by Vivien Chien
“It keeps money in the bank, so it’s worth it. Anyhow, how can I help you? In your message you said something about being referred to me by Susan? I’m kinda booked up into early fall, but since you’re a referral, I can try and work something out for you. I hate to turn away business.”
I had to make a snap judgment on whether I wanted to lie about needing her services or just come out with the truth and pray for the best. If I told her what I was really calling about, there was a chance she might not be willing to meet me in person, and I really didn’t want to do this over the phone.
Then again, what if Susan had already given her a heads-up that I would be calling? I decided to take my chances and lie after all. Remembering my backstory problems with Bryce, I thought fast.
“Well, my best friend’s thirtieth birthday is coming up and I’d really like to do something big for her. I was wondering if you could help me with that.”
“Oh! Thirtieth birthdays! I love doing those kinds of parties. What were you thinking? A house party? Or do you want to do something in a party room? I can get you prices for local restaurants and bars.”
“Maybe a restaurant?” I sighed. “I don’t really know.”
“That’s okay. Why don’t we meet for coffee or something and I can show you some options.”
We made plans to meet later that evening, and as soon as we hung up, I contemplated exactly how I would segue into the situation with Donna.
* * *
It was my lucky day because when I returned from dropping off the bank deposit, I found Lydia waiting for me at one of the booths. She was dressed in all black, holding a document-sized manila envelope and appearing slightly impatient.
“I was in the neighborhood so I thought I’d stop by with this paperwork,” Lydia said instead of saying hello. “Turns out Eddie likes you, and said as long as all of these liability forms are filled out, he has no problem with Donna’s terms.” She handed me the envelope. “Nice place you got here.”
“Thanks.” I sat down across from her and turned the envelope over, bending the metal clasp through the eyelet on the back to get it open. I flipped through the paperwork, only understanding half of it. I noted the monetary values and was relieved that I didn’t have to try to bribe Lydia or her boss with more money as Donna suggested.
Lydia leaned over the table and pointed to a page that I’d stopped on. “This is the consent form that Eddie had Meredith type up for these particular circumstances. We accept zero liability for anything that may happen to you during the duration of our involvement. You and Ms. Feng sign this one, and then I just need her signature on the rest. The front page has my retainer to get started. Then I charge per hour. Everything is documented, and I provide receipts for any expenses I may incur during the investigation.”
I nodded along as she spoke, but truth be told, I wasn’t entirely keeping up with anything besides the basics. The paperwork read like a lot of legal mumbo jumbo, and for one second, I considered having Anna May take a look at it, but then I realized I’d have to tell her what I was up to. If she knew things had reached the point of hiring a professional, there is no way she wouldn’t rat me out to my parents.
“Okay, I’ll get Donna to fill these out and get them back to you by tomorrow.”
“Sounds great,” Lydia said, slapping the table with both hands. “I’ve got a meeting in about forty-five minutes, so you’ll have to excuse my abruptness. I’ll be in the office tomorrow morning and gone by lunchtime.”
“How much do you actually work in the office?” I asked.
“Not that much. I try to do mornings when my mind is the freshest, and then I’m out tracking people down, or meeting with clients.”
“Do you like what you do?”
She smirked. “Why? You thinking about joining the life?”
I’m not sure why, but the thought of it made me blush. “Not really, just curious, I suppose.”
Lydia stood up from the table. “Circumstances led me here; it’s not what I originally thought I’d be doing. But yeah, I enjoy it. Someone has got to get answers for these people … and if I can help somehow, why not? There’s much worse I could be doing with my time.” She said goodbye and hurried out the door.
I sat at the booth for a couple of minutes thinking about her answer. Both of us had been led to a different life than we’d imagined. I guess we did have something in common after all.
CHAPTER
26
At six o’clock, I met Evie/Yvette Howard at the Starbucks on Clifton Avenue. The place was packed with people, and I shimmied my way through to the back of the line. I got my coffee and snagged the last empty table near the back and faced the door. I wanted to be prepared for her arrival.
A few minutes later, Evie walked in, and it took her only about a minute or so to recognize me. I could tell she was having a little difficulty placing me, but the familiarity was there. It was showtime.
She went through the line and got her coffee. On occasion she would turn to nonchalantly observe me. I pretended not to notice.
She was dressed in a casual suit jacket with skinny jeans and a V-necked silk blouse that was tucked stylishly into the front of her pants. She wore her hair down in loose waves and resembled someone you’d see advertising the casual-businesswoman look in a copy of Glamour magazine. She was carrying a fancy, brown leather purse that doubled as a workbag, and I imagined she’d brought an entire portfolio with her. I began to feel a little bit of guilt as I thought about the real reason for calling her here.
Once she’d gotten her drink, she slowly walked to my table and smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to be Lana, would you?”
“Yes, that’s me.” I extended a hand and gave her a firm handshake.
She cocked her head. “I’m sorry, but we’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“Yeah, you were the party planner for my friend Donna Feng.”
Evie smacked her forehead and then sat down in the chair across from me. “Now I remember. You were the caterer.”
