Skin Puppet: Reightman & Bailey Book Three

by Jeffery Craig

  “And, I fowgoth to pwotecth my head.” Toby hoped they could move off the topic and be done with this part of the Q and A.

  “Yes, you did forget to protect your head. Again.” Satisfied he’d made his point, Jon turned to Reightman. “What will you do the next time you’re in a similar situation?”

  “I’ll take a good look around to make sure I know what I’m walking into,” she answered. “I should have known better—I do know better. I had that drummed into my head as a rookie cop. I just wasn’t expecting to be attacked when I entered the studio for my regular lesson. That was sneaky, Jon Chiang!”

  “Yes, it was,” he agreed. Toby was momentarily intrigued by his evil grin. “I’ve been planning it for a couple of days. I wanted to see how you’d both react so I’d know how you were progressing with this little training program.” He turned to Toby and arched his brow again. “What else could you have done?”

  Toby thought it over before responding. He believed he had a good idea of how things could have been handled better. “Once we wealized what was happening, we kind of…sepawated, and I guess we wost focus on pwotectin’ ouwselves. Instead, we should have given ith eveweting we had and done our besth to beath you to a pulp. When we focused on ouwselves, we losth ouw edge and de advantage we would have had.”

  Toby waited while Jon considered the answer and then gave him a tight nod. “That may have made a difference with a normal attacker. I’ll see what I can do to create another few surprises so you can test out that hypothesis. We’ll see if you’re correct in your thinking.” His smile made them both shiver. “I’ll enjoy planning that scenario.”

  Melba glanced at Toby, and he flinched at the glare she directed his way when she noticed he’d removed the ice pack.

  “I said to keep that on until I told you to take it off!” He hurriedly replaced it as she watched. She nodded in satisfaction and rolled her eyes before turning back to Jon. “We should’ve also determined if there as anything we could’ve used as a weapon.”

  “Such as?”

  She looked around the room. There wasn’t much in the spare, clean space, but there were a couple of possibilities. “Well, there’s a chair in the corner and another set of fighting sticks hanging on the wall. There’s also some resin powder in the box by the door.”

  “How would dat have heped?” Toby asked, curious to hear the answer.

  “Well, if one of us picked it up and threw it in his face, it would distract him and probably burn if it got in his eyes.”

  “Yes, it would,” Jon agreed. “There is still another possible weapon you haven’t mentioned.”

  They both looked around the room, but neither of the spotted anything else. “What?” Toby asked.

  Jon simply grinned and shook his head. “I’m not going to tell you. You’ll need to figure it out for yourselves.” He ignored their disgusted looks and added, “We’ll meet here again in the morning.”

  “Aw we going to work on sticth fighting thome more?”

  “No, Toby. No stick fighting tomorrow. We’re going to work on meditation.”

  “Meditwation?”

  “Yes. I realized this morning—after Toby’s little mishap—that I’ve neglected an important part of the process. As my first teacher told me any times, it is as important to train the internal as it is to train the external.”

  “You’ gwoing to teach us to meditwait?”

  “No. Tomorrow you will have another instructor.” Without bothering to tell them more, he turned away and headed toward the back door of the studio. “Now, it’s time to shower and make ourselves presentable for lunch. We just have a short while before we need to meet Auntie, and she will disapprove if any of us are late.”

  They all knew Madame Zhou felt punctuality was one of the ultimate forms of courtesy, so they quickly agreed. Melba headed to the back changing rooms, and Toby went out the front door and headed to the stairwell leading up to his third floor apartment. He undressed and tossed the filthy and blood-spotted gi on the floor. He turned on the shower and once the water was hot, he stepped into the stall and under the spray. After he finished and had dried off, he stepped up to the mirror and took a good look. He touched his swollen lip. The bleeding had stopped, but it was still puffy and probably would be for a while. Great.

