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We all shook our heads except for Tristan. Unlike the rest of us who showed a varying degree of puzzlement on our faces, he was calmly eating the sushi.
“Without giving a history lesson on mafias, it’ll be hard to get a complete picture. But there are two or three groups that have recently come up at the FBI West Coast field offices. One of them is located in the Bay Area, and it’s called the Twelve Zodiacs. Over time, the group has developed a legitimate business structure so that they can launder their illegal activities, such as selling stolen or counterfeit goods. The Sushi restaurant is one of the legal businesses that covers for its other activities. I will say that these groups have been in the States for a long time and have managed to stay under the radar for most of their dealings,” Will said to our astonished faces.
“Does any of this relate to Annisa?” Julia got straight to the point.
Will took the question in stride. “I don’t know. Honestly, if you hadn’t come across the fake goods in your friend’s closet, I probably wouldn’t be telling you any of this.”
“Is there a way if we could check if anything in Annisa’s closet was from the black-market?”
“The only way to know for sure is to take something from her closet and see if it matches anything on the black-market list.”
“There’s a list?” I asked. I was behind on the current events from the years I spent overseas, and I hadn’t realized that the same stuff I was used to hearing about internationally was happening in my backyard.
“It’s not a complete inventory, but the FBI has compiled a document of the most sought-after items that are being sold in black-markets,” Will said.
At Will’s admission, I glanced at Aiden, and he returned a small nod. Then I raised my hand to get my friends’ attention, and when they looked at me expectantly, I wished that I didn’t have to be the bearer of bad news. “Aiden told me that when he asked Annisa about the items in her closets, she suggested that Aiden could get into the side hustle with her,” I said.
Julia’s eyes popped at the same time that Tristan’s jaw dropped. He set his drink on the counter and said, “Annisa actually asked Aiden to participate in illegal activities. Is she an idiot?” He glanced back and forth between us.
“I don’t think she’s an idiot, but I think she assumed that she could convince people, in this case Aiden, to do what she wanted. I believe the word Aiden used was manipulative,” I answered.
Will’s face was impassive because he had never met Annisa, but Tristan nodded at my description. Julia’s face hardened.
“I’ll text Annisa in the morning to let her know we’re coming,” Julia said quietly. Each word came out in a deliberate breath.
“What are you going to say?” I asked. It always seemed odd that Julia was friends with Annisa, and I wondered what my best friend saw in her. Now it seemed that the moment had arrived, where Julia was going to see what kind of person she really was.
Even though I hated that Julia was going to be hurt in all this, I was relieved that the rest of us didn’t have to ignore Annisa’s Janus-faced behavior.
“The truth. I want to confront her about all of this,” Julia said. Her mouth was set in a grim line, and the corners of her eyes, usually crinkled when she smiled, were narrowed in disbelief.
“That’s good, and while you are talking to Annisa, I’ll sneak into her bedroom and take something. By the sheer amount of stuff she has crammed into her closet, I don’t think she’ll miss it.”
Aiden glanced down at his wristwatch and frowned. He had been silent while I relayed what Annisa proposed to him at the Monterey police station. “I hate to let you go alone, but I have to go back to work tomorrow. I took a personal day today, but the work will have piled up,” he said apologetically.
“Thank you for helping in all this…” I trailed off. “I’m sure that you had no idea what you were getting into when you agreed to help Annisa.”
He nodded with wide eyes. “I didn’t think Annisa was a murderer, so that’s why I volunteered to represent Annisa. But I’m just as stunned as you are by her dealings with the stolen or counterfeit merchandise.” Then he smiled at me and said, “And it gave me more time to spend with you.
I blushed at Aiden’s admission. Tristan gave me an I told you look, which I promptly ignored. I started to feel hungry again, but when I looked at the counter, all the sushi was gone.
I looked at Tristan. “Did you eat all the sushi?”
He squirmed with a nervous chuckle. “Does anyone want to order pizza?”
I rolled my eyes at Julia, and she shook her head exasperatedly at her husband.
“No, thanks. I better get going.” Will looked down at his watch, and it reminded me of the Cartier watch I found in Annisa’s closet.
“We should get going, too.” Julia gave Tristan a pointed look. She was trying to be discreet, but I knew her too well. I knew she wanted to give Aiden and me some alone time.
Whether he was being obtuse on purpose or not, Tristan asked, “Aren’t we going to order pizza?”
Julia looked like she was going to say something, but Will clapped his hand on Tristan’s shoulder. “Hey, buddy, I think you’re missing the clue to give Claire and Aiden some space.”
At that point, Tristan let out a laugh. “I’m just teasing. Plus, I’m full.” He patted his stomach in contentment.
“That’s because you ate all the food unlike the rest of us who only had a few bites,” Julia said. “I’m still hungry,” she added, giving him a pointed stare.
