Raining Men and Corpses: A Raina Sun Mystery

by Anne R. Tan

  Eden shrugged. “How do we know he hadn’t blackmailed them already?”

  “What if Andrew knew Holden was planning to set him up as the scapegoat for the missing grant fund?”

  “Or Holden and Andrew were in cahoots over the missing grant fund.”

  It was a lot of maybes, but it was still more than what they knew a few hours ago. It would be too bad if the Rollingers got caught up in Holden’s web. Lori had ingratiated herself to Olivia by volunteering on the fundraiser with the hopes of advancing Andrew’s career. And if Andrew turned out to be the killer, then where did that leave the never employed stay-at-home mom and her baby?

  “Look!” Eden pointed at the house. “They’re leaving.” She pulled out a DSLR camera with a zoom lens from her backpack and snapped a photo.

  The garage door rolled open, squealing on its track. Andrew loaded the baby into the backseat and climbed into the white minivan. Inside was another white vehicle. Lori followed, holding a large duffel bag.

  Raina made a U-turn and followed them, leaving half a block in between. “When did you get a fancy camera?”

  Eden braced her hands against the dash, as if urging Raina to go faster. “It’s Sol’s.”

  Raina gave her friend a sideways glance. She didn’t know much about cameras, but the zoom lens looked like it could take close up shots from half a block away. Good thing she kept her living room drapes closed.

  The minivan weaved through the neighborhood streets until it hit a main thoroughfare and picked up speed.

  “They’re heading for the freeway. Shouldn’t we call the police?” Raina asked.

  “We have no proof there’s anything going on right now. What if they’re just going to the other end of town?”

  Raina glanced at the gas gauge on the Jeep. “I don’t think there’s enough gas to go any farther than that.”

  “Geez, who tails someone with a quarter of a tank?” Eden’s tone was waspish.

  “This isn’t even my car.”

  The minivan took the hospital exit. Raina’s heart sank as she followed the car off the ramp and down the road to the parking lot. The Rollingers parked and rushed into the ER.

  “The baby was sick after all,” Eden said.

  25

  ANOTHER VICTIM

  When Raina got home, she called her insurance company. The lady on the other line insisted the cash settlement to total Raina’s car was the best they could do.

  “It’ll cost more to fix your car than it’s worth,” the lady said. “You’ll need to replace the hood, the passenger side panel, and driver side mirror. There might be even more damage in the undercarriage. And then the paint job to blend it with the rest of the body. Too expensive.”

  Raina asked a few more questions and hung up. Her hands were shaking. Totaled her dad’s car? No way. People didn’t get rid of their pets when they were too old and expensive to fix up.

  When she called Bob, he was more than happy to store her car out back until she decided what to do in exchange for a homemade meal later in the week. Taking those culinary classes in her early twenties had gotten her further in life than her looks ever did.

  “All your tires have dangerously low pressure. Around twenty-six psi. You’re lucky you weren’t driving on the freeway,” Bob said over the phone.

  “I haven’t touched the tires since you installed them last week. Are they defective?” Raina couldn’t remember whether or not the ride felt strange during the drive back from the casino. But then she had other things on her mind at the time.

  “I tested them. There didn’t appear to be any leaks. Strangest thing.”

  Someone had let the air out of her tires while she talked to Natalie and ate lunch. Olivia had plenty of time to do it, but she didn’t drive a white car. The Rollingers owned two white vehicles. Could one of them be a SUV?

  She wasn’t sure if that person meant to scare her or hoped she’d get into a serious car accident on the freeway. For the first time, she was thankful she’d chosen to take the back roads. Things could have turned out less rosy otherwise.

  “I don’t want to total my car,” Raina said. “But new parts are going to be more than I can afford.”

  “It’s going to take me a while to find used parts.”

  “Can I just make you more meals?”

  He chuckled. “All right, but if I can’t fit under a car anymore, then I’m blaming you.”

