The Missing Hands

Chapter 7

trigger warning: this chapter includes content about rape
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Chapter 7

A day has passed, and classes have been suspended again. Ayaw "palakihin" ni Principal Montejo ang nangyaring krimen kahapon, and he wanted it to be confidential, but of course that isn't possible. Someone died. Another student died in our very school, and it can't be kept confidential at all.

We don't know how long the suspension of classes will take this time. This might make me look like a bad person since two people already died, but deep inside me, I don't want the classes to be suspended. It's really hard to investigate this way.

At nahihirapan din ako ngayon dahil kay Mama. Ayaw niya akong palabasin ng bahay, pagkatapos niyang malaman ang nangyari na namang krimen kahapon. It's already hard for me to investigate, and it's much harder because I can't even get out of the house and meet up with Kith!

I can't believe how frustrated I am right now with the situation. I never remembered being this frustrated in my whole life... And it really shows how big of a deal the murder cases are to me.

Nagitla ako nang may biglang tumawag sa Messenger app. Alam ko na agad kung sino 'yun kahit hindi ko pa nakikita ang pangalan. Syempre, si Kith 'yon kasi siya lang naman ang tumatawag sa'kin bigla-bigla sa app na 'yon.

"Hello? Any news?" panimula ko, halata sa boses ang pagiging matamlay, dahil sa kadahilanang ayaw akong palabasin ni Mama.

"What's up with your voice?" Of course he would notice.

"Ayaw akong palabasin ni Mama. And God, I'm so frustrated right now." naiinis kong sagot.

"That sucks,"

"Yeah, it really does!" sabi ko, sabay tingin sa digital clock. It's past 8 in the morning. "Any progress?"

"None,"

Napabuntong-hininga ulit ako. "Ang hirap naman nito kasi suspended 'yung klase! I might sound terrible right now, but it seems to me that we can't get a hold of the culprit because of the suspension!"

"I suggest that we should just observe for now," he says. "To be honest, the odds are against us."

Tumango-tango ako, na para bang kausap ko siya ng harapan. "Okay... bye, then."

Bago ko pa mapatay ang tawag, nagsalita ulit siya, "Pwede ba akong pumunta riyan sa inyo?"

Nanlaki naman ang mga mata ko sa bigla niyang sinabi. "Huh? Bakit naman?"

"I'm letting you borrow my books, remember? If you're going to read 'em, you should start at it as soon as you can. Tsaka, wala namang klase, kaya you have a lot of free time in the world."

Totoo nga naman. I've got nothing to do here at home, and the only thing that awakened my interest was the investigation, but for now, what we can do is only observe due to the current circumstances.

"Ayos lang ba 'yun sa'yo? It might be such a hassle for you, you know."

He chuckled a bit. "Nah, don't worry. Wala rin naman akong importanteng ginagawa rito sa bahay. We both know that there's nothing much more enjoyable than investigating a case."

'We'? How can he say that I enjoy it as much as he does? Did he observe it from my face or what?

Sa konting panahong lumipas simula nang naging partner ko siya, at nakakausap namin ang ama niya tungkol sa imbestigasyon, I've observed that the both of them really have this keen manner of observing. I wouldn't say "like father, like son" because I believe that both of them have their own ways with things, pero pareho lang talaga silang maingat na nag-oobserba at nag-iisip tungkol sa mga bagay na may kaugnayan sa imbestigasyon.