Page 52 of The Fighter
I scrunched up my face. “No… why do you think that?”
“Oh, come on, didn’t you see how he avoided the question about where they slept? They were living together and saving for a tournament together. I bet they were lovers.”
“That’s a big assumption.”
“But it would give a motive to why Michael got jealous and killed Dina. I mean that story about Henry only getting one-hundred-thousand dollars. I don’t buy it.”
“Huh!” I thought about it.
“And you, Raven, what were you thinking?”
“That it was strange that Michael was the one to come home from work first. Didn’t he say that he and Henry worked together? And why didn’t he call Henry the moment Dina didn’t answer the door? Was he hoping to have some alone time with Dina and was he maybe in love with her? Could be that she was running from him when she went up to that attic?”
Laura bit the inside of her cheek. “Yeah, could be. We should have asked him about that.”
“Yes. We should have.” I pulled my foot up on the seat. “Argh, you know what sucks? Now that we’re leaving, I have all these questions popping into my mind. Why didn’t I think of it when we were with Michael?”
“Maybe because you’re a rookie and not a seasoned policewoman yet.” Laura leaned over and placed her hand on my shoulder. “At least you gotsomeanswers.”
“Yes, but how do I know if he told us the truth?”
Laura brushed her long red hair back. “You don’t know. I’m telling you, that guy was full of shit.”
“You really think he and Henry were lovers?”
“For sure. I have a nose for those sorts of things. Michael was so pained when he spoke of his old friend. There were true feelings there.”
“I have true feelings for Mila, but you don’t think we’re lovers, do you?”
Laura, who was Mila’s adoptive mom, grinned. “No, of course not.”
“Ah, so you don’t have a nose for those things after all.” I gave her a sly smile that made her stiffen.
“What? Are you saying that you and Mila…”
I shrugged. “Didn’t you and Magni ever wonder about our many sleepovers?”
Laura was gaping at me. “But…”
I directed my gaze out the window and sighed. “Don’t freak out, Laura, I read somewhere that it’s perfectly normal and a phase that young girls go through.”
Laura swallowed hard. “And are you and Mila still… ehh… lovers?”
“Why, do you have a problem with it?”
“No. I mean, it’s unexpected… but I guess if you love each other…” She was blinking her eyes. “What about Mila’s tournament?”
I couldn’t keep a straight face any longer and shoving her shoulder, I erupted in a grin. “I’m just messing with you.”
“You are?”
“Yes.” I nodded and laughed some more. “It’s my dark side, Laura. You were the one who said we need to counterbalance all the niceness.”
“Oh, geez, Raven.” Laura brushed her hair back again. “I was already thinking about how to break the news to Magni that Mila wouldn’t have a tournament.”
“You think he would mind if she was a lesbian?”
Laura leaned back in her seat. “Our men don’t have experience with lesbian women. He wouldn’t love her less. He would just be confused and worry about her safety.”
