by Vivien Chien
Megan sighed. “I guess you’re right about that. If only something would happen to give us a sign.”
CHAPTER
20
Friday came with a sense of dread. The first night market since the explosion last week was scheduled for tonight, and I wasn’t excited about it anymore. For a brief moment, I thought that perhaps this week’s market would be canceled due to the travesty of the previous week. But the crime scene unit had cleaned everything away and the area was back to normal. On top of that, too many people had invested time and money, permits had been paid for, and so the event would continue as planned.
During the week, the Mahjong Matrons told me they’d heard there would be more firefighters and policemen on patrol at the market, and a thorough inspection would be done on all food service trucks attending the event.
My mother was working at the restaurant so I could have the day off in return for the time I would be putting in that evening. She seemed really anxious about heading to the restaurant and mentioned something along the lines of keeping busy while Aunt Grace spent some one-on-one time with A-ma. Aside from that, my mother and I had barely spoken two words to each other since the night of the dinner. I wondered if it was because my aunt was taking my side or if my mom didn’t want to be confronted about the situation with Sandra. Either way, it was best to give her some space.
* * *
I spent the majority of my day jotting down nonsense in my investigation journal, searching for information involving propane tank explosions, and pacing the perimeter of the apartment. When I got sick of that, I took Kikko on a leisurely walk around the complex, attempting to clear my head.
As I headed down the walk to our apartment, Megan pulled into the parking lot. She’d gone to the gym and stopped at the grocery store on the way home. I met her at her car and waited while she parked so I could help her bring in the groceries.
“How was the gym?” I asked, grabbing a couple bags from the back with my free hand. Kikko propped herself up on the edge of the backseat and sniffed around.
“Same old stuff,” she said, grabbing the remaining bags. “What have you been up to all day?”
We walked back to the apartment together, Kikko leading the way.
“Nothing much really. Going over the Chow case.”
Back in the apartment, Kikko waddled away to find a toy, and Megan and I set everything down on the kitchen table. She rummaged through the cupboards, making room for the things she’d just purchased.
Her eyes landed on my laptop, which sprang back to life as the table shook from the movement. “You’re looking up how to blow up a food truck?” She pursed her lips. “Really, Lana?”
“Well, I don’t know what else to do at this point,” I said to her with a huff. “I thought maybe if I saw exactly what went into it, it would help me narrow down who would do it.”
“We’ve been over this. Anybody can look up how to blow something up or make a bomb in this day and age. The FBI is going to show up at our house.” She closed the Internet browser. “No sense in dragging us through the mud. Why don’t you try talking to someone who knows things about cars, like—”
“A mechanic! I should talk to Calvin’s uncle Gene!” I slapped myself on the forehead. “I don’t know why I’ve been avoiding it. I keep trying to work around him when he’s the one I should be gunning for.”
“Okay, well, I was thinking you should be a little more discreet. You know, more along the lines of asking someone who isn’t related to the guilty party,” Megan said. “But if that’s what you think is best.”
“No, this is a good idea,” I said, pacing around the table. “I’ve been thinking he’s involved somehow anyway. Maybe I should just get it over with and question him. See what kind of feel I get for him.”
“How are you going to do that without Calvin around?” Megan asked.
I stopped pacing. “What? Why do I need to worry about that?”
“Because you questioned him and he got weird about it. Then you questioned his mother and she got weird about it. You don’t think it came up in conversation between the two of them? If you start talking to his uncle in front of him, he’s going to know that something’s up and you’re nosing around where you shouldn’t be.”
“True,” I said, thinking it over. “Okay, so how will I get to him without Calvin around?”
“I don’t know,” she said, putting some lettuce in the crisper drawer. “Maybe just stick to questioning other people who may know the same things until we can figure out a better plan.”
“But then I won’t know if I get a feel for his guilt or not. I’ll just have to find out Calvin’s schedule and talk to his uncle when he’s not around.”
“Okay, but if they tattle on you to your mother again, don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”
* * *
A few hours before the night market was set to begin, Peter and I met at our designated meeting spot on Rockwell Avenue. He appeared to be a little peppier than he’d been the last few days and I suspected that Nancy was starting to resemble her old self. I thought it best not to push for details and let him do his thing, so we worked in silence as we set up the workstation.
“Oh, by the way, I have the bill for the rental equipment,” Peter told me as he worked on prepping the grill. “The rental guy was totally understanding and knocked a little bit off the cost since it wasn’t our fault.”
“Well, that’s a small favor at least,” I replied.
“Yeah, hopefully we can avoid any disasters tonight. People are talking about it all over the place, man. People tried asking me questions, but I just told them I don’t know anything. No sense in adding to the drama.”
“I think that’s probably best.”
Ruby showed up a few minutes later, and seeing us, came over to say hello.
“How is your mother?” she asked Peter. “I have been meaning to visit with her but have been so busy taking care of Sandra.”
