Euclid Shellingford (Volume 2)

CHAPTER 23: The Serial Case in the 3rd District (Part 1)

"What are you doing?” I asked as I entered her room. She was seriously looking again at her cellphone while sitting on the sofa. Upon hearing my voice, she immediately kept her phone inside her pocket.

“N-Nandyan ka pala Dhie!” Lumapit naman ako sa kanya at saka naupo sa tabi niya. Hindi ko pa rin inaalis sa kanya ang paningin ko. “B-Bakit?”
I was absolutely sure that there was something on her phone that she doesn’t want me to see kaya kapag nagtatanong ako tungkol sa ginagawa niya sa phone niya, iniiba na agad nito ang usapan.

“Kumain ka na ba?” Just like what she was trying to do now. I sighed heavily at saka umusod pa ng konti palapit sa kanya. Looking at her face this close, I can see that she was sweating, her breathing also changed its rhythm and her eyes were trying so hard not to look at mine. Definitely suspicious.

“Don’t tell me…”

“W-What?” nauutal pa nitong tanong.

“Are you watching a sex scandal?”

“What?” sigaw nito na nagpasakit ng tainga ko. Ugh, I forgot that she has those weapon against my sensitive ears.

“Ano ba kasing tinitingnan mo sa phone mo? Nung nakaraan pa kita napapansin ah?”

“Wala nga!” pinaningkitan ko siya ng mata. I know that what I’m doing was invasion of privacy but I can’t help myself from being curious whenever she was acting this way. Lalo pa’t may hinala ako kung tungkol saan ang itinatago niya sa’kin.

“Do you want to hear my deduction?”

“Ehh?” mukhang hindi niya alam kung papayag ba sa alok ko o hindi.

“You received a mission, right?” her eyes flashed for a second then she let out a sigh of defeat. I put my hand on her head and pat her. “Isn’t it a good news? You have a case to solve!”

“Pero—“

“I was actually saw that coming,” sabi ko sa kanya at saka tumayo. “Schooling is over so we’ve got a lot of free time on our hands. We can use this semestral break to solve numerous cases requested in M.I.”

“Alam ko naman yun ei kaya lang…” I looked at her worried face.

“It’s gonna be okay, don’t worry,” I told her at saka ginagap ang kamay niya. A knock came from the door kaya napatingin kami dito. Lumapit ako sa pinto at saka binuksan ito.

“You’ve got a visitor, son,” dad said. Dito talaga sa room ni Nickan niya ko hinanap?

“I found your room vacant kaya dito ako tumuloy,” mukhang nabasa niya kung anong nasa isip ko kaya agad niya na rin itong sinagot. Nilingon ko si Nickan na palapit na rin sa’min. “You can join us,” sabi ni dad sa kanya at pagkatapos ay bumaba na kami. Naabutan ko si Inspector Hattori na naghihintay sa lobby. Napatayo ito nang makita ang pagdating namin.

“You wanna talk to me?” I wonder if he wants to talk about his relationship with Mr. Genezare now.

“My issues could wait, but the problem that I’m gonna tell you possibly couldn’t,” he said with a serious tone. Here I was thinking that he finally have the courage to return to his family and then what? He came for consultation! I let out an exasperated sigh. Siniko naman ako ni Nickan na nasa tabi ko.

“So what do we have here Inspector?” agad kong tanong sa kanya.

“It was a serial case of killings in the third district. Nabanggit ito sa’kin kagabi ng kasamahan ko dati na nakadestino ngayon doon. According to him, tatlong babae na ang nabibiktima sa lugar nila. Pare-pareho silang may mga hiwa sa bandang tiyan at natagpuan sa magkakaibang lugar.”