Breezy Friends and Bodies: A Fun Chinese Cozy Mystery (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 3)

by Anne R. Tan

  Brandi swung the bat, smashing the cell phone until pieces scattered across the floor.

  “Hey! Po Po gave me the phone for Christmas,” Raina said.

  “Oops. The bat slipped. Don’t try any funny business or it’ll be your head next.”

  Raina wrinkled her brow in pretend confusion. “What's the big deal? My mother invited me to a séance. The front door was locked, and I didn’t want to interrupt the ceremony.”

  “Drop the act. You heard the conversation between Hudson and me. Now march. I want you in the living room with your mother.” Brandi stepped aside so Raina could pass her.

  “Did you kill your uncle or was it your brother? Hudson has everything to gain from Martin’s death,” Raina said, rooted to the ground.

  “Move it.”

  “Someone has to take the fall for Martin’s murder. With forensics these days, your DNA is all over the pillow and under Martin’s fingernails.”

  Raina had no idea if this were true, but with television exaggerating every crime investigation, she thought it sounded like the real deal. All she needed was to plant the seed of doubt.

  Brandi shifted her eyes away from Raina. “Hudson will help get me out of the state and give me some money to start a new life somewhere else.”

  “You’ll be a fugitive while he gets to reap all the rewards here.” Raina paused, watching doubt and anger cross Brandi’s face. “So how did he talk you into it?”

  “He would help me leave my boyfriend,” Brandi whispered. “I had no choice.”

  “But Po Po could have helped you. All you had to do was ask.”

  Brandi shook her head, a tear slipping out of her eye. “Hudson is family.”

  “What’s taking so long?” Hudson called from the living room.

  Brandi jumped, dropping the baseball bat. It rolled across the carpet and touched Raina's shoe. It took all her willpower to not grab the bat and knock Brandi out with it. If Raina made a big ruckus now, Hudson would come roaring in and she wasn't physically strong enough to take on the two of them. Her best bet would be to divide and conquer the Rice siblings by creating doubt and confusion.

  “Move it,” Brandi said, picking up the bat.

  “This is just another form of abuse. He’s using you to do his dirty work.”

  Brandi’s jaw tightened, but she pointed at the hallway with the bat.

  20

  Perfume de Raina

  Raina’s shoulder blades itched during the short walk from the guest room to the living room. She didn’t like having Brandi behind her, smacking the bat against her palm.

  Her mother glanced up in surprise from the sofa when Raina entered the room. She held the journal in her hands.

  Hudson’s eyes shifted from Raina to Brandi and then his face changed. It was almost like watching a ghost possess his body. The open curious expression was replaced by narrowed eyes, pinched lips, and shadows. It sent a chill down Raina’s spine. Any hope of help from that direction would be in vain.

  “What are you doing here, honey?” Mom asked. “How did you get in?”

  Brandi shoved Raina until she fell onto her mother. Mom dropped Ah Gong’s journal to catch Raina.

  “Hey!” Mom protested. “What’s wrong with you?” She glanced at Hudson. “What’s going on here?”

  Brandi pointed at Raina’s purse. “Empty it on the coffee table.”

  Mom slipped the journal into her purse and stood, pulling Raina up with her. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but we’re leaving. You can’t have a séance with such negative energy in the room.”

  “No,” Hudson said. “The two of you are not leaving this townhouse. Raina, empty your purse.”

  “Hudson—”

  “I said empty your purse,” Brandi yelled, smashing the bat onto the coffee table, leaving a dent on the wood.

  Mom jumped as if prodded with a hot iron. Raina dumped the contents of her purse onto the floor. No gun or knife came tumbling out.

  Brandi and Hudson relaxed as if expecting Raina would carry a weapon of mass destruction around in her purse like she would a tube of lip balm.

  “You used my mom to give you an alibi on the night Martin died,” Raina stated. “And now you’ll let your sister take the fall even though the murder was your idea in the first place.” It was a wild guess, but she was probably in the ballpark.

  Brandi slid a sideways glance at Hudson as if waiting for his denial.

