Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-five

I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that Janet was attacked! Why am I just now finding out about this?” Adeena said.

After explaining that I had an urgent meeting with Amir and breaking off my dinner plans with Jae, Adeena insisted on riding with me to my house. I appreciated her support, though I could’ve done without all the screaming.

“It’s not like I did it on purpose! You were so busy and I got distracted, and there just wasn’t a good time to talk about it. Not like I could tell you I found Janet Spinelli lying in a pool of blood in front of all your customers, you know.”

“Fair enough.”

We rode the rest of the way in silence.

Tita Rosie greeted us at the door. “Oh anak, I can’t believe this! Is Janet OK? Have you heard from Terrence?”

Oh jeez, I really was a terrible friend, wasn’t I? Other than that brief text I’d sent earlier, I’d completely forgotten about Janet’s fiancé, who was not only my close friend, but Derek’s best friend from high school. I wasn’t the only one having a terrible week. My phone showed a missed call from him and I made a mental note to reach out when I got the chance.

I peeled off my coat and hung it up, then unzipped my boots. “Since I’m not family, I wasn’t allowed to see her or ask for any details on her condition. Has Ate Bernie or Ninang June heard anything?”

“Not yet, but Marcus told us there’s a guard outside her door in case whoever attacked her comes back to finish the job,” Amir said, walking in with a tray of snacks, followed closely by my grandmother and godmothers.

“Detective Park seems to think that someone is you,” Ninang April announced unceremoniously as she helped herself to a mug of coffee and piece of ensaymada. “What did you do this time, Lila?”

“That’s enough, April,” Lola Flor said. She lowered herself slowly to her seat at the head of the coffee table, then pushed the tray of goodies toward me, taking nothing for herself. “Now tell us everything.”

So I did.

Amir listened carefully, jotting down notes as he did, occasionally shaking his head or grunting, but never actually interrupting me. Wish I could say the same for my godmothers. Finally my story wound down. “And yeah, that’s pretty much it. Detective Park questioned me, I told him everything I told you, though I didn’t go in-depth about the Satos. Then I helped Adeena and Kevin at Java Jo’s for a couple of hours and here we are.”

Lola Flor voiced what we were all thinking. “I don’t know what that detective’s playing at. The hospital is bound to have security cameras and it’ll be easy to figure out who attacked Janet. Or if the criminal was smart enough to hide their face, the cameras in the lobby will prove Lila’s alibi.”

Amir frowned. “Unfortunately, several of the hospital’s security cameras have been broken for months, including the one in that hallway. But you’re right, his behavior as of late has been strange. He must really want to wrap up the Derek Winter case fast. Or at the very least, have your bail revoked.”

“Why would he want to do that? And what happens if my bail’s revoked?”

Amir stared thoughtfully at his notes. “Detective Park didn’t work homicides till he came to Shady Palms. We don’t really have a detective force here, so he’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades now. But before coming here, he worked Vice. Busting up drug rings was how he made his name back in Chicago. It’s starting to feel like a personal vendetta against you, Lila. He thinks you’re messing things up in his quiet little town.”

“But why me? I get that he doesn’t know me so he can’t vouch for my character, but I just got back here a few months ago. How could I suddenly have a drug empire?” I threw up my hands in exasperation. “Plus, doesn’t anyone else think it’s strange that the murder doesn’t seem to be bothering him, but the drugs have him practically kicking down our door?”

He shrugged. “Didn’t say it was logical. Just my theory. It might be something as simple as Sheriff Lamb riding him to wrap up the case ASAP. The sheriff and Mr. Long are friends, after all.”

Nobody else had much to add after that, so we sipped at our drinks in sullen silence until Detective Park arrived.

He glanced at all of us arrayed around the living room. “Gang’s all here, huh? Although the Gossip Trio seems to be missing.”

“No, just in the kitchen,” Ninang April said as they entered the room with more snacks.

I didn’t appreciate his attempt at humor. “Detective Park, why are you here?”

“What, the local grapevine hasn’t informed you yet?” I stared at him stone-faced, so he said, “We have good reason to believe it was you who attacked Janet Spinelli.”

“And what reason would that be?” Adeena asked before Amir or I could. Amir glared at his sister, but repeated her question.

“Yes, Detective, what possible evidence could you have against her? Are you telling us that you’ve viewed the security footage and spotted my client committing the act? Because if not, this is starting to feel an awful lot like harassment. Which I will be pursuing in court.”

Detective Park waved his hand. “We’re still sifting through the footage. But we have it on good authority that you recently got into an argument with the victim. Is this true?”

I snorted. “That’s your ironclad evidence? Everybody knows Janet and I don’t get along. We got into an argument outside her office a few days ago because she wants to act like we’re still in high school. You can ask anyone at the hospital what we argued about. I’m sure it’s spread far and wide by now.”

He looked taken aback. “Is that so? Then why didn’t you share this information with me when I questioned you earlier?”

I shrugged. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything. What we argued about wasn’t connected to her attack or anything else that’s been going on.”

“See, that’s where I think you’re wrong. You want to paint me as some bumbling small-town detective, but I’ve been working this Derek Winters case for a long time now. You think I didn’t know that at one point he was the main drug dealer for this county? That he’d been faking prescriptions for years?”

