The Killers of Ruth Bago

Chapter 4: Robert's Plea

Yohan

"Yes, I am a s*x maniac. I just couldn't control myself and I'm used to it. Since I became an actor, all the girls around me didn't bother about my self-control. They like me, I like them in bed as well. But... Ruth was different. And I hated it that I have to make her suffer from such a terrible job. I couldn't help it. I love seeing her cry."

****

Evan Tan was completely taken aback at Johanne's recording. After his work, he locked himself in his study room to listen to the part of the recording where he'd stopped.

He never felt so uneasy listening to a guy being happy to see a woman hurting. He had never thought of Mika being hurt before, but he guessed it was completely unintentional that he couldn't do anything to fix the damage and let her go as she pleased. Ruth's case was completely different as though this guy is made to look for someone's punishment as entertainment.

In this case, Evan could see a glitch on Johanne's alibis. Normal people wouldn't want to see anyone suffering. The initial reaction was to sympathize or to take care of the damage.

Oh, if Johanne has a glitch, does it mean you have it as well? His thought interrupted. He couldn't protest to that. He was that same glitch he was before-- before Mika ended up breaking up with him.

After some internalizations, he decided to get to his feet and reached for the water in his fridge downstairs in his kitchen area. The flat he rented was too big for him since he always lives alone. The square-sized rooms were so spacious to him compared to what his other colleagues said to him. It was indeed a little small but for others, it just matched Evan's lifestyle. He's no good in the kitchen so he buys his processed food outside most of the time. He spends his weekends inside his study room beside his dark and cozy bedroom. He loved the ambiance there since he can see most of the city lights outside his window. The wind flowing from it just makes him think more deeply when he's studying cases every night.

After drinking a glass of water, he decides to cook a meal. He looked up the time and saw it was already 3 in the morning.

He wasn't able to sleep after he got home from the movie theater. The taste of Mika's lipstick still lingered in his tongue as though he has chewed some of it. He never thought of kissing her again. He was full of Johanne's influence since the second trial that Mika had to shout at him for questioning Ruth's father.

His moral standards were a bit abusive when it comes to work, for all the people to know he's not gonna look on his fondness to lawyers handling the parties involved in the crime. He sides with Ruth but not with the witnesses.

He has handled many cases like this before but Ruth's murder was different. It's as though she was not like any other human that deserves justice. Johanne acted as if she deserved it. How could a guy like Johanne end up being cruel?

Evan's phone suddenly rang and it showed his detective's name, Oscar. He answered the call and listened to him.

"Sir, I think you should see this..."

"What?"

****

Evan ran near the policemen who gathered in front of Ruth's house. Oscar was there with his beads of sweat worried face.

"What's the progress?" Evan asked.

"Negative, sir. Still trying to convince Robert to calm down," he answered.

"What's he doing?"

"He still has that gun pointed to his head."

Evan suddenly looked at Oscar in disbelief. "No f*****g negotiations?"

Oscar didn't answer as Mika suddenly showed up with her worried face. Her colors flushed while wearing just a shirt and comfy pants.

"This is all my fault. I didn't know this will happen..." she whispered while crying.

Evan tried to pat her back. "We'll help him, I promise."

A big man in a police uniform suddenly approached them.

"Chief Gutierrez, this is Prosecutor Tan, the one who leads the case of Robert Bago's murdered daughter." Oscar was the one to introduce him to the new guy.

The creased forehead of the chief police suddenly faded and smiled a bit. He claimed Evan's hand for a shake and said, "We're glad you could come. I need a briefing with his dilemma," he informed.

"Pleasure, sir." Evan started to walk and advanced near the policemen upfront the house where it's clearer to see the family members inside. "Did you try to negotiate?"

Suddenly, a series of shrill cries followed from the house. No sound had alarmed them that waited outside. Police lines were created and made the spectators retreat from the further commotion.

"Yeah. He says he wanted to talk to you," the chief said.

Evan paused for a bit and stared right into the window. After that, he finally nodded. "Yeah, let's do that."

The chief police called up his men and handed Evan a phone where they negotiate with Robert.

As soon as they gave him the phone, he kept breathing deeply and waited for the chief's signal.

"He's on the line. Go in a loudspeaker. We'll listen," he whispered.

He nodded and handed the phone next to his ear. "Robert, this Prosecutor Tan. What's happening?"

"Oh, thank God! Please, sir. I beg you. Please let me go to jail for killing my own daughter. Please don't let that man ruin my family," Robert pleaded over the phone.

"What do you mean you killed your daughter? Wasn't it Johanne?"

"Please, I know I'm the reason why she's dead. I made her fall into that bastard! Please, sir. Please, I'm begging you." Robert cried.

Evan sighed frustratedly while closing his eyes. He opened his eyes and talked again. "Okay. We'll get to the trial and prove that alibi, is that clear? First, you have to throw away your gun and let your daughters go."

"No, no. You don't understand, sir. You don't understand! I killed Ruth! I killed her! I killed her..."

"Robert, listen. Listen... What is it that you want? Please tell me your terms, I'll try my best to do it for you. Please stop this."

There was a brief silence. Evan waited for the guy to talk once more but all he could hear was deep breaths and whimpering.

"I just wanna die..." A sound of a gunshot suddenly startled all of the people surrounding the house.

Evan's eyes widened and ran into the house. Everything around him seemed to diminish their sounds until they were all inaudible. He'd seen Robert on his knees while the gun was already on the floor. The other two daughters showed tremendous sorrow upon seeing their father fall onto the ground.

