by Vivien Chien
“It was nice to see you, Lana. You look good.” He looked at me thoughtfully and turned, walking out the door.
My body released all the tension it had been holding. I put my hands on the top of the lectern to steady myself. I started to count to ten.
Ian put a hand on my shoulder. “What the hell was that about?”
“I’ll tell you later.” I took some more deep breaths and headed back for my office without giving any further explanation. I guess Donna wasn’t the only one whose past was coming back to haunt her.
CHAPTER
10
“He actually came into your work?” Megan shouted into my ear. “He’s got some kind of nerve to pull a stunt like that.”
After I made it back into my office and took a few more deep breaths, I called Megan right away to tell her about my encounter with Warren. Within seconds, she’d become riled with the news. My heart was still pounding, and the palms of my hands were slick with sweat. “I thought I was going to die right there,” I admitted to her.
“Well, good on you for keeping it together. I can’t believe that jerk had the audacity to come to your restaurant and act like catching up was just another day.”
“He’s always been super casual like that, though.”
“No excuse,” Megan returned. “He is the biggest jerk in the universe. Hands down.”
“I know.” I could still remember how it felt when I’d seen him Christmas shopping hand in hand with another girl. I’d felt like my entire existence with him had been a lie. They hadn’t noticed me and so I followed behind them, hoping that I’d seen it all wrong. But I hadn’t. He seemed so familiar and comfortable with her, and I often wondered if he said the same things to her as he did to me. Instead of confronting him then and there and risking a huge embarrassing scene that I didn’t want to put myself through, I’d phoned him later that evening and called him out on his two-timing ways. That’s when I learned the sad reality that I had actually been the other woman.
Weeks had gone by, months even, and I hadn’t been able to shake that horrible feeling in my gut. I couldn’t even put it into words. Was it shame? Was it panic? A mixture of the two? I felt so stupid for having believed every word that had come out of his mouth. And as I thought about it now, all the pain and upset I had felt at the time came rushing back.
“You’re not going to talk with him, right?” Megan asked. “Right?”
I paused. “I don’t know yet. I haven’t decided.”
“You don’t know yet? What do you mean you don’t know yet?”
“Megan, this could be my chance to say the things I never got to say. To let him know how he made me feel.”
“I don’t think it’s going to make a difference. Really, Lana. I mean, he’s going to apologize and act like he’s so sorry for what he did. But in reality, is he? Then he gets away with it. If you forgive him, then he wins. He gets a free pass.”
“Maybe … I don’t know. I feel like it’s more for me than it is for him.”
“Do you even care about him anymore? I mean seriously, you have Adam now, and he’s amazing and wonderful and thinks the world of you. Why waste your time on this? He’s taken enough of your time and energy.”
I shook my head as if to remove the thoughts from my mind. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t think about this right now anyway. We have bigger things to worry about.” I told her about my conversation with Ian.
“Damn … when it rains it pours, huh?”
“You can say that again.” I reminded her that I was meeting with Rina in a little while and would talk with Penny if I could while I was at the Bamboo Lounge. “Did you find anything interesting in your Internet searches today?”
“Not really. I’m still looking. These people don’t seem very interesting. There’s a lot of charity work recognition, but nothing juicy that we’d care about. I still made some notes for you, though. Check them out when you get home.”
We hung up for the second time that day and I attempted to go back to work as if my mind weren’t spinning with all that had happened in the last few hours.
* * *
Ever since Rina had put down roots in Cleveland, she had become one of my closest friends. We’d met in an unconventional sort of way—at her sister and brother-in-law’s funeral—and became friends shortly after. I’d even helped solve their double murder. Since that time, Rina and I had taken up the tradition of having drinks every Tuesday after work. Even though we saw each other every day, we didn’t always have the chance to talk at length.
The plaza’s karaoke bar, the Bamboo Lounge, was our weekly meeting place of choice and required the least amount of effort on our parts. After all, we were always at the Village anyhow.
Normally we sat at a booth, but since I wanted to question the lounge’s owner, Penny Cho, I suggested we sit at the bar. It was still early for the posh place, and so we pretty much had the run of it. The lights were dimmed, and a few workers tended to the small stage where people would be singing in a few hours.
Penny brought us two cocktails. A Blushing Dragon for me, and a Mai Tai for Rina. I thought maybe letting a drink’s worth pass before I attempted any type of pointed conversation was a good idea.
“Are you okay today, Lana?” Rina asked as she studied me. “You seem kind of tense.”
Here and there, I had talked to Rina about my past relationship at our weekly chats. Mostly it was to bring up the differences between Warren and Adam, and also to note some of the challenges it had brought up in recovering from trust issues. Adam and I both had them … for different reasons, but we did understand each other. Adam had been incredibly patient with me and vice versa while we’d gotten our feet wet again.
I didn’t know that I felt like talking about it at this particular moment, because I needed to keep my head about me in regard to what was happening with Donna. And if there was one thing I was known for, it was spiraling out of control when it came to my previous relationship with Warren.
