The Girl who Lived

24. The Maple Leaf

“Pwede mo bang ilarawan ang anyo ng bangkay no'ng matagpuan niyo 'yon?” tanong sa akin ni Officer Pelaez habang hawak-hawak niya ang isang journal sa kanyang kaliwang kamay.

She was sitting across from me inside the interrogation room where I was currently interviewed. A claustrophobic person wouldn’t survive here because it was quite small and has a suffocating ambiance. Nakapunta na ako rito noon pero hindi ko matandaang ganito pala ito kaliit.

The light bulb hanging on the dark gray ceiling was the only source of light here. My eyes darted at the wall behind the police officer where I can see a large two-way mirror. Sigurado akong may nakikinig din mula sa likuran no'n kaya tumikhim muna ako para maayos akong makasagot.

“The victim was already bathing in her own blood when we found her body. Kagaya ng bangkay ni Chris ay wala ring saplot na pang-itaas si Wren. She was only in her undergarments. She was holding a knife in her left hand and her other hand was gripping her heart. Butas ang kanyang dibdib at may nakaukit na salitang LATE sa kanyang tiyan. Almost all details were alike with Chris’ mutilated body but one thing was different. Dahil maliwanag sa locker room ay nakita kong tinahi ang labi ng biktima.”

My mind might be working tonight because I flawlessly remembered what I’d seen. Tumibay na yata ang sikmura ko kaya hindi na ako masyadong natakot noong makita ko ang kalunos-lunos na sinapit ng bangkay. And I might thank myself for being an empath because I can easily control my emotions.

Habang nagsasalita ako ay patuloy naman ang pagsusulat ni Officer Pelaez sa kanyang journal. After seeing what happened to Wren, I was sure that a serial killer is behind it. I’m just waiting for Officer Pelaez to open up about that possibility but it didn’t happen.

Gusto ko rin sanang magtanong sa kanya pero halata namang hindi siya sasagot. I was the one being interviewed here and not the other way around.

“You and Qadim Saldivar were the first ones who discovered the body, right?” I nodded at her in response but I’m sensing something from her tone when she asked. Parang pinagbibintangan niya kami. But I just let it pass.

It’s normal for her to act that way. Witness din ako noong isang linggo kaya alam kong maaari rin nila akong paghinalaan kahit anak pa ako ng mayor. I’ve heard that there wasn’t any progress on last week’s cases and the police force might be pressured now that the killings had resumed. Kaya sigurado akong wala na silang palalampasing pagkakataon para mag-imbestiga.

The interview went longer than expected. Kahit gutom na ako at pagod ay hindi ko ipinakita iyon. But no matter how hard I tried to conceal what I was feeling, Officer Pelaez still managed to see through me.

“It’s already late and I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Miss Villamor. Pero may ilan pa akong katanungan sa inyo,” she said while flipping the next page of her leather bound journal.

“It’s okay. Go on,” sagot ko naman bago ko nilagay ang aking kamay sa itaas ng parisukat na mesang naghihiwalay sa aming dalawa.

“You were reported to be missing earlier. Your bodyguard said that you were gone around one o’clock in the afternoon. Na saan ka ng mga oras na iyon?”

Saglit akong natigilan dahil hindi ko alam ang isasagot ko. Magsisinungaling ba ako o sasabihin ko sa kanya ang totoo? But if I lie, I know that they will find out about it soon. At ayaw kong mawala ang tiwala nila sa akin kaya pinili ko nang mabuti ang mga salitang lalabas sa aking bunganga.

“Pumunta ako sa isang apartment na malapit lang sa university. I was looking for Wren. Hindi kasi siya pumasok sa klase namin simula kahapon,” diretso kong sagot habang hindi inaalis ang tingin kay Officer Pelaez.