Evan tried to pull Robert's body facing him. He has seen his opened eyes while streams of blood oozed from his bullet wound on his head.

"Medic! Medic!" He shouted on top of his lungs.

Mika tried to come inside the house while crying but Oscar pulled her back. The policemen approached Evan and Robert.

As a policeman checked on Robert's pulse on his neck, he shook his head and called others. "Call the medic team to carry him," he said.

Evan still was silent as soon as he got up to his feet. He got outside of the house and approached Mika. He embraced her tightly and closed his eyes.

He couldn't say a word. He just couldn't believe of what just happened. It was like it happened 4 years ago when he was just new to his job as a prosecutor. That dark part of his story suddenly crept up into this time. It gave him a dose of his melancholic side. The side he couldn't tell even to Mika.

****

Evan was burnt out after the courtroom hearing on one of his cases he recently handles aside from Ruth's. He felt as though the whole place was looking at him in disbelief. He felt an uneasiness as he walked down the corridor of the trial court.

Whispers started to creep the hell out of him again. It only stopped as soon as he reached his office. He stopped for a moment while his team looked at him in a puzzle. Beads of sweat rushed down from his forehead and heaved a sigh. He smiled and greeted them. "Good day. Any developments in Ruth's case?" He'd asked them.

"We requested an examination for both Johanne and the other two sisters: Riza and Rica. They're all being examined as of this moment. No updates yet." It was Lizzy who answered, one of his team members.

"We've just received the police report from Robert's incident. They'll also give us heads up for other evidence that could help the case as per Chief Gutierrez," Gian informed.

"Oscar?" Evan turned to the silent detective on his desk.

Oscar just stared at him and smiled. "You want coffee?"

****

Evan sipped his cappuccino as he scribbled at the documents Oscar has handed him earlier after he decided to take his invitation.

It was the document he was asking him about, the latest pictures and other proofs of Johanne's transactions with Robert, and Ruth's involvement with him.

"The CCTV cameras were clean. The dates indicated on his recordings were not matched. But the debts are true. Robert was indebted to Johanne of about half a million pesos for a series of casino plays from June to October last year. It was only stopped between November last year and January this year." Oscar added.

"And his family?"

"They wished not to be involved with the case, sir. It's quite difficult. The police and some big guys protect Johanne's family. As if they knew no one's gonna make them pay for defying the law when they're asked to be questioned."

Evan suddenly returned the papers in the brown envelope and looked at Oscar once again. "Then, let's defy their own law..."

****

The night came as Evan and Oscar proceeded as planned. He approached a truck with a man with his thick white beard named Hanson, puffing a cigar in front of him. They met in a narrow street without any street lights or porch to guide passers-by. It was indeed the perfect spot.

Oscar advanced. "So, how does this go?"

The man looked at Oscar. He puts his cigar on the ground and crushed its smoky tip until it was killed. "Piece of cake, sir. I have the controls in their house," he informed confidently. "You sure I'm out of this? I ain't gonna end up in jail, am I?" he asked meticulously.

"We'll make sure it's going to be accidental. We'll make a setup," Evan answered.

After the brief chats, Evan and Oscar were able to go inside Dela Vega's house where there is a highly upgraded security handled by Hanson's team.

The night resumed and the gates of the house were approached easily. Evan was quite perplexed as he thought of fighting back in case there'll be a bunch of guards going to trample them, but he found none. When asked Hanson, he said it's because he let the others guard another rest house somewhere near their location as made them believe the Dela Vegas were there.

Felt convinced, Evan and Oscar continued to roam around the house until they reached the entrance.

Evan easily located the room of Johanne's father, Jonathan. They opened the door and saw the man lying down on his belly on his bed. The man wore a red velvet robe while earphones are on his ears.

He suddenly handcuffed him forcibly. He heard the old man grunted in pain as he pulled his arms to get to his feet. He also put duct tape on his lips.

Oscar, on the other hand, handcuffed and put duct tape on the wife's mouth. Afterward, the couple was put on the sofa as soon as the signal from Hanson carried out. The CCTVs are out so they could start interrogating the two.

Evan could hear Mrs. Dela Vega's whimpers while looking at her husband.

Evan and Oscar didn't bother to cover their faces. It's a hell of a gamble but they don't have any choice.

Evan sat on a wooden chair right next to the couple and smiled. "I suppose you knew me already."

He heard the wife murmuring something but he couldn't understand. He let Oscar remove the duct tape from her mouth and she screamed so loud.

They both flinched from the terrible scream. Because of it, Evan has no choice but to show his gun and put it on her head.

"You f*****g with me?"

"No! No! No!" she cried.

Oscar also removed the duct tape from the father and started to talk in a trembling voice. "You will never get away with this, prosecutor!"

Evan smirked and pointed the gun at the father's head instead. "You talk, I talk. You can take lawful action against me and I do the same. You're not gonna scare the s**t out of me because I know your mess with drugs. I have solid proofs and I swear I'm gonna make you all end up in jail for the rest of your lives. You understand me?"

Jonathan was taken aback. "Okay! Okay! What do you want?"

Evan smirked. "Good choice. How about we record your voice and tell me the truth about your son? And just a brief reminder..." Evan touched Jonathan's head using the mouth of his gun. "One wrong statement and I'm gonna blow your head off."

The two nodded like robots as Evan smiled while putting the recorder on the table on his left side.

"Now, talk..."

-to-be-continued-