“She’s doing okay,” Peter responded. “Thanks for asking. I can tell her you said hello.”
“That would be very nice of you.” Ruby turned to me. “And how are you doing, Lana?”
I returned her question with an awkward smile. I assumed that Sandra had told her I’d been questioning her since Sandra had ratted me out to my mother. If she had any type of feelings about it, it didn’t show. I thought it was best to keep my answer simple. “I’m doing all right,” I replied.
“Good, good,” she said, nodding her head. “Let us hope that this night market goes better than last week.”
“Have you talked to Sandra?” I couldn’t help myself after all. It was like a disorder.
She laughed in a way that insinuated she understood why I was asking. “Yes, I have, and do not worry so much about it. Sandra is very upset right now. She won’t be mad for long. I know that your intentions are good.” She snuck a glance at the area where Wonton on Wheels had been the previous week. “It will take Sandra some time to come to terms with what happened, maybe we can help her together?”
I followed her line of sight and it took me a moment to register that BBQ 2 Go was missing. Where was Winston?
“Lana?” Ruby leaned forward. “Is everything all right?”
I snapped back to the conversation at hand. “Oh yeah, sorry. I just realized that Winston isn’t here yet. Normally he’d be here by now.”
“Yes, that is most strange, isn’t it?” Ruby turned to look again. “I noticed that myself.”
The statement hung there for a moment, and I began to doubt whether I could actually trust this woman. There was something about her demeanor this evening that made me uneasy.
“I better tend to my booth. It is almost time to open.” She waved to me and Peter as she walked back to her booth.
“She’s a strange woman,” I said to Peter. “I can’t seem to figure her out.”
“Don’t worry, I can’t figure out most women.” He snickered. “Not being able to figure out o
ne isn’t that big of a deal.”
* * *
Business was good right from the start of the night. We had a substantial line of people forming in front of our cart, and Peter and I worked as fast as we could to get everyone served and on their way. We were without Nancy’s help that night, so catching a moment of relief was almost impossible.
The food truck area was short two trucks since Winston never showed, and of course Wonton on Wheels was gone. The open space felt foreboding somehow. I tried to keep my eyes away from that general area.
Kimmy’s mother, Sue, had come along to help with their booth, while her husband Daniel minded the store. She was shaken up because of what happened last week, and didn’t want Kimmy manning the table alone this time. They didn’t have too much business, so Kimmy came by to lend us a hand for a few minutes so I could run to the restroom.
On my way back, I thought I saw Calvin’s uncle Gene meandering around our food cart. I only caught a quick glimpse, so I wasn’t sure that it was actually him. By the time I made it back to our cart, the man I thought I’d seen was gone and I couldn’t catch sight of him again.
Kimmy went back to her booth and Peter and I fell back into step, working in a comfortable harmony.
Around eight-thirty, a local folk band got on stage and wowed everyone with an amazing acoustic guitar solo that kept most of the crowd occupied for at least ten minutes. Peter shoved a few dumplings in his mouth when no one was looking. Normally the two of us would get a snack break at some point in the evening, but that didn’t seem to be a possibility tonight.
As the guitar player finished up the song, I heard a fizzling sound and wondered if something was wrong with the speaker system. No one seemed to notice the noise except for me. When I turned to see if Peter had reacted to the sound, I realized what I heard was probably covered up by the sounds of the grill.
What I didn’t realize was that the sound was actually coming from a short distance away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a spark and some smoke before a rapid succession of pops went off, jolting me and a few people who were in the near vicinity.
I am not ashamed to say that I screamed like a woman being set on fire. Especially when the trash can right next to our food cart burst into flames.
CHAPTER
21
Peter pulled me away and managed to get me a safe distance from the trash can before it erupted. The sound of sirens filled the area while police and firemen on site ushered the crowd out of the way.
The band had stopped playing and watched the chaos from their vantage point on stage. The fire itself was contained to the trash can and the flames licked upward toward the sky, but thankfully the evening air was still and didn’t cause the fire to billow outward near the cloth tents, which, I assumed, were extremely flammable.
My heart was thudding with an alarming intensity, and I couldn’t help staring at the trash can and noting exactly how close it was to our tent. A fireman ran over with an extinguisher and proceeded to put out the flames while the police kept people from getting too close.
Once the fire was out, the crowd applauded the fireman’s efforts.
I recognized someone from the planning committee talking with a few police officers on the other side of the street. Peter and I still stood in the spot he’d moved us to as if we were frozen in place. I didn’t want to go anywhere near our food cart anytime soon.
A tall police officer with short brown hair and broad shoulders approached us. The expression on his face was serious, but showed concern. “Are you two the ones who were working at that food cart over there?” He pointed at our abandoned station, which was surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke.
I nodded.
He observed me more carefully, scanning my face and assessing my body language with a skilled eye that was classic cop. “Are you okay, ma’am?”
