Investigation (VI)

11:45 P.M. 

Manila National Police Station. 

July 20th, the year 2018. Friday. 

5 hours and 15 minutes since Katrina Fajardo went missing. 

"Marcus, what was happening right now... We should face it. The problems that are granted upon us need to have an answer. In what ways do we have to solve this cruel situation rather than running away from it? We should think about how we can bravely answer these questions about this person who wanted us to be dead!" Xian shouted over the room as it resonated in Marcus's ears. 

He knew Xian had a point. He was wide awake with the reality surrounding them. Marcus knew that what he was doing was all illegal towards the law and towards his conscience. 

"Remember that if you want to run away with your problems and your mistakes, deal with what consequences you have to receive." Xian gritted his teeth. 

"Don't lose the numerous chances to solve the problems that come your way rather than running away. Deal with it, face it. Instead of turning your back on it, do what you think is right. Open your eyes wide awake through reality," Xian said as he exhaled towards Marcus.

He laid down his head on his clipboard as Xian hit the right point. He was so scared of what will happen to them right now, and he doesn't even know how he can prevent it.

Marcus had the authority to catch the killers, thieves and everyone who would disobey the law. But how can he save his best friends from their own death notes? 

Xian leaned back and muttered, "Wake up, Marcus. Please. We need your help, so don't turn a blind eye to what was happening. We need to open our eyes and face whatever the way it is." 

Marcus scoffed as he felt the tears coming right away from his eyes. He couldn't contain the grief that he was feeling right now as he felt his cell phone was vibrating again. 

Marcus can't even pick it up from his pockets because he knew it was Katrina's birthday reminder. He glanced at his wristwatch and saw that it was fifteen minutes away before midnight. 

The surprise that they planned early in the morning at Matthew's house, it all wasted. Even the reasons that they will say to Katrina, Matthew, lay it upon them. Even though they knew that Carmela still had a grudge against her, she would follow them at all costs. 

Katrina was the prime suspect for Margo Monteverde's murder case. Marcus was trying to remove her name from it. But, when the results come out, he will pour his arguments down in the drain.

Xian breathed, looking the other way. He saw Marcus bawling his eyes out. 

What was happening right now was completely a misdirection. The person behind all of this wanted them to blame each other. Even though the real culprit was outside of the circle. Marcus bit his lip ragingly as his tears halted. 

Marcus gripped the pen in his right hand as he thought about where Katrina was right now. For the past hour, the officers who were searching for Katrina didn't deliver any updates. They were still finding clues. Marcus knew to himself that the officers would find something. 

Marcus sat upright again, retrieved his cell phone from the pockets of his jeans. He snoozed the birthday reminder as he sniffed. Xian averted his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. 

"I apologize. I need to continue asking you about the accident as part of our investigation," Marcus said. He swallowed and licked his lips after. He scribbled down something over the piece of the paper and motioned for Xian to continue. 

"We can continue this tomorrow if it is hard to bear," Xian mumbled as Marcus looked up at him with blazing eyes. 

"We could finish right away. I need to do something urgent after this. We need to get your statement right away so we can pick up the files from the Vehicular Division. Continue narrating the story you had earlier, don't mind me," Marcus explained. He stared over the blank part of the paper while pointing the pen over it. Xian breathed as he continued what he was saying.

"As I was saying, Carmela had a fictitious name over the Diner to conceal her true identity. It was Lori Ramirez. I knew she had been hiding from the manager and staff there for almost a year," Xian continued. Marcus didn't even dare to write it down. He jotted down the name of Lori Ramirez he was saying and didn't connect it with the name of his best friend. 

"Michie lent me a handkerchief that time, and I didn't even recognize who she was. When she said that she knew that Lori Ramirez was Carmela Torres, I'm astonished by that. I didn't even know Carmela would tell Michie about her life," Xian explained.

They knew Carmela doesn't want to talk about her personal life rather than her circle of friends. Marcus creased his forehead a little as Xian continued to narrate the accident. 

"I wondered what her name was. I was surprised to hear that she was one of the Alestres. The family that established a company for guns and ammunition. She blurted out her name right in front of me when we were in the Diner. I was so puzzled," Xian spoke as Marcus widened his eyes at what he said. 

"Alestre? The company that had been bankrupt for over a year now? The one who produced the guns and weaponry over the government?" Marcus asked as he leaned forward over his table. He placed the clipboard over his side, as the name that he heard sounded so familiar. 

"Yeah. The red-haired girl that Mina was talking about. He chased someone over Clara Avenue. Her name's Michie Alestre. The eldest daughter of the owners of the Alestre Company. She was also the one who kissed me on my hospital bed that Margo had seen over the video on her cell phone. She was that one," Xian elaborated. Marcus scribbled down her name right on the paper. 

"Michie, Michie, Michie... I can't seem to know where I heard that name. She sounded so familiar," Marcus whispered to himself. Xian pursed his lips, sighing. 

"What did she say after that?" Marcus asked.

"She told me that her mother died over some time now, and I didn't even remember the date if she said it. I don't know how I can convey what she was saying. She said that she knew what Carmela was feeling," Xian added. Marcus thought hard about what was that familiar name bugging into the corners of his mind. 

"I went outside of the Diner as soon as possible because I needed to do something. I also wanted to catch up with Carmela that day, but I bumped into Xyrelle Martinez, the brother of your best friend." Xian brought Xyrelle up into the light. Marcus wrote Xyrelle's name over the paper underneath the name of Michie, as he nodded to Xian. 

"Xyrelle Martinez? I thought he was having a long several weeks with his arm injury?" Marcus asked. 

"I thought so too. When I bumped into him, I saw how thick his cast was. I don't know where he was heading through, but I think he was going to buy some food for dinner. I needed to rush towards our house at that time, so I didn't prolong the conversation," Xian discussed. Marcus listened intently to him, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Marcus got mystified about the events. Xyrelle and Michie, in one place with Xian, who had been on the verge of the accident. It sounded suspicious.

"After we departed from the entrance, I'm abashed with the letters over the side of my car. Someone painted it there on purpose. Not to scare something, but to say that it will be the reality we have to face," Xian mumbled. Marcus traced his bottom lip. He connected the happenings on the day Margo died... until the earlier night of Katrina's abduction.