by Matt Lincoln
“Why do you think Zhu had Alice and Mei in his will?” Holm asked. “It’s weird that they’re reading his and Liu’s wills at the same meeting.”
I shook my head. Ever since Alice called the day before, I’d asked myself the same question. She was as shocked as anyone.
“Hard telling.” I pushed my sunglasses up on my nose and then noticed a cat hair on my sleeve. It belonged to Alice’s cat, which was at my place until she got her home squared away. “You sure you don’t mind taking Mrs. Liu to the airport?”
Holm grinned. “Dude, you and Alice have been planning your getaway for weeks. We talked a lot this morning when I picked her up. Alice will have some news after they’re done here.”
I gave him a sharp look. “You couldn’t have said something sooner?”
“I promised not to.” He grinned. “Anyway, I have a date after the airport. Remember that cute ranger from the Everglades?”
I laughed. “You finally got her number, did you?”
“Yep. Turns out she was hoping to connect.”
The ranger who helped us out had chatted with Holm on the way out of the sawgrass marsh. Things got hectic when we got to shore, and those two didn’t get a chance to swap contact info. He had another case while I was on desk duty for my leg injury, so he didn’t get a chance to reach out to her.
“That’s great…”
I looked up and saw Alice and her mom exit the building. Mei had a hand on Alice’s elbow, and they both had dazed expressions. Holm and I met them in the shade under the portico. Alice started to say something but ended up shaking her head. Mei patted her arm and stepped forward.
“It’s not often my daughter is taken speechless,” Mei told us with a smile. “I… Well, I’m at a loss myself.”
The smile looked good on the woman. When Alice and I met her and Holm an hour earlier, I’d been stunned at the change. Mei Liu had lost at least a decade off her shoulders. She had more gray hairs but less tension since taking over John Liu’s role in New York City. Alice hadn’t given me details because, well, the law, but she said that her mom was making changes that her grandfather had wanted.
“What did they say?” I asked as Alice reached for my hand.
“Yéyé and Mr. Zhu were working together.” She bit her lip for a second. “What makes it sadder is that Mr. Zhu let my grandfather die.”
That part was in the video Zhu had left. His greatest shame was in allowing a friend and ally to be murdered in the conspiracy to cover up a land development gone bad.
“Shawn left his holdings to Alice,” Mei blurted out. “John split his between family factions, but most to Alice. My daughter is a wealthy young woman with a bright future.”
“Ma, I was doing fine.” Alice’s hand shook in mine, and I cupped it in both of mine. “Ethan, there’s a catch to Mr. Zhu’s will.” My stomach sank. There was always a catch. “He wanted me to take over his Adapta-Build tech. Yéyé…” She rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Yéyé paid off someone at my firm to get plans I worked on and then showed them to Mr. Zhu. I never asked for his help.”
“I thought you didn’t like Adapta-Build,” I said. “Are you okay with this?”
She nodded. “That’s the thing. Yéyé was sneaky.” A sad little laugh tumbled from her lips. “They discussed my issues with it. Mr. Zhu left another video after the hotel collapsed. He said that if anything remained of his company after the scandal, he wanted me to rework the tech. Make it do the job of protecting coastal residents, but also make it work for other areas in flood plains, like along the Mississippi River and in other countries without places for people to get away from the rising tides.”
Mei hugged herself and beamed at Alice as I ingested the news.
“John left Alice a letter encouraging her to work with me to influence our family to seek more honorable paths.” She glanced away from Holm and me, and I knew not to expect details. “It will take time, my friends, but I will do everything I can to push for Bamboo Dragon to become the community resource it should be.”
I’d believe that outcome when I saw it. Although the Mei Liu we’d gotten to know over the past weeks was a changing woman, her history of ruthlessness made me skeptical of how much change she’d put into effect and how she’d see to it.
“That’ll be difficult,” Holm said in a soft tone. “Ken is trying to make deals to bring you down with everyone else. Andy Chen is out of the hospital and working with us to make it harder for Ken.”
Mei rolled her shoulders back, and her face hardened into the mob wife I’d first met.
“I am aware. I have also been made aware that he sent that man to attack my daughter at the botanical garden.”
Holm left it at that, and I didn’t touch it. I wasn’t surprised that Baldy turned out to be one of Liu’s men, but this was the only confirmation we had. I suspected that Ken Liu didn’t have as much of a chance to make it to trial as he might have thought. I also had a feeling Andy Chen would find his way back to Mei’s side someday.
