Raining Men and Corpses: A Fun Cozy Mystery (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 1) (9 page)

She didn’t realize until this moment how much she missed being surrounded by her extended family. Until she figured out what she was going to do about her grandfather’s other secret family, she couldn’t go home. She’d been burying her head in the sand, hoping it would disappear on its own. It wouldn’t be fair to ask the family to pick sides on the lawsuit challenging the large inheritance her grandfather left her.

“Don’t worry. Matthew is at home catching up on his paperwork. No time for his grandma today,” Mrs. Louie said. “It must be that nice girl he’d been seeing. It’s about time he started thinking about settling down.”

Raina choked on the bun and gulped lukewarm tea with an unladylike slurp. Matthew was dating someone? Her hands balled into fists. That lying no good rat! Giving her smoke signals about his availability when he was taken. She wanted to smack him.

Mrs. Louie turned to her grandma, giving her a chance to recover. Po Po watched her with a small smile on her lips.

Raina set her plate on the coffee table. Was that a test? She snorted in disgust. She didn’t have time for mind games with seniors who had all the time in the world. “It’s time for me to go. I have something planned for this evening.” Her plan involved her BFFs Ben and Jerry and some angry journaling.

Mrs. Louie’s face fell. “Oh, you’re not staying to help us plan Bonnie’s move?”

Raina’s eyes widened with surprise. Her grandma was moving?

Po Po squirmed in her chair. “Nothing is set in stone yet.”

Several thoughts ran through Raina’s head. So this visit from Po Po wasn’t temporary. Did this mean she would have to find a bigger place for the two of them? Her mom was going to flip. What’s going to happen to the Victorian in San Francisco?

Po Po flapped her hands. “You should get on with your evening. I’m staying with Maggie tonight so you don’t have to come back for me.”

Before Raina could utter another word, she found herself standing in the hallway with a door shut in her face. Clearly, Po Po didn’t want Raina involved with her moving plans. She should have banged on the door and demanded to know what was going on, but she didn’t. Her grandma could be as stubborn as a toddler fixated on ice cream.

R
aina jerked
awake to a loud pounding on her front door Saturday morning. She cracked open a crusty eyelid. Her alarm clock showed 9:30 A.M. Swinging her legs off the bed, she sat with closed eyes for another half second. The pounding came again. Reluctantly, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stumbled to the door.

Peeking through the crack of the closed drapes, Raina grimaced at Matthew’s pinched face. With one hand braced against the doorframe, he tapped his foot and ground his teeth. She backed away from the window, wishing that she could roll back into bed. With a sigh, she opened the door. It was time to face the music.

“Rain—”

She held up her hands. “I need coffee first.”

Raina headed for the kitchen to start the coffee maker without a backward glance, leaving Matthew to close the front door. While the water boiled, she fluffed her sleep-matted hair and tugged the neckline of her tank top lower. It wouldn’t hurt to show some more skin.

By the time the rich aroma of the hazelnut coffee filled the air, she was leaning against the white tiled counter at the opening to her kitchen and watching Matthew pace her living room. Step, step, step, turn, glare.

“Do you want a cup?” she called out.

“No. Rain—”

“Not yet.” She held up a finger. “Give me a minute to wake up.” She sipped the coffee, wishing she could stretch this moment out.

“Ready?” Matthew asked. “Or do you need a donut to go with the coffee?” He stalked into the kitchen and stood in front of her with crossed arms.

Raina tensed and hid her face behind her mug. The kitchen suddenly felt like a shoebox. Matthew was here about Holden. Did he find out about the pregnancy lie? She lifted her chin in an attempt to look relaxed. “Yes. I would love a donut. Is there a spare one down at the station with my name on it?”

The scowl on Matthew’s face warred with the smile creeping in from the corners of his mouth. “How come you didn’t tell me that you and Holden were dating?”

Raina shrugged, hoping she looked unconcerned. “We broke up a month ago. You didn’t ask. And I didn't think it was pertinent to the case.” Her traitorous stomach heaved like a discarded sandal in an ocean.

