Sweet Downfall (7 page)

“I don’t want you to see him again.”

She shook her head.

“You want him safe? Then don’t see him anymore. Forget him.”

“Where is Jaq, Dad?”

“He’s in jail.”

“In jail?!” she gasped.

“Yes. He will be charged with illegal possession of firearm, possession of illegal substance and abduction.”

She blinked rapidly, not fully comprehending. “But…but…firearm? Illegal substance?”

“He was carrying a stolen gun in his truck and a considerable amount of cocaine.”

She shook her head vehemently. “But Dad, Jaq never used drugs. I’ve never seen him–”

“How can you be so sure of that? You just met him. He’s a rock star. Rock stars use drugs all the time. It’s their lifestyle.”

She was confused now. Of course she wasn’t sure. She really had not spent enough time with her boyfriend to know for sure.

Panic seized her. Jaq was in danger of going to jail. The very thought terrified her. She couldn’t imagine Jaq spending time in jail. It would be hell for him.

“Dad, please, help Jaq. He’s not a bad person, I can testify to that! I need to talk to the police, explain to them what really happened. He’s innocent!”

His father stood up. “Get some rest. We’ll talk again tomorrow.”

He quietly went out of the room, leaving her in a limbo. She burst into sobs.

Her mother and sister came back with a nurse.

She was crying and babbling to her mother as the nurse injected some liquid into her IV tube.

Within a few minutes, her eyelids started to droop.

She panicked. “No, I don’t wanna sleep! Mom, I need to see Jaq! Please!”

But she couldn’t fight the lethargy swathing her like a warm cocoon of light.

The voices around her faded, along with her vision.

BURNED

HOLY SHIT, YOU LOOK ALMOST FUBAR, MAN!”
Kit blurted when he saw his battered face. That was their frat code for ‘fucked up beyond all recognition’, an expression usually reserved for their enemies. Ironic that it applied to his poor mug now.

Jaq tried to smile but his swollen lips hurt like a motherfucker.

“How did you find out I’m here?” he asked them.

Alexis shrugged. “We have our sources.”

“Damn, what did they do to you? Are you okay? You should be in a hospital!” Alexis was wincing as he surveyed his damaged face.

“Yeah, can you arrange that?” he replied bitingly.

“Have you called a lawyer yet?” Kit asked.

“No one is minding me here. They threw me in and left me alone.”

Alexis cursed. “I heard they will charge you with illegal possession of chrome and coke.”

He wasn’t surprised anymore. “Yeah, thanks to you, guys.”

Alexis and Kit looked at each other and turned serious.

“Listen, I’m sorry, man. I’ll help you get away with the gun charge. After all, it’s my father’s gun,” Alexis smiled smugly, as if the whole thing was just a simple misdemeanor offense.

“Your old man’s gun?!” Jaq spluttered. Sometime last week, they were having a get together at his townhouse. He had confided his woes to his friends about Angie and her twin brothers roughing him up. Alexis offered him the use of his gun, a mint-looking HK45. After the Yulo twins beat him to near pulp, it felt good to hold a gun. It was somewhat comforting. He knew how stupid that was now.

“Here’s the scenario, man. It was found in my Patrol, therefore, I stole a freakin’ four-star general’s gun. Good job, X. You just expedited my trip to the pits.”

Alexis waved his hand in dismissal. “I’ll get you out of that, don’t worry.”

Sighing deeply, he turned to Kit. “And can you get me out of the dope charge, Kit? You borrowed my car and the next thing I knew it was loaded with crack. Where did you stash them anyway? How come I never found ‘em?”

Kit looked guilty, too “Sorry, bro, but it wasn’t a huge amount of crack where they can charge you as a dealer. The most they can charge you with is as a user. And when they’d do a drug test on you, you’ll probably turn out negative. So, don’t worry about it too much.”

Jaq shook his head. “You both think this is a simple case.”

“The gun and dope are actually the least of your problems, man, but using them as evidence, they could do you in for a more serious crime,” Kit explained.

“What else are they charging me with? Abduction?”

“Sort of,” Kit said.

“Angie will never testify against me.” He was confident of Angie’s love for him.

Kit and Alexis exchanged a meaningful look and no longer elaborated on the subject. Before they left, they promised to provide him with a top lawyer to get him off the hook. They even gave him twenty grand for his expenses, as if he could go shopping while in the can. But he could use the money to bribe some corrupt cop for a phone call.

When he tried to bribe the policemen, they searched his body for hidden cash. His twenty grand kissed his ass goodbye without producing a single phone call.

Now, he regretted not asking Kit to call his relatives. He never thought he’d ever be in a situation where a single phone call was like a manna from heaven.

Some guy from the Public Attorney’s Office came to talk to him and asked him about his family background. He must look so bad that the guy didn’t even recognize he was a big celebrity, or chose to ignore that fact. He was advised to get a private lawyer for his counsel since he could afford one.

Well, at least Kit and X promised a private lawyer for him soon.

He spent a sleepless night in the cell, the mosquitoes and fleas greedily feeding on his blood.

Angie opened her eyes and found
her father sitting on a chair by her hospital bed.

“I’m glad you’re awake now, Angelina,” he said in a low voice, no longer angry.

“W-where’s Mom and Sherry, Dad?”

“They’re outside waiting for us to finish talking. We will go back to Manila today.”

