by Anne R. Tan
Olivia cracked open the door. Her body blocked the view into the house. “What do you want?”
Raina stepped back from the rancid smell rolling out of the house. “What’s that awful stench?” She swallowed the bitter tang in her mouth. Apparently Olivia didn’t believe in air fresheners either.
Olivia stiffened and started to push the door close.
Eden stopped it with her foot. “Did you have a romantic relationship with Holden? What happened to the missing grant money? Do you think Holden’s death has anything to do with the missing money?”
Olivia’s eyes grew wider at each question. “What the—? Who are you?”
“Eden Small. Gold Springs Weekly. Are you on Admin Leave because of the missing money?”
“Get off my porch. You have three seconds before I call the police.”
“Why did you want me on the fundraiser committee? Was it because of Holden?” Raina asked.
Olivia raised an eyebrow. “They say you need to keep your enemies close.”
Raina wiped her hands on her shorts. She doubted Olivia would admit it, but it was worth a shot to see her reaction. “Did you kill Holden?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Olivia kicked Eden’s foot out of the way and slammed the door, rattling the windows.
Eden banged on the door. “That’s assault.” She turned to Raina. “Well, that was a waste of time.”
Raina stared at the closed door. “Actually we found out a few interesting things. Olivia is probably a secret alcoholic. You can tell by the stench in the house.” It’d smelt like Matthew’s childhood home before his father left. She turned and walked back to her car.
Eden caught up with her. “You said a few interesting things.”
“Olivia knew about my relationship with Holden. So did she want me on the committee to keep an eye on me or to rattle Holden? If it’s the former, she considered me a romantic rival, and if it’s the latter, she might have a vendetta against Holden.”
* * *
RAINA DROPPED Eden off at the newspaper office and rolled through the drive-thru on her way to campus for her closing shift. The visit to Olivia’s house had cut into her lunch so she chugged a supersize iced coffee and greasy burger while driving one handed. When she logged in to her computer, she sent a message to her supervisor, retracting her earlier email begging for more hours. Bills could wait. Volunteering for the fundraiser gave her the perfect excuse to ask questions.
When her shift ended, she trotted over to the history building, hoping to catch Gail in a chatty mood this late in the workday. Her stomach heaved like a twig in a storm from the acid in the coffee and the grease in the burger. She rooted around in her purse for her small roll of Tums. A small mint, pepper spray, a notebook, and several inkless pens. It was either time to clean her purse or buy a bigger one. Her stomach churned again. Payback could be such a bit—
She slammed into a wall of sharp edges and bones. As her butt hit the floor it knocked the air of out of her lungs. Books thumped around her and someone yelped. Raina grimaced at the quick flash of pain racing up her back, annoyed at herself for not paying attention to her surroundings.
Andrew Rollinger extended a hand. “Sorry. We need to hang mirrors at the corners. Are you okay?”
Raina nodded and stood with Andrew’s help. The contents of her purse, three hardback books, and a several sheets of paper were strewn across the floor. The elusive roll of Tums rested on the heels of his brown loafers. As they gathered their stuff, he droned about the new teaching assignments for the graduate students.
“So is that extra class okay with you?” he asked.
Raina blinked, staring at his face for half a second. His monotonous voice sounded so much like her white noise machine she’d tuned it out. “Why are you taking over Olivia’s duties while she’s on Admin Leave? Wouldn’t a professor with more seniority…I mean.” Her eyes widened. “Just let me swallow my foot right now.”
Andrew’s normally ruddy face got even redder. “I’ve the experience for the job. Just…” He shrugged.
Raina raised an eyebrow. How would a senior lecturer have the experience to fill in for the department head? “Did the Dean ask you to fill in for Olivia temporarily?”
He nodded. “That extra undergrad class is okay?”
“Oh yes! I need the hours.” This was perfect. Not only would she get some extra hours for the semester, it’d allow her to spend even more time at the department snooping. “So are you also dealing with the grant money fiasco, too? You think that’s why Olivia is on Admin Leave?”
