Our Mental Polarity

Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Si Ethan Luiz, Martyn’s cousin.”

The moment my senses completely processed what Attorney Shim just said, my mind started frantic chaos. It caught me off guard and I felt like a bucket of ice-cold water was just poured on me.

I know Martyn… and his family. They have the blood of explicit professionals. With that, my courage started to shatter into pieces. This fight… needs a lot of bullets and bandages. Alam kong hindi matatapos ang laban na ito nang hindi ako nasusugatan.

“It threatened you too, didn’t it?” he asked, hesitant.

“N-no, not at all.” I denied that obviously didn’t work.

Attorney Shim shook his head.

“Ito na nga ba ang sinasabi ko.” He looked away. “It intimidated you, right? Ngayon pa lang ‘yan, what more on court? Ethan is a nightmare, mind you.”

I contemplated… deeper than ever before. I have risked a lot for this, I can’t afford to lose. I will not lose, never. Para kay papa, kay Dalton at para sa akin. If facing Ethan is what it takes, I’ll be the voice to wake the nightmare himself up.

Martes ng hapon, ilang oras bago matapos ang shift ko sa flower shop, naka-receive ako ng isng message mula kay Attorney.

Let’s meet tomorrow, same place and time, I have something to tell you.

I replied a simple agreement and sighed. We did great with the first one, gotta make sure we have this in our bags.

Ilang minuto pa ang lumipas at halos amagin na ako sa loob ng shop. Wala kahit isang customer at hindi ko alam kung bakit. Usually ay ganitong oras maraming tao ngunit ngayon ay kakaiba. Hanggang sa maya-maya ay naisipan ko na lamang i-rearrange ang mga bulaklak na nakadisplay sa loob at labas ng shop. Matapos gawin iyon ay nag-check din ako ng sales report for the past two months. Everything was doing good not until mapansin kong kulang ng isang pahina ang record book.

Strange, ayaw ng owner ng shop na pinupunit ang record book kahit na may mali pa sa records dito. Usually itinutupi niya lang ang mga discarded pages and order receipts pero never niya pinunit iyon. At ang pinakanakapagtataka, iyon ay ang araw bago namatay si papa—February 3, 2017. Last time I checked the record book and sales report, wala pang kulang dito. And that was before I had a one week leave para sa photoshoot ng Rouge magazine. Walang ibang nagtake over sa duty ko but Sheki.

My eyebrows furrowed. Something is not going well.

Ikaapat ng Pebrero, 2017, ang araw kung kailan namatay sa mismong bisig ko ang aking ama. Hindi ko makakalimutan ang lahat, hindi lamang dahil sa sakit na mayroon ako, pero dahil ito ang pinakamalaking nagpabago sa buhay ko. Ilang araw na lang matatapos na ang buwang ito, at ilang araw na lang, muling mabubuksan ang pagdinig sa kaso ni papa. Alam kong marami pa ang nakatagong mukha sa likod nito at sisiguraduhin kong ibalik sa kanilang lahat ang ginawa nila kay papa.

I then slid my phone out of my pocket and messaged Attorney Shim,

I got to tell you something as well.

They started this fight dragging me down, I’ll end this knocking them down twice.

In a flash, I found myself in front of an old acacia door anticipating Attorney Shim to open it after knocking thrice. It then narrowly opened and Jake showed up letting me in.

I sat on a stool soon as I entered and he didn’t bother wasting time for he immediately presented me an envelope.

“Open it,” Attorney Shim uttered.

Nag-aalangan man nang una ay mabilis ko pa ring binuksan ang envelope. Tumambad sa akin ang mahigit labinlimang piraso ng papel. Isa-isa kong sinuri ang mga iyon at napansing iyon ay mga screenshots, ngunit hindi ko alam kung screenshots ng ano.

“Uh, anong ibig sabihin nito, Attorney?” tanong ko.

“Our exhibit A for tomorrow. Screenshots,’

“Screenshots ng ano?” tanong ko pa ulit.

“Well last week, as I was studying your dad’s case, napansin ko na we’ve been focusing a lot to get the copy of CCTV footages sa A. Bonifacio, C. Aquino and M. Roxas. However, corrupted ang first part ng kaisa-isang footage from A. Bonifacio corner kaya we can’t completely rely on it as evidence.”

“At iyon lang ang nag-iisang CCTV na nakatutok sa intersection na iyon,” dagdag ko pa.

“But we still have something to show,” he confidently said, slightly smirking.

“Ano ‘yon?” I eagerly asked. The adrenaline rushed in me.

“I reviewed the three footages we have, and came up with something.” He then started setting up the monitor in front of us and eventually played the footage from M. Roxas. “Since we are incapable of providing what happened in A. Bonifacio earlier than the crime, I tried to get more footage from the nearby streets as possible. Here is a CCTV clip from M. Roxas on that same night, 8:04PM, literally ten minutes before Mr. Honrado, your dad, appeared almost lifeless on the hands of two men. Observe, Aeshia,” he explained.

