Wonton Terror

by Vivien Chien

  My mother thumped her teacup on the table. “Sandra is not hiding anything. Stop being nosy.”

  “But Mom, she’s being blamed for something she probably didn’t do. And I think she could be covering up for someone because she knows who did do it.”

  “This is none of your business,” my mother said. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop being nosy?”

  I studied my mother’s facial features. If there was one thing we had in common it was that our face often gave away our true emotions about something. It was hard to decipher what exactly had changed about my mother since the original conversation we’d had about Sandra’s innocence, but something was amiss. Her demeanor now came across as defensive rather than justified and assertive. “Wait a minute, are you worried that she actually did it and that’s why what I’m saying is bothering you?” I asked.

  My father put an arm around my mother and pulled her close to him. She refused to make eye contact with me.

  I gasped. “Mom, you do think she did it, don’t you?”

  “I did not say this,” my mother replied, refusing to offer anything more.

  Anna May whistled. “Well, well … isn’t this an interesting turn of events?”

  “Why do you think she did it?” I asked. “For the insurance money? Or maybe something else?” I was referring to the abuse, but I didn’t want to say it out loud.

  The food came and conversation halted while the plates were placed in the center of the table. My dad immediately grabbed the plate of watercress and began scooping some onto his dish.

  “Boy, I’m starved,” my dad said, attempting to change the subject. “Doesn’t this food look great?”

  My aunt would not let it drop. “Betty, if you know something, then you need to speak up.”

  I thought about how my mother had kept secrets for her friends in the past, and I wondered how many secrets she actually knew. “Mom…”

  My dad huffed. “Listen, there are some things we don’t discuss at dinner. And I think this is one of those issues.”

  Adam squeezed my shoulder. I’d forgotten all about him. I was so focused on my mother and her sudden desire to avoid answering questions about Sandra. “I think your father is right, Lana. Why don’t we just enjoy dinner?”

  “If you were trying to get points with the old man, you’re not doing too bad,” my father quipped.

  I unwrapped my chopsticks while contemplating what my mother could know that wasn’t public knowledge. I didn’t feel like Sandra would tell my mother about a scheme that she had been cooking up recently because they weren’t that close anymore. If Sandra was going to tell anything to anybody, it would be Ruby. So, if my mother knew something, it would have to be from a long time ago.

  I didn’t have much longer to think about it, because my aunt started a new argument.

  As my aunt Grace spooned Szechuan shrimp onto her plate, she frowned at my mother and said, “This is just like you, Betty, always thinking you are better than everybody. You know what’s best for everyone. This is why you always have problems.”

  And that’s all it took. My mother lost the cool she had been attempting to keep and unleashed a string of profanities in Hokkien. My grandmother almost choked on a piece of broccoli.

  It wouldn’t have been such a big deal in any other setting, but we were in a Chinese restaurant with largely Chinese customers. And everyone turned around to gawk at us.

  Anna May and I both sank in our seats, my father shook his head, and my aunt sat there with her mouth wide open in shock.

  Adam leaned in. “What did she say?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  The server came over and relayed to my father that another customer had complained.

  I sank even further in my seat, my cheeks turning red.

  Just another Lee family dinner.

  * * *

  Later that evening when Adam and I returned to my apartment, we took Kikko for a short walk around the apartment complex. Megan was working that night and wouldn’t be home until after 2 A.M. Once we were settled back inside, I changed into some comfy pajama shorts and a tank top. We agreed to end the night with a movie.

  As I flipped through the selections on Netflix, I could feel Adam staring at me out of the corner of my eye. “What?” I asked.

  “You’re not going to let this thing with the Chows go, are you?”

  “Probably not.”

  He sighed. “That’s what I figured.”

  I turned to him, my finger hovering on the play button. “Are you going to try and persuade me that I should give up?”

  “No, actually, I’m going to tell you something that might make you reconsider it on your own.”

  “And what’s that?” I set the remote down, giving him my full attention.

  “I talked with Darren a couple of times in the past few days. We’ve been trying to set up a time to get drinks so we can catch up.”

  “Yeah…”

  “He brought up the case, and I couldn’t help but be curious about some of the details. I wanted to know why he was so focused on this woman being the guilty party. I asked about the Chows’ financial history and tried to consider if this was at all plausible. I mean, typically women don’t act out in this manner. It’s possible, but rare…”

  “And?”

  “There’s something that isn’t really being talked about.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Sandra and her husband have a violent history,” Adam stated. He assessed my face while he said it.

  “I saw a little bit of that on their public record.”

  “Well, you didn’t see the photos.” Adam ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “They’re pretty bad. And though it was only reported that one time, she hinted at the fact that it wasn’t their first physical argument.”

  “So the abuse was pretty severe?”

  “She’s lucky to be alive. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for that neighbor of hers that called it in, who knows if anyone would have known about it happening.”

