FIFTY
I woke up with a headache. I was about to touch it when I noticed my hand tied. When I looked at my hand I noticed that it was handcuffed to my bed. I tried to remove my hand but I couldn’t get away.
‘What the fuck?’
I tried to remember what happened before I passed out. Someone hit me but I don’t know who. But before that…
“Fuck.” I cursed when I remembered what happened.
Carmona and I had an agreement that we will meet. I saw a body floating in the water. And I’m sure it’s Carmona. Where is she and what happened to her?
The door opened and a nurse came in. When she saw that I was awake, she went out again and did not come in. The door opened and two men entered. I think they are police officers based on their uniforms.
“Mr. Dwayne Dale Dy?”
“Yeah.”
The two policemen nodded and then looked at me. They also came to me and stood on the edge of my bed.
“What does this mean?” I asked referring to the handcuffs attached to me.
“Calm down sir, we are handcuffing you because we are arresting you for the murder of Carmona Dela Vega. You have the right to hire a lawyer. For now, you can keep quiet, anything you say can be used against you.”Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.
It was like cold water was poured over me because of what he said. Not because I am a suspect but because of what he said.
“Are you saying that Carmona is….. died?”
“Yes sir.”
“Oh, God.” I leaned against the headboard of the bed. I don’t want what he said to sink into my mind. “And she murdered?” I asked again and they looked at each other.
“Yes sir.”
What the fuck. Who would have the courage to do that to her? Did someone hate her enough to do that to her?
“Do you have any suspects?” Oh fuck you, Dale, you must be. That’s why you’re in handcuffs, right?
“We are just waiting for your lawyer and your father. We have an agreement that you cannot speak and we will not interrogate you regarding what happened until they are here. They are on their way.”
While waiting for daddy, I couldn’t get Carmona out of my mind. Who would do it to her then? What was her fault and why did it happen to her? Did she drown? No, it’s impossible, someone killed her and that’s the one who hit me.
Does someone want to frame me? Is that it? But who?
“Sorry, we’re late.” Dylan’s lawyer apologizes. He and daddy are also here. “Shall we start?”
Dylan and Dad sat a little far from me. The lawyer with the two investigators sat in front of me. I answered all their questions. I also told them how I went there and what Carmona and I talked about. Everything I said was written by them.
“You say you and Carmona should meet. She called you but she didn’t talk to you because no one answered on the other end but she texted and said she didn’t have anyone with him and invited you to meet?”
“Yeah,” I answered.
“On her cellphone, Carmona has no outgoing calls to you. You are the one with the incoming call from her. It means the one who called her.”
“What? Impossible.”
“There is also no text message from her to you and vice versa. She has messages but from the network and subscriptions.”
“That’s impossible. Then check my mobile.” But the police didn’t answer, Dylan’s lawyer did.
“They opened your cell phone in front of your daddy and Mr. Dylan. No incoming call from Carmona but only outgoing from you. There is also no message that you talked in through chat.”
“What the heck.” So what is it? Was it planned to frame me or did she just happen to be the target?
“6:22 pm, it was recorded in the subdivision that you entered, at 6:27 pm you had an outgoing call on your cellphone, the exact time from the gate to Laura Salvador’s house.”
“I didn’t talk to her. I called out to let them know that I was out. She just accepted the call but no one spoke. She messaged and said she wasn’t at the mansion and she said where she was and I just took her there. I already told you what happened.”
“Did you see who hit you?” asked the investigator while his companion was just writing.
“No, because when I faced it, it immediately greeted me with a hit.”
“No one hit you, Mr. Dy.” I frowned because of what he said.
“What?”
“You got the wound on your head because you were drunk and you slipped.”
“What drunk, you say? I just left the house when I went to see her at the mansion and went to the beach, I didn’t even drink water.”
“Bottles of alcohol were found in your car and the speedboat.”
“I bought it, but I didn’t drink it. Others were even left behind in the car.”
“It’s empty. It’s the same with the speedboat, in other words, you already drink it.”
“What the fuck. I didn’t drink.”
“There are alcohol droplets in your mouth.” I want to kick him. What nonsense is this? What alcohol droplets? I didn’t drink a single drop.
“So you’re saying I killed her? Is that so?”
“Maybe not if that’s the truth. But in law evidence is looked at not just words. The guard at the subdivision testified that you entered and it was recorded. You go out and they don’t know if you are with someone or not as long as they know you are from there. The cashier also testified that you bought alcohol based on what was stamped on the receipt and that she recognized you as having gone there to buy alcohol. There is alcohol in your car and there are droplets of alcohol in your saliva. You are also at the crime scene. Next to the corpse half of the body is in the boat and the head is in the water. You have a cut on your forehead and there is blood on the floor where you are lying and the blood matches your blood.”
