“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it’d be a big deal. We were already having everyone over and I thought you’d enjoy the company,” I said as I led him to the table before going to get a vase for the flowers.
Of course I knew that he was going to misconstrue my dinner invitation, but I didn’t care. He could have his close friend Beth Thompson console him if he didn’t like it. I had a murder to solve.
After checking to make sure Longganisa was comfortable in my room (poor Amir was allergic), I emerged from the kitchen with the vase to see the Calendar Crew had already surrounded Jae and were grilling him about Beth Thompson.
“What do you know about her?”
“Do you think she killed her husband?”
“When did you two start your affair?”
This last question from Ninang April had Jae choking and spilling water all over himself. Most of the time, my godmothers’ nosy bluntness was a huge pain, but I appreciated it at times like this. The Calendar Crew absolutely did not care what you thought about them, and they would stop at nothing to get to the bottom of the latest bit of tsismis.
Watching this six-foot-tall man shrinking into his chair and clutching his empty water glass for protection against my aunties shouldn’t have been so satisfying, but I’d been in a mood since leaving the pageant event and this was definitely helping.
Jae turned panicked eyes toward me, seeking assistance, but I busied myself with arranging the flowers on a nearby shelf. Detective Park cleared his throat and Jae turned toward him, likely thinking his big brother was going to save him.
“I didn’t realize you were involved with Beth Thompson, Jae. Care to explain the nature of your relationship?” Detective Park folded his hands on top of the table, gazing at his little brother with that penetrating stare of his.
Jae looked at everyone else in the room. Joy was at least pretending to be busy, straightening the forks and spoons next to each plate, but everyone else’s undivided attention was on him.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not what you think, OK? We’ve had dinner together a few times, but that’s it. Nothing is going on between us.”
“Dinner with just the two of you? At which restaurants?” Amir asked, taking the chair next to Jae and leaning close.
“We usually went outside of Shady Palms to hang out. Not that we had anything to hide!” Jae was quick to add, as he leaned away from Amir. “I just wanted to try new places and Beth said she knew some good restaurants in Shelbyville. She introduced me to a great Ethiopian place.”
I knew that restaurant. It was a small, intimate, and intensely romantic space. He’d taken me there a few times, and while those were friend hangouts, I guess I considered it one of our places. The fact that he’d gone there with Beth first hurt in a way it shouldn’t have.
I crossed my arms. “So she was the one who introduced you to Demera?”
Jae flinched. Amir, noting the involuntary movement, tried to drive the wedge further between me and Jae.
“So you’ve been sharing this special date spot with two different women? One of whom was married? I thought better of you, Doctor.”
“They weren’t dates,” Jae muttered. “Lila and I are friends, and so are me and Beth. I don’t exactly know a ton of people in this town, OK? Besides, I have made it very clear to Beth that I’m not interested in being the other man.”
I crossed my arms. “Well, she’s single now. Guess you get to be the one to console her.”
Jae tilted his head, studying me. “Why are you being like this?”
“Why was your tie at her place?”
The room stilled.
“What?” Jae’s eyes widened and his hand went to his chest as if to check for the missing tie.
“After the pageant interviews, Beth told me to remind you that you’d forgotten your tie at her place.” I leaned over, putting a hand on the back of Amir’s chair to stabilize myself. “Why were you there?”
I was being unfair to him. So, so unfair since Jae was being honest when he said he didn’t know many people in Shady Palms. Adeena and I were among his first friends in town, and I knew he still struggled to put himself out there and meet new people. I knew how hard he’d been trying to break out of his shell and make new friends. But I just couldn’t get the image of his tie at Beth’s place out of my head—maybe I cared more than I let myself believe.
“Why am I under interrogation? Is that why you invited me here? To ambush me?” Jae stood up, his face redder than the time he’d downed a whole bottle of soju at karaoke. He was mad at me. Me, as if I were the one hiding secrets and information about a potential murderer.
“Bro, this isn’t an interrogation. We’re all here to share information that will hopefully shed light on what happened to Rob Thompson.” Detective Park’s tone was soothing, meant to assuage his brother into telling us what we wanted. “Out of all of us, you know Beth Thompson the best and she’s a person of interest right now. Nobody’s accusing you or her of anything. Isn’t that right?”
He glared at me and my godmothers and raised his eyebrows at Amir, but we all just shrugged at him.
Jae ran his hand through his hair, somehow making it even messier and sexier than before. “Look, I’m not going to pretend that she’s not an attractive woman and that she hasn’t made it obvious she’s interested in me. But I wasn’t going to be a piece in the Thompsons’ weird game.”
“What do you mean by that?” his brother asked.
“Beth said that I shouldn’t let the fact she was married stop me since it was an open secret that they both had relationships on the side. I could respect polyamory, but I know people in polyamorous relationships, and the way she was talking made it seem like this wasn’t it. That it was a competition between the two of them and they got off on flaunting their latest conquest.” Jae grimaced. “I was flattered, but had no interest in being part of that, especially with a town this small and a couple that powerful. I was looking for a fun hangout, not some weird Eyes Wide Shut thing.”
“And she was cool with you turning her down?” I asked. Beth Thompson did not seem like the kind of woman who took rejection lightly.
“She said she valued my friendship, so she’d let it go for now.”
I didn’t miss those last two words. Beth was probably smart enough to know that (1) Jae cherished his friendships and (2) he did not do well if you pushed him too far outside his comfort zone. She was playing the long game with him, I was sure of it.
“So would you say their marriage was contentious? Was she unhappy?” Detective Park pressed.
Jae fiddled with the cutlery next to him. “I mean, that’s not really for me to say, is it? They seemed fine. Just . . .”
“Just what?” Detective Park and I asked at the same time.
“Beth is the kind of person who’s never truly satisfied. So happy or unhappy, I can’t really speak to that. Not sure that even matters to her. But I think she enjoyed competing against her husband. I never once got the feeling she wanted out, if that’s what you’re asking.”