Inside a Japanese restaurant a few blocks away from where they were, Raymond picked up a slice of salmon sashimi with his chopsticks and dipped it into his soy sauce.  During the few minutes trek over Raymond did not utter a single word.  Frankie could tell that he was in a foul mood and he wondered what had caused his mood to change so swiftly.  “Ray, are you okay?” he asked when Raymond poked at the piece of fish without eating it.

“Why?” Raymond asked absently as he laid down his chopsticks to pick up his glass of wine.

“Because you love sushi and you haven’t even touched any since we got here,” Frankie observed.

Raymond made a face then responded, “I’m not hungry.”

“What’s with you and that Madame?” Frankie asked conversationally and with interest he saw tension tightened his brother’s features.

Just the mention of her ignited Raymond’s fury once again.  In a calm demeanor he answered, “She was the cop who came to Smashbox a few weeks ago to investigate the death of that girl who died outside in the alley.”

Frankie pursed his lips with amusement then remarked with a soft laugh, “That certainly explains why you two seem at odds with each other.”

Raymond narrowed his eyes at Frankie and said, “I don’t have anything against her.  I know she was just doing her job.”

“Then why did the two of you looked about to kill each other before?” Frankie asked with curiosity as he continued to watch his brother.

“She started it,” Raymond threw out and when he saw Frankie chuckle at his choice of words, even Raymond realized he sounded like a kindergarten child who was caught fighting with a classmate.  “What I meant is that she accuses me of dealing drugs and yet she doesn’t have any solid proof.  It’s all speculation on her part.  She doesn’t even know me so she has no reason to suspect me of it and view me like a criminal.”

Frankie picked up his glass of wine and over the rim of the glass asked casually, “Is that how she sees you?  Like a criminal?”

Raymond bit his lip with frustration and tersely said, “Worse.  You should see the way she looks at me whenever I have the misfortune of bumping into her.  It’s like I’m some sort of reject that crawled out of the sewage.  The bottom line is she doesn’t know me so she shouldn’t make any judgment on my character until she does.”

Frankie nodded with understanding then asked softly, “Why are you so worked up over what she thinks of you?  Does it matter?”

“I’m not worked up over it,” Raymond retorted then feeling uncomfortable under Frankie’s close scrutiny turned his head and pretended to be interested in a nearby bonsai plant.

Frankie studied the rosy color that had heightened Raymond’s cheeks and decided not to pursue it further.  Signaling their waiter, he said, “If you’re done, let’s go home.”

Relieved by the drop of the subject, Raymond gladly stood up.

On their way out of the restaurant, Frankie said thoughtfully, “I should remember to mention the Madame’s name whenever we go out for dinner.”  When he saw the inquiry on Raymond’s face, he added, “The mention of her makes you lose your appetite therefore saving me money.  You know what a big eater you are.”  Frankie then quickly rushed out of the restaurant without giving Raymond a chance to respond.

--------------------------------------------

“What’s wrong?” Steven asked as he watched Charmaine push the food around her plate with her fork and not eating it.  “The food isn’t good?”

Embarrassed to have him think that way, Charmaine shook her head and reassured, “It’s delicious.”

“Then why aren’t you eating?” Steven asked softly, his eyes searching her face.

Sighing heavily, Charmaine dropped her fork down onto the plate.  “I’m just upset that I don’t have any new leads on those two girls who died of drug overdose.  As time passes the trail becomes colder which makes it harder for us to catch those guys who gave them the drugs.”

From the first time they met, Steven had known what a workaholic Charmaine is.  It wasn’t a secret.  The entire station knows that Charmaine Sheh was not only a dedicated cop but she was also extremely compassionate about each and every one of her cases.  She would fight tooth and nail to solve each case and bring justice to her victims.  That was the main reason why he had been attracted to her from first sight.  He admired her for her bravery, her sympathy and most important her logic in solving crimes.  There hasn’t been a case yet that she hasn’t cracked.  Seeing her now strained over her new case made Steven admire her more.  “Do you have any suspects in mind at this time?”

“Yes,” Charmaine said strongly, “He was just here.”

Confused by her statement since Steven didn’t recall seeing any one suspicious or out of the ordinarily in the restaurant.  “Who?”

“It’s Raymond Lam,” said Charmaine with a scowl on her face.

“Raymond Lam?” Steven repeated in surprise and when he saw her serious expression said, “I can tell you right now that’s not possible.”

“What?  What do you mean it’s not possible?” asked an agitated Charmaine.

Despite her agitation, Steven remained calmed as he said, “Because I know Frankie very well and he will never allow his brother to deal drugs or anything that’s illegal.”

“Perhaps he doesn’t know what his brother is doing,” Charmaine countered.  “Besides it wouldn’t surprise me if Frankie Lam is in on it too.  After all they have a triad background.”

Steven shook his head and laughed softly as if what she said was a joke.  “Frankie is too righteous to do anything illegal.  Trust me on this.  Raymond Lam is not the guy you’re looking for.”

Knowing it was useless to debate this issue with Steven, especially since he genuinely believed in the Lam brothers, Charmaine decided to drop the subject.  The other reason was she didn’t want to start their relationship on the wrong foot by having a fight so early on.  In a demure voice she said, “You may be right.  I don’t have any hard evidence pointing it to him.  I’ll review my files again and see what else I could have missed.”

Steven nodded happily at her acceptance and asked, “Do you want dessert now?”

Charmaine widened her eyes with delight, “I thought you’ll never ask.”