“Is that so? So where is that tape? Do you want me to listen to it instead and just tell you if I find something?”
“No, just rest here for now, Nica. You’re still weak, you need to regain your strength. You also lost a lot of blood.”
“No, Aedrian, I insist. You focus on what you’re doing. I’ll listen to the tape. Where is it?”
“I’ll get it. I’ll be back.” He was about to leave the room when someone came in. “Oh, Dad? What are you doing here?”
I saw him glance at me. “I just need to get a statement from your friend.” He walked toward my bed. My breathing tightened when I saw that thing on his waist—his gun. I leaned back on the bed. I felt like I was going to lose my mind from fear.
“Dad, I already got her statement. I’ll just tell you later. Let’s leave Nica here for now so she can rest.”
I breathed in relief when Aedrian guided his father out of my room.
A few moments later, the door opened again. “Oh, Aedrian, you’re fast. I was just—”
I froze when I saw a man with his head down. His hair covered his eyes, and the only thing I could see was his terrifying smile.
“W-who are you?” I asked as he slowly walked toward me.
“Did you forget already?” His mocking eyes peeked through his hair. Fear crept into me. It felt like I had seen him before, but I couldn’t remember when or where.
“I-I don’t know you! Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“Don’t fool yourself. Don’t pretend you don’t remember, because I know you do. And you are now on my side.”
I went silent as I finally remembered where I had seen him. He looked different now—surrounded by a dark aura, unlike the first time I saw him when he seemed like someone who wouldn’t do anything wrong.
“I’m here to tell you what you need to do now that you are a member of the fraternity. Actually, there’s only one thing I want you to do…” He turned away from me as if he was done speaking.
Fraternity?
“Stop Aedrian,” I heard him say.
“Why would I listen to you? Why would I stop Aedrian from finding out who is behind this?”
He laughed. A chilling laugh that made my body shiver.
“How about this—you help me with him, and I’ll help you find who killed your mother. And if you want to kill him the same way he killed your mother, you can.”
Justice.
“Who are you really?”
He walked toward the door, holding the doorknob as he spoke. “The 12th letter in the alphabet. I’m L.”
AEDRIAN
I never thought she had this kind of past. The fact that she carries it all along and never mentions it when we’re together… I want to help her. Maybe that’s the reason she asked me if I’m a detective—because she’s looking for someone who can help her find justice. She was asking for help, but all I did was think she was on the edge of insanity.
I closed the folder my father brought me. It contained what really happened to Nica’s mother and who the real perpetrator was. Ronaldo Villamor—the man who shot Mareth Silvania. He escaped responsibility, which is why the police are still looking for him. I can’t help but wonder… why would a police officer do such a terrible thing to a woman?
I let out a deep sigh from disappointment as I thought about my seatmate. I feel like I wasn’t a good friend to Nica. I should’ve at least asked how she was doing. I only realized now that I still know nothing about her.
“I wasn’t surprised by her reaction when she saw me. Maybe the memory of what happened to her mother came back,” my father explained. I was currently in his office helping with the investigation. He couldn’t stop me anymore since I insisted.
“There’s something strange about that. The first time she saw you, she didn’t react like that. In fact, she was even happy to meet you. So why is her reaction different now? Maybe something happened when she followed the man who shot Marco. Maybe someone pointed a gun at her and threatened her—that could be why her trauma came back.” Dad nodded.
“Let’s set aside your friend for now. Speaking of Marco, I’ve found similarities among the victims: Lyca, Lemuel, Paul, and Marco.”
I stopped thinking about my seatmate and focused on what my father said.
“Really?”
“Yes. I found out they were all members of a fraternity.”
“A fraternity?”
“Yes, Aedrian. They were part of the Apple Fraternity. It was a group of young people who helped individuals with disabilities, but later on, after an incident, nothing more was heard about them.”
“Incident?”
“Let me give you the background. According to a case from 2015, the founder of the Apple Fraternity was found dead in a university comfort room. I found the case in the station’s records. It was said to be a suicide due to a slit wrist, but his fellow members denied it. They said their leader had no reason to kill himself…”
“Do you have a list of members of the Apple Fraternity back then and now?” I asked my father, starting to feel like a police investigator myself.
“Unfortunately, no. There is no such file in police records. The organization is very private, and their files are kept in your school. The council does not release them because they are confidential.”
“So how did you find out that Lyca was part of the fraternity?”