Chapter 16
It’s finally time to interview (subtly) the catering staff, Lena and Miju, while we waitress for William’s party. I introduce myself to them, and we set up in William’s kitchen, unpacking the coolers. William’s kitchen is stylish, with gray cabinets and open shelving made of glass and cherry wood. The color combination is pleasing, and he has everything we need, which makes me think that he must actually cook in here.
I discussed his we make a good team remark with Tessa, and she said that didn’t sound particularly romantic. I thought it did. But she definitely noticed the chemistry between us and thought he seemed very protective last night. Zelda said I should just ask him out. Penelope offered to ask Rory for the guy opinion.
Lena is pretty, with sleek, black hair, brown eyes, and a curvy figure. She has just been cast as Danielle in an off-Broadway production of To Catch a Thief. She ricochets around, talking a mile a minute. But she’s still working efficiently.
“It’s one of my favorite movies, and Danielle’s such a complex character because she has this unrequited crush on Robie.” Lena plates various appetizers. “But it’s complicated—she also thinks he betrayed them. Ultimately, she betrays him by pretending to be the cat burglar.” She stares straight at me, unsmiling, and I get a chill.
“I hope I can do her justice.” Lena unwraps the crab cakes. “The role has such a range. I get to flirt, to be catty to Frances, to steal the jewelry, and to grieve when my father dies.”
“You played that devious woman really well in your last show,” Miju says. “Should I heat up those quiches?”
“I think so. How was your date?” Lena asks Miju. “Miju had a blind date last night.”
“Remind me not to agree to any more blind dates.” Miju moans. “I’m sticking to online dating. At least then I can do some vetting.”
The microwave beeps. I pull out the dumplings and plate them.
“You’re too picky,” Lena says as she places a tray of mini quiches in the oven.
“I’m not. I would just appreciate not spending the rest of my life with someone who burps. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. And you can’t really talk. You’re like dating someone with the looks of Timothée Chalamet.”
“I am.” Lena sighs in contentment. “The host here, William, is cute. You can follow my playbook and pick him up.”
“I think he’s taken,” I say, even though he isn’t. “Maybe your date was nervous about meeting you.” I wash some containers and stack them back in the Star Catering cart.
“Maybe.” Miju sounds unconvinced. “But I found it depressing. I hate dating.”
“Me too,” I say. “I once was set up on a date and the guy had to leave after the first drink. I still have no idea what I said that made him decide so quickly that he wasn’t interested.”
“Then it’s looks, but you’re attractive, so that’s weird,” Lena says.
“He’d seen my photo online. And it was recent,” I say. “How’d you meet your boyfriend, Lena?”
Lena pulls on plastic gloves and carefully arranges the California rolls on a platter. “We were catering staff for one of his parties, and we had some flirtatious banter before the party. And then I stayed to help clean up—”
“And told me to go home,” Miju says.
Lena laughs. “And one thing led to another, and now we’ve been dating for about three months,” she says. “He is gorgeous. And independently wealthy. And he’s so supportive of my career.”
“Have you asked him again if he has any friends?” Miju asks.
“That’s his one flaw. He only seems to have female friends,” Lena says. “What about you? Are you dating anyone?”
“No, I’m off men for the moment,” I say as William enters the kitchen.
“Do you have everything you need?” He doesn’t look at me.
“We’re all good,” Miju says. “No need to worry. You relax and enjoy your party.”
“Great,” William says. He’s wearing this soft-gray, V-neck sweater, and his sleeves are rolled up. The softness of the sweater fabric alone makes me want to rub it. And not because I know his chest is hard muscle underneath. Definitely not.
I empty a bag of ice into the ice bucket. “I’ll finish setting up the bar now that the finger food is ready.”
“Yes, you should tend bar with me for the first half hour to get over the initial crush,” Lena says to me, “and then pop back here to help Miju with serving. Based on our experience, people don’t usually want food at first.”
Lena and I set up the rest of the bar as guests arrive. We work well together, and I barely even have time to check out William’s friends as I serve. They look much hipper than a bunch of accountants. They’re all sleekly dressed in black. He managed to invite about thirty people. I catch glimpses of him laughing with different friends. He no longer gives me Secret Service vibes.
I ask Lena questions about her finances and art, trying to determine if she has any motive to steal the paintings. But she seems rather clueless. She models on the side. She’s about to quit this job with Star Catering, but she’ll keep doing it for this other company because she feels like she owes the owner, Kimberly, who hired her when she’d just arrived in New York and didn’t know anything. Her affection for Kimberly seems sincere. Another dead end.
“Do you want to keep doing the bar and I’ll help Miju serve?” I ask.
I join Miju in the kitchen.
“You were right about William being taken. And I don’t want to mess with her,” Miju says as I open the refrigerator.
“I was?”
“He’s with the very pretty woman on the couch.”
I stare into the refrigerator. What tray was I grabbing?
William never mentioned he had a girlfriend. Granted, we’re just colleagues, co-detectives; it’s not like we’re dating. I’ve never been interested before. He could have said something on the subway. Just because I felt some flicker, a spark of electricity. Like when he was worried about me going alone. Like when he unbuttoned my dress. Like when he wanted to make sure I knew how to defend myself. Does he see himself as my big brother?
