Stella unloaded the take-out from Ono Saimin onto the kitchen table in the apartment she and Keiko shared. The smell made her mouth water, and had drawn Keiko from her slump on the battered living room sofa, where she’d been since Stella dropped her off.
“Got plenty char siu?” Keiko asked, and Stella beamed. Success.
“Yours does. I have high cholesterol, remember? No pork for me. I got Pono’s veggie special.”
Keiko peered into Stella’s bowl. “I see fish cake and egg.”
Stella put her hands on her hips. “I can cheat a little.”
Keiko actually smiled, which made Stella happier. The phone rang and Stella rolled her eyes with mock exasperation.
“Hello? Hey, Pauline. What’s up?” Stella handed Keiko a flat-bottomed Japanese spoon and motioned for her to begin. “It’s Auntie Piko,” she whispered to Keiko.
“You hear about that explosion yesterday?” Pauline warbled with excitement. She could hardly wait to pass the news.
“Who didn’t?”
“My son was supposed to be there. His associate went instead at the last minute, and he was killed.”
“God, Pauline. I’m sorry to hear that.” Stella was sorry for Pauline, though she didn’t care for Wayne Harding. He had a smarmy smile and eyes that never settled on a face.
“You talked to Ichiru Tagama lately?” Pauline asked.
“No. Why are you asking?”
Keiko put down her spoon. Stella made a placating motion and walked around the corner, out of the kitchen.
“He met with Obake.”
“He doesn’t work for Obake anymore.” If voices had temperatures, Stella’s dropped thirty degrees. “Pauline, you know you can’t always believe Yasuko. She has to say whatever Obake tells her to say.”
“Hey, she didn’t have to call.”
Stella made a snorting noise.
“You forget, she helped Keiko.”
Stella peeked around the corner at the young woman, who sat in a chair, twisted the cuffs of her sleeves around her wrists, and stared into her lap. She hadn’t touched her soup since the phone rang.
“She had to. It was damage control.”
Pauline didn’t respond. They’d been down this road before.
Stella spoke first. “Hey, Pauline. Sorry I take it out on you.”
“S’okay.” Pauline’s voice was soft. “But keep in mind, Yasuko didn’t have to call you.” She paused. “And there wasn’t nothing you could do before.”
When Stella answered, her voice was a hoarse whisper. “You’re wrong. I should have helped Angela. I should have been there for her.”
“You going to live your whole life with regret? It wasn’t fair of Barb to lay that responsibility on you.”
“Barb couldn’t do anything. I let Angela down, and I have to live with that.”
Pauline sighed. “Yeah, well. That’s why I called. I wanted to let you know Obake was in town. Keiko’s going to hear about it.”
“How do you know he wasn’t behind that explosion?”
“How can you say that? It was an attempt on his life. His body-guards barely got him out in time.”
“Yasuko told you that?”
“No, Wayne did. You know what a softie my son is. He was pretty upset.”
Sure, Wayne was soft and cozy as lava rock.
“Thanks for calling, Pauline.” Stella hung up the phone and dragged herself back to the kitchen. She sat down in the chair opposite Keiko and propped her head, which felt as heavy as an iron skillet, in her hands. She should have known. Keiko met her gaze with brimming eyes.
“You knew, didn’t you? Why didn’t you tell me Obake was in town?”
“It would just worry you.” Keiko grasped her own wrists and twisted as if she were trying to unscrew her hands from her arms.
Stella reached out and pulled Keiko’s sleeve up. Vertical scars ran the length of her arms. Some of them were thickened and distorted by keloids.
“You’re making the scars angrier.” Stella stroked Keiko’s arms. “Just tell me. You get one of your funny feelings, you got to tell me.”
Stella waited until Keiko’s breathing had calmed. “How did you know Obake was here?” she asked.
“I guessed because of those little girls and their father.”
Stella’s gaze sharpened. “What do you mean?”
“My father should have done the same thing.”
Stella drew a sharp breath, but waited a beat so her voice wouldn’t reflect her alarm. Keiko had avoided talking about how she’d gone to work for Obake, though Stella knew enough about the business to draw conclusions.
She took Keiko’s cold hand in hers. “Did your father owe him money?”
Keiko whispered a word that Stella couldn’t hear, but Stella saw the dark head nod. It was a common story. Most of the women who worked for him had been forced by one means or another.
“It’s not your fault,” Stella whispered to her. “Not your fault. And it’s over. You run your life now. Only you.” She smiled. “Your friends are here to help you.”
Keiko nodded and twisted again at her arms.
“Stop doing that and eat,” Stella commanded. “You’re getting healthy. You’re gaining weight and you got your period back. It’s your life—don’t give him control.”
Keiko picked up her spoon and chopsticks and took a delicate bite.
Stella piled noodles onto her spoon and slurped in a mouthful. “I’m glad you told me what you were thinking.”
“What about the little girl? Carmen?”
“She’s safe in the hospital.”
Keiko wasn’t reassured, and her face showed it.
“Eat, you need to get stronger.”
Keiko put a spoonful of noodles in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. The women ate in silence for a moment.
“Good for you,” Stella said, and made a show of slurping a large mouthful. “No need to be sad.”
Then Keiko did something unusual. She met Stella’s eyes with a stare that didn’t slide away, though when she spoke, her voice was soft and gentle. “Look who’s talking about being sad.”
Stella’s hand stopped midair on the way to her mouth and stayed there. After a long moment, she gave Keiko a small smile. “You’re right.”