Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2)(64)

“Jae stopped in to eat before going to visit her yesterday, so I sent along a big tray of food with him. I’d already planned on it, but he made it easier for me, telling me her food preferences and delivering it for me. Such a thoughtful boy,” Tita Rosie said, gazing at him fondly. In the short time she’d gotten to know him, she’d grown pretty attached. Maybe because he did all the things for her that her jerk son Ronnie never bothered with. Ronnie was my older cousin and he’d run off years ago, just like his good-for-nothing dad. Both men had stayed around just long enough to break Tita Rosie’s heart. Having Jae and Detective Park around had done wonders for her. Jae was sweet and the detective was kind—neither of them suffered from the banality of Midwestern “niceness.” We were lucky to have the Park men in our lives.

As I thought that, Beth put her hand on Jae’s shoulder and murmured something in his ear, making him laugh. I fought down all the dark, jealous thoughts swirling in my head, trying to temper them with kinder, less judgmental ones. Everyone grieves in different ways, Lila. This doesn’t mean anything. You know they’re friends, and you know Jae looks out for his friends. You’ve been over this already. You don’t get to judge their relationship. You could never know someone’s private grief. I had just succeeded in reminding myself of that when Jae took Beth’s hand and squeezed, looking down at her with the sweetest concern.

“Excuse me, I need something to drink,” I said as I attempted to flee from the group. Unfortunately, Amir and the aunties appeared at that moment and boxed me in.

Amir had two glasses in his hand. “I’ve got seltzer water with lime and sparkling grape juice. Which would you prefer?”

I accepted the seltzer, happy to see him but disappointed I’d lost my chance to escape. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it. Weren’t you working on a case?”

He took a sip of his drink. “We were able to wrap it up quickly since the client didn’t need us anymore.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Ninang Mae said. “Was it anyone we knew?”

I brought my hand to my face and massaged my temples. “Ninang Mae, you can’t ask him stuff like that. Even if that person is no longer his client, that doesn’t mean Amir can just gossip about them.”

Ninang April waved her hand. “Mae has no tact. Besides, his client was obviously Oskar Weinman. Isn’t that right, Amir?”

I had barely recovered from the fact that Ninang April had the nerve to call Ninang Mae tactless, with a straight face and everything, when Amir choked on his drink.

“Excuse me, this juice is much sweeter than I thought. I’m going to get some water. Does anyone need anything?” Amir looked around the group as if he were taking orders but refused to meet anyone’s eyes. Interesting. “Oh, Joy! And, um, Joy’s friend. I’m about to get drinks. Do you want anything?”

Joy and Katie had just joined our group. They both blushed and asked for fizzy water, which he hurried to retrieve. Watching him scurry away, I asked the girls, “I didn’t think you’d come. How’d you get here?”

“The mayor and Ms. Thompson told all of us in the pageant that we needed to be here to pay our respects. I asked my sister to drop us off on her way to work. Ate Bernie is back on schedule at the hospital and Katie’s mom couldn’t take us.” Joy bit her lip, as she turned to face Beth. “I didn’t like Mr. Thompson. At all. But I am sorry for your loss. We both are,” Joy added, gesturing at Katie, who looked surprisingly solemn. Her usually lively eyes were dull and ringed with dark circles, and her freckles stood out in sharp relief to her unnaturally pale skin.

“You OK, Katie?” I asked, worried that all that’d been going on was making her sick.

She nodded. “Yeah. I just . . . I’ve never been to a funeral. Or memorial. Or whatever this is.”

“That’s understandable. I’m sorry your mom couldn’t be with you for this. Is she at work?” I asked. Winnie worked way too much, and I wished she had taken off an hour or so to be here with her daughter. Katie really seemed to be struggling now that she was here.

“I bet she’s too busy working and mourning Oskar Weinman,” Mary Ann Randall said as she joined our group.

Katie blanched and tears sprang to her eyes as she held back a sob. Before I could tell off Mary Ann, she continued sticking her foot in her mouth by turning to Beth and saying, “You must be relieved that the case is over now.”

The statement itself was fine, but she must’ve also heard something amiss in Mary Ann’s tone because Beth narrowed her eyes at the momtestant. “I must be? Why?”

“Well, because your husband’s killer was caught. Why else? It’s just so convenient, though, don’t you think? Because it means now you can move on.” Mary Ann raised her eyebrows. “Unless you don’t think Oskar was the killer. That would really be something, wouldn’t it? Though it seems you’ve found someone to protect you should that be true. Good of you, managing to move on despite the very recent tragedy.”

Beth had just looped her arm through Jae’s when Mary Ann made that comment. Jae stiffened and tried to move away, but Beth had an iron grip on him. “While I don’t like your tone or the implication, of course I’m happy Rob’s killer has been brought to justice, and I don’t appreciate you trying to spread rumors or fear. I may not have lost a husband in the romantic sense you all seem to go on about, but I did lose my life partner. Because that’s what he was to me.”