“Are you coming?” Miju asks.
The grilled rice balls. I’m supposed to serve them. I shiver. He has a girlfriend, and here I am circulating, serving food to his friends as the help. I can’t believe he didn’t even mention it. But I never thought to ask. It’s always the quiet ones who don’t reveal important facts. Does he think it’s classified? I huff out a disbelieving breath.
I circle around the party with my tray of grilled rice balls. But I avoid William.
William joins the woman on the couch. She is very attractive. She bursts into laughter, covering her mouth. William smiles.
Back in the kitchen with Miju, I ask, “How do you know he’s taken?”
“After she passed, he said to another guy, ‘And you’ve met my omiai fiancée,’” Miju says. “Omiai meansarranged match, which I know from Japanese dramas. One of my favorites is Omiai Kekkon. Although Korean dramas are still the best.”
A fiancée. My stomach drops. Is that why he’s always pulled back?
She asks, “How’d you know?”
I pull out another tray from the oven, giving myself some time to come up with an answer. “I think he mentioned it when I first arrived.” My voice is low, gravelly.
“Usually there are photos around the house, but I haven’t seen any.”
I haven’t seen any photos either, but then when I was here before, I wasn’t focusing on that. Uncle Tony should’ve mentioned it. Not that I’ve ever shown any interest in William before. But as a matter of family news, it should have come up. I should be interviewing Miju about her motives, but she’s already disappeared back into the room with the quiches. I take the other tray of quiches. Unfortunately, this time I’ve got the side of the room with his fiancée.
I serve her. She says thank you graciously. She’s not wearing a ring.
I’m surprised she and William are not hanging out more. I mean, it’s not as if they’ve seen each other much the past week, given that I’ve been hanging out with him the entire time. Maybe she gives him his space to get his work done. And space to go hang out on Fire Island with another woman and her friends. She’s very secure. But if William sees me as some “relative,” then there is nothing to worry about.
As I head back into the kitchen, William is waiting for me in the hallway.
“Any revelations?” he asks.
A huge one.I’m afraid that if I look at him, my eyes will reveal how sad I am. I need time to process this. I wasn’t supposed to fall this hard for William.
“One,” I say.
“What?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
I turn to enter the kitchen. He touches my arm.
“Are you okay? You seem … dimmed.”
I look up at him then. “I’m okay. We’re just not getting anywhere in the investigation, and it’s getting me down.”
“Even if we eliminate people, it’s good.”
I nod. “I’d better go get the sushi.”
“Okay, but maybe after that, you should go back to the bar. Or did you get a chance to ask Lena questions?”
“I did, but not enough,” I say. “She feels indebted to Kimberly.”
He nods and returns to the party. Miju enters the kitchen.
“Do you just work for Star Catering?” I ask Miju. “I need to pick up more gigs.”
“I also work for Kimberly’s Catering, and she’s the best. But she’s very picky about who she hires. It’s her name and her business on the line. I’ve been working for her since she started. But she might be thrilled to pick up an artist if your schedule is more flexible. It’s hard for her when one of us has a show and then we’re out for months. She has a few backup people, but they’re also all actors. Right now, with both of us on shows, she’s looking.”
“How does she vet you?” I ask. “I hope I can pass.”
“We’ve got to serve these trays, but I can call you later and explain,” Miju says.
I circulate again with the gyoza. I catch William looking at me, but I ignore him.
Back in the kitchen, Miju says, “A bunch of us are going out on Sunday night. You should come. Lena probably won’t come because she’ll be with her boyfriend. They’re all loved up on Sunday nights, but we’re going out dancing.”
“I’d love to,” I say. That’s a better opportunity for probing. My head will be back to functioning. Right now, I want to run away or hide in the bathroom. Get ahold of yourself. I take a deep breath. You can still be friends. This is better. No family ramifications.
As we clean up, Miju says, “At least this time, we have the kitchen to ourselves. It’s so annoying when the guests hang around and hit on you. Unless they’re cute.”
Lena says, “Yeah, like that party a few weeks ago, where that old guy kept hitting on us in the kitchen.”
“Although it was a toss-up as to whether he was hitting on us or just wanted first dibs on the appetizers,” Miju says.
“He wanted both,” Lena says. “He had such an inflated sense of himself.”
“Hey, he was an art dealer. I think he gave us his card. Maybe you want to look him up. But be forewarned, he’s a lecherous one.” Miju shivers with distaste. She reaches into her wallet. “I don’t know if I still have it. The hosts were so lovely, I didn’t want to insult one of their guests by tearing it up right in front of him.”
She hands over Vinnie’s card.
I stare at it in shock. Vinnie was in the kitchen.
“When was the party?” I ask.
“Friday a few weeks ago,” Lena says. “Like I said, not a lot of personal space boundaries, but you can use that to your advantage since he’d probably want to represent you since you’re pretty.”
I blush. “Thanks.”
Vinnie was in the kitchen, right next to the office room with the paintings.