Free Can't Keep a Brunette Down by Diane Bator Page A

his lips. "You watch far too much television, Miss Wright."
    "Probably. Where did you get the mats so fast?"
    "They are from my basement. Sensei Mick helped me set up a dojo in my basement so I could do my training. I offered my mats to the school until he can get new ones."
    "That was really nice. Thank you." She bowed her head. "Did you know Walter well?"
    "Walter was a simple man with a complicated life," he said. "Some things he did made me laugh. Some things made me sad. Some things made me wonder if his head was up his posterior."
    "What things?" She'd never heard Razi talk so much.
    "I do not gossip, Miss Wright." Hence, the reason he probably rarely spoke.
    "So, who should I talk to?"
    Razi shrugged his broad shoulders and lifted the bucket. "Anyone who will talk to you. I suggest you start with Sensei Mick and work down the list."
    "You do? Why Sensei Mick?"
    He walked away, silent except for the slosh of the water in the bucket.
    "Razi?" She followed him down the hall to the utility room and waited while he emptied the bucket into the large sink and rinsed the mop. Mick was the head honcho. Everyone knew that, so he had to know more than everyone else. He probably knew all about Walter and the potential karate school.
    "Did Walter ever talk to you about starting his own karate school?"
    "Once again, that is gossip."
    "Not if I ask you to tell me." She crossed her fingers and hoped he believed her. "Relaying information when someone really needs to know isn't gossip. Running around town telling everyone what you know out of spite is gossip."
    "That is an interesting interpretation." Razi put the bucket and mop away then cleaned the sink. "And of what use is this information to you?"
    Gilda hesitated. "I think his death had something to do with him wanting to leave Yoshida's and open a new school."
    "I see." He rinsed away the cleaner from the sink then wiped it dry. If he'd murdered Walter, there wouldn't have been a speck of blood anywhere by the time she and the police got there. Razi was too meticulous. "Do you think it's dangerous for you to look for his killer?"
    "Yes. Probably."
    He walked toward her then lay a damp hand on her shoulder. "Be careful, Miss Wright. Even the most harmless kitten can be a danger."
    She didn't move until the front door had closed and silence settled over the school. Only then did she settle behind her desk. She hoped Gary wasn't watching and didn't know she was alone. He made her nervous.
    Xavier and Razi had never spoken to her as much as they had in the past twenty-four hours. It struck her as odd for both of them, especially Razi, who'd rarely spoken to her at all.
    Mick seemed to gravitate close to her then pull away. Was he trying to distract her and, if so, from what?
    Gilda took care of the small pile of paperwork then ordered flowers for the Levy family. Once her work was done, she snooped. The call that came in the day before while she and Mick talked in the lobby was in caller ID. Mick's home number. The call came from his condo. Her stomach lurched. Had Chloe moved in with him between fights?
    Chloe del Garda had signed up for karate a year earlier, and even though Mick noticed her, as far as Gilda knew, he hadn't acted on the attraction publicly until six months ago. Far too soon to cohabitate, in her opinion, but Mick obviously didn't share her view. Of course, while she didn't see eye to eye with him on a lot of things, she respected him enough not to make the small things into larger issues.
    What happened that Mick would ban his girlfriend from the school? Sure, they argued a lot, but he'd never banned anyone before. Whatever happened between them this time must be serious. She headed for his office to see what sort of secrets lurked there. Halfway to his door, she paused.
    The ring. She hadn't thought to ask anyone but Xavier about it. If the ring wasn't made locally, she'd have a hard time finding information. If it was something ordered online, she might be able to