Page 28 of Caper Crush
“Yes, I told him while the police were here so they could hear his reaction,” Takashi says.
“He sounded surprised,” William says.
“But not as shocked as I would’ve expected.” Takashi rubs his forehead. He picks up a piece of steamed broccoli with his chopsticks.
“So we should interview him,” I say. “And we should interview the waitstaff. I should see if I can get a job with them.”
William raises an eyebrow. “Not a bad idea. But do you have a chance to talk when you’re working a party?”
“Not so much, but during the setup and the cleanup, yes. I usually bond with whomever I’m working with.” Waitressing at parties is fun—unless the guests are obnoxious. But otherwise, I get to experience the energy of the party while making new friends with the other servers and getting paid.
“Are you going to be able to pretend to bond with someone who might have stolen your painting?” Takashi asks.
“There is that,” I say. “But I can keep an open mind.”
Takashi glances at me and harrumphs. I smile sweetly back.
“Well, then probably the best approach is for me to throw a party, hire Star Catering, and request you and the other two,” William says.
“You would do that?” I ask.
“I’ll put anything of any value in storage,” he says dryly.
“What reason will you give for throwing a party?”
“I need a reason? I haven’t seen my friends in a while. That’s good enough.”
“Do you throw parties periodically?”
William looks at me like I’m some alien being. “Yes.”
“Vinnie knew we’d wrapped up the Kimimoto,” Takashi says. “We called him on Friday to say we’d wrapped it up and would bring it down.”
I tell them about my interview with Officer Johnson, including that despite my having a financial motive, he didn’t seem to think it was me. And that he asked who disliked me because he thought the crime was personal.
“Really, by the end of the interview, I felt like I had a lot of people who had motives to steal my painting, namely Annabelle and Rex.”
“Because he was upset over your breakup?” William asks. “He seemed pretty keen on you at the last party.”
“Not the breakup,” I say. “But more that he wants me to concentrate full time on the band.”
“It’s not Rex,” Takashi says. “He wants to get back together with you. You guys closed down the party with your last duet.”
I half-smile. “You and Uncle Tony have a soft spot for him.”
“We felt the same way after our interview. Officer Johnson also asked who disliked us.” Takashi winces. “Everybody Tony knows needs money. I mean, he’s in the arts in New York City. And my friends are mostly ex-Homeland Security cybersecurity guys. We’re a scrappy bunch, but we’re honest. We’ve got each other’s backs. That’s one of the things I love about our community. We’re there for each other, lifting each other up.”
We’re all silent. The scroll on the wall shows a flock of birds flying over a foggy Lake Kawaguchi, a traditional building clearly defined in the background. The possibility of clarity appears after a hazy start.
“What’s Edmund’s deal?” William asks.
“He’s the only one who doesn’t need money, given that he inherited his father’s wealth,” I say.
“He’s close to Annabelle?”
“He’s always been in love with Annabelle.”
“And yet he looked surprised when she said he’d brought framed photos for her.”
