by Vivien Chien
Snow had reappeared overnight. I stared out my apartment window at the three feet that had accumulated since I’d gone to bed as I waited for Peter’s headlights to appear. He showed up at seven thirty on the dot. He grunted at me as I got in the car. Neither one of us was a chipper morning person, so we drove together in comfortable silence. I hugged my coffee to my chest as he drove us down Center Ridge at a slow pace. Not a single snowplow was in sight, and the roads were slick and caked with slush.
The plaza parking lot was clear and we were among the first to arrive. Peter found the closest spot to the entrance, and we hurried to get out of the cold.
Ian stood outside Ho-Lee Noodle House with his hands behind his back, tapping his foot. “Where have you been?” he asked as we approached. He unfolded his arms and pointed at his watch. “I’ve been waiting for twenty minutes. You’re normally here by now.”
“There’s some serious snow out there,” Peter answered. “We had to go slow and stuff.”
Avoiding eye contact with Ian, I pulled the restaurant keys from my pocket and sidestepped him to unlock the door. “What he said.”
Ian followed behind Peter as we entered the restaurant. “We need to talk.”
I continued on into the kitchen, talking over my shoulder. “I know, the board meeting is today, I remembered. I’ll be there, I already told you that.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” he said, his voice sounding more stern than usual.
“Okay, then about what?”
Peter dropped off at the kitchen and Ian followed me into my mother’s office. He stood in the doorway watching me take off my coat.
I turned around to face him, pursing my lips to show him I was agitated. “As you mentioned, I’m already running late, so I don’t have a lot of time.”
“Have you made any progress on our … situation?” He gave me a pointed look.
Instead of acknowledging the question, I shimmied past him back into the kitchen. Grabbing a tray off the counter, I busied myself lining it with soy sauce bottles. “There is nothing out of the ordinary about Constance. I checked her out online and couldn’t find anything remotely interesting. There’s nothing more that can be done about her at the moment. The end.”
His eyes slid to Peter, whom I could guarantee wasn’t paying us any attention. Ian didn’t continue speaking until we were in the dining room.
“Constance contacted Donna over the weekend,” he started to say.
“I had a feeling that was going to happen.”
“She complained that we’re taking too long.”
“What did Donna say to that?” I asked.
“She pretended to be furious that it hadn’t been brought to her attention sooner. She figured that would appease her most.”
“Smart woman.”
“But now the meeting with Constance and our attorneys to discuss the paperwork and terms of transfer has been expedited.”
“When?” I continued through the dining room, setting down soy sauce bottles on any table that needed one. My eyes skimmed over each surface, ensuring that they were all clean and had utensils at each place setting.
He followed me through the maze of tables, right on my heels. “We’re supposed to meet with her in a few days … Thursday, maybe. Donna is confirming with the lawyers.”
I stopped. “Thursday? I thought this whole thing was going to at least be put off until after Chinese New Year.”
“Not anymore. She told Donna she didn’t want to wait that long. She went on and on about how it’s her right to take over the property as soon as possible and we can’t keep stalling. She keeps throwing the living trust in our face.” He paused. “We have to do something, Lana. I don’t want that woman moving in here. She’s going to make my life a living hell, I know it. I can feel it with every conversation we have. She’s a nightmare.”
“But if the papers are legit,” I said, “there’s really nothing that we can do about it.”
“I thought you said you wanted to help figure things out?”
“I said I would try, and I did. It’s not my fault I couldn’t find anything. Besides, my main concern is to figure out what really happened to Brandon and Isabelle. And we agreed that might not have anything to do with Constance. If you’re not happy with my results, then hire a real private detective.”
“Oh come on, Lana, you know it as much as I do. That woman is no good, private detective or not.”
I moved on to the next table. “Look, I don’t know what you want me to do about her specifically. Like I said, what’s important to me is finding out what really happened to Isabelle and Brandon. I don’t know if Constance is involved or not. But I can’t make something happen if she’s innocent just because we don’t like her.”
“I’d be a little more concerned about her if I were you,” he spat. “Because she is going to be your next-door neighbor and I’m not going to be the only one that has to deal with her.”
I huffed. I was fed up with this man. I felt like a tape recorder stuck on repeat. How many times did I have to tell him that the object was truth, not convenience? I took a deep breath. Patience, Lana, you talked about practicing patience. “Ian, as a nonprofessional, what do you want me to do? I can only search the Internet so many times and find nothing before it feels like a complete waste of time.”
“Find something. Anything. And make it happen fast,” he snapped. He turned and marched out the door.
I let out a deep sigh as the door shut behind him. If Constance really was the guilty party, and we couldn’t find a way to prove it, she would be my next-door neighbor at the plaza. And that was a little too close for comfort in my book.
* * *
The restaurant was packed all day and I hardly had any time to think or worry about my conversation with Ian earlier that morning. Nancy hustled around the restaurant taking orders and dropping off food while I bused tables, filled teakettles, and greeted new customers at the door.
The preparation for Chinese New Year continued at a steady pace as the final days ticked by. I hadn’t heard anything more from my parents and I wondered what was going on with them. I made a mental note to check on them when I had a free moment.
