by Elin Peer
“I remember that name. He was in Dina’s wedding picture.”
“Sounds about right. Mr. Zobel and Lord Marcus were best friends, and you might not know this, but Erika was planning to marry him before he was arrested for conspiring to kill Khan.”
“Wow, that is messed up.”
“I know. But back to your investigation. What do you need help with?”
“Right. Okay, so, I tracked down a man called Michael who was a friend of Dina’s husband. He’s willing to talk to me face to face, but I don’t feel comfortable going by myself.”
“No, of course not, that would be stupid.”
“Right. But, Laura, I really want to show the men that I can do this without a male babysitter. Would you come with me?”
She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled. “You want me to be your female babysitter?”
“No, I want you to be my sidekick for the day. This is my investigation, but I would feel safer if you were with me.”
Her face softened. “I’m honored. Let me just load up with weapons and then we can go.”
“I don’t expect any trouble so don’t bring a large arsenal.”
Laura was already walking away from me. “I’ll bring my numb-gun; I haven’t had a chance to use that thing in ten years, and last time was so much fun.”
Ten minutes later, Laura and I were on board my drone and flying full speed to see Michael, a construction worker who lived in the same building that Dina and her husband had resided in.
Michael turned out to be a man in his mid-fifties with a story to tell. “I’ve wanted to share what happened for years, but no one would believe me, and back when it happened, I kept quiet because I was scared for my life. That’s why, when you called today, I knew it was the right time to share it.” He gestured for us to take a seat in his small living room.
Laura and I sat down and while her head turned in all directions, no doubt taking in the tired-looking wallpaper and the outdated entertainment center positioned like an altar in the middle of the room, I kept my focus on Michael, who had a weathered face and rough hands. “Who were you scared of?”
“The Ruler.”
“Who, Khan?”
“No, he was just a kid back then. It was Lord Marcus who had Henry killed, I’m sure of it.”
“How did you know Henry?”
“We knew each other from school. He was a construction worker like me and Daniel. Strong as an ox and a great warrior.”
“Who is Daniel?”
“He was a good friend of ours who was at the wedding too.”
“Is this Daniel?” I showed Michael the wedding photo.
“Yes.”
“Are you still in contact?”
“Daniel died a few months after Henry and Dina.”
“What happened?”
Michael crossed his arms. “He talked too much is what happened.”
I frowned. “What are you implying?”
“Daniel and I both speculated about Dina’s and Henry’s deaths, but the difference was that I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut in public.”
“How did Daniel die?”
“Shot in the head. They said it was random, that he got mugged that night, but I always knew it wasn’t.” Michael fiddled with the fabric of his pants. “I still miss them. Mostly Henry. We had fun together, but we were poor as fuck and that’s why we lived together in an apartment. Not that I’m rich now or anything.”
I jotted down a few notes as he added, “Lots of men do that; it doesn’t mean that we were more than just friends.”
“I know.”
“Anyway, the deal was that we would put our money together and save up for a tournament. Henry was the better fighter, so he would go first and with a prize of a million dollars, he could pay me back double what I’d lent him. I always knew he could win but that he would marry the Ruler’s daughter was unbelievable. It was like a fairytale and we celebrated thinking he would get both the princess and half the kingdom.” Michael’s head fell forward. “But it was a scam.”
That got Laura’s attention. “What do you mean it was a scam?”
“The day after the tournament, Henry received one hundred thousand dollars, but the other nine hundred thousand, he never got.”
“Why not?”
Michael threw up his hands. “He was told that winning the Ruler’s daughter was a reward worth more than money, but the problem was that he planned to buy her a nice house. I mean, we lived in an apartment on the third floor and to give him and Dina space, I had moved down here with a neighbor who was kind enough to allow it. There was no way he could offer her living in a small cramped apartment with two men. One hundred thousand dollars is a fair amount of money, but it’s nothing compared to the million he was promised.”
“How did Henry react to that?” I asked.
“He felt cheated and he complained about it. Dina was embarrassed too, and I know she called her parents many times begging for the money.”
“Do you think Henry took it out on her?”
