Page 68 of Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)

“Oh my god.” Selena’s hand flies to cover her eyes.

“Your new house is very nice, but is a bit small, and the walls are quite thin. I think you feel too self-conscious with me there to have sexy time—”

“Please stop saying ‘sexy time,’ ” Tilly begs.

“And then how I get my grandbabies?”

Tilly and Selena gape at her in complete horror for a moment, then Tilly quickly turns to Selena and says, “Please ignore what my mom just said. I know you’re not ready for kids, and I’m very happy to wait until—”

“What?” Vera squawks. “Not ready? Tilly, you how old? You think only women have ticking clock? Men also have ticking clock. Your sperm quality decrease as you age.”

“Oh my god, please don’t ever say the word ‘sperm’ to me again, Ma.”

“Well, I am just telling you, I know many men think they cantake it easy, unlike women, they don’t have biology clock, but I am telling you, you do. And if sperm quality not good, then baby quality also won’t be good. I want good quality grandbaby.”

“Okay, maybe this conversation is no longer productive,” Tilly says in his lawyer voice again.

“Don’t worry about me, other people will come and take turn to stay with me. They sleep in your old room.”

“Who?” Tilly says. “Oliver?”

“Well, Oliver’s turn tonight, but last night was TJ and his daughter Robin, and night before was Aimes. See? I am in demand, I have revolving door.”

“Nope,” Selena says immediately, “that phrase does not mean what you think it means.”

“Is mean I am popular.”

“In a way,” Selena says carefully.

“And Selena, you shouldn’t be angry at me that I am investigating this case. I find out a lot of useful information about Xander Lin.”

“Oh? Like what?”

Vera cocks her head to one side and gives Selena a sly look. Aha. She’s about to start trading, and there is nothing Chinese mothers do better than trade information. “It depend on what you know about Xander Lin.”

Selena’s eyes bore into Vera’s. Vera returns the hard look with her own piercing gaze.

“Well, we know that Xander Lin wasn’t his real name,” Selena says.

Vera throws her head back and cackles. “That old information? I know that from very beginning. His real name was Thomas.”

Selena’s eyes narrow. “And how do you know that?”

“I cannot say my sources.”

“You know, this is getting real close to obstructing justice,” Selena mutters.

“Is not,” Vera says. “I know my rights.” She doesn’t. But she’s hoping she looks like she does. Sometimes, looking like you know things is more important than actually knowing things.

“All right, Thomas what?”

“Ah, that I don’t know. Okay, now you tell me what else you know.”

“Honestly? Not much else. We’ve been slammed with other more pressing cases, and this one looks like a suicide, so I don’t know why you’re so intent on digging. There isn’t much that’s suspicious about it aside from not knowing his real identity and that shady bunch of people you found.”

“Oh dear, and you still say you don’t need my help? You clearly need all my help. And that ‘shady’ bunch of people are people who are connected to him.”

Selena frowns. “No, they only appear connected to him.”

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