ingesting," he answered without looking to my direction. "Depends on the dose."

Ang tipid naman nitong sumagot. But thankful ako na hindi niya ako ini-snob.