Page 5 of The Fighter
What if she was pushed?
Maybe it was my bored brain looking for an escape, but I was convinced that I might be looking at a murder mystery. If Leo wouldn’t allow me to get close to any action, then maybe I could solve this old case on my own. Who better to find out what happened to Dina than me? After all, no other police officers had the connections to her family that I had.
I didn’t need more arguments than that to decide that this was going to be my private investigation into the possible murder of Dina Aurelius. It was a golden opportunity to show all the people hoping for me to fail, that I was born to fight crimes and solve murders.
CHAPTER 2
Best Friends
Raven
“Mila, honestly, this room is as good as the last one. Jonah won’t care one bit.” I was following Mila around at the Gray Manor as she was trying to decide which room to pick for her friend Jonah. “He’s only staying a few days, so why does it matter?”
Mila gave me a patient smile. “It might not matter to you or him, but it matters to me. I want every guest to feel welcome.”
We were now in the hallway on the third floor and I pointed from one door to the other. “They’re all the same. It’s what, eighteen guest rooms and the only difference is the color of the walls?”
“That’s not true at all. Some of them have a better view. Some of them are slightly bigger, and one had the carpet replaced last year because of water damage. I want Jonah to feel comfortable here.”
“Why is he coming again? I feel like he was just here.”
“That was two weeks ago, and he’s here to discuss some political matter with Lord Khan and Pearl.”
“What political matter?”
Mila shrugged. “It’s something about the new public transportation system that Pearl is working on, I think.” She opened a fifth door, turned on the lights, and looked around. “I’ll give this room to Jonah. It faces the garden and he liked that the last time he visited.”
I sighed. “Fine. Now, can we focus on me for a moment? I told you something important happened at work today.”
“Yes. But you didn’t say what it was.”
“Because it’s top secret.”
Mila gave me a troubled look. “Then maybe you shouldn’t tell me.”
“I have to because it involves your family.” Grabbing her left hand, I pulled her to the edge of the bed and sat down. “Mila, do you know that your father had a sister who died?”
Mila blinked her eyes before nodding slowly. “Yes, I’ve heard of Aunt Dina. My sister is named after her.”
With eagerness in my voice, I squeezed her hands. “Tell me everything you know.”
“Okay.” Mila’s eyes went to the ceiling as if she was remembering details from the past. “My dad told me about her years ago. He was only seven when she died and it sounded like it was a traumatic experience for him.”
“What happened?”
“Dina and Magni were close. She would sing to him, play with him, and teach him things. He has few memories because he was so young, but he told me that the last time he saw her was at her tournament. Dina picked a large warrior whom she married, and less than a week later she was dead.”
“Did Magni tell you how she died?”
Mila brushed her hand over the bed cover and looked down. “Erika told him it was an accident and that Dina fell from an attic window, but Magni doesn’t believe it.”
My eyes widened. “He doesn’t?”
“No, he said that Dina was far too sensible and careful to fall out a window.”
“I found her file at work today.”
Mila was quiet, waiting for me to continue.
