by Vivien Chien
A few minutes later, Megan and Kikko returned. Megan went into the kitchen and came back out with a bag of chips and two beers. “Eat. Drink,” she said, thrusting a beer bottle and the bag of chips at me. “I ordered some pizza, and it’s on the way.”
I took the beer bottle from her hand and passed on the chips. “Thanks.”
“What the heck happened tonight? Do you even know?”
Sitting up, I removed the beer cap and took a sip, the carbonation tickling my throat. “Honestly, I don’t know for sure. There are a lot of small things that are coming to mind, but nothing concrete.” I told her about thinking I’d seen Gene and also how Winston was nowhere to be found. I found both instances to be suspicious considering the outcome of the evening.
“Do you think it’s possible that Winston was there after all? Maybe he knows the real reason why we were asking questions at Edgewater Live.” Megan asked. “Maybe he canceled his spot so he could sneak around and plant explosives in the garbage can.”
“Could be.” I ran my thumb over the jagged edge of the beer cap. “It also could have been Gene. I swear he was there, Megan.”
She leaned back, appearing unconvinced. “I don’t know. I mean, I know that would probably make sense, but you’re not even sure that you saw him. Your imagination could have been overreacting and gotten the best of you.”
“I know, I’ve thought about that too. But both scenarios are equally doubtful though. It’s not like I saw Winston lurking behind one of the stone zodiac statues. For all we know, he could have a logical explanation for not being at the night market tonight.”
“Okay, true,” Megan said. “But we just talked to Winston yesterday and he seemed perfectly fine. What could have happened from now until then to make him skip a Friday at the night market?”
“Well, that is a very good point. But I think there’s something else I need to address first.”
“What’s that?”
“I need to talk with Gene Tian once and for all.”
* * *
Adam arrived shortly after the pizza, and the three of us along with Kikko sat around the pizza box indulging ourselves with the greasy goodness. I even treated Kikko to a couple of pepperonis.
When we were finished eating, Megan excused herself, leaving me and Adam to our own devices.
“You don’t remember seeing anything at all?” Adam asked.
He’d asked me four times since he’d shown up on my doorstep and my answer had been the same each time.
“No,” I told him again. “There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. It was just a regular night.”
I wanted to tell him about seeing Gene, but I felt even if I explained everything to him, it would still sound crazy and he’d dismiss the idea anyway.
Adam sighed. “I talked a little bit with Darren before I came over and he should have more information about what happened tomorrow. Whatever he knows now, he didn’t want to say. But he definitely knows something.”
“What do you think that means?”
He shrugged. “Could mean nothing. He knows you’re my girl, so he might be holding back information since it’s personal for me.”
I felt goose bumps forming on my arms and at the nape of my neck. “Do you really think that I was the target?” All evening I had been hoping that it was just a coincidence. I didn’t want to believe that someone had intentionally tried to blow me up … or set me on fire.
“I want to think it’s happenstance, but truthfully, with you going around talking to these different people that may or may not be involved…” He paused, seemingly lost in thought.
I nudged his leg. “Yeah…”
He looked me in the eye. “Well, sweetheart, I think you may have ruffled the wrong feathers.”
CHAPTER
22
Adam was already gone by the time I woke up on Saturday morning. Kikko was at the edge of the bed staring at me; her tail wiggled happily when she noticed my eyes were open.
I went about my morning routine and ran through a list of things that I needed to accomplish. I knew I should stop at the Noodle House, though I thought it would slow me down. Being at the night market instead of the restaurant on Fridays wasn’t working out as well as I’d hoped. A couple of months ago, missing a day at work was not a big deal and I looked forward to it. But now, as the manager, I found myself becoming eager to know what was happening on a daily basis.
I needed to talk with Gene alone and I could only hope that Sandra had failed to mention my previous snooping around. I might have already lost my chance with Gene if she’d told him not to talk to me.
I also wanted to find out what had happened with Winston and the reason for his absence from the night market. After walking Kikko, I turned on my laptop and pulled up Winston’s Web site to find some type of schedule for his food truck. It said that he would be out in Westlake at Crocker Park. I could run out that way before backtracking to the plaza.
Next I looked up the hours listed for Gene’s auto repair shop. He was open until 6 P.M. That gave me a little time, and I decided to save him for last.
I also wanted to make a point of talking to Ruby again. I didn’t know if that was the best idea, but after the explosion last night, I had lost track of her.
Right as I was shutting down the computer, Megan poked her head out of her bedroom door. “Want to get breakfast? I’m starving.”
“I think I’m going to skip it, I want to do a couple things today.”
She took a step out of her bedroom. “Like what?”
I told her my plan.
“Well, are you going to invite me or do I have to invite myself?”
“Of course you’re invited. But are you sure you want to run all over town with me? Don’t you have to work later tonight?”
“I do,” she said. “So what? Besides, I can eat at the plaza because I know you’re not going to skip checking in at the restaurant today.”
“Well, get dressed then, we’re leaving for Crocker Park in an hour.”
An hour and a half later, we were at the outdoor shopping mall searching for a decent parking spot. It was always packed on the weekends and finding an open space could be quite the challenge.