I returned her concern with a simple, “Nothing, I’m fine.”
“As if I believe that for one minute.”
“I’m just tired,” I lied. “Long day and all. How are things going with you? How’s the shop?”
She shrugged. “Everything is going pretty good, although it’s been a bit slow in the summer months. I’m still trying to come up with a gimmick to get people to come in. I’d participate more at the night market if it weren’t so hot out. A lot of this makeup doesn’t do well in these temperatures.”
“What about makeovers or something? Hire a makeup artist and have them do summer makeovers. You could feature bright-colored eye-shadow palettes and shimmering bronzers.”
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea,” she replied. She sipped her drink daintily through her straw and thought it over. “I’d have to find someone, of course. Someone who can work for cheap.”
“Maybe talk to Jasmine over at the salon. She might have a friend who could help out.”
“That’s another great idea, Lana.” She continued to study me, suspicion in her eyes. “But why am I getting the feeling that you’re trying to keep the subject off you.”
“Really, I’m fine,” I told her again.
Penny came over to check on us.
“Hey, Penny,” Rina said. “Does Lana look fine to you?”
Penny focused in on me, tilting her head to the side as she assessed whether or not I was “fine.” “Hmmm, she does appear to have extra-dark circles under her eyes today.”
“Hello, I’m right here,” I said, looking between the two of them. “I just have a lot on my mind recently.” I figured this would be my perfect segue into talking about Donna’s situation.
“Uh-oh,” Rina replied. “I know what that means.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked innocently.
“I should have known that’s what’s been bothering you.”
Penny regarded Rina with confusion. “Huh?”
“It’s this w
hole thing with Donna Feng, isn’t it?” Rina asked.
I nodded. “It is.”
“Don’t even think about it, Lana Lee,” Rina said.
Penny crossed her arms over her chest. “Donna is a menace if you ask me. I like her well enough, but I feel like a dark cloud just follows her wherever she goes. If I didn’t need the extra cash, I wouldn’t have even agreed to bartend the party.”
“Do either of you remember anything odd happening at the party that night?” I asked.
Rina shook her head. “No, not really. I did notice she seemed to be drinking quite a bit, but other than that, everything seemed totally ordinary.”
Penny leaned against the bar and thought. “I did notice a woman in a blue dress sneak up the stairs at one point in the evening.”
“Around what time?”
“Not sure,” Penny replied. “I slipped inside really quick to find a broom and dustpan because I’d broken a glass behind the bar. I happened to notice the woman rushing up the stairs, but I figured it had something to do with getting to a bathroom quickly.”
There was a much closer bathroom downstairs, so unless this woman needed the utmost privacy, I couldn’t see why she wouldn’t just use the nearest one. “Was this before or after Donna’s outburst?”
“I’m pretty sure it was after.”
“And you didn’t recognize the woman?”
“I think I’ve seen her somewhere before. Maybe she shops here or something. She’s got shoulder-length black hair, maybe about your height … super skinny.”
I made a mental note about this mysterious woman. It made me wonder about the home surveillance tapes that had been confiscated by the police and if they had found anything of importance on them.
“Lana.” Rina sounded queued up for a lecture. “You need to let the police handle this. Things could get messy with Donna involved, and you don’t want to associate yourself with her in case she’s guilty.”
“Do you really think she’s capable of drowning someone like that?” I asked. I, myself, had tried several times to picture Donna holding Alice’s head underwater, and I just couldn’t make it work.
“I’ve never seen anyone get quite that mad at something like their kids messing around. And the way she yelled at that poor girl.” Rina shook her head. “She definitely had malice in her eyes. I can tell you that.”
Penny straightened and regarded both of us. “If you ask my opinion, I’d stay away from the whole thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if Donna Feng ends up being involved in this somehow. All I know is her best bet is to plead insanity.”
CHAPTER
11
That night when I got home, I went over Megan’s notes. She hadn’t found anything of interest on Donna’s socialite friends. My phone rang while I was searching the Internet for background information on Alice. It was Adam, and for some reason, I didn’t feel like talking to him. Maybe because then I’d have to tell him about my day and I didn’t want to lie about my encounter with Warren. I decided it would be best to deal with it the following day.
I continued my search looking over Alice’s social media accounts, her friend lists, and any generic information that came up on her. There wasn’t a lot to find, and I found that in itself to be suspicious. For a young woman in today’s society, it was uncommon not to share where she was from or include pictures of family. Most of what Alice posted was articles on childcare, photos of flowers, and the occasional meme. After going back a few months, I got bored and decided to give up on that direction for the time being.
Next, I went over the list of starred names again and did another search on them, too. Nothing special. Though their names appeared in articles about charities and random acts of kindness provided to the city, there was nothing juicy or interesting that might raise an eyebrow.
With the minimum information I had, where to begin seemed to be my biggest problem. I settled on getting in touch with the woman who had recommended Alice to Donna. From the way Donna had made it sound, Alice had worked for the Choi family for a long time and lived in their house throughout her employment. So there was a chance they’d gained background information on her through natural conversation.
