Smoldering Flames and Secrets

by Anne R. Tan

  Raina dragged herself downstairs, taking her sweet time. She paused halfway down the steps and peered into the kitchen. She was right. Five little ladies plus her brother sat around the table, munching on cookies and regaling each other with something that caused raucous laughter. Raina’s hands tightened on the railing. I can’t do this. I just can’t.

  Win glanced up and noticed her. “Rainy! Better hurry up before these ladies eat all the oatmeal raisin.” He plucked a cookie and waved it like a flag. “I save you the last one.”

  Raina blinked back the prickle of tears from behind her eyes. She missed having her brother around. Why didn’t she make an effort to visit the Bay Area more often?

  She made her way into the kitchen. There was already an empty chair waiting for her. She dropped into it and thanked her brother for the cookie.

  Po Po rapped on the tabletop. “Time to get down to business.”

  As her grandma explained their mission, Raina nibbled on the cookie. She was listening with only half an ear.

  Her grandma’s friends perked up. Like her grandma, they were in their seventies. Two of them had silver hair, and the other two dyed theirs, one a brunette and the other black. All their faces were lined, a thick roadmap of the lives they had lived.

  Po Po held up a tablet with an image on it. “If we wear outfits like this—”

  Raina stood, and all eyes turned to her. She cleared her throat. “I don’t agree with this plan. It’s too dangerous.”

  Po Po’s expression became crestfallen. “Rainy, we’re aware of the risk, but we are not going to engage with the mark. We’ll observe from afar.”

  Win nodded. “We’ll be so far back, Jason won’t even notice us.”

  “No,” Raina said.

  Po Po and Win paled like Raina had slapped them. She glanced around the circle, and some of the ladies averted their gaze. Her stomach churned, and the cookie she had just eaten felt like a brick.

  “I appreciate all of you for taking the time to be here, but this meeting is over,” Raina said. “This isn’t a game anymore. Somebody vandalized my car. And I don’t want to be responsible if one of you got hurt.”

  Raina turned and fled upstairs. She stepped inside the guest room, locked the door behind her, and threw herself on the bed. Why was she this upset? It wasn’t like the faded red Honda hadn’t been vandalized before. And after a stay at an auto body shop, the damages got fixed. Her dad’s car was an old man in dog years. Matthew had talked about replacing it over the summer, but she had insisted there was still plenty of miles left in it.

  Speaking of Matthew, when was the last time she spoke to her fiancé? They usually didn’t go for more than a few hours without contacting each other. Was this the problem? Was she on edge because she feared there would be an argument in the near future with him?

  Knock! Knock!

  “Rainy, we need to talk,” Win called out.

  “I’m already in bed. We’ll talk in the morning,” Raina said.

  “At five in the evening? You’re skipping dinner?”

  “I’m on a diet.”

  “Open the door, Rainy, or I am kicking it down.”

  Raina sat up in alarm. “You wouldn’t dare. Mom would get so mad at you.”

  “Don’t care. Po Po would be fine with it.”

  Unfortunately, he was probably right. And since their grandma owned the Victorian, their mother would just have to suffer in silence.

  Raina stomped to the door and threw it open. She crossed her arms and stood in the middle of the doorway so he couldn’t come in without shoving her aside.

  “You really hurt everyone’s feelings, Rainy,” Win said. “We just want to help.”

  “And I appreciate it, but it stopped being a game a while ago.”

  “If you can do it, so can I.” There was a hint of defensiveness in her brother’s voice.

  Raina sighed. “There is nothing more for you to do. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have involved you at all.”

  Win clenched his jaw and ran a hand through his curly hair. “If it were up to you, I would still be in diapers.”

  “That’s not fair!”

  He pointed an index finger at her. “You know what’s not fair? You. You get to have Po Po all to yourself while I’m stuck here with Mom. Do you know how lonely it is to live here? I hate this place.”

  Raina blinked, taken aback. “Whoa! Timeout. What is this about?”