“No, there is something wrong with what you said. Her body is in the water and I am reaching out to lift her up.”
“But her body is not wet. She is clean except for her head in the sea. It’s a sign that she’s drowning.”
“How did I get here?”
“Someone called the police and said there were two people who seemed to have a fight at the Cardale speedboat. That’s all he saw because he was afraid to come closer.”
“What exactly did he see?”
“A sitting person slaps a person and he fights back. And sorry to say this Mr. Dy, you have scratches on your neck and arms. The victim’s nail is now being tested to see if it is your DNA.”
“Means?”
“If he scratched you, she would leave a mark on her fingernail.”
“So, am I going to jail? After this, I will be imprisoned?”
“I won’t let that happen.” Dylan interrupted then stood up and approached us when his lawyer spoke.
“I already filed a bail. No one saw what actually happened. He has not been convicted yet.” Then it reached the police. “You can remove his handcuffs when you are done talking. He has already made bail.”
A policeman read the paper. He signaled to his companion and then removed the handcuffs from my hand.
“If you want to know more about what happened, contact my lawyer and he will bring my brother to you. If you don’t need anything, you can leave.”
“Just one more question.” I looked at the investigator. “Is it true that you had a misunderstanding with the victim before? That your family put her in jail because of the abuse she did to you?”
“My client will answer that in court. You can leave.” The two police officers did nothing. They left together. Daddy stood up and came to me.
“I didn’t kill her. God knows I can’t do that.”
“We believe you.” Daddy and Dylan said together.
“Do you have any idea you did it?” asked Dylan.
“No, nothing. I don’t know. Is she really dead?”
“Hmph, that’s why Lauren isn’t here because she’s there with her aunt to take care of Carmona’s body,” Dylan answered.
“Are you still seeing each other?” dad asked.
“Sorry dad, but we’re ok. We were ok because I wanted to be ok, to be at peace. Whether I admit it or not, she has a space in my heart. Somehow, she became important. I never thought that this would happen.”
“You’re old. You know what you’re doing,” he replied.
“What is the status?” Dylan asked his lawyer.
“So far, they haven’t gotten that much information, Mr. Dy. Right now your brother’s case is serious. Lauren’s aunt said the victim told her they would see each other. And she has the evidence that they are together because that is what is written in the victim’s own message. There is evidence there, even the victim’s statement that he pick-up her and that she is already in Cardale. That’s all in the message from the victim’s number.”
“Does that mean that someone wants to frame up with my son?”
“Obviously, Mr. Dy.”
“I don’t want to go to jail. I’m not guilty. I didn’t kill her. Dad, Dylan, I can’t go to jail. Please. Please help me to find the person who did this. Not for me, but for her too.”
“We need to find solid evidence, Mr. Dy. That’s because the emphasis is strong on you. The police found you after eight o’clock at night. From Laura Salvador’s house, going to Isa Beach is only a twenty-minute flight. If you can leave there at half past six and arrive at seven o’clock. It just means that there was a time when you were drunk before you had a fight and it happened to her. Because an hour has passed.”
“We didn’t fight, she was in the water when I saw her. She was drowning in water so I took her. Also, when I got there I immediately lost consciousness because I was hit. It didn’t take long.”
“Her body has been autopsied. We will know the time of her death. If she died when you weren’t there we can fight it, but if she died when you were there……..” He didn’t finish what he was going to say and he looked at Dylan and daddy.
“What?” I asked and looked at them too.
“We have no choice, Mr. Dy.” He answered then looked back at me and looked at Dylan.
“You mean old habits?” I looked at Dylan when he said that.
“Yes, if you want your brother to be acquitted. Because it looks like what happened to him was planned. And whoever did it meant only one thing. He wants your brother to go to jail.” The lawyer answered.
I heard Dylan sigh and shake his head. He looked at daddy who nodded at him.
“Do it, do whatever it takes for my son,” dad answered.”
So what does it mean with old habits?” I ask.
“I don’t want you to go to jail. Not because I don’t want our name to be ruined. I don’t want you to go to jail because I believed you were guilty. Another one your mommy won’t accept by chance.”
“So?”
“We will hire someone to admit the crime. Means, we will pay someone to admit that he killed Carmona and wants to frame you up,” Dylan answered. “We did many times to those who planned to harm our family and our employees of other companies. We did for the business name and name. We can also do it so you don’t get hurt.”
Shit, why does anyone have to sacrifice? If it is possible, the person who did this should be found so that he can be imprisoned and paid.