Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2)(19)

“Heading over now, and I’ve got some snacks.”

“Better make it quick. Sana’s whipping up her famous sangria slushies and I can’t promise there will be any left by the time you get here.”



* * *



? ? ?

Sana’s sangria slushies were exactly what I needed. Both to help me unwind and also remove any last bits of awkwardness among the three of us. Before leaving, Tita Rosie had given me a huge tray of chicken adobo and rice, which was delicious but did nothing to combat the effects of our drinks. We were already on the second pitcher and showed no signs of stopping.

The ube chocolate chip cookies I’d prepared were a hit, though I wasn’t sure if it was because Valerie truly loved them or if the wine had made her maudlin.

“These are so delicious! They remind me of this dessert I tried in Hawaii. Such a pretty purple color.” Valerie made a noise of appreciation as she picked up another cookie.

Sana took one as well. “When were you in Hawaii?”

Valerie tilted her head. “Maybe five or six years ago? It was right before Mom and Dad died. Family trip to attend a wedding. We all had such a lovely time.” Her expression changed. “Rob was there, too. Probably the only time the whole family was together and we didn’t fight.”

I put my hand on her arm. “I’m so sorry about Rob.”

She turned to me, eyes bleary, and a wave of alcohol fumes rolled off her, overwhelming my sensitive sense of smell. I tried not to gag as I braced myself for the question I knew was coming. The first pitcher had passed in small talk, and I guessed Valerie was relying on liquid courage to get her through this.

“What happened? What did you see? I know you both were there. The officers told me you were the ones who found the body.”

Nothing but professionalism from Shady Palms’s finest.

Sana and I exchanged looks, but she then busied herself with filling Valerie’s glass. Guess she was leaving this to me. “There’s not much I can tell you. Sana and I were jogging along the river and my dog started barking and pulling me toward the bridge. That’s how we found the . . . found Rob. Once we realized what we were looking at, I called 911. That’s pretty much it.”

“Sana, you saw the body, too? What were you doing while Lila was on the phone?” Valerie leaned forward, as if what she said next could be crucial.

“I leaned over to see if he could be saved, but it was pretty obvious it was too late. I didn’t want to move him in case the cops needed to preserve the scene, so I just sat on the bridge by him until the ambulance came.”

“Obvious how?” Valerie asked.

Sana bit her lip. “You don’t want to know. I wish I didn’t know. I can’t get it out of my head . . .”

Her voice had gone all far away and hollow-sounding, so Valerie dropped the subject. She held out her glass to Sana, who silently refilled it, emptying the pitcher. Sana left for a few minutes, leaving Valerie and me to sip our drinks in silence. Wow, were they delicious. And potent. I made a note to ask Sana for the recipe.

Sana returned with cups and another pitcher, this one full of ice water. “Time to hydrate.”

We grumbled but complied since we needed to sober up before going home. Valerie ran a finger around the frosty rim of her glass. “Sana, you said you didn’t want to disrupt the scene. Do the police think Rob was murdered?”

Sana, who’d been pouring herself a drink, sloshed the water all over herself. Valerie apologized, handing Sana a clean handkerchief from her bag to dry herself off.

I scooched a little closer to Valerie. “You probably know more than we do. Since you’re family and all. What did the police tell you?”

“Just that he was found dead by the river. No cause of death or anything like that. I wonder if Beth knows more.”

I couldn’t place the name at first, but then I remembered Rob was married. “Oh sugar, his wife. Does she like sweets? Have any dietary restrictions? I should probably pay my condolences to her, too.”

Valerie gulped down her glass of water and poured another. “What for? You didn’t even know her.”

There was a sulkiness to her voice that spoke volumes about Valerie Thompson and her relationship with her brother’s wife—a childishness and pettiness that I recognized. She did have a point, though. It wasn’t my place to investigate, and after the last time, I couldn’t say I was all that eager to jump back in. But I had to admit to a morbid curiosity. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was already involved somehow. It wasn’t just finding his body—Detective Park showed me letters threatening the pageant and then a day or two later, one of the judges was dead. Could these things possibly be linked? Maybe it was a coincidence, but I couldn’t ignore the timing. Did this mean the rest of us involved were in danger?

Even if there was no nefarious plot surrounding the pageant, this was Shady Palms. Not sending a condolence casserole during times of distress was our version of a slap in the face. Whether or not you knew the person, etiquette dictated that a grieving person should not be expected to prepare their own meals and it was up to the community to provide.

I ran my finger down the condensation on the glass, trying to look nonchalant. “She just lost her husband. A little bit of kindness wouldn’t hurt, right?”

Valerie snorted again. “Kindness won’t get you far with Beth. But good luck. Let me know if she tells you anything interesting.” She put down her glass and sighed. “I bet she gets everything. All these years and I still have no say in what happens with my family’s legacy.”