Guardian / Duskwood

Chapter 3

*Jake POV*

I don't know what to expect from that room, does it have something to do with the investigation? What is full of stuffed animals from when she was little? What would make a girl her age embarrassed?

She slowly opens the door to that room, passing through first as if she wanted to check that everything is in order.
    "Okay, come on in."
     I go in fearful, but then I am surprised. It's... A totally normal room. Well, almost normal, because it almost seems like a museum full of frames with news instead of works of art.The room appears to be quite clean for a room where no one sleeps. The bed is small compared to the one I've seen in her room. A desk full of family photos. I'd like to take a closer look at them.
It's quite... Lovely that she's shy about hiding this. So I inadvertently let out a small laugh.
    "Is this what you were hiding?" I ask, approaching to read a newspaper clipping about a man with the same last name as MC who appeared in a photograph taken from afar, arresting someone.
    "You said you wouldn't laugh" She reproaches, looking to the side.
    "I'm not laughing," At least not making fun of her. I point to another piece of news. "They're all from the same man."
    "Yes... While in my adolescence my friends had posters and photos of trips or friends hanging in their rooms, I had newspaper clippings of the person I admired the most" she approaches me looking at the newspaper clipping, with a strange smile "He was a great police inspector. And sometimes her daughter collaborated with him when he got stuck in understanding the behavior of some suspect" she laughs, but I notice her differently. Distant.
    "And so began that girl's little detective life." I put a hand to my chin, giving her a curious look. No wonder she paid attention to little details.
    "And as time went on, some of the police didn't like it, too many people wanted the inspector job. If the girl were to occupy that position, it would be quite unfair." I notice how she clenches her hands tightly, now angry. "But they all came up against a problem that even she couldn't solve, so the jealous adults' taunts came from her and her insecurity appeared, causing her to prefer to dedicate herself to investigating stories. Something that her father didn't like. He hated reporters ever since that cold case."
    "What happened to the inspector?" I look at her, sympathetically "You speak of him in the past tense."
     She bites her lip and looks at me. I notice how she tries to hold back her tears.
    "It was at Christmas. He and her daughter argued over a stupid article in the newspaper where she worked but she had nothing to do with it, because he thought it was some kind of revenge for those adults who laughed at her." She sighs, putting a hand to her head, more annoyed by the past than because she had asked. In that article they laughed at the police for being incompetent because you can see that they should never have lost their perfect assistant. She tried to reason with him, they were both stubborn. They left the party arguing" little by little she reduces her words, slowing down speaking "They continued arguing in the car. Her daughter was the one driving, getting more and more nervous." she replies, her voice cracking "Finally there was an accident. He and his wife died. Luckily his daughter was saved. But..."
    "She hasn't recovered yet" I try to dig a little, I feel like she's not talking about someone else. I can't force her to tell me.
    "Yes, she recovered. It's just that sometimes she thinks about why they should have argued that day. Let's say that... She can't forgive herself for not having apologized to him... Nor that she got to see the truck on time because she preferred to continue yelling at him than to choose to look in the rear-view mirror... Some journalists thought that the police covered up that the daughter was drunk because she was the daughter of her partner" she whispers that last angrily. MC lets out a sigh and smiles. "I'm going to prepare the food, I'll leave you in charge of the last camera."
     She heads for the door, but I stop her with my words.
    "I don't think that girl should feel guilty." I look at her with a certain melancholy, understanding her. "Or at least... I think so..."
    "I'll tell her when I sees her."
     She leaves me alone in the room, ready to set up the cameras.