Wild Nights 3: Tainted Obsession

Chapter 4: Went Beyond

C H A P T E R 4 :

W E N T B E Y O N D

ILANG sandali pa ay sumulpot sa screen ng telebisyon ang isa pang reporter. "Na-clarify na ba kung ano talaga ang ikinamatay ni Yngrid Monteverde?"

"Sa ngayon, ano, wala pang inilalabas na statement mula sa PNP," said the other reporter. "Pero ayon nga mga sa sabi-sabi at kumakalat na balita rito sa lugar ay gunshot, 'di umano, ang ikinamatay ni Yngrid. Kasalukuyang nasa ilalim pa ng imbestigasyon ang nangyari, ano. At mula rin sa aming source, na katatanggap lamang natin ngayon, dalawa sa mga bodyguard ni Senator Monteverde ang suspect."

"Fely! Ano ba iyang pinanonood ninyo at pagkalakas-lakas naman ng volume ng TV!" sigaw ni Olivia mula sa itaas, pumapailanlang ang yabag ng mga paa sa pagbaba mula sa hagdan.

All the while, Heather just stayed where she was. Tutop niya ang bibig, tulala sa telebisiyon saka sa isip ay pilit na hinahanap doon ang kasagutan sa isang tanong na ayaw niyang patulan . . . sana.

Were Jean had something to do with this?

Kung bakit naman niya iyon naisip ay dahil lang naman sa iisang rason: Jean had asked her weird questions, and then suddenly, Yngrid was killed.

However, the kitchen's mood was so bright; sunlight was flashing through the oversized windows; birds were chirping. At some point, all she could see was the television even though the flash report had gone already.

"Heather." It was Olivia. Nakatayo na ito di-kalayuan sa kanya, mukhang nabigla. Kapagkuwan ay mabilis na dumilim ang mukha nito. "At ngayon ka lang umuwi? Wala ka na ba talagang matinong gaga—"

Doorbell ang nagpahinto sa pagsasalita ng ginang. Ang isa sa mga kasambahay sana ang lalabas pero inunahan ito ni Heather, hindi na inintindi pa ang ina sa pagtawag sa kanya. Nang marating ang gate, isang nakapang-opisinang lalaki ang nakatayo sa labas.

"Good morning. Is this the residence of Mr. Henry Arellano?"

Kunot man ang noo ay binati niya ang ginoo. "Good morning. Yes, it is. He's my dad . . .and you are?"

"Oh." Kapagkuwan ay lumapit itong nakipagkamay sa kanya. "I'm Sheriff Antonio Natividad of Municipal trial court. I am here to give this to your father personally." Isang sobreng puti naman ang iniabot nito.

But Heather stood still. Hindi niya kinuha ang sobre. "What's that?"

"It's a summon letter from MTC."

Lalong kumunot ang noo niya. "Summon letter?" Pagkatango ng lalaki ay noon niya tinanggap ang sobre.

"Make sure your dad will receive it. Thank you." Iyon lang ay umalis na ang lalaki. Noon nakalapit ang ina.

Before Olivia could talk, Heather handed the envelope over to her mom. Hindi na rin niya ito pinagsalita pa. Heather spoke first. "A summon notice for dad. Issued ng MTC daw."

Hindi sumagot si Olivia. Sa lalong pagdilim ng mukha nito, nabatid na niya: mayroong problema. And that reaction, though, from her mother was not something new. Dalawang posibilidad ang inaasahan ni Heather mangyayari mayamaya: kung hindi silent treatment sa loob ng ilang buwan ang gagawin ng ina, mag-aaway na naman ito at si Henry. Kung hindi siya ay ang ama niya ang masisi. Ganoon naman kapag nagkakaproblema, wala nang bago kumbaga.

Kung tutuusin, sa ganoong sitwasyon, ang normal na reaksiyon ng isang asawa ay dapat nag-aalala. Pero iba pagdating kay Olivia. Nakalakihan na rin naman niya na ganoon, na ang tanging nagpapakita ng pagmamahal sa pagitan ng mga magulang niya ay si Henry lang. Heather had not got the chance to know her parent's history; her parents would not tell her anyway.

Though, Olivia's eldest sister did. The story was so dramatic, and Heather knew her parents' relationship wouldn't be fixed. Otherwise, she should have asked her mother what the letter was about. Heather did not. She just began walking towards the house, starting to get worried. Kung may pinagdaraanan man ang ama ay wala siyang alam doon. Natural na masekreto si Henry pagdating sa problema. Even with the problem between her and Olivia, Henry still chose to avoid it. Kaya nga kahit Linggo at walang pasok ay naroroon si Henry sa univeristy, maiwasan lang ang inaasahang pagtatalo nila ng ina.

I'm just gonna ask dad, instead, anang isip pa niya. Bago pa man makapasok sa bahay ay isang sasakyan ang tumigil sa harap ng gate. A civilian woman and a police officer got out of the car, approaching her mother, who was still standing at the gate.

Heather heaved a sigh. Doon pa lang ay alam na niya kung bakit naroroon ang mga ito.

