by Vivien Chien
“Not only did I run into Detective Bishop while I was chatting up Joyce Han, but she didn’t even know anything of use to begin with. The whole thing was a wasted trip, and I’ve probably increased my guilt in his book.”
Megan’s jaw dropped. “Oh no, what did he say?”
I went through the events that took place at Lucky Lotus. Megan couldn’t help but cringe as I shared the details of Bishop informing Joyce about my involvement in the night of her sister’s murder.
“She has got to be going crazy with questions,” Megan said when I’d finished. “Do you think she asked Bishop for more details about that after you left?”
“I’m sure that he offered them up willingly and probably also told her that I was a potential suspect in their investigation.”
“Hopefully she’ll realize that you wouldn’t be stupid enough to question a family member if you were guilty.”
“Let’s hope,” I said. “But I still feel bad because she knows that I was lying to her, and that’s enough to make anybody mad, regardless of the reason behind it.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
I leaned back against the couch, and rested my head, staring upward as if some answer would come to me from the textured popcorn pattern that was our ceiling. “I guess all I can do is leave it alone for now. Maybe if I give it some time, she’ll come back around.”
“Probably a good idea. If you try too hard to convince her of anything, she may think that’s a sign of your guilt.”
I turned to face her. “So, what were you doing before I got home?”
“Oh!” She clapped her hands together. “Right. I was looking at Cuyahoga County’s Clerk of Courts website to see if I could find anything about Robert Larkin. There are two in the system, and I wanted to ask you how old you thought he was. We have options of thirty-four years old or forty-six years old.”
“I would say that he’s most likely forty-six.” I tried picturing the janitor in my mind again, remembering a few laugh lines around his eyes, and wrinkles around his mouth. The ones around his mouth were pretty deep set and had reminded me of parentheses. “If he’s only thirty-four, he’s had a rough start.”
Megan laughed, and then bent forward to pick up her laptop. She ran her finger across the mouse pad to access the screen. She tapped a few times, and then turned the laptop around for me to see. “Well, our man, ‘Bobby,’ seems to have a record. I don’t know if it means anything because most of them seem to be drunk and disorderlies, but he’s definitely no angel, that’s for sure.”
I looked over the screen, noting the dates of his offenses and the outcomes. Everything seemed to stop about a year ago when he’d spent a little time in jail for assaulting an officer. I rested my head back again, searching the ceiling for any signs of hope. “At this point, we need to take whatever leads we can get.”
* * *
The rest of the early afternoon was pretty uneventful aside from a few searches Megan and I fumbled around with online. We tried looking into Robert Larkin a bit more, and then dug a little into Margo’s sister just in case. As I suspected, we found nothing interesting about her. Even though I’d only met her twice for short periods of time, she appeared to be someone living a normal life who didn’t get into much trouble.
I jotted down a few things in my trusty notebook, hoping that writing down what scarce new information we had on paper would help. It didn’t.
When Megan left for work, I paced the apartment until Adam called me. We made plans for him to pick me up around six o’clock for a movie at Crocker Park.
I forced myself to get ready, putting on a dressy tunic top with leggings paired with dark gray ankle boots I’d splurged on a few weeks ago from Aldo. I took extra time applying my makeup, and coordinating jewelry. They say to look how you want to feel, and right now I wanted to feel put together.
Adam arrived shortly before six—I was alerted by my alternate doorbell, Kikko. I rushed from my bedroom as she started to yip and whine, batting her paw at the crack in the door.
As soon as I opened the door, Adam scooped me up and twirled me around, planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek. “Hey there, dollface.”
I giggled. “What’s got you in such a good mood?”
He set me down and kissed my forehead. “We’re going to do normal-people things, remember? It’s exciting.” He took a step back and assessed my outfit. “Whoa, you’re all decked out. Where exactly do you think we’re going?”
“I thought it might help me feel better,” I said, turning away to find my purse and keys. “I had a run-in with Detective Bishop today.”
“Uh-oh.”
I told him the same story I’d told Megan earlier that day. He grunted a few times, but made no comment. I could tell he was thinking things through and assessing whether or not this would be a big deal later on down the line.
After I found my purse and keys, we said goodbye to Kikko and headed out the door.
Crocker Park is about a fifteen-minute drive from my apartment, but the movie we wanted to see didn’t start until seven, so we had plenty of time. When we pulled into the outdoor shopping complex, my cell phone rang. Figuring it was Megan, I picked up without checking the readout.
“Hey girl,” I said into the phone.
“Um, hello?”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and realized that it was a number I didn’t recognize. “Hello, sorry, I thought you were my friend. Who’s this?”
“This is Lana Lee, right?”
“Yes…” I said with caution. “Who’s calling?”
Adam glanced over at me, furrowing his brow.
“Hi, this is Sabrina Crawford.”
“Okay…” I said, drawing a total blank. “I’m sorry, the name isn’t ringing a bell.”
“Oh, duh, my bad. I’m the intern from Barton’s Adult Learning Center. We spoke on Wednesday … in the lobby.”
I smacked myself in the forehead. “Right, sorry, I completely forgot to get your name that day.”
