Sunshine

XI

“JUST who the hell leaked it to the press!”

The Lieutenant Colonel’s shout immediately woke Carlos up from his nap. With eyes still half open he looked up at the TV set, and that’s when he knew what Catalan is so angry about. “We issued an embargo on this! Do they all take the entire police force as a joke? s**t!”

Catalan left the Special Force Team still cursing. It was obvious he only came to vent. Carlos sighed on the TV after it moved on to the next news. The set died in front of him as Juan pressed the red key of its remote control.

“Now everyone knows Kim is the 8th victim.” Marie worded the news they saw on the TV set just a second ago. More than finding out who tipped the media and why they disregarded the embargo issued, which is obviously just because of the scoop, everyone knows what they should do.

“Let’s make a plan. A more solid one.”

Captain Rivera worded just what everyone had in mind. Everyone’s eyes followed him as he went out of his office and stood in front of the evidence board. He studied it intently with arms akimbo.

“July 17, 2017, September 8, 2017, February 27, 2018, May 11, 2018, April 16, 2019, June 6, 2020, October 7, 2020, October 14, 2020,” Rivera read the date of murders. He asked, still facing his back on his teammates. “When did the serial killing was made public?”

Carlos answered right away, as if it’s a day he could never forget. “September 30, 2020.”

“The dates are too far away from each other except after September 30.” Rivera faced them, particularly Carlos. “He killed a week after the announcement, and killed again the next week. From months, the cool-off period shortened to weeks.” He took a side step to give his team a clear view on the board. “That means the announcement made the cool-off period short, and it also made the killings more bolder, since he doesn’t have to hide now.”

“What do you mean by hiding?”

Marie stood and looked closely on the board. She stared at the crime scene pictures and answered Juan’s question.

“Dry rivers, mountains, forests— that’s where he’s dumping the bodies before September 30. That was why we found the bodies months after they died and we had to investigate on heavily decomposed bodies. That’s also why it took long to conclude it’s a serial killing case. But if you look at it now…” Marie pointed the most recent crime scene photos. “He now dumps his victims on places where people actually go. Near a famous fishing site, and on a subdivision.”

“I don’t think I understood that completely but given you were right, why do you think the killer intended to hide his killings?” Adrian asked. Marie stood straight next to the board and faced them.

“A person like this always has reasons we can never fathom, unless you share the same brain or can at think alike. It is actually a talent, but gut feelings is not necessarily a talent right? I can feel there is something more than this, but I think one reason is to hide it’s a serial killing case.”

“To hide it’s a serial killing case?” Marie nodded at Carlos. Carlos asked again, “Why do you think he wanted to hide it?”

“Just like what I said it’s hard to guess. But honestly it was hard to trace the killings into a serial case given the circumstances. And I think that’s what the killer wanted.”

“But I thought psychopaths are exhibitionist. Why is he trying to hide his killings instead of taking pride on it? In fact he just made a history! Philippines’ first serial killer.”

Marie crossed her arms on her chest and eyed Carlos intently. She sighed in resignation. “Just like what I said, there’s no way to know what a psychopath killer is thinking unless you have the same brain, or at least think like one or a psychopath yourself. And that was just an opinion. Don’t get too worked up.”

“DO you really think someone intended to hide it’s a serial murder case? You see, I’m not just saying but that’s what I actually felt back when I was still trying to prove this is happening.”

Carlos followed Marie on her desk after the meeting was adjourned. While the others are busy with their own jobs and Captain Rivera out to get approval for the “plan” they devised just a while ago, Carlos is busy bombarding Marie questions. “I don’t know if I was just imagining things but I feel like the higher ups are pressuring me. It’s not that they don’t believe it or did not want to, but they wanted to deny it, hide it, or cover it.”

“Then you must be just imagining things.” Marie kept herself busy with her laptop. “And I believe you have something better to do than hovering around me. But if not, then please relax on your seat. You see I have something to do.”

Carlos frowned and went back to his seat. After he got bored from pretending interested on watching everyone, he went out to try a smoke but he only choked on it. Still coughing, he fished some coins on his pocket and paid the sari-sari store lady for the stick. He made his way on the same swing he sat at the other day. Holding the thick chain, he tried to inhale the smoke from the small stick on his hands again.

He kept on thinking how Alex looked the day he saw her smoke for the first time. Alex made it seem to him that a stick of cigarette is capable of blowing the day’s problems away, just like how it did for her that day.

That’s how it looked, at least.

“HOW did it go?” Alex asked as soon as the door opened and Olivia came in. Olivia tried to untie her shoes but she can’t seem to find the energy. Alex saw it and stood to help her. “Why do you look so tired? Did something happened?”

“No, of course. They said they will take care of it. Soon the police will stop investigating us.”

Olivia thanked Alex for untying her shoes and went straight to the bedroom and lied on her back. Alex followed and stayed on the door.

“You brought with you a good news. Why do you look like that?”

“Aren’t you tired of this?” Olivia’s eyes stayed darted on the ceiling as she talked. “I at least can talk to them, but you can’t. You don’t even know who they are. Aren’t you sick of following orders from someone who’s keeping himself in the dark?”

“But I can see you.” That made Olivia tilt her head to Alex’s direction. “I don’t care about them as long as I can see you. And we trust each other.”

Olivia’s head stayed on the same position. She can feel her neck getting tired.

“Does the person you believe is so deep in love with you can still be capable of betraying you? I wonder, who will be the first one of us to betray the other?”

Alex went inside the room and closed the door behind her. She sat on the bed and started playing with Olivia’s hair. “I will let you betray me, but I will never betray you, Olivia.”

Olivia went back to staring at the ceiling. She closed her eyes as she feel the soft hands gently stroking her hair. “You loving me this much, I always knew that.”