by Anne R. Tan
Raina closed the distance between them and rested her forehead on his chest, cradling her mug between them. She breathed in his familiar scent. “I have nothing to do with Holden’s death. The relationship was a mistake that I regretted shortly after it started. I’m sorry. I know I’m not making life easy for you.”
He stiffened. A heartbeat later he relaxed and drew his arms around her. The ice machine hummed and clicked. His familiar heartbeat thudded in her ears. She could fall in love with him all over again for his steady and comforting heartbeat.
There was a quick tap on the front door. “Hello?” called out an unwelcome, but familiar voice. Clipped footsteps came into the apartment. Raina wished she had locked the door.
Matthew pushed Raina off him. “I’ll be in touch.”
Raina followed him into her living room and found Officer Hopper sneering at the small piles around her apartment. The beam of sunlight coming in through the opened door highlighted a pile of orphaned socks she hadn’t gotten around to matching up. Why couldn’t the light be strong enough to incinerate the darn socks?
Officer Hopper smiled brightly at Matthew. “Do we need to bring her in for questioning?”
“I got everything I need for now.” He stormed out of the apartment without a backward glance.
Officer Hopper smirked. “Don’t even think about leaving town.” She sashayed out, her French braid swooshing across her back like a satisfied cat.
Raina slammed her front door and clicked the lock home. Her legs buckled and she slid to the floor in sudden exhaustion. Matthew’s anger she could handle. The more agitated he got, the more explosive his temper. All it took was for her to soften and she became a balm to the spike in his mood.
What she couldn’t handle was the suspicion in his eyes when he asked if she was hiding anything. Her chest tightened. Tears fell into her coffee mug. She hadn’t realized until now just how much his good opinion of her still mattered. If he even thought she lied about a pregnancy to force Holden’s hand, it would finally be over between them. That was the last thing she wanted.
By the time Po Po waltzed through the door with a cheerful wave, Raina sat serenely on her sofa. Or at least she hoped her dried face and clean clothes projected some semblance of Zen she didn't feel. She grunted in acknowledgment and returned to staring at her notebook.
Po Po gave her a hug, crushing the corner of the notebook to Raina’s cheek. “What's wrong, honey?”
Raina struggled free and rubbed her cheek. “A sweaty grandma almost took my eye out.”
“Did Matthew stop by?”
“How did you know?”
Po Po wiggled her fingers. “Magic.”
Raina rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched. “I have to go to the mall. I need a new dress for a wedding.”
Po Po brightened. “Are you going with a date?”
“It's more of a reconnaissance mission.” At her grandmother's raised eyebrows, Raina explained her recent fallout with Matthew. “I need dirt on Sol Cardenas. And what better way to find it than at a wedding?”
“You're better off doing some surveillance work.”
“I'm not up for watching Sol scratch himself for hours.”
“It'll be fun. Think of the bonding opportunity. Me, you, in a car.” Po Po wiggled her eyebrows. “Granted, I'm not a hunky young man, but I can still show you a good time.”
“I love you, grandma, but I'm afraid of your definition of a good time.” Especially if it involved junk food and Po Po's digestion. Raina chuckled and shook her head.
“Don't worry about Matthew. He'll come around. Look at how many times he kept coming back to you.” Po Po squeezed Raina's knee. “Ah Gong and I had our share of problems in the beginning, but we still had a good life together.”
Raina smoothed the grimace on her face. Would her grandma have such a breezy attitude if she knew about her husband's other family? Not that she would ever say anything to burst her beloved grandma's bubble. Her chest tightened at all the secrets in her life. She closed her eyes to hide her thoughts. Ignorance was bliss when it came to her granddad's shameful legacy.
In some ways, she was thankful the family was contesting Ah Gong's will. If she had access to the inheritance, she would have to send money to China. Though she’d promised her granddad she would take care of the other family, she hadn't factored in how hard it would be to hide it from the rest of her family. Good thing the other family hadn't contacted her yet.