When we arrived at the area set up for food trucks, it was obviously missing BBQ 2 Go, and I wondered where the heck Winston could be if he wasn’t here. That was two events he’d missed out on along with a considerable chunk of money.
I saw someone walk by with a Barrio logo on their T-shirt. I stepped in front of the taco restaurant worker before he could pass me. “Excuse me.”
The man turned in my direction. The aviator glasses covering his eyes were solid black and I couldn’t tell if he was actually looking at me or not. “Yeah?”
“Do you know if the BBQ 2 Go guy is supposed to be here today?” I asked him. “I thought I saw him on the schedule.”
He ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair that was hanging down over his eyebrows. “Uhhhh … not sure. I thought I heard someone else say that the guy got into an accident or his truck broke down or something.”
“Oh okay, thanks,” I said.
He nodded and continued on his way.
“That’s odd, don’t you think?” I asked Megan. When she didn’t answer, I turned around. “Megan?”
Where the heck had she gone?
I scanned the crowd and found her in line at a food truck that specialized in breakfast foods. The side of the truck was covered in images of cartoon French toast and waffles.
I walked over and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Oh hey, sorry, I got sidetracked.”
“The Barrio guy told me he thinks he heard Winston was in an accident … or that his truck broke down. He wasn’t too sure on the specifics.”
“How convenient that this would happen now, don’t you think?”
“It is a little suspicious. But maybe there’s another explanation.”
Megan was next in line, and she held up a finger while
she placed her order. When she was done, we stepped off to the side to wait. “Do you think that maybe he’s a victim too? Maybe someone is going after his truck next?”
“I don’t know. First, we have to find out what’s actually happened to him. But the problem is, I have no idea how to get a hold of him directly. There’s an e-mail address on his Web site, but who knows how often he checks that. It could be days before we get a response.”
“Save it for a last resort. We’re going to the plaza next, right? Maybe someone there knows how to get a hold of him.”
I checked the time on my cell phone. It was too late for the Mahjong Matrons to be at the restaurant. Unless they were playing mahjong at the community center, I’d have to find someone else.
Megan’s order was up. She grabbed the bag off the counter and we headed back toward the car. “I got you some French toast sticks.”
“You’re a peach.”
“I know. So, now what?”
“Now we’re going to Asian Accents.” Whenever the Matrons weren’t around, the hair salon was the next best place to get information.
* * *
The Asian hair salon was filled with women getting their hair done in preparation for the weekend. The place smelled like a mixture of hair dye chemicals, nail polish, and incense.
I spotted my own stylist, Jasmine Ming, putting highlights in someone’s hair when we walked in.
Yuna, the receptionist, smiled brightly as we entered the shop. Her gold thunderbolt earrings sparkled as they swung back and forth like two pendulums. “Hey Lana!” Her hair was a mixture of black and lime green. She brushed aside a stray wisp before waving at Megan. “Hi, there.”
Megan and I said hi in unison, and I stepped up to the sales counter, my eyes drifting back toward Jasmine. “Is there any way I could go back there and talk to her?” I nudged my chin in the direction of my stylist.
“Sure thing,” Yuna replied. “I’m sure she won’t mind.” Leaning in, she said, “That’s Mrs. Wong she’s taking care of right now though. She’s kind of a chatty lady, so look out.”
“I’ll stay up here,” Megan offered. “I don’t want to crowd the poor woman while she has her head in foil.”
“Okay, I won’t be long.”
Yuna turned her attention toward Megan. “Say, you haven’t thought about dyeing your hair lavender before, have you? Because we just got in this new shade that I think would be perfect on you.”
I winked at Megan before walking away.
Jasmine caught sight of me out of the corner of her eye, and paused with the tinting brush mid-stroke. “Lana! Hey, woman!”
As always, Jasmine’s appearance was “on point.” Her perfect, burgundy-highlighted hair was styled with giant curls that framed her heart-shaped face. Her winged eyeliner was never crooked, and the lipstick she always wore—a deep reddish-brown—never feathered or wore away. If I didn’t know what an amazing person she was, I would have hated her out of pure jealousy.
I said hello to both women as I approached the styling chair.
Mrs. Wong was stuck facing forward and observed me through the mirror in front of her. She was a middle-aged woman with a wide face and freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks and seemed to be intrigued by my presence.
“What brings you by?” Jasmine turned her focus back to the section of hair she was working on. “It can’t be your hair, I mean, your roots are coming in a little bit, but you’ve still got at least two weeks before you need a touch-up. Don’t forget to schedule something with Yuna before you leave.”
“I actually came by to ask if you or anyone here knows that guy Winston Leung who owns BBQ 2 Go.”
“Winston … Winston…” Jasmine teetered her head back and forth. “I think I know who that is … but I don’t know anything about him really. Why do you ask?”
“I’m trying to find him,” I told her. “I need to talk with him about the night market.”
“Yeah, what the heck happened last night? A couple people here were talking about it first thing this morning, but I’ve been swamped with appointments so I didn’t get to hear the full story.”
Mrs. Wong’s face instantly lit up. “You mean the giant explosion that happened near the food court area last night?”
