Sunny Mates and Murders

by Anne R. Tan

  So you went upstairs to change your shoes, and Sonny went to get rid of the clock? Then he joined you upstairs?

  She nodded.

  Really, Miss Sun? A clock?

  Yes, a clock. Kwan Gong would fall over with a heart attack.

  Detective Bibb still had a doubtful look on his face.

  It’s a Chinese thing. It’s super bad luck for an elderly person to get a clock or watch as a birthday gift. It signifies his time is running out.

  Who would give such a taboo gift?

  I don’t know the family well enough to even guess. My interaction with the Kwans is through Sonny.

  Do you think Sonny killed his brother? the detective asked.

  Now, Detective, that’s an unfair question.

  What do you know about the Nine Dragons politics?

  Not much. It’s like every family business… Raina’s voice trailed off at the look the detective gave her. Okay, maybe not like your average family business, but close enough. The older generation wants to keep things as is while the younger generation wants to modernize.

  The detective spent the next few minutes trying to trip her up with creative roundabout questions.

  Raina sagged back against the chair. She repeated her statement, sticking to the truth but skirting the incident at the alcove.

  Detective Bibb closed his notebook. He leaned back in his chair, tapping his pen on the table. One more question, Miss Sun, and then you can leave.

  Raina straightened. Finally!

  He paused, glancing down at his notebook one more time. Why is your wineglass next to Jerry Kwan’s body?

  She swallowed, coughing at her dry mouth. What wine glass? she choked out.

  Good night, Miss Sun. Hopefully, the next time we meet, I’ll have the warrant for your arrest.

  * * *

  Raina swept out of the dining room with her head held high. Once she was in the hallway and out of sight, her legs wobbled. She would have fallen if she didn’t hold onto the wall for support.

  The detective couldn’t be serious. What motive did she have for killing Jerry? Or did he want to push her buttons to see if she would crack? She took a deep breath and pushed off from the wall, forcing herself into a nonchalant stroll. She could fall apart in private.

  As she passed the library, Sonny stepped out and headed toward the dining room. They met halfway. The police officer was still at his post by the door, keeping an eye on the family.

  Everything okay? Sonny whispered.

  Raina nodded. Any idea where I can find my grandma?

  She’s probably sleeping in your suite.

  We need to talk tomorrow. Good night. She nodded at him, but he gave her a quick hug.

  Thanks for everything, he whispered in her ear.

  Raina stiffened. Geez, did they have to put on the lovebird show every time they were in public? She glanced over Sonny’s shoulder. The officer watched them from the doorway.

  They parted ways, and Raina headed upstairs. When she passed the intersection connecting the two wings of the house, she averted her gaze to avoid the alcove where Jerry had died a few hours ago. The low hum of conversation sounded as if half a dozen officials were still processing the crime scene.

  Raina picked up her pace and trotted into her assigned suite. She flipped the lock and dropped her useless shoes on the floor. A soft snore from the bed caught her attention. Her grandma had wrapped the sheet around herself like a hot dog. Sleep sounded like heaven at the moment. There would be time enough to think later.

  When Raina got up later that morning, it was close to noon. Po Po was nowhere in sight. She did her morning business and used the phone on the nightstand to call her grandma’s cell phone.

  Hey, where are you? Raina asked.

  Eating on the patio. The lunch buffet is better than anything you can find in Las Vegas. A few of the overnight guests are still here. You better come down quick if you want to talk to them, Po Po said.

  Raina hung up and got dressed in a blouse and Capris. She transferred everything from her evening purse to her regular purse—a cross body hobo bag big enough to carry weapons of mass destruction. Her outfit had these faux pockets only big enough to carry a toothpick.

  At the intersection connecting the two wings, she paused, glancing around. No one in sight; everyone must be at lunch. Before she could lose her nerve, she trotted toward the alcove. Her heart rate increased with each step.

  The sunlight filtered in through the large picture windows on either side of the stone bench, highlighting patches of the carpet. It was quiet like someone put an upside-down fishbowl over this part of the house. No hum of an air conditioner or the faint sound of someone moving about. There was no hint a death had occurred at this spot a few hours ago. The servants had cleaned the residues of the crime while she’d slept.

