Detective Park must’ve noticed as well because he tempered his voice before addressing her. “Mr. Weinman is a person of interest and it’s too early for me to say anything definite. However, I’m hoping this is the breakthrough we need to clear you of suspicion and bring closure to this case.”
That was the closest he’d get to admitting he didn’t consider her a real suspect, so it would have to do. And if Mr. Weinman really did it, that meant it was safe to hang out at Sana’s again. A way to try to fix my and Bernadette’s relationship came to me. “Hey, do you want to join me and the girls for one of Sana’s classes? I’m thinking of taking up yoga.”
Bernadette’s eyes gleamed. “I love Sana’s studio! I’ve been going there all the time now that they cut my hours at the hospital. But we’re not doing yoga. You have to join me for one of her Zumba classes. They’re the best!”
I groaned inwardly. Bernadette was the dancer in our group. I was a good singer, but somehow suffered in the rhythm department. Bernadette, meanwhile, had been in several dance crews in high school and college and had an entire wall full of trophies to show how good she was. She probably could’ve gone pro if her mother had let her. In fact, there’s a better than average chance that she would’ve won the crown the year we competed together, but she’d injured herself while practicing her dance routine for the talent portion. She still performed, but it was obvious she couldn’t put 100 percent into it. I wondered how differently things would’ve gone for us if we’d both been able to compete at top form.
Before I could go down the rabbit hole of what-ifs, my aunt nudged me and I realized I hadn’t given Bernadette an answer. “Oh! Sure, Ate Bernie. But no making fun of my dance moves! And you have to come do karaoke with me sometime as well.”
I make a fool of myself on the dance floor for her, she embarrasses herself at the mic for me. Equivalent exchange. We shook hands on it, signaling the end of the dinner party. Everyone packed up leftovers to take home—even Ninang June, proving the power of Tita Rosie’s cooking—and left as a group, chattering happily now that the fear of Bernadette getting arrested was gone. Now that we knew who sent those threatening letters, it was only a matter of time till he confessed to killing Rob. I helped my family clean up and we went home filled with the pleasure of a job well done.
I snuggled up to Longganisa and had the most peaceful night’s sleep that I’d had in months.
Chapter Nineteen
Who knew exercise could be fun? I went jogging all the time, but that’s because the slow, rhythmic pace helped me think and was good for Longganisa’s health. But here I was dancing and sweating up a storm—in public!—and I didn’t mind at all. In fact, it was the perfect way to shake off the bad vibes from that day’s pageant event.
It had been quick and uneventful—well, if you ignored all the sniping between Valerie and Beth. Those two were in terrible moods and didn’t bother hiding it. I could understand Valerie acting out. The one-two punch of losing her brother and her family’s company/money would have anyone screaming because someone talked to them before they’d had their first cup of coffee （the poor contestant had just asked her to pass the sugar）。 Beth’s behavior was surprising though. Not only was she usually the picture of poise, but she still had power over the Thompson Family Company, if not direct access to the fortune. Yet not only did she ignore me when I offered her a muffin and snub a momtestant who asked her a question, she purposely knocked over a full coffee cup onto a stack of Valerie’s papers when Valerie interjected her opinion for the fifth time.
After a brief meeting to go over the scores for the girls’ essays, we’d handed the essays back to the contestants, told them their scores, and Beth dismissed everyone with little fanfare. She had her sunglasses on and was halfway out the door with her keys in hand before most of the girls even finished reading the comments we’d left them.
After that unceremonious dismissal, Sana had suggested a group Zumba class for everyone gathered so the day wouldn’t feel like a total waste. I’d tried to back out, saying I hadn’t packed any workout gear （which was true）， but Bernadette had just grinned at me.
“Don’t worry, Lila, I’m sure Sana’s cool with giving everyone time to change since we don’t want anyone injuring themselves. Sana, should we meet you at your studio?”
Sana nodded. “Absolutely. Make sure to wear shoes with good support because there are some high-impact moves in Zumba. Try not to wear running shoes though. They have too much grip and you need something with a little slip to perform some of the moves. See you all in half an hour!”