Close to noon, I sent Nancy off to lunch while I staffed the dining room alone. Anna May was scheduled to come in within the next half hour, and she could help pick up the slack until Nancy got back.
While I was busy serving tables, Megan popped in. She stood at the hostess booth waiting for me, and waved me over when I noticed her.
“Wow, this place is really busy,” she commented after realizing how packed the restaurant was. “You’re running the show all by yourself?”
“I sent Nancy on lunch,” I explained. “What brings you by?”
She dangled her car keys in front of me. “I’m dropping off my car so you can leave here whenever you need to. You know, in case anything comes up.”
I took the keys from her. “Thanks, but how are you going to get to work?”
“Nikki’s in the parking lot, waiting for me. She’s coming down to the bar with me for lunch. She’s absolutely obsessed with our new panini sandwiches, so I bribed her to take me to work in exchange for one on the house.”
Nikki was a mutual friend of ours from college. I didn’t get to see her much these days, but she did manage to visit Megan quite a bit at the bar. I laughed. “Tell her I said hi.”
“You got it.” Megan turned to walk away. “Oh, and pick me up at nine. I’m not closing tonight.”
After Megan left, I went back to working the tables by myself until Anna May showed up. We worked in rhythm until Nancy came back. We were so busy all afternoon, we didn’t even have the chance to bicker. Not even once.
At four thirty, I escaped into the back room to tie up a few loose ends in my mother’s office. I had to make the meeting by five o’clock. On my way back through the restaurant, I saw that Vanessa had shown up and Nancy was wrapping up with the few tables she had left.
/> I signaled them to meet me at the hostess podium. “If you guys need me, I’ll be at the Bamboo Lounge in a board meeting. I should be done in an hour or so.”
“Are you going to talk about what’s going to happen with City Charm?” Vanessa jerked a finger in the direction of the abandoned store.
“I don’t know,” I said, not wanting to discuss it with her. Vanessa had a big mouth, and if I said anything at all, it’d be all over the plaza before the meeting was over.
“Well, maybe you should bring it up,” she said. “You know, since you’re a big-shot board member and all. It’s way creepy just leaving it there like that. People keep coming by and gawking at it. I even caught some people taking pictures of it.”
“Pictures?” I asked. “When did you see that?”
“There was a guy and some woman out there yesterday, taking a bunch of pictures.”
“Reporters?”
She shrugged. “They didn’t look like it, but maybe…”
“I’ll bring it up to the board, but it’s not my call,” I told her as I slung my purse over my shoulder. “I’ll be back to check up on you guys after the meeting is over.”
So far, our meetings had been held in the community center next to the property office. However, the space was in the middle of a spruce-up per Ian’s instructions. To say that it was plain was giving it too much credit. I’d seen hospital rooms with more character.
Outside of housing mahjong tournaments once a month, it became a place to put pamphlets and calling cards from local Asian entrepreneurs or businessmen. Ian planned to change all of that and turn it into a hub for event planning and community building. But with the recent ordeal, progress had been put on the back burner.
That meant today’s meeting would be held in the Bamboo Lounge’s private karaoke room, which could be reserved by special request. I’d never even been inside it yet. I’m not a singer. At all. If there’s one thing you never want me to do, it’s sing. Not if you appreciate the ability to hear.
Muffled karaoke music made its way through the closed door. I pulled on the wooden handle and the sound came at me full blast. A petite, older woman with thick-rimmed glasses sang a Chinese song I recognized called “Dancing Girl.” She tapped her foot to the beat of the music with her eyes closed and her hands on her hips. She wasn’t half bad.
Penny Cho, proprietor and karaoke aficionado, stood behind the bar drying glasses and mouthing the words to the song. Her head bobbed along with the music, making her blue-black hair sway back and forth. When she lifted her head and brushed the hair away from her face, she caught my stare and waved me over to the bar. “Hey, Lana, what can I get you?”
I hopped up on the plastic-covered bar stool and set my cell phone in front of me. Giving the bottles on the shelf a quick scan, I shifted my eyes up to the chalkboard hanging above them, listing the specials of the day. “What’s a Shanghai Shimmer?”
“Let’s see, it’s got three kinds of liquors. We’ve got whiskey, apricot brandy, mango vodka,” she said, ticking the ingredients off on her fingers. “Then a touch of passion fruit juice and a splash of champagne. It’s my most recent concoction, and it’s delicious … you’re gonna love it.”
I was so used to Megan drumming up new drinks for me to try, I figured, why not keep it going? “Okay, I’ll try one. I’m probably going to need it.” I glanced toward the party room. “Is Ian here already?”
Penny laughed. “He’s been holed up in there for the past half hour. I don’t know what he’s so anxious about.” She mixed the drink contents together in a glass shaker. “This whole City Charm thing has him worked up more than normal.”
“Tell me about it. He actually snapped at me this morning.”
“Wow, you’re kidding? You’re his favorite.”
I blushed.
