“Not personally, honey, but I saw you in here the other day with the cop and his dog.” She rolled a wrist at the open drawer of files. “And I’m here doing what I suspect you are, too—snooping.”
I licked my lips. Maybe my disguise hadn’t been as convincing as I thought it was. “And… I shouldn’t turn you in to that cop because…?”
She reached into her tank top, fished around in her bra, then pulled out a laminated ID with her photo on it. She moved magically in the picture, tossing her beautiful dark hair and winking. “Madeleine L’Orange—member of the press.” She bowed her head at me. “I’m here working on a story.”
I glanced back into the hall and quietly shut the door behind me, then crouched down behind the desk to her eye level. “I’m Jolene—consultant for the police.” Man, I felt so official saying that. “You’re looking into Li Fan’s murder? Is that why you were whispering with that girl earlier?”
Madeleine leaned back and threw an arm over the seat of the rolling, green velvet desk chair. “I am now. But I originally went undercover here weeks ago. That girl, Mei, reached out to me. She asked me to write an exposé about the bad working conditions here. She wanted justice for her poor sister.”
I nodded. That jived with what those women had told me earlier.
Madeline lifted a brow. “But then this whole murder happened, and here we are.”
I bit my thumbnail as I thought it over. It made sense. Mei had said something about backing off—it being too dangerous now. “Do you think Li Fan’s murder had anything to do with your investigation?”
She shrugged. “I doubt it, but… you never know. If you’re asking if Mei did it, though, no way. The girl’s terrified of Xiu and was of Li Fan, too.”
I peeked over at the open drawer. “Have you found anything?”
She shook her head. “Lots of files—the police only left whatever seemed unimportant.”
I scooted closer and looked down into the drawer. A thick gold picture frame sat inside behind the papers. I pulled it out and held it so Madeline could see, as well. The magically moving photograph pictured what must have been the factory staff.
Madeline tapped the picture. “That’s Li Fan in the center.”
The older woman wore a shawl and her hair in elaborate braids. Her grim face and the way she stared at the camera made her look formidable. Xiu stood beside her, looking the same as she did now.
“This must’ve been taken recently.” I flipped it over and found the date on the back. “Just five years ago, in fact.”
A few more women stood in the front line, with the rest stretched in rows behind. I squinted at one of the women in the front—she looked oddly familiar. Was she one of the women I’d seen around the sweatshop today? Something nagged at my mind. No… I knew her from somewhere else….
As I stared longer at the magical photograph, the women shifting slightly, something else caught my eye. Xiu’s locket hung on the outside of her loose, linen top—and Li Fan wore an identical one. I made a mental note to ask Peter if the police had bagged a locket as evidence when they combed through Li Fan’s office.
“Madeline—did you ever see Li Fan wearing a locket like the one in—”
“Shh!” She shot a hand out and gripped my shoulder.
She held very still, so I did the same, her eyes unfocused, listening.
Under the whir and buzz of the factory outside the windows came the sound of footsteps clanging on metal stairs. She and I exchanged wide-eyed looks. Someone was coming up the factory stairs to the office!
I rolled onto my hands and knees, then sprang to my feet and raced to the door I’d entered through. Madeline launched to her feet right behind me. I managed to yank the door open and spring into the hall just before a voice sounded behind us.
“Hey! Who’s there?!” Xiu’s hoarse voice grated out.
Madeline and I sprinted down the short hall and rounded the corner as Xiu continued to shout after us. But, tough as nails though she was, we had the advantage of relative youth and adrenaline on our sides and soon outdistanced her. We only stopped running once we were downstairs and alone.
I leaned against the wall, my chest heaving. “Do you—think—she saw—us?”
Madeline, her forehead beaded with sweat, shook her head. “Nah. I was out of there before she could get a glimpse.”
I nodded. That was good. Still—I thought it a good time to quit my fake job and go back to Peter with what I’d found.
I gave Madeline a little salute. “Well—nice working with you, but I’m retiring. Best of luck.”
She winked. “You too, honey.”
18
THE LOCKET
Peter, his mangy mutt, and I showed up at the sweatshop later that evening. I’d delivered the vial of spider energy juice to Edna up at the station—apparently Peter had been out covering a fellow officer’s beat. Then I’d trekked back to my pad for a midafternoon nap.
They’d shown up at dusk with the results from the various tests. Li Fan and Bel Hahn had been killed by the same spider venom—that of Li Fan’s giant spider familiar. Which also happened to match the stuff from the vial I’d palmed from the sweatshop’s break room. I’d also given Peter my theory about the photograph, and we’d decided it was time to speak with Xiu.
We found her in her usual spot, at the front of the factory floor, glaring at the workers. She pursed her lips when she caught sight of us storming up the center aisle next to the noisy looms.
Her expression darkened. “I thought you quit earlier today.”
I nodded. “Sweatshop Jolene’s been retired—this is police consultant Jolene.” I winked at her.
Her expression remained as sour as ever.
Peter cleared his throat.
