Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2)(46)

My timer went off and I got up to finish the cupcakes. As I piped the ube condensed milk frosting on top of the cooled cakes, I realized these cupcakes were the perfect way to not only apologize to Adeena and Elena for standing them up, but also a way to grease the wheels at the salon. If I offered to pay for their manicures, I could enlist their help to eavesdrop on the salon customers while also advertising the shop. My godmothers would’ve been the more effective choice, but I’d rather down a quart of whole milk and deal with the lactose-intolerant consequences than allow them a chance to comment on my appearance and style choices—more than they already did anyway. Plus, I still wasn’t speaking to Ninang June.

The doorbell rang and I put the finished cupcakes in the fridge to let the frosting set before hurrying to let Jae in.

“I come bearing brews and treats for Longganisa. There was a gourmet pet store by the restaurant I went to last night and the salesperson promised these treats were both delicious and diet-friendly.” Jae held up a four-pack of beer, a bottle of Adeena’s cold brew, a bag of Elena’s calming tea blend, and a box of organic dog treats. “Where should I put them?”

I led him into the kitchen, where Longganisa lay in wait. As soon as he stepped in the room, she pounced on his legs, barking and nudging him until he’d set down everything and stooped down to pet her. “Hey there, Longganisa. I missed you, too.” He held out a treat and she went still. “Son jooseyo.” She put a chubby paw in his hand and received a treat in return.

I laughed to myself at this scene as I washed my hands and got dinner ready. Jae had taken Nisa out one day when I was sick, and his mom had taught my dog the command for “paw” in Korean. Which was adorable in itself, but it wasn’t until Jae translated and explained his mom had been politely asking my dog to “please give me your hand” that I melted.

While Jae entertained Nisa, I finished up our dinner. After panfrying the chicken pieces in a bit of oil, I added one of the juicy legs to a steaming bowl of freshly made white rice and steamed broccoli drizzled with toyomansi and sesame oil. I inhaled the rising fragrance and grinned. Before I even tasted it, I knew this was it. This was Mommy’s chicken.

Jae washed his hands and popped the top on the coconut porter he’d brought, toasting me with the can. “This smells amazing! I didn’t know you could cook. I thought baking was your thing.”

I clinked my can against his, then savored a large bite—which confirmed that yes, I’d gotten the recipe right—before responding. “I’m an OK cook, but it’s not really my thing. Tita Rosie’s food is amazing, so I never really had to learn. I usually only cook if I’m craving something other than Filipino food, like pasta or whatever. But there’s always so much food in this house it feels wasteful to make anything else.”

I took a sip of the beer he brought and the notes of coconut, coffee, dark chocolate, and brown sugar coated my tongue. “Oh my gulay, this is amazing!”

Jae grinned. “I knew you’d like it. I tried it last night at this Hawaiian restaurant I went to with Beth and had to get some for you. It’s almost like a dessert, isn’t it?”

So while out with Beth, he not only bought treats for my dog but me as well? That had to be a good sign, right?

“I bet we could make ice cream floats with this at the Brew-ha Cafe. Ugh, I wish we could afford an ice cream maker. But I’m sure we’ll figure something out. Maybe for the Founder’s Day celebration.” I speared a piece of broccoli. “So did Beth tell you anything about how the case is going?”

Jae took a swig of his beer. “She spent the first twenty minutes of dinner complaining about the lawyers involved with his will reading, which I guess happens tomorrow. Then she complained about the incompetency of the SPPD, considering no one has been taken into custody yet. She rounded out the night by complaining about Valerie all through the dessert, then leaving early when she got a call.”

“Sounds like a fun night,” I said, getting up to refill his bowl.

“Oh yeah, just so much fun. Pretty sure I was able to fit in five words all night. At least I satisfied my poke bowl craving and found this beer. Silver linings and all that.”

“Did she say anything specific about the will or Valerie that could be helpful?” I asked, placing his replenished bowl in front of him and moving my empty one to the sink. I took the halo-halo cupcakes out of the fridge to take the chill off them before serving.

I was so busy wondering how to garnish them, I almost missed it when Jae said, “Valerie told her that if Rob left everything to her, she planned on contesting the will. Made some snide remark about Beth being nothing without the Thompson family’s generosity, and that Beth never would’ve gotten her hooks into Rob if her parents were still alive. Valerie’s parents, that is. I think Valerie might’ve run a background check on Beth, too.”

I nearly dropped the bag of pinipig I was sprinkling on the cupcakes. “A background check? Did she actually say that?”

Jae drained the last of his beer and tossed the can in the recycling bin. “She didn’t come out and say it, but it was definitely hinted at. I guess it’s typical for the Thompsons to run background checks on anyone entering the family, but Rob didn’t do one for Beth.”

Interesting. If Valerie ran a background check on Beth, what would she find? The reason behind Rob’s murder? Or would it just show that Beth was the tough businesswoman she seemed to be? Considering her job was to clean up messes and make the company look good, it was hard to say who the real Beth was. “Satisfied” from Hamilton started playing in my head—from what Jae said about her at that dinner, Beth was a real Angelica Schuyler type.