“That’s all right. I was in such a hurry to get back, I wasn’t even thinking about names. Anyways, I found out some info and was wondering if you had time to meet.”
“Meet?”
Adam nudged me with his elbow from the driver’s seat. He mouthed, “Who is it?”
I waved a hand at him and turned my attention back to the phone. “When were you thinking? I’m not really available right now.” I was slightly put off that she wanted to meet in person. Couldn’t she just say what she had to right now?
“Maybe tomorrow afternoon then?” she suggested.
“I think I can swing that…” I said, feeling anxious. “Can I ask why you don’t want to tell me over the phone?”
“Well, I could, but I wanted to show you some stuff too. I stayed at work later than everyone last night so I could do some digging. There’s definitely something off going on at the school. I found some things in my personal locker that were meant for Ms. Han. Our lockers are right next to each other and I think whoever left them must have messed up.”
“What kinds of things?”
“There was a note and some pictures. I think Ms. Han knew something about someone having an affair. From what I gathered, she was probably going to tell the wife. That’s why I wanted you to see the note. To see if that’s the conclusion you come to as well.”
Alarm bells went off in my head. I wanted to meet with her right now. I glanced over at Adam, and remembering his excitement before leaving my apartment, I told myself to chill out and asked Sabrina, “Can you meet me tomorrow at three?”
“Sure, I can do that.”
We discussed the logistics of where we lived and where to meet, deciding on the I-480 exit at Tiedemann Road. There was an Irish pub with a nice patio right off the freeway that we were both familiar with and we confirmed it was a suitable place to get together.
We said goodbye and wished each other a good evening.
“Well, what the heck was all that about?�
�� Adam asked. He had parked the car in a multi-floored garage while I’d finished up my call. “I’m over here on pins and needles.”
“Come on, let’s go. I’ll tell you on the way to the theater.”
CHAPTER 18
I hardly paid any attention to the movie. Since Halloween was just a little over a month away, Adam had wanted to see something scary. I half-heartedly watched as a woman with a tear-streaked face ran through a darkened house—always in the wrong direction—up the stairs.
On the way into the theater, Adam had warned me, “Don’t touch anything that girl shows you. She needs to turn whatever she has into the police right away.”
“I know, I know,” had been my reply.
This was potentially what I needed to clear my name. If Margo was about to rat someone out for having an affair, then that obviously had nothing to do with me, and Detective Bishop could leave me alone.
For Adam’s sake, I tried to appear as if I weren’t preoccupied. But considering the man was a detective and trained to read body language, I’m sure he knew that I wasn’t a hundred percent mentally present.
The movie ended fairly late, so our options for dinner were limited. We decided to head up to the Zodiac instead of being those jerks who show up at a restaurant ten minutes before the place closes. Being in the restaurant industry, I was all too familiar with those people and despised their thoughtlessness thoroughly.
The Zodiac was pretty busy when we walked in, and all the stools were taken at the bar. We waved down Megan and she handed us some drinks before we went over to one of the bar-top two-seater tables.
“You know, Lana … honey,” Adam said after he’d taken a sip of his beer. “You give me a lot of crap when I’m lost in a case and we’re out on a date … yet…” He let the rest of his thought hang in the air. He didn’t have to finish the sentence because he knew that I would know exactly what he was talking about.
“Ugh, I know. I’m sorry.” My chin dropped and I shook my head, disappointed in myself for letting him down on what was supposed to be our normal-people date. “I’m being a total jerk tonight. It’s just that I can’t stop thinking about the note and photos that Sabrina found in her locker. I wish she had called me yesterday instead. I could have met with her already and maybe this whole thing would be behind us by now.”
“Okay, I’ll admit something to you,” he said, shifting on his stool to lean forward. “I’ve kind of been half thinking about this the whole time too.”
I pointed an accusatory finger at him. “Aha! See? I’m not the only one.”
He chuckled. “Calm yourself, woman. If I didn’t already know you were thinking about it, I would have been able to put it out of my head.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?” he asked, raising a playful eyebrow at me.
“Okay, okay, sorry. Continue.”
“I think it’s odd that this intern wanted to help you to begin with. What business is it of hers? And why did it take her so long to find the note and photos? It’s already been five days, and that stuff would have had to be there before the murder if the person who left them wanted Margo to see them. Obviously, they’re of no use if Margo is already dead. And that is, of course, assuming that someone was trying to threaten her to begin with.”
I thought that over while I sipped my drink. He did have a point. Why had it taken Sabrina so long to find this evidence? Although, if she was guilty, why would she even bother to inform me of this news? Wouldn’t she want to distance herself from me as much as possible?
“And then…” Adam tapped his index finger on the table. “Then she waits until a Saturday evening to tell you this information? Why didn’t she tell you last night after she originally found it? Or better yet, why mess around with telling you at all? Why not go straight to the cops? If these photos are legit, then what do they have to do with you?”
“All valid questions,” I replied. “But, I don’t think she would reach out to me if she was actually the guilty party. How stupid would that be?”
He tipped his beer bottle in my direction. “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen it in action during an investigation.”
