Sunny Mates and Murders

by Anne R. Tan

  where is this secret passage?"

  Footsteps approached the sitting room. Sonny came into view. Good afternoon. My lawyer is on his way, so unless you have a search warrant, Detective Bibb, you might as well have some cake and tea during the wait.

  Detective Bibb scowled at Sonny. How long?

  Twenty minutes, more or less, Sonny said, accepting a cup of tea from Cat.

  Are you kidding me? In twenty minutes someone could contaminate the crime scene. Someone could be cleaning up while we’re here eating cake.

  I guess that’s a risk we’ll have to take, Sonny said. His tone held a twinge of mild regret.

  Detective Bibb stood. Even though it’s Sunday, I can find a judge to get me a search warrant under the circumstances. And when I have it in my hand, I will be searching more than just this secret passage.

  The two men stared at each other to the exclusion of everyone else in the room, playing a mental game of chicken. Po Po watched the two men with a gleeful expression on her face. She was probably mentally egging them on like a child on a schoolyard fight.

  Raina set her teacup on the coffee table. Sonny, hon, this isn’t the time for the police to crawl all over the house. She glanced at the detective. We’re in mourning. Please try to be sensitive to our situation.

  Sonny nodded reluctantly. Not that he had a choice. Raina felt a twinge of guilt for calling the detective.

  As they headed upstairs, Sonny reached out and held her hand. Was this a gesture of his anxiety or playacting on his part?

  When she got to the section of upstairs hallway that led to the secret passage, she hesitated. She didn’t want to tip her hand by using the light on the hair sticks. I forgot to mention that we would need flashlights.

  Sonny and Cat reached into their pockets and pulled out pencil flashlights. The detective pulled one out of his pocket as well. It seemed everyone read their Boy Scout manual.

  Raina opened the panel on the wall. The wineglass is at the end of this staircase.

  As Sonny’s beam of light swept in front of them, anxiety settled in Raina’s stomach. She was worried about their reaction when they saw the wine glass. What if they didn’t come to the same conclusion she did? Would they think she had an overactive imagination?

  The others shuffled behind them, loud enough to scare away any remaining evil spirit. Raina’s chest tightened. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t pinpoint what bothered her. With so many flashlights, the staircase was less intimidating than before. Her hand gripped the grimy rail as they inched down the stairs.

  It wasn’t until the beam from Sonny’s flashlight landed on the floor that she figured out what was bothering her. The dust didn’t swirl and whirl like it did before. Either her memory was going to pot or someone had come here after she did. They reached the end of the passage. Several beams of light swept across the clean floor.

  Where is the wine glass? Po Po asked.

  Where indeed. Raina gave Sonny a sideways glance. He appeared confused and relieved at the same time. If he wasn’t the one to clean up the mess, then who did?

  * * *

  Without a search warrant, Detective Bibb left, mumbling about a wild goose chase. The servants brought down their overnight bags, and a chauffeur pulled the cherry-red convertible Po Po had rented into the circular driveway. Evidently, Raina and her grandma had overstayed their welcome.

  During the drive back to Toronto, Raina gripped the steering wheel until her white knuckles stood out against the black leather. Appearing like a fool in front of the detective didn’t bother her as much as her misplaced trust in Sonny. She’d thought they were on the same team, but they had been playing on two different fields the entire time.

  Are you done mumbling to yourself? Po Po asked.

  I should have guarded the secret passage instead of following Sonny to his lair. How did he have enough time to clean up the crime scene when he was with me in the office? Raina asked.

  Cat.

  Wasn’t she with you in the library?

  Nope. She disappeared after showing me into the room.

  Raina smacked her palm against the steering wheel. So it was Cat! If she cleaned up the crime scene, is she an accomplice or the murderer?

  Maybe both. Or maybe neither. She could have cleaned up the crime scene because she thought she was helping Sonny.

  This doesn’t compute for me. Sonny said Cat is Jerry’s woman.

  Po Po snorted. Then why is she boinking her boss’s wife?

  We don’t know this for sure. There might be nothing scandalous in their relationship.