  “But how could she have hidden—” And that’s when it struck me. The distance that they had created with everyone else. It wasn’t because everyone grew apart from busy families or because they moved to a new area or even due to the feud between Ruby and Esther that had caused the women to take sides. It was because she was hiding how she looked so people wouldn’t know what was going on. Originally I had dismissed the thought because there had been no other record of it.

  “I think that’s why your mother is acting the way she is,” Adam said. “I think deep down she knows that Sandra could be guilty … and maybe she has every right to be.”

  The whole thing sickened me and I was appalled by all that Sandra must have endured with a significant other who resorted to that type of violence. I leaned in toward Adam, wrapped my arm around his waist, kissed the edge of his jaw, and snuggled my face into his neck. I let out a contented sigh.

  He smirked and tipped his head down. “What was that for?”

  “Appreciation that you’re not that kind of guy. There is still so much for us to learn about each other, but if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that you’d never hurt me like that.”

  He pulled me closer to his body, giving my arm a reassuring squeeze. “You’re right about that, babe, it would never happen.”

  CHAPTER

  19

  Thursday morning, I woke up arguing with myself about whether or not checking out the supposed lead I had on Winston was necessary. Ruby had been the one to supply me with the information, and if what Adam told me was true—and I was sure it was—then that would mean Ruby might be covering for Sandra. And then I would be wasting time trying to get information out of a guy who had nothing to do with anything.

  I went through the workday on autopilot, living inside my head and having argument after argument with myself. I felt turned around and I didn’t know where I was going with this. Before I knew it, the workday
was over and I was left with no choice but to make a quick decision. Did I go back to Ruby and pretend to know more than I did? It was possible that if I acted like I was on their side, she might tell me more than she had before. Or should I just go check out Winston? What would it hurt? Besides, I had been wanting to check out Edgewater Live for a few weeks.

  I concluded that it wouldn’t hurt anything, and I’d come up with the perfect scheme to question Winston. Why waste it?

  At home, I found Megan in the kitchen, washing dishes and singing along to a Creedence Clearwater Revival song playing on the radio.

  Kikko greeted me at the door, her squiggly tail going at full speed. I dropped down on my knee to give her a good back scratch.

  “Do you ever wonder why they’re always singing about the rain?” Megan asked without turning around.

  “It has occurred to me a time or two,” I replied.

  “Are we still heading to Edgewater tonight?” she asked.

  “Yeah, as long as you’re still okay with that.”

  She shut the water off. “Of course. What time do you want to leave?”

  I stood up and met her in the kitchen. “In a little bit. I just have to change out of these clothes and then we can go.”

  “How did dinner go last night?”

  I made a face at her as I leaned against the refrigerator. “How do you think it went?”

  “I can’t wait to hear about this,” Megan replied. “Especially since Adam got dragged into it.”

  “He said some interesting things last night that make me think that this adventure to see Winston may be a waste. But I think we need to do it anyway.”

  “Ah, so I see you’re remembering my advice and broadening your suspicions.”

  “I really don’t want to, but for different reasons now.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yeah, let me get ready and I’ll tell you what Adam told me last night after dinner with my family.”

  “Well, don’t skip the dinner story. I want to hear all that too.”

  “It’s not a dull story, that’s for sure.”

  * * *

  After I’d taken a quick shower and changed my clothes, the two of us headed out in Megan’s car to Edgewater Park. Traffic was heavy on the freeway so I had plenty of time to fill her in on both stories from the previous evening.

  When I finished, she shook her head in amazement. “It looks bad for Sandra, I’m not going to lie.”

  “I know,” I replied. “So you can see why this seems like a fruitless endeavor. Sandra definitely has a good motive. I don’t want to believe that she would resort to these measures … but at the same time, she’s been through hell and back. Who am I to say what she’s capable of?”

  “Well, still better safe than sorry. The detective is already focusing solely on Sandra and that angle. It’s like he has tunnel vision. And isn’t that what we’re trying to avoid? We should see it through regardless. How awful would we feel if we didn’t?”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that. But I can see his point now. And I have to wonder if he’s questioned Ruby and if she mentioned the interaction she saw between Ronnie and Winston. If she has, I wonder if Detective O’Neil will even take it seriously.”

  “Well, did you mention the Winston angle to Adam? Maybe he’d have some insight on that.”

  “No, maybe I should have though. It just seemed so pointless after he told me about Sandra’s past. It took me all day to even decide whether or not we should actually go and talk to Winston.”

  By the time we arrived, the parking lot was full and we had to do a few laps before finding an open spot. The sun was just beginning to set and rested on the horizon of Lake Erie.

  “Well, I’m glad you decided that we should. Because I really do think it’s worth the effort. Plus, you’ll have better clarity on making that decision once you talk with him.”

  “This is true.”

  “And, I can’t believe your aunt … she really pushed your mom over the edge. I can’t remember the last time she acted out like that in public.”

  “That would be the last time my aunt was in town. I thought for sure they were going to kick us out of there.” I cringed at the memory. “I love that my aunt is here and we get a chance to visit, but at the same time, I’m anxious to know when she’s going to head back. It’s almost been a week and she hasn’t made any mention of leaving.”