  Instead of answering her, her brother spun on his heel and bolted for his room. The door slammed half a second later. It looked like her brother might be going to bed at 5 PM too.

  Raina didn't go downstairs for the rest of the evening. When Po Po knocked on the bedroom door to let her know there was food for dinner, Raina ignored it, pretending to be asleep.

  She could hear Win going downstairs with Po Po, and she didn't want to ruin a dinner with any awkwardness. While they were downstairs, she snuck out of the guest room and went to the bathroom down the hall. She took care of business as quietly as she could and brushed her teeth for bed.

  When Raina crossed the threshold to the guest bedroom and closed the door, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her stomach rumbled in protest, but she probably could skip a meal or two. She got into bed and eventually fell into a fitful sleep. Nothing this week had turned out like she expected.

  She woke the next morning to the ringing of her cell phone. Her eyes were gummy and swollen. She must have cried in her sleep.

  “Hello?” she croaked into her phone.

  “Rainy, are you still in bed?” Jung-yee asked.

  “No.”

  Her cousin laughed. “I just want to say thanks for everything. If you hadn’t packed a bag for me, I would still be in the same outfit as the day before.”

  “Um, you’re welcome.”

  There was a long silence. Raina closed her eyes, hoping her cousin would let her drift back to sleep.

  “Ah, Blue told me about his involvement with Arianna Cobb, and he mentioned that you also provided marriage counseling advice as well. I don’t know how you do it, but you made everything right in my world again. Thank you,” Jung-yee said, her voice thick with emotion.

  Raina’s eyes flew open. “So the two of you talked to each other?”

  “Yes, thanks to you. In hindsight, you are right. It was childish of us to avoid each other. With you looking into the murder investigation, I’m sure everything will be cleared up soon.”

  Raina groaned inwardly. She didn’t have the heart to tell her cousin that she wanted out, not for herself, but for her grandma and brother. Was there a way for her to still continue to find proof without endangering her family?

  “Are you still there?” Jung-yee asked.

  “Yes, just gathering dust bunnies.”

  “You could probably make a living just from conducting investigations for the family alone. And if you add in all the various in-laws, that’s over a thousand people with problems needing someone with a delicate touch. A trusted family member who is discreet.”

  Raina smiled. Her brother had made a similar comment a few days ago, but it sounded like a possibility when it came from her cousin. “No, thanks. I don’t want to take on other people’s problems.”

  They said their goodbyes and hung up. Raina jumped out of bed, feeling a sense of accomplishment. If nothing else, she had saved her cousin’s marriage. And now, it was time to save Matthew’s brother.

  Half an hour later, Raina trotted downstairs. On the kitchen table was the key to Po Po’s red Miata and a note that said she left with Mrs. Santos for their pole dancing class. There was no sign of her mom or her brother.

  While the coffee brewed, Raina poured out Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast. As she chewed her way through the bowl of cereal, she admitted that her attitude yesterday was rather rude. She had let fear dictate her behavior, and she didn’t like the person she became. When she saw her grandma and brother later, she’d better apologize.

  After lunch, she would call De
tective Carol Jean Wise and lay her cards on the table. After all, the police would have to bring the killer in. And they could probably plan a much better surveillance on Jason Cobb than the mahjong ladies.

  Raina cleaned up and grabbed her grandma’s car keys. Time to check out the yoga studios and see what she could learn about Arianna Cobb’s last day before her disappearance. She was a woman on a mission.

  15

  The Penny Dropped

  At Strike A Pose, the receptionist refused to talk to Raina. "I'll need to see a badge from a police officer before I can disclose any information on our clients. And even then, we might need a warrant from a judge."

  Raina left her cell phone number on a sticky note anyway, hoping the receptionist might change her mind. She thanked the lady and stepped outside. She pulled out her cell phone from her purse to check the map. When she glanced up, she could see through the storefront glass windows. The receptionist tossed her sticky note into the trashcan.

