Project LOKI ②

Chapter 27: The Spider's Scarlet Threads (The Alliance)

CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains content that might be troubling to some readers, including, but not limited to, depictions of and references to death, self-harm and suicide, graphic violence, sexual assault, strong language and more.

Please be mindful of these sensitive themes and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.

LORELEI

"Before we proceed, I want to introduce you to the key officers of the execom. This is Margarette. You already know her as the brains of the committee." Nagmuwestra si Sir Morayta sa kanan 'tapos sa kaliwa. "And this is Rye Rubio, the brawn."

So Rye is his name, huh? He nodded at us as he was recognized.

"You're the one who followed me in multiple occasions." Naisipan ko nang komprontahin siya ngayon. "Mula no'ng ni-rescue namin si Stein sa abandoned building hanggang sa insidente roon noong nakaraang linggo.

"Inutusan ko siyang magmatyag sa inyo mula nang malaman naming involved na kayo sa Moriarty case," paliwanag ni Sir Morayta sabay tulak sa bridge ng salamin niya. "Lagi siyang nakabuntot sa 'yo para masigurong hindi ka mapapahamak."

"Respectfully, sir, I didn't ask for your protection."

"But that's direct order from the principal. We must oblige."

I got a feeling na may koneksiyon ang nabanggit niyang principal sa daddy ko kaya gusto nila akong protektahan. But I was not a damsel in distress. I could protect myself from harm, but maybe not all the time.

"Last week, palihim kayong sinundan ni Rye kaya agad kong natimbrehan ang mga pulis," dagdag niya bago sumulyap kay Rye. "Kung hindi siya nakabuntot sa inyo, baka napaano na kayong apat."

So that explained the quick response of the campus police.

"So what exactly do you wanna discuss, sir?" Loki began tapping his forefinger on the table. He was bored as usual.

"Stein Alberts," Sir Morayta answered. "You accused him of being Moriarty. When you made that claim, I ran a background check on him. We didn't find any concrete evidence connecting him to the murders. Hence, we can't make the conclusion that he is Moriarty."

"But . . . ?" Umangat ang kaliwang kilay ni Loki. "You found nothing concrete, but you must have found something else."

Marahang tumango si Sir Morayta bago iniabot ang isang folder. Kinuha 'yon ni Loki. Bumungad sa amin ang retrato ni Stein Alberts at ang personal details niya. The copies had the seal of the registrar's office embossed on them.

"What are we looking at?" Inilipat-lipat ng katabi ko ang mga page nang hindi binabasa ang mga nakalagay roon.

"We dug deep into Stein's school records to see if the possibility of him being Moriarty exists. He transferred here in Clark High two years ago. Malinis ang kaniyang record mula sa dati niyang high school. Wala siyang kahit anong offenses, pero may ilang reports na b-in-ully siya noon. Ipinag-match namin ang date ng kaniyang transfer dito at ang mga buwan kung kailan posibleng nagsimula ang mga krimeng konektado sa taong kilala natin noon bilang M."