Detective Park leaned forward, trying to get into my face, but Amir stood in his way. “Derek had turned informant for me. His suppliers were the ones I wanted, and the big-time distributors as well. He was trying to get out of that life, but was afraid of what would happen to him and his mom. We were trying to take them down little by little so they wouldn’t get wise to him. And then a mere two weeks before we were supposed to do our big bust, Derek gets murdered. You don’t find that suspicious?”

“Don’t answer that,” Amir told me. Which was just fine since none of what Detective Park had said made sense to me. I couldn’t have responded even if Amir begged me to. “Detective, you’re dancing around the issue. What does my client have to do with the assault on Janet Spinelli or Derek Winters’s criminal activities? I’m still liable to charge you with harassment.”

Detective Park studied Amir. “How much do you know about your client’s criminal record in Chicago?”

Oh, that son of a—

“What criminal record?” Lola Flor demanded. My family had done a good job of listening quietly and not interrupting (for once) but this latest revelation was just too much.

“Would you like to be the one to tell them, or should I?” Detective Park asked me.

I sighed. “Sam had been stocking his restaurant with goods that were . . . not acquired legally. It started small, with cheese that he’d smuggled over because U.S. regulations didn’t allow certain types to be imported or sold here. But then he also started getting top-range kitchen equipment for extremely low prices. He told me it was because the supplier was a friend of his dad who wanted to help him out. I believed him. Since I was in charge of all the stock, I ordered through the suppliers he gave me and signed for all the deliveries. Which meant my name was the one on all the documents, not his.”

I paused, not wanting to relive this difficult time. Part of the reason I hadn’t been home in so long was because I’d been dealing with this. I didn’t want anyone back home to know what I’d been involved in. Not even Adeena.

But Detective Park wasn’t going to let me end the story there. “Long story short, she got caught. Her rich boyfriend hired a lawyer who got her off on a technicality, so she probably thought she was safe hiding this from you all. But what I’m seeing is a pattern. I don’t believe that you knew nothing about what your ex-fiancé was doing. I also believe you knew about Derek’s criminal enterprises and helped him out. Then when you found out he was going to flip, you killed him so he wouldn’t sell you out.”

Dear Lord, I was getting whiplash from all the twists and turns coming out of Detective Park’s mouth. Is this why he was coming after me so hard? He thought I was some girl who lived dangerously by shacking up with pseudocriminals and helping them rule their enterprises?

I glanced over at my aunt, who had the most heartbreaking expression on her face. “Tita, I swear it’s not like that.”

“Not now, Lila. Don’t give him any ammunition,” Amir warned me. “OK, Detective, you seem to have drawn a pretty clear picture of how you think Lila and Derek are connected. But you’re here about Janet Spinelli. Why would my client attack her?”

“I’m hoping Miss Spinelli will wake up and confirm this, but I believe she’s the one who supplied Derek with the signed prescription pads. If I’m correct, which I usually am, and Miss Spinelli was the source, it’s very likely your client went to tie up loose ends. Either convince Miss Spinelli to continue being her supplier or shut her up the way she did with Derek. Isn’t that what your argument was about, Ms. Macapagal?”

Out of nowhere, Ninang June burst out laughing. “Detective, is that really what you thought they’d argued about? Didn’t any of the staff tell you what they overheard?”

He frowned at her. “They all claimed it sounded like personal business but couldn’t hear the details. Why? What do you know?”

“The argument was over the same silly thing they’ve been fighting about since they were kids. A boy.”

“Ninang June!” I said.

“No,” Amir said. “It’s fine. Go ahead and clear this up so he knows how ridiculous he’s being.”

I sighed. “Janet accused me, yet again, of going after her fiancé, who I briefly dated in high school. Terrence was also Derek’s best friend, which is why I tried to talk to her, but she wasn’t interested. She still blames me for their breakup, even though they’re engaged now.” I rolled my eyes. “Like I said, high school stuff.”

Detective Park grunted. “Well, I’ll be checking out your story with some of the hospital employees. As well as this Terrence you’re so fond of. Is this the Terrence Howell Miss Spinelli had listed as her emergency contact?”

“That’s him,” I said. “Are we done here, Detective?”

He stood up and put away his tablet. “For now, yes. But we’ll be speaking again soon, Ms. Macapagal.” He nodded at my aunt and grandmother. “Sorry to impose. Hope to see you again soon, Rosie.”

My aunt shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry, Jonathan, but I don’t. You bring nothing but bad news and accusations against my family. Until you catch the real criminals, I hope I don’t see you again.”

For the first time, a glimmer of actual human emotion emerged on Detective Park’s face. “I’m sorry, too, Rosie. But I’m just doing my job.”

Lola Flor snorted. “What, by coming into our home and accusing my granddaughter of disgusting crimes?” She held up her hand to stop his retort. “I don’t care. Get out of my house.”

He looked over at my aunt one last time and said, “Of course. Until next time, ladies. Counselor.”

Detective Park departed, leaving a hollow victory and strange sense of unease behind him.