  A dog outside yapped like an over-sensitive car alarm.

  “I swear if that Mrs. Keane—”

  A scratching started at the front door, growing more frantic. Raina held breath. Come on, Gigi.

  Brandi whispered, “What are we going to do now?”

  “Everyone stay quiet,” Hudson said, his eyes on Mom and Raina. “Move a muscle and the other one dies.”

  Mom gasped, the implication finally sinking in. Her face was painful to watch—going from white to red in the blink of the eye. Hurt, fear, humiliation, and anger flashed across her face. Her knuckles whitened around the straps of her purse.

  Raina’s chest tightened and a flash of anger rose inside. No one got to treat her mom this way. She wanted to whack his head with the Monkey Fist her grandma had given her.

  Brandi kept an eye on her mother, probably knowing a woman scorned could be more dangerous than any weapon.

  Knock! Knock!

  No one moved a muscle, but their eyes were all watching each other. Raina could feel her mother trembling next to her, poised for action.

  The mail slot on the door lifted, and a patch of sunlight fell across the entryway. “Raina Sun, I know you’re in there. I’m calling the police to let them know you broke into Martin Eng’s house,” Mrs. Keane called out, her voice ringing across the living room. “And I’m coming back with the spare key.”

  Gigi continued to bark, and the noise echoed deafeningly around the room. Mrs. Keane called out to her dog, but Gigi ignored her. There was a shuffling noise as if Mrs. Keane had to tug or drag the Boston terrier away. Apparently, perfume de Raina Sun was just too much for the little gal. As the barking faded from the front door, a collective sigh came from the Rice siblings.

  A spark of hope settled on Raina’s chest. All she had to do was delay things until the police came. Easy peasy. “You should leave before the neighbor comes back.”

  “Shut up!” Hudson said.

  “We can’t leave them here. They’ll tell the police everything,” Brandi said.

  He glowered at them, probably knowing the Sun women weren’t meek sheep. “Then what do you suggest—batter them until they’re a bloody mess? We don’t exactly have the time for this.”

  “What do we do—”

  A crash in the hallway cut Brandi off. What appeared to be smoke trickled into the room, mushrooming in size until it filled the living room in a pale haze. The dancing lava lamp was the only bright beacon in the mist.

  “A fire!” Brandi dropped the bat and wrung her hands. “Uncle Martin is getting back at me. It wasn’t my fault. It was Hudson’s idea. He said he’d split the money from the house with me.”

  Hudson jerked his head toward the hall and pulled his shirt over his face. “There’s no ghost in this house.” His voice was muffled in his shirt.

  Raina glanced at the green light on the fire alarm above Hudson’s head. The green light was on, and it was quiet as a rock. Idiots. If she had to guess, her grandma was outside playing with her dry ice. She lit the package of firecrackers and threw it behind the sofa to add to the confusion.

  Pop! Pop! Pop!

  Mom dropped to the ground, covering her head with her hands. “Martin, are you here? Speak to us.” Her eyes glinted as if she had rehearsed her lines.

  Brandi moaned and pointed at the front door. Hudson’s gaze followed her finger. Something hurled against the door.

  Bump! Bump! Bump!

  Raina grabbed her keys and hurled it at Brandi. The monkey fist connected with her temple, her eyes rolled up, and she
fell with a thump that would have made a fallen oak proud.

  Hudson’s eyes became hot and bright, and he dropped into a crouch. Moisture beaded on his upper lip, and his face became the color and texture of old paper. Either he believed Martin’s spirit was in the room or he knew the jig was doing a handstand.

  The front door crashed open and little Gigi bounced in, tail stiffening like an antenna and teeth flashing like a piranha. She circled in front of Hudson with high prancing steps as if led by a ghostly hand. Mrs. Keane screamed at the Boston terrier, but didn’t come in.

  “It’s a message from Martin,” Mom called out from her huddle.

  “I had to save the family business,” Hudson muttered. “Your secret would have ruined us.” His eyes continued to flit around the room as if searching for someone.

