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

grew heavy, and she welcomed the promise of sleep.
    The doorbell rang. Raina yawned and got up. When she opened the front door, Po Po and Frank Small, Eden's grandfather, stood at the threshold. Raina smiled for the first time since this morning. At times like this, family was a blessing to distribute the weight of responsibility.
    “I wasn’t expecting to see you until tomorrow morning, Po Po, but I’m so glad you’re here.” Raina ushered them into the living room, dragging her grandmother’s red suitcase. “Louie Po is asleep.”
    Po Po was in her seventies, but lost or gained a decade as it suited her. She tapped her pimp cane—a dark hardwood with a golden horse statuette on its head—in front of her and followed Raina into the living room. Her face, normally mischievous and open, was frowning, deepening the wrinkles into unknown ravines.
    “I hopped on the train as soon as I got your message.” Po Po jerked a thumb at Frank. “I figured it would be easier if I got a ride from the train station from someone else.”
    Raina blushed, heat rising from her chest to her neck. Her grandmother hadn’t wanted her to leave Louie Po alone, and this was exactly what she did by rushing to Eden's side. Even as she told them what happened from the time she’d received Eden’s phone call to now, she would sense her grandma’s mood dropping even further.
    “I’m sorry,” Raina said. “I didn’t think she would wake up before I got back. She’s fine now, but I think we should have a doctor check on her again. I didn’t feel a break on her ankle, and there was no swelling. I think she was too exhausted to get up from the floor once she fell.”
    Po Po’s face and tone were grim. “I better check on her.”
    As soon as her grandmother was out of earshot, Frank whispered, “What is this business with my granddaughter?”
    Raina studied the elderly man. Ex-military and in good shape, Frank Small was still a presence to reckon with. His dark skin, dark eyes, and a head full of snowy white hair made him quite the catch in the geriatric crowd. Too bad he wasn’t dating her grandma. “I’ll know more tomorrow after Eden and I chat.”
    “She’s probably a murder suspect. And without Matthew, I’m not sure she’ll get a fair shake. Will you help her?”
    “Only if she wants me to. I wouldn’t want to butt in where I’m not wanted. You know how finicky she can get with her privacy. It’s okay for her to intrude on me, but not the other way around.”
    “Eden will not ask for help. I don’t know where she got her trust issues from...or lack of it. But she can’t do it alone, not with her…personality.”
    “What are you trying to say, Frank?” Raina wanted her friend’s grandfather to spell it out to her. She didn’t want Eden to accuse her of being a busybody later on.
    “Eden has offended too many people in this town in her pursuit of ‘news.’ People will not talk to her. She’ll carry on her own investigation, but you’ll be by her side the entire time. Between the two of you, I’m sure this will get straightened out in no time.”
    “Eden is the first friend I made when I moved to town. I would do anything to help her, but isn’t this a police matter? Shouldn’t we wait for them to do their job?”
    “Detective Sokol is too green and does everything by the book. Eden needs this business wrapped up. She wouldn’t be able to do her job with everyone wanting to interview the reporter on the details of her rivalry with LaShawna. I can’t believe my granddaughter would be stupid enough to get mixed up in this business.”
    “Love makes fools of us all. Eden wouldn’t be the first or last woman to let a man get her into trouble. And besides, she did nothing wrong. Taylor and LaShawna weren’t together when they started dating.”
    “What about the home-wrecker comment? In my youth, a woman would be an outcast for having such a label.”
    “Maybe LaShawna felt like she still had a claim on