Number One Fan

CHAPTER 19

THE NEXT DAY, my cell phone rang when I entered the News and Current Affairs department.

“Hello, Regine speaking,” I greeted.

“Get out of there and stay outside the lobby,” ordered Number One Fan.

I placed my things on my desk and went out again. As soon as I went out of the lobby, I glanced at my surroundings looking for a suspicious looking man. My cell phone rang again.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Go further to your right, near the end of the lobby, where I can see you in full view,” Number One Fan instructed.

“Where are you?” I asked while looking around.

“Secret.”

NUMBER ONE FAN SAT INSIDE HIS CAR, talking on his cell phone. No one could see him from the outside because of the tinted car windows. But inside, he could see Regine Sta. Maria standing outside the lobby of RMBN.

“When you started consulting with the police, security measures around you heightened once again.”

“Believe me,” Regine said over the phone, “I never mentioned anything about our conversation.”

“I don’t believe you. Now, even everyone in the News Department is under surveillance. I could not move. I’ve decided to lie low again.”

“Look, I have a proposal for you,” Regine said.

“What is it?” he asked. “It might put me in danger.”

“You’ll like this, I'm sure,” Regine said. “We will do a live interview, one on one, on air. You may say everything you like this Saturday.”

Number One Fan thought of the idea for a moment.

“No,” he said. “You’ll be recording my voice, and the police and NBI would be somewhere lurking to attack.”

“No, I’ll ask Management for approval,” she said. “I’ll talk to Ka Rudy Echaves just to make you agree. You want to be famous and Number One, right?”

“Let me think about that.”

“REGINE, THAT WOULD BE TOO DANGEROUS,” said Nitz before sipping her coffee and puffing a smoke.

“That’s right,” said Lor, “what if he didn’t call? We can’t risk that on air.”

The three of us had coffee inside our office discussing the about plans for the next episode this Saturday.

“I just want him to admit his crimes on air,” I said, playing with my cell phone like a nervous wreck. “I just want to prove to everyone that Number One Fan, the prank caller, is real.”

“Okay, you’ll have him admit on air, but he doesn’t want it recorded,” said Nitz, “that’s ridiculous!”

“There must be a way,” I said as I put down my cell phone on the table in frustration.

“Let’s better change the topic, let’s feature another story this Saturday,” said Nitz.

AFTER THAT MEETING with Nitz and Lor, I opened my emails and I got another one from Number One Fan.

To: regine_stamaria@rmbn.com

From: numberonefan@sexwitheveryone.com

Re: interview

Cc:

[Reply] [Forward] [Delete] [Move]

Please send me your questions via email now. Wait for my next email tomorrow.

I felt Hope came to my side when I read his email. Nitz and Lor had left the office fifteen minutes ago. I immediately typed a list of possible questions for Number One Fan. After listing down questions that would fill in half an hour interview, I sent it to Number One Fan right away.

I RECEIVED A CALL FROM ALEX that afternoon.

“Hi, Regine,” greeted Alex over the phone.

“Hi, you called early,” I said as I looked at the clock.

It was past two o’clock in the afternoon. He used to call at around five o’clock before the newscast.

“I’m going to Mindoro,” he said. “I have a new assignment down there for me to cover.”

“When will you be back?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll call you whenever I can.”

“Okay,” I said. “Just take care.”

“You, too,” he replied. “How’s your day so far?”

“Number One Fan called and I proposed to him an interview,” I said. “He hasn’t agreed to it yet.”

“You’d better be careful,” he said. “It could spell danger. I’m not there to protect you.”

DAVID REMOVED HIS LAPEL MICROPHONE right after the newscast.

“I’ve heard you wanted to go live this Saturday,” he said. “Ka Rudy told me that Nitz told him of your plan but she disapproved it.”

“It was just a plan,” I said not expecting his statement. “It might not push through. Nitz and Lor didn’t like the idea.”

“They’re right,” he said. “It’s dangerous and we can’t tell what will happen on air.”

I looked at David. “What do you mean?”

“Regine, I want to be your friend again,” he said. “I want to help you. You can’t just put yourself as bait.”

“Thanks, David,” I said. “Sorry about last night. I was just upset.”

“I understand,” he said. “Alex is lucky to have you.”

I smiled. “We’re just starting with our relationship. You, too, should be looking for someone.”

David shook his head. “I’m not sure if I’m still ready for love to happen again. Although I tried to look around.”