  Raina wished she had joss sticks to light for Jerry’s spirit. She could probably find some in the mansion, but it was Lily’s job as the wife to the eldest son to take care of the ancestors and her deceased husband.

  She bowed her head and said a heartfelt prayer. She didn’t know Jerry beyond their brief interactions the evening before, but he didn’t deserve to die the way he did. Using someone’s food allergy against him wasn’t honorable—though there was no honor in murder to begin with.

  She glanced around. Several closed doors lined the hall behind her, but not the segment in front where Jerry had appeared. She walked along the wall, looking for a panel that would open to a servant passageway like the one to the kitchen. He had stumbled onto her too suddenly for there not to be one. Her hands pushed on the wall, hoping to release a spring mechanism or a hidden doorknob. Approximately fifteen feet from the stone bench she hit the jackpot.

  A panel sprung open, and a staircase led downstairs. But unlike the other servant staircase, this one was narrow and dark with no light bulb for illumination. A servant wouldn’t be able to lug a tea set or a load of laundry up and down these stairs. Nope, this wasn’t a typical servant stairway.

  She stepped inside and inspected the doorframe behind her. A candlestick stuck out from the wall. When she wiggled the metal holder, something clicked, and the panel started to swing shut. She stopped the panel from closing. A release mechanism from the inside. A secret passage just like her grandma had predicted.

  Raina popped her head back into the hall. Still empty. Time for a little exploring. She stepped back and shut the panel. If her hand wasn’t holding the candlestick holder, she might have panicked at the sudden darkness. She stood still to let her eyes adjust and dug out a hair stick from her purse. She pressed the hidden button on the charm like her grandma had demonstrated and the flashlight lit a small area in front in her. She grinned. Just like Nancy Drew.

  She inched down the staircase, sweeping the beam on the ground in front of her and on the wall. Cobwebs, dust, and more shadows. A single set of footprints—had to be Jerry’s—headed toward the main hallway she had just left. She stepped around them, so as not to smear his prints. The prints weren’t evenly placed, which meant he probably stumbled around in here, seeking escape or help. A dying man’s last dance.

  Raina shivered and focused on the investigation rather than the death. What was Jerry doing here? Who else knew about it, and where did it lead? The air was stale and heavy. A scratching noise whispered at her from the walls. Rats? She swept the beam of light around. No droppings. But there were plenty of spiderwebs, which meant there were plenty of spiders. The hair on the back of her neck stiffened. Her skin crawled as if spiders dropped from the ceiling.

  Raina gritted her teeth and marched down the stairs. She was letting her imagination take the reins. The darkness and silence had better end soon. Her hands grew grimy from the handrail. Yuck!

  The staircase ended in a landing area with walls on all sides like a small closet. Instead of a single set of footprints, there were more than one set. However, she couldn’t tell if the other set of smeared prints belonged to a man or woman. Against
the far wall, a broken wine glass glinted back at her from the floor. The wine dried into a dark pool around it. Bingo! The murder weapon.

  8

  Salting a Wound

  Raina was surprised to find the murder weapon. It was sloppy for the killer to leave this critical evidence behind, but maybe he or she thought no one would find it. After all, the secret passage was secret for a reason. While it wasn’t unusual for a guest to walk around with a broken wineglass, it would be memorable.

  She swept the beam of light on the surrounding walls, looking for a lever to open the panel to the main part of the house. Nothing. Maybe there was a button, but she couldn’t see it from this distance with her feeble light. If she stepped on the landing, she would smear the footprints even more and contaminate the real crime scene. And her cell phone was broken so she couldn’t even take a picture. How the heck did detectives investigate a murder without a smartphone back in the day?

  As Raina made her way back upstairs and toward the patio, her mind raced. If she told Sonny about this secret passageway, would he insist on checking it out and possibly contaminating the crime scene accidentally…or intentionally? Even if Sonny had nothing to do with his brother’s death, he still wouldn’t want to invite the police back into his home. She was almost sure he would want to solve his brother’s murder, but his means of achieving this and what he might do with the information could be…questionable.

