Sunshine

I

METAL pieces are lying around the floor carelessly and some are hanged on the ceiling together with the cobwebs. There is also a rusty crane truck on the side, probably not functioning. Anyone can tell the place was an old, abandoned building, perhaps a factory for some metal pieces. A dying bulb served as a light to the place.

A woman on a black raincoat rummaged through the old wooden cabinet, not looking at it. The clanging of metals and steel took over the place. After a while her hands stopped, and took out the metal rod cut into 3.5 inches. She tightened her grip to it and as fast as she could run towards her hostage and stabbed its thighs.

The blood splashed on her face as the woman shout in pain.

“Why are you doing this? We’re friends!” the woman, with her own blood splattered on her clothes continued screaming. Fear and confusion is evident in her face together with the pain.

The metal rod stayed on its thighs.

“I love her so much.” her eyes are blank and hollowed though she’s grinning with amusement and pleasure behind her raincoat cap. “I just… love her so much.”

“Who? Olivia? Of course!” the woman tried to reach her hands, pleading. Her hands trembled on top of the hands that currently holds her life. “We are friends. I’m friends with you both. I won’t report this to the police, so let me go. I promise you that.” with all caution the woman squeezed her hands. “You will let me go, right?”

“You will probably do that, I believe. Since we're old friends.”

"Right? I promise---"

"But I don't think Olivia do. She won't trust you. And she won't be able to trust me anymore too." She twisted the metal rod. Her laugh echoed together with the woman's scream. "And perhaps, I want to sleep with her tonight."

She pulled out the rod out of the woman’s thighs and stabbed her body with it multiple times, just anywhere her hands could reach. Her eyes are on the blinking bulb light, while her ears stayed focused on the woman's yelp and cry. She looks like someone who's listening to a really good music she needed to close her eyes― as if she’s letting her soul listen to it too.

The woman took her last breath and fell on her. Her hands stopped. She slowly titled her head to the woman’s direction and found the metal rod stuck on its breast. She pulled it out and stood in her feet, and licked the blood off her lips.

"Blood never taste good. But why some suck it when they get a cut?"

She fixed her eyes on the now lifeless woman as she recall what they had together for lunch. It was a spicy beef stir fry in a restaurant the woman recommended to them, and they even had a discount thanks to her.

"You asked this while we were having lunch earlier, right? What made us so in love with each other."

Her eyes soften with the thought of her lover. Her stare became distant, and it almost watered with her own thoughts. "Olivia, she's a woman who can accept you for who you are. Even if you both wear bra and panties.”

A single tear fell from her eyes.

“But more than that, she made me do everything for love. I never knew I could be so strong, and I never love could make us strong--- and that’s all thanks to her."

She knelt down next to the body and started wiping its face using her bare hands. She looked straight on its still horrified eyes. That made her scoffed a little.

It amazed her. That even though the woman already died, one can still tell what she’s feeling. And at the same time it pained her. That for someone as alive as her, no one can tell how she really feels.

"Love will never destroy you. Because it’s never wrong. Love will justify everything I did for her. They will forgive me. Because I did it for love."

Her hands stopped on its lips. She let her hands play on it, giving the dead body a gentle smile. "You will forgive me too, right?"

THE 2AM breeze is chilling enough to make him shiver, or maybe its just because he forgot to bring over a jacket. And thanks to that he also had to constantly slap his arms for mosquitoes. He immediately ran over the scene upon receiving the dispatch call despite his disturbed slumber and didn’t hesitate to went down the dirty river water even with new shoes on. But he almost cried upon remembering how expensive those shoes are.

"PMSgt. Carlos Ignacio." The officers guarding the scene greeted him as he showed his badge. They immediately let the Police Master Sergeant in lifting the yellow tape.

The corpse of the woman met his eyes. It was stripped, full of stab wounds and burns, and smelled of strong bleach.

"It's submerged with bleach again. Damn." his co-detective and the only female in the team, Police Lieutenant Marie Aguinaldo squat next to him while inspecting the corpse too. Sighing, she worded-out the thing running on his head. "She's another victim."

"7th, right?"

"Yes, 7th."

“Estimated time of death?”

“A day or two ago.”

They stood up and and went out of the scene to give way to the forensics team. Marie let Carlos go first to take a look at his clothes. It’s something she made a habit upon meeting her colleague a few months ago. “Good thing you’re not wearing shorts again, but your shoes― and yes do fix your hair.”

Carlos waited for Marie and walked with her side by side. “What I need now is jacket. It’s cold.”

“Maybe we’ll find one at the station.”

"Name Cynthia Cortez, age 27. She's a fashion designer and she sells her clothes online. This is her business fotogram account, a social networking site with almost 300K followers."

The youngest detective of the team, Police Executive Master Sergeant Adrian Dela Vega lead the briefing. The entire police force of Kahilom Police Station lead by the Special Task Force Team is in-charge of the serial murder case, now known as Kahilom Serial Killing, which is also referred as first serial killing case in the Philippines. The meeting is composed of the entire team together with high-ranking officials, and the Special Task Force Team itself is made of elite police officers from different cities and municipalities, and some even came from the States (PLT. Aguinaldo for this instance) formed just for the investigation.

There is no known serial killing in the Philippines up to this date, and this is why the case caught too much attention from the public and media not just in the country but also abroad. The case instilled public fear causing them to lose their trust at the police force, and the entire police force at the edges of their seats. Many uniformed personnel are at risk of losing their badges.

"Find something that might connect her to the other victims. We don’t have any lead until now, so make that the priority. I don’t care if it’s irrelevant at all! Just give us something to start with. What about her family? Anyone?"

Dela Vega answered the raised question by one of the high-ranking official present on the meeting carrying on with the briefing. "She has a mom who lives at the countryside. We contacted her already, but I guess she'll be here by tomorrow since the buses already stopped running. Anyways I asked her over the phone if Cynthia had a boyfriend and said she haven't introduced anyone. We still have to check who were her close friends, and who’s the last person who saw her."

"Keep looking into that. What did the forensics say?"

"There are a total of 25 stab wounds found, mainly on the upper part of the body and one on the left thigh. What’s believed to be the cause of death is a fatal blow on the heart which penetrated through her left breast. The stab wounds ranges from 50 to 80 mm. in depth, and around 12.7 mm. in diameter. A blunt weapon is believed to be used, still yet to identify.”

He did his all to explain everything in detail but it seemed like those were not the details everyone wanted. Dela Vega then continued, telling the words everyone’s been waiting for.

“The body is believed to be submerged in bleach and that caused the burns on the body and also removed all possible evidences― blood samples, fingerprints, DNA. While using ordinary bleach in cleaning can still retain DNA samples, oxygen-producing detergents won’t and we believe that’s what the culprit used.” He nodded as he answered everyone’s question. “The stab wounds may be lesser than usual, but yes it’s the same jerk.”

"Seven! We already have seven!" everyone flinched at the shout of Police Lieutenant Colonel Catalan, the most uneasy of them all since he will be the first to lose his position. "A serial killer in the Philippines? Does that makes sense when everyone’s too busy trying to make a living? And you Special Task Force Team? What have you been doing all this time? You were brought here 5 months ago and you haven’t found anything and you had another victim to top that! Are you really sure you’re doing job?”

“Who didn’t believe me for 3 years until we got to this point?”

“What?”

Catalan pointed his finger at Ignacio who’s now frowning at him. The two, since then are been on hot waters. Catalan regards Ignacio as that hard-headed who never listens subordinate, while Carlos see his superior as someone who only cares for himself.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to take credit for when you actually failed, but sure. You still have plenty of time to prove your worth.”

Catalan stood up. The nearest person to the door opened it for him. “Stop making the reporters and the netizens flock around me will you? Make my life at peace again just please.”

Carlos cursed again when the door shut. He imagined Catalan while cursing all his might. “That's what only he cares about. But what about the victims? And what? I’m trying to take credit? What bull--"

“Ignacio.”

Carlos bit his lower lip in resignation. “I’m sorry, Captain.”

Everyone started deserting the room while some, especially the high ranks didn’t miss showing their displease at Carlos. He shrugged, and took a nap at the now empty room.

Then the sun finally rose.

The murder case will be made public as a breaking news for the morning, and will be followed by a police media press briefing. PLTCOL Catalan is busy preparing for it, and even had a female officer do his makeup. Carlos scoffed at the sight.

“And he’s enjoying the cameras like crazy. Tsk.”

“Excuse me…”

His gaze transferred at their visitor. It was a woman, probably in her late 50s to 60s and wearing shabby clothes. She’s carrying a heavy tote bag she hang on her frail shoulders. “I was told to be here at earlier dawn. I’m Cynthia’s mom.”

As if on cue, the newscaster started reading the news. The old woman lost her balance upon hearing her daughter’s name on TV. Carlos immediately attended to her aid and sat her on the nearest chair.

“Why… why did you let me know what happened to my daughter over the news?” The woman broke as she looked at Carlos. Carlos froze, not knowing what to say. “You called. You could have just told me. Why do I have to know what happened to my daughter with everyone when I’m her mom?”

The woman wailed, calling her daughter’s name.

“WE finally have a lead!”

Dela Vega quickly stole everyone’s attention together with the paper he’s holding. Everyone immediately gathered around the evidence board. Dela Vega took a deep breath as he raised the paper in his hands on his face level. “All victims had common acquaintances.”

He pasted what he had on the evidence board which turned out to be profile photos of two different individuals. “These weren’t found on the previous victims since they were not that close to them, but these two were quite close with Cynthia. And while looking at it it turns out they also know the other victims, whether introduced by a common friend or an old acquaintance.”

“Who are they?”

Carlos looked closely on the pictures. Police Corporal Juan Valencia, thinking they were familiar too did the same.

“This woman… isn’t she…”

“Olivia Magbanua and Alex Vicente, both 28 years old and a lesbian couple. Olivia runs a lingerie store and Alex helps her out. Together they run the business.”

“They know all the victims? That’s suspicious enough.” Everyone expressed their agreement with Aguinaldo’s statement except for Carlos who got occupied with his own thoughts. His thoughts grew louder he can’t seem to hear anything but it.

“Are they suspects? We can just have them as witnesses. Yes, witnesses. You said there are some who are only introduced to them. We can ask them about that.”

Carlos’ words made everyone’s head tilt to him. He looked like he was just sprouting those words almost unknowingly.

“You didn’t hear that? The fact that there’s someone who knows all the victims is too great to be a coincidence! They are clearly not witnesses. Quickly summon them.” Police Captain Antonio Rivera then turned to Aguinaldo. “And Aguinaldo, prepare to request a warrant.”

“Captain!”

Carlos’ shout stunned them. Carlos paced around, his hands pulling his hair in confusion. Everyone else is confuse, too.

“Alex… Alex is not the one. I know her. I know her so much. She can be a witness, but she’s not a suspect. No, she’s innocent, Captain. I guarantee you that.”

“Just who is this woman? Why are you being like this?”

Carlos stopped walking and looked at his Captain. He stuttered while trying to figure out his words. “Alex… She…”