Murder and Mamon

Chapter One

You do realize we're a cafe, not a plant shop, right?"

I stared at the array of blooms and greenery filling the front of the Brew-ha Cafe, all lovingly grown and arranged by Elena Torres, the cafe's resident green witch. Her plants, dried herbs, and teas had always been an important part of our business, but they usually had their own corner, which she carefully tended.

Today, they spilled out over almost every surface in the shop: Our floating shelves held potted spring flowers, adding a riot of color that popped against our brick accent wall. Long tendrils of lush greenery trailed down our pastry cases. And the invigorating aroma of fresh herbs wafted around the cafe from their places at each table, the fragrance of basil, rosemary, mint, and lavender providing a wonderful antidote for those getting over the winter blahs. You'd think it'd be overwhelming combined with the cafe scents of coffee, tea, and pastries, but they somehow worked in harmony and created our own version of Brew-ha Cafe aromatherapy.

Elena just grinned at me. "We are a business that likes to make money, and I guarantee you that all the plant parents and aspiring plant parents who come here will snatch these up in no time. Besides, spring is so beautiful and fleeting, we should really take advantage of it. Our customers love our seasonal offerings."

Spring had most definitely sprung in my little hometown of Shady Palms, Illinois, and all the residents were preparing for the Big Spring Clean taking place in about two weeks, an annual monthlong event where local business owners offered discounts to entice customers out after a long winter. It was also the perfect time to clear out old stock and start advertising our new seasonal offerings.

My best friend and other business partner, Adeena Awan, was embracing spring's floral vibes by pushing her signature lavender chai latte as well as her new seasonal creations, including a lavender honey latte (the honey sourced from Elena's uncle's local apiary), lavender calamansi-ade, and a sampaguita matcha latte (I didn't really like floral flavors, but even I had to admit the matcha drink was stunning).

As for me, I was leaning into "spring means green" and had prepared pandan-pistachio shortbread and brownies with a pandan cheesecake swirl. I also came up with a red bean brownie recipe, which wasn't particularly spring-like, but hey, I was in a brownie mood. And for a quick no-bake option, I developed buko pandan mochi Rice Krispie treats, which would be sure to delight our younger customers (or anyone, really; I had to keep smacking Adeena's hands away from the tray when I was testing it because she kept snatching bits of it while it cooled). I finished stocking the pastry case and moved to prop open the cafe door-we weren't due to open for another fifteen minutes, but on a sunny day like today, the gentle breeze and fresh air were more than welcome in the shop.

I stood in front of the cafe for a moment, my face lifted to the sun. My preference for cold weather and dark color palettes aside, there was something about me that absolutely craved a good bit of sunshine. Maybe it was my Filipino heritage, and the love of sunlight ran deep in my islander blood. Or it could just be a vitamin D deficiency, I don't know. Either way, I appreciated this moment of zen before the morning rush began.

"Hey, Lila, get back in here! I made you another iced sampaguita matcha!" Adeena yelled.

Forget zen, caffeine was calling.

As I picked up my drink from the front counter, the money plant next to the register caught my eye and I remembered that I had plant-based business with Elena to take care of. I joined my partners at the table, a tray of my pastries and several dishes of honey waiting for us.

"What's with all the honey?" I asked as I split open a fresh-baked scone. A curl of steam escaped, and I hummed to myself as I dolloped a bit of clotted cream on top and added a drizzle of honey.

Elena studied my face as I took a huge bite. "The honey I've been sourcing from my tio's apiary has been selling really well here, so I thought it'd be fun to play with an infused honey recipe. Something exclusive to the Brew-ha Cafe. What we've got here is-"

Elena pointed at the dish of honey I'd just used, but before she could tell me what was in it, Adeena interrupted her. "Wait, don't tell her! We wanted to test her, remember? See if she can guess what you used to infuse each honey."