  You can give them the benefit of a doubt, but I’m sticking to my opinion until proven otherwise. Did you talk to Lily? Maybe she wanted her husband dead so she could run off into the sunset with Cat.

  Raina shook her head. Lily is hiding in her room, but she is on my list of suspects though.

  Who else is on your list?

  The Lows?

  Freddie wants Sonny’s help with the Italian mob problem, right? Why would he or Myling kill Jerry?

  Who knows? Maybe they killed Jerry under the misguided notion that if they got rid of Sonny’s internal problem, he would help them in return. Just because the Nine Dragons owes them a favor, doesn’t mean Sonny would help them.

  Anyone else? Po Po didn’t bother to hide the doubt in her voice.

  Raina shook her head. I’m annoyed with myself for letting Sonny move me around like a chess piece. I was supposed to be his fiancée for one weekend, but now I have to find his brother’s killer too.

  Nooo. He only wanted you to talk to the women involved in Jerry’s life.

  Raina gave her grandma a sideways glance. You know I can’t ask questions without getting involved. A combination of curiosity and strong interest in the Kwan family guaranteed she would be all over this case.

  Well, at least we’ll have some exciting days ahead of us. Anything is better than walking around the block like a decrepit old lady, Po Po said. Guess what?

  Raina glanced at her grandma and then back on the road. She chuckled at the twinkle in her grandma’s eyes. Exciting was relative. Do you have an excuse for us to go back to the mansion?

  I have something even better. Lily is prostrated with grief, and you know we can’t expect a man to see to the details. Po Po paused dramatically. I volunteered to plan Jerry’s memorial service.

  That’s quick thinking. Now we can come and go as we please at the mansion for the next few days.

  Hey, don’t put words into my mouth. I’m just trying to help my buddy out.

  When did you and Kwan Gong become bosom buddies?

  When he confessed he was secretly in love with me fifty years ago. This time there was a self-satisfied smirk on her grandma’s face.

  Every time we meet one of your old friends we stumble on another secret admirer. Geez, I didn’t realize you were such a heartbreaker.

  Broken hearts are better than dead bodies.

  It’s not my fault that my superpower attracts dead bodies. I wonder if I was a coroner in my previous life.

  Or a hangman.

  Raina gave her grandma the stink eye. Do we want to talk smack? Oh, master of disguise who can’t decide between a washed up version of Madonna with the cone bra or a ninja.

  At least I have ambition. Po Po waved a hand in Raina’s direction. Girl, you need to find a passion.

  It’s kind of hard to keep a man when a dead body appears every few months. Maybe the statement wasn’t technically true, considering that Matthew was a homicide detective. He wouldn’t propose if it were.

  You don’t need a man. That’s what batteries are for. I’m talking about what you want to do when you grow up.

  Oh, like a job? I’ll figure it out when I finish my graduate degree in the winter.

  Nooo, Po Po said, stretching out the word. A job is something you do to either kill time or because you need to make a living. Neither of which applies in this case. A passion is something you do that brings you
joy even if it doesn’t pay you.

  Po Po, my savings will run out. It’s not like I could survive on odd jobs the rest of my life.

  By Raina’s calculations, if she continued her frugal lifestyle, she had another two years before she needed to find a real job again. I must return to the cubicle world sooner or later.

  Her engineering license was up for renewal this fall, and she planned to renew it. Though she would receive

  her graduate degree in Asian history by December, the prospect of a future job in this field was bleak. The degree had been a ploy to escape from her family in San Francisco, so it did its job.

  The day you return to a normal job is the day I would have to drown my sorrow in a bottle of vodka or a box of chocolate donuts. Po Po sounded glum.

  You’ll find something else to keep you occupied. Maybe one of the cousins would need you to save them.

  "It wouldn’t be as much fun as chasing down leads with you. You should apply for the intern position with Moody Investigations. The ad in the Gold Springs Weekly said they are taking applicants until the end of the week."

  Raina had seen the ad in their hometown’s newspaper before they left for their trip to Toronto. I can’t. What if Matthew finds out?

