Orpheus Valerio
"Ito na ba lahat?" seryosong tanong ko sa kaniya. Tumango lang si Babe at humigop ng kape. Hindi kami nagkita noong nakaraang linggo dahil tinawagan ako ni Cyrene. My cousin Diana had just stepped down from being the president of Valerio Distillery. Hindi ko alam kung anong nakain niya pero isang napakalaking kawalan ang pag-alis niya. "Alam mo ba kung saan 'yong bahay ni Selene sa Calle Dyosa?"
"Hmm," she hummed. Binasa ko isa-isa ang mahigit tatlumpong kasong ni-request ko sa kaniya. "Hindi pero sabi ni Diana ay minsan sa Selene Andrea Tower daw sila naglalagi."
Diana really knows how to please her wife, eh? But, I still don't know where that tower is located. Ang alam ko ay nasa Calle Dyosa ito at ayon sa catalogue na nabasa ko, it's the tallest tower in the place. "Nakapasok ka na ba sa Calle Dyosa?"
"Oo, I think birthday yata 'yon sa anak ni Nike? Ako kasi ang gumawa ng cake no'ng kambal." mahabang sabi niya. Hindi ako ganoon kapamilyar sa mga kaibigan ni Selene. We've just met two or three times back at Isla Memorata.
And I'm glad that she ended up with Diana. It could've been better if she chose Arion but who am I to interfere? Diana and Selene both deserve each other. "Anyway, bakit mo isinali itong isang kidnap case? It's already solved, Babe."
"Akala ko ba gusto mo 'yong mysterious?" tumango ako. "Hindi ko nga sana isasali kaso nabasa ko ang pangalan ni Arion. 'Di ko alam na nakidnap pala siya dati."
I scoffed. "Well, yeah, pina-kidnap siya ni Mama Ceres. Alam mo na 'yon, Babelita."
Umiling-iling siya, "nope!" She objected, popping the 'P'. Napatingin ako sa kaniya. "Sabi mo five years ago, so, hayan! Nag-research ako ng mga bigating kaso na misteryoso at nahanap ko 'yan. At hindi lang 'yan, maraming involved...check mo 'yong second page, Orph."
I did what she told me. I flipped the first page and read the second page. Habang binabasa ang mga nakasulat hindi ko napigilang mapakunot-noo. What the hell? Hindi ko alam na na-kidnap pala dati si Arion. She never mentioned it to me o baka nasabi niya sa iba. But, even if nasabi niay 'yon, I'm sure malalaman ko din. Madaldal iyong si Gab kaya imposibleng hindi ko ito malaman.
Binasa ko ang buong pahina. Kahit hindi ko masiyadong naintindhan ang iba, lalo na at hindi ko kilala ang ibang involved, it dawned on me that Arion was a part of mysteriously solved case. "Saan mo ito nakuha? Did you find the police officer who solved it?"
Pinagpag niya ang damit niya. "Hindi lang ikaw ang may koneksyon, ano? At opo, hinanap ko 'yong pulis na humawak sa kasong iyan pero patay na daw"
"What?"
She nodded her head. "Namatay daw isang linggo pagkatapos niyang "masolba" ang kaso." Now, that's absurd. "Iba kutob ko diyan, Orph. 'Wag na lang natin i-push?"
"No," I replied, shaking head. Hindi pwede. "Kahit walang sinabing direkta si Percy but the fact that she said there was an incident five years ago, maybe she's involved with it. At iyon ang kailangan nating alamin bago pa mapahamak ang kapatid ko."
Matagal niya akong tinitigan bago sumangayon. "Okay, sabi mo, Orph. Pero, hindi ba natin ipapaalam kay Ody? She deserves to know it, too."
"No." mariing sabi ko. Sa oras na malaman ni Ody, I'm sure she will tell the older Valerios. "The more na marami ang makakaalam, the more na madaming madadamay. And I don't want to lose anyone in the family or someone important to me. I don't want to sacrifice their safety. This is only between the two of us. Do you understand, Babe?"
"Okay, Orph. Promise, cross my hear and hope to die."
Binasa ko nalang ulit ang report. There are at least fifteen people involved -- all coming from prominent families. Kierra Rodriguez, Clio Santander, Emrei Natividad, Jia Anastacio, Mnemosyne Zhang to name a few.
