Part 15 (1/2)
Annie Mae and I got out of my SUV and greeted Jose.
I handed him the lipstick.
Jose twisted the stick up. ”Not my color.”
”Funny, Jose.” Annie Mae eyed him. ”Although, with your olive skin tone, I can see you in more of a maroon or red.”
Jose cleared his throat. ”Cat, you had asked me to look into recent deaths of anyone who lived near Jones Street.”
”And?” I asked, my heart accelerating in antic.i.p.ation.
Jose looked down at his phone. ”There was a hit-and-run that killed a gentleman who lived on Jones. The accident happened the same day as the date on the newspaper Lucy found.”
I wondered if that was the person that second crossword puzzle was meant for.
”Holy smokes.” Annie Mae's mouth hung open.
”Who was he?” My voice rose.
Jose glanced at me then at Annie Mae. He looked down at his cell. ”Michael Esker, age sixty-three, owned Quickie Loan & p.a.w.n. He was a Grand Knight at the Knights of Columbus. He suffered a fatality after a hit-and-run on the corner of Clary's while he headed to his Wednesday morning Bible study. One eyewitness saw a green, older-model sedan, a Lincoln or Buick, driving away from the scene. But that's our only lead.”
”Poor guy.” Annie Mae sighed.
”That name sounds familiar.” I ran through people my dad's age in my mind. ”Esker. Esker. I think I remember him, but I can't remember from where.”
Jose held up the lipstick. ”I'll get this a.n.a.lyzed against the lipstick on Lucy's note and the message from your winds.h.i.+eld.”
”I really appreciate it.” I gave Jose a hug, but because of his height, I hugged his waist with my head on his chest. ”I don't want you to get fired over it.”
Jose patted my back. He smelled sweet and spicy. ”No problem. I have a buddy in the forensics laboratory who owes me a favor. Trust me; he'll do it without anyone finding out.”
With a wave, Jose climbed in his Explorer and drove out of the parking lot.
Rounding the corner by the tennis courts, Mr. Phong had headphones on and sang out loud as he strode on the path. ”All da move like da Jagger. I got the mooove like a Jagger.” He nearly b.u.mped into Annie Mae and me.
I stepped out of the way and made eye contact with Mr. Phong. I smiled and waved. He grinned ear to ear and waved back. I noticed a ruby-stoned ring on his finger as he flapped his hand and nodded. He continued walking and singing.
”That is one strange cat,” Annie Mae said. ”But he sure seems like a happy guy.”
Annie Mae and I got in my SUV. It was after six in the evening. ”I wonder if my mom knew Michael Esker.”
”The Grand Poobah?” Annie Mae asked.
”He was a Grand Knight, not a Flintstone.” I grinned.
”I'm going across the street to the Sentient Bean and grab a scone. You want anything?” Annie Mae said before she got out.
”No, thanks.” I hoped I wouldn't lose my dear friend to a heart attack the way she'd lost her husband who'd had the same junk food addiction. We'd had this conversation, and she always said that she knew how to eat right, and that one day she would.
I started the engine, put the air on. My phone rang. The caller ID said ”Mom.” I picked up.
Yunni said, ”What you doing? All my friends call me to tell me about you and the fire. You okay?”
The Suns.h.i.+ne Market closed at six. I knew her routine. She was cooking dinner and watching the news. ”I'm fine. I was just thinking of calling you. You're at home, right?”
”Yes. Andrew at business meeting. Why you ask?”
”I'm at Forsyth Park.”
”You are close. Come to my house. I fix dinner for you. Making your favorite, Bulgogi. Is Annie Mae with you?”
”Yes.”
”She come too. Lots of food.”
”No thanks, not tonight.”
”Okay, fine, you miss out. Tadcu come here for dinner. Your boys, too. Maybe none left after. So no problem.”
”Another time, okay?”
”Sure.”
”Listen, do you remember a Michael Esker?”
”I read in newspaper. He died.”
”Yes, I just found out.”
”I talked to some friends. Found out he hit by car. Very sad,” Yunni said.
”I know. But did you know him?” I asked.
”Yes. Your father business partner,” Yunni said.
”Business partner?” I repeated, my voice rising. ”For Suns.h.i.+ne Market?”
”Different business before store. Didn't work out.”
I felt blindsided. I had no idea there'd been another enterprise before Suns.h.i.+ne Market. My parents never failed to surprise me. There was a good chance my kids would find out things about me they never knew before, even though I felt like an open book. ”What kind of business?”
”Cars. Rebuilding, trading. Buying, selling. Complicated. Lots of time at junkyards and auctions. Dirty.”
”So Dad and Michael worked together?”