  So? Are you going to let a man dictate what you want to do? It’s not like the two of you are in a relationship.

  Raina told her grandma his idea of opening a private investigation firm and his offer to take her on as a non-paid secretary and apprentice. She left out his marriage proposal.

  I still don’t see what the problem is, Po Po said.

  I can’t reject him and turn around to work for a rival firm.

  You didn’t reject him. You rejected his sucker’s deal for a paid one.

  Let me think about it.

  If they call, say yes to the interview.

  Raina’s eyes widened. You submitted an application for me?

  Well, yeah. By the time you’re done thinking about it, they would have hired somebody else. So just say thanks and move on.

  Raina harrumphed. Her grandmother was probably right. Thanks. She tried to inject enthusiasm into her tone, but it fell flat. If she didn’t submit an application, then they couldn’t reject her. While she had some success as an amateur sleuth, she was nowhere ready for prime time. But with training, she could be ready or at least knowledgeable enough to hold her ground with Matthew.

  11

  A White Knight

  Monday morning Raina and Po Po went their separate ways. Technically her grandma stayed at the apartment to make phone calls for the memorial service. If the Kwan family was to hold the service within three days of the death as tradition dictated, there was plenty of work for her grandma to do. Although, it was probably unrealistic for Jerry’s body to be released in time to meet the deadline.

  Raina spent the morning in the office of the Chinese Opera Company doing paperwork. When her grandma had proposed working for her friend this summer, Raina had assumed she would be a stagehand or an assistant on the set.

  Instead, she spent most of her time in a one-room office next to the Chinese Cultural Centre with the office manager. Between the two of them, they did everything from entering the time for payroll to updating the company’s website. Not exciting, but with another dead body, it was the perfect mindless summer job. If nothing else, she could add marketing to her resume.

  When Raina clocked out at one, she texted Po Po to see if she wanted to have a late lunch. Her grandma replied an affirmative, and Raina swung by the apartment with the rental car.

  What are you in the mood for? Po Po asked.

  How about sandwiches? Raina asked, pulling away from the curb.

  From the cafe next to the cell phone store? Is this why you drove instead of walked to work today? Po Po’s voice was exasperated. Rainy, you’re spending your entire inheritance replacing phones. It’s your third one this year.

  It’s not my fault dead cell phones and dead bodies go hand-in-hand. I’m just lucky it’s not cars. I definitely can’t afford to replace those.

  After lunch, Raina and her grandma spent the next hour at the cell phone store, going through all the options. She settled on a pay-as-you-go phone, using an app to forward her voicemail messages from her USA phone number to this temporary phone.

  She would pay for two cell phone services, but she didn’t want to put her USA cell phone number on hold in case Moody Investigations called her for an interview. It was a temporary solution, but hopefully she would return to the States by the end of the month.

  When she opened her purse to hand over the pieces of her cell phone for recycling, her thoughts drifted to Jerry’s cell phone. Sonny hadn’t mentioned it since the night of the murder. She assumed he still had it. How could she get her hands on Jerry’s phone?

  Raina wrapped up the cell phone purchase, and they went outside.

  I wonder who this ‘Mis’ person is that Jerry exchanged explicit text messages with. Raina wondered out loud.

  It’s probably his mistress. Men like Jerry always have a mistress. You need to be prepared if you marry Sonny.

  There’s nothing between Sonny and me other than mutual…benefits.

  Just don’t turn it into friends with benefits. You can’t handle casual.

  Raina groaned. Why did every conversation with her grandmother circle back to her love life? Not that kind of benefits. Back on topic, how can we find out who Jerry’s mistress is? Three women came out of the ballroom—Lily, Myling, and Cat. Lily is out. Myling is expecting her first child with her new husband. They are still in the honeymoon phase. It’s more believable for Sonny and Myling to have an affair than for Jerry and Myling to have one. I guess that leaves Jerry and Cat.

  We’re having dinner with the Kwans. We can ask Sonny or Lily if they have a name later. Po Po paused for a moment. How do we know the mistress is a woman?