  If she called the police, she would end up on Sonny’s bad side. And the last thing she wanted was to come this close to her grandfather’s journal only to lose it again. This might be her last chance to shine a light at the skeleton in her family’s closet. An image of Po Po’s face flashed in front of her. Forget about the rest of the family, Raina would risk anything for her beloved grandma’s peace of mind.

  A servant stood at the bottom of the staircase, clearing the birthday gifts from the side table in the foyer. He directed Raina to the French doors that led to the patio where the lunch buffet was held. Even before she crossed the threshold, conversation and clinking silverware drifted toward her.

  Raina surveyed the scene. The patio was a square, protruding from the house like a peninsula. On the right was a buffet table with one server standing behind it. A few remaining houseguests sat at the five large round tables with teal umbrellas.

  Po Po and Kwan Gong chatted with two other couples their age at the table closest to the buffet. Her grandma pulled cans of Red Bull from her purse and distributed them around the table. Oh great. The senior citizens would bounce off the walls within an hour.

  Raina grabbed a plate of food and headed toward Freddie and Myling Low at the table furthest from everyone else. The Lows didn’t look like they wanted company, but this technicality didn’t bother Raina. She would be hard-pressed to find an excuse to interview them once they left the mansion.

  Freddie scowled like he chewed on gravel instead of the smoked salmon and rice pilaf on his plate. He had changed out of his black tux and wore a buttoned shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals. With the glare of the morning sun highlighting every wrinkle and gray hair, he looked every bit his age—mid-forties and going downhill fast. He glanced at his wife with concern and whispered something to her.

  Myling shook her head. She had a slight grayish tint to her face like she had been sick. She pushed her plate a foot away from her and clutched the cloth napkin on her lap, twisting it around her fingers. She was as lovely as last night, and even more so with the husband as a contrast. She’d changed out of her party dress, opting for a long white Maxi dress and rhinestone sandals. Did she drive around with a change of clothes in the trunk of her car? The couple looked like a walking advertisement for a beach resort. Or a Viagra commercial.

  Raina clunked her plate on the table, flashing the couple a bright smile. Mind if I join you? She sat down without waiting for an answer. Her stomach gurgled, but she ignored it. Are you okay, Myling?

  Freddie threw his napkin on the table. He ignored Raina and addressed his wife. I shouldn’t have let you talk me into coming to this party. Now the police will watch us because of Jerry’s death, and we still don’t have a solution for the Italian mob problem.

  Honey, this is not the time or place for this conversation. Myling patted her husband’s arm. Can you ask a servant to get me a cup of warm lemon water?

  I’ll go get it myself, Freddie said grudgingly. He kissed Myling’s hand and headed toward the house, passing Cat on her way toward the lunch buffet.

  Raina shoved a forkful of smoked salmon into her mouth so her stomach would stop complaining. Mmmm…

  She eyed the shrimp skewers. Too much work to slide the shrimp off the stick. She dug into the rice pilaf instead. Her stomach did a little happy dance.

  There’s no need to rub it in, Myling said.

  Raina glanced at the other woman. Excuse me? she asked, barely getting the words out around the food in her mouth.

  You’re just having too good of a time with the food over there, Myling said. She still eyed the food on her plate like it was rancid.

  I’m sorry? Raina said. Did Myling have a stomach bug?

  How did you meet Sonny? Myling asked, changing the subject. A girl like you doesn’t seem to be the type to hang out with triad leaders.

  Raina finished chewing. Like that, huh? So Sonny’s plan to make his ex jealous worked. We clicked when we met in San Francisco earlier this year.

  You guys have been together that long? Jerry said the engagement was a farce.

  Since Myling was in a sharing mood, Raina asked, So how did you meet your husband? Was it love at first sight? What she wanted to ask was why a beautiful young woman would marry a middle-aged triad leader? She could have had the same kind of life with Sonny.

  Myling raised an eyebrow. Wouldn’t you rather ask why I left Sonny?

