by Vivien Chien
“Maybe she did.” I gasped. “Ohmigod! That means I’ve talked to the wrong person too. At some point, I said the wrong thing to the wrong person.”
“Wait … when did you get this?”
“I didn’t notice it until I was leaving the plaza,” I said.
“Okay, so most likely it happened when you were at that meeting? Unless you went somewhere else? Did you make any other stops?”
“I went to the noodle house after with Peter, but he sure as hell didn’t put it in my purse. And prior to the meeting I was at dim sum with my family. It definitely wasn’t there when I left for the meeting. I would have noticed it when I was digging for my keys.”
“So … who did you sit next to?”
“Peter was on one side of me, and Freddie was on the other side.”
“And we’re not even considering him in this whole thing, are we?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. He’s new in town and wasn’t even around the night that Norman died. And I don’t think he has any associations with Stella whatsoever.”
“Okay then, so what opportunities were there to slip something into your purse without you noticing?”
“I don’t know, I was sitting there the whole time.” I stopped. “Hold on … no, I wasn’t. I got up and went to the bathroom while Penny was putting food out on the table. I left my purse hanging on my chair. I didn’t think anything of it because Peter was sitting right there.”
“So Penny came into the room, and was moving all around the table and then a fortune cookie mysteriously pops up in your purse? That can’t be a coincidence, Lana. Especially after the way she acted toward you yesterday.”
I shut my eyes. I didn’t want it to be true. It couldn’t be Penny. It just couldn’t be. She had been in the plaza with us for the past year … I had drinks with her and hung out at the Bamboo Lounge at least once a week. “There has to be another explanation. Both Walter and Ray were there too … it could have easily been one of them.”
“True…” She tapped her fingernails on the tabletop. “Well, that definitely eliminates Joel, wouldn’t you say?”
“I guess so.” I paused. “Unless he and Penny really are partners…”
She threw her hands up. “How are we ever going to eliminate anybody?”
“We have to find that connection between the three of them and see if it would have any relevance to what’s happening.”
Megan pointed to her computer. “I’m reading up on Stella right now. She’s had an interesting life, to say the least.”
“Okay, you keep digging online. In the meantime, I’m going to try and get some info out of Adam. We have a date tomorrow night, so I’ll try to casually bring up the case and see what I come up with.”
“Shouldn’t you tell him about this fortune showing up in your purse?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. If I show him this right away, he’s definitely not going to tell me anything. He’ll be too worried about me being in danger.”
“Do you really think he’s going to tell you anything anyway? He’s not exactly open about things to begin with.”
“I have to at least give it a shot…”
She focused back on the computer screen. “Lana.” Her voice was firm as she said my name. “I think what you have to do is accept the fact that all roads lead back to Penny Cho.”
CHAPTER
21
Monday morning came and went and I hardly noticed. This is an unusual occurrence for me since Mondays always seem to last forty-eight hours. But I was too preoccupied with everything roaming around in my brain that I had gone through the entire morning on autopilot.
When Nancy came in, I retreated to the office and shut the door. I told everyone that I was going through receipts and managing the books, but what I was really doing was thinking. Thinking about what Megan said to me the afternoon before. All roads lead back to Penny Cho.
If I really sat back and thought about it, I didn’t know much about Penny besides the fact that she had moved up North from Florida where she’d owned a small restaurant that hadn’t done all too well. After a major hurricane devastated her home, she wasn’t able to keep up with the restaurant or the repairs needed on her house. So, with what little she had left, she decided to move to Ohio and start from scratch.
It always seemed like a legit story, and I’d never questioned it. There wasn’t any reason to. But now I began to wonder if there was another reason for her move.
Most of our conversations centered around business at the plaza, or she would ask me questions about myself … like how things were going with Adam, or what was new with Megan. But never really anything about herself. I didn’t know if she lived alone, had a roommate, what her hobbies were, and up until the recent rumors about her and Joel, I didn’t know if she was even dating anybody. She always managed to steer our chats back around to me without offering up too much about herself.
A little while after lunch, I decided to stop by for a visit with Rina, and see if she knew anything about Penny. I wondered what type of conversations they’d had, if any.
On my way over to the Ivory Doll, Freddie Yuan waved to me from the community center and came toward the doors to greet me. I wasn’t ready for another encounter with him and I thought he might want to rehash things that were said at the last meeting, so I gave him a quick wave and rushed over to meet my friend before he could stop me.
Rina was watching me from the entrance of her store. She welcomed me with a big hug and giggled in my ear. “What was that all about? I think I actually saw you jog a little bit.”
“Nothing…” I pulled away. “Just excited to see you is all.”
She grinned. “Uh-huh…”
A few women lingered around the store, comparing face powders and reading ingredient labels.
“Do you have a minute?” I asked, nodding toward her customers.
“Sure.” She led me off to the side farthest away from the other women. “What’s up?”
