Hudunnit Series

Untitled Part 13

MALAKI ANG IPINAYAT NI JANUS AT HINDI NA MAKITA NI CADE SA MUKHA NITO ANG angas at defiance na nakita niya noong pinagalitan niya ito sa mismong pamamahay nito. Walang kasigla-sigla ang binatilyo, ni hindi nagawang ngumiti nang makita si Angela gayong magka-chat daw ang dalawa. Kaya rin gusto itong makausap ng anak niya. Pumayag siya, basta sasamahan niya.

And the poor kid smelled, sa loob-loob pa ni Cade.

Tita nito ang nag-anyaya sa kanila ni Angela na maupo. Doon muna sa bahay ng tiyahin tumutuloy si Janus.

"Salamat po." Wika ni Cade. Tiningnan niya si Janus, "Kumusta?"

Nagkibit-balikat lang ito. Hindi lang nagdadalamhati. He seemed...guilty. Survivor's guilt. Alam na niya kung ano ang anyo niyon.

"Uh, Dad, can you step outside?" Request ni Angela. "Better if you'll just wait in the car." Hindi na request. Utos na.

"Okay." Tumayo siya, "Excuse me." Mas mabuti pa ngang sa labas na siya dahil hindi rin naman niya alam ang sasabihin kay Janus. Just how do you comfort someone who lost his family? At sa hitsura ni Janus ngayon, hindi ito gagawa ng kalokohan kay Angela, speaking of which, nawala na rin ang galit niya. Kawawa si Janus, simple as that.

Lumabas siya ng bahay at eksaktong paupo siya sa kotse, tumawag ang kaibigan ng kaibigan niya. Ang PAO lawyer na dumedepensa kay Nora. May kinukumpirmang ilang puntos buhat sa salaysay ng janitress ang abogado.

"Why were you there again that morning?" Tanong pa kay Cade.

"Do I have to answer that?"

"Just fact-checking."

Whatever that meant, Cade sighed, "I..ahhmm..needed to speak with the guidance counselor."

"Nakausap mo?"

"Yeah. Yes."

"So, the guidance counselor was there too." The lawyer paused. Nag-iisip. Then, "It's possible that the guidance saw the victim still alive around that time. Nasa office na ba s'ya pagdating mo or naghintay ka pa?"

"Nandun na s'ya. As to whether she saw the victim, you have to ask her yourself." At sa pagkakaalam niya, courtesy of Candy, si Miss Vera naman ngayon ang suspect ni Geraldine. In fairness to her, it got him thinking too. Pero wala siyang balak sabihin iyon sa abogado. Unlike Geraldine, hindi niya ipapahamak ang kapwa dahil lang sa mga espekulasyon.

"Yeah, I will. Salamat, pare."

"Anytime, pare." Kawawa rin si Nora, nagdudusa sa kulungan. Pero hindi sarili ang inaaala ni Nora. Ang ina.

Napalinga siya dahil biglang kinakalampag na ni Angela ang bintana ng kotse. Hindi niya namalayan ang paglapit ng anak. He rolled the window down.

"What?"

She shoved a phone in his face, "Read that."

"Whose is this?" Hindi kay Angela ang cell phone. It was a really expensive Samsung model, nasa thirty to forty thousand ang presyo. Why allow a teenager to have that kind of phone? Hindi pa naman nagtatrabaho at iresponsable pa para pag-ingatan ang mga gamit.

"Janus." Sagot ni Angela.

Nailing si Cade. May mga magulang rin talagang....ewan and he could not believe what he was reading.

The Bible verse.

Fathers....

Tumingin siya kay Angela.

"He received that before his parents were killed." Sabi nito

Nangunot ang noo ni Cade, "And how did you learn about this verse? Why do you think it's important?" Nabuhay na naman ang inis niya kay Geraldine. Tiyak na iyon ang nagsasabi ng kung anu-ano sa anak niya. Isinali pa sa imbestigasyong palpak si Angela.

"Tita Candy." Sagot ni Angela.

Uh, okay. Medyo pahiya si Cade. Nambintang agad siya. "I see." He muttered.

"That's the verse on Lola's frame. That was my idea in the first place cos I saw that on Ahron's Fb and Lola liked the flowers but when we asked the verse to be deleted, it wasn't as nice so Lola just--"

"Ano pa ang sinabi sa 'yo ng ate?"

"She said Miss G heard a crazy woman recite that verse and Miss G remembered cos she saw the frame at the farmhouse when you brought her there." Nag-make-face si Angela, like what was he thinking bringing her teacher to the farm.

"Yun lang?" Nakahinga naman si Cade ng maluwag. At least, inedit ni Candy ang kwento. "But why did she call you in the first place?"

"She asked if I heard someone in school said that phrase."

Bakit interesado na rin si Candy? Nilamon na rin ng kalokohan ni Geraldine?

"I did, yeah." Sabi pa ni Angela.

"You did what?"

"I hear Miss Vera say that ."

"The verse?"

"Dad, are you even listening?" Dabog ni Angela, "Yes, the verse! She said that when Janus' parents came to see her and they were really angry but they were like, they're just showing off that they know how to discipline Janus and his dad--" napaiwas ng tingin si Angela, "his dad hit him in the head. I was there. I saw the whole thing. It was awful and I think Miss Vera got so mad. She told them they're unfit to be parents and they threatened to have her removed."

Cade was stunned, "When was that?"

"Mmmm, last month?"

"At sinabi mo 'yan sa tita mo?"

"Yeah. She said I should be careful around Miss Vera...uh, Dad, do you think Miss Vera killed Janus' parents?" Tanong ni Angela sa mahinang tinig.

"Please don't go around asking people that. We don't know anything, okay?"

"But she's weird you know? She doesn't eat cake."

"Ayaw lang ng cake weird na?" Naalala niya ang ipinangsuhol niyang cake kay Miss Vera. Baka ipinamigay na lang.

"She doesn't eat anything. We think maybe she's anorexic."

"I see." Tatatango-tango si Cade. An anorexic with an issue against bad parenting.

Natigilan siya.

Uh-oh.

He bribed Miss Vera with cake. That was...bad parenting.

Angela snatched Janus' phone and went back inside. Hinagilap rin ni Cade ang cell phone niya. Tinawagan ang abogadong kausap niya kanina lang.

"Pare..uh, there might be something. Pwede ba tayong magkita ngayon...I mean, later?"

The lawyer named a bar. They agreed to meet there.