Smoldering Flames and Secrets

by Anne R. Tan

  21

  He Said. She Said

  Raina searched Jason and found a gun tucked in a shoulder harness. She found Win’s cell phone in his pants pocket. She didn’t dare touch either item with her bare hands and used the tissue in her purse to remove them. His prints on both items would be more than sufficient to link him to both the murder and the kidnapping. She set the gun and cell phone on top of a wine barrel out of his line of sight.

  Matthew had told her that the key to an interrogation was the potential threat of violence, not the violence itself that got the person talking. She laid out her emergency roadside kit in front of him, removing the caps, so the first thing he would see was the flares pointed at his face. She even pulled out the magnifying glass and the reflective triangles. She had no clue what she would do with these items, but in his fear, Jason would imagine the worse.

  She filled the coffee can with water from the utility sink in the corner and threw it on Jason’s face. He moaned and sputtered. As the blood trickling from his head mixed with the water into a puddle next to him, Raina’s stomach turned. She hardened her resolve.

  Jason must have attempted to reach for his face because his arms jerked from behind his back. His eyes flashed open. His eyes rolled around wildly, landing on the flares, the magnifying glass, and all the other items in turn. By the time he finally zeroed in on her, a bead of sweat glistened on his upper lip.

  He swallowed. “What are you planning to do to me?”

  “Where’s my brother?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re crazy. Why am I tied up like this? Why am I here? Let me go.” The words ran out of his mouth. He tried to go for indignation but came out sounding alarmed instead.

  Raina flicked on the lighter. The flame danced between them, mesmerizing. She turned it off and flicked it on again. She did it one more time for good measure. The lighter wasn’t necessary for starting the flares. There was a coarse surface on each cap that would ignite the flare when struck like a match. The lighter was actually meant for the candle, but it looked less impressive if she threatened him with a candle. As Matthew had said, it was all psychological.

  “Where is my brother?” Raina whispered.

  The coldness in her voice reflected the chill in the air. Raina didn’t recognize this person speaking. She discarded the thought for now. She could over-analyze it later when she was in her bedroom and wrapped around her comforter.

  Jason’s gaze flickered from her eyes to the lighter and back again. “You wouldn’t dare.” There was a quiver in his voice.

  Raina raised an eyebrow, flicked on the lighter, and bent to the first flare. She rested on her haunches. “Last chance. Where’s my brother?” She dipped her hand toward the flare. Ten inches. Five inches. An inch.

  “What are you planning to do? Give me a fireworks show?”

  Raina paused. He had a point. “No. I plan to start a fire, and leave you in here. The cave would contain the flames and the alcohol would burn for a good long time.”

  He glanced up at the ceiling.

  “I’ve already turned off the valve for the fire suppression system.” Raina smiled and whispered, “Burn, baby, burn.” She flicked on the lighter again.

  He swallowed, and fear crossed his face. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell you whatever you want.”

  Raina turned off the lighter. “Where. Is. My. Brother?”

  “He’s in the basement of my office.”

  “Is he dead?” Raina had to force the words out of her mouth.

  “Of course not. I’m not a monster. I found your brother trying to break in.” The indignation in his voice would’ve been funny, except that if Raina start laughing, she wasn’t sure she could stop.

  Raina got up and pulled out her cell phone. There was no reception, so she headed toward the doorway. Jason’s eyes tracked her every move, and she never once turned her back on him. Even though she’d used two sets of wire ties, he was still a big man. If he got loose, she was done for.

  At the doorway, there was one bar of reception. Using the dictation feature on her phone, she sent her grandma a text message.

  Win is in the basement of Jason’s

  chiropractor office. Get him first. I’m fine.

  She hit the send button. Her phone buzzed. She checked the message. Her grandma had asked if she was okay. She replied.

  Okay. Get Win.

  Raina turned on the recording app on her phone and put it into her back pocket, pointing the microphone out. She deliberately slowed her steps back toward Jason. Once she was within speaking distance, she asked, “Why did you kill Arianna?”

  “I didn’t kill her. She killed herself by having an affair with that clown of a man. I begged her to stop. I begged her to go away with me, for us to start over. She forced me to do it. She forced me.”

  Raina felt a shiver go down her spine. Like all murderers, Jason believed he was the victim even though he was the one holding the gun. “Who is her lover?” She wouldn’t have described Smith as a clown.

  “Blue.” His mouth twisted at the word as if he were tasting something unappetizing.

  Raina raised an eyebrow. It looked as if Jason didn’t know about Smith.

  “Each time I have Blue in my office, I want to tighten my hands around his neck and give it a good little squeeze,” Jason said, slowly enunciating each word.

  Raina suppressed a shudder. “Why did you call attention to her death by leaving the body here?”

  Jason gave her a humorless smile. “I wanted the murder to appear in all the newspapers. She’s a habitual cheater. I wanted every one of her former lovers to find out about it. Some of them were stupid enough to stop by and give me their condolences.”

  Raina was terrified of what he’d just said. Did he do anything to these former lovers? “I thought you loved her. Why would you hurt her?”

