02
1590 Words
“Lieutenant, hinahanap ka kanina noong anak ni Senator.”
Dylan was pulled out of his own reverie upon hearing his co-worker’s voice. Nag-angat siya ng tingin dito at taka itong tiningnan. “Nasaan? Bakit daw?” he asked curiously.
Sergeant Estrella lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. “Naabutan niya rito si Attorney Fontanilla kaya nag-usap silang dalawa sa labas. Hindi ko alam kung saan sila nagpunta pero kaaalis lang,” he answered, making Dylan nod his head in return.
“Susunod ako. Tatawagan ko lang si Attorney,” he remarked, pertaining to his uncle, Attorney Damon Fontanilla. “Tawagan niyo na lamang ako kung kailangan. Dumalaw ba ‘yong anak ni Senator Clemente sa tatay niya o…”
“Hindi, Lieutenant, e. Basta hinahanap ka sa amin tapos sakto namang dumating si Attorney Fontanilla kaya sila na lamang ang nag-usap. Hindi ko na naitanong kung anong ipinunta niya rito dahil hindi naman siya sumilip sa tatay niya sa loob,” Sergeant Estrella answered once again.
Dylan nodded. “Kayo na muna nina Elijah at Aidan ang bahala. Saglit lang ako,” bilin niya.
Sergeant Creed Estrella nod his head as he jokingly saluted on him. “Copy, boss,” sambit nito. Hindi naman mapigilang mapailing ni Dylan dahil doon.
Ibinaba niya ang dalang bag sa puwesto niya at akmang aalis na nang muling magsalita si Creed na siyang ikinatigil niya. “Lieutenant, kasama mo ba si Ma’am Brielle kahapon?”
Dylan’s brows immediately drew in a straight line because of his question. Taka itong tumingin kay Creed dahil doon. “Hindi, bakit?”
“A-Ah, wala. Baka namalik-mata lang ako,” sambit nito at mabilis na umiling.
Naguguluhan man dahil sa sinabi nito, hindi na iyon pinansin pa ni Dylan. Baka mga kaibigang lalaki lamang ang nakita ni Creed na kasama ni Brielle kung sakali o kaya naman bodyguard. He lifted his shoulder in a half shrug before walking outside the police station.
He immediately reached out for his phone and dialed his uncle’s number. Hindi pa man nakakailang ring ay agad na nitong sinagot ang tawag kaya’t nakahinga nang maluwag si Dylan.
“Dylan,” bati ng kaniyang Tito sa kabilang linya.
He cleared his throat. “Tito,” bati niya rito pabalik. “Sabi ng mga kasama kong pulis ay dumaan daw dito ang anak ni Senator Clemente. Nag-usap kayo?”
“Oh, about that. Yes, we’re talking. Nasa police station ka na ba? We’re just near the area in case you want to talk to her.”
“Yes, Tito. In fact, I was about to follow you. Nasaan po ba kayo?”
Luminga-linga siya sa paligid upang suriin kung saan ang mga ito maaaring nagpunta. Just as if on cue, his eyes landed on the coffee shop, a few meters away from the police station. “Coffee shop, Tito?” he added.
“Yes, right. Bilisan mo dahil paalis na rin ang anak ni Senator Clemente.” Saglit itong tumigil sa pagsasalita kaya’t akala niya ay tapos na ang sasabihin nito. “Hindi ka ba busy, Miss Clemente?” Rinig niyang tanong nito sa kabilang linya.
“Hindi naman po,” mahinang sagot ng kausap ng Tito Damon niya kaya’t hindi mapigilang kumunot ang noo ni Dylan.
Senator Clemente’s child is a woman?
Napailing siya at umayos ng pagkakatayo. “Pupunta na ako riyan, Tito.”
“All right. Hihintayin ka namin ni Miss Clemente rito,” sagot sa kaniya kaya’t agad na niyang pinatay ang tawag.
Dylan drew in a long breath before putting his phone on his pocket. Saglit niyang inayos ang suot na uniporme bago mabilis na tumawid ng kalsada upang puntahan ang coffee shop sa hindi kalayuan kung saan naroon ang Tito niya at ang anak ni Senator Clemente. Who knows, maybe Senator Clemente’s daughter will help them in the case, right? Mababa man ang posibilidad na magpepresinta itong maging witness, hindi pa rin nila masasabi.
Mabilis na nakarating si Dylan sa coffee shop at agad na natagpuan si Attorney Fontanilla na nakaupo sa may bandang likod ng coffee shop. In front of him is a woman. Hindi niya makita ang mukha nito dahil nakaharap ang babae sa Tito niya kaya’t mabilis siyang lumapit.
“Kanina pa kayo, Tito?” he asked as he sat beside him.
Agad naman siyang natigilan matapos makita ang mukha ng babaeng nasa harap nila. The woman is evidently younger than him. Marahil ay kasing-edad lamang ng kaniyang kasintahan. Twenty six or twenty seven years old. Nakasuot ito ng kulay puting blusa at nakalugay ang mahaba at kulot na buhok. She looks innocent… far from his girlfriend.