~~**~~

"HEATHER Arellano, tinatanong kita: anong nangyayari? Anong krimen?" sa pangalawang pagkakataon ay tanong ni Olivia.

Ilang segundo lamang na itinuon niya ang atensyon sa ina. Imbes na sagutin ito ay ang tanong ng babaeng nagpakilalang isang imbestigador ang sinagot niya. "Yeah. Sure. I'm coming with you."

Pormal na ngumiti ang babae. Kapagkuwan ay ang ina niya ang binalingan nito. "Tungkol po ito sa pagkamatay ni Yngrid Monteverde."

Nabigla ang ina niya. "What? Anong kinalaman ng anak ko diyan?"

Napapikit si Heather.

"Your daughter was with one of the suspects of Yngrid's death last night before the crime happened," sagot ng babaeng imbestigador.

Kumurap si Olivia. "Sinong suspect? Do I have to call our lawyer?"

"Oh, no, ma'am, that's not necessary. We just need Ms. Heather's help for the investigation, answering questions, that's all."

"Sasama ako." Matatag ang tinig ni Olivia.

Sumalungat ang imbestigador bagaman ay sinabayan din ito ni Heather saka sinabi, "For what? To know what I did last night? Okay. Here's the thing: I f****d one of Senator Monteverde's bodyguards, Jean Deveaux, which was Yngrid's boyfriend as well. We checked in a hotel and f*cked each other. You happy now?"

Olivia couldn't react. Her mouth was left open, all the while just looking at her. Nang makabawi ay sukat na nag-sign of the cross ito. Ah, her mother could kill her with how the way she stared at her for a moment. "We are going to talk about this, Heather, as soon as you get home." Tumalikod na itong iniwan na sila roon.

The next minutes had passed, Heather saw herself inside a police station, looking at Jean's photo, clarifying to the police that it was the exact person she was with last night.

Ikinuwento niya lahat ng nangyari kagabi, detalyado, wala siyang kinaligtaan maski ang pag-uusap nila ng lalaki. Sinagot din niya lahat ng tanong ng imbestigador nang walang pag-aalanagan. As the interrogation went on, she already understood Jean was one of the suspects.

And, at some point, she was hurting, wishing the man had nothing to do with the crime. But that wish got wasted as the investigator ask the question she wasn't sure if she could answer immediately: "Did you check what time it was when you fell asleep after you two had s*x the first time?"

She held her breath, matagal, dahil hinahalukay niya sa isip ang isasagot. "No."

Bumalik sa pagkakaupo ang imbestigador. "Sabi mo, bago kayo ulit nagkaroon ng isa pang . . . s*x round, chinek mo: 3:15 A.M ang oras. Puwedeng nagising ka ng 3:05 A.M. Because you said you and Jean had a little Q and A before you checked the time and had another s*x round."

"Might be," ang sagot niya.

"And Jean had told you, you were passed out for one hour and thirty minutes, which means you fell asleep at 1:35 A.M."

Heather was about to answer, but a policeman butted in. "At alas dos ng madaling araw nabaril si Yngrid."

Hindi nakapag-react si Heather. Ibig sabihin kasi, hindi niya alam kung nasaan si Jean, kung anong ginawa nito sa eksaktong oras na naganap ang krimen; tulog nga naman kasi siya. More so, the travel between the hotel and Yrngrid's house would take thirty to forty-five minutes. Twenty-five minutes if you're driving beyond sixty kilometers per hour. Not to mention that there was no traffic during that time.

"One more thing, Ms. Arellano." Inilapag ng imbetigador ang isang cellphone sa mesa, sa harap niya. Sa screen niyon ay nakarehistro ang footage ng pagpasok nila ni Jean sa hotel. "Ikaw ba 'yan?"

"Yes," sagot niya. Kapagkuwan ay natigilang nag-angat ang mukha niya sa imbestigador. "Wait, kung may CCTV sa hotel, for sure there was a footage if Jean left the hotel, right?"

Alanganing tumango ang babae. "For sure, yes. But that we couldn't answer, Miss. On-going pa ang imbestigasyon." Ipinatong ng babae ang siko sa mesa. "According to Jean, you and Yngrid were batchmates and didn't get along too well. Is that true?"

"Yes. Because Yngrid was a bully. She bullied one of my friends."

Sukat na napatingin ang imbestigador sa isang kamay niya --- ang kamay na binendahan ni Jean kagabi. "What happened?"

"Some random guy in Zenclub spanked me in the butt so I punched him." Napaismid si Heather. "Wait, Am I also a suspect here?"

Agad na umiling ang bababe. "No. Definitely not. Nakausap namin 'yong iba sa mga witness sa Zenclub. The bartender told us that when Jean left the bar, he was with the woman who had punched a guy last night." It was the thing the investigator answered before Heather left the police station.

May udyok sa kanya na itanong kung maaari bang makausap si Jean. Kung nasaan ito. Kung paanong naging suspect ang lalaki. Hindi na niya ginawa. Mas maiging wala siyang alam. After all, what Jean and her did was just a one-night stand.

Ah, she was definitely hurting, but still in doubt. Ang bigat-bigat ng dibdib niya. Ang ideya na baka ito ang pumatay kay Yngrid ay parang nais na lamang niyang panghawakan, makalimutan lang ang lalaki.