  “If she and your mother keep fighting this way, maybe it’ll be sooner than you think.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  We got out of the car and stepped into the cool summer evening. We made our way over to the food truck area, which wasn’t very crowded, and spotted Winston prepping to open.

  Megan and I approached him as he wiped down the thin counter that hung from the front of his truck. It held napkins, toothpick dispensers, and a tiny trash can.

  “Hi Winston, what a small world. I didn’t know you’d be here today!” I emphasized my surprise the best I could.

  Megan snickered at my acting.

  Winston turned around and it took him a few seconds to realize who I was. “Oh, Miss Lee, how nice it is to see you again!” He bowed his head in a jerky movement while he continued to wipe down his counter. “Are you here to enjoy the music?”

  “A little bit of everything,” I said. “Oh, by the way, this is my friend Megan.”

  He gave her a polite smile. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too,” she said. “I’m a big fan of barbecue.”

  “My food will be ready in about a half hour if you’d like to try some. I have competition tonight,” he said, nodding his head toward another barbecue-themed truck. “But maybe Lana has told you how popular my barbecue sticks can be.”

  “They are pretty delicious,” I told Megan. “I haven’t found a better barbecue stick so far. It’s too bad you didn’t get a chance to try Wonton on Wheels though.” Megan and I had gone over this part on the way here. She knew it was her cue.

  “Ugh, I know. It’s such a shame about what happened,” Megan said, shaking her head. “Poor Ronnie. I’m just glad more people weren’t hurt in the explosion.”

  Winston observed us, but did not say anything in return.

  “It’s a good thing you were already gone,” I said to Winston. “Your truck might have caught on fire too. Talk about lucky.”

  He glanced at his truck as if he were assessing the potential damage it might have suffered. “I am also grateful that no one else was hurt. And I am thankful that I was gone already.” He pointed toward his own dual hundred-pound tanks. “Food trucks can be very dangerous. They can be a weapon on wheels.”

  My eyes shifted over to the tanks. “Have you seen what they’re saying on the news about Sandra?” I knew that he had. Everybody in the city had. “Do you think this could be true?”

  He shook his head adamantly. “I don’t think a kind woman like Sandra could be guilty of something like this. Even if her husband was a creep.”

  “Oh, did you two not get along?” I asked, feigning surprise.

  Winston shook his head. “No, not at all. Our last conversation was an argument. I feel a little bad about it now that he’s gone. But he could be such a jerk sometimes.”

  “What did you two fight about, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “The usual. He was always trying to steal my ideas and then park right next to my truck. I came up with the wonton idea first, but before I changed my menu, he took it from me. Wontons on a stick were my idea.”

  “I had no idea,” I replied.

  “And Sandra knew this. She apologized that night for his behavior. I had asked him not to sell that item at the night market while my truck was next to his, but he refused. It was a simple favor. Business owner to business owner. But he was always like this. I shouldn’t be that surprised. It is very possible he pushed the wrong person too far.”

  “So you think this was an intentional attack against Ronnie?”

  He nodde
d with resolution. “Absolutely. Look around this area. We are all fighting for the same business.”

  I needed time to think this new information through, but I couldn’t do it while we were standing in front of Winston. “Well, we should let you get back to work now, we’ll be back when you’re open and get some barbecue.”

  “Okay, I will see you then,” Winston said, turning to get back into his truck. “Enjoy the evening!”

  Megan and I walked away and she refrained from saying anything right away because she knew my wheels were turning. After we made it down to the water, I stood as close as I could get without the tide touching my toes. I let out a long sigh.

  “Well, what are you thinking?” Megan asked me.

  “I remember seeing Ronnie gesturing toward BBQ 2 Go while he was arguing with Sandra. He must have been telling her about the confrontation, and then shortly after she went and talked with Winston.”

  “So you think he’s telling the truth?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you think it’s possible that it was him after all? I mean, he was parked right next to Wonton on Wheels, and like he said, food trucks are a weapon on wheels. Maybe he slipped in between the two trucks and left Ronnie a surprise.”

  “Yeah, but did he hate him enough to actually go that far?” I asked. “He seemed pretty matter-of-fact about the whole thing.”

  “Well, Lana, a lot of crazy people are calm. They do think what they’ve done is justified for one reason or another. He probably doesn’t feel any remorse,” Megan replied.

  “True, but how could he have been sure that Ronnie wouldn’t be right behind him? Or that Ronnie would even be in the truck at the time it happened? And wasn’t he worried that Sandra would be in it as well?”

  “Maybe that was a risk he was willing to take. Sure, he likes Sandra well enough, but would he let that stand in the way of what he thought he needed to do?”

  “All valid points,” I said as I watched the lake. The setting sun sparkled on the caps of the waves, and I tried to lose myself in the beauty of summer for just a moment. But the mystery at hand kept me from fully appreciating the scenery. “Well, it seems like we can’t dismiss him as a suspect after all. At least not yet.”