  “I want to stop loving her. I want to get her out of my head. This is the only way. She treated me no better than a pet she had grown tired of but was unwilling to give up.”

  The barn door clanged open. Both Raina and Jason jumped at the sound.

  Detective Wise and a handful of officers came in with their guns drawn. Raina took a step back from Jason and held up both hands, palms up.

  “Help me!” Jason said, wiggling on the ground. “She was going to kill me like she did my wife.”

  Detective Wise glanced in Raina’s direction. “Hands where I can see them.”

  Raina wiggled her fingers. “I recorded his confession with my phone. It’s in my back pocket.”

  “Look at the blood on my head. That’s from her,” Jason screamed. “She’s the stalker that’s been after my wife for the last year. She killed Arianna.”

  “Is there anyone else here with you?” Detective Wise asked.

  Raina shook her head. “His gun is over there.” She nodded in the general direction of where she’d hidden the gun. “Along with my brother's cell phone. Jason kidnapped my brother yesterday. He used my brother’s cell phone to lure me here alone.”

  “Lies! They’re all lies!” Jason said. “She’s a menace to society. The woman is a crazy stalker that shouldn’t be on the street.”

  Raina was trembling by this time. “Can I call my grandma? I need to know if they found my brother yet.”

  Detective Wise put the gun back into her shoulder harness. “Smith found your brother less than ten minutes ago.”

  Raina exhaled audibly, collapsing under the weight of it all. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice choked with tears. “Thank you.”

  22

  Everything Old Is New Again

  After the well wishes and toasts, Blue came over and asked Matthew if he could have a private word with him. The two men left the ballroom and disappeared into the small conference room of the event center. Raina and Jung-yee trailed behind them but stayed in the foyer.

  Jung-yee handed Raina a glass of champagne. “When you think the boys will get done?”

&nb
sp; Raina sat down at one of the plush chairs in the foyer and thanked her cousin for the drink. “It might be a long wait.” She slipped the heels off her feet and wiggled her toes.

  “My feet are killing me.” Jung-yee followed her lead and flopped down onto the chair next to Raina. “It was a wonderful wedding. I will treasure the memory for the rest of my life. You and Lucy did a fantastic job. Thank you so much.”

  “Think nothing of it. We are family, and that’s what we do for each other.”

  “So rumor has it that you stuck flaming flares in the killer’s butt.”

  Raina laughed. “Let me guess. Po Po has been telling tall tales again.”

  “Actually, it was your brother.”

  Thinking of Win’s last escapade, Raina gulped her champagne. “I am still mad that he broke into someone’s office. Like the bad guys will leave evidence lying around for anyone to pick up.”

  Jung-yee chuckled. “He’s only trying to help. It’s hard when everyone else seems to be a superhero fighting crime while he’s still in the schoolroom.”

  “I’m no superhero.”

  Jung-yee raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say you were.” She gave her a Mona Lisa smile that made Raina wonder who she was talking about.

  “Win has to get his business degree. A lot is riding on it.”

  “Are you afraid that if he doesn’t finish, then you would have to sit on the Board?”

  Raina thought about the consequences. It might just come down to this. “Yes. My life is not here anymore.”

  “How do you feel about having a brother-in-law? You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out.”

  Raina shrugged. Her feelings on the situation were the least of her concerns. “It depends on how the chips fall.”

  Lucy came out from the ballroom, hand in hand with someone Raina didn’t recognize. He must be her date. With a crowd this size, it wasn’t surprising that Raina hadn’t been introduced to him yet. Her foster cousin said something to the man and came over to join Raina and Jung-yee. The man pulled out his smart phone started tapping on the screen.

  “Who’s the hottie?” Jung-yee whispered, nodding at the man.

  “Just a friend.” Lucy blushed. “I’m not here to talk about my love life.”

  Jung-yee wiggled her brows at Raina.

  “It’s a little late, but I want to tell you what I found out about Arianna and Bridget,” Lucy said, ignoring Jung-yee’s expression. “They were in the same kid show together. Bridget was originally the star, but she got the flu after two episodes, and Arianna filled in for her. By the time Bridget came back, she was no longer the star. And by the end of the season, she was off the show.”

  Raina’s jaw dropped. So something had happened between the two women a long time ago. “And Bridget introduced Jason Cobb to Arianna years later. Wow.”

  Lucy grimaced. “A plan worthy of a Chinese matriarch.”

  The three women shared a silent moment until the man cleared his throat. Lucy returned to his side, and the two of them headed outside for a moonlit stroll.

  Raina watched them leave with a smile on her face. “I’m glad Lucy is having a good time.”

  “But it’s not serious. You know how she is.”

  “For now. We might turn her yet.”

  “She doesn’t believe in love. How can you find it if you don’t believe in forever?”

  Raina shrugged. “Maybe she doesn’t need forever.”

  Jung-yee straightened as if she remembered something interesting. “Hey, this is the first time your cell phone lasted through an entire investigation.”

  Raina flushed. Oh, yeah. Maybe her phone curse was finally over. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Po Po told my mom that she had to keep replacing your phones. Something about it always exploding. It got so bad, she had to get cheap pay-as-you-go phones. Have you been rigging it up to something?”