“Yes,” I said, my voice coming out as a squeak. I cleared my throat and repeated myself. “Yes, thank you.”
“Did either of you notice anything strange right before it happened?” he asked. “Or see anybody lurking around?”
“I don’t think so,” I replied.
“No, everything seemed totally normal,” Peter added. “It’s been a good night so far.”
Everything seemed normal, but was it? I thought about how I’d seen Gene in the crowd earlier that evening. Well, maybe. I wasn’t completely sure it was actually him. But now that there’d been a small explosion near our food cart, I had to reconsider.
The police officer appeared to pick up on the fact that I was unsure of myself. “Ma’am, if you can think of anything at all … even if it seems like the smallest, most insignificant thing. It might help us figure out who’s responsible for this.”
I had no idea what to say. Was I supposed to say that I thought I saw someone who might be guilty of killing his brother-in-law, but I didn’t actually have any proof of that? Or should I say that maybe I was being targeted because I’d been nosing around in places I shouldn’t be?
I shook my head. “I can’t think of anything at the moment, but if I do…”
“We’ll get some quick statements from those of you that had a booth in the general area of the trash can. The fire department will take a closer look at what caused the explosion. If they have any questions, they’ll follow up with you later.”
Once the police officer had taken down our information and we gave him a brief description of how we’d seen the event take place, he thanked us for our time and told us that we could be on our way. Because of the upset, the planning committee for the night market had made the decision to end the evening early.
I hadn’t noticed it, but the crowd had thinned out considerably and people were packing up their merchandise and food. Police lights flashed from the street corners where barricades were set up to keep traffic out.
Kimmy and her mother tugged their rolling plastic totes in our direction, stopping in front of our food cart.
Sue, a plump woman with an inviting smile and chubby cheeks, rushed over and squeezed my arms, looking me up and down. “Lana, are you all right? I called your parents to let them know you seemed to be okay. You need to call them as soon as possible. Your mother is very worried about you.”
I nodded. “Yes, I’m okay, just a little shaken is all. At first I didn’t know what was happening.”
“A little shaken?” Kimmy said. “I’d be crappin’ my pants right about now. You were only a few feet away from that trash can.”
“Kimmy,” Sue scolded. “Don’t talk like that. Your language is terrible. You need to talk more like a lady.”
She waved her mom off. “Peter, are you okay?” Her voice rose an octave as she addressed him.
“Yeah, just … ugh, man.” Peter adjusted his hat. “It’s like … you know?”
Kimmy snorted. “Absolutely. Just like … whatever.”
Sue studied Kimmy and then turned to Peter and finally landed on me. “I don’t understand what they are saying most of the time.”
“I don’t think most people do.”
Kimmy glared at me. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay enough to be making jokes.”
I shrugged. I might have been making jokes, but I wasn’t sure I was actually okay.
* * *
On the way home, I called my parents. My mother urged me to be more careful when I was out. As if I could have prevented a nearby trash can from exploding. When we got off the phone, I called Adam too to let him know that I was okay. I was almost sure he’d heard about it, which he had. He informed me that besides hearing about it over the scanner, it had been on the news already.
I tried desperately to remember seeing news crews there, but I hadn’t noticed anything. Then again, I wasn’t really with it at the time. Originally Peter wasn’t going to let me drive home, but thankfully, with Kimmy’s help in assuring him that I was a fully functional grown woman, he let me go.
Adam was working late, but promised to meet me at my apartment once he was
done handling some things at the precinct.
When I pulled into my parking spot, Megan pulled in right behind me and parked in the open spot next to my car. She flew out of the car and rushed over to mine, opening my car door. “What the hell, Lana?” she fumed. “I’ve been trying to call you. You can’t answer your damn phone?”
“I’m sorry, I was on the phone with my parents, and then I called Adam. I didn’t realize—”
“Why don’t you try calling your best friend,” she said. “I saw what happened on the news. When I couldn’t get a hold of you, I called Peter. He said you were on your way home, so I headed back this way as fast as I could. You shouldn’t have been driving by yourself after a scare like that. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine … just freaked out a little bit.” I got out of the car and shut the door behind me. My legs did feel like Jell-O. “Let’s go inside. I need to sit down for a minute.”
We went inside, Kikko greeting us at the door. I patted her tiny head and flung myself on the couch.
Megan grabbed Kikko’s leash from the hook by the door. “You sit and relax. I’ll take Kikko out. Do you want anything before I head out? A glass of water or something?”
“No, I’ll be okay just sitting here.”
The two disappeared out the door and I sank farther into the couch, leaning my head back against the arm. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Flashbacks of the evening played over in my mind like a broken record. As I tried to relax and focus on my breathing, I couldn’t stop seeing Gene’s face.
It had only been for a second and then some tall guy had gotten in the way. By the time he’d passed my line of sight, Gene was nowhere to be found, and I didn’t see him again the rest of the time. Had my eyes been playing tricks on me?