Page 48 of Betrayal In The Bay

I sighed before I said, “Going back to Korea would be fun, but I already taught there, and I had hoped to teach someplace new. That was before I met Aiden. Now, I’m not too sure,” I admitted with a frown. Life was so much simpler when I didn’t have to worry about relationships.

“I’m sure you and Aiden will figure it out and imagine all the cool places you guys can go diving.” As usual, Julia was more positive about my love life, but this time, her sunny outlook brought a smile to my face.

“You’re right. We can meet at some great dive sites. Thanks, Jules!” I gave her a grateful smile.

I relaxed against the seat and put up my feet on the dashboard. Looking at my foam sneakers, I said, “It’s odd that Annisa was selling those fake clothes and accessories online.”

Julia’s happy expression darkened at the mention of the counterfeit goods, and she shook her head. “I know. If she needed money, I would have loaned her some. She didn’t have to sell black-market stuff.”

“She was doing more than selling the stuff online. Annisa was wearing the outfits and shoes too. The time that Aiden and I ran into her at lunch, she was wearing a pair of Christian Louboutin’s. I wonder—” I paused, not knowing if the next statement would make me sound petty.

“Go on!” Julia said.

“I wonder if she intended to get the fake items for herself. You know, so people would think she had more money than she actually did.”

“Why would she want people to think that?” Julia looked puzzled.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. After all, I only knew Annisa through Julia, so it wasn’t as though I spent extra time with her.

“I hope Annisa has a good explanation when we see her, but right now I feel so?—”

“Betrayed?” I injected.

“No, more like misled,” she said, finishing her thought.

I gave Julia a half smile. “Maybe there’s a good reason why she’s doing all this.”

In the distance, I could see the pier and Cannery Row on the other side of Monterey Bay. It would have been quicker if we had taken the highway, but the coastal road was so scenic.

“Well, right now, Aiden should be at the police station,” Julia said.

“Hopefully, there won’t be any problems. Now, all we have to do is figure out what we want to say to Sully.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Julia drove slower as we approached the pier. Even though it was a weekday, there were plenty of tourists milling around the quaint shops that dotted the waterfront.

“Where did you say the dive shop was located?” Julia asked.

“It’s between the pier and Cannery Row,” I said, mentioning the two iconic landmarks of Monterey. “Hold on, I’ll get you the exact location,” I said and typed Sully’s dive shop on the GPS app on my phone.

“Here it is. It looks like it’s in the shopping center. We can park in the public lot and walk to the dive shop.” I zoomed out the screen to get a better sense of where everything was.

Julia nodded and slowed down.

When she pulled into an empty spot, I said “Sugohaesseo,” using the Korean term for a job well done.

Julia chuckled at the Korean reference. “That reminds me, did your mom call you back?”

“Of course she did. She called in the middle of our walk with Grumpy,” I said, relaying our conversation last night.

Julia cracked up when she heard my mom call Aiden handsome. “I wish I was there to see his face.”

“Oh, and get this. Aiden is a quarter Japanese.”

“That’s neat! I didn’t know right off the bat that he was part Asian, but now that you mention it, I can see some semblance.” She nodded as she recalled his facial features.

“Did you tell your mom that he was Asian? She’ll be thrilled.”

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