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cat.
     
    There was a feral quality to him. Someone had coaxed him into the house and fed him, but he probably would flee or scratch if held too tightly. He seemed out of place with the tightly wound perfection of the home we were in, but he definitely knew where everything was and was even willing to help make tea for a woman who seemed to hate him.
     
    Life had all sorts of surprises for me. This one was something I wanted to figure out.
     
    He must have decided it was okay to talk to me, because he gave me a half nod. The sugar cubes also were extremely interesting, because he took his time stacking them after turning the stove off, letting the boiling water settle.
     
    “Uncle, Hyun-Shik’s father, arranged for me to go to high school down here.” I stayed silent, waiting for more. “My family lives in Sacramento. My mother thought it would be better if I was here. Hyun-Shik is… was four years older than me.”
     
    “So he was like a brother?”
     
    His expression barely changed, but the mask cracked, a bit of irony seeping out. “No, I never thought of hyung as my brother.”
     
    How many nicknames did this guy have? I was trying to play catch-up on my notes when Grace scurried into the kitchen, her bare feet nearly sliding out from under her as she hit the slick wood floor. Shit. Looking down, I winced, finding my shoes were still firmly on my own feet.
     
    “Good.” She grabbed at the sugar bowl, placing it on the tray. “There’s some sliced lemon in the fridge. Jae, grab some for me and put it on that dish. Umma has other guests coming. Are you staying?”
     
    “If you need me to,” he replied. The coldness was back, placid as a glacier moving through still waters.
     
    “Yes.” Grace stopped arranging dainty teacups on the tray, taking the plate of lemons from his hand. “Just stay out of sight. I’ll come in here when I need something. Can you see if we have something to serve people? Maybe nine or so?”
     
    “I’ll look around.” Jae-Min stood as she bustled around him. She left the kitchen in a whirl of skirt and chatter, a wave of fragrant tea marking her exit. He caught the look on my face, quirking his mouth at me. “What?”
     
    “I’m guessing that what Mrs. Kim said to you wasn’t all that pleasant, but you’re offering to make tea and finger sandwiches for her and her friends. Why?”
     
    “Is this a part of your investigation in Hyun-Shik’s death?”
     
    “It’ll help give me some idea of how this family works. Let’s just say that some things aren’t adding up for me. I’m being paid a lot of money to poke around, so I’m going to poke.”
     
    “My family owes a lot to Uncle’s family. I’m here because….” He bit his lower lip with his teeth. It was obviously a habit he had when thinking. As habits go, it was better than my brother’s hedgehog hair brushing. “It’s an obligation. It would be… wrong to leave when Uncle’s family needed help.”
     
    “A family thing,” I said, stepping in to take vegetables from his hands as he unloaded the refrigerator.
     
    “Yes, a family thing. A Korean thing.” He risked another look at me, looking more than ever like the feral cat I’d tried to get to come home with me. “You don’t need to help. I can do this.”
     
    “The most help I can give you is chopping things up and putting on water to boil. After that, you’re on your own. And I can probably open a can or two. It’ll give me something to do while we talk.”
     
    “There’s not much to talk about. Hyun-ah lived with his wife. I didn’t socialize with him unless it was for a holiday or a funeral.”
     
    “His wife, Victoria.” I had to look in my papers to find her name. “How does she get along with the family?”
     
    “She’s hyung’s wife.” He said it like those three words explained everything. A small shrug when he turned, but other than that, nothing more.
     
    “Was she supportive of him? Did he have problems with