  That’s a good question. For all we know, Jerry and Freddie could be lovers, Raina said for her grandma’s sake. She didn’t think there was any truth to the statement.

  Po Po’s eyes gleamed, and she rubbed her hands together. "Ah, yes. This is turning out to be like an episode on the Jerry Springer Show. I like it!"

  While we’re at it, what if Kwan Gong and Cat are having an affair, too?

  Are you mocking me?

  Raina burst out laughing. I can’t help it if you like the musical beds theory. Is this what you seniors do when the lights are off at the senior center?

  Po Po turned prim. We’re all consenting adults. And it’s none of your business.

  Okay. I don’t really want to know anyway. We better leave in an hour if we want time to chitchat before dinner. I want to hear what Lily has to say about her husband’s death.

  They’re sending a car for us. Po Po held up her palm for a high five. Am I good or what?

  Raina patted her grandma’s hand. Good job, Watson. I need to sneak into Sonny’s office to grab Ah Gong’s journal, too.

  How? They have cameras and guards everywhere, and we’re only there for dinner.

  "Then we’ll have to stay overnight somehow. According to Sonny, no one actually monitors the video in real time. The guards stay in the lawn area by the fence perimeter. And I doubt they walk around in the dark.

  Po Po’s eyes sparkled. We can use our ninja outfits.

  Nooo, this time I really need you to get on Kwan Gong’s good side. I don’t care if you have to put on lingerie and prance around in front of him. If I get caught, Sonny could issue a command to sink me to the bottom of a river. Kwan Gong might be the only one to veto this.

  Po Po did a little shimmy with her upper body. The loose skin on her arms didn’t stop moving when she did. Leave this to me. I’ll have him wrapped around my pinkie.

  Raina laughed. Her grandma—the sexpot. She hoped she wouldn’t have to do too much damage control afterward. But what harm could Po Po do to Kwan Gong? It wasn’t like the two of them were spring chickens.

  They got into the car, a
nd Raina headed toward the apartment. Her grandma pulled out her cell phone and held it up against her ear.

  What the… Po Po exclaimed. Her voice trailed off.

  At the stoplight, Raina glanced at her grandma. Is everything okay?

  Po Po’s eyes were the size of saucers. What did you tell Matthew about the weekend at the Kwans?

  The light turned green, and Raina returned her attention to the road. She hadn’t spoken to Matthew since...

  Raina blinked. Wait! The email. Oh my gosh, I forgot all about the email. She explained to her grandmother the pre-scheduled email for this morning in case something were to happen to her while she was at the Kwans.

  This explains it, Po Po said. He’s on his way to Toronto. He should be here in time for dinner.

  * * *

  Raina’s stomach sank, squeezing the tuna sandwich into a gurgling knot. What if Matthew got in the way of the investigation? Not intentionally, of course, but he was a homicide detective and would want her to leave things to the professionals. Or worse, what if he teamed up with the local law enforcement to take Sonny down? It would take a far braver woman than she to stand between these two men.

  Once inside the rental apartment, Po Po made a beeline for her bedroom. Raina followed along and flopped on the bed. She couldn’t wait to go home. While the furnished apartment was adequate for their needs, it felt like she wore borrowed clothes two sizes too big.

  Po Po threw open her closet. Should we pack an overnight bag?

  Isn’t this a little presumptuous? Raina asked.

  It’s a bit of a drive. Po Po pulled an overnight bag out of the closet. If one of us drinks a little too much, from the tension of having an ex across the dinner table and a new beau next to her, who could blame her? Why, she might be too drunk to go home.

  Raina shook her head. Please don’t let this come to pass. We are not bringing Matthew to dinner.

  The man flies across the country to save you. The least you can do is feed him.

  Raina wasn’t made of ice. What woman didn’t melt a little when the man of her dreams rode on a white horse—or a plane—to rescue her? But I’m not the one feeding. I don’t think Sonny would like his love rival sitting across from him at the dinner table. He’ll probably want me to go home.