Fatal Fried Rice

by Vivien Chien

  I smacked my forehead. “Ugh. I’m sorry, things have been crazy lately, and it slipped my mind.”

  “Is there something you need to talk about it?” he asked, looking me over. “You’re not sick, are you?”

  “No. Really, I’ve just been busy and forgot all about it. I’ll be at the next one,” I said.

  “Okay, Lana, just remember if you need anything … I’m always here for you.” He diverted his eyes as he said the last bit, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was on the verge of blushing.

  For the most part, Ian was respectful of my relationship with Adam, but I knew there was still a level of personal interest for him that I did not share. Even if Adam hadn’t come along when he did, I can’t say it would have made any difference in my feelings toward the handsome property manager. Yeah, I admit that he’s handsome … in my head. Those words would never actually leave my mouth, however.

  “Um, thanks,” I said, feeling awkward. “Did you need anything else? I really have to get this mail sorted.”

  “Oh, of course, I’ll leave you to your day.” He bowed his head before turning to leave.

  Once he’d left the restaurant, I pulled out the envelope and removed the contents again. My hands shook as I opened the card back up to read the message inside.

  There was only one sentence written in small script, but all capital letters just as the envelope had been addressed. It read NEXT TIME, SMILE FOR THE CAMERA.

  I felt sweat start to collect on my palms, and I wiped my free hand on my skirt. I didn’t like that whomever sent this mentioned a “next time.” My eyes immediately darted toward the door to the restaurant. I scurried over and peeked out into the plaza, scanning the scattered patrons for anyone who looked out of place. A couple sat at one of the benches near the koi pond outside the restaurant. From what I could tell, they appeared unsuspecting and not at all as if they were keeping an eye on me.

  Aside from the couple, there wasn’t anyone milling around, and that brought me the slightest bit of relief.

  I needed to call Sabrina.

  I grabbed the stack of envelopes and tucked it under my arm to bring back with me to the office. When Peter saw me come through the kitchen door, he removed his ear buds to greet me. “What’s up, dude?”

  “Can you watch the front for a few minutes? I have to drop this off in my office and make a quick phone call.”

  “Sure thing,” he said, giving me a thumbs-up.

  I continued on to the back, opened the door to my office and dumped the mail tub on my guest chair, then rushed to my purse to grab my cell phone. Finding Sabrina’s number in my call log history, I selected it and listened while her phone rang. It went to voice mail, and I let out a frustrated groan.

  At the prompt, I left my message: “Hi Sabrina, this is Lana Lee from … um … Ho-Lee Noodle House. I need to talk to you as soon as possible, so please call me back as soon as you get this. It’s urgent. Thanks.”

  When I disconnected the call, I went through my favorites and dialed Megan’s number. She didn’t answer either and I figured she was probably still sound asleep. I didn’t bother leaving her a message because I knew that half the time she didn’t listen to them. Instead, I left her a text telling her to call me as soon as she woke up.

  Next, I planned on calling Adam, but before I hit CALL I paused. If I told him about this right now, he most likely would get involved and not allow me to go to the cooking class with Kimmy. To make matters even worse, he currently wasn’t aware that I was going back to Barton’s at all. We’d kept missing each other the night before, and hadn’t had a chance to talk on the phone. I felt like my news of returning to the cooking class was not something for a text message.

  I put away my phone and decided to hold off in order to give myself some time to think. I mean, he was probably busy anyways, and there was no sense in disturbing him until after lunch. Right? Right, I confirmed with myself.

  I sat down in my office chair for a minute and tried to calm down. The last thing I needed was for Peter to give me the third degree. I resolved that I would be fine as long as I was in the restaurant and Peter was here with me. Whoever this person was probably wouldn’t approach me unless I was alone. For now, I was safe in the confines of Asia Village.

  My hands had stopped sweating, so I decided to head back out to the dining room, bringing my cell with me in case Sabrina or Megan called me back. When I exited the kitchen, I found Peter up front at the hostess station chatting with Kimmy.