  “Don’t worry. You’re still eye candy even if you look like Humpty Dumpty.”

  For his time and her storage fee, she agreed to delivering three meals a week until he could locate the replacement parts. The insurance check wouldn’t cover his labor when he got around to fixing her car. It was time to look for another part-time gig.

  Later that evening, Raina curled up on her sofa streaming Murder She Wrote to her TV. Her grandma squinted at the TV, dropping several stitches on her afghan. It was the first quiet evening Raina had in a while.

  Po Po yanked out a knitting needle and pointed it at the TV. “I told you it was the best friend. Those closest to you often have the best motive for murder.”

  Raina gave the knitting needle a pointed look. “Want me to put that back into the loops for you?”

  “What?” Po Po looked at her afghan and grinned. “That would be a great help. I don’t have my reading glasses on.”

  “When was the last time you had your eyes checked? You’re squinting like you’re some kind of peeping Tom.”

  Po Po rolled her eyes. “Your cookies were a big hit. We need more cookies tomorrow. We’re rolling out Phase One of Operation Code Red.”

  Raina pulled the stitches back on the needle. “What is Code Red?”

  Po Po shrugged. “Don’t know, but it sounds cool. Frank said we need to have a name for the operation.”

  Raina shook her head in confusion. “Who’s having an operation? Eden’s grandfather?”

  “No, silly. The plan to get even with Officer Hopper.”

  “Whoa.” Raina held up her hands to indicate time-out. “What plan?”

  Po Po straightened like a proud kindergartener about to give her parent the rundown on a surprise. “Phase One: Identify the mark’s routine. We have four teams of two set up to follow Officer Hopper around the clock for the next two days.” Her hands balled into fists and she shook them excitedly. “We even got walkie-talkies.”

  Raina covered her smile by rubbing her nose with her opened palm. Phase One seemed harmless enough. “But isn’t there a curfew for your friends in the nursing home?”

  “They have the day shift.” Po Po waved away her concern. “Phase Two: Disrupt the routine. That kind of depends on what we find out in the next two days. Frank thinks he can intercept the radio and we can pretend to be dispatch.”

  “What kind of disruption are we talking about here?”

  Po Po leaned forward. “We can radio in an emergency every time she has to use the can.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Imagine how disruptive that would be.”

  Raina coughed and got up to hide her bubbling laughter. When the urge to laugh disappeared, she returned from the kitchen with a glass of water. “Just don’t put a stink bomb in her patrol car.”

  Po Po cocked her head. “That sounds like a good idea. I bet we can improvise something from Janice’s great granddaughter’s diapers.”

  “Stop—”

  Rat-a-tat!

  Raina dragged herself to the front door as her heart rate sped up. A knock like that meant trouble.

  Eden stood in the doorway, hastily stuffing her precious hair into a baseball cap. “Let’s go. A source just texted me. Andrew Rollinger got admitted in the ER for food poisoning.”

  Raina felt her legs grow roots. Like Holden? “Did the source tell you anything else?”

  “No. She could lose her job for giving me details.”

  “Then, isn’t the text incriminating?”

  “We have a secret code. No one else knows what it means.” Eden glanced at the koi clock above
the TV. “Will you hurry up? I don’t have gas in my car.”

  Raina glanced at her grandma, but Po Po dismissed her with a wave. “Go. I need to call my posse about the diaper idea.”

  Eden alternated between tapping her fingers on her phone and on the passenger door while Raina drove to the hospital. Maybe Po Po was the smart one for opting to stay home. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but since neither of them were family, the best she hoped for was news that Andrew was stable.

  The dim interior of Matthew’s jeep mirrored her dark thoughts. If Andrew was another victim, then he couldn’t be a suspect. Unless he poisoned himself to throw them off his track.

  Raina took several rattled breaths. Could Lori poison her husband? But why? Her faith in marriages was already badly shaken enough with her grandparents’ example that she didn’t need to follow this train of thought.