  ***

  An hour later, Toby walked through the door of Earth Fruits and looked around to see if he could locate the rest of his party. He spotted Melba seated at the booth in the back, which was their regular meeting spot. He threaded his way through the crowded tables and took a seat opposite her, leaving the end spaces open for Jon and Madame Zhou.

  “You look better,” Melba commented as he slid into the booth.

  “I don’t know abou’ dat, but I do feel wess wike a wimp noodle. And Madame Thou was wight—I’m hungwy.”

  Melba struggled not to laugh at his careful, lispy speech. “Is your headache any better?”

  “Yeth. Her healing teas tasthe awful, but dey work.”

  The rest of their party joined them a few minutes later. Jon helped his Aunt into the booth and then took his own seat next to Melba.

  “I wonder what delicious things Bernice has planned for today’s special?” Zhou asked rhetorically as she peered through her thick-lensed glasses at the brightly decorated chalkboard hanging behind the counter.

  Knowing Zhou Li’s sight was not as good as it used to be, Melba read the specials. “It looks like butternut squash soup with a roasted beet and green bean salad,” she answered. “I think I’ll see what else is on the menu today. I had the soup yesterday, and beets have never been my favorite.”

  They all agreed beets weren’t at the top of their favorite foods list.

  A few minutes later, Lindsi, their regular server, stepped up to the table and handed them each a menu. Today, her eyebrow piercing matched the new green streak in her hair. “What do you want to drink?” she asked in her usual bored tone.

  She took their orders and informed them she’d be back in a minute with their drinks. She turned away, then stopped and looked back over her shoulder. “We’re almost out of the special, so if you want that, you’d better tell me now.” It sounded almost like a threat.

  “That’s fine, dear. Thank you for letting us know, but I think we’ll order from the menu today,” Madame Zhou answered with a smile.

  Lindsi rolled her eyes and stomped off to get their beverages. When she returned and started passing around the drinks, Melba reached into her huge purse and pulled out one of the special tea packets Zhou Li supplied her to help with her menopausal symptoms and dunked it into the mug of hot water. Zhou pulled out a packet from her own pocket, and did the same. Melba didn’t know what Zhou’s packet helped with, and hadn’t worked up the gumption to ask.

  Lindsi pulled a pad of paper out from the front of her apron and started to write down their food choices. After taking Toby’s smoothie order, she gave his face the once-over. “Who beat you up?”

  Toby nodded toward Jon. “Him.”

  Her face remained free of expression. “Wow.” She nodded once and then turned to Jon. “What did he do to make you mad?”

  Jon was a little uncomfortable with the line of questioning and gave an embarrassed shrug. “Nothing. I’m teaching him how to fight, and he forgot to duck.”

  Lindsi considered his answer and jerked her head toward Melba. “You teaching her, too?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “How come she didn’t get all beat up?”

  Melba jumped in with a response before he could answer. “Because I’m older and meaner, and know how to get out of the way. Although, to be completely honest, he walloped me a few times, too.”

  Lindsi gave her what passed for a smile before turning back to Jon. “Could you teach me?”

  “I guess so. My regular classes are just starting up. It’s not too late for you to join one of them.”

  Lindsi thought it over. “Are the classes really expensive? I don’t have much extra m
oney.”

  This time, Zhou Li answered. “Lindsi, dear, why don’t you come and talk to me this afternoon, and we will see what we might be able to work out? I need a little help around the shop and, if you are agreeable, we might be able to work out a trade.”

  Lindsi’s eyes lost focus for a minute, as if she were deep in thought. Finally, her eyes cleared, and she nodded. “I can do that. I’ll come after I finish up here, if that works.”

  “That would be fine. I will expect you then.”

  Lindsi gave Madame Zhou another approximation of a smile and hurried to put in their orders.

  “That was very nice of you, Auntie, but you don’t have to make up a job for her. I can find a way to fit her in. There’s plenty of room in the beginner’s class and one more student at that level won’t make any difference.”

