Balmy Darlings and Deaths: A Chinese Cozy Mystery (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 4) Read Online Free

best friend would rather share this bad news with her boyfriend first.
    “Thank you. Your friendship means a lot to me. I’ve made bad choices before, and I need to figure out if I want to double down first,” Eden said. “You’ve helped me enough by getting rid of the police for me this evening. Without you, they might have stayed longer.”
    Raina hugged her friend, struggling to not tear up after the day’s events. Bad luck came in threes, and she hoped this was the last of it. First, Eden got attacked by that jealous woman, then there was the car accident, and now the police visit about a strangulation. Her problems seemed so small in comparison. She trotted across the courtyard to her unit to grab a change of clothes and called the Venus Café to order takeout for herself and Louie Po.
    She parked in front of her favorite restaurant. Across the street, the CSI van pulled out from the parking lot of the Inner Beauty Day Spa. Raina got out of her battered Honda, frowning at the plywood patch on the side of the building where the Miata had run into it.
    The police wouldn’t send a CSI unit to process a minor car accident. If Louie Po had run into someone, an officer would have gotten in touch with her by now. No, whatever was going on had nothing to do with the car accident. Detective Sokol had let slip someone got strangled. What if the car accident provided the distraction someone needed? But who died?
    Maybe she could ask around at the Venus Café. Raina glanced at the Help Wanted sign on the way into the cafe. As she strolled up to the counter, the buzz of conversation from the other diners in the restaurant drew her attention. She barely even notice the naked nymphs painted on the walls.
    “…horrible accident…treatment room…”
    “…where’s the sister…”
    “…poor boy…”
    By the time Raina got to the counter, her shoulders were tense from the strain of listening in on the surrounding conversations. The gossip sounded much worse than she’d initially thought. Who died?
    Brenda Sullivan, her friend and co-owner of the cafe, handed Raina the plastic bag full of food containers. As she rang up the tab on the cash register, she asked, “How is Maggie Louie doing?”
    “Just a mild concussion. She’s at home resting.”
    “I thought you’re supposed to keep them up after a concussion.”
    “The doctor said it’s okay to sleep as long as she’s alert and can hold a conversation before sleeping. Arguing with me about whether to call her grandson fits the bill.” Raina leaned in. “What happened across the street? Why is there a CSI van?”
    “Give me a second.” Brenda turned around and stuck her head through the swinging doors to the kitchen. She had a quick muffled conversation and came back. “I need a break anyway.” As she stepped around the counter, her husband came out to fill in for her.
    Her friend led Raina through the double swinging doors and into the stainless steel kitchen. She poured them each a cup of coffee and led the way to a small corner office. It was more of a cubicle set aside in a corner with a desk and a standing filing cabinet. The clanging pots and pinging flatware hitting the sink kept Brenda company every time she had to do paperwork or make a call.
    Raina leaned forward in her seat. “What happened?”
    Her friend sipped her coffee, sighing and wiggling her toes.
    “Brenda! You’re killing me,” Raina said.
    Her friend chuckled. “All right.” The amusement left Brenda’s face. “Did you see the line of women canceling their appointments and demanding refunds after the car accident?” At Raina’s nod, she continued, “Everyone left, and it was just Officer Hopper in the parking lot, filling out forms in her cruiser, when Ryan came flying out of the day spa. Then the two of them rushed inside. Next thing, the EMT was here again.”
    “Who died?”
    “It was LaShawna Robertson. She died in the treatment room.” Brenda took a sip, her shaking hand