  They were such a loving couple. And then there was the baby. No, she couldn’t.

  Raina got them to the hospital in record time. Eden shot out of the car and raced around the side of the building. Raina limped after her and rounded the corner in time to see her friend slap a key card against the reader. She held the door and gestured wildly for Raina to hurry.

  “Is that an employee key card?” Raina asked when she caught up.

  Eden let the door slam behind her. “I’m going ahead. He’s in room 2117.” She left without waiting for a response, taking the stairs two steps at a time.

  Geez, what was the rush? Andrew must be stable if they moved him into a room.

  Raina strolled along the corridor, glancing at the room numbers. When she got to the nurse station at the intersection of the two wings, Eden was already conversing with a pleasant heavyset woman with mousy brown hair in purple scrubs. Her friend was scribbling on her notepad.

  The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Matthew got out and scanned the corridor. He held Raina’s gaze for several heartbeats.

  Time stood still as tightness spread across her chest. His eyes spoke of regrets and apologies. She gave her head one slow shake and closed her eyes. It was too late for regrets.

  She opened them to see Matthew yanking the notebook from Eden’s hands. He tore off the top page, and stuffed it into his jean’s pocket. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  Eden snatched her notebook from his hands. “Is that your only comment? Are there any similarities between this poisoning and the poisoning of Holden Merritt?”

  If her friend had been a cat, her fur would have poofed to twice her size. Her eyes widened until Raina could see more white than brown. Yep, Po Po was the smart one.

  The nurse shrank back into her seat and flipped open a chart. Her eyes flickered between the folder and the two people facing off in front of her desk. Raina ducked her head and turned away. She hunched her shoulders and tried to fade into the background as she tiptoed to the elevator.

  He wore one of those exasperated expressions like he was dealing with a belligerent drunk pissing in a fountain. “Raina, get your friend out of here.”

  Raina pasted on a weak smile and turned to see both Eden and Matthew looking at her expectantly. Like she was going to get in the middle of this. The elevator dinged.

  “Duke it out. I’ll be waiting in the car.” She threw herself through the opened doors and slapped the button for the lobby.

  A few minutes later, Eden jerked open the passenger door. “Your boyfriend is impossible! Let’s go. I want to swing by the Rollinger’s house.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” Raina started the car and pulled out of the parking spot. “I feel like an ambulance chaser.”

  “You have to follow the lead while it’s hot.”

  “Great. We’ll see Matthew again later when the neighbors call the cops.”

  Eden winked. “Just doing my part to make sure you lovebirds spend more time together. I’m going to win the bet.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Po Po thinks you’re finally done with him.” Eden smirked. “But I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  Raina gripped the steering wheel. “I’m done.”

  “But I don’t think he’s done with you.”

  “That’s his problem.”

  “Have you created a spreadsheet yet?”

  “I can make decisions without listing all the pros and cons.”

  Eden sat back. “Uh-huh.”

  “You’re being offensive. How many times do I have to tell you? It’s a flow chart.”

  Her friend rolled her eyes. “He’s going to try to win you back.”

  Raina shrugged. She pulled into the small side street. Diffused light spilled out from the curtained windows onto the front lawns of the neighboring homes. The Rollingers’ house looked empty, blending into the night sky. Even the raised solar lights lining the walkway from the sidewalk to the front door looked ashamed to be on when the family was experiencing a crisis.

  “Lori drove Andrew to the hospital and then left saying she had to get the baby from her neighbor. Isn’t it strange she would leave him alone at a time like this?” Eden asked.

  “Someone has to take care of the baby. Maybe she didn’t think it was serious.”

  “If it was Matthew in there, wouldn’t you have stayed?”

  “Feral dogs wouldn’t be able to drag me away. The baby would be fine with the neighbor.”

  “My point exactly.”

