by Holly Plum
“Hey, publicity,” Alex added, who was beginning to scoop the rice onto separate plates.
“There are times when a man shouldn’t worry about getting arrested,” said her dad. “This is one of those times.”
As Mari looked on helplessly, he broke free from her grip and walked briskly out of the kitchen.
“I’ll be right back,” she told Alex. Mari handed Alex Tabasco's leash and followed her dad.
José Ramirez had already stormed out of the dining room and was making his way to the main entrance. The only thing impeding his progress was the line of customers that snaked its way through the front doors and out into the street, where a brisk wind was blowing, and photographers stood huddled together chatting with each other. Mr. Ramirez unapologetically pushed through the crowd of potential customers and began crossing the street.
“Dad, stop and think for at least two seconds about what you’re doing,” Mari shouted. “There are reporters out here. If you start a fight with Mr. Chun, this will be all over the papers tomorrow.”
“Let them report whatever they want,” Mr. Ramirez said flatly.
“This isn’t going to get the kind of attention you want,” Mari added, grabbing him by the shirt sleeve. “In fact, it will probably just bring more attention to the Lucky Noodle. What would mom say? What would Abuela say?"
Mr. Ramirez shook Mari loose and opened the door to the crowded Chinese restaurant. A wave of delicious smells hit Mari in the face, and she remembered that she had forgotten to eat dinner. She stared with longing at the buffet table filled with vegetable stir-fry, noodles, and grilled mushrooms, and she was just regretting that she had never grabbed herself a plate of food in the kitchen when her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of yelling.
“Stop posting signs on my property, Chun!” her father shouted into the kitchen. Every customer in the room looked up.
“I'm not hurting anybody," Mr. Chun shouted back. “You're just mad that you lost business because of it. These people deserve better than dishes coated with lard.”
“You’re one to talk,” Mr. Ramirez argued, motioning to the vegetarian buffet table. “You’ve got them eating tofu. Tofu! That stuff tastes like nothing.”
“Fried tofu, as a matter of fact,” Mr. Chun said proudly. “My tofu is better than anything you serve. Your burritos give me indigestion.”
“Your chicken gave me food poisoning,” José said through gritted teeth. “I bet your precious customers don't know about that."
“At least my customers don't drop dead," Mr. Chun retaliated.
“Yesterday had nothing to do with me, and you know it!" Mr. Ramirez's cheeks turned ruby red.
“The news doesn't lie,” Mr. Chun muttered. He smirked, knowing that it wouldn't take much more to make his number one competitor pop.
Throughout this exchange, it was clear that Mr. Chun was holding something behind his back, but Mari hadn’t been able to make out what it was. Now, he brought it into full view. Mari saw that it was a block of dry noodles.
Mr. Ramirez clenched his jaw. “You come into my parking lot and you steal my customers. You insult me to my face. You plant lies about me in the newspapers—”
“Oh, get out of here, you old fool!” Mr. Chun cried. To Mari’s surprise, and her father’s, he threw the block of noodles straight at him. Mr. Ramirez sputtered in shock and was about to reply when Mr. Chun produced another block of noodles seemingly out of nowhere and threw them again.
“Let’s get out of here, Mari,” Mr. Ramirez finally said, rolling his eyes. “He has gone mad. I’m not going to stand here and take this.” He turned and walked out of the restaurant while Mr. Chun jeered in triumph.
CHAPTER EIGHT
She knew it wasn’t a huge deal, but throughout the next day as Mari helped set up for Karlie's memorial service she couldn’t stop thinking about those noodles Mr. Chun had wasted. Half of the town seemed to have heard about the incident in the Lucky Noodle, and Robin and Hazel asked her about it when she met them outside the school gymnasium that afternoon.
“Can your dad press charges?” Hazel asked. “If I were him I would never set foot in the Lucky Noodle. Mr. Chun sounds nuts.”
“I'm sure it has crossed his mind,” Mari said, holding tight to Tabasco’s leash as he tried to run after a couple of high schoolers. “The way those two fight, I am surprised neither of them has filed a restraining order.”