“I wish something would happen with the store already. I hate walking past it every day. It’s depressing.” She poured the mixture into a tall, skinny glass. She shook a small bottle of juice and filled up a little more of the glass. Then she added the champagne and threw a cherry on top. “There,” she beamed, passing me the glass.
I took a sip and my cheeks puckered. “A little stronger than I thought.”
“That’s the whiskey,” she giggled. “Hits you in the soul, doesn’t it?”
I nodded as I tried to swallow. “Something like that.”
“Anyhow,” Penny continued. “I think I’m going to ask him to take the sign down or put tarps up in the window or something. This place has got to get back to normal at some point. We are still recovering from what happened to Mr. Feng.”
“You don’t think things have been normal?” I asked. Maybe I had been so preoccupied with everything else that I hadn’t really noticed the state of the plaza.
She busied her hands with cleaning glasses as she talked. “Most of the shop owners are unhappy. They’re complaining that it’s a constant reminder of the murder. Everyone feels unsafe.”
“But do they really think they’re in danger?”
“With the killer still out there, I’d say so.”
Kimmy and Jasmine showed up next, flanking me at the bar. Jasmine flashed a bright smile as she sat down next to me, swinging an arm around my shoulder. “Hey girl, starting the party without us, I see.”
I smirked. “I’ve had a total of one sip.”
Kimmy sat on the other side of me and grabbed the glass from my hand. “Let me have a taste.” She took a sip and her face puckered just like mine had. “Whoa.” She looked at me and then at Penny. “I’ll have one of whatever that is.”
“Me too.” Jasmine laughed. “It’s going to be an interesting meeting with all this liquor around.”
As Kimmy passed my drink back over, I noticed that my phone was lit up with a notification. I had a missed call.
The number belonged to Carmen. “Can you guys excuse me for a second? I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for a reply, I stepped out into the plaza where I could hear the message better.
Her message was brief but stated that Ryan was willing to meet with me. It had to be now before he changed his mind, she warned. The timing couldn’t have been better. So far, I had managed to dodge Adam and his request for descriptions. Once I talked with Ryan and Carmen, I’d be able to give Adam any information he wanted.
I threw my phone back in my purse and dug around for my car keys.
“Hey,” Kimmy’s voice said from behind me. “It’s showtime.”
“I can’t make the meeting,” I told her. “I need you to cover for me. Say I got sick or something.”
“Ian’s going to blow a gasket,” she said. A tiny smile peeked through.
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it thoroughly. I gotta go.” I rushed back to the restaurant to grab my coat before heading to the casino. I didn’t have any time to waste.
CHAPTER
25
I called Megan on the way to the casino to let her know that Carmen had contacted me. Disappointed that she couldn’t join me, she insisted that I call her as soon as I left to give her an update.
Carmen was sitting at a table with a husky blond man who had his back turned to me. They were both leaned over the table, having what appeared to be a very heated discussion. I tried to walk a little slower to the table to see if I could sneak up on them and catch wind of anything they were saying, but Carmen noticed me and shushed Ryan.
“Where’s your bodyguard?” Carmen asked, glancing around for Megan.
“She couldn’t make it today. And she’s not my bodyguard.”
“Whatever.” She gestured to the empty chair next to Ryan. “Are you going to sit down or what?”
I pulled the chair out and moved it so that I sat at the edge of the table with the ability to face both of them straight-on. “You’re Ryan?” I acknowledged him with a head nod. He didn’t seem like the type of guy who’d want to shake my hand.
“Yeah … what’s all this about? You have my girlfriend in a foul mood.” He rest
ed a hand on the table and shifted in his seat. “You think you’re some kind of detective?”
“No, I’m a concerned friend. I’m assuming by now that your girlfriend has told you who these people were to me.” I kept my focus on him, pretending Carmen wasn’t there.
“Regardless, you should learn to mind your own business.” Ryan held my gaze, his watered-down blue eyes narrowing, making me feel like I was being challenged to a staring contest.
I tried my best not to blink. “I either make it my business or turn whatever I know over to the cops.”
Carmen slapped the table. “You see? She keeps saying that! We’re gonna get busted, Ryan. Just tell her what you know so we can get on with our lives.”
He was the first to break eye contact, turning to glare at Carmen. “Chill, woman.”
Shifting back to me, he asked, “How do we know that you haven’t gone to the police already? You could be wearing a wire for all we know.”
I gave him my best eye roll. “What do you think this is? A movie? Plus, do you think the cops would trust me with a wire?” Never mind that my maybe boyfriend was a police detective. They didn’t have to know that.
He seemed to weigh the validity of my statement. “I find it odd that you haven’t turned us in yet … you being such a justice seeker and all.”
I slumped my head into my hand, laying on the theatrics to show just how agitated I was. “This is unbelievable. I come here to try to get answers … straight answers. Do you think I want to work with the cops on this? They take too long with all their paperwork … and their procedures…” I lifted my head and waved my hands around.
Ryan gave me a sideways glance, tapping his fingers on the table. “Okay, fine … maybe. I guess I could see it.” He started to nod to himself.
Anxious to hear what he would say next, I inched to the edge of my seat. “What can you tell me about the older man who was at the blackjack tables while you and Brandon were working your scam?”