  They both turned as I approached them.

  “Hey there, Lana,” Kimmy said, giving me a wink while Peter’s back was still facing her. “I just came by to see how things were going with that girl situation.”

  Peter jokingly covered his ears. “La la la, let me get back in the kitchen before you guys start your girl gabbin’.”

  Kimmy batted his arm jokingly before he shuffled away.

  I watched him disappear into the kitchen. “What do you suppose he thinks we talk about all the time?”

  Kimmy shrugged and with a laugh said, “Probably our periods or something stupid. But hey, whatever gets him out of our hair works for me.” Her attention drifted from the kitchen door back to me, and she leaned forward, studying my face. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  I took another peek at the kitchen door to make sure that Peter was definitely gone, and then whispered, “I got a weird thing in the mail today.”

  “What do you mean by a weird thing?”

  I told her about the card and photo inside.

  Kimmy gasped. “You’re lyin’. Really? I wanna see it.”

  “I left it in my purse back in the office,” I said. “I don’t want to leave the dining area again; Peter is going to get annoyed with me.”

  “No sweat,” she replied and started to head back toward the kitchen. “I’ll just go take a quick look.”

  “Kimmy…”

  She waved a hand over her head without turning around. “Be right back, Lee.”

  I sat on my stool, and tapped my shoe impatiently on the footrest waiting for her to come back. It was good she’d come by because I did want to talk to her about this, but I didn’t know if the restaurant was the best place for it.

  Kimmy returned a few minutes later, an expression of shock on her face. “Holy crap, Lana! That picture is legit. Are you freakin’ out or what?”

  “Uh, yeah,” I spat. “How else would I feel right now?”

  “Okay, chill out, don’t worry about it. It’s broad daylight and we’re in the plaza. It’s totally safe. Some weirdo stalker isn’t going to come in and just murder you for all to see.”

  I cringed. “Don’t say it like that. I don’t even want to think about it.”

  “Well then don’t. Try to think about something else until it’s time to go to class.”

  “Easy for you to say,” I mumbled.

  “Trust me, Lee, it’s going to be fine. You know what this means, don’t you?”

  “That Sabrina and I have targets on our backs?” I asked sarcastically.

  “No, smarty, it means that you’re gettin’ close to something, and when we go to that school tonight, we’re goin’ to find out what.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Kimmy’s reassurances did very little to make me feel better. She was right though. If someone wanted me to know they were watching me, that meant I was on to something. Only I didn’t know what. And I felt this person might have more faith in me figuring it out than I had in myself at the moment.

  The hands on the clock ticked slowly as I waited for the afternoon to pass. Nancy must have asked me at least five times what was wrong with me, and I tried my best to convince her that I had a headache and nothing more.

  As it neared two o’clock, I methodically counted the cash deposit and filled out the bank slip, shoving everything into the security bag. For once, I was dreading my trip to the bank because it was the only time during the day when I would be completely alone. At least aft
er work I could be comforted by Kimmy’s presence until I got home later that night.

  I still hadn’t called Adam and avoided telling him too much in my response text when he asked about my day.

  On my way to drop off the daily deposit, I kept checking my rearview mirror every five seconds to make sure that I didn’t have a tail. In the parking lot of the bank, I sat in my car for a few extra minutes to make sure that no one was lurking around. I felt ridiculous, and overly cautious, but I reminded myself that I hadn’t been aware someone was watching me on Sunday while I was at Hooley House, and yet there was clear evidence that someone had been. And as I thought about it more carefully, it struck me as odd that Adam hadn’t noticed someone had been there either. Who the heck was this person and how did they get around being noticed by one of the best detectives I’d ever met?

  My return trip to Asia Village mimicked my drive to the bank, meaning I kept a close eye on my rearview the entire time. I felt a little safer once I’d reached the plaza’s parking lot. It wasn’t by any means packed, but there were enough people around to make me feel like I wasn’t alone.

