Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2)(51)

Though considering how the last one ended, maybe we should hold off on dinnertime investigation. Then again, if Amir’s info was good enough to help Bernadette, maybe we could use it to force Ninang June to apologize and reconcile with my grandmother.

“I think we should try to keep this as private as possible. Is anyone at the cafe?”

Amir was always a little uptight, but the tension in his voice was off the charts. I tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

“Let me guess, you already solved the case for us? Mr. Golden Boy Detective swoops in to save the day yet again?”

He sighed. “After all this time, that’s still how you see me? Adeena’s perfect older brother who can’t mind his own business? Who always tries to, as you put it, ‘swoop in to save the day’?”

Something told me that “yes” was not the answer he was looking for, so all I said was, “Um, I’m with your sister and Elena and you’re on speakerphone, so if you have confidential information—”

He cut me off. “If they’re with you, it’s probably best I tell you all together anyway. See you at the cafe in fifteen?”

“Sure. And Amir . . .” I trailed off, knowing there was nothing I could say to get us back to the way we were. “Thanks. See you soon.”

He hung up without saying goodbye.





Chapter Seventeen





When I pulled into the parking lot in front of the shop, Amir was already there, leaning against his car, hands in his pockets. It was eighty-plus degrees outside and yet the only concession to the heat he’d made was that his suit jacket was draped over his arm and his shirtsleeves were rolled up. He’d also loosened his tie ever so slightly, which was the closest to casual dress I’d seen on him in a while. My stomach lurched the way it always did when I saw him. Guess it didn’t matter how awkward the two of us had become, my body still reacted when I was around him.

After I’d parked, he came around to the driver’s side, opened the door for me, and helped me out. Even when he was pissed at me, he was still a gentleman. It was both comforting and annoying, which perfectly described our relationship.

“Oh, that’s cool, just going to ignore your sister back here?” Adeena said as she slid out the back door of my old SUV.

Amir raised his hand in greeting but kept his attention on me. “Thanks for coming to meet me.”

“Thanks for getting that information for me. But why so secretive?”

He gestured at the coffee shop. “We should talk inside.”

I let us in and flicked on the lights, while Adeena moved to the freezer behind the counter to grab us all ice candy. “Amir Bhai, you wanna try mine or Elena’s signature ice candy?”

“You choose.”

She handed him hers to see if he’d recognize her flavor inspiration. “Oh my—is this kulfi? It’s so good!” Nothing like an ice pop to transform even the stuffiest person into a little kid. “I haven’t had this since Nani Jaan passed away. She used to make this all the time when we were kids,” he explained to me and Elena.

“It’s so good, right? Just the perfect amount of rose, unlike that floral monstrosity Adeena made me drink months ago,” I said. “Elena’s is arroz con leche, or rice pudding. Try some.” I held out the ice candy and he took a large bite, wincing against the cold.

“That’s great, too. You girls are really hitting it out of the park with your offerings. So what’s your signature flavor, Lila?”

I glanced over at Adeena and Elena, whose eyes were boring into me to see if I could finally answer this simple question. “I figured since Lola Flor’s halo-halo was so popular, I’d put my own spin on it for my ice candy.”

“That’s a great idea!” Adeena clapped and squealed over this. She’d been mainlining cups of our restaurant’s halo-halo every day since summer started, so it made sense she was excited about my decision. Maybe this was the obvious choice all along.

Amir smiled at me, his warmth slowly returning. “That does sound great. Can I try it?”

“Oh, uh, it’s not ready yet.”

“Why not?”

I shrugged. “Still in development. So that information?”

“Oh, right. So the reason that Sana looks so familiar to me? She was a rising star at one of the biggest law firms in Chicago until she got into an accident and killed somebody.”

My stomach clenched at the implication. I almost didn’t want to know, but I had to ask. “Drunk driving?”

He shook his head. “She fell asleep at the wheel. Her car veered into a bus shelter and killed an old man who was waiting for the bus. Vehicular manslaughter. She was sentenced to three years in prison but was let out after two for good behavior.”

Adeena said, “I can see why she’d want to keep this private. Sana’s worked really hard to get to where she is and she probably doesn’t want her history spread all over town. Thanks for letting us know.”

I was thinking the same thing, except what Adeena saw as a matter of privacy, I saw as a motive for murder. Did Rob know about her record? Threaten to let the people of Shady Palms know if she didn’t do what he asked?

Amir frowned. “Well, it’s all a matter of public record so I don’t feel bad telling you all. But having the usual crowd around feels too much like gossip and the details of the case are rather sordid.”