Free Balmy Darlings and Deaths: A Chinese Cozy Mystery (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 4) by Anne R. Tan Page A

away. A lock of his black hair fell across his forehead, and Raina glanced away to stare out the window.
    He claimed he wasn’t a family man, but the yoke of responsibility would tighten further when Maggie eventually became blind. And of course, he would do it alone because he couldn’t trust anyone with his vulnerability. You would think a decade of saving the world for the federal government would teach him about teamwork.
    They trudged up the flight of stairs to the doctor and were told to wait in his office. The doctor was behind on his schedule.
    “How is your day going so far?” Matthew asked.
    Raina told him about her findings so far with the murder investigation.
    “So Myra Jo could have killed LaShawna for being a business rival. But why would Walt cover up for his boss?” he asked.
    “To keep his job?” Raina shrugged. “So he could keep selling his pot to wealthy women? Those two are good enough reasons if he doesn’t think he would get caught.”
    “Could Eden have killed her romantic rival? Taylor and LaShawna shared a child together. They are bonded together for the rest of their lives through the son whether they like it or not.”
    “Eden would never kill over a man.”
    “How can you be so sure?”
    “She doesn’t love him enough.”
    He raised an eyebrow. “People murder for more than love. How do you know her pride didn’t kill LaShawna? Just don’t let your friendship blind you to facts. Unless you’re in the relationship, you don’t know what happens behind closed doors.”

9
    Missing Village Idiot
    T he door opened , and the doctor rushed in. “Thanks for waiting.” He dropped into his chair like he hadn’t sat all day. He grabbed a file from the credenza behind him and flipped it open, glancing at the notes.
    Matthew reached over and grabbed Raina’s hand. He patted it as if she were the one who needed his support.
    The air conditioner kicked on, a great whooshing sound that stirred the wisp of hair over the doctor’s bald spot. Footsteps faded from the hallway outside the office and then appeared again.
    Raina’s stomach churned with the tension rolling off of Matthew. The doctor continued to peruse the file like he had all the time in the world. She gave Matthew a sideways glance, noting the clenched jaw. He stroked her hand like one did a lapdog or a man needing a lifeline.
    She dragged her gaze to the framed smiling family photo on the credenza. The ultimate prize…and yet so out of reach. Tears formed in her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to hide them.
    “I want to run some tests on Maggie’s retinitis pigmentosa,” the doctor said. “I suspect it’s much worse than she let on.”
    Raina almost sagged back into her chair at the inaudible prick of the bubble. Finally! She sneaked another glance at Matthew.
    He appeared frozen, his mouth opening and closing with no sound coming out. If things weren’t so serious, she would tease him about mimicking a fish. She squeezed his ice-cold hand with all her strength and broke whatever spell he was in.
    “How much time does she have left?” he whispered.
    The doctor stared at them in confusion. “Retinitis pigmentosa is not fatal. I don’t see why she couldn’t live to her full life expectancy.”
    Raina kicked Matthew in the shin. What was wrong with the man? Geez, he was acting as if his grandma were dead already. “He meant how much time does she have left before she becomes completely blind?”
    “I can’t say. That’s why I need these tests done. Maggie is in denial. I also think she’s worried about the payment since the specialist is out of our network. The specialist is in Sacramento, and maybe she’s afraid to drive to the appointments,” he paused, giving them a pointed look.
    “I can take her to the appointments. My schedule is flexible,” Raina said.
    “Or it might be a matter of paperwork with Medicare. The sooner we get started, the better.”
    “How can I convince her if you can’t?” Matthew