Heather did. She held onto that idea as she got home to keep her distracted. However, her distraction went beyond; nakasarado naman ang main door ng bahay, naroroon din siya sa harap ng pintong iyon pero dinig na dinig niya ang pagtatalo ni Henry at ni Olivia sa loob. Getting irritated, she chose not to understand the conversation and went inside the house. Tumigil sa pagtatalo ang dalawa bagaman nagtuloy-tuloy lamang si Heather sa hagdan.

If she was to be asked, she could have got back to the car, went to Sahara, or Maxine. O kaya naman kay Carly, Ariella, o Biatrez. God! She missed them pero bukod sa namatay na ang lowbat na cell phone niya at pihadong may hangover o baka naghihihilik pa ang mga ito, she had to endure whatever s**t had been happening. Lagkit na lagkit na rin siya sa sarili. Bagay kung bakit kahit tinatawag siya ng ina ay ni hindi niya ito nililingunan.

Nang makapasok sa kuwarto, kasalukuyang ibinababa na niya ang zipper ng kanyang dress ay sunod- sunod na katok sa pinto ang ginawa ng ina. Pinagbuksan niya saka agad na tumalikod dito. "What more do you want me to tell you, mom? How I sucked a murderer's d*ck?" Something pinched her heart, somehow. Technically, suspect pa lang si Jean. He was still innocent unless proven guilty.

But she had to feed her mind Jean really was a murderer.

"You, and your mouth, Heather!" anang ina niya.

Umisang tawa, bago pa man makakuha ng damit ay hinarap niya ito. "What? Nakakadiri bang marinig? Am I going to burn in hell? Just accept it, mom, I sucked a d*ck." Akmang kukuha na sana siya ng damit nang hawakan siya ng ina sa makabilang braso.

Marahas ay niyugyog siya nito. "You're going to France, tonight, whether you like it or not." Maawtoridad. Iyon ang tono na ginamit ni Olivia.

Karaniwan na sa mga pagkakataong doon na nag-uumpisa ang sigawan nilang mag-ina. Pero sa puntong iyon ay hindi nakipagsabayan si Heather; she had decided already. A smug smirk drew on her lips, instead. "As you wish, mom. I'm actually gonna pack my stuff."

Napipilan si Olivia. Unti-unti ay lumuwag ang mga kamay nitong nakahawak sa braso niya. It took a while before she finally let go of her arms. Ni hindi ito makapagsalita.

"And I'm gonna call Aunt Elle, tell her that I'll attend a job interview personally," tukoy niya sa nakatatandang kapatid ng ina, mariin ang pagkakabanggit sa huling salita. Her smirk was still there up until she grabbed fresh clothes. Muli ay hinarap niya itong hinuhubad ang damit na suot. "I'm gonna accept the job, aren't you happy?"

Heather, actually, looked like she was mocking her mother as if accepting her fate: working in France wasn't that of a big deal. Unfortunately, it was. And she was dying on the inside. Hindi pa rin nag-iiba iyong pagkadisgusto niya sa usaping pinupuwersa siya ng ina na magtrabaho sa isang kumpanya kung saan may kamag-anak siya.

However, after what had happened between her and Jean --- her heartbreak was too much to bear. Kung mananatili siya sa Pilipinas, mas masakit. Just like what she had said, she had to forget what they did last night.

"Of course, I'm happy." Olivia's voice toned down. She was in relief, that was for sure. Bagaman, nang maisuot ni Heather ang pang-itaas na damit, iyong pag-iling na ginawa nito, ikinakunot ng noo niya. Ito naman ang umisang tawa, mapakla. "But that's not just it why you're leaving for France."

Pinag-krus niya ang mga braso sa dibdib, pinukulan ito ng nagtatanong na tingin.

"That scandal you did with that bodyguard was all over the news, Heather. I saw the CCTV footage. Pumasok ka sa isang hotel kasama ang lalaking 'yon!" Nagtaas muli ng boses si Olivia. "What do you think would everyone tell about---"

"Scandal? Is that what you call it? Mom, it was just footage!"

"Even so! My reputation as a principal in an exclusive catholic school has been ruined because of your actions! I got fired, so is your father!"

Noon hindi nakakibo si Heather. Iyong kaninang ngisi sa mga labi niya, nawala nang ganoon kadali. Kung dati ay walang batayan ang mga paratang at mga paninisi ng ina sa kanya, ngayon ay mayroon na at halos hindi siya makapag-react sa kasalukuyan."W-What?"

"Yes. You heard me right. And we are broke, Heather."

"What do you mean we are broke."

"Better ask your dad."

That was it, her dad. Kung bakit lalo siyang nainis ay dahil doon pa lang, naunawaan na niya. "So what now? You gonna force me to marry some rich French guy just to save your asses?"

Olivia shrugged. Her eyes were watery. Heather never had seen her mom crying. Now she did. Paatras ito na humakbang palabas ng closet ay saka nito sinabi, "I've called your Aunt Elle just a while ago. It's been settled already. Just like what I said: It's not just about the job why you are leaving for France."

~~**~~