I studied her face in the mirror. Giant? Who had she been talking to? I’ll give you four guesses. “I wouldn’t say it was giant…”
Jasmine froze. “Lana, weren’t you there last night?”
“Unfortunately,” I said, my shoulders slumping. “The explosion happened right near our food cart.”
“Oh no! Are you okay? Was anybody hurt?”
“No, everyone is fine. The trash can contained most of it.” I didn’t know if that was intentional or the explosives hadn’t gone off like they were intended to, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. And with Mrs. Wong listening in, I wouldn’t doubt that anything I said would be around the plaza in no time.
“Why are you looking for the man who runs BBQ 2 Go?” Mrs. Wong asked. “Was he involved in the explosion somehow?”
I could tell she was digging for tidbits to add to her story. “No, actually he wasn’t there last night. I heard he was in some kind of accident and wanted to make sure he’s okay.”
“You know who would know?” Mrs. Wong snapped her fingers repeatedly. “That woman … what is her name … she’s been in the news lately…”
“Sandra Chow?” I asked.
“Yes … her. That poor woman. Imagine losing your husband that way. I couldn’t even imagine how that must be. They’d probably have to put me in the crazy house. Anyway, her brother, that man that owns the repair shop, he might know. I’ve gone to him a couple of times to work on my car. And I’ve seen the barbecue food truck there before. They seem to be friendly.”
My eyes widened. “Really? Gene and Winston are friends?”
“Yes, it would seem that way. He’s a decent mechanic too, but he charges way too much and I told him if he doesn’t lower his prices, he is going to lose all his business to Larry Chan.” She pursed her lips. “Larry Chan takes longer, but his prices are the best. If I had another car, I would always take my business to Larry. But sometimes I can’t wait a week to get my car back. He is very thorough.”
Mrs. Wong looked as if she were going to tell me more about the perils of finding a good mechanic, so I quickly thanked her and told the two of them that I needed to be on my way.
Megan stood up from one of the chairs they had lined up against the wall. “Well…”
“Come on, let’s go to the restaurant,” I said to her as I pushed open the door and waved a quick good-bye to Yuna. “You’re not going to believe this.”
* * *
The Noodle House was fairly calm, and I found Vanessa stationed at the hostess booth, flipping through another fashion magazine. She threw it under the counter when I walked in.
“Hey boss,” she said, smacking her gum.
I decided to let the magazine go. I had other things on my mind and I didn’t feel like giving a lecture. “How’s business?” I asked, assessing the dining room.
“It’s been slow like this all morning.”
“Where’s Anna May?”
“She’s covering in the kitchen today. Lou called in sick this morning. Some type of sinus thing.”
“Okay, well, I’m not staying, just stopping by real quick.” I signaled Megan to follow me to the back.
Anna May was bobbing her head to pop music and wrapping spring rolls. She turned as we walked in. “Little sister, what brings you by?” She nodded an acknowledgment to Megan.
“Wanted to check on a few things since I missed work yesterday.”
“Yeah, what the heck is going on? Are you okay?” She wiped her hands on her apron. “I was going to call you this morning, but I figured you needed some sleep after a night like that. Mom filled me in on the minor details.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I told her. “I’m weirded out, but no damage was done.”
“Really?” Megan asked. She stepped up next to me. “What did he want?”
“Apparently to talk to you, Lana.”
“Me?” I found it odd that he hadn’t tried to call me instead. “What did he say?”
“Not a whole lot really. He had some food while he was here and asked if he could talk to you. I told him it was your day off, and he said it must have slipped his mind. Are you guys hanging out now? I told you to stay away from those people.”
“No, we’ve hardly talked. I mean, we met for drinks the one time, but that was it.” I avoided telling my sister what my intention was behind getting drinks with Calvin, but I assumed she had an idea after the recent conversations we’d had. “Did he say anything else?”
“No,” Anna May said, agitation growing in her tone. “And I’m not your personal assistant, Lana. He can call you … which is what I told him to do.”
“Okay, geez, sorry.” I turned to head for the office. “I’m not going to be here long…”
“Somehow we’ll muster the courage to soldier on without you, dear sister.” My sister faked a smile and then turned back to her spring rolls.
Megan followed behind me. “That’s weird, huh? Almost as if he were trying to figure out where you are. ‘It slipped his mind’?”
“I know, that strikes me as odd too. It’s not like he would know my schedule to begin with. The most I’ve told him is that I’m here throughout the week.”
“Anyway, hurry up and do what you need to do so you can tell me what you learned at the salon. I’m dying of anticipation.”
CHAPTER
23
Once Megan was filled in on what I’d learned at the salon and I finished handling a few minor things in preparation for work on Monday, we set out for the east side of Cleveland to pay a visit to Gene at his auto repair shop.
Tian’s Auto Repair was located on Payne Avenue between two nondescript brick buildings that looked like they might be abandoned. Thankfully I found some street parking and we walked up to the door leading to a tiny reception area. Automotive-related posters hung on the wall and showed the inner workings of various engines and other parts that were not recognizable to me. There was nobody at the desk and the door into the garage was closed. There was a small wired window allowing you to see a small portion of the garage area.