I geeked and attentively watched the clip. There was nothing but a normal night, people were doing the norm and I cannot spot anything to be used as evidence.

“Noticed something?” he asked.

“Nah, what should I notice with that? It was just a normal night basis, people living as they should, may mga lumalabas ng bahay, may naglalakad, may dumaraang sasakyan and—”

“That’s it, Aeshia, you got it,” he halted me.

“No, I definitely didn’t.”

“Iyong sasakyang dumaan.”

“What about that?”

“It may sound crazy pero ito na lang ang naisip kong paraan to gather more evidence. See that white hatchback car?” I nodded. “Sinundan ko ang mga dinaanan niya through CCTV footages from different streets and establishments,” Attorney Shim said, smiling, seemed finding what he did funny.

“Seryoso?! What for?” I asked in complete surprise.

“Yup, you see, wala na tayong footages to be used as evidence so we have to look beyond possibilities. I followed that white hatchback car owner and luckily, I was able to find her. Merlinda, a thirty-year-old single mom—hindi na mahalaga ang identity niya. You know what is more important? The copy of footage taken by her dashcam that night.” He smiled widely. “Yes, Aeshia, I literally traced every road she went through just to get a copy of her dashcam footage. And everything was worth the time and effort, for because of that, we now have our first exhibit.”

I slowly nodded as I slowly absorb every single bit of idea. I am getting more of these evidences now.

“So these… are screenshots of her dashcam footage?”

“Exactly, Aeshia, exactly!” He clapped once and smiled even wider.

I slowly examined the screenshots again.

“As our first exhibit, we will be flashing this dashcam footage, then afterwards, these screenshots will give more emphasis and clearance to the details caught on the footage. Look.” He played the footage on the screen.

There, the footage started at exactly 8:03PM, driving at a street several meters from the said intersection. It then drove off the A. Bonifacio corner by 8:06PM and stopped at a convenience store a minute after, approximately 12-15 meters from where papa was found lying later on. The woman seemed to have a lot of chitchats inside the convenience store for it took her six minutes before returning to her car. She started the engine calmly at 8:13 and papa appeared on the footage. He was walking slowly and just passed by the car. And at exact 8:14, it caught how papa started holding his right chest. He seemed enduring an excruciating pain as he fell on his knees in instant.

“This is the exact time when the two men at the M. Roxas have their guns out, 8:14, tama?” tanong ko.

“Paying attention sa time, eh?” He chuckled. “But yeah, here’s the footage from M. Roxas para buohin ang first exhibit.”

He then played another footage and it was the footage from Merlinda’s dashcam and from M. Roxas side by side. Mapapansing the exact same time na inilabas ng lalaki sa M. Roxas ang baril ay kasabay na paghawak ni papa sa kanang bahagi ng dibdib niya.

“So papa… was shot? Iyon ang dahilan ng pagkamatay niya and not the two men we have been accusing ever since this case started?” gulat na tanong ko.

“Apparently, with the evidences we have, yes. Your father was shot at 8:14 in A. Bonifacio corner.”

“E’di hindi na tama na lumaban tayo bukas sa korte, dahil inosente ang dalawang nasasakdal? Nasaan na iyong dalawang bumaril kay papa? Hindi ba sila dapat ang idinidiin at ipinapakulong?” naguguluhang tanong ko pa.

“Not quite, Aeshia. We’re not done yet.” He shook his head.

“Anong ibig mong sabihin?”

“Para sagutin ang mga tanong mo one by one, nakakulong na ang dalawang iyan. Upon investigating, nalaman kong nahuli sila nitong nakaraang linggo lang dahil sa iba pang krimen. However, kailangan pa rin natin lumaban bukas sa korte dahil may kaso pa rin ang dalawang nasasakdal dahil sa two stabs and multiple physical injuries. And to tell you, hindi natin aaminin bukas na ang dahilan ng pagkamatay ng papa mo ay gunshot, instead, we’ll focus on stabs and multiple physical injuries done by the opposition.”

“What?! Isn’t it unfair for the two of them?”

“Not at all, Aeshia.”

“Pero malinaw sa video na kasabay ng pagputok ng baril ay ang pagkatumba ni papa, malalaman pa rin nila na iyon ang dahilan,” I reasoned out.

“I will not show them this entire clip yet. I’ll just show them whatever is favorable on us to make sure we win. Kung ipapakita natin ang buong video, bababa lang ang verdict para sa kanilang dalawa.”

“Hindi ba evidence tampering iyon? You could be charged!”

“It is not tampering, it’s a tactic.” He smirked.

My jaw dropped.

“You… could really be heartless when it comes to court, couldn’t you?”

“Every lawyer was born with a heart of three faces; bravery, passion and victory greed.”