Xiu leveled me a flat look, and I had the strong urge to slide behind Peter and hide. Eep.
“Discipline is everything.” She continued to glare at me. “We achieve nothing without it.”
Daisy wagged her tail and woofed. I like this one.
I shot the dog a look.
Xiu thrust an arm out toward the production floor without even looking and shrieked, “Back to work!”
Startled, I turned as dozens of workers jumped, then dropped their eyes back to their work. The energy on the floor picked up, workers redoubling their efforts.
I curled my lip. Snakes. Did she have eyes in the back of her head? And no wonder the place was still going strong despite the murder—Xiu clearly ruled it with an iron fist.
Peter frowned. “Who takes ownership now?”
Xiu blinked. “I imagine we’ll learn that once Li Fan’s will is read.” She cocked her head. “In the meantime, I continue to do my job.”
Wow. I rolled my eyes. The grief was just rolling off this woman. You could really feel her pain. Right. I, for one, could totally imagine her killing off her boss in cold blood and then just getting right back to work.
Peter shifted on his feet, his eyes darting from the workers to Xiu. “Was anyone else here at the time? Did you see anything that might help us identify a suspect?”
Xiu gave a slight shake of her head. “I was the first in the door—no one was here but Li Fan.” Her mouth tightened slightly, her nostrils flared, and her chest heaved.
Daisy let out a low growl. Not entirely true.
Huh. What was Xiu’s reaction? Was this intimidating woman scared of something? Or angry?
Peter glanced at his canine partner, then back at Xiu. “You’re sure no one else was here?” He dipped his head toward Daisy, who stood at attention, ears pricked, dark eyes glued to the foreman. “My partner here can smell lies.”
Xiu’s throat bobbed as she eyed the dog. “Li Fan may have had an… appointment. I thought perhaps I heard footsteps before I found her.” She huffed. “But I’m not sure.”
Daisy panted. True.
Peter lifted his chin toward the stairs. “Is this the only entrance to the office?”
Xiu crossed her thin arms over her chest. “No. There’s another door on the second floor.” Her eyes lifted to the shadows moving behind the drawn curtains. “Your fellow officers already asked me all this. They’re searching her office now.”
Peter nodded, his voice level. “We just like to be thorough.”
I smirked. And to see if they could catch her in a lie by asking the same questions in different ways. I’d perused enough interrogation records when I was a lawyer to know this game.
Peter rubbed his big hands together. “Well then—you won’t mind if we look around?”
Xiu stared at him. “Not at all. In fact—I’ll escort you myself.”
THE STOREROOM
Xiu turned toward the production floor and shouted, “Keep working!”
I jumped. Man. I didn’t expect such a thin, expressionless woman to be capable of such volume. My ears were ringing.
Peter, Daisy, and I followed Xiu past the front row of workers, who assembled cut pieces of fabric together with pins while enchanted needles and thread stitched them together. Not one of the women looked up from their work as we passed. I frowned. Was it discipline, as Xiu had put it, or fear that kept them so diligent?
We exited through a set of double metal doors, back into the warren of dark hallways. Exposed, dripping pipes ran along the ceiling, and the dim candlelight reflected off small puddles on the concrete floor.
“Tell me.” Peter’s shiny black shoes clipped along as we followed Xiu. “Did Li Fan have any enemies?” An enchanted quill and scroll hovered next to his shoulder, poised to take notes.
Daisy’s ears pricked up as she waited for the foreman’s answer.
Xiu’s face split into a mirthless, tight-lipped smile. I couldn’t believe I was thinking it, but I preferred the hard, humorless version of her over this creepy expression.
“Li Fan has been single-handedly operating a sweatshop in the heart of the Darkmoon District for the last forty-three years.” Xiu smirked. “A successful businesswoman in a brutal industry in the seediest part of the island? You tell me if you think she had enemies.”
I rolled my eyes. Dramatic, much?
As Peter continued to question the foreman, I let myself drift behind them, really taking in the surroundings. They turned right at the next intersection and headed down a hallway lined with doors.
Just before I turned, I glanced left and caught two women standing halfway down the long, dark aisle, heads bent close together. They looked up when they caught me staring. One was young, with a beauty mark above her lip and bangs. The other was older, maybe in her early fifties, with long black hair hidden under a cotton scarf.
Their eyes grew wide and they instantly broke apart, heading through doors on opposite sides of the hallway. I pressed my lips tight together. Not suspicious at all, ladies.
I turned and jogged to catch up with Peter, Daisy, and Xiu. We rounded another corner, this one lined with more doors and with workers stationed at tables down the lengths of the walls.
Peter paused. “Actually—I’d rather see what’s that way.”
He pointed behind us.
Xiu’s face darkened, and she pinched her lips together. “Of course.”
I frowned as she swept past us and led the way down the other length of hall. Something made me think there was something down this way that she didn’t want us to see.
Doors lined both sides. “These are just our storerooms.” She paused in front of one, pulled out a heavy iron keyring, and unlocked it. She pushed the door open and stood to the side to allow us to look in.
Peter pulled out his wand and the tip flashed bright, illuminating the large room. Clothes hung on racks and stood in folded stacks along the wall. He nodded. “So you make clothing here?”
Xiu nodded as she pulled the door shut and locked it.