“Nope. Someone called the Dean about her inappropriate behavior.” Andrew went on for another few minutes about blatant favoritism and bullying, none of which was news to Raina.
“What’s inappropriate?” Raina interrupted when he paused for a breath.
He made a show of looking up and down the hall, but didn’t lower the volume of his voice. “Sex, money, and lies.”
Unbelievable. The man was having a field day. He didn’t seem to be the type to spread vicious rumors. “Can you be more specific? Who called? Was there any proof of misconduct?” Raina asked.
“Obviously you don’t understand the implication.” Andrew straightened, looking down his ski sloped nose. “Rumors can make or break an academic career. Nothing was proven in my case, but…” He trailed off, his ruddy complexion growing pale. “Never mind. You’re just a student.”
Raina raised an eyebrow. “When was the last time you talked to Holden?”
Andrew froze, licking his lower lip. “During the fundraiser meeting. Why?”
Time to put her new skill to the test. “I emailed him to ask about you becoming my new adviser. I wondered if he got a chance to talk to you about it before…” Raina looked down at her shoes when her voice trailed off. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw his shoulders relax.
“No. When did you ask him?”
“Before the fundraiser meeting.” The lie slipped out as smooth as an oiled bearing. She must be getting better at lying.
“We’ll talk about it later, when things die down.” Andrew cleared his throat. “Uh…” He glanced at his watch. “I’m meeting Lori for an early lunch.”
“Can you tell Lori to give me a call when she’s free? We need to work on the details for the donors list.”
“Sure, but Gail is chairing the fundraiser now. It might be a good idea to wait until Monday before putting in any more work on it.” Andrew glanced at his watch again. “And she’s real happy about it.” He drew out the word “real.”
Raina’s heart sank. Gail wouldn’t be in a gossipy mood today to give her any hint on Holden’s personal life. It was still worth a try all the same.
After a rushed good-bye, Andrew scurried down the hall. Raina chewed on a Tums and resumed her search for Gail. She stopped mid-stride. If Olivia gave Holden free rein of the grant money, was there any chance she also gave him her personal money? Raina pulled out her notebook and wrote down the question. It might also be worth a shot checking Andrew’s employment history. Her list of questions was growing longer by the minute.
Thick warm air greeted her when she exited the hall and stepped into the vaulted lobby area. Raina squinted against the sunshine coming in from the skylights and large front windows. The entire space was lit up like a stage. Her nose twitched at the dust swirling in the patches of light. The potted plants were thriving in the greenhouse-like environment.
She knocked on the sliding glass partition on top of the front counter. The two small task lights under the upper cubicle shelves lit the dim interior. Gail looked up from her files and opened the office door next to the counter.
Raina gratefully sank into an office chair, wiping the back of her arm on her forehead. “My skin was starting to blister out there. Need any help with the fundraiser?” If she buttered up to Gail, maybe the secretary would gossip. Besides, one extra task wasn’t going to take too much time.
“I can’t hire you,” said Gail, her
thick eyebrows forming a V on her forehead.
“That’s okay. It’s too much paperwork anyway. I’ll just help out until they hire someone more permanent.” Raina pulled out her notebook and flipped to a blank page. “Tell me what you need help with.”
Gail gave her a grateful smile and proceeded to add more items to Raina’s growing list. Fifteen minutes later, Raina’s shoulders tightened at the tasks Olivia had abandoned. Maybe it was time to reconsider the black tie formal dinner and pare down to something simpler.
Someone rapped on the office door. Raina dropped her notebook at the unexpected noise. Gail opened the door and a thin-faced student rushed in, jabbering about an arrest.
“Whoa!” Raina raised her hands. “Take a deep breath. Who got arrested?”
The thin-faced student swung around. “Cora.”
Gail sagged against the door, her knuckles whitening on the doorknob. “What happened, Jones?”