Raina tucked a curl back into her messy ponytail. “You know I can't take you with me, whatever I decide to do. Mom will kill me if anything happens to you. I'm actually surprised I haven't heard from her by now.”
“She's going to kill me anyway,” muttered Po Po. “Didn't you say we're going shopping? I need a spiffy new dress myself.”
“You don't usually visit without calling first. And a family member always drops you off. Not that I don't want you here.” Raina raised an eyebrow. “Why are you secretly planning to move here? Owe the mahjong ladies too much money?”
Po Po laughed and glanced at the koi clock above the TV. “More like the mahjong ladies owe me money. I've the best fingers in Chinatown. I can massage those tiles like no one else.” She held up a finger and blew at it like it was a smoking gun. “As for the business with the family, that's between me and the family. Let's just say… there's a difference in opinion.”
Raina left the rest of her questions shriveling on the vine for now. She didn’t believe for a minute Po Po was on a nice family visit. The mulish look on her grandma’s face meant she’d bury deeper beneath her facade if Raina kept pushing for answers.
“I think you're supposed to touch yourself and make the sizzling sound.” Raina demonstrated. “That's means you're sizzling hot. Now why do you need a new dress?”
“It's for the dance at the senior center. I need to look like hot stuff.”
“You have a date?”
Po Po stiffened. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“No, I'm just surprised. I didn't know you were ready for a relationship.”
“It's a date. One date a relationship doesn't make.”
Raina snorted. “Okay, Yoda. Let's roll.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were piled in the car and on the way to Sacramento. As Raina drove, she considered Po Po's suggestion for a stakeout. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. How hard could it be to follow Sol for a couple days to learn his routine?
She needed to stop Sol from squealing to Matthew. She’d be his pretend girlfriend for the next ten weddings if she had to. If he had no qualms about blackmailing her, she would have to harden her conscience as well. After all, mutual cooperation worked both ways.
13
PAJAMAS NINJAS
Raina slammed on the brakes when another impatient driver cut in front of her on the off ramp for the Arden Fair Mall. Did shaving off two seconds from his travel time warrant the possibility of getting into a car accident? There was plenty of room for him to merge in safely behind her.
She sneaked a glance at her grandma. Po Po stared out the window, tapping her fingers on the door to an internal beat. Her grandma’s love life sizzled, but hers was colder than the mystery meat in the back of her freezer. Raina shook her head. Something must be off with her juju. Maybe she needed to pray to the kitchen god and sacrifice her faculty parking pass to get her mojo back.
Po Po towed Raina into Macy’s before she had a chance to adjust to the crowds and buzzing conversations. A hop and skip later, she found herself in a large dressing stall glaring at a pile of dresses and her grandma perched on the stool in the corner.
Raina gawked at her reflection. Her underwear peeked out from the high side slits of the red sequined dress. She exhaled and looked at the ceiling, praying for patience.
Po Po beamed and clapped her hands. “Oh, Rainy, you look fabulous. I love how the dress makes your girls pop out.”
“If I sneeze, I’ll have a wardrobe malfunction.” Raina tug
ged at the skintight material. “I look like an escort.” The extra padding on the bodice made her chest look two sizes larger.
“Then I suggest you hold your breath.” Po Po sifted through the pile and held up a slinky gold dress. “I love how girls today don’t have to be covered up all the time. We had to wear potato sacks when I was your age.”
Raina pressed the heel of her palms to her forehead. A potato sack was looking more appealing by the minute. She groaned when her grandma stroked the ripple openings on the back of the gaudy gold dress, which would flaunt a tramp stamp if she had one. “I don’t think these dresses are my style.”
Po Po wiggled her eyebrows. “Nonsense. That red dress shows off your figure. Bet you Matthew would drool if he saw you like this.”
Raina slipped back into her clothes. “Thanks, Po Po. But I got this. See you at the food court later.”
Outside the store, she squinted at the fluorescent tubes above her while revising her game plan. The chattering crowd shifted around her. Her sister, Cassie, had been a pro at picking dresses to flatter Raina’s boyish frame, clearly a skill which she didn’t get from their grandma. A personal shopper would have to fill in for her sister today. She weaved through the crowd to another anchor store.
