The Phantom Detective ✓

[TCP] Chapter 03: The Last Minutes

"YOU LIED, didn't you?" Zen asked when he was finally alone together with Kentonni. He was leaning comfortably on the wall whilst arms were crossed over his chest, watching Kentonni work on its computer.

"Which part?" Kentonni let out a faint smile without taking his eyes off the screen. His foot was tapping the floor as if he was following a beat of a music.

"The part where you said your parents coerced you to learn about bombs."

"How'd you say so?"

"If they truly don't want such event to be repeated again, they'd rather send you to a faraway land or something, away from Ranshin. Coercing you to learn about bombs means they're entertaining the idea that it will happen again."

Kentonni greased his forehead and flashed a smirk. He was questioning himself as to why he had spitted such obvious lie before his friends.

"What if they had no other choice because I don't want to leave Sophie behind?"

"There's a reason why I'm undoubtedly convinced that that wasn't the case. Well, the truth is, your parents don't care about you — pardon if I put it in a harsh manner. After the incident in Acahia alley, they didn't give a klunk about you."

The sorrowful silence devoured each voided space of the laboratory. Zen knows how painful it must be for their club president that his parents didn't care at all. He knows exactly why Kentonni's parents weren't as caring as his — however, he didn't want to make a sequel of his remarks about how did he discovered the truth. Zen just wanted to know one thing, anyway.

"Say, president. What's your real motive as to why you chose to dive in the world of explosives?"

Kentonni met his gaze. "Alam mo, Zen, ikaw ang number one candidate ko sa Mr.-Phantom-Detective's-Secret-Identity contest."

"Thanks for the compliment," he said and playfully smiled.

"But if I tell you my real motive, I wouldn't be same Kentonni Serrano in your eyes."

WENDY

"Kneel down, beg for mercy. Worship me."

THE WORDS echoed within my head like a broken disc. And as every millisecond goes by, the echos are becoming more irritating. Is she for real? Just who the bloody hell did she think she is? A god?

I tried concealing the surprise from my face and kept my mouth shut. Only if I am a prodigy is seeing through someone, I could've known what to respond. I'm starting to think that this woman is a mental refugee, and had escaped from the hospital through her unconventional methods.

"Ugh, come on, Wendy. Alam kong hindi ka totoong manika. Speak up, nakakangalay tumayo," she said and again took her seat on a swing then crossed her legs. "So! Ano'ng tingin mo sa proposal ko?"

Finally, I found some words to say. "Just because you're the trump card doesn't mean we don't have any other cards on the table."

I'd rather rely on Kentonni than to entrust our fate to this untrustworthy, dangerous woman.

"What a shame," sabi niya at lumingon sa ibang direksyon. "You probably didn't know how long will it take before kentonni find a way. But me? One call away and the QR will spill the beans."

"So you do know where they're hiding," I shifted the subject. "If you're not on their side, bakit hindi mo pa sinasabi sa pulisya kung nasaan sila?"

"Just because I ain't on their side doesn't mean they're my enemy."

"They're the enemy!" sigaw ko. "You can't just stay in the grey area!"

"My, my, Wendy. Don't mind me! Alalahanin mo 'yung dalawa mong kaibigan. Kung gusto mo silang parehong mabuhay, you have 2 choices: Trust me like how people trust their gods, or rely on Kentonni's indefinite method. Anong mas gusto mo?"