  Carefully exiting the car, I glanced over my shoulder a few times on my way to the main entrance, and once I was inside, I quickened my pace back into the restaurant where the sight of Nancy’s kind face brought me a little solace.

  “You were very fast today,” she said as I walked through the door.

  “No traffic,” I replied.

  “Your mother and grandmother are here.”

  Inner groan. “Oh yeah?” I glanced toward the back booth near the kitchen that my mother often frequented. “Where are they?”

  “In the kitchen, talking to Peter.”

  I nodded and headed toward the back to greet them. They couldn’t have picked a worse day to stop by.

  When I pushed open the door to the kitchen, my mother swung around to see who it was. “La-naaa!” my mother blasted in a singsong voice. “There you are. I was looking for you.”

  My grandmother grinned at me, shuffled over to where I was standing, and raised her hand to pinch my cheek. She was the only person on the face of this earth that I would let get away with something like that.

  “Hi, Mom,” I said when my grandmother let go of my cheek. “What are you guys doing here? Isn’t it half-off buffet day at the casino?”

  “Oh yah.” My mother nodded. “But I wanted to come see you first. Have you been thinking about this restaurant? We need to make it more beautiful and you are taking too long.”

  I huffed. “Yes, Mother, I’m working on it, but you’re being so picky. I need a little more time to find something we both like.”

  “How about you, me, and A-ma go shopping today when you leave work, yes? We can go downtown and then eat dinner at Siam Café.”

  “Uh, I can’t tonight, Mom. How about tomorrow night instead?”

  “Why not tonight?” my mother asked, placing her hands on her hips. “What is it so important that you cannot go with Mommy and A-ma?”

  “I have to do something later … with Kimmy.” My eyes shifted to see if Peter was paying attention to our conversation. So far, it seemed he was in his own world.

  “What do you have to do?”

  “It’s … private.”

  “Why?”

  “Mom…” I slid a look at Peter and then winked at my mother. “It’s personal.”

  My mother scrunched up her face in confusion, glanced at Peter, then back at me. It took her a moment to put together an assumption. “Ohhh, okay, okay, I see,” she said, nodding.

  I have no idea what she’d come up with in her head, but it didn’t really matter. As long as she thought I wasn’t telling her because it involved Peter somehow.

  “Okay, tomorrow,” she said. She translated the conversation we’d just had to my grandmother, and my grandmother stole a glance at Peter and then grinned at me, giving me a thumbs up.

  They said their goodbyes and my mother promised that I would see her tomorrow. I let them leave first before heading back to the dining room.

  “Lana,” Peter said, catching me on my way out.

  “Yeah?

  “What are you and Kimmy up to?” he asked, pointing his spatula at me.

  “Nothing, we’re not up to anything, I swear.”

  “So what was all that with you and your mom just now? What don’t you want me to know?”

  “Oh that,” I said with a snort. “I just made that up so I didn’t have to go with them tonight. I’ve got a headache and don’t feel like dealing with it. You know how my mom won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Yeah right. Kimmy told me she couldn’t hang out tonight. I know you guys are up to something, and I’m just going to find out anyways.”

  “Peter…”

  He turned his back to me and faced the grill. “You guys think you’re slick, but I always end up figuring it out.”

  * * *

  After work, I met Kimmy at China Cinema and Song where we agreed to take separate cars so we could go straight home after class. We followed each other out to Parma, and I made sure to stick close to her car in case anyone was following us. The last thing we needed was to get separated.

  Arriving thirty minutes later, we found two parking spots next to each other and had a quick meeting in the lot before going in.

  Kimmy was holding a rolled-up program and waved it at me as she got out of her car. “I forgot to tell you about this before we left Asia Village, but I was going over the course schedules in this program, and as luck would have it Phyllis is teaching her painting class tonight. It runs the same schedule as the cooking class.”

  “Well, how does that help us? I asked.