  Another crash and Po Po and Cassie flew in from the hallway; both wore pink camo bandanas tied around their faces.

  Hudson’s head swiveled from the front door to the hall, his bulging eyes like a frozen doll.

  Raina grabbed Mom and tossed her on the other side of the sofa. She leapt after her. “Against the walls,” she yelled to her grandma and sister. The shag carpeting would have prevented the glass from breaking.

  “What—”

  “Just do it.”

  Ping! Ping! Ping!

  Little glass vials shattered on the wood paneling, leaving wet trails where they made contact. If they were in a comic strip, the air would have poofed around them in a pea green cloud. As it was, there was a heartbeat of silence and then skunk funk filled the air, followed by rotting kimchi and the hot burn of chili pepper.

  Raina closed her eyes, but tears streamed down her face unheeded. She swallowed the bile in the back of her throat, having been through this routine before. Breathing through her mouth didn’t help.

  Mom gagged next to her, clutching at her throat. The entire scene would have been comedic if it weren’t so serious.

  Po Po and Cassie came around the sofa. Her grandma grabbed Raina’s arm, hauling her up, and Cassie did the same with their mom. By the time the four of them hustled out of the townhouse and onto the sidewalk, the faint wail of a police cruiser could be heard.

  Mrs. Keane stood on her stoop, waving at the cops with a red-and-white-checkered kitchen towel like a used up pin-up doll for a street race. A crowd had gathered on the sidewalk, but no one made any attempt to go in. The dry ice continued to billow out the front door.

  Hudson appeared in the doorway with wild red eyes and coughing up a storm. He tried to slink away in the crowd, but a big burly man grabbed his arm. Hudson twisted, trying to loosen the grip, and the burly man put him in a headlock.

  A man in a gray hoodie walked away from the scene as the cops got out of their vehicles. Raina could have sworn the man had a scar on his face. Did Sonny Kwan follow her from the Victorian? Would he have helped if Po Po and her sister didn’t show up? After all, compared to the Dai Lo of the Nine Dragon triad, Hudson and Brandi were just amateurs.

  * * *

  After hours of answering police questions and a celebratory dinner, Cassie left for Daly City from the restaurant. The ride home was subdued as the adrenaline leaked out of them with each passing street is. It was seven thirty when Raina pulled into the garage. Mom’s car had been left at the crime scene. Po Po went upstairs with Mom.

  Raina wanted nothing more than a good cry herself, like her mom undoubtedly was doing with Po Po rubbing her back. But she still had work to do and only a few hours left to do it. She crept into the hall closet and opened her mom’s purse. Tucking the journal under her arm, she headed for her brother’s room. The scanner was still on the desk, but his laptop was gone.

  As her eyes inspected the room, her chest felt heavy like she was out of breath. Nothing was out of place. The tennis racket was still leaning against the bed. The drawers were still closed. No burglar or Nine Dragons goon.

  She ran downstairs to grab her mom’s cell phone and texted her brother.

  This is Raina. Did you come back for your laptop? I need to use it.

  He replied instantly.

  Yep, working on an essay for school.

  Raina ground her teeth in frustration. Of all the times for her to be without her laptop. She needed a computer to finish up the scanning.

  Did you touch the files on the desktop? When are you going to be home?

  She reminded herself to breath. There was still time for her to scan the rest of the journal. The cell phone dinged.

  I thought they were Mom’s. Sorry, deleted them. Around eight thirty.

  Her heart sank. All the scanning in the morning for nothing. She swallowed her panic. Okay, it would be an all-nighter, but she could still do it. She would wait for Win to get home. It would take her longer to drive over to Daly City to use Cassie’s computer.

  She went to the spare bedroom and flopped down on the floral bedspread, cradling the journal in her arms. She could hear muffled crying in another room, and her heart ached for her mom, but she knew her presence wouldn’t be welcomed.

  The warm room and full belly after an afternoon like this one lulled her senses, until her limbs grew heavy. She programmed the alarm clock on the nightstand to wake her in an hour and closed her eyes to chase after the Sandman.