  26

  DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

  Raina parked in the shadow of the tree across from the house like she did earlier in the afternoon. The scent of the overpowering flowers did little to improve her mood. Her eyes became grainy and itchy before she even got out the car. By the time she stood in front of the door, her nose ran.

  A block of concrete settled in her stomach. Lori couldn’t have anything to do with the murder or the poisoning of Andrew. She’d seemed happy at the mall, talking about how she met her husband. But people didn’t survive on love alone.

  She’d sounded bitter when she spoke of being cut off from her parents’ money. Was the bitterness from her parents’ lack of acceptance in her choice of husband or was it from their lack of financial support? Did everything circle back to money?

  Eden pressed the doorbell and the musical peal of bells filled the air.

  Raina shifted her weight from one foot to another and wiped her hands on her shorts. “What are we going to say when she answers the door?”

  Eden shrugged. “I’ll think of something.” She waited several seconds and pressed the doorbell again.

  No answer.

  Eden tilted her head, indicating she wanted to go around the side of the house. She tiptoed to the side windows, crabwalking below each sill and popping up for a quick peek.

  Raina’s pulse raced as she followed her friend around the corner. She prayed the neighbors were busy watching TV. There was nothing unusual inside any of the windows.

  She glanced back at the sidewalk in time to see a police cruiser pull up. A neighbor must have seen them skulking around the house. Matthew and Officer Hopper walked up the driveway.

  As blood rushed into her head, Raina grew dizzy. Her hand trembled when she tugged on Eden’s shirt and pointed behind them.

  Faint peals of bells floated out from inside the house. A loud knock followed and “Police!” Hurried footsteps from inside and the front door clicked open. Lori was home after all.

  Eden disappeared behind the house. The dark lumps littering the ground were an effective booby trap. Raina’s ability to trip over her own feet made dashing after her friend undetected impossible in daylight. At night, she would make more noise than a Mariachi band. What she needed was a hiding spot.

  Raina squeezed herself into the space between two bushes, hugging her knees to her chest, and closed her eyes. Maybe Matthew wouldn’t recognize his Jeep. Her nose leaked, but she didn’t have a tissue. She swiped at her nose and smeared the moisture on her shorts. He needed night vision goggles to see the make and model of the car u
nder the shadows. As long as he didn’t catch her skulking in the yard, he wouldn’t even know she was here.

  She couldn’t make out what was being said, but as long as they were talking, nobody was looking for her. Her fingers itched to slap at the mosquitoes drawn to her moist flesh. She took long breaths like she was in a Lamaze class. They sounded loud in her ears, but if she stopped, she’d start hyperventilating. Her muscles trembled with tension, but she couldn’t risk moving even an inch.

  The front door clicked shut and an engine started. She sagged against the bush in relief. A slow smile spread across her face. Matthew had no idea she had been hiding here the entire time. She must be a better sleuth than she gave herself credit.

  When a hand touched her knee, she jumped and bit back a yelp.

  “Shush!” Eden whispered.

  Raina blew out a rattled sigh. She tiptoed back to the sidewalk and peered out into the night. The street was cleared and there weren’t faces pressed against the neighboring window. The Jeep was hidden from this angle.

  Once on the sidewalk, Raina scanned the quiet street and hustled to the Jeep. The hair on the back of her neck stiffened as if someone was watching her progress. She threw a glance behind her, but didn’t see anyone.

  Eden gasped.

  Raina’s nose detected the familiar scent of sage and clean water before her mind processed what it meant. A hand snaked out of the darkness and clasped her on the arm and tugged her into the shadow under the overhanging tree branches.

  “Why am I not surprised to find you here?” Matthew whispered into her ear. His warm breath tickled her, sending tingles of delight down her back. “You can never stay away from me, can you?”

  Eden turned her back and pretended to watch the house. By the way she held her head, her friend was listening in on their conversation.

  Raina shook him off, irritated at her body’s response to his nearness. “I’m surprised your swollen head hasn’t floated off.”