“You must be Senator Clemente’s daughter?” Dylan asked the woman in front of him. “I’m Lieutenant Dylan Fontanilla. I guess you already knew my name since you’re asking for me a while ago, right?”
Hindi agad ito nakasagot. Her eyes were fixed on him, making him conscious. Mayamaya pa ay marahan itong tumango at nag-iwas ng tingin sa kaniya. “I’m. . . I’m Kaia Clemente,” she introduced herself, stuttering.
Dylan nodded. “HInahanap mo raw ako? For what reason? I presume it’s about your father, am I right?” seryosong tanong niya rito.
Senator Clemente’s daughter, Kaia, nod her head as an answer to his question. “Itatanong ko lang sana k-kung makukulong na talaga ang Daddy ko? H-Hindi na ba puwedeng maayos?” Tila kinakabahang tanong nito sa kaniya.
He sighed, feeling disappointed. Sa tono ng pagsasalita nito, mukhang hihingi pa ng dispensa para sa ginawa ng tatay niya. Napailing si Dylan dahil doon. “The Philippine government prosecutors filed a plunder case in an anti-graft court against your father, Miss Clemente. It was all because of the misused congressional funds worth billions of pesos. Billions, Miss Clemente. Keep that in mind. Aside from that, he was also involved in drugs and prostitution. There’s no way he can get away with that,” mariing sambit niya.
He saw how the woman gulped upon hearing what he said. Mukhang nalinawan na ito na hindi basta-basta ang ikakaso sa kaniyang ama. At isa pa, mukhang nakinabang din naman ang babae sa yaman na ninakaw ng tatay niya. From the clothes that she’s wearing, she looked high-maintenance. Alam niya na mamahalin ang suot nitong damit dahil ganoon din ang sinusuot ng kaniyang pinsan.
Kapag nakulong ang ama niya, siguradong mawawalan siya ng pera kaya’t hindi na nakakapagtaka kung magmamakaawa ito sa kanila.
“H-Hanggang kailan siya makukulong kung sakali mang makulong siya? Ilang taon siya sa loob?”
Nag-angat siya ng tingin dito at sinuri ang ekspresyon sa mukha nito. The woman was looking down but her hands is on the table, making it visible for them how her hands trembled while speaking.
“Fifteen years,” his uncle answered on his behalf. “Mabigat ang ikinaso sa kaniya kaya’t hindi siya basta-basta makakalabas—“
“Lang?”
Dylan stilled on his spot upon hearing what she said. He looked towards her obliviously. “What did you say?” Hindi makapaniwalang tanong niya rito.
The woman smiled sweetly on him. “Nothing,” tanging sambit nito ay tumayo. “Baka hanapin niya ako dahil hindi ako dumadalaw sa kaniya. Pakisabi na wala na akong balak pang dalawin siya. You can do whatever you want with him… I don’t care.”
“From the way you talk about your father, it looks like you don’t like him,” panimula ni Dylan at kunot-noong tiningnan ang dalaga. “If you do, do want to testify—“
“Nah.” She immediately cut his words off. Kinuha nito ang dalang bag sa upuan at isinukbit iyon. Binuksan niya ang bag at animo’y may kung anong kukunin doon. “I don’t like associating myself with those kind of people. Masiyado na akong maraming pinoproblema, ayaw ko nang magdagdag pa.”
“But—“
“Umasa ka, right? Inisip mo na magmamakaawa ako sa ‘yo na palabasin ang Daddy ko? God. I wasn’t aware that police like you are gullible enough to believe me.”
“What are you talking about?” seryosong tanong ni Dylan nang marinig ang sinabi ng babae.
The woman smiled before she roamed her eyes around the coffee shop. “May kilala akong journalist na nakakita sa atin kanina. Mabuti nalang naaksyunan ko kaagad at magaling akong umarte or else… iisipin ng mga tao na ang sama ko namang anak dahil gusto kong mas lalo pang magtagal ang Daddy ko sa kulungan. I am too smart to fall from their trap—bahala na kayong maglinis kung may kumalat mang balita na tinangka ko kayong suhulan para palabasin ang Daddy ko.”
Wala sa sariling umawang ang labi ni Dylan dahil sa sinabi ng dalaga ngunit bago pa man siya makapagsalita ay nakatayo na ang dalaga at kinuha mula sa mesa ang mamahalin niyang bag.
“Tawagan mo na lamang ako kapag naipakulong mo na si Daddy,” sambit nito at walang ano-ano’y hinawakan ang kamay niya at may kung anong inilagay doon. Dylan gulped because of what she did. The woman smiled sweetly on him before she turned her back and walked away to leave.
Naiwan namang hindi makapaniwala si Dylan dahil sa nangyari. Damn.
“What’s that?”
He was pulled out of his own reverie when his uncle spoke. Itinuro nito ang kamay niya kaya’t wala sa sariling tiningnan iyon ni Dylan.
It was a calling card with the name of the woman—Kaia Clemente.
- Writer
