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"Hi, Vera," Selena says.

It had taken Vera a while to stop thinking of her as Officer Gray and to start thinking of her as Selena, and now Vera has started thinking of Selena as her future daughter-in-law, and what she really wants is for Selena to stop calling her Vera and start calling her Ma. But Tilly has made Vera swear on Jinlong's soul not to ask Selena to call her Ma, so here she is, being referred to as Vera by her future daughter-in-law as though Vera were a stranger.

"Hi, Xifu," Vera says, enveloping Selena in a tight hug. "Xifu" means "daughter-in-law," and when Vera started calling Selena that a month ago, Selena asked what it meant, to which Tilly had screamed, "It means 'dear' in Chinese!"

They all pile into the house, and Vera nods with satisfaction when she sees how much unpacking Tilly and Selena have done in the past few days. There are only a couple of boxes left in the living room, marked POLICE FILES. Everything else seems to have been unpacked and sorted out, and though they only moved in less than a week ago, the place looks like a home, with houseplants adorning it here and there. Tilly and Selena make a good couple. Vera watches Tilly get onto his knees to speak to Emma at eye level, and her heart swells at the sight.

"Hey, Emms, there was a sale at the corner bookstore, so guess what I got?" Tilly says.

Emma regards him with reservation.

"Ta-da!" Tilly pulls out two picture books, and Emma smiles shyly. "Do you wanna read them with me?"

Emma nods. The two of them