Sneak Peek: Bag the Body (Cedar Woods #2) - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Kill My Brother

As I stepped into the foyer of the former mansion, now a hotel, I wanted to kill my brother. He should be here, but the coward thought a dead body was a good enough excuse to avoid his long-lost daughter. And I was the lucky one to catch this hot potato. Oh, joy.

The faint scent of vanilla drifted through the air, providing a false sense of comfort. The crystal chandelier bathed the wood-paneled walls in a warm glow. The front desk was empty, and a sign indicated the clerk would be back in a few minutes. At least there would be no one to witness this awkward meeting with my niece.

My eyes scanned the room and connected with the young girl sitting on the Victorian sofa adorned with intricate leaf and vine carvings. My pulse jumped at the familiar eyes—light brown with subtle hints of gold, framed by a thick fringe of brown lashes. As I looked into them, I felt a flash of jealousy—my niece had my adopted mother’s eyes.

I shook my head slightly. This wasn’t the time or place for my “woe is me” thoughts. This meeting had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with welcoming the girl into the family. 

I approached the sofa, my eyes never leaving the girl’s face. She was twelve years old, but she had an air of maturity that broke my heart. The poor child. She no longer believed in magic. The adults around her had clearly disappointed her one too many times.

My niece was half Korean and half Caucasian. She got her mom’s dark black hair and almond-shaped brown eyes, but inherited her dad’s fair skin and height—she was already a good three inches taller than me.

“Hi,” she said. “Are you here to see me?”

I wanted to throw my arms around the girl, but I didn’t want to scare her. Instead, I held out my hand to my niece. “I’m Cedar Woods...your aunt.”

The girl looked at me with wide, uncertain eyes. She slowly reached out and shook my hand. “Willow Joo.”

I took the armchair next to the sofa. We stared at each other in silence. She had an inquisitive look on her face, one that said she was trying to figure out my spot in the family tree. I didn’t want to launch into an explanation about my adoption from a Chinese orphanage into the Woods family.

“I didn’t know I had an aunt,” Willow finally said. “My mom never mentioned this side of the family.”

And she never told my brother he had a child either. “It’s okay,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I just found out about you a few days ago.” I glanced around and frowned. “Are you here alone?”

Willow shook her head. “My friend went to look at the ballroom. I think she wants to give us some privacy.” She glanced over my shoulder. “Where is Joshua Woods?”

“About that,” I said, licking my lower lip. Would a child understand, or would this be another tick mark against their budding father-daughter relationship? “Your father got called out for a homicide case. When he found out he couldn’t be here this morning, he was crushed.”

“Okay,” Willow said, dragging the word out. Her face fell, and her eyes darkened with emotion. “It’s just... I’ve waited so long to meet him.”

“Josh feels the same way,” I said. “But he’s the only county coroner, and he’s…busy.” I finished lamely. If I were in Willow’s shoes, I wouldn’t let this slide either. “Your father will make it up to you, I promise. He’ll meet up with us for dinner.” I gave my niece a bright smile. “And this gives me a chance to get to know you. I can already tell that you’re going to be my favorite niece.”

“Do you have any other nieces?” Willow asked.

I shook my head. “You’re my one and only.” My aunt had used the same line when I’d asked her the same question decades ago. “And since you’re the only child in the family, I will spoil you rotten.”

Willow shifted her gaze, not quite hiding her eye roll. As she stared out at the nearby stained glass window, a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Maybe my brother was right all along. Josh had wanted me to welcome Willow into the family. He believed I was neutral ground for the girl and could be a safe haven.

The seconds crawled by, and I had to stop myself from fidgeting. I glanced around, noting that the foyer was big enough to fit my former apartment above the Vietnamese restaurant in San Jose. It was decorated like a turn-of-the-century hotel lobby with a thick oriental carpet covering the polished marble floor. White pillars supported a ceiling adorned with an ornate fresco. A grand staircase, wide enough for two people side by side, stood in the left-hand corner of the room. A silk screen discreetly hid a modern elevator from view.

“It’s my first time inside this hotel. It is an interesting place to stay,” I said, breaking the awkward silence. “It reminds me of Downton Abbey.”

The mansion’s previous owners were the richest family in the county and wanted to recreate their country estate in England when they moved to America after WWII. Thus, the establishment boasted fifty rooms, a complex of “downstairs” hallways and service rooms to cater to guests discreetly, an Olympic-sized pool, a billiard room, a library, a grand ballroom, and a restaurant. 

The new owners even converted the conservatory into a tearoom that hosted a proper English tea upon request. It was too fancy for the townsfolk, but the tourists loved this place. I wished I could secure a contract to supply the tea for the tearoom or host an event, but my aunt’s tea shop was small potatoes in comparison, and the clientele here was out of our weight class.