Michael bit his lower lip. “He was stressed and disappointed, so sure, he might have.”
Laura’s knee was bobbing up and down. “Do you think he killed Dina that day?”
Michael looked down. “Right when it happened, I would have said a hundred percent that he didn’t, but to be honest, Henry had a temper and could be volatile in nature. I just never thought he would harm a woman.”
“Can you show us the apartment they lived in and the attic she fell from?”
Michael nodded and took us outside to show us where Dina had landed. “It was the end of March and the ground was still frozen. Not that I think she would have survived if the ground had been softer. The window was too high up for that.” He leaned his head back and pointed up to the roof of the building. “She fell from that middle window.”
“Who found her?”
“I did.”
“How? What were you doing in the back of the house on a cold winter day?” Laura’s question sounded a bit accusatory and it made Michael frown.
“You have to understand that there was nowhere for Dina to go without protection. When Henry was working, she stayed inside the apartment. Henry and I were her only friends here, so I made sure to always swing by after work and talk to her. I liked Dina.”
“Okay.”
Michael licked his chapped lips. “But that day she didn’t come to the door when I knocked. That’s why I figured that maybe she had gone outside to get some fresh air.”
I looked around the closed-off back yard. “And you figured she would have come here?”
“There weren’t many options for her to choose from, so yes, that was my initial thought. I went down to check and… well…” Michael pointed to the ground. “That’s when I found her lying here with blood around her head.”
“How long do you think she had been dead for?”
“It’s hard to say, but she was stiff and pale with her lips all blue. I once read that stiffness in a body starts after around three hours, but I could be wrong. It was cold that day so maybe she was just frozen.”
“How did you know she had fallen from the attic?”
“I didn’t. At first, I thought someone had hurt her because of all the blood, but then I saw a few pieces from the roof had fallen down too and it made me look up to see that the attic window was open. That’s when I knew.”
Next, Michael took us up to the third floor to see what used to be Henry’s and his apartment thirty-three years ago. When no one answered his knock on the door, he typed in a code on the wall and walked in anyway. “I know the guy who lives here and I’m sure he won’t mind us taking a quick look around.”
The apartment was just as small as the other one that Michael lived in now.
“Is this the only bedroom?” Laura stood in the doorway of a room so small it could only fit one bed and a side table.
“Yes. But we managed.”
“Yeah, but how did you manage?
Did one of you sleep on the couch then?”
Michael was quick to change the subject. “Did you want to see the attic?”
“Yes.”
Both Laura and I followed him up the two flights of stairs to a door that looked scratched and had dents in it. When Michael pushed it open, we walked into a dusty storage room with a beam of light coming from the window. “Not much to see, but it’s where Dina spent her last minutes.”
There was a heaviness in my chest from the sadness of a fifteen-year-old girl losing her life way too soon.
I walked to the window. “I wonder if she jumped or she was pushed.”
Michael nodded. “I think she was pushed. I know she was stressed about the money, but she was still a happy girl. I could never imagine she would take her own life.”
Opening the window, I stuck my head out. It would be possible to climb onto the rooftop, but even with dry conditions and a good balance, it would be very unsafe. “How did Henry react when he found out that she was dead?”
Michael scratched his neck. “Not well. He was on his way home from work when I called him, and he came running down like a crazy man, roaring out his grief. That’s why I would have sworn he didn’t do it. His reaction seemed very real, and there was such sorrow when he took her from me and caressed her hair while calling for Dina to come back to him.”
“Do you think Henry loved Dina?”
“They only knew each other for five days but he was insanely proud of being her husband.”
Laura moved to the door. “Let’s get out of this attic. It gives me goosebumps.”
Michael and I followed her, and we were coming down the narrow staircase when suddenly Laura gave a shout.
In the door opening onto the apartment we had just been inside stood a middle-aged man with spiky hair and crazy eyes. “Someone broke into my place.” He was pointing a gun at us, and in reflex Laura pulled out her numb-gun.
“It’s okay, don’t shoot,” I urged him. “Michael, tell him you showed us the apartment.”
