The Girl who Lived

14. The Suspicion

“Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Amity Villamor. I’m sorry because you have to see the crime scene. But rest assured, we’ll solve this case,” wika ni Officer Pelaez bago niya ako pinagbuksan ng pinto.

I still didn’t get over the fact that she was already a policewoman even though she barely looked older than me. But what matters the most is that she appears competent enough for her job. Sana lang talaga ay mahuli na nila ang taong pumatay kay Chris.

A loud sigh escaped my lips when I finally got outside the interrogation room. Nakita ko naman agad ang aking bodyguard kaya lumapit ako sa kanya at umupo sa kanyang tabi.

Klein, Wren, and I were interviewed separately in different rooms because we were the ones who first saw the victim’s body. Hindi ko alam kung bakit kailangan pa talaga nila kaming ihiwalay. But maybe they’re just following their protocol.

“Okay ka lang?” tanong ko kay Klein na sinagot naman niya ng tango. I know that he’s always serious but the aura surrounding him right now was bone-chilling.

Gusto ko sanang malaman kung ano ang itinanong sa kanya pero hindi ko na lang iyon ipinagpatuloy. He looked like he’s not in the mood to have a conversation with me and to entertain my questions.

I smiled at Officer Pelaez when she passed by us. I answered all of her questions truthfully earlier. Her jaw even dropped when I perfectly described the corpse of Chris. Mabuti na lang talaga at malakas ang sikmura ko kaya nagawa kong tignan ang bangkay.

Pero binabagabag pa rin ako dahil sa mensaheng iniwan ng killer. Coldness slowly made my way up my neck from my spine, giving me shivers because of what a voice inside my head was whispering to me.

This is a start of something more sinister.

Tumayo na lang ako bago nagsimulang mag-unat unat. Butler Prius was talking to a police officer about the incident and I wandered my eyes to look for Miss Elora. I quickly changed the direction of my gaze when I saw that the latter was quietly watching me.

May parte sa aking nahihiya sa kanila dahil mukhang pinag-alala ko talaga sila nang husto. Baka hindi na ako payagan nitong magpagabi sa susunod.

Napalingon naman ako nang makarinig ako ng mga mabibilis na yabag papunta sa akin. Dominic stopped running when he got near me. He leaned on the white wall afterwards while catching his breath. Pinagpapawisan pa siya ngayon at parang tinalo pa niya ang mga kahalok ng isang marathon.

His polo shirt was unbuttoned so the upper part of his chest was left exposed. Magulo rin ang kanyang buhok at napatakip na lang ako sa aking ilong nang magsalita siya dahil naaamoy ko ang alak sa kanyang bunganga. Alam kong hindi na siya minor pero ang tapang lang niyang pumunta sa police station kahit nakainom siya.

And I'm contemplating if he's already drunk or not. I'm guessing that he's still sober.

“Hindi ba uso sa 'yo ang gumamit ng cellphone? Or are you avoiding my calls on purpose?” mahinang tanong ni Dominic habang pinipilit na idilat ang kanyang mga mata. Mukhang pinipigilan lang niya ang kanyang sarili na huwag tuluyang matulog dahil sa kalasingan. Well, I’m quite impressed because he’s still sane and not blabbering about random things like what people usually do when they get drunk.

“I’m busy, okay? And I usually set my phone on airplane mode kaya hindi ko napansin ang mga tawag mo.”

Nagulat ako nang bigla niyang sinuntok ang pader. Pinagtitinginan na tuloy kami ng ibang pulis na dumaraan kaya ako na lang ang humingi ng pasensya sa kanila. Kumunot ang noo ko dahil sa pinapakita ni Dominic.

Bakit ba parang galit na galit ang lalaking 'to?

“Ang hirap mo talagang intindihin, Mimi! What if something happened? Hindi kita binilhan ng cellphone para lang makausap kita. I bought it for you so you can be reachable anytime!” Napairap na lang ako dahil sa biglaang pagtaas ng kanyang boses. But he has a point, all right. But I don’t understand why he's being hysterical.