  What makes you think I don’t know?

  I doubt it. Sonny keeps everything close to his chest.

  Raina wasn’t sure about this assessment. Sonny had been chatty enough with her. Okay, I’ll bite. Why did you leave him? I’m sure your husband is a nice guy, but Sonny is…uh…. Younger and hotter?

  Closer to my age?

  Raina nodded.

  Sonny wasn’t in love with me. He wanted the marriage because my family owns half the cloud storage companies in Asia. Myling gave Raina a pointed look. Your family owns Wong International Shipping. You should know how it is.

  Things are different between Sonny and me.

  If you say so. Myling’s expression said otherwise.

  A shadow fell across the table. Raina glanced up to find Sonny standing next to her holding a plate of food. He pulled out a chair and sat.

  What are you two ladies chattering about? Sonny asked, unfolding the cloth napkin.

  You, Myling winked at him. Are your ears burning yet? Her face had lost the grayish tint while she talked to Raina, and now it positively glowed as she eyed Sonny.

  He was dressed in a manner similar to Freddie. Polo shirt and Bermuda shorts. A Rolex adorned his right hand. A lefty. While the sunlight highlighted the silvery scar on his face, it also added a warmth and youthfulness missing from Freddie’s. Did Myling regret her choice?

  Sonny slung an arm around the back of Raina’s chair and leaned across her. Save the teasing for Freddie. Only Raina gets to tease me now. He gave Raina a broad smile and lowered his voice. Morning, sleepyhead. How come you sneaked off before I got out of the shower?

  Raina reached for her glass of water, hoping it would hide her snicker. Seriously? He wanted to pretend they spent the night together for his ex? Were they still in high school? She kissed him on the cheek. This would cost him extra.

  We had to come downstairs to see the guests off, she said. But we can always shower together later.

  Sonny chuckled appreciatively. He picked up his fork and tipped his chin. Freddie better keep his day job. He would make a horrible waiter.

  Raina sipped on her water, glancing over Myling’s shoulder
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br />   Freddie approached the table, holding a steaming mug with both hands. He stiffened when he laid eyes on Sonny, but set the mug gingerly in front of his wife. For someone who had the power to cash in a favor from the Dai Lo of the Nine Dragons triad, Freddie didn’t look like he had the upper hand. Did Jerry’s death throw him off balance? Or was it finding his young wife chatting with her ex?

  It’s not every day we get to have lunch with a murder suspect, Freddie said, sitting next to his wife.

  Raina choked mid-sip and tears filled her eyes. Freddie certainly went straight for the jugular.

  Sonny rubbed her back until she stopped coughing. Are you okay, Rainy? At her nod, he addressed Freddie. Being a murderer suspect is not a novelty for either of us. There’s no need to scare the women. His tone was flat even though he smiled with dazzling brilliance.

  Afraid to lose another one at the altar? Freddie asked.

  Raina sighed inwardly and kept eating. This wasn’t the time to bring the subject of the secret passage to Sonny.

  Myling’s eyes danced with amusement. Apparently, she enjoyed verbal sparring between the men. She rolled her eyes and addressed Raina. Boys will be boys.

  Raina swallowed her bite. Did those words really come out of Myling’s mouth? If they were having a cozy chat, they might as well make it worthwhile. Did you see Jerry last night before dinner? Did you notice anything unusual about him?

  We chatted with Jerry in the foyer like everyone else, Freddie said. The two of you spent more time with him than we did.

  Were the two of you in the ballroom the entire time before dinner? Raina asked. Did you notice anyone leaving?

  Myling’s face softened into a satisfied smile, and her husband placed a protective hand on her flat stomach. I had to use the restroom. Morning sickness can strike at any time during the day.

  Raina’s heart sank. Yikes! She glanced at Sonny, but she couldn’t read his expression.

  Myling placed a hand on the side of her mouth, mock whispering to Raina. Don’t let Sonny talk you into starting a family too soon. Enjoy your time as a newlywed first. She stood. We should give our condolences to Kwan Gong. She linked hands with her husband, and the couple strolled away.