  “The minute we leave class, we’ll go over to the art studio and asked her a few questions. She’s probably got a lot of cleaning up to do with all the paint and whatever, so she’ll be around, don’t you think?”

  I shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”

  She slapped the rolled-up program against her thigh. “Hot damn, we’re on the case! Now, let’s go to school.”

  Shaking my head, I followed behind Kimmy as she strode into the learning center like she owned the place. I, however, did not feel so self-assured. I was still worried about the photo, and I was a little annoyed that Sabrina had never gotten back to me.

  We had some time to spare, so I asked Kimmy if she wouldn’t mind swinging by the administration office with me. It would be closed by the time we got out of class later that evening.

  Since the outer walls of the administration office were windows, we were able to see inside without having to actually go in. I tried to be inconspicuous about it, and from what I could tell, it was just Grumpy Pants and the alternate intern who had helped Kimmy and I register for the class. Sabrina was nowhere in sight.

  “Maybe she’s in the back room?” Kimmy suggested. She was standing on her tiptoes to see farther into the office.

  “Kimmy, don’t be so obvious. If that old witch sees us, she’d probably call security.”

  Kimmy smirked. “She doesn’t know who I am. I’m going in.”

  Before I could object, Kimmy sauntered into the office. I took a few steps back to shield myself from view.

  A few moments later, Kimmy walked out shaking her head. “Sabrina didn’t come in or call off today. Total no call, no show.”

  “That’s odd.”

  “Also, that one lady is total b—”

  “Hey, guys!” a chipper voice screeched from behind us.

  It was Bridget.

  “Hi,” I replied, putting on an exaggerated smile.

  Kimmy appeared less enthused. “’Sup.”

  Bridget ignored her and held her attention on me. “Are you ready for our class? The new instructor is supposed to be a well-known chef in the area. They got him last minute.”

  “Oh, really? I hadn’t heard anything about it,” I said. My stomach was churning uncontrollably, and my eyes darted to the restroom. If I didn’t calm down, I was goi
ng to make myself sick.

  “Yeah, maybe you know him, he runs that cool place downtown, Wok and Roll.”

  Kimmy and I gawked at each other and our jaws dropped in unison.

  Bridget raised an eyebrow. “What? Is that bad or something?”

  I laughed. “Oh no, no. Everything’s fine. Just surprised is all.”

  Kimmy tilted her head from left to right, cracking her neck. “Well, let’s get these shenanigans under way.”

  The three of us headed toward the cooking room, and with each step I took, it felt like my feet were made of lead. Stanley Gao, the owner of Wok and Roll, was someone I knew personally. I didn’t know him well or anything, but you could consider us seasoned acquaintances at the very least. Our last encounter had been during Cleveland’s Best Noodle Contest some months back.

  Stanley had been one of the contestants and was someone I was generally wary of. Though he was nice enough, he tended to talk to me like I was a naïve little girl he would gladly take under his much more experienced wing. On top of that, he was kind of a womanizer, and that never sat well with me.

  Bridget had walked ahead of us, while Kimmy and I lagged behind. She elbowed me in the ribs and said out the corner of her mouth, “This town is getting too small.”

  I didn’t say anything back, but I agreed. Things were starting to get a bit claustrophobic.

  I’d have to say something to Stanley at some point this evening because I didn’t want him running his mouth to anyone in the community that he’d seen Lana Lee and Kimmy Tran in an Asian cooking class. My only hope was that he didn’t find our request odd.

  Kimmy and I stepped cautiously in the room, expecting to see Stanley Gao front and center, but he hadn’t yet arrived. I released a breath and nudged Kimmy to follow me to a table in the back. Bridget had taken a seat toward the front, but when she saw us taking our seats in the back row, she got up and moved to the table directly in front of us.

  Kimmy scowled. I knew what she was thinking. If Bridget was sitting in front of us, we’d have to be very careful about what we said because she’d without a doubt hear everything we were talking about.