“Yup, that’s me.”
“What a small world,” she said. “How do you know Susan?”
“Actually, I didn’t until recently,” I admitted.
The pleasant smile that had been on her face since we’d made our introductions now dropped away. “Oh?”
“It’s actually a funny story,” I said, sipping my coffee.
She did not look the least bit amused. “How so?”
“I was looking into finding someone named Evie that I’d heard was friends with Alice, and what do you know? You and her are one and the same.” I forced a laugh.
Her responding laughter sounded equally hollow, and she quickly occupied herself with taking a sip from her coffee.
“I really am trying to have a party for my best friend,” I lied. “But since we’re already here, I wanted to ask you about something else as well. I thought maybe you could help me with a few questions I have.”
“I can try,” she said, sounding unsure.
“You were friends with Alice Kam, right?”
She nodded. “Yes, we knew each other.”
“When I spoke with Susan, she told me that you guys were pretty close and that you would know more about her personal life than anyone else would.”
“Ha! Oh, that Susan. They were really the ones who were close. That’s how I met Alice … through Susan.”
“Well, she did tell me that, but she said that you and Alice grew closer in recent months and that if anyone would know about Alice’s relationship with Bryce Blackwell, it would be you. Was she wrong about that?”
For a moment, I thought I noticed relief pass over her features. “Bryce? What do you want to know about Bryce Blackwell?”
“Quite a bit, actually. But I guess the biggest question on my mind is, were they engaged at any point in their relationship?”
Evie stifled a laugh as if it was the most ludicrous thing she’d ever heard. “Not that I know of. I mean, Alice was a nice girl
and all, but kind of timid for someone like Bryce.” Her eyes lit up for a moment. “He’s kind of on the adventurous side.”
I raised an eyebrow. That was an interesting response for her to make. I made a mental note of her reaction. “Okay, so if they weren’t engaged, do you know why they broke up?”
“I think it was sort of a natural progression. Bryce is a busy guy, and realistically, their schedules didn’t match up. They started seeing less and less of each other as the newness of the relationship wore off, and Alice wanted to move on with her life. Neither one of them seemed that broken up over the relationship ending. Then she started seeing an older man a few weeks before she died. I assumed she had moved on.”
“She did?”
Evie nodded. “She casually brought him up one day, but she didn’t give me a name or many details. All I knew was that he had a lot of money and was more than willing to spend it on her. Alice was into that sort of thing. I think her dream was to go from nanny to rich housewife. She loved that circle of friends that Donna runs in and would talk about it all the time.”
Her comment reminded me of the conversation I’d had with Brenda Choi, which seemed to have taken place forever ago. Brenda had said Alice knew what kind of crowd she ran in and that it equaled money. Maybe her plan the whole time was to find a sugar daddy. And with Donna at the top of the food chain, it would make sense for Alice to want to be by her side. Perhaps Brenda’s financial status wasn’t high enough for her liking.
Despite what Evie thought about the whole thing, maybe Bryce had a harder time getting over it than he let on. With the realization that she had started dating someone else, maybe he lashed out at her. Seeing her in person for the first time at the party might have made everything more real for him, and he just couldn’t take it anymore.
“Can I ask you something?” Evie asked, breaking me from my train of thought.
“Sure.”
“Why are you asking these questions about Alice and Bryce anyway? Did something happen?”
Even though Donna was a fan of Yvette Howard, the party planner, I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about me telling her business to Evie, the gossiping friend. “Donna is just concerned that the police are looking in the wrong direction with this whole case and Alice’s killer. She wanted me to see what I could find out about her background to get a better grasp on who she really was. When you come down to it, Donna didn’t know much about Alice’s personal life.” There, that was sort of the roundabout truth, right?
“They’re looking in her direction, aren’t they?”
I stiffened. “She is a suspect, yes. But I can tell you she didn’t do it.”
She leaned forward. “How can you be so sure?”
“Do you really believe that?” I asked. “I know you don’t have the same history that I have with her, but you worked for her. Is Donna Feng the type of woman you could imagine drowning someone in a pool?”
Her eyes slid toward the entrance and I turned to see who was there, but there was no one near the door.
She crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. “I worked for her for a short time only, yes. And I can’t claim to know all that much about her, but I do know that she is a powerful woman who shouldn’t be taken lightly. Alice was having problems with her left and right. You tell me, if you were her friend, what would you think?”
“What about the recent house fire?” I threw back at her. “I’m sure you heard about that. Do you really think that she set her own house on fire?”
“It’s insured, isn’t it?”
My cheeks were warming. I decided I didn’t like Yvette the party planner or Evie the gossiping friend. “Regardless,” I said. “She didn’t do it.”
“No need to get offended. I was only asking.” She held up her hands in defense. “Look, I’m not saying that she did, but maybe you shouldn’t be meddling with police business, you know? They have their suspects for a reason. Aside from the older man she was dating, I don’t know who else would hurt someone like Alice. She was well liked by everyone she crossed paths with.”
“And you don’t know anything about this older man?”