“I can’t believe Bellows got out over some technicalities,” Alice said with a shake of her head. “We all know he was fully aware of the fraudulent inspection report.”
Holm shrugged. “Yeah, but now he has all sorts of eyes on him, not to mention investigations into his other sales. It’s only a matter of time. His career is as good as over.”
I turned to Alice and asked, “Are you going to take over the company?”
She wrapped her arms around me, and I breathed in the hug and her light scent. It was like fresh air and had taken up residence at my houseboat while she tried to decide what to do with her house after people had been killed there.
“I don’t know yet,” she admitted. “It’s… Ethan, it’s a dream come true. I can do some real good with this tech.”
“But?”
“You know who Mr. Zhu was.” She pressed her cheek against my chest. “Everything he had? He built that from crime. Not only that, but his company might fold. I don’t know if I could save it.”
“If anyone can, it’s you.” I kissed the top of her head.
“He’s right, Qiaolian.” Mei turned and slapped Holm’s arm. “It’s time to get back to the airport. Sure you won’t go with me? I wouldn’t mind hiring you as a personal guard,” she told him with a wink.
“Ma!” Alice protested.
Holm’s cheeks reddened, and I suppressed a chuckle.
“You know I can’t do that,” he answered. “But the ride is a go.”
Mei shrugged. “I had to try.” She started toward the Lancer and then halted. “Oh, there was one more thing. Shawn added another beneficiary to his will before he… before he passed.”
Alice lifted her head and moved away. “Pete’s daughter will be okay. Mr. Zhu left Penelope a trust fund as agreed. He made sure it’s untouchable and that Maria will be able to give the baby all she needs to be healthy.”
“That’s great!” I hugged her again and then gestured to the car. “Ready to go?”
Alice and Mei said their goodbyes, and I wished Holm luck on his date.
On our way back to my place, Alice was quiet. She helped me tuck the Mustang into its tarp in the parking garage since we were going to be gone for two weeks. Holm would get the Charger while I took the PTO.
“I’ll do it,” she said as we walked down the dock to my front door. “But there’s a part I didn’t tell you.”
The look on her face slayed my heart. “You’re going away, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “Hong Kong. I’ll be there at least six months, maybe longer. There’s onboarding and damage control. We had a short talk with his top people, and they promised their support.”
“When do you have to go?” My dream of our two-week escape began to disintegrate.
“Not until after I get some time off.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me inside. “Can we put off our departure by a few hours?”
“Oh yeah.”
We spent two great weeks island hopping in my
seaplane and visiting some of my favorite dive spots in the Carribean. It turned out that she had a cert and was a passable diver. I showed her a few secret locations that used to be a pain to reach, and she showed me some of her favorite architecture when we docked the plane in different cities. It was the best two weeks I’d had in years.
After we got back to Miami, Alice went to New York for a week to square some things with her family. When she came back, I took her to a familiar place, Mike’s Tropical Tango Hut. She carried a small gift bag but said nothing about it.
“You go to this place on purpose?” Alice raised an eyebrow as we walked into the ostentatious bar.
“Mike is practically family,” I told her. That was true in more ways than I could tell her, as he had knowledge and connections that once helped my team. “If you ever get shot at, he gives you a free mint julep.”
Both brows went up. “I hope I never get a free drink.”
I laughed as I escorted her past the tango floor and to the well-worn barstools. Mike Birch was in his usual perch behind the bar, but his tanned face looked drawn. A smile lightened his face when he saw me.
“How goes it?” I ventured.
“It’s a hell of a time,” he said with a wry smile. “And who is this?”
“Mike, this is Alice. Alice, Mike.”
They shook hands, and we ordered our drinks. I loved that she ordered Four Roses, even if it was on the rocks. I liked mine neat. While Mike served other customers, Alice handed me the gift bag.
“What’s this?” It felt delicate, and white tissue stuck out of the top.
“It’s a thank you for everything you’ve done.” She leaned over and pecked me on the cheek. “Now open it. I’ve been waiting all day to give this to you.”
Inside the bag was a smaller package, this wrapped in thicker tissue. I carefully peeled back the tape and revealed a painting about the size of my hand of a dome under the sea. The silhouettes of two adults and two children stood with hands held as reef life teemed around their bubble. The initials LQA were tucked in the lower right corner.