Michael, who was behind me, was trying to push his way past me on the narrow staircase. “Jenson, you insane old fart, drop that gun right now.”
When the man didn’t lower his gun, Laura warned him too, “Put your weapon down, right now.”
The horrible thought of Laura getting shot had me pulling my own weapon and pointing at the man. How would I explain it to Magni if his wife lost her life in the same place as his sister?
“I’m not fucking around. Put down the gun or I’ll roast your thieving asses,” the man threatened.
“No one stole from you. It was just me showing these women the apartment I used to live in.”
Jenson was holding his gun with both hands stretched out as he was staring at Laura. “You put down your gun first.”
A “pop” sound made me suck in a breath in fear. Had the man fired his gun? My finger was on the trigger, my heart racing with fear, but it only took a split second before Jenson’s body froze and he fell to the floor.
“You didn’t have to shoot him, Laura.”
“It’s so typical of men to expect women to back down. I’m done with that.”
Rushing to the man’s side, I made sure he was breathing and that he hadn’t cracked his head open in the fall.
Michael kneeled on Jenson’s other side. “Maybe it’s better if you two leave now. I’ll take care of Jenson – he’s a bit of a hermit and as you can see his social skills are lacking.”
I looked into the eyes of the older man. “We didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m very sorry for the pain you’re experiencing but the good news is that it was just a numb-gun. Soon you’ll be able to move again.”
He couldn’t respond so I left him with Michael and nodded for Laura to come with me.
“If I’d know how trigger-happy you are, I wouldn’t have brought you.”
Laura grinned. “Told you I’ve wanted an opportunity to try my numb-gun again. What better time than when a stranger is pointing his gun at me?”
“We could have de-escalated the situation.”
Laura smiled. “Yeah, probably, but where would the fun be in that?”
Now that the adrenalin and fear were leaving my body, relief that we were both unharmed made me laugh a little. “God, you’re such a Northlander sometimes, Laura.”
“What? You mean badass and amazing?”
“Yeah, and a little mean too.”
Laura climbed into the drone. “There has to be balance in the world and with all you nice Motlanders around, I figured I have some wiggle room.”
I buckled up and gave her a mischievous smile. “You must be confusing me with Mila.”
“My bad. I shouldn’t have insulted you by calling you nice, Raven.” Laura’s tone was vibrating with irony.
Closing the doors to the drone and taking off, I looked over at her. “So, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“About Michael and Henry being lovers?”
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 got some answers.”
“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.”
“Why? At least if she married me, she would be with a strong warrior.”
Laura inhaled noisily. “There’s that.” Shaking her head, she chuckled. “I can’t believe you fooled me like that.”
“You know what the worst part is?”
“What?”
“I got my dark side from you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You’re my role model and you always give Magni crap.”
“That’s just because someone needs to keep his ego in check. That man is nothing but pride and confidence.”
“Just saying that I learned from the best.”
Laura and I exchanged a warm smile. “In that case, Raven, I’m honored!”
“You’re not going to tell Magni about today, are you? I really want a chance to solve this mystery on my own.”
“I won’t tell him unless he asks me, but if you find something, you’ll let him know, right?”
“Of course.”
“Good.” Laura looked out the window. “Maybe that will give him some peace.”
“Maybe.” I looked straight ahead too. “And then he’ll be all soft, relaxed, and sweet.”
We both burst into loud laughter.
CHAPTER 14
Apology
Leo
When I heard that Raven was sick and wouldn’t be coming to work, worst-case scenarios made me sick to my stomach. I was restless and short-tempered with my colleagues all day, and my eyes kept going to the door, worrying that any moment now Boulder and Magni would burst through it and accuse me of touching Raven.
I would be a dead man, and it made me angry with her. Raven had promised it would stay between us and if she claimed it hadn’t been consensual, she was lying. She had fucking clung to my hair and pressed my head against her when I gave her oral. She had wanted me. It couldn’t have been something I imagined because she had told me so – hadn’t she? Ever since she ran out my door on Friday night, I’d analyzed everything that had happened between us and I was going crazy.