I had a pretty good, though untrained, palate and sense of smell, and Adeena was forever coming up with little tests to see if I could determine what was in certain food and drinks. I didn't mind-these tastings had fast become a ritual with us, a fun way to start the day and keep my senses sharp. Plus, I did enjoy showing off a bit.

I was pretty sure I knew what spices were in the honey I'd just sampled, but just in case, I took another healthy bite of the honey-topped scone and chewed slowly, letting the contrasting textures and flavors permeate my mouth. The crisp crust of the scone yielded to a soft, fluffy interior that melted in the mouth. The clotted cream added body and richness and perfectly complemented the sweetly spiced honey.

"Star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and just a touch of ginger," I pronounced. "Did you take inspiration from Adeena's chai spice mix?"

Adeena applauded and Elena laughed and said, "There's fennel, too, but that's exactly what I was basing it on. I wish I could get a better ginger flavor in there. Fresh ginger doesn't impart enough flavor unless it steeps for a while, and ground ginger gets close but just isn't the same. Which is the problem I'm having with my next infused honey. I'm working on a salabat honey for you, but it's going to take some time to get that ginger right."

"Yay, looking forward to it. I'm guessing the chai honey represents Adeena and you're working on the salabat for me, so one of the dishes here is your signature honey?" I asked.

She pointed at the dish in front of her and I broke off a piece of scone to sample this new flavor. One bite and my tongue flared with a powerful, exciting heat. I couldn't decide if I wanted to gulp down an iced latte to cool my mouth or guzzle down the rest of the honey straight-it was a sweet, delicious pain.

"Oh my gulay, is this red chile?" I asked, trying to play it cool as if my nose wasn't running and I didn't have tears threatening to spill over. The heat finally got to me, and I gulped down my sampaguita matcha, letting the milk in the tea latte sit on my tongue to stop the burning.

Adeena and Elena cracked up at my reaction, the latter handing me a napkin to dab at my runny nose and watery eyes.

"I'm so sorry, but Adeena insisted that I not tell you, to better test your powers. And that's the spicy variation, for people like me and Adeena. I also have a mild variety for people who only want a hint of heat," Elena said, a contrite smile on her face.

Adeena, that jerk, just laughed harder. "She'll be fine. You should've seen her the first time she ate at my house. She started crying after her first few bites, but she wouldn't stop eating. My parents were so weirded out, watching this kid shoveling biryani in her mouth with tears running down her face."

My face was already flushed from the spiciness of the honey, and I turned an even deeper shade of red as Adeena relayed that embarrassing childhood story. "I'd never had spicy food before that! Tita Rosie's food is usually on the milder side since Lola Flor's stomach can't tolerate too much spice. I wasn't expecting my food to hurt me."

"So then why did you keep eating it even after it made you cry?"

I dabbed at my watery eyes, careful to only touch them with the napkin in case there was chile residue on my fingers. "It would be rude to not eat the food your family served me. Plus it was super delicious, so the pain was worth it."

There were two other infused honeys on the tray, floral ones if my trusty nose was correct, but I'd have to wait and taste them later-the chile pepper had overwhelmed my taste buds and I would need some time before I could properly taste anything with a more delicate flavor. Once I'd gotten my runny nose under control, I brought up the topic I'd forgotten to ask Elena about earlier.

"Is the money tree for the Calendar Crew ready yet? I want to give it to them before their grand opening."

My godmothers, Ninang April, Ninang Mae, and Ninang June (or the Calendar Crew, as I privately referred to them), had recently gone into business together, opening a laundromat next door to the dry-cleaning service Ninang June had taken over from her deceased husband. Their grand opening was timed to start the same day as the Big Spring Clean, which was rather genius on their part since Shady Palms residents likely had tons of heavy winter bedding and clothing that needed professional cleaning. To congratulate them on their new business, I'd commissioned Elena to grow the biggest, most eye-catching money tree possible. These lovely trees with their ornate braided trunks were symbols of good fortune, and I wanted to show my appreciation to the aunties who'd provided so much help (and stress and judgment, but that's neither here nor there) this past year.