It wasn’t yet nine o’clock, but I figured it’d be okay to call Donna since it was business-related. I needed to put my plan into action right away.
“Lana, have you found anything?” Donna asked, her voice a little more high-pitched than normal.
“Hardly,” I admitted. “None of these people seem to be very forthcoming on social media. But I have another plan. I need you to back up the story I want to use, though.”
“What do you mean, dear?”
“Well, I was trying to find a way to talk with these people without seeming suspicious. I thought maybe I could say that you found something at your house that might have belonged to one of these people and I’m trying to figure out who. Then once I have a foot in the door, I could get them talking a little bit.”
“Lana, that sounds like a brilliant idea. And yes, I’ll back you up on it. What are you going to say was found?”
“How about an earring?” I suggested.
“Perfect. I think that would work out just fine. Especially with my group of friends. All the women there would be absolutely devastated to lose a piece of jewelry. It would buy you just enough time to grab their attention.”
“Have you heard anything about the surveillance tapes yet?” I asked.
“They didn’t find anything of importance. No wayward meetings or strangulations. Just people coming in and out of the back patio area. The camera in the back doesn’t really show all areas of the pool, it’s mostly focused on the door.”
I let out a heavy sigh.
“Chin up, my dear,” Donna said. “I’m sure you’ll get to the bottom of it. Let me know how everything pans out with your earring plan.”
We hung up, and I readied myself for bed. I was disappointed in the camera not providing something more useful, but at least now that I had my starting point, I could relax. Kikko and I snuggled under the covers, and I fell asleep before my head even hit the pillow. The day had really worn me out.
* * *
The following morning, I woke with my brain going at hyperspeed. With Anna May now working her internship at the fancy law firm she hoped would eventually employ her, I was a person down at the restaurant. Most days that wasn’t an issue—summer business proved to be slow more often than not, and Nancy and I could easily handle the flow of customers. But it wasn’t beneficial for my investigative duties.
I caved and decided to call my mother claiming that I had a doctor’s appointment that I needed to get to. I asked her if she’d mind coming in for a few hours to cover with Nancy just in case things got busy.
My mother, of course, had said yes. She was a sucker for a doctor’s appointment. When she arrived at the restaurant, she had my grandmother in tow. “A-ma wanted to come eat.”
My grandmother smiled up at me, and I saw a twinkle in her eye. Right then I knew she hadn’t actually come to eat; she really wanted to visit with Mr. Zhang at the herbal shop.
“Thanks so much for covering for me, Mom. I really appreciate it.”
“Yah, no problem, Lana.” She sized me up. “This is a checkup, yes? Or are you sick again?”
“No, I’m not sick again.” In actuality, I hadn’t been sick in over a year, but she insisted all the time that I must be ill. It was probably all these fake doctor’s appointments I kept going to. “Just a regular checkup.”
“Okay. You look too skinny. Maybe Mommy should check on you more and make sure you are eating enough.”
“I’m eating fine, Mother.”
“Eating doughnuts does not count. You need to eat good food.”
Before she could go on a tangent about my eating habits, I scurried into the back and grabbed my purse out of the office. On my way back out, Peter said, “Be careful, dude.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I
know you, Lana. And I know the closest you’ve come to seeing a doctor is when the paramedics checked you out after the night market at the beginning of summer.”
“Okay, fair,” I admitted. “I’ll be careful.” I left before anyone could lecture me on anything else.
* * *
The nice thing about living in a city like Cleveland is that everything is roughly twenty minutes away. Accordingly, I arrived at the Choi household about twenty minutes later.
They lived in a ritzy development community with oversized Colonials that made me wonder how many family members had to live inside for the place not to feel empty. The Choi property was beautiful with its meticulously cared-for landscaping and picturesque ponds.
I’d selected one of the fancier earrings in my jewelry collection to take with me as my cover story. It was a rhinestone chandelier earring that looked nice enough to possibly belong to one of Donna’s friends.
It was an overly warm and sunny day with not a cloud in the sky. So I shouldn’t have been surprised that the maid who answered the door told me Brenda Choi could be found lying out by the pool. She led me through the expansive home, and I took a moment to appreciate the polished wood flooring and vaulted ceilings.
The backyard wasn’t as big as I would have imagined it to be, but the view of a pond made up for the lack of land. The cemented patio area was large enough for a table with four chairs and a few plastic chaises for lounging poolside.
Brenda was sprawled out on one of the chaises wearing a floppy straw hat, sunglasses, and a blue two-piece bathing suit. She broke her attention away from the book she was reading to assess me. “Hello…” she said pleasantly.
“Hi, I’m Lana Lee … I’m not sure if you remember me from Donna Feng’s birthday party.”
She shifted in the chaise, hoisting herself up and throwing her legs over the side to get up. She stood and shook my hand. “Yes, I remember you from the party. You’re the girl that runs that charming noodle shop. What brings you by?”