  A thousand weevils in her rice bin, Raina thought.

  She headed north, walking along Divisadero Street. Time for some fortification. The Starbucks was right in front of her. She ordered her iced coffee, stepped aside, and glanced around. Like the other Starbucks in the city, the café was crowded. The line snaked along the front and wrapped around the side, blocking off the restrooms.

  Everyone was in their own little bubble, either chatting with friends, tapping on their screens, or listening to the music or podcast on their phones. The baristas were hopping, barely keeping up with the orders coming in. No one would have noticed the tête-à-tête between Blue and Arianna a couple of weeks ago. If someone had bumped into Arianna and injected her with something, no one would have noticed either. Raina shivered at the thought. That was too morbid even for her.

  The second yoga studio was about five blocks further north. By the time Raina stood in front of Bend It Yoga, she had finished her iced coffee and was sweating like crazy. She stepped aside, hoping nobody could see her through the glass storefront windows and blotted her face with a tissue. She sighed. No one looked like a pro with sweat stains on the small of her back. Luckily, no one would be looking at her back until she left.

  Raina took a deep breath and went into the yoga studio. The receptionist was in her early forties. She wore a floor-length maxi dress made from a hemp fabric and dyed a bright blue. Her blonde hair was twisted into dreadlocks, and there was a gold ring in her left nostril.

  “Hi, I'm Raina Sun. I am working with a private investigator on the Arianna Cobb case. Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”

  “Oh, my gosh. Did the husband hire you? I never liked the guy, you know. I always thought he was a little too possessive with his wife.”

  Raina perked up immediately. A chatty Cathy. Hot diggity dog. She hit the jackpot. Since the receptionist didn’t like the husband, it might be smarter to give the same impression. “Possessive?”

  “Who hired you?” the receptionist asked again.

  “I’m looking into the case for a family member.” After all, Jung-yee and Blue were part of a family. And she didn’t specify which family.

  The receptionist’s eyes brightened, and a huge smile spread across her face. “Is it Izzy? Is she in town? I haven’t seen her in years.”

  Raina had no idea who Izzy was. “No, I don’t think she is. We’re on the Internet, and sometimes we get clients through our website. Everything is handled through the phone, and we sent them the contract by email.”

  She’d described Lucy Fong’s PI business, but the receptionist didn’t know this. It was easy peasy telling lies, especially when it was all true.

  “Let me guess. You want to know what happened on the day she disappeared?” the receptionist asked.

  Raina widened her eyes, playing along. “How did you know? Are you a mind reader?” This was actually kind of fun.

  The receptionist beamed. “My name is Marsha, by the way. The cops have been by several times. They kept asking me the same questions over and over again.” She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I feel like they’re trying to trip me up. So after the second time, I went home and wrote it all down. Now I can recite the story off the top of my head.”

  “That’s good. You’d be surprised how quickly memories fade away.”

  “Arianna usually came in for the nine o’clock yoga class with her BFF two days a week. Then they stopped by the Starbucks—”

  “Wait! How do you know they went to Starbucks after the class?”

  Marsha blushed. “Once in a while, they’d come back with a coffee and pastry for me. I let them park in the employee lot behind the building.”

  “I wish my clients would buy me a cupcake once in a while,” Raina said.

  “Right? I get paid peanuts. I wish I could put up a tip jar.”

  “So back to your story?”

  “Oh, right. For some particular reason, the BFF wasn’t in class on the day that Arianna disappeared. After class, she rushed out. She must have been in a hurry because normally we would chitchat for another fifteen minutes or so before she made her way to Starbucks.”

  Raina wondered briefly if Marsha’s boss knew she spent this much time chatting with the clients. “Did Arianna tell you where she was going? I mean, it sounded like it was unusual for her to rush out after the class.”

  Marsha shook her head. “She didn’t say.”