Matthew ran a hand through his hair, causing the ends on the side to stand at attention. “This makes you a suspect! There’s a big difference between a person-of-interest and a suspect.”

She clutched her coffee mug in front of her body. Her heart raced. What he said didn’t come as a surprise, but she was suddenly filled with fear. “But… I didn’t do anything. People break up all the time.”

“Did you know Holden was engaged to Olivia while you dated him?”

Raina’s eyes widened. Engaged? So Olivia wasn’t another victim. Did Holden and Olivia have a good laugh over how quickly Raina had whipped out her checkbook? A lump formed in her throat. She was such a fool.

“I guess I know now,” she said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat. “What else did you find out about the case?”

“Stop trying to change the subject. You had no idea you were the other woman?”

“Of course I want to change the subject.” Raina gestured with her hands; coffee flew out of the mug and splashed on the floor. “How would you like it if I grilled you about one of your ex-girlfriends?”

Matthew jumped back and banged against the refrigerator door. “Watch the coffee! I’m not grilling you about who you dated. I’m doing my job.”

“That’s a convenient excuse, isn’t it? You could have sent an officer. There’s no need for you to come all this way.” Raina knew she was blabbing but couldn't seem to stop the half-baked words from escaping.

“Fine. Joanna could come by and finish up,” said Matthew through clenched teeth.

Joanna? Was that how he thought of Officer Hopper? A dull ache settled on her chest. How dare he throw another woman’s name in her face like they weren’t… No. She slammed the lid on that line of thought. She wasn’t going down that road again. Breathe. Just breathe. There was time for tears later.

“What do you want to know?” she finally asked, tipping her chin up.

His eyes sparked with anger. “Did you know you were the other woman?”

Her voice was dulled when she answered. How could he ask such a question? Given what he knew about her family history. “I would never do that. And you know better than to ask me a question like that.”

“You had no clue there was someone else?”

“None. We only saw each other once or twice a week.”

“Did you kill Holden in a jealous rage?”

“No.”

Matthew leaned back against the refrigerator. His voice softened. “Rainy, I can’t help you if you’re hiding things from me.”

“Why would I need your help?” Raina tightened her grip on the mug and held her breath. How could she explain the pregnancy lie without sounding like an enraged ex-girlfriend now? “I have nothing to hide, but I’m not going to bare my soul. Not unless you care to tell me about all your ex-girlfriends in a sleepover party.”

“Right, is this the part where we do each other’s nails?”

Raina closed the distance between them and rested her forehead on his chest, cradling her mug between them. She breathed in his familiar scent. “I have nothing to do with Holden’s death. The relationship was a mistake that I regretted shortly after it started. I’m sorry. I know I’m not making life easy for you.”

He stiffened. A heartbeat later he relaxed and drew his arms around her. The ice machine hummed and clicked. His familiar heartbeat thudded in her ears. She could fall in love with him all over again for his steady and comforting heartbeat.

There was a quick tap on the front door. “Hello?” called out an unwelcome, but familiar voice. Clipped footsteps came into the apartment. Raina wished she had locked the door.

Matthew pushed Raina off him. “I’ll be in touch.”

Raina followed him into her living room and found Officer Hopper sneering at the small piles around her apartment. The beam of sunlight coming in through the opened door highlighted a pile of orphaned socks she hadn’t gotten around to matching up. Why couldn’t the light be strong enough to incinerate the darn socks?

Officer Hopper smiled brightly at Matthew. “Do we need to bring her in for questioning?”

“I got everything I need for now.” He stormed out of the apartment without a backward glance.

Officer Hopper smirked. “Don’t even think about leaving town.” She sashayed out, her French braid swooshing across her back like a satisfied cat.

Raina slammed her front door and clicked the lock home. Her legs buckled and she slid to the floor in sudden exhaustion. Matthew’s anger she could handle. The more agitated he got, the more explosive his temper. All it took was for her to soften and she became a balm to the spike in his mood.

What she couldn’t handle was the suspicion in his eyes when he asked if she was hiding anything. Her chest tightened. Tears fell into her coffee mug. She hadn’t realized until now just how much his good opinion of her still mattered. If he even thought she lied about a pregnancy to force Holden’s hand, it would finally be over between them. That was the last thing she wanted.