“What’s Downton Abbey?” Willow asked.

I grimaced inwardly. Of course, my niece wouldn’t know about the television show. I searched my brain for another topic that might be more age appropriate, something interesting enough to distract her from the disappointment of not meeting her father...and came up blank.

It had been over thirty years since I was last a twelve-year-old girl. And never having any children of my own—though not from the lack of trying—I wasn’t sure what preteens were interested in these days.

Motion caught my eye, and I glanced up to see the front desk clerk removing the sign on the counter. The clerk had a stiff quiff that was either a wig or used up a whole bottle of hairspray. 

I shifted my gaze back to Willow. Her small frame shrunk into the Victorian sofa. Her silence filled the space between us like a thick fog. The poor girl wasn’t looking for an aunt—she was looking for her father. And I didn’t have the parts for that role.

I sighed. This wasn’t the introduction to the Woods family I wanted for my niece. “Why are you traveling with your friend, Bonnie Wong? Is Kim on a business trip?”

Kim Joo was my brother’s former fiancée. They hadn’t spoken in thirteen years. A few days ago, Josh had received a bizarre voicemail from someone named Bonnie Wong about finding his daughter on the streets of San Francisco. At first, my brother thought it was a scam, until the caller mentioned Kim’s name. Since then, he had been trying to contact Kim, but her phone was disconnected, and he had no luck on social media.

Willow’s eyes darkened, and she looked away from me. “Mom’s dead.”

I blinked rapidly, unsure if I had heard her correctly. “What?”

“She died six months ago,” Willow whispered. “I have been living with my stepfather. And then I left.”

A brick settled on my chest, and for a moment I couldn’t breathe. Kim was dead. How? We were the same age. While Kim and I weren’t best friends, we had been on friendly terms. I had welcomed her into the family with open arms during their engagement. My brother had never talked about their breakup, and he had remained a bachelor all these years. He had dated on and off, but it was never serious. I secretly thought Kim was the one who got away.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and reached out to pat Willow’s hand. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I had been…out of touch with your mom for a while.”

Willow pulled her hand away. “It’s okay.”

I winced at the bitterness in my niece’s voice. It was clear that it wasn’t okay. I had lost my adoptive mother at a young age, and even after several decades, I still felt the loss.

“Do you have any hobbies?” I asked, changing the subject. Better to get back to neutral topics. The last thing I wanted was for my niece to turn around and disappear from my brother’s life. It was already bad enough that he had missed out on the first twelve years.

“I like coding,” Willow said.

Someone cleared a throat from behind me.

Willow glanced over my shoulder. “Po Po, you’re back.” She smiled, revealing a big, toothy grin.

If I had any doubts before, that smile sealed the deal. Her smile was just like her father’s. There was even the same single dimple on her chin.

I turned around to find a Chinese granny grinning at me. Her silver hair was styled in a long bob with pink streaks. She was about my height, but even the pink tracksuit couldn’t hide that she was in good shape. I had always been the chubby sidekick growing up, but I had shed the excess weight over the past year from the stress of my divorce. It wouldn’t surprise me if this granny could kick my butt.

“You girls had enough time to get to know each other,” Po Po said, hauling Willow from her seat. “We need to leave. Now.”

I stood, held out my hand, and introduced myself as Willow’s aunt.

The granny shook my hand. “Bonnie Wong. But everyone calls me Po Po.”

I gestured for her to sit and join us. I knew enough Chinese to know that Po Po was a term of respect for elderly women or the formal title for the maternal grandma.

“Let’s finish this chat in our suite,” Po Po said, leading Willow toward the elevator.

I stood, uncertain. Was I supposed to follow them? “Wait.”

The unmistakable scent of rotten eggs wafted into the foyer. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. What in the world?

A uniformed bellhop rushed into the foyer, frantically waving his arms to get the attention of the front desk clerk. “Call a plumber. Call the maids.” His dark brown face twisted into a grimace. “The ballroom smells like a hundred skunks died in it!”

Po Po turned back and called over her shoulder. “Cedar, are you coming?”

I jogged to join my niece and the Chinese granny. We hurried toward the elevator, eager to put distance between us and the olfactory disaster behind us.

As the elevator doors slid shut, a strained silence fell over us. I gave Po Po a knowing look. She blinked at me with feigned innocence that even a child could see through. Willow’s gaze swiveled back and forth between us, a smile at the corner of her lips. 

I sighed again. This wasn’t the homecoming I had imagined, but it was a start. If nothing else, the incident had erased the grief in my niece’s eyes.

A bubble of mirth rose from my chest and I chuckled even as I shook my head. Po Po and Willow joined in the laughter. It seemed I had found my aunt a new best friend.

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