I SANG baul ng impormasyon ang nasa Tanglad Island. Literal na isang baul. Walang kamalay-malay ang katiwala na lingguhan lang kung magpunta sa isla na nakapaglagay na sa bahay doon ng mga gamit ang ina ni Alexandra. Sa loob ng isang nakakandadong baul.
Naroon ang kopya ng mga libro, ang mga code na na-decode. Naroon ang detalye ng tungkol sa exploration, mga resibo, at listahan ng mga taong konektado roon. Kasama rin doon ang detalye ng lahat ng tungkol kay Il Serpante. Kung nasaan ang mga pag-aari nitong bahay, kung sino ang ginagamit para sa money laundering, kung sino ang malalapit ditong matataas na tao.
Pero higit sa lahat ng iyon, may dalawang sulat. Isa para kay Alexandra at isa para sa kanyang ama. Hindi na kailangan pa ng DNA test. Nasa sulat ng kanyang ina ang impormasyon tungkol sa matanda.
Alexandra,
By this point, I hope I am still alive. If not, I wish you are with your father. It’s always been my dream to introduce you to him. I know he will be mad at me. But I also know he will understand.
I don’t know if you will hate me. Maybe not. For some reason, I was given a child whose heart is made of gold. Too soft sometimes, I thought.
For keeping you from your father, I apologize. Believe me, I only had best intentions for you. I did not want you to be a part of our world. All your life, the part that you spent with me, I tried my best to teach you what I thought would be best to survive in this world. I have always believed the past will haunt us. I live my life everyday, worried that my past will get to you. I hope that day never comes, but if it does, I hope I taught you how to survive.
Did I love your father? With all my heart. But I love you more. He’s not a bad man, only a little too hardheaded. I do believe he can never let the past go and will go on living the kind of life I do not want you to be introduced to.
If you are reading this with your father and I am not with you two, it means something bad happened to me. Lately, I’ve been realizing that I have trusted Robert again by mistake. I don’t think he will kill me, but I can never be sure what he might do. I’m in this too deep.
My goal is to find the lost city of gold, and give it back to the world. For why? Maybe I have grown a conscience. Of all the things I took, I owe the world a damned lot. Your children, my would-be grandchildren, I owe them. It can be argued that my ego needs to accomplish something big again. Something to put my signature on, proudly this time. Maybe there is truth in that as well. Anyway, the exploration is something huge. I can’t do it alone, that was clear from the beginning. Robert can help, I thought. He has connections. He built an empire and made a clean and well-respected name for himself, something I did not manage to accomplish. As of the writing of this letter, we had a disagreement for his vision was not the same as mine. He seems erratic, but I guess he’s always been. Lately, a bit more than usual.
Again, I’m sorry, my love. I hope Mama didn’t fail you too much. I love you. I will always love you, Alexandra.
Mama
Umiiyak siya habang nagbabasa. Para sa buhay ng ina. Now, more than ever, she wanted and needed to find Robert Goodman. He would pay. And he would pay dearly. Ironically, he would pay through her mother.
“Alexandra?” pukaw sa kanya ng ama.
Agad niya itong niyakap. Nag-iyakan sila. Wala siyang pakialam kahit naroon si Connor.
Hinaplos ng ama ang kanyang mukha. “We need to get him.”
“Mama will.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t believe Mama would want his blood on our hands,” sabi ni Alexandra.
“He deserves to die,” sabad ni Connor.
“He does. But not from our own hands. I think I have a plan.”
SUOT ni Alexandra ang isang pulang evening gown. Kasama niya sa pagtitipon ang ama na naka-tux. Kasama rin sina Luca at Connor na pareho ring naka-tux. It was a lovely night in Dubai. The party was hosted by the French embassy. Luca managed to get them invitations.
Sa red carpet, maraming paparazzi. Para silang um-attend sa Oscar’s. Everything seemed to glitter. May kung anong pananabik ang puso ni Alexandra. Hindi para sa pagtitipon, kundi para sa kaganapan sa gabing iyon. Justice for her mother, finally.
Isa sa mga imbitado ay walang iba kundi si Robert Goodman. Of course, the billionaire who bought Maria Paz’s books was also one of the invitees. His name was Zayed Al Omeir. Bago pa sumapit ang gabing iyon, naghanda na ang grupo nina Alexandra. Mukhang naghanda rin ang grupo ni Zayed.