“It’s beautiful.” I cocked my head. “Did you paint this?”
A grin crept across her face. “I did.” She grabbed my hand. “We’re going to rebuild the hotel, including the Seascape Tunnel and Suites. But this time, we’re going to do it right. It’ll be smaller and have a proper foundation.”
My breath caught. “Does that mean you’re staying in Miami?”
Her grin faded. “Yes and no. I’m going to be splitting my time between here, Hong Kong, and New York for a few years. The business is in ruins, but it has good bones. I’ll see you when I’m in town.”
I smiled past the lump in my throat and gave her a tight hug.
“Any time, Alice. Any time.”
EPILOGUE
Silence fell as the Christmas lights blinked around the bar. Rhoda had brought out a round of mulled cider to finish the night, and it hit me that our little group felt like family. Mack was the one who broke the silence.
“So that’s how we got that Rising Tide hotel,” she said with a nod. “I figured it was related, but I had no idea how much. I was just a kid and didn’t pay much attention.”
“Well, if that didn’t just make me feel old.” I winked at her. “Yeah, that’s the story behind it.”
“Didn’t Ken Liu get out of prison last year?” Charlie asked. “I thought I saw a news clip about it.”
My jaw muscle twitched. “Yes. He tried to go back to his wife. She divorced him after he was sentenced, but he thought he could get involved with the family again.” I shook my head. “Mrs. Liu is still working to clean up that family, but they’ve come a long way. Long enough that Ken was sent packing. Last I heard, he was doing grunt work in Hong Kong.”
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” Birn rumbled. “Alice’s hotel is doing pretty well. A friend in Chicago told me there’s one going in on Lake Shore Drive.”
Santa, I mean Mike, straightened in his seat. “They’re contracting her on some of the islands, too. The latest is in Barbados.”
“Bridgetown?” I asked. At Mike’s nod, I grinned. That was a fun city. “That Adapta-Build technology was something, to begin with, and Alice did a hell of a job making it work better.”
“And look better,” Birn laughed. “Did you hear about Mrs. Liu and Andy Chen?”
“I did!” I think I laughed louder than Birn. Mike already knew about it, but the young sailors had varying degrees of shock on their faces.
“Woah, are you saying…?” Ty couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Are they a thing?” Jeff finished the question.
“Yep. They just sent out wedding invitations.” I pointed to an envelope I’d wedged between liquor bottles the day before. “It took them long enough.”
“Hey, what about the shipwreck?” Ty sounded like a little kid who couldn’t wait to open his stocking. “Was it the Dragon’s Rogue? It had to be, right?”
“All I’ll say right now is that they approved my claim on the wreckage.” I smiled and took a sip from my cider. Rhoda always knew what to serve. “Have I ever told the entire Mad Dog Grendel story at once?”
“No, sir,” Ty grumbled.
Mike got up from his stool and sipped at his mulled cider. The guy had to be sweating in that Santa suit, but he didn’t show it. Instead, he walked over to a chrome bumper I’d recently added to the main wall. He took off a white glove and ran his fingers over the bumper.
“This was Ethan’s next case,” he told everyone. My heart ached for my friend as he turned toward me. “Make sure I’m here when you tell the story. I want to make sure you do it justice.”
“You know that I will.” I nodded toward the sailors. “They’ll let us know the next time they can get away from base.”
Mike walked over to the bar and set the drink down. “You kids be safe. Come back in one piece, and Ethan will tell you a doozy of a story. I guarantee it’s not something you would’ve heard about on the news.”
“What’s that, sir?” Charlie met my gaze with an intensity that spoke to the bounds of potential I saw in the kid.
“Well, guys, it turned out that there was a lot more than cigars to Havana.” I pointed to the vintage bumper. “That case was one hell of a ride.”
Author’s Note
Hey, if you got here, I just want you to know that you’re awesome! I wrote this book just for someone like you, and if you want another one, it is super important that you leave a review.
The more reviews this book gets, the more likely it is there will be a sequel to it. After all, I’m only human, and you have no idea how far a simple “your book was great!” goes to brighten my day.
Also, if you want to know when the sequel comes out, you absolutely must join my Facebook group and follow me on Amazon. Doing one won’t be enough because it relies on either Facebook or Amazon telling you the book is out, and they might not do it.
You might miss out on all my books forever, if you only do one!
Here’s the link to follow me through e-mail.
Here’s the link to my Facebook Group.
