Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2)(34)
“I did notice the tension between them. But Sana didn’t go for it, did she? She seemed to find Rob as big a creep as I did.”
Ninang Mae leaned forward. “I saw them together not too long ago. I wouldn’t say they looked romantic, but they were pretty chummy. If they weren’t having an affair, he was definitely pushing for one. I know when a man is trying to woo a woman. Plus, I hear he paid her a huge retainer to do group coaching for the women higher-ups in his company.”
“If that’s true, that’s gotta be part of why Beth is so salty about her. She’s not the kind of person who takes kindly to people telling her what to do or acting like they know more than she does.” Jae frowned. “She’s also the type to see other women as competition, so be careful around her, Lila. If she thinks you’re challenging her or getting in her way, she could make life very difficult for you.”
I grimaced. “She sure sounds lovely. Thanks for the heads-up, though.”
Jae shrugged. “I know how it sounds, but she’s really upfront about who she is and what she wants. It’s kind of refreshing, actually.”
I wasn’t sure how, but that was definitely a dig at me.
Amir nodded at what Jae said. “He’s right. Beth Thompson is not exactly a sweetheart, but in all of my dealings with her, she’s been transparent and professional.”
“So that means she’s incapable of murder?”
“I didn’t say that, Lila. Right now, we have very little to work with, so building character profiles on everyone involved seems like the best move forward.” Amir dipped his skewer of fish balls into the spicy, sweet sauce in the center of the table and took a big bite. “Wow, these are great. Did you try a new recipe, Auntie?”
Tita Rosie beamed at him. “I did! Thank you for noticing. What do you think about—”
Lola Flor waved her hand. “Ay, that’s not important. Is this Beth woman a viable suspect? If not, who is?”
“I didn’t think you’d care about the investigation, Lola Flor,” I said. When everything was going down a few months ago, all she cared about was the restaurant. She never joined in the gossiping, clue-finding, or overall investigation.
“I don’t. As long as Bernie doesn’t go to jail, I don’t care what happened to that man. I just don’t like when people go off on tangents. You’re all here to help Bernie.”
“They’re also guests and friends who we’re happy to have over so we can all eat and enjoy each other’s company, Nay. They don’t have to be ‘useful’ to be here.” As if to put her words into action, my aunt started heaping more food onto everyone’s plates.
My grandmother tsked and stood up, taking her empty plate to the kitchen. Everybody ate quietly until we heard her banging around in there, hopefully assembling dessert, and collectively decided it was safe to speak again.
“When’s the next pageant meeting?” Ninang Mae asked.
I groaned. “Tomorrow. A photographer from the Shady Palms News is going to accompany us while we visit the girls at their volunteer sites.”
“Aren’t there over thirty contestants? You’re going to visit all of them in one day?” Jae asked.
“No, we spread it over the week. Made it easier since there were so many, and also because their schedules have them working specific days and times. And there’re only twenty contestants now since quite a few were eliminated after the group interviews.” I swiped the last kwek-kwek from the plate, the thought of all the work ahead of me making me crave the deep-fried, protein-filled comfort. “Still going to be a pain since this means most of my week is dedicated to this. Plus we have the sportswear designer event this week, and there’s also Rob’s memorial, which I think we should all go to.”
The Calendar Crew exchanged glances and nodded as one. “We’ll be in the audience for all the open events, trying to get more information. People love to talk, especially with something as juicy as a murder, so we’ll let you know what we hear.”
Detective Park frowned. “I wouldn’t use the word ‘juicy’ to describe something as horrific as murder.”
“I’m not saying it isn’t tragic, Detective. I’m just saying it makes good gossip.” Ninang Mae shrugged. “Besides, Rob was far from innocent. I’d bet anything that his behavior finally went too far and someone decided to do something about it.”
“Doesn’t mean he deserved to die.”
“Well, that depends on his crime, doesn’t it?”
“No.”
“Guess we’ll have to agree to disagree, Detective.” Ninang Mae winked at him. “Ah, dessert! Perfect timing.”
Lola Flor set out bowls of shaved ice as well as the various halo-halo toppings, and I got up to fetch the nondairy milks from the fridge to serve alongside the usual evaporated milk.
Jae eyed the rainbow spread with interest. “What is this? It looks like pat bing soo, but with more stuff.”
I laughed. “Yeah, pretty much. We call it halo-halo. Getting to mix and match the ingredients is the best part. If it’s your first time, I suggest sampling a little bit of everything. Eventually, you’ll figure out what works best for you.”
Everybody served themselves, and I piled my bowl high with my favorite nata de coco, kaong, and sweet jellies. Coconut milk wasn’t traditional, but I’d already indulged in more dairy than my stomach could handle these last few days. I didn’t want to deal with the aftermath of an unhappy tummy around this crowd, especially with Jae and Amir right there. Once everybody was happily digging into their bowls, Detective Park brought the conversation back on track.