  By this time Raina’s neck and head were hot. She probably looked like a tomato. She didn’t want to admit that she couldn’t keep a phone for longer than a few months. It sounded so irresponsible. And she was slightly embarrassed that she couldn’t afford to purchase replacement phones anymore. She either got the cheap prepaid ones or hand-me-downs from her grandma or sister. She opened her mouth to reply, but there was a commotion in the corridor. Saved by the bell.

  Raina and Jung-yee glanced up. The men stepped out of the small conference room and strolled toward them. They shook hands, and Blue claimed his bride. The two of them headed back into the ballroom. Matthew took the empty chair.

  “How did it go?” Raina asked.

  Matthew took a deep shuddering breath. “I am so glad you prepped me. If I heard the news for the first time, I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted. Even as it was, I felt like someone sucker punched me.”

  Raina patted his knee. “What else did he say?”

  “That we could get to know each other better.”

  “Did he say anything about your dad?” It would be nice to have more of Matthew’s family at their wedding.

  Matthew shook his head. “Just like me, he hasn’t seen the old man since he was a kid.”

  “Are you happy with the news?”

  He gave her a piercing look. “Yeah.” His lip curled in one corner. “Yeah, I’m glad I’m not alone.”

  She got out of her chair and kneeled next to him, gazing up at him with adoring eyes. “You were never alone. You always have me.”

  “I know.” Matthew pulled her onto his lap and kissed her forehead. “There’s something I want to ask you. How do you feel about going to Vegas with me again?”

  Raina’s pulse kicked into high gear. The two of them had gotten married in Vegas years ago but had annulled the marriage the next day. It sounded like bad luck to go there again on the eve of their wedding. “What are you trying to say?”

  “You said you didn’t want a big fancy wedding. Then we don’t need to wait.”

  Raina frowned. It would be nice to have some family there on her big day. But to marry again in Vegas? It sounded like trouble. “Just the two of us?”

  Matthew’s gold-flecked brown eyes regarded her gravely. “Of course, we’ll have to bring the grandmas with us.”

  Raina narrowed her eyes at her fiancé. “What else are you not telling me?”

  Matthew chuckled. “All right. One of the casinos wants me to evaluate their security system. We’ll have the penthouse suite for a week, and the fee will cover our honeymoon. What do you think?”

  Raina squealed and kissed him. When they finally came up for air, she said, “You’re okay with it? I don’t want to rush you?”

  She snuggled happily into the crook of his neck, inhaling his unique sage and clean water scent. It had to come from a body wash, though she hadn’t found it yet in his apartment.

  “I would be stupid to let you get away.”

  Po Po came out of the ballroom, holding onto Gigi. The Boston terrier started yapping as soon as she got a sniff of Raina. She jumped out of her grandma’s arms and came bounding forward.

  Matthew scooped Raina up in his arms and stood. “I thought Lucy cured her of this habit.”

  Po Po shrugged, “I don’t know. But she’s going back to Mrs. Keane tomorrow.”

  “So it looked like the murder was a crime of passion after all,” Po Po said. She beamed. “I was right.”

  “I would say it was a revenge for cheating,” Matthew said. “He wanted all the previous lovers to know about her death.”

  Raina shuddered. “It’s horrible all the same.”

  Gigi jumped up against Matthew’s leg. Yip. Yip.

  “How did you end up pet sitting her in the first place?” Raina asked, raising her voice to be heard.

  Po Po averted her gaze. “I might…”

  “What did you say?” Raina said. Either her grandma was mumbling, or she was losing her hearing.

  “I might have borrowed her from the kennel,” Po Po said, peeking up
at Raina from underneath her lashes.

  Matthew burst out into a loud guffaws.

  Raina’s jaw dropped. “You stole the dog from the kennel?”

  “It wasn’t like that. I found Gigi at the park. It looked like she had run away from the kennel, so I decided to keep her,” Po Po said.

  “Did you contact the kennel to let them know?”

  “No, and why should I? If they were so irresponsible, they deserved the panic. But I will bring Gigi home. Mrs. Keane’s neighbor said she should be back tomorrow.”

  Raina wondered if Matthew might be having second thoughts about bringing her grandma along to Vegas.

  Po Po and Gigi went outside, and the foyer became a calm oasis once again.

  “Are you sure you want to bring my grandma along?” Raina asked.

  Matthew was still chuckling. “She comes with the package. Besides, wouldn’t you want to see how she takes on the casinos?”

  Raina thought about it and nodded. “You can put me down now.”

  Matthew tightened his hold on her. “Never.” And he kissed her.

  * * *

  The End

  Please review my books at your ebook retailer. As an indie author, reviews help other readers find my books. One sentence on what you like about the story is enough to help me out. Thank you!

  ~Anne

  Hazy Grooms and Homicides (Raina Sun #8)

  Preorder available

  Coming Spring 2019.

  Acknowledgments

  A story is a dream that a writer brings to life on paper. But a book needs a team to nurture it into the enjoyable tale you’ve just read.

  * * *

  I want to thank my editors, Alicia S. and Brandee, for wrangling my words so they are coherent.