“Why not?” Robin asked.
Mari pulled Tabasco close to her feet. “I think because then Mr. Chun wouldn't have anyone to bother and my dad wouldn't have anyone to gripe about.”
Silence fell between the group for a moment as the wind whipped around them, scattering dead leaves and discarded candy wrappers.
“I'm sure noodle throwing counts as assault,” Hazel continued. “Your dad should talk to the police. There's no telling what he might throw next.”
"You mean like fried rice?" Robin quietly suggested.
“No one got hurt,” Mari said. “I think my dad was surprised, more than anything. It’ll be a while before he ventures back over to the Lucky Noodle.”
She placed a hand on her stomach. To reward herself for not freaking out at the Lucky Noodle, she had gone to Mama Sue’s and ordered waffles with a side of breakfast sausage and hash browns. Mama Sue had personally made her an iced coffee with whole milk. It had been nice to sit and eat without her brothers asking her questions and her father complaining about Tabasco being in his office.
After breakfast, she and Tabasco had met up with Rex in the gymnasium. Together they had set up a table with pictures of Karlie. Rex set out a bouquet of a dozen roses that he had picked up that morning on his way to school.
“Aren’t you worried that someone might try to steal them?” Mari had asked.
“There are going to be so many kids in this gym,” Rex had responded. “If anyone tries, there will be a hundred witnesses. They won’t get far.”
Mari couldn’t help thinking that Rex was placing too much faith in the inherent goodness of high schoolers, but she'd said nothing. After twenty minutes they had finished decorating the gym and Mari had taken Tabasco for a walk across campus, which is how she had run into Robin and Hazel.
“This place brings back so many memories,” Hazel said with a loud sniff. “Not all of them good, or pleasant. I still can't believe you convinced me to come.”
“You won't be sorry,” Mari said. “You're right. This place makes me feel sixteen again. I wonder if Rex ever feels that way. It must be weird to walk the halls every day all of these years later.”
“Where is Rex, by the way?” Hazel asked, her eyes narrowed.
“He’s right over there,” Robin said, pointing toward a slim figure in khakis walking toward them.
Hazel twitched uncomfortably, but Robin extended her hand. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.” She looked delighted. “Look how professional you look.”
“I know,” Rex said. “Remember when we were just a group of kids, bumming around after school?”
“I'll never forget our Freshman drama class,” Robin responded. “Remember when Gavin McLoud came running out of the sound booth without his pants? Gosh, he was the worst.”
“Gavin manages a bank now if you can believe it.” Rex chuckled.
“Wow,” Robin said, her eyes misty with nostalgia. “Things have really changed, haven't they. I mean, I remember when you and Hazel were dating. You two used to sit outside the cafeteria and harmonize on your guitar. Good times.”
Rex laughed. “You know, I pulled that old thing out again a couple of weeks ago at a family cookout. It had been years since I’d played it. I've forgotten a lot.”
“Not the same without me, was it?” Hazel said with a thin smile.
“Not at all,” Rex replied, winking at her. “Every time I play my guitar without you, the family wants to know whatever became of my high school girlfriend.” Rex rubbed his hands together with vigor. “Well, shall we go to the gy
m?”
The group followed the line of students into the gym and Mari staked out a seat on the bleachers where she had often sat during Friday afternoon pep rallies as a teenager. Hazel tugged at her sleeve and pointed to a cluster of students on the far side of the room.
They were gathered around Karlie's memorial table and at first, Mari thought they were paying their respects. But there was something unsettling in the way they stood huddled together, whispering.
With Rex at her side, Mari made her way across the polished wood floor to the front of the table.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “Is everything okay?”
No one said a word. But in the silence, a girl pointed at the centerpiece of the display which was a large picture of Karlie wearing her old cheerleader’s uniform and a homecoming mum. Someone had drawn a large X across her face. Beneath the X they had written a filthy word.
The crowd chattered, and Mari stared in shock at the picture before her, her sense of injustice raging.