The plan was rather simple to accomplish. Pinadalhan nila si Zayed ng kopya ng mga libro para maging malinaw sa lalaki na wala rito ang nag-iisang kopya. Sinabi nilang kung interesado itong malaman ang iba pang detalye, kontakin lang sila. Of course the man contacted them. They sent him the information about who sold Sergio the books. Ilang araw na ang nakalilipas nang hulihin si Sergio ng kapulisan. He was indicted quickly. No delays whatsoever. Zayed was brilliant. Nagawa nito iyon kay Sergio nang walang bakas. No one knew who was behind it. Natural na iniisip ng mga tao na ang gobyerno mismo ang nasa likod niyon. Sergio was still the boss of an organized crime group, after all. But they knew better.
It was clear to Zayed that he was conned. They told him that the codes would be delivered to the government of Peru. Zayed had no choice but to coordinate with the concerned agencies, draft a contract that would be mutually beneficial. Sa sandaling mapirmahan na ang mga papeles, ipapadala nina Alexandra ang mga code sa lalaki at magpapadala rin ng kopya niyon sa gobyerno. Zayed would still take a part of the loot, of course, but he could not take everything for that would never belong to him. Ang kinauukulan na ang bahala sa deal na iyon. Zayed did not know who they were. He would never know.
“May I have this dance?” tanong ng ama ni Alexandra sa kanya nang pumailanlang ang isang waltz.
Nakangiting tinanggap ni Alexandra ang kamay nito. They waltzed. Panay ang buntong-hininga ng matanda, sinabing para na rin daw sigurong iyon ang kanyang sweet sixteen. Natigil ang kanilang pagsasayaw nang ibulong nitong dumating na si Robert.
There he was indeed, looking like a gentleman in his tux. Matikas ang lalaki, salt and pepper ang medyo mahabang buhok—making him look like a contradiction, saying he was sophisticated, but a hippie at the same time. May kasama itong batang-batang blonde. Maraming binabati si Robert at marami ding bumabati rito. He really was well-respected and many looked up to him. Sino ang mag-aakalang isa itong mamamatay-tao? He was able to reinvent himself and made the proper connections. Pero mula simula, negosyante ang lalaki, mautak, ganid.
Ipinabasa kay Alexandra ng ama ang sulat dito ng kanyang ina. May kasamang kuwento ang sulat. Sinabi ng kanyang ina ang tungkol sa buhay nito. It was written in diary form. Nalaman ni Alexandra kung anong klaseng buhay nagkaroon ang ina. Wala rin siyang duda na ang pinakamasaya nitong mga araw ay nang makilala ang kanyang ama at nang lumaon, ang mga panahong magkasama sila. Kung nalaman lang niya noon pa, baka ni hindi na siya umalis sa tabi nito.
Hindi rin niya magawang sisihin ang ama. Hindi nito alam na ganoon ang saloobin ng kanyang ina. If he knew what her mother was going to do, he probably would never have left her side and probably left the job also. Sa huli, wala silang magagawang mag-ama kundi ang magpatuloy. It was what her mother would have wanted.
Inoobserbahan ni Alexandra si Robert Goodman. Mayamaya, nakita niyang nilapitan ito ni Zayed. Nag-usap ang dalawa. May dumating na waitress makalipas ang ilang sandali at nag-alok ng inumin. Humingi si Zayed ng isa, ganoon din si Robert. Inabutan ang mga ito ng tig-isang champagne flute mula sa tray. Saglit na nag-usap pa ang dalawa, saka lumayo si Zayed at lumapit sa French ambassador. Robert seemed to be having a blast. Mabilis nitong naubos ang inumin at ipinatong sa tray ng dumaraang waitress, saka hinarap ang ka-date.
“I know it’s inappropriate to say, given the situation, but you look stunning, Alexandra. Would you like to dance with me?”
Napatitig siya sa mga mata ni Connor. She wanted to, at the same time she did not want to. Naroon din ang mga kaganapan na hindi nila nakikita sa ngayon. She was confused. Pero bago pa siya makasagot, inabot na nito ang kanyang kamay. Seryoso ang lalaki, parang may gustong sabihin ang mga mata.
“What is it?” bulong niya.
Sa halip na sumagot, dinala nito ang sayaw papunta sa malayong panig ng malaking dance floor, saka siya pasimpleng hinawakan sa kamay at umalis na sila sa dance floor, papunta sa bar. Kumuha ito ng isang champagne flute mula sa champagne tower, at inabutan din siya ng isa. Habang iniinom iyon, tumingin ang lalaki sa kanya. “Here she comes. Watch her.”
Pasimpleng sinundan ni Alexandra ng tingin ang tinitingnan ni Connor. He was watching the waitress who was holding the tray where Robert put his empty champagne flute on. There were only four flutes on the tray, she noticed. Nawala sa anggulo ng kanyang mga mata ang tray nang ibaba iyon ng babae mula sa pagkakataas gamit ang isang kamay. Nang muli nitong itaas ang kamay, tatlo na lang ang flute sa tray.