“What do you know about Penny Cho? Personally, I mean.”
Her eyebrows scrunched. “Penny? Lana, what’s this about? Tell me you’re not still snooping into this case.”
I didn’t want to tell her about the fortune cookie. I knew that it would only make her worry. “I was thinking about it earlier this morning and I realized I don’t know that much about her outside of the plaza. Do you?”
Rina took a minute to think. “No, not really. Usually she turns the conversation toward me. And I don’t like to pry with people, so I never push. If anyone knows that people like to keep things private, it’s me.”
“See, that’s the thing … she does the same with me when we talk. Other than knowing she moved up here from Florida, I don’t know anything else about her.”
“Florida, yes.” Rina nodded. “She likes to talk about Florida. Hurricanes and all that.”
“You wouldn’t want to do some digging for me, would you?” I hated to ask, especially since there was no telling if Penny was someone safe to be around. But I figured Rina talking to Penny at the lounge would be harmless.
“Oh no, absolutely not,” Rina said, taking a step back. “I am not going to encourage this.”
My shoulders slumped. “I understand.”
“I don’t think you do, Lana…” Rina shook her head at me. “Because I know you’re going to keep investigating anyway.”
“Well, I can’t just leave it,” I told her. “Two people are dead and the killer could be right under our roof.”
My voice must have risen because the two women who were on the other side of the store turned around and gawked at us.
Rina smiled awkwardly at them, and ushered me closer to the entrance. “Hey, remember that restaurant you have to manage?”
I pursed my lips at her.
“Why don’t you go back there and take care of that instead of worrying about this nonsense. Adam and his guys will get it figured out. Don’t you worry.” She shooed me out of the store wi
th a wave of her hands.
“Fine…”
“Oh, and don’t forget about our coffee date tomorrow. We can go to Shanghai Donuts instead of Starbucks so you can satisfy that sweet tooth of yours.” She gave me a wink and turned around to tend to her customers.
I sulked all the way back to the restaurant.
* * *
After work, I rushed home to shower and get ready for my date. Adam told me that we were going to Michael Symon’s restaurant, Lola. Having never been there, I was excited to sample the menu because of all the great things I’d heard about the place.
I prepped and primped for about an hour until the doorbell finally rang. Kikko went into a frenzy of yips and growls as she pawed at the front door.
“Calm yourself, woman,” I lectured her as I opened the door.
Adam stepped in, embraced me in a giant hug, and lifted me off the ground. I buried my head in the crook of his neck and inhaled his signature cologne. He smelled of cinnamon and sandalwood.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” He set me down and gave me a gentle kiss.
“I just saw you on Saturday.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t really get to see you.” A devilish grin spread on his lips and he squeezed my sides.
A giggle escaped against my will, and I chastised myself for it.
“Are you ready to go? I’m starved.”
On the way downtown, we played a mini-version of catch-up that was mostly me telling him about things going on at the restaurant. As usual, he barely said anything about his own work.”
Twenty minutes later we were walking down Euclid Avenue, making our way over to East Fourth Street. The early evening air was crisp and smelled like spring. It was one of my favorite smells, and I wished the walk to Lola was a little bit longer.
The restaurant was decently packed for a Monday, but not overly crowded. We were seated at a table off to the side of the entrance.
After we had reviewed the menu, ordered our drinks and food, I decided to begin my covert snooping.
“You know, something has been bugging me about Stella Chung,” I said, attempting to use my most sincere and innocent voice.
His eyes narrowed. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, she came to me a few days before she was … murdered, and asked about talking to you.”
He perked up in his seat. “She did?”
“You mean she never did come talk to you after all?” I was a little shocked, but after her telling me she didn’t really trust the police, I had my suspicions that she might try and keep the fortune-cookie episode to herself for as long as possible.
“No, she never did.” He took a healthy swallow from his glass. “What did she say?”
I fiddled with my napkin. “She showed me a message that she’d gotten…”
“On her phone?”
“No…”
“Lana, don’t make me drag it out of you.”
Sighing, I said, “It was a fortune … but it wasn’t a regular fortune-cookie fortune. It was a threat.”
“I found that in her things,” he admitted. “I wasn’t sure if it meant something. It didn’t seem like a typical fortune.”
“I told her that she should talk to you right away. Especially since Mr. Pan received one before the contest.”
“He did?” His voice rose in surprise. “Why didn’t I know about this?”
I shrank in my seat. “I don’t know. Maybe Ian forgot about it? Norman gave it to him after the first round. I don’t think either one of us thought much of it at the time.”
Adam scowled at the mention of Ian’s name. “Do you think that he would have held on to it? It’s a fortune-cookie paper; that type of thing could get lost easily.”
I could feel my face getting hot like I was in trouble. It had never occurred to me that Ian wouldn’t have the slip of paper that was given to him by Norman. What if he’d thrown it away thinking it wasn’t anything of significance?