“I was hoping something like this wouldn't happen,” Rex said quietly.
“Me too," Mari replied. Tabasco barked in agreement.
Rex nodded gravely. “Whatever you might think of Karlie, there’s one thing that was always true about her. She always did have enemies.”
The back door of the gym burst open, and Detective Price swept into the room in a coffee-colored coat. The crowd of students, clearly unnerved by the air of authority he exuded, parted to let him through. He didn’t look remotely surprised to find Mari standing there at the front of the table.
“Mari, we meet again,” the detective said by way of greeting. “I think you would agree that I see you much too often. I heard about the service and thought I would stop by and have a look.”
“It’s nice to see you, too, Detective Price,” Mari replied.
He said nothing in reply. Instead, he stood looking at the table that had been vandalized.
“I don't suppose your team can figure out who did this?” Mari asked.
Detective Price crossed his arms. “That would be difficult considering a number of students and staff that had access to the gymnasium today. Unless, of course, the school has security cameras?" The detective raised his eyebrows as he looked at Rex.
"Not ones that work," Rex answered. "I'm sorry, sir."
“In that case, you're looking at someone with a grudge against Karlie. I say it was probably a student who doesn't agree with Karlie's choice of career.”
"Or those nude photos from last year," Robin muttered.
"There must be tons of people with grudges like that," Hazel chimed in. She had a worried look on her face, and Mari knew why. The vandal could have also been the killer.
“I just want to have a peaceful service,” Rex said lowly. "Is that too much to ask?"
“Even in death this woman is causing a scene,” Detective Price responded. “I will add this to my case files. Perhaps this incident is linked to Karlie's murder.”
Mari turned to Rex with an earnest look. “Should we cancel?"
Rex scratched the top of his head thoughtfully. “I don't think so. I think it was just a couple of kids messing around. There was this one incident a few years back.”
Mari, Robin, Hazel, and Detective Price both looked at him expectantly.
“But you don’t really think…” he said, pausing when he saw the intent looks on their faces. “I mean, this couldn’t possibly be connected to that too.”
“I think you should let me be the judge of that,” Detective Price said plainly. “Now tell me about this other incident."
“There was a display case in our athletics hallway,” Rex began. “It had plaques and trophies commemorating some of the school's most recognized athletes. Karlie never won a competition or anything, but she’s probably the most famous cheerleader we’ve ever had. Principal Wells decided to give her a spot alongside the others."
“I see,” Detective Price replied. “What happened to the display?”
“Well,” Rex went on, looking troubled by the memory. “We never found out who did it, but someone broke the display case after hours. They destroyed everything with Karlie’s name on it. And I mean, they were thorough. This wasn’t just an innocent prank. No other trophies were touched.”
“So clearly, it was an act against Ms. Lam,” Detective Price concluded.
Rex nodded, a look of anguish on his face. “It looked that way. Yes.”
The crowd of students that had been around Karlie's portrait slowly scattered. Mari felt relieved as she reached down to scratch Tabasco behind the ears. She was starting to feel a little claustrophobic. Students filled the bleachers on either side of the gym. Directly overhead, a light flickered on and off with an annoying buzzing sound that sounded like an insect zapper.
Mari looked over at Rex, curious as to what he was thinking about as he stared down at the floor. He and Karlie had been friends and this week couldn't have been easy for him. It had been hard for a lot of people, including Hazel and Robin. Karlie’s death itself might have been an accident, but these recurring acts of vandalism left no doubt that there was someone who had hated her.
“Do you currently have any suspects?” Mari whispered to Detective Price. “I mean, apart from the staff at my restaurant?”
“Normally I don’t comment on ongoing investigations,” he replied, “but in this case, the answer is no. We have no leads, I'm afraid.”
“Did you at least figure out how she died? Was it an accident or not?" Mari's stomach churned, hoping that Karlie's passing was just some big freak accident. Her gut told her otherwise.
Detective Price sighed. “The results came in this morning. She was murdered. I'm very sorry.”
“How?”