She nodded. Then she remembered... “Dad, what happened to Jaq?”

“That’s what we will talk about.”

“Dad, he’s innocent!”

“Listen carefully, Angelina. This is very important, for Jaq’s sake.”

She bit her tongue and fell silent.

“Jaq’s crimes are abduction and serious illegal detention, illegal possession of firearm and prohibited substance. Do you know the punishment for these crimes?”

She shook her head.

“Life imprisonment.”

A sob escaped her lips.

“But we will not press charges against Jaq anymore. He can walk away free. But the law has due process. You will have to testify for him, that he did not abduct you at gun point, that he did not use drugs and did not force himself on you, that you went with him on your own free will. It’s called an affidavit of testimony.”

Gratitude for her father’s generosity filled her heart. She didn’t know anything about the legalities of the law but her father’s words were enough to reassure her that Jaq would be alright. He would be safe.

“But you have to promise me, Angelina. Promise me that you will never see him again. Promise me that you will forget him and focus your attention to Jordan.”

In that moment, she would promise anybody anything. She nodded in acquiescence. She had to save Jaq first and deal with the other matters later.

Her father stood up and went to open the door. A dignified-looking man came in. The guest was probably her father’s age and looked respectable in a suit.

“I’d like you to meet Attorney Abrazaldo, our lawyer. He will help Jaq.”

She wiped her wet face with the blanket and managed a smile for the lawyer. “Good morning, sir.”

The alwyer smiled at her kindly and walked over to stand beside her hospital bed. He was holding some sheets of paper and a pen.

“I already drafted your affidavit of testimony, Angelina
.
You just need to sign it. I presume your father has explained everything to you?”

She nodded. “Yes, Attorney.”

“Okay.” The lawyer dragged the side table attached to her hospital bed and positioned it in front of her. He placed the documents on top of it and pointed to the blank spaces. “Sign here and here.” He gave her the pen.

Without hesitation, she signed the documents.

Afterward, the lawyer left.

Angie met her father’s eyes. He was so kind and good. Despite what she did, her father still loved her enough to help Jaq. She felt so guilty for hurting her father.

“Thank you so much, Dad,” was all she could say.

“It’s alright now. Let’s go home.”

A lawyer came to him that morning.
Some counsel from an organization called FLAG. Free legal assistance whatever. In his experience, any professional service given for free was worth shit.

But it turned out, this lawyer, Attorney Glenn Edrinal, despite his gaunt face and glassy eyes that looked like he had not slept for days, was a bar top-notcher, worked for FLAG as his charitable endeavor, but made his big bucks as one of the counsels for the Del Bianco Group, Kit’s family’s business empire.

Jaq smiled to himself. Kit and Alexis could give Manolo Yulo a freakin’ headache. His buddies were secretly helping him while publicly washing their hands off of him. It was more than what he expected from them. Spoiled they may be but they valued friendships.

Atty. Edrinal was a straight up dude, too. “Tell me everything I need to know, Jaq. If you want me to help you, I don’t want any secrets between us regarding this case, is that understood?”

He nodded. The lawyer had this strange, intense look on his face that told him “I have no time for bullshit so you better get your shit together”.

“I want to know exactly what happened so that we can prepare for whatever charges they may file against you.” Glenn put a tape recorder on the table. “Okay, start from the beginning. How did you meet Angelina Yulo?”

He recounted how he met Angie and how their relationship developed. The lawyer patiently listened, occasionally writing on his planner. After about an hour, he was done recounting and answering Glenn’s numerous questions. He felt like being cross-examined in court already but he knew the lawyer was on his side so he answered as honestly as he could.

Afterward, he asked Glenn to lend him his cellphone so he can call his relatives.

Celica and Ruben were already in a state of panic.

“Jaq, where are you?! Your mother is here and she’s going crazy! Come home, dammit!” his Uncle Ruben sounded very angry and he was seldom angry.

Jaq was ashamed to tell them the truth. The last thing he wanted was to give them reason to further worry, especially his mother. He would get out of this mess on his own without involving his family.

He was thankful he was not in the news yet. The TV was on almost twenty-four-seven at the police station but he never heard any mention of his name in connection with a crime. The absence of press in the area was testament to the fact that Manolo Yulo wanted to keep everything within a tight lid. In this respect, he appreciated the man’s power and influence.

“I’m in the province, Uncle. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

“Don’t give me that crap, Jaq! A few days ago, Manolo Yulo was here with the police looking for you! They said you kidnapped his daughter! Is that true?!”

“W-what? That’s not true. I’m working on some gig here with my band mates. I’m really fine, Uncle. Tell Mom not to worry, okay? I’ll be home soon but I won’t be able to contact you in a week or so. But I’m fine. No worries, okay? Bye, Uncle.”

He didn’t wait for his uncle to reply. He cut the call.

“I’ll come back as soon as the charges are officially in,” Glenn promised.

Jaq was left to spend hours in his stinky cell again, feeling like he was waiting for his sentence when he wasn’t even formally charged yet. Counting every minute was hell. He wondered how those convicted felons managed to get by when they were counting years.

How did his life come to this? Only last week he was a member of the hottest rock band in the country, a budding film director, a popular MTV VJ, a sought after club DJ of the most happening places in South East Asia. He’d had gigs in Singapore, Hongkong, Macau, Malaysia, Indonesia, you name it. He was having the time of his life, not even at his peak.