Erudition of Doyle: Volume One

CHAPTER 10: CASE III - HAPPY FACE HIDES EVERYTHING

Junko Ito: The following narrative contains themes of violence, sexual assault, abuse, emotional distress, and intense confrontation.

Case 3: Happy Face Hides
Everything (The Argument
Deduction Chapter, Last Part)

ROSALINDA

"DAD, I know who the culprit is," Clark said confidently, prompting me to quickly walk towards the first floor.

"Kaya pala bigla ka na lamang nawala. You were investigating again, huh?" His father stated, leaving a question in his tone and sighing. "Go ahead, make sure that your deduction is correct."

"The culprit is Rio Grande, the butler of family Chaves!" No, Clark, you're wrong.

"W-Why me?!" Rio reacted in response to Clark's accusation. That bullshit is awake? Bat' ka pa nagising?

I hastened my pace and felt August's footsteps following closely behind me. "Rosalinda," I didn't respond to his call, but I waited for him to continue speaking. "Is the culprit of this tragic case is my mother?"

"Yes, it's your mother," I replied directly, briefly meeting his gaze and seeing a calm expression on his face. As if he already knew that she was behind the crime all along.

Ibinalik ko na ang tingin sa dinadaanan saka nagmamadaling bumaba ng hagdan.

"You took the chance when Mrs. Rowena asks you to clean the casket for three weeks straight. Based on what Mrs. Rowena said, she said that she doesn't go to the basement, because she has nyctophobia, the basement's light is not working, it's impossible that she will enter just to do a crime," Clark continued. "Yes, a flashlight or something to light can use, however using a flashlight in this dark large basement may not completely resolve the fear of darkness for someone with nyctophobia."

Raleigh looked at me as soon as I arrived. "Where have you been?" He asked, but I ignored him.

"The mansion is dark, there's no light from outside because the black curtains are closed," I began, capturing everyone's attention. "But haven't you realized, if Mrs. Rowena really has nyctophobia, wouldn't she turn on the lights as she moves through the house? Yet, she doesn't. We are the ones who are turning the lights on."

His eyes widened as he realized this. However, the determined expression is still drawn on his face.

"Mrs. Rowena had her cellphone with her, so she could have used its flashlight to navigate the switch. However, she didn't turn on the switch, which seemed odd. People with nyctophobia usually avoid dark places, so turning on the lights would have provided her peace of mind. In her conversation with Augustus, her son, he didn't express concern about her being alone in the dark. If Mrs. Rowena truly had a fear of the dark, Augustus would have surely accompanied her. So, is she lying about her nyctophobia?"

"She's lying," Augustus said firmly. "I always saw her alone in the dark and never got scared, even though she always told us that she got terrified when the place was too dark."

Why does this little argument deduction between me and Clark feel so stupid? Like, how can he not see it? How can he not see that she's lying?

"Let me ask you something, why did you get scared when your mother screamed?" I inquired, as he looked away. "Not because she was screaming in fear of seeing her husband's death, but for another reason but still connected with your father."

"I'm scared that my father will do something to my mom."

"Why is that?" I asked again. "What did your dad do to your mother that alarmed and traumatized you?" Even though he didn't provide the full details, I knew that his theory was more than just a theory. He was avoiding the truth about what happened in their family.