  “I know, Jon, and I appreciate your generosity. I have a feeling Lindsi, however, would not. She would view it as charity, and she is not the type to accept. Besides, I can honestly use her help. It is time to restock some of the shelves and going up and down the ladder is very tiring for me. She will be able to assist me with that and a few other things I find difficult to do. We will see how things work out, both with her work and with her lessons.”

  Everyone at the table gave Zhou’s admission a moment of respectful silence. She’d just recently allowed herself the luxury of asking for help, and none of them were used to it yet. They certainly didn’t know how to react.

  “I wonder why she wants to learn to fight?” Reightman finally asked, more to break the reflective mood than anything else.

  Zhou sent her an appreciative smile. “I am not sure, and it really doesn’t matter. I approve of her initiative. Lindsi is a very enterprising young woman. She not only works here for Bernice, she also babysits.”

  “Lindsi babysits?”

  “Yes, she does, and by all accounts, she is very responsible and dependable, and the children all seem to like her. She takes a few assignments each week, and there are one or two single parents who have even asked her to stay with their children when they have to be out of town on business. Bernice shared with me that her niece does not particularly care for those assignments, but they pay very well, so she accepts. Given her family situation, I suppose she feels she needs to do all she can to earn her way to independence.”

  “Is her situation bad?”

  “It is not ideal, dear, but that is not really my story to tell. It is Lindsi’s, and it is not really germane to this discussion. The real point is that knowing how to defend one’s self is always preferable to the alternative.”

  Melba agreed. After all, that was the real reason she and Toby let Jon beat the crap out of them on an almost daily basis. She glanced over at her business partner to see his reaction, and he nodded across the table. She had to give it to him—she’d insisted that he agree to learn how to fight before she’d go into business with him as a private detective, and he was giving it a hell of a shot. He was actually pretty good at it, and had lasted longer today than she had. She’d never tell him that though, because she’d never hear the end of it. She was rusty herself and was still trying to build up strength in the knee she’d injured last year while working to solve the Guzman murder case.

  Thankfully, other than that, she was in very good shape for her fifty-four years. They both still had a long way to go, and would never reach the level of Jon Chiang, but then again, very few people would. He readily admitted he’d been training since he was a young boy, but Melba knew there was more to the story. There was nearly always something more to learn about people’s backgrounds—especially when they weren’t very forthcoming with information. Both Zhou Li and her nephew tended to horde it like precious treasure.

  Their lunch arrived, and they all dug in. Bernice Williams, the owner and chef, did such wonderful things with the food that it didn’t matter that no meat served at Earth Fruits. Melba often wondered how Bernice had transitioned from Army cook to vegan restaurant owner so successfully, but certainly couldn’t complain about the end result.

  They’d almost finished when there was a slight commotion near the front door. Melba turned in her seat to see what was happening.

  Lindsi was speaking in hushed tones with the thin, Hispanic women who’d just entered the café. Although neatly dressed, the woman appeared tired and worn-out. Her tense stance and grief-stricken eyes made it clear something was very wrong. She was tightly gripping the hand of the small boy at her side as if she were afraid to let go, even for a minute. After pulling a single sheet of paper from the stack tucked under her other arm , she offered it hopefully to Lindsi, who shook her head before backing away slightly.

  The woman started to turn away, but then stopped and wiped a drop of moisture from the corner of her eye. “Please,” she pleaded softly. “Just ask.”

  Lindsi’s face flushed. She looked down at her shoes, taking a deep breath. Then, she took the offered paper from the woman’s hand. “I’ll be right back. Have a seat.” Melba could tell the situation was serious, because Lindsi’s normally disinterested voice was now distressed.

  The woman sat down at an empty table near the door and was in the process of lifting the boy to her lap when Lindsi returned from the back of the bistro, followed by Bernice, who held the paper tightly in one hand. The woman put the child down and stood again as they approached. Bernice leaned in closely to the woman, and they spoke for a few moments. Melba couldn’t make out any of the words exchanged, but decided the woman was explaining her request. Bernice listened intently and studied the paper in her hand. Her eyes softened, and she looked down at the boy by the woman’s side. Melba saw her nod and exchange a few more words. The woman let go of the boy’s hand and took a couple more sheets from the bundle in her arms and passed them to Bernice. Then, she turned and walked out the door, holding tightly to the child’s hand.

