Xiu lifted a brow and shot him a challenging look.
“We have more questions for you.”
She stared him down for another moment, sewing machines whirring in the background and the looms clacking and shuffling. “Fine.” She spun on her heel and marched up the metal steps to Li Fan’s office.
I raised my brows at Peter, and he flashed his eyes at me. “Is she always so cheerful?”
I bit my lip to stifle a chuckle. As we climbed the metal stairs, I glanced out over the hundreds of women on the floor. I couldn’t believe that many of them had been working since three this morning.
Once up in the office, Xiu stood beside Li Fan’s huge desk and gestured for us to take seats on the couch against the wall. We sat with our backs to the windows that looked down onto the factory floor. I found it interesting that Xiu chose to stand rather than sit in her dead boss’s chair. Was it out of loyalty and respect—or a sense of guilt?
She folded her age-spotted hands in front of her. “Yes? What?”
Peter leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “You were the one who found Li Fan’s body. The only one with a key and access to the sweatshop during the six-hour period it was closed in the wee hours of the night.”
Her dark eyes glittered, and she puckered her lined mouth. “Yes. Besides Li Fan herself, that is.”
Daisy, who sat beside Peter with her huge ears pricked, wagged her tail. She glanced up at her partner. Truth.
I crossed one ankle over the other leg and bounced my foot. “Nice jewelry.”
Xiu frowned at me, deep lines crossing her forehead.
I pointed to my own neck. “Your lockets.”
Her nostrils flared, and pink flushed her cheeks. Her hand twitched, as if to reach to her neck, but she dropped it to her side again.
I tilted my head. “Odd, that you wear two, isn’t it?” I waggled my brows. “Can we take a look at them?”
The older woman took a step back and bared her teeth, a few missing. “It’s none of your business.”
Peter rose to his feet. “Actually, it is.” He reached into the jacket pocket of his uniform and withdrew a scroll. “I’ve got a warrant to take possession of them.”
Xiu’s hand flew to her throat. “No.” She backed up a few more paces, toward the door that led to the second story. I scoffed and leaned forward, elbows on my knees. Was this old lady really going to try to outrun Peter and Daisy? This was something I wouldn’t mind seeing.
Peter stepped slowly forward. Daisy’s hackles lifted, and she let out a low growl. “I’m sorry, but you need to hand them over. Now.” He held out his palm.
Xiu sneered at me, and I looked away. Yikes. I’d better watch my back when I walked home later.
She gritted her teeth, but stopped her retreat. She reached up and slipped both chains up and over her head. Two gold, oval lockets slid out from under her top and swung at the ends of the chains. She shoved them at Peter, then spun around and crossed her arms, standing with her back to us.
I jumped to my feet and strode to Peter’s side. He handed me one, and I slid my thumbnail under the hinge and opened it. Peter did the same.
In his, a moving photograph of Li Fan batted her lashes, while Xiu’s photograph winked in the one I held. I grinned up at Peter’s surprised face. It was just as I’d suspected.
I scoffed at Xiu. “You and Li Fan were lovers.” In the photograph they’d been wearing the matching lockets, and Peter had confirmed that his fellow officers hadn’t retrieved one from the crime scene. When I remembered Xiu having two gold chains around her neck, it made sense.
“You killed her out of jealousy. She’d moved on—but you obviously didn’t, or couldn’t.”
“No!” Xiu spun around and dropped her arms to her sides, her hands balled into fists. Her narrow chest heaved. “Yes, we were lovers.” She licked her lips, her eyes far away. “But it was over between us. Li Fan was… fickle. She cast me off. And yes, it stung. Especially when I realized she was meeting her new lovers here, when I’d take my six-hour breaks late at night.”
Daisy, who stood beside Peter, eyes trained on Xiu, wagged her tail and whined. The woman is telling the truth.
I nodded. All this was what I’d suspected. I felt the urge to say “told you so” but felt quite mature at being able to merely think it and gloat silently.
“But in spite of all that….” Xiu’s lip quivered, and my stomach twisted. Urg. As much as I disliked her stony exterior, seeing this woman get teary-eyed was… unsettling. I dropped my gaze.
“In spite of all of it, I still loved her.” Xiu sighed. “I would never have killed her.”
Daisy whined again. She’s telling the truth.
I jerked my head up and frowned at Daisy. Seriously?
The older woman lifted her chin and stared Peter down. “I want Li Fan’s killer brought to justice. I tell you, I heard someone leave that night. I assumed it was another lover of hers at the time, but no… she must have been the killer.”
Peter lifted a brow. “You’re sure it was a her?”
Xiu nodded. “I could sense it.”
I snorted. “So, no. You’re not sure.”
She glared at me, and I rolled my eyes.
Peter looked her over for another long moment, then shook his head. “The same venom that killed Li Fan was used to kill Bel Hahn. I can’t see a clear connection between the deaths or a motive for you to kill the designer. On top of it, my partner here believes you’re telling the truth.” He stared Xiu down. “So… we won’t arrest you for now, but”—he gave her a hard look—“don’t go anywhere.”
Xiu glared at him, then me, but nodded. “Fine. Where would I go anyway? This place is my
