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“Okay, let me get my glasses. I’ll be right back.” Instead of setting the phone down on a table or something, she held on to it. As she walked, the screen bobbed, and I could hear the schlepping of her house slippers while she walked to retrieve her reading glasses.
A few minutes later, my mother picked up the phone again and declared, “I’m ready.” I grinned when I saw that she had her glasses perched on her nose as she leaned forward.
When Julia and I saw my mother’s face take over the width of the phone screen, we shared a giggle. I brought up the note close to the phone, and my mother read the note in Korean first and then translated it to English.
“Dear big sister, I’m glad to hear that the business is going so well, and you like our arrangement. I have a new supplier that can get stuff, so let me know when you need the next delivery. I hope you remain in good health. Your cousin, Sung Chol.”
My mother finished reading and leaned back. “What does this note mean? Who is unni?” she asked, using the Korean word for older sister.
“Hmm…” The note was vague, but since we were in Annisa’s house, we assumed the “stuff” was the designer goods she had in her closet.
“Who is unni?” my mom demanded when we ignored her the first time, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“We don’t know. We found the note on the ground, and we were curious to find out what it said.” Julia told the bald-faced lie without missing a beat.
My jaw dropped in surprise when my mother didn’t question Julia’s reason. She just tsked and said, “This is very curious.”
Indeed! I was thinking of a way to end the conversation with my mother when my phone buzzed in my purse. I reached down to see who it was.
“It’s Aiden!” I whispered to Julia and moved away so I could take his call. As I was walking away, I heard Julia tell my mother that Tristan was calling on the other line.
Before I accepted Aiden’s call, I gave Julia a small smirk and marveled at the way she handled my mother. The girl was a pro at dealing with Asian moms.
Chapter Eighteen
“Hey, Claire. I’m sorry I missed your call. Did you find anything at Annisa’s?” Aiden asked when he saw me on the screen.
“Yes! You won’t believe what we found.” I immediately launched into the details of our findings.
“Wait a minute,” Aiden said, furrowing his eyebrows. He lifted his hand, gesturing for me to slow down.
“Sorry!” I took a deep breath and started over again. “Julia and I found a closet full of designer goods in Annisa’s apartment. We don’t know if Annisa bought all these things, but if she did, Julia didn’t think she could afford them. It’s similar to the stuff that I found in her car.”
“Aiden, Aiden, are you there?” I called out his name when I heard silence from his end.
“I’m thinking, Claire,” Aiden replied. “Hmm…”
Finally, he said, “I’m not sure how any of this is tied in with her charge against Trevor. But it does seem weird, so I’ll ask her. Are you coming to Monterey this afternoon?”
“Yes, we’ll head down as soon as we leave Annisa’s apartment,” Julia said.
“Okay, let me check with the police to see if I can meet with Annisa first before you drive all the way down here. It might not be worth the drive if I can’t get any answers.”
I sighed and said, “We also want to talk to Sully about what he knew about Trevor.”
“That’s a good plan. But it’s a two-hour drive, so it might be good to make only one trip instead of two,” he replied. There was no rebuttal to his excellent rationale, so I looked at Julia to make the final call since she was the driver.
Julia nodded her head thoughtfully and leaned closer to the phone. “Alright, Aiden, call us back and let us know when you will be able to speak with Annisa.”
“I will,” Aiden said, and we spoke for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone. I was looking down when I put the phone back in my purse, so I didn’t see Julia walk out of the bedroom.
“Hey, Jules. Where did you go?” I asked, walking into the hallway.
“I’m in the guest bedroom. You need to come here and take a look inside the closet.”
I hurried to where Julia’s muffled voice was drifting from. Her mouth was wide open as she stared inside the closet.
“What is it?” I hurried to stand next to her, and I gasped when I saw what she was looking at. “Look at all the scuba diving equipment. They look brand new.”