  Bernice watched them leave, then handed the papers to Lindsi and explained what needed to be done. Lindsi hurried behind the counter and retrieved a roll of clear tape. She tore off a couple of pieces and then taped one sheet of paper to the front and back of the glass door and hung another in the window.

  As Bernice passed their booth on her way back to the kitchen, Madame Zhou called out, “Bernice dear, what has happened?”

  Bernice ran one hand across her steel-gray, brush-cut hair. “That poor woman’s child is missing. She wanted me to put up a few flyers with the girl’s picture and contact information. We don’t normally put up flyers or posters, but…in this case, I had to agree.”

  “May I see it?” Melba asked, indicating the copy Bernice had retained.

  Bernice handed it over, and Reightman took a look. Staring up from the page was a color copy of a school photograph. Underneath the picture was a name, a phone number, and a brief description of the situation. Lucy Escabar was described as being eight years old and small for her age. She was last seen in the downtown area with some friends. Apparently, she’d been walking home from the neighborhood playground after school, and it was believed she’d taken a shortcut through this area. She’d been missing since Thursday afternoon—almost four days now. Melba carefully examined the photo, taking note of the child’s long, curly hair and big, brown eyes. Lucy Escabar was very pretty and her bright, innocent smile shone up from the paper.

  Melba felt her stomach flutter. “Oh, that poor woman.”

  “May I also see the photo?” Madame Zhou asked.

  Melba handed it over. Zhou Li gave it careful consideration and then laid it on the table before settling back in her seat, absently running one hand across the joint of her missing pinky finger. That finger had been cut off when Zhou was kidnapped as a young girl, and Melba realized this situation must be bringing unpleasant memories to the surface.

  After a moment of reflective silence, Zhou looked up and addressed Bernice. “May I keep this copy, please? I will post it in my shop window.”

  “Yes, Madame Zhou. I’m sure the mother would apprecia
te it.” Bernice hurried back to the kitchen, and the four of them sat in silence for a few minutes longer.

  “This is a horrible situation,” Zhou Li spoke in a voice so small and quiet, Melba had to strain to make out the words. “That poor little girl must be terrified, and her mother is obviously sick with worry.”

  “I hope they find her soon,” Melba replied, in an equally soft voice. “When I was on the force, I always thought missing children cases were the worst.”

  “Are ‘dere a wot of dose?” Toby asked.

  “More than you’d imagine—even here. I just hope she’s found soon. The more time that passes, the less likely it is she’ll be found. Even then…” Melba didn’t finish the thought, but they all knew what she’d been about to say. The little girl and her family would need a lot of support to recover from this, and that was the best case scenario. In the worst case, she might not even still be alive.

  Zhou Li smoothed a few creases from the paper and ran her figures across the photograph of the smiling face. She then folded it carefully and picked it up. “It is time to go. I suddenly find myself very tired. I want to get this up in the window, and then I have several things to do before Lindsi arrives.”

  “Do you need my help with anything, Auntie Zhou?”

  “No, Jon, but thank you for asking. I shall rest for a while and then, I need to prepare for the class in the morning.”

  Toby and Melba exchanged glances across the table. “You’re going to be a student in tomorrow’s meditation class?” Melba asked.

  “No, dear. I will be attending in a different capacity. You see, tomorrow, I will be your teacher.”

  Melba’s eyebrows rose as she digested that piece of information. She glanced across the table at Toby’s identical expression of surprise. Wisely, neither of them offered any commentary. Jon stood from the booth and offered his aunt his arm. “Let me get you back to the shop then, Auntie. I have some things to take care of myself.” He carefully escorted her to the door, and they exited without a backward glance.