Page 111 of The Fighter
“Hang on, I have the picture here. Let me project it so you can all see it.” I worked my wristband and enlarged the picture for all to see.”
Mila had stopped crying and was leaning forward to see the picture. “Dina looks shy but happy.”
“You were so young, Erika.” Laura looked over at Erika, who was still stiff and looked like she was ready to leave any second. “And you boys, whoa, talk about change.”
“Who are those men?” Khan pointed to Henry’s two friends.”
“This one is Michael, the roommate, and the other was Daniel, a friend who was murdered shortly after Henry.”
“Oh, Mother Nature, are we talking about a potential triple murder case here?” Pearl sighed. “It’s hard to wrap your head around.”
Leo cleared his throat. “The picture is one of the last photos taken of Dina and the people close to her.”
“What detail are we looking for?” Khan looked from the photo in his hand to the enlarged version projected in the air. His eyes were narrowed as he searched from side to side. I observed him and saw the moment when his eyes expanded as he found what Leo and I had seen.
Elbowing Pearl, Khan pointed down to the picture and she was quick to see the detail too. Khan’s face was tense as he gestured to me. “Please bring back the picture of the feather.”
I added the picture of the feather and put the two pictures next to each other. This time everyone seemed to catch on to the detail I’d been referring to.
“What am I missing?” Laura got up to study the picture closer.
Pearl’s and Khan’s eyes were locked like they were having a secret non-verbal conversation.
“Don’t you two even think about it.” Magni slammed his right hand down on the bed but the movement was weak and made him pant. “If you see something then you’d better spit it out, ’cause I’m about two seconds from having a fit.”
Mila blinked her eyes. “Dad. Calm down.”
“Look at Erika’s jacket.” Pearl nodded at the picture.
“What about it?” Magni narrowed his eyes.
“I see it now.” Laura walked over and zoomed in on Erika’s jacket. “There.” A fine line of feathers decorated the breast pocket and they were all blue with a red dot in the middle.
“That doesn’t mean a thing,” Erika defended herself.
I couldn’t keep quiet. “It means that you were there the day she died, Erika.”
“Maybe Dina had one on her. I hugged her on her wedding day. The feather could have fallen off.”
“Mom, were you there?” Khan stepped closer to her, his tone hard and insistent.
Erika looked around for help, but all eight of us were pinning her down with our eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that. It wasn’t my fault.” Erika’s body was shaking and she stood like a cornered animal.
“Tell us what happened?” Khan demanded.
“You don’t understand. None of you lived through those times. The country was poor and people were desperate. Your father had to stay strong and be tough or everything would have fallen.”
“Whathappened?” This time, Khan spoke the words through gritted teeth.
Erika took a small step back but her chair was behind her. “I did it for you, Khan.”
“What did you do?”
“Dina wouldn’t stop making threats and the money was already gone. I had to do something. I couldn’t let her destroy our future.Your future, Khan. That’s why I went to speak to her. I explained that Marcus would pay the money later.” Erika’s hands were shaking. “I even brought my personal savings of thirty thousand dollars, but Dina she… she…”
We all waited for her to continue, holding our breaths.
