Chapter 2 - MILLER DOESN’T THROW THE FIRST PUNCH
Dustin’s hands slowly lowered.
Miller’s did too.
That seemed to confuse him.
“You came here to fight me?”
“No.”
Dustin glanced around as though somebody might rescue his pride from the answer.
“You just squared up.”
“You walked toward me with your fists raised.”
“So?”
“So I didn’t plan to let you hit me.”
Carver stepped between them.
“Conversation’s over.”
Miller looked past him.
“I came for Leah’s gym bag.”
Dustin’s eyes flicked toward Carver.
Small.
Fast.
Miller caught it.
Carver answered:
“She doesn’t have anything here.”
“She texted me from the ambulance and said her bag was in locker twenty-eight.”
“We cleared her locker.”
“Where’s the bag?”
Carver’s jaw tightened.
“I don’t know.”
Miller looked toward Marcus Bell.
Marcus looked away.
That was another answer.
Miller turned back toward Carver.
“My daughter says Dustin hit her after she told him the sparring session was over.”
Dustin laughed without humor.
“She’s lying.”
“She says she was walking toward the locker room.”
“She came back onto the mat.”
“Why?”
Dustin said nothing.
Miller continued.
“She also says you took her phone.”
That reached him.
Carver stepped forward.
“Careful.”
“About what?”
“You’re accusing my staff of theft.”
“I’m repeating what my daughter told police.”
A few fighters stopped pretending not to listen.
Marcus Bell spoke.
“She had her phone when she left the cage.”
Carver turned.
“Marcus.”
Marcus ignored him.
“She had it when she went toward the back hall.”
Miller looked at him.
“What back hall?”
Nobody answered.
Near the changing rooms was a black door marked STAFF.
Miller had noticed it entering.
Now he noticed Dustin watching it.
Carver said:
“Private office.”
Marcus corrected him.
“Training archive.”
“Shut up.”
Marcus looked at his coach.
Something passed between them.
History.
Fear.
Maybe exhaustion.
Miller asked:
“Did Leah go through that door?”
Marcus nodded once.
Carver said:
“She had no permission.”
“What was she doing?”
“Stealing.”
Miller’s expression sharpened.
“What?”
Carver folded his arms.
“Your daughter came here pretending she wanted to train. She started photographing private business records.”
Miller did not answer immediately.
That was new.
Leah had never told him.
Carver continued.
“She was confronted. She started screaming. Dustin tried to stop her from leaving with proprietary information.”
Miller looked at Dustin.
“By breaking three ribs?”
Dustin’s face hardened.
“She swung first.”
Marcus said:
“No.”
Everyone turned.
Marcus had gone pale.
Carver stepped toward him.
“You weren’t there.”
“I was at the bags.”
“You couldn’t see the hallway.”
“I could see enough.”
Marcus looked at Miller.
“Leah came out holding her phone. Dustin followed her.”
Dustin snapped:
“Stay out of it.”
Marcus ignored him.
“She told him not to touch her.”
Miller said nothing.
Marcus continued.
“Then Coach told Dustin to get the phone back.”
Carver’s face changed.
Not guilt.
Calculation.
Marcus looked toward the ceiling.
“There was a camera over the rear mat.”
Carver immediately answered:
“It was down.”
Marcus turned slowly.
“No.”
Carver stared at him.
Marcus said:
“It was working when Leah went into the back hall.”
Now Miller understood why nobody had given him her bag.
May you like
Whatever happened to Leah had not begun with sparring.
It began with whatever she saw behind that black door.