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  Raina opened her eyes to a dark room. Someone turned off the lights. She yawned, glancing at the digital display on the alarm clock. Eight thirty. Her brother should be home with his laptop any minute now. She staggered to the light switch and clicked it on. As the light flooded the room, she blinked at the quick transition from darkness to light.

  Lying on the chair at the foot of the bed was the purple cashmere scarf she’d loaned Sonny Kwan on the day they met. Gooseflesh peppered her arms and she stiffened to keep from shivering. She glanced around the room but knew it was a futile act.

  He would be long gone by now. And apparently he felt they were on friendly enough terms for him to pick up her grandfather’s journal while she napped. He’d played her for a fool.

  She doubted there was any kind of shipment coming in later this evening. Smith wouldn’t be her BFF after he found out she’d given him false information on the Nine Dragons.

  Now how was she to get the journal back from the clutches of the Nine Dragons? Offer herself as sacrificial lamb? She snorted. This only worked if someone actually wanted her.

  21

  A New Rain

  The next day Raina met with her grandfather’s lawyer and then left San Francisco. She didn’t have time to have a heart-to-heart chat with her mom, but she wasn’t worried. Po Po had stayed behind to keep an eye on things. While her mom might have cared for Hudson, Raina suspected most of the tears came from wounded pride rather than a broken heart. She wished she was the type to boo-hooed with her mother, but she didn’t have the patience for it.

  The next week in Gold Springs was a quiet one. She stayed busy catching up with schoolwork and looking for another part-time job. Her boss had opted to hire the fellow graduate student Raina had called to fill-in for her while she was in the Bay Area. Detective work wasn’t without personal sacrifices.

  Raina just came through the front door from another interview when someone knocked. She tossed her purse on the side table and automatically glanced at the spot above the television where she’d hung a gilded koi clock once upon a time. She opened the door to find Cassie on the other side. “What are you doing here? Where’s Lila?”

  “You really opened a can of worms,” said her older sister, pushing her way into the apartment. She nodded at the pile of socks next to her stack of books at the base of the sofa. “I see you still have your little hoarder tendencies.”

  Raina shifted from foot to foot. She wasn’t a hoarder; she was a piler. What could be made into a molehill or a stack became one in her home. But correcting her sister wasn’t worth the effort, not with someone who ran on the façade of perfection. It must be pretty draining to so neat.

  �
��Do you want to sit down?” She gestured at the new-to-me sofa underneath her living room window. “Thank you, by the way, for the sofa. It’s perfect.” Yes, there was the word again.

  “No, I need to stretch my legs after the drive. I can see why you like this little town. The historic downtown area is charming,” Cassie said.

  Raina spawned on the sofa while her sister paced the small living room. Even though she lived in Gold Springs for over a year, it was the first visit from her sister. Should she offer Cassie a drink? “Are you an ambassador for our family?”

  “Kind of. Uncle Anthony is all charged up to find his half-brother. He wants to hire Matthew for the job.”

  Raina frowned at the thought of her ex-boyfriend doing side jobs for her eldest uncle. When would their lives stop intersecting? “How’s Po Po taking everything?”

  “She is still upset with you, for the way you broke the news—which I think is awesome.” A mischievous smile crossed her sister’s face along with the dimple on the side of her chin and then disappeared like she didn’t want to encourage Raina’s bad behavior. “I think she had in her head it was all a mistake, and there was no secret family. You bursted her little delusion.”

  Raina ignored the self-importance in her sister’s voice. “Do you know when she will come back to Gold Springs?”

  “I think she might put her condo on the market. I’m here to gather some of her stuff.”

  If Raina had to guess, she would say Po Po was staying in the City to monitor what Uncle Anthony might dig up. Until the ink dried on the contract, she wouldn’t take her sister’s assessment too seriously. “I see.”

  “You know how she is—she gets an idea and jumps before she thinks it through. She could always buy another unit if the sale is a mistake."

  But the new unit wouldn’t be right next door to her best friend. “This must be a relief for you. Now you don’t have to worry about Po Po selling the house from underneath Mom.”