“Your mother was certain that girl led your sister astray—dragging Sarang into parties, drugs, and boys until her grades fell.”
Grades fell? I had a 4.2 GPA!
“She turned Sarang all the way around until when she finally tried to get on the right track, it was too late and that boy had already stolen the valedictorian spot from her. And then...” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Well, you know what she did to try to get it back.”
My free hand tightened under the table, gripping my recording phone hard. So this was the lie my mother spread through the network? Blaming everything on my best friend in the world because she refused to believe the real monster was right under her roof.
“Well, it turned out it wasn’t like that,” I said when my anger cooled. “Courtney was and is a good person—”
“No, no, no,” she hissed, leaning in and patting my hand with aget this?look on her face. “You know that Melinda Thorne—a complete gossip and whore till the bitter end. She was forever bragging about herperfect, wonderful daughter,Courtney, who got into Princeton while Sarang was expelled, and you went to community college. Heavens, she was so nasty with those ‘where did your daughters go to school again? Oh, that’s right, nowhere’ comments. All because your mother held the Coats for Kids charity dinner on the same night as her Save the Owls auction—and everyone went to our event instead of hers.”
My brows popped. “Yikes. I had no idea things used to be so bad between Omma and Mrs. Thorne.”
She scoffed. “Make thatMs. Llewellyn.The nerve of that slut—attacking your mother and her children while her own husband was divorcing her for sleeping around, and her daughter wasn’t anywhere near Princeton. She was halfway around the world learning how to pick up STDs and surprise babies just like her mommy dearest. Did you know that Courtney girl has a daughter?” Mrs. Choi smiled that little, malicious smile shared by everyone who got sick enjoyment out of feeling superior over others. “Apparently, she’s got no idea who the father is. Everyone was talking about it at the baby shower.” She sniffed. “I tell you this,Ms. Llewellynhasn’t had a peep to say about you, Sarang, or your mother since then.”
“That’s... good,” I forced out. What I really wanted to do was tell her off, but I couldn’t. Opening up about the people who hated Omma was exactly what I needed her to do. I just wished she could do it without trashing my closest friend. “And I guess Ms. Llewellyn must’ve epically freaked out when I posted all over my socials that Courtney was in Paris, and then Omma told everyone else.”
She whistled. “Epically freaked out is putting it lightly. She rammed your mother’s car in the parking lot.”
“What!”
“Shh,” she hissed, flapping her hand—but that nasty smile widened. “Oh, yes, didn’t you know? That’s why your omma had to scrap the Ferrari. She totaled it and almost put your mother in the hospital. Didn’t your mother tell you this?”
I shook my head. “There was a lot Omma didn’t tell me. I guess kids never really know what’s going on in their parents’ lives.”
“Dae Sung sure doesn’t,” she scoffed. “I swear that boy’s fingers break every time he’s supposed to call his mother. Even now, my best friend was murdered and my own son can’t be bothered to pick up the phone.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Choi.”
“No, no, no,” she gruffed, waving that away. “Don’t you worry about comforting me. My loss is nothing compared to yours. It’s you I’m here for.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate that, and you really are helping me. Despite everything, I know Courtney didn’t do it, and the four of us areterrified knowing a murderer walked right into our home and is still on the loose. I mean, we’ve got Nari to think about.”
“Oh dear, I hadn’t thought of that,” she breathed, laying her hand over her heart. “If the police have got it wrong, you may still be in danger—not to mention that precious child. Oh, Sue, you must know how much we all love Nari. I swear the heavens gave us one of their own with that girl.”
“Yes,” I whispered, smiling soft. “They did. That’s why I need to be sure. Now, you’re saying that the feud between Courtney’s mom and mine got so bad it resulted into road rage, but they must’ve buried the hatchet, right? Otherwise, why would she have invited Omma to the baby shower?”
“Hmm. It’s true, she did.” Mrs. Choi paused to sip her tea. “And ever since, they were both too busy showering their grandchildren with attention to worry about the other. It’d helped that Courtney’spredicamenthumbled that nasty shrew. Llewellyn certainly wasn’t bragging about her Ivy League–dropout daughter after she admitted she couldn’t even remember her child’s father’s name.”
I clamped down hard on my tongue, holding back the lashing.You need her, you need her, you need her. For all her badmouthing Courtney, she’s eventually going to say something that’ll save Courtney’s future.
“Was there anyone else?” I asked. “Someone else who resented my mother so much, they couldn’t get over it? Something they’d want to settle the score over, even though Omma was already dying.”
Shaking her head, her gaze drifted out the window. “My dear, no. Of course not. It’s as you say, any petty grievances were settled with the news that my friend didn’t have long in this world. At this point, her death achieved nothing except satisfying the murderous lust of a monster. Because if it wasn’t that Courtney girl, that’s who it was—a monster,” she spat.
“Some sick, soulless beast who’s too much of a coward to face a woman head-on, so they strike from behind or when they’re laid up in bed and couldn’t hope to fight back. Just like they did with your mother, that woman who used to work for you, and that poor girl from the post office. Did you know that’s how that young woman died?” she asked. “Struck on the back of the head. She was probably walking to her car, heading home from work, when that beast came up behind her. She wouldn’t have seen a thing coming.”
“I didn’t know that was how she died,” I admitted. “All I heard was that she was found on Bonsai Beach. Look, Mrs. Choi, I don’t doubt the killer is a madman, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a motive to go after Omma specifically.
“The killer took a serious risk going after Omma in a house full of cops and witnesses. They planned a way to get in, out, and frame an innocent person all without being seen. That’s a lot of premeditation for an opportunistic coward.”
Mrs. Choi tipped her head, nodding. “Yes, I see what you mean.”
“So, please, thinking back to everything my mother’s said and done. Think about everything others may have done and said about my mother. Did anyone have a reason to want to silence her? One that couldn’t wait.”
She tossed her head, face crumpling. “Soo, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing like that. Your mother shut herself away for months. No one had a reason to... to silence...” Trailing off, she stiffened. “Wait. Silence... Silence her...”
“What?” I pounced. “What is it?”