  Raina frowned. What happened to the BFF? “Who is Arianna’s best friend? Do you have her name and contact information?”

  “I sure do. Her friend is always looking for new clients because she’s a wedding planner. Her name is Bridget Harker.”

  Raina’s jaw dropped. If she were a cartoon, her mind would be exploding on the screen. “You’re kidding? She’s planning my cousin’s wedding.”

  “Small world. Here’s something that’s just as crazy. Bridget is the one who introduced Jason to Arianna. Bridget and Jason are in the same shooting club together.” Marsha shook her head in amazement. Her voice held a hint of wonder. “We’re all linked.”

  “In more ways than you know,” Raina muttered under her breath. “What has Jason done to make you think he’s possessive?”

  “He came here once, demanding to know if there were men in his wife’s yoga class. Then he got all upset when I told him that’s confidential information. I called the police before he finally left.”

  “Did you tell Arianna about the incident?”

  Marsha shook her head. “No, but I spoke to Bridget about it. Apparently, he has done this to more than one of their friends. But in front of Arianna, he’s as sweet as can be. It's very odd. And of course, Arianna didn’t believe us. She said he was just joking.”

  “What do you think?”

  “The guy’s a nutcase. I would stay away from him. When a man has been a reluctant bachelor for more than three decades, there might be a reason why.”

  Raina nodded. Could this behavior cross over to murder?

  “Um, before you go. You have something on your face.” Marsha gestured at her forehead.

  Raina swiped at her brows with her hand and came away with several pieces of sweaty tissue paper. Great. She must looked like one big bad private eye…or a pathetic one.

  She thanked Marsha and left, dismissing the tissue paper incident. She had more important things to consider. The walk back to her car was a haze.

  Raina never thought the ex-wedding planner was a murder suspect. Bridget had too much to lose. If convicted, she would lose custody of her child. What mother would risk that?

  When Raina got back into her car, she sat, clutching the steering wheel for several long moments. She was in over her head, and it was time to bring in the big guns. She called Detective Wise and made an appointment meet her at the winery in two hours. She pulled into the first drive-thru—which happened to be Taco Bell—ordered a rice and cheese burrito, and got back on the road. Depending on traffic, she might need an hour to an hour and a half to cross the Bay Bridge and make her way to L
ivermore. Thankfully, this would give her plenty of time to order her thoughts, so she would know what to say to the homicide detective.

  Raina received an incoming text message, and from the ringtone, she knew it was from her mother. Since she was driving, she ignored it.

  She had thought they had narrowed the list of suspects down to one person, which was Jason Cobb, the victim’s husband. But now with this revelation that Bridget Harker was Arianna Cobb’s best friend, it changed everything…and nothing. So what if there was a connection?

  Raina pulled off the freeway and followed the turnoff for the winery. The parking lot for the event center was full. There must be a conference or corporate retreat going on today. She followed the signs to the gravel pad next to the processing area reserved for the employees. She checked the time and texted her grandma. It never hurt to let people know her location during an investigation. After all, someone had to tell the cops where to find her if she ran into trouble.

  There was still thirty minutes to kill before her meeting with the detective. As she walked among the rows of grapevines, she marveled at the peace and serenity of the place. It must be amazing to own this much property and grow crops and be the master of your domain.

  While Raina loved her boss at the café, she always knew in the back of her mind that it was a temporary job, not one meant for the rest of her life. Here she was, about to marry the man of her dreams, and still without a clue as to what she was meant to do with her life.

  She stopped mid-stride. In front of her, a Hispanic man crouched in the shade of the grapevine, smoking a cigarette. None of his co-workers were around.

  “Hi, there! I need your help,” Raina called out, waving her hand at the field hand.

  He wore a dusty brown hat with a worn dirty cloth attached to the back to block his neck from the sun. His face was a dark tan and heavily lined. But most important of all, he looked just like the man—or at least his hat did—on her grandma’s cell phone. The one who took a packet of money from Bridget Harker.