“Arsenic,” he muttered. “That is to say, with a solution containing arsenic that can be found at some pharmacies. Look, I shouldn't even be telling you this so stop prying.”
"My family's reputation is at stake." Mari cleared her throat and Tabasco looked up at the detective. "If you don't figure something out we're all in trouble. By the way, there is only one pharmacy in town."
“I know what you’re thinking," the detective cut in. He glanced over at Robin who had escorted Hazel to a nearby bench. "We can’t go leaping to any conclusions. Certainly, a particular pharmacist might know something, but it’s equally possible that the murderer has left us a false trail.”
Mari heard his warning, but it did nothing to extinguish her suspicions or her plan to have a heart-to-heart with her old friend Robin. Her eyes wandered to where Hazel and Robin were seated together, quietly talking.
“Have you talked to Robin yet?” Mari asked.
“Yes, but she didn't give us much," Detective Price replied. “That’s why I’m asking you and everyone else to let the investigation take its course. I’m confident we’ll eventually find whoever is behind this. In the meantime, it would be reckless to make unsubstantiated accusations.”
But Mari was desperate to make sure that her family was in the clear.
Not too far away, Robin was talking, and Hazel was quietly laughing. Robin had always had that effect on people. She had always been able to cheer anyone up with her jokes and sarcasm. She had never seemed particularly devious, but that was the thing about murderers. They hid their ugly sides well.
CHAPTER NINE
The memorial service went on for about an hour. Principal Wells stood in the center of the gym and delivered a eulogy about a life tragically cut short and the need to make the most of every single day. The words fell flat for anyone who remembered that Karlie’s days hadn’t been ordinary. As a supermodel, Karlie had experienced more than most.
After the Principal was finished, Rex got up and spoke. He started out by saying that he didn’t know what he wanted to say and that he had never spoken at an event such as this one before.
"I knew Karlie when I was y'all's age," Rex continued. "Karlie was a friend of mine. I know that to many of you, she was just
a celebrity who happened to grow up in your hometown, but she was much more than that. Despite all of your opinions about her career choices, she had a good heart.”
Rex began to choke up. Mari hadn't been expecting it. She placed a hand on Tabasco's back as she listened. Principal Wells patted him on the back, and Rex handed him the microphone. Even though Rex didn't finish his speech, a few students began clapping. Before long, the entire gym had broken out in applause. Rex quietly returned to his seat next to Mari, Robin, and Hazel.
“That was brave of you,” Hazel told him over the noise.
“It wasn’t brave,” Rex said. “I didn't even finish.”
With the unfortunate vandalism of Karlie's portrait, the memorial hadn’t accomplished much. But it had convinced Mari of one thing—there was no way Rex Jones could have harmed Karlie Lam.
That narrowed down Mari's mental suspect list a little more. She thought of Robin and the fact that Robin had failed to mention that the police had talked to her about the drug that had killed Karlie. Had Robin been involved in Karlie's demise? Mari had a hard time thinking of a good enough motive other than a standard dislike.
Throughout the rest of that day, as Mari worked her evening shift at Lito Bueno’s Mexican restaurant, she contemplated what she was going to say when she visited Robin at the pharmacy. How would Robin react when she found out that Mari knew that Karlie had been poisoned? Would she break down and confess? Would she continue to deny everything? All Mari cared about was getting one step closer to clearing her family's name.
Mari took some time the next day to visit the local pharmacy. But, to Mari’s surprise, Robin wasn’t at work when she stopped by. She had taken the day off. Instead, Mari met with one of her coworkers named Christina who had agreed to cover Robin's shift.
“I don’t know that much about all of this,” Christina said as she rang up a bottle of dietary supplements. “What I do know is that Robin was here alone the day that woman died.”
“Alone? How?” asked Mari.
“I mean, she had customers and all,” Christina replied. “But she was the only one working at the pharmacy that morning. That never happens because we always make sure there are at least two people here. We were supposed to be working together, but Robin opened early. When I finally came in, Robin was already filling orders.