“Lana, I need you to call Ian and ask him about it right now. I need to know if he still has it.”
“Now? While we’re at dinner?”
“Yes, right now,” he said more firmly.
“Okay, okay.” I pulled out my phone and dialed Ian’s number. After three rings, he answered. Quickly, I relayed the situation to him and asked if he had the fortune-cookie paper that Norman had given him.
“Well,” Adam mouthed to me.
I nodded a yes.
“Tell him that I will pick it up tonight. Where can I meet him?” Adam whispered.
I relayed the message to Ian who said he would be working late at the plaza. He assured me he would wait for Adam to arrive.
I thanked him and we hung up.
Adam sat back in his seat. “I don’t want to jinx it and say this is a lucky break … but this feels damn lucky.”
“See, aren’t you glad I brought it up?” I beamed.
“Actually, I am. This confirms we are dealing with the same person for both murders. And we can assume that the killer knew both parties on a personal level, so there must be some type of connection between them.” His gaze drifted off and I could tell he was morphing into ‘all-business Adam.’
“Why do you say the killer knew them on a personal level?”
“Because Stella had drinks with this person. We found two glasses and a bottle of whiskey in her hotel room. One glass must have been broken in the struggle, and I’m guessing it was the killer’s because we found her prints on the other glass. Aside from that, we have nothing. The broken glass was so destroyed we’re probably not going to get anything off it. The whiskey bottle, all the surfaces and the door handles were wiped clean. There was a partial print on the lamp cord, but it’s probably worthless.”
“A bottle of whiskey, you said?”
“Yeah, a half-empty bottle of Yama—” He stopped, slapping himself in the face. “Why am I telling you this?”
“Casual conversation?” I shrugged.
He groaned. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“But maybe if we talk it out, you’ll come up with more ideas,” I suggested.
The server came with our food and set the plates down in front of us.
Adam reached for the salt shaker, giving me a quick glance. “Nice try, Lana.”
The rest of dinner was pleasant. He managed to successfully get my mind off recent happenings, talking about ideas he had for summer plans. If he could manage the time away, he wanted to have a weekend getaway with me. We spent the rest of our meal talking about various locations that we’d both like to visit if we got the chance.
We stayed for one drink after dinner, and then he said we needed to leave so he could meet up with Ian.
I stopped in the ladies’ room knowing that crossing my legs the whole way home was not going to cut it. The bathroom was immaculate and might have been nicer than my apartment. At times, I wished there was such a job as restroom connoisseur. I would have a blast rating all the bathrooms in the city … and there were quite a few that would make it on the … well, you know what list I’m talking about.
When I returned to the table, my purse that I had left on my seat was now on the table, and Adam was livid. I know because when he gets mad, his lips disappear into his mouth, and his eyebrows hang really low over his eyes. In a way, he kind of looks like Burt from Sesame Street.
“What did I do now?” I asked, trying to make a joke.
It didn’t work.
“Lana, what is the meaning of this?” He held up the fortune-cookie paper.
No! I had forgotten to take the slip of paper out of my purse! “You went through my things?”
“I was looking for gum … now answer the question.”
I sulked. How could I be so careless? “It’s nothing … it—”
“When did you get this?”
“Yesterday,” I mumbled. “I was going to tell you, I swear.”
“Funny that it didn’t come up during this entire dinner … or sa
y … yesterday!”
The couple sitting down next to us turned our way.
I put my head down. “Can we not do this here?”
“Fine, we need to go anyway.” He got up from the table and slipped the fortune-cookie paper into a tiny, plastic resealable bag he pulled from his pants pocket.
“Do you keep baggies in your pocket all the time?” I asked as we left the restaurant.
“You never know when you’re going to need one.” He took long strides the entire way to the car and my short legs had a hard time keeping up. “Come on, we have to get to the plaza.”
“We?”
“Yeah … as of now, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
CHAPTER
22
By the time we made it to Asia Village, the shops were closed and the parking lot was empty and darkened except for a few security lights. Adam parked right outside of the main doors and ushered me inside.
We found Ian in his office jotting down notes in a ledger. “Lana, what is so urgent about this fortune?” He looked up, his eyes automatically locking on Adam. “Detective Trudeau … nice to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Adam replied. There was little feeling behind the word.
Ian pulled open a desk drawer and took out the slip of paper. “After everything that happened with Norman, I completely forgot about it. It’s been sitting in my desk this entire time.”
Adam took the paper from him. “Did you discuss this with anyone?”
“No, like I said, it’s been in my desk drawer this whole time,” Ian said. He nodded toward me. “Lana was with me when Norman brought it over. It was just a handful of us standing there. I meant to talk with the waitstaff about it, but I never got the chance.”
“Good. The fewer people know about this the better.” He took another plastic baggie out of his pocket and slid the paper in, securing the zip seal. “Now, if we can just figure out what all of these secret messages mean.”
