Episode 14

Councilman Tan: I’ll be sitting right there.

Lt. Berdin: Later then.

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. de la Cruz with the three OJT cops and a corporal stop at a corner where. Two police squad cars arrive for their rendezvous. He gives them instructions on how to proceed with the arrest procedures in a worst scenario or invitation to the police headquarters.

They’d better not run, I hope letting the ladies talk them out might ease out their fear. Lt. Col. de la Cruz thinking.

Officer Martires and Officer Silva together with a mobile patrol officer were to invite Ms. Emma Matinao. While on the next street Officer Ruiz and Corporal Diogenes and their counterpart mobile patrol officer to the residence of Ms. Sol Estardante.

Their procedures are being broadcast on the internet using TheDagWay Social media platform. One of the Officers takes the video as they approach the residences.

Officer Martires, arrives, and finds the door open. Like any other residences most of the homes have their front doors open always. Unlike in other countries, the people of Dakbayan, do not tend to close their doors during daytime. And this is most pronounced in Forge Island. However Kris City is somewhat different, in fact the extremes. The average folks have open doors, while the middle classes and the upper classes are locked.

Emma lives in a very close knit neighborhood, not exactly the slums just the lower classes.

The Archipelagic Country of Dakbayan, and more specifically the Central Island and Southern Islands, are more cautious on class status. They believed that God created three classes in nature. An example would be the three types of parrots in Forge Island. Parrots that have shorter feathers or plumes are called Periko Ulipun, those with longer plumes are called Periko Timawa, and those who looked majestic, are Pariko Datu.

11:30 AM

Silva is taking the video, while Martires, having nothing really to knock on, has to call out who is in the house.

Officer Martires: Anybody home? Yoo hooo!

After several calls, a neighbor approaches them.

Tipay: Excuse me? Who are you looking for?

Officer Martires: We are looking for Emma Matinao, is she around?

Tipay refers to a neighbor.

Tipay: Manang Tasing? Did you happen to see Em-em around?

Manang Tasing who lives right across Emma Matinao’s house. Is like the neighborhood snitch. Well, all rumors start with her. She sees all, she hears all. But only talks to neighbors, not cops.

Manang Tasing: I don’t know, she must have come in late last night, she said yesterday that she was being appointed to be a mediation secretary or some sort.

Tipay: Oh really? Good for her.

She turns to face the police.

Tipay: I’ll see if she is in there.

Tipay goes inside the house. While the police, having no warrants, had to stay outside, and play safe. Moments later…

Tipay: She’ll be out in a bit.

The officers thanked her. And out comes Emma Matinao, who seems to have no idea what is going on and is still half asleep.

Ms. Matinao: Yes? [sighs]

Officer Martires: Maam, we would like to ask you a few questions on the death of Ms. Villamar. We would like you to come to the station with us.

Ms. Matinao: I already gave my statements. Do I have to? Can I come…

She pauses for a while to ponder.

Ms. Matinao: Oh, well, it is rather late, can I have lunch first, have you had your lunch?

Officer Martires: Well, don’t you worry about us. We will wait for you.

Ms. Matinao realizes that she has a text from the Community Hall.

Ms. Matinao: I seem to have been called at the office, and it says the police are waiting for me.

Officer Martires: I’ll make some calls about that. This might be the same thing.

Meanwhile on the other team, same street but across the intersection…

Sol Estardante, reads the text message on her cellphone. Her eyes widened, her face became pale. She opens her small wardrobe, grabs all the clothes she can muster in one take. All of it falls on the floor as she fails and falls on the floor along with her clothes.

She starts to panic, frantic on something. She turns her head around her small room. She gets up, starts to rummage around. Trying to find anything, something.

She begins to sob, and sighs.

A black backpack.

She regains some composure.

She starts to pack up, clothes, underwear, packing things just anything that she could find into her backpack. Her mind begins to unravel. She mumbles to herself...

Oh no, will this all fit, fit into this bag… They are after me… Why? How did they find out?

Her thoughts of trying to figure what is going on, only leads to more confusion, as her paranoia grows. She puts on her jeans, and a shirt, forgetting to wear her bra. She grabs a shoe, high heels stiletto, ‘NO’ she mumbles, as she throws it aside. Finds a rubber shoe and wears them.

Socks on the floor, she realizes she is not wearing one. But she pauses and puts on the socks, while taking her shoes off, she realizes that she is not wearing any bra and takes her shirt off. She rummages through her wardrobe again.

Like a banshee crying, she screams, as she puts both of her hands on top of her head, scratching it, but stops a quarter of her breath. Puts both of her hands on her mouth and muffles her cries.

She breathes heavily, and sinks down to the floor half *****. Sobbing, crying, trying to control her emotions running wild.

A shirt, a sleeveless shirt on the floor, she picks it up and puts it on as she wipes away her tears, then wears the shirt she took off a little while ago. She puts on her shoes, and grabs her backpack.

A padlock on the floor.

She goes out of her room, but she goes back inside, picks the padlock that was on the floor.

She locks her room and padlocks it.

She tries to comb her hair with her hands, as she walks along the corridor of the boarding house she is staying.

She sees cops walking towards her boarding house, no could be towards her. She walks towards them, and then evades them by crossing to the other side of the street. Trying to walk as if oblivious to what is happening around her.

Officer Ruiz: Looks like she is having a bad hair day.

Officer Ruiz commented on the looks of a lady who walked past them.

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