The CEO's Painted Skin 161 Bloody Murder

Boyet woke up early in the morning to gather water in the river nearby and took a bath as well. He will cook the remaining saba banana again for their breakfast when he returns from the river and then he will be accompanying his mother and sister to the nearest hospital.

He picked up the two empty gallon container and starts walking towards his favorite area of the river.

As he was nearing to the spot where he regularly took a bath and get some water, he noticed a motorcycle sprawled near the river bank, then he saw a black backpack, then a wallet strewn in the grass, he edged nearer to the riverbank and come face to face with the biggest shocker of his young life when he saw a headless body of a man and lots of blood scattered in the dry land surrounding the area where the lifeless man was floating in the shallow water.

He runs as fast as he can back to their nipa hut. He had difficulty breathing, urging her mother to come out of their house immediately because he had something to tell her!

"What is it, Boyet?!" Rosing saw the horror-stricken face of his son, she felt nervous right away.

"M-mother! T-there is a man without his head floating in the shallow water in the river. He's already dead!" blurted Boyet gasping for breath.

"What---? are you sure?" asked Rosing. She already had boiled the remaining saba banana for their breakfast and she was in the process of putting some of her daughter's clothes in her bag so that they can bring her into the hospital.

"I'm sure 100% that what I see in the river is a dead person, Mother!" said Boyet.

"Okay. Stay here for a while beside your sister. I will check it myself," she walked in a hurry towards her son's favorite spot in the river.

A few minutes later, she had seen everything in the river bank, the blood, the motorcycle, the wallet, then she walked towards the shallow water and see the beheaded man still floating in the river. Rosing covered her mouth with her two hands to keep herself from retching.

The whole area was screaming of a bloody murder! And there was evidence scattered all over the area.

Then she ventured a little bit towards the north side of the riverbank in the dry land section where grasses were growing knee-high, she saw a brown pouch bag, curious, she picked it up and looked inside, she saw money bills, bundles of thousand peso bills and then another wallet! She didn't bother to inspect the wallet. There's lots of money inside the pouch and she needed money right now! And that is all that really matters to her at this moment in time!

She hides the pouch inside the pocket of her skirt and walked with quicker steps towards their house.

Rosing entered their house and saw her son Boyet sitting beside her sister who is already up, he was still trembling in shock!

She took the boiled bananas in the platter and they started eating in silence. Done eating their breakfast, she began giving instruction to her son.

"You go into the Baranggay Captain's house, tell them about the dead man in the river. Guide them to the area where you see the floating body...I will bring your sister to the hospital. I will come back for you after your sister already admitted to the hospital," she said.

Boyet was about to go out of the house to follow her mother's instruction...

"Wait...son! Come back here. I just want to ask you again, what else you see in the are--?" she was keenly observing her son's face.

"I saw the motorcycle, the black backpack, the wallet, and the dead body. That's all I can remember, Mother," answered Boyet.

Rosing was satisfied to see that her son was telling the truth. Good thing he didn't see the brown pouch...

"Okay go now!" said Rosing.

The moment she saw Boyet already out of the house and out of their backyard. She exited the hut and went inside the crumbling toilet. She began counting the money, a total of one hundred thousand peso bill was inside the pouch. Her hands were shaking while counting the money. She put all the money in her shoulder bag and exited the toilet, she went inside the house and picked up the rusted bolo with her hand, she went to the section of their backyard were overgrown grasses were growing, she began digging...after a few minutes of digging she was finally satisfied and she starts burying the pouch along with the wallet inside, not even interested to see who owns the wallet.

One hour later...

Rosing was on her way to the hospital boarding a tricycle along with her daughter, her face was calmed and composed. She can finally go back home to Mindanao, her hometown where her parent was residing. She can finally leave her abusive husband for good and start a new life with her son and daughter. She pressed her shoulder bag closer to her body. The money comes when she most needed it! And that is all that really matters to Rosing!

...

A few hours later...

The riverbank where the bloody murder was discovered was suddenly swamped with Police Officers cordoning the area. Many onlookers gathered around the crime scene to see what was the commotion is all about. Some radio and TV stations reporters were already preparing for their news feed and taking live videos near the river as a backdrop for their news report to be aired during the late afternoon. The sleepy village was turned upside down with the bloody murder occurring in their peaceful town. The last time somebody has been murdered in the same spot that was five years ago. They weren't expecting another grisly murder would take place after five years.

Chapter end