“Well, I guess I’m going to find out either way tomorrow. Now that I’ve agreed to meet with her, I can’t take it back. Plus, it’s going to drive me crazy if I don’t get to see what she has.”
“I agree. But, I’m thinking that maybe I should follow you there … wait in the parking lot in case this is some kind of setup. You know, just to be on the safe side.”
“Really?” I asked. “You’re aiding and abetting me?”
He smirked. “Yeah, but don’t get used to it.”
* * *
Sunday morning, Adam and I woke up at a decent time so we could lounge with some coffee before heading to dim sum with my family. Adam was coming with me today since he didn’t have any work he needed to tend to. After almost two weeks of barely seeing each other, it was nice having him to myself for a whole weekend. Once tomorrow came, who knew what our schedules would be like?
Around eleven o’clock we got in the car and headed to the east side of Cleveland to Asia Village’s competitor, Asia Plaza. My family and I met there every Sunday to have dim sum at one of Cleveland’s most popular Chinese restaurants, Li Wah’s.
The plaza’s parking lot was packed, but Adam was fortunate enough to find a spot where someone was getting ready to pull out. We skimmed the parking lot for my sister’s car and saw it near the entrance. I was usually the last to arrive, and I preferred it that way. Any time that my sister isn’t around, my parents tend to grill me more about my personal life—even with Adam around—and I didn’t like all the attention to be on me.
Considering that my mother was now aware of the cooking class debacle, I’m sure she’d already told my dad. Knowing that he’d have an opinion about it, and warnings about meddling in the aftermath of the murder, I was a bit surprised that I hadn’t heard from him all week. It gave me the impression that he was saving his lecture for a face-to-face visit.
Adam and I entered the bustling restaurant, smiling and waving at the staff as we passed by. Everyone here knew the Lee family, and not just because we came here nearly every week, but because my mother makes her presence known. For as small as she is, she does not have any problems being heard over a crowd.
As we neared the group of dining tables, my mother shot up from her seat and waved her hands in the air. “Lana! We are here!” She pointed at the table and waved again before sitting back down in her seat.
A few people turned to look at us, and my cheeks warmed as we wove through the tables to get to my family. To my surprise, Henry was seated next to my sister. I wanted to say something about him being there, but I decided to just let it go for the moment.
“Can’t you guys ever get a table near the front?” I asked. “Hi, Dad,” I said, acknowledging him as I sat down next to my grandmother.
“Hi. Goober.” My dad grinned at me, and then regarded Adam—who was seated in between Henry and me—with a head nod.
Henry and Adam exchanged pleasantries, and I greeted my temporary lawyer with a delicate head nod and smile. As I studied his face, I wondered if he could tell that I knew their little secret or not. Adam, of course, was clued in—because let’s face it, I couldn’t keep this juicy gossip from him—but his ability to hide things like that far surpassed my own, so I knew the undisclosed-relationship status was safe with him.
If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought the seating was strategically orchestrated to put the two men together. Anna May had mentioned to me in the past she thought it best that our significant others get along should they be around for the long haul. It made me wonder just how deep her feelings were for this man. Although, it was more than likely that my sister just didn’t want Henry to be too close to my mother. It would have been easier for her to give him the third degree that way
.
Anna May is put together very well at all times. Her nails are always done; her glossy ebony hair is forever perfect, and her makeup, though neutral and barely visible, is eternally on point. She’s a classic sort of gal and without a doubt, my older sister had grown into a beautiful woman over the years. However, you’d sooner see me set on fire before I’d admit such a thing to her face. But I digress.
However, today Anna May was decked out to the nines, and I’m sure it had everything to do with her new beau being present. Her hair was styled in large, loose curls that hung just below her shoulders. The makeup she’d chosen was a little more colorful than usual. Smoky mauves accented her almond-shaped eyes, and both her eyeliner and mascara were the darkest shades of black you could find. On a normal day, you’d be lucky to see my sister wear any at all. Her lips were accentuated with a deep burgundy gloss that complemented the tone of her skin perfectly. I had to confess, I was a tad jealous because I could never find a deep shade that didn’t make me look like a goth chick trying to relive her glory days.
It took everything in my power not to comment on my sister’s new look. I knew that it would only stir up trouble, and frankly, I wasn’t in the mood for it.
My mother picked up the teakettle and leaned over my grandmother, pouring tea for me and Adam. “This is so nice to have everyone together today.” She finished pouring and set the kettle down, taking her seat. “It is very nice for Henry to come. He is such a busy man.”
Henry flashed a charming smile. “I’m honored that you asked me to come. It’s not every day I get to enjoy lunch with such an amazing group of people.”
My mother actually blushed. “We wanted to say thank you for helping Lana get out of trouble. This is very kind of you.”
Adam squeezed my leg under the table.
I had to stifle a grin. Talk about laying it on thick. He must really like my sister.
My dad rested an elbow on the table and leaned forward. “I second that. We really do appreciate what you did for my little Goober. She’s always getting into trouble one way or another. If you hadn’t come to save the day, she may be sportin’ black and white stripes and we’d be visiting her from behind shatterproof glass.”