“How did you even guess?” bulong niya. It was clear, they put something in Robert’s drink. Kahit magkaroon ng imbestigasyon, walang makikitang ebidensiya dahil wala na ang baso. Higit sa lahat, sa mga mata ng mundo, walang motibo si Zayed.
Pinagmasdan ni Alexandra si Robert. Parang nasasakal ito sa damit sa paraan ng paghigit sa kuwelyo niyon. Mayamaya, naglakad ang lalaki palabas ng ballroom.
“I will say hello,” sabi niya.
“Are you sure—”
“The amateur can say hello, can’t she?” Tumayo siya at sumunod kay Robert. Inilabas niya ang cigarette case sa bag nang makalabas ng ballroom. Naroon si Robert, tanggal na ang butones ng dress shirt. Nagsindi si Alexandra ng sigarilyo kahit hindi siya naninigarilyo. May mangilan-ngilang tao roon, ang iba, may hawak na tabako, at may ilan na sigarilyo ang hawak.
Pasimple siyang naglakad palapit sa lalaki na nakahawak na sa dibdib nito sa puntong iyon. Bago pa siya tuluyang makalapit, napansin niyang ilang tao ang nakakita rito at lumapit. Inuhanan niya ang mga iyon. Nakayuko na si Robert at nang makalapit siya ay napaluhod na.
Sandaling parang nakonsiyensiya si Alexandra, but it was too late. It was too late the moment they sent Zayed the copy of the books. Her mother did not teach her to become a murderer, and she guessed at times this would bother her forevermore. At the same time, she knew that letting him go knowing that he killed her mother in cold blood was something that would drive her insane. This man took so much from her mother, but he was not satisfied with that. He also took her life. He was evil.
Napatingin sa kanya ang lalaki. May lumarawang recognition sa mga mata nito, saka pang-unawa. He knew.
“Your mother…” bulong nito, dahil malamang na iyon na lang ang kayang sabihin. “I enjoyed killing her…”
Sa sobrang pagkabigla, hindi nakapagsalita si Alexandra. Noon may nakalapit na ibang bisita sa party. Isang lalaki ang nagsabing tumabi sila dahil doktor ito. Agad siyang lumayo kay Robert. She was still stunned. Inalalayan ng mga tao si Robert na makahiga, pero sa puntong iyon, alam ni Alexandra na wala nang buhay ang lalaki. Dilat ang mga mata nito. In her heart, she knew the bastard got what he deserved.
Sirens blared from the outside. Hindi pa nagtagal, naroon na ang mga paramedic. Itinigil ang party. Maagang nagsiuwi ang mga bisita.
“Are you all right?” tanong ni Connor.
“Yes,” sagot ni Alexandra.
Lumabas na rin sila ng venue at sumakay sa sasakyan. Nandoon na ang kanyang ama at si Luca. Nagpunta na sila sa kanilang hotel at naghintay ng balita. Agad iyong dumating. Robert Goodman was declared dead on arrival. The cause of death was unknown at that point.
“How are you feeling, child?” tanong ni Luca.
“He said he enjoyed killing her,” sambit ni Alexandra.
“Bastard!” gigil na sigaw ng kanyang ama. “He got exactly what he deserved.”
“He did. I know he did, but somehow, I can’t shake the feeling of… It’s just too much to think about at this point.”
“Your mother raised you right,” sabi nito. “He deserved it and you know it. Still, you feel bad about it.”
“We couldn’t have proven murder, child, remember that. We can only use theft. That will get him so little time, that’s if he would’ve gotten any time at all. What happened was justice,” sabi ni Luca.
Tumango si Alexandra. She looked at her father. Tumango rin ito. She looked at Connor. He was looking at her. Hindi niya mabasa ang reaksiyon sa mukha ng lalaki. Bigla siyang napaiyak. Unti-unting rumerehistro sa kanyang isip ang pangyayari. Her mother’s killer paid for his sins. She was finally free. Isang bagong buhay. Isang totoong bagong buhay. Naroon ang kanyang ama, si Luca… And Connor? Ah, ayaw na muna niyang isipin.
“I’m okay, I’m okay,” sabi niya mayamaya.
“I think it’s time we celebrate,” sabi ni Connor. Binuksan nito ang isang bote ng champagne at sinalinan ang mga baso. “I think it’s time we celebrate not the death of a murderer, but the life that your mother had. She was a good mother, a good wife, a good friend, and quite frankly, one of the best artists this industry has ever known.”
Napangiti si Alexandra, inabot ang champagne flute. “To Maria Paz,” sabi niya. That was not her mother’s real name, but it seemed to be the name she loved the most.
“To Maria,” segunda ng lahat. Champagne never tasted as cool and refreshing.