“No, she never mentioned his name to me. She kept it a secret for whatever reason.”
I groaned. “That doesn’t help me with much of anything.”
“I wish I could be of more help.” She took a sip of her coffee and then tapped the bottom of the cup on the table. “But I will say this … Brenda Choi’s husband liked to cheat on her a lot. The Chois were at the party, and oh look, Alice used to work for Brenda.”
My eye narrowed. “Are you insinuating that Alice was having an affair with Brenda Choi’s husband?”
She shrugged. “I can’t say for sure. But you tell me the real reason behind Brenda getting rid of her all of a sudden.”
“I thought it was because her kids were getting too old for a nanny?”
“Does Brenda Choi seem like a mother type to you? Because she certainly doesn’t to me. She seems more like someone to have a nanny until the day she ships her kids off to some fancy college in Europe.”
I thought over that possibility. It was true. Brenda did seem to be a little too lavish to handle momlike tasks. Perhaps the maid she had on staff took over the other duties. Maybe Alice was sleeping with Brenda’s husband and Brenda got wind of it.
“Just consider it,” Evie said, shaking her now empty coffee cup. “I should get going. I have someplace I need to be.” She stood up without giving me a chance to comment.
“If I think of something, is it okay if I call you?” I asked. “You’ve been a big help.” Okay, I was lying, really she was leaving me with more questions than I’d arrived with, but I wanted to make her feel special so she’d be willing to talk with me again.
“Yeah sure,” she said as she started to walk away. “You have my number.”
I sat there for a while after she left, finishing my coffee and thinking. Something was bothering me. None of these stories matched up when it came to Alice and what her life was actually like.
I remembered that the papers from Lydia were in the trunk of my car. I decided to take a trip downtown to the Hilton and have Donna sign them.
* * *
“Mom’s not back yet,” one of the twins said to me, peeking from a crack in the door to their hotel room.
“Which one are you?” I asked. I wasn’t even going to pretend I could tell the difference between the two girls.
“Hold on,” she said, closing the door in my face.
I heard a metal hook slide and then the door opened. She stepped back to let me into the room.
It was a spacious room with modern art and sleek furniture that had a nice view looking out onto Lake Erie. The sun was beginning to set, and it sparkled against the waves of the lake.
“I’m Jessica,” she said. “That’s Jill.” She pointed to her twin who was sprawled out on the couch. They were both petite girls with big doe eyes, button noses, and straight black hair that went well past their shoulders. They were both rail-thin as only teenagers can be, though they appeared more mature than other girls their age.
“Where did your mom go?” I asked.
“She was meeting with the electrician today. She should be back by now, but she probably made a few stops. You know how Mom is … always on the go,” Jessica said with an eye roll.
“I see.” I set the manila envelope on the narrow desk near the floor-to-ceiling windows. “I need her to sign these papers. Make sure she gets this envelope as soon as she gets back. I’ll swing by first thing in the morning and pick them up.”
Jessica eyed the envelope. “What are those?”
I knew that the girls were nosy, so I didn’t want to make their curiosity worse. I decided it would be best to level with them. “They’re documents to hire a PI who can help clear up what happened with Alice.”
Jessica’s head dropped. “Oh.”
An obvious opportunity crossed my mind. Why hadn’t I thought about questioning
the girls before?
“What did you girls think of Alice anyway?”
Jessica lifted her head, her eyes wet with the beginnings of tears. “We liked her a lot. She was so much fun.”
“Yeah,” Jill said, hoisting herself into a sitting position on the couch. “She was way more fun than Mom. We went everywhere with Alice. We even went grocery shopping and stuff. She always made things super fun … even boring things. It’s like we were always on an adventure or something.”
My heart went out to the two girls. They had truly liked their nanny, and it seemed she must have made quite an impression on them, and perhaps even found a place in their hearts.
“Do you know how Rosemary felt about her?” I asked them.
Jill answered before her sister could get a word out. “That old hag? She’s such a killjoy. She never talked to Alice. It was like Alice barely existed.”
“Did you ever see them fighting or anything like that?”
The twins shook their heads. “No,” Jessica answered. “Rosemary would like hardly even look at her.”
I tucked that thought away and continued on with my questioning. “Do you remember the DJ that was working at your mom’s party?”
“Do you mean Bryce Blackwell?” Jessica said, her voice raising an octave.
“He is a total hottie!” Jill added. “That’s originally why we wanted to come downstairs. We were watching him from Jessica’s room.”
“Have you ever seen him at your house before? Before the party, I mean.”
“No? Why would we?” Jessica asked, turning to her sister. “Did you?”
Jill shook her head. “No way, man. I would totally have noticed if Bryce Blackwell was at our house.”
“Why would we?” Jessica asked, repeating her question.
“I heard that he was Alice’s boyfriend a little while back. Didn’t know if he ever stopped by to visit with her and maybe you guys saw the two of them together.”
The twins looked at each other and their eyes widened.
“What?” I asked them.
Jill shook her head in disbelief. “Oh man, it makes total sense now.”