Elena handed me her phone to show me a picture of the plant. "I know you said you wanted the biggest tree possible, but these things can reach eight feet tall, and that seemed a bit much. This one is closer to six feet and really lovely."

After I gave her (and the money tree) my nod of approval, she swiped to the next picture. "I also have a potted orchid I was thinking of giving them. At first, I was going to gift them these gorgeously scented jasmine flowers since you said it was the flower of the Philippines, but I figured the aunties would want something brighter and more eye-catching."

I laughed. "Your instincts were spot-on. Orchids give off a more luxurious feel and the aunties are all about appearances. Thanks for handling this for me, Elena."

As I gave her back her phone, the chimes above the door signaled our first customers of the day. When I saw who they were, I shot out of my chair. "Oh, good morning, ninangs! What brings you here so early?"

All three of my godmothers stood near the register, completely ignoring me as they continued their conversation, talking over each other in rapid-fire Tagalog.

"Honestly, April, this is too much-"

"She's family!"

"I know, but it's so last minute-"

"We need more help anyway-"

"Exactly, and we don't have the time-"

"We'll figure it out-"

"But does she even know what she's-"

"Of course she knows what she's doing-"

"Yes yes, she's very smart, you keep on saying that, but-"

The three women volleyed these half-finished statements back and forth so quickly, I was getting whiplash trying to keep up with their conversation.

I waved my hand to get their attention. "Um, can I get you all anything? We've just released our seasonal offerings, and-"

"Lila!" Ninang April interrupted me. "Just the person I wanted to see. You're close to her age, you'll be the perfect guide."

Ninang Mae and Ninang June, both wearing grim expressions, brightened up as they studied me. "You might be right, April," Ninang Mae said. "We don't have time for this distraction, so it's better for the young people to welcome her."

"Welcome who?" I still had no idea who or what they were talking about, but now that their plan involved me, a sense of dread pooled in my stomach.

"My niece just arrived from the Philippines, and she'll be staying with me for a while. She recently graduated from college, so she's only a few years younger than you. I thought we could have a welcome dinner for her at your restaurant, and you and your friends can play tour guide," Ninang April said, smiling first at me, then at Adeena and Elena.

Behind her back, Ninang Mae and Ninang June shook their heads vigorously at me but stopped as soon as Ninang April turned to look at them. That definitely didn't bode well for me, but I couldn't think of a way to turn down Ninang April without upsetting her and incurring her wrath.

"Why don't we see if Tita Rosie and Lola Flor are available for that welcome dinner first and we can go from there?" I suggested.

My aunt and grandmother ran Tita Rosie's Kitchen, the small Filipino restaurant next to my shop. Considering my aunt was the kindest, most welcoming person ever-and her nurturing nature meant she was determined to feed the world-I knew this was just me delaying the inevitable. Of course Tita Rosie would host the dinner. But I needed time to talk it over with my crew and figure out what the heck was going on and why my godmothers were so divided over this.

"You're right, I need to go over the menu with them anyway. Divina is rather picky, I have to make sure the food meets her standards," Ninang April said, almost to herself, as she turned away and headed toward the door. Ninang Mae and Ninang June just shook their heads and followed her out.

"Yo, what was that all about?" Adeena asked as she cleared the table we'd been sitting at.

Elena took the tray of dirty dishes from her girlfriend and started back toward the kitchen. "Sorry to say this, Lila, but this is your family we're talking about, so you know what this all means."

I groaned, as the truth of her words sank in. There was no doubting it. A lifetime of dealing with my aunties and all their drama told me one thing:

Ninang April's niece was going to be trouble.

Chapter Two

When I pictured what a relative of Ninang April's would look like-the strictest, harshest, least appearance-obsessed of my trio of godmothers-Divina de los Santos absolutely was not it.

Divina had been too jet-lagged for a welcome dinner the night before, so the ninangs had convinced me and the Brew-ha crew to head to Tita Rosie's Kitchen for a quick breakfast and introduction the next day.