Forty-five minutes later, she trudged toward the food court dragging two fancy paper bags. The new clingy lavender dress cost half her rent, but at least she didn’t have to worry about her butt falling out while burping. She would have to adjust her food budget this month. No more Gouda or pine nuts. The gift-wrapped pair of silver-plated nestling doves salt and pepper shakers would be a worthwhile investment if she gleaned information to prevent Sol from blabbing her pregnancy lie to Matthew.
At least she didn’t have to give a red envelope to the couple, as she would have done at a Chinese wedding. The cash in the red envelopes from four hundred guests had paid for Cassie’s wedding reception. So the salt and pepper shakers could be considered a bargain.
In front of the pretzel stand, three elderly women clucked and pointed at a redheaded woman bouncing a screaming baby clawing at her chest. Poor Lori! Professor Rollinger’s wife seemed frazzled by the audience.
Raina darted between two middle-aged women and picked up the stroller from the floor. She knelt and dumped the spilled items back into the shopping bags and purse. Baby T-shirts, chewed pencil, pink panties, cell phone, a pink bra, socks, and a snack cup with animal crackers.
“She’s fine.” Raina made shooing motions with her hands at the gathered women. “Nothing to see. Just a crying baby.”
As the crowd dispersed, the baby calmed and snuggled under her mom’s neck. The strawberry blonde baby stared at Raina with wide eyes and stuck her index finger into a nostril.
Lori brushed her auburn bangs off her face. “Thank you.”
“My niece freaks out in a crowd, too.” Raina pushed the stroller over and held the shopping bags with the other hand. “Think she’s ready to get back in yet?”
Lori nodded and buckled in her daughter. She placed the snack cup with animal crackers in her daughter's eager hands. “I need caffeine. Care to join me?”
“Sure. My grandma is still shopping.” When she handed over the bags, she noticed the brands for the first time. “You must be a good bargain shopper. My aunts are like that, but I never mastered the art.” Raina rattled her two bags. “I just spent my entire month's income on a dress.”
After giving the barista their order, they waited at the other end of the counter. The hiss of the espresso machine competed with the happy gurgle of the baby examining each cracker before jamming it into her mouth.
Lori pushed the stroller to a nearby table. She pulled out a baby wipe and cleaned the child’s hands. “Are you going to Sol’s sister’s wedding?” She settled into her chair, pushing the stroller back and forth with her foot.
Raina nodded and sipped her coffee. “Are you going?”
“No, just heard it through the rumor mill.”
The baby’s head dipped and her eyes closed. A thumb found its way to her mouth. Lori pulled out the canopy and placed a blanket over it, dimming the interior of the stroller. Her moss green eyes widened in exaggeration and placed both hands to her heart. “I love nap time.”
Raina chuckled. “My sister says the same thing.”
“Are you going to the wedding with a plus one?”
“I’m Sol’s plus one.” Raina hid her grimace behind her coffee cup. She’d rather be Matthew’s plus one, but that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. Would it be too nosy to ask about the Rollingers’ relationship? They had all the trappings of a happy marriage.
Lori raised an eyebrow, but thankfully kept silent.
“What’s the secret to a happy marriage?” Raina asked.
Lori stared at the stroller, her knuckles whitening around her coffee cup. “The life I’m living is very different from the one I envisioned for myself.” She forced a chuckle and gestured at the extra fifteen pounds on her stomach. “And now I’m your typical soccer mom, complete with the requisite mini-van. Thank God none of my exes can see me now.”
Raina frowned. What did it matter what her exes thought about her marriage?
“Daddy didn’t like Andrew because he didn’t come from the right family, didn’t go to the right school, and didn’t have the right job. If only Daddy liked Andrew…” Lori’s voice trailed off.
“I know what you mean. Some fathers don’t think any man is good enough for their daughter.” Raina shrugged. “In my case, my grandpa filled that role.”