Jones flopped down on an office chair, the wind gone from his sail. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Cora left with the police a few minutes ago. I don’t know what to do.”
Raina picked up her notebook. “Are you sure the police arrested her or did they bring her in for questioning?”
Jones lifted his head and frowned. “I'm…not sure.” He glanced at Gail. “Should we call her parents?”
Gail straightened and squared her shoulders. “No. We don't know what's going on yet. There's no need to alarm them if they didn’t arrest her.”
“You'll take care of this? I have class in a few minutes.” The look of relief on Jones’s face would have been comical if not for the situation.
Gail nodded. “Don’t tell anyone about Cora. We don’t want this to be blown out of proportion.”
After Jones left, Gail stared into space. When she came out of her daze, she picked up the phone and made several calls in rapid succession.
Raina shifted in her seat. The low murmur of Gail’s voice reminded her that she had spent the night with Po Po’s knee on her back. Fetal position sleepers should be banned after the age of two. She closed her eyes and let the background noise washed over her.
Gail put down the phone and sighed. “They’re just questioning her. Donna said Cora volunteered to leave with the police because she didn’t want to be interviewed in front of her friends.”
Raina started and glanced at the clock. She covered her yawn with her hand. “I’m sorry. I must have drifted off. So it’s just an interview. Then they’ll let her go soon. How did you get the front desk clerk to talk?”
Gail averted her gaze. “You owe Donna a spicy cheddar cheese quiche. She wants to bring it to our church potluck.”
“Not a problem. I’ll deliver it warm and toasty Sunday morning.” Good thing Po Po had offered to stock up her fridge. Raina would show up with a buffet if Donna gave her the inside scoop to the gossip at the police station.
Gail opened a drawer and grabbed her purse. “I’m taking an early lunch to go down to the police station. Cora will probably need a ride home.”
Raina stood. “You were hiding something from Eden the other day. I think it has to do with Cora.”
“It’s not my secret to tell.”
“Do you think Cora killed Holden?”
“No.”
“I want to help her, too.”
Gail looked at Raina, assessing her. “Cora’s nephew is Holden’s son. He was paying child support to her family. Her family needs the money.”
Raina ran a shaky hand through her curly hair. Was this the shame Holden had been too embarrassed to confess? “Wouldn’t killing Holden give them immediate access to his money?” She thought about his salary and made some rapid calculations. “You’re talking about two hundred thousand from just his retirement and life insurance. And with his Spartan lifestyle, there’s probably more.”
Gail closed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t believe it. She’s the first one in her family to go to college. This is her chance.”
A few minutes later, Raina sat in her car mulling over her morning. The cold air blasting out the vents did little to cool the interior. She pulled her shirt away from her moist body, sighing in contentment when the chilly air drifted down her chest. Her backside felt extra crispy from the hot seat. She folded the sunshade and tucked it in the space between the seat and console.
She pulled her notebook from her purse and added the information about the nephew under Cora’s name with shaking hands. The straight lines and sharp corners looked out of place next to the existing swirls and loops on the page.
First Natalie and now Cora. The police were questioning all the people who were personally involved with Holden. Raina licked her dry lips. Matthew would eventually come looking for her, if she wasn’t on his radar already. Did this mean Olivia would be questioned as well?
Her vision blurred at the sudden tears in her eyes. All she’d wanted was to escape the drama at home with her move to Gold Springs. Now she was up to her armpits in muck again. She straightened and swiped a finger under each eye. Time to get cracking. Sitting here wasn’t going to solve her problems.
11
SECRETS DON'T DIE WITH THE DEAD
By the time Raina got home, she was beat. She trudged from her car to her unit on autopilot to find her living room drapes opened. Her grandma tapped on a laptop on the dining room table. The small piles of books and magazines in her apartment looked much worse from the outside.
Raina banged open the front door, grabbed the cord for her drapes, and closed them with a whoosh. By the time she spun around, Po Po had already closed her laptop screen. “I don’t like my neighbors looking in on their way to the laundry room.”