B
y the time
Po Po waltzed through the door with a cheerful wave, Raina sat serenely on her sofa. Or at least she hoped her dried face and clean clothes projected some semblance of Zen she didn't feel. She grunted in acknowledgment and returned to staring at her notebook.

Po Po gave her a hug, crushing the corner of the notebook to Raina’s cheek. “What's wrong, honey?”

Raina struggled free and rubbed her cheek. “A sweaty grandma almost took my eye out.”

“Did Matthew stop by?”

“How did you know?”

Po Po wiggled her fingers. “Magic.”

Raina rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched. “I have to go the mall. I need a new dress for a wedding.”

Po Po brightened. “Are you going with a date?”

“It's more of a reconnaissance mission.” At her grandmother's raised eyebrows, Raina explained her recent fallout with Matthew. “I need dirt on Sol Cardenas. And what better way to find it than at a wedding?”

“You're better off doing some surveillance work.”

“I'm not up for watching Sol scratch himself for hours.”

“It'll be fun. Think of the bonding opportunity. Me, you, in a car.” Po Po wiggled her eyebrows. “Granted, I'm not a hunky young man, but I can still show you a good time.”

“I love you, grandma, but I'm afraid of your definition of a good time.” Especially if it involved junk food and Po Po's digestion. Raina chuckled and shook her head.

“Don't worry about Matthew. He'll come around. Look at how many times he kept coming back to you.” Po Po squeezed Raina's knee. “Ah Gong and I had our share of problems in the beginning, but we still had a good life together.”

Raina smoothed the grimace on her face. Would her grandma have such a breezy attitude if she knew about her husband's other family? Not that she would ever say anything to burst her beloved grandma's bubble. Her chest tightened at all the secrets in her life. She closed her eyes to hide her thoughts. Ignorance was bliss when it came to her granddad's shameful legacy.

In some ways, she was thankful the family was contesting Ah Gong's will. If she had access to the inheritance, she would have to send money to China. Though she’d promised her granddad she would take care of the other family, she hadn't factored in how hard it would be to hide it from the rest of her family. Good thing the other family hadn't contacted her yet.

Raina tucked a curl back into her messy ponytail. “You know I can't take you with me, whatever I decide to do. Mom will kill me if anything happens to you. I'm actually surprised I haven't heard from her by now.”

“She's going to kill me anyway,” muttered Po Po. “Didn't you say we're going shopping? I need a spiffy new dress myself.”

“You don't usually visit without calling first. And a family member always drops you off. Not that I don't want you here.” Raina raised an eyebrow. “Why are you secretly planning to move here? Owe the mahjong ladies too much money?”

Po Po laughed and glanced at the koi clock above the TV. “More like the mahjong ladies owe me money. I've the best fingers in Chinatown. I can massage those tiles like no one else.” She held up a finger and blew at it like it was a smoking gun. “As for the business with the family, that's between me and the family. Let's just say… there's a difference in opinion.”

Raina left the rest of her questions shriveling on the vine for now. She didn’t believe for a minute Po Po was on a nice family visit. The mulish look on her grandma’s face meant she’d bury deeper beneath her facade if Raina kept pushing for answers.

“I think you're supposed to touch yourself and make the sizzling sound.” Raina demonstrated. “That's means you're sizzling hot. Now why do you need a new dress?”

“It's for the dance at the senior center. I need to look like hot stuff.”

“You have a date?”

Po Po stiffened. “Is that so hard to believe?”

“No, I'm just surprised. I didn't know you were ready for a relationship.”

“It's a date. One date a relationship doesn't make.”

Raina snorted. “Okay, Yoda. Let's roll.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were piled in the car and on the way to Sacramento. As Raina drove, she considered Po Po's suggestion for a stakeout. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. How hard could it be to follow Sol for a couple days to learn his routine?

She needed to stop Sol from squealing to Matthew. She’d be his pretend girlfriend for the next ten weddings if she had to. If he had no qualms about blackmailing her, she would have to harden her conscience as well. After all, mutual cooperation worked both ways.