Lori looked up sharply. “So what happened?”
Raina told her how she’d initially thought Ah Gong paid Matthew off, but it turned out he was entitled to the money and used it to buy his granny a condo.
“The sad thing is, I don’t think either of us ever got over it.” Surprisingly, it was easier to tell an acquaintance her feelings about Matthew than her best friend. Eden would have judged.
“Are you sure it’s not wishful thinking on your part?”
Raina shook her head. “I don’t know. Every time we got together in the last decade, it was like a glimpse of what we could have been. Tantalizing and seductive. When he leaves, I feel like a fool for waiting and hoping. No wonder my other relationships never worked out. They just filled the time until Matthew appears again.”
“You can’t change what’s in front of you. Believe me, I’ve tried.” Lori’s shoulders drooped and she stared at the other shoppers in the food court. “Daddy could make things bearable for us.”
Raina flicked a glance at the shopping bags hanging off the stroller. How unbearable could things be if Lori could afford those items? “At least Andrew is getting a temporary raise for taking over Olivia’s duties, right?”
“Yeah, right.” Lori studied Raina’s face. “Andrew said you’ve been asking a lot of questions about Holden’s death. I know you dated him briefly—”
Raina held up her hands. “Wait a minute. How did you know?”
“Rumor mill. I don’t remember.” Concern filled Lori’s eyes. “Just be careful. Whoever killed Holden might decide you’re a threat.”
Before Raina could reply, Po Po sauntered over and dropped her bags on the table with a thump. The baby whimpered at the noise and Lori gathered her things and left with a hurried good-bye.
Raina lugged Po Po’s loot to the car, listening with half an ear to her grandma prattle about the shopping deals. If her relationship with Holden wasn’t that big of a secret, did it also mean everyone knew about her fake pregnancy? How could she stop the fingers pointing at her as the murder investigation dragged on?
Later that evening, Raina inspected her grandma’s black silk pajamas in her bedroom. When she gave the thumbs up for a stakeout, she’d assumed Po Po would be wearing something similar to her own black T-shirt and black shorts. She stared at the blackened orthopedic shoes beneath the pajamas and bit her lip to keep the laughter from escaping.
“The silver stitching on the ba
ck of your top is too reflective,” Raina said.
Po Po twisted in front of the full-length mirror and eyed the dragon on her back. “Got a long sleeve black shirt?”
Raina dug in her closet and handed one to her grandma. Po Po swung the shirt over her shoulders and knotted the sleeves around her neck. Great. Now her grandma had a cape over her pajamas.
Po Po tilted her shoes to show them off. “I used your black permanent marker. Not bad, huh.” She beamed at her shoes like a kindergartner showing off her art work.
“There are still white spots on the shoes.”
Po Po wrinkled her nose. “Why are you always so quick to zoom in on the details?” She shrugged. “The marker ran out of ink.”
“Are you planning to wear those to the senior center tomorrow?”
Po Po chewed her bottom lip. “What size do you wear?”
“I don’t wear custom orthopedic shoes. My shoes are going to hurt your feet.”
“I'm not wearing these ugly things to see my friends.” Po Po glared at her shoes. “I’m giving you fair warning. Tomorrow I’m raiding your closet.”
Raina sighed. Apparently vanity didn’t disappear with age. “How come you didn’t buy black shoes at the mall?”
“I didn’t know I needed ninja clothes. You should have told me earlier. I would have picked up a baton or nun chucks.”
“You’re right. It’s my fault.” Raina shook her head. “Let's roll.”
She parked the Honda under a tree across the street from Sol's two-story apartment complex. She turned off the engine, cracked the windows, and leaned the seat back. Po Po pulled out a small pair of binoculars from her purse.
“Where did you get those?” Raina whispered.
Windows glowed along the street and many were opened to the cool evening breeze. Clinks of silverware on dishes and snatches of conversation drifted toward them. Raina wished they were at a restaurant ordering their dinner now, but her grandma had promised to take her to a nice dinner after an hour of surveillance work.