Po Po shrugged. “If you clean up your little mole hills, then you’ll have no reason to hide from your neighbors.”
“And why are we talking about my housekeeping?” Raina raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t exactly fall far from the apple tree.”
Raina flopped down onto the sofa, pulled out her notebook, and studied the time line she’d created. Po Po came over and sat next to her, tucking her short legs on the sofa.
“What are you doing?” Po Po peered at the squiggles on the page and her face brightened. “So the rumor is true. Someone offed Holden Merritt.” She rubbed her hands together. “This is exciting.”
Her grandma was a Miss Marple on training wheels among her friends in San Francisco. When the mahjong ladies wanted to find a missing tile or cheat, Po Po took to the case like white on jasmine rice. The last thing Raina needed was for Eden pressuring her to pump people for information with Po Po riding shotgun and offering to pistol-whip anyone who wouldn’t squeal.
Raina slapped her notebook close. She couldn’t believe her grandma had rubbed her hands together. This wasn’t an invitation to a tea party. “You’re reading too many Sue Grafton novels.” She shoved the notebook back into her purse. “Don’t you seniors have anything better to do than sit around and make up rumors?”
Po Po rolled her eyes. “And don’t you young people know how to respect your elders?”
“Touché,” Raina mumbled. She turned on the TV and pretended to channel surf.
The retired seniors were better informed than Eden when it came to the goings-on in town. Raina was dying to know the rumors surrounding Holden’s death and who was saying what, but if she asked, she’d only encourage Po Po to do more snooping. But with her grandma in town, she couldn’t drop by the Senior Center to have a chat without Po Po finding out. The timing of her grandma’s visit was starting to be a tad inconvenient.
“Maggie invited us to dinner. We can stop by for groceries on the way home later,” Po Po said.
“And just how long are you planning to stay?” Not that Raina minded having Po Po around, but a grocery store was a foreign country to her grandma.
Po Po shrugged. “I’m mighty bored at home.”
In other words, her grandma was planning to snoop around Holden’s murder whether Raina wanted he
r to or not. She sighed. “What were they saying at the center?”
Po Po beamed, rattling off names and theories that swirled over Raina’s head. She listened with half an ear. UFO probing and secret science experiments indeed. Holden was a history professor, not Dr. Frankenstein.
“Wait. What’s this about the mob?” Raina asked. She dragged her attention from the “real” testimonials about P90X.
“Frankie Small thinks Holden was killed because he stopped doing the pickups for the triad. He had been seen with a black gym bag stuffed with money.”
“What pickups are you talking about? How could there be a triad in town when there are only a few dozen Chinese families?”
“Triads are known to have a long reach.” Po Po shrugged. “It could be a branch from one of the bigger cities. Kinda like how banks have branches everywhere.”
Raina gave her grandma a sideways glance. “And how does Frankie know the bag was full of money? It’s not like Holden opened it for him to have a look-see.”
Po Po rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows what a gym bag full of money looks like. It’s all lumpy, like they show on TV. Honey, you need to watch more of these crime shows. It’ll teach you a thing or two about life.”
Raina laughed. “I’ll get right on it.” She flipped the channel.
“Janice Tally thinks Holden was part of the witness protection program. Her granddaughter, Christine, saw two large men robbing Natalie Merritt’s apartment,” Po Po continued. “By the time the police arrived, Natalie downplayed the whole thing. Said she was tied up because of some kinky sex games and her partners left to respond to an emergency.”
Raina’s eyes widened. Kinky sex game? Words like this shouldn’t come out of her grandma’s mouth. “Did they take anything?”
“Natalie told the cops they didn’t take anything. But Christine saw the men leaving with a TV and a laptop. And that night, Natalie up and left. Nobody has seen her since.” Po Po nodded. “Yep, that’s why Janice thinks Natalie is now on the run.”