To: regine_stamaria@rmbn.com

From: numberonefan@sexwitheveryone.com

Re: script

Cc:

[Reply] [Forward] [Delete] [Move]

Attached is the script I wrote for your third episode. Make sure that you will air that on Saturday. Please wait for the audio file I will be sending soon.

Attachment: scriptko.doc (810KB)

I downloaded the document and opened it. It was a well-written script from Number One Fan. I printed it and read it once again. With the looks of it, he knows documentary and news features writing. But Nitz and Lor may not approve it.

I DISCUSSED Number One Fan’s audio file with Nitz and Lor. I just received it via email a few minutes ago, half an hour after he sent the script.

“We can’t do it,” said Lor. “It’s too self-serving.”

“But this is HIS voice, I knew it’s him, so it could be that credible,” I said. “I heard the first part of it, and it’s his voice.”

“Regine, not everyone would believe it,” said Nitz. “Have you listened to the whole audio file?”

“I just received it a few minutes ago, it’s ten minutes long. I just listened to the first part which was an introduction to him."

“See? It’s a one-sided material!” Lor exclaimed.

“How about if we feature this at the last segment as a follow-up on the first two episodes?” I asked. “It’s only a ten-minute audio.”

NITZ AND LOR AGREED to have the last segment devoted to the follow-up on the first three episodes. I only have an hour to get things done. I have read Number One Fan’s script and checked on things that I could include in the episode.

The answers were not in a chronological order so I kept on going back and forth with the script. I took my copy of the questionnaire as my guide plus a pen and paper to list down other details.

“He insulted me. I decided that I would prove to everyone that I am not that. I want to prove to all that I am not dumb. I am not a good for nothing,” Number One Fan said in the audio.

“Blame yourself, Regine. You requested for a caller ID. So Mr. Borja issued a memo to monitor all incoming calls instead.”

I wrote down his motive: personal vendetta.

Number One Fan made the voice recording slower and distorted. I was certain that it was him.

“To kill those people who belittle me, those who stand in my way because they need to learn a lesson. It is payback time!” he said.

I tried to remember the events that surrounded the murders and Number One Fan’s prank call. The audio file was ten minutes and I only have a few minutes left before the deadline. I scanned the script for anything that would catch my attention and worth including in my writing. I read in the script that he admitted he killed Mr. Dizon but he did not write the motive there. I turned on the audio and played it to look for something that would enlighten me on the matter.

Play. Fast forward. Play. Rewind. Play. I stopped until I heard the name Dizon.

“Simple, Dizon was a fool! He disapproved my proposal just like that!” Number One Fan said.

I could not believe what I'm hearing on the audio recording.

“So I thought it would be right for me to kill them both. Yes, I killed my parents. I shot them,” Number One Fan said.

I remembered that the police suspected David of shooting his parents inside their grocery store. But since there was no solid evidence, they cleared him on the case. Until now, the killer was not identified or caught. I remembered what I overheard from Alex one night.

Was David the Number One Fan?

I read the script and found something interesting. Number One Fan admitted that he also killed the security guard Arnel Castro. I remembered it was David who told me about Castro’s death. I went back to the audio file.

Fast forward. Play. Rewind a little bit. Play. No part in the recording mentioned the name Castro. I repeated the process. Play. Rewind a little bit. Play.

“…this guard showed how moron he was. He said that it was a reserved parking space for Management. But when I went back, I saw someone parked his car there but he is not from Management. That jerk! I channeled my anger to him. Poor security guard! It was his fault.”

What was the connection between the security guard and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star? He was not a journalist or broadcaster, but he was a contractor here in the network.

“Why is it that your clue is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?” Number One Fan repeated my question. “What? (laughs) Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star? (still laughing) I thought Regine you are intelligent enough to guess it (laughs). It seems that I am more intelligent than you are (laughs). Oh well, we’d better stop this.”

I stopped the recording and decided to take a short break and went to the ladies’ room.

After taking a break, I went back to my workstation. I went the other way around, passing by the TV Production area to walk a little bit longer while thinking of my last question. As I passed the TV Production area, the TV was on and at that hour, a children’s educational program was on-air.

“A, B, C, D, E, F, G…,” the children sang the Alphabet Song.

Something struck me; it made me froze for a second. I did not realize that it WAS possible! The tunes of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and the Alphabet Song were the same!

So I ran back to my workstation and started to look at my notes.

Anacleto… Borja… Castro… Dizon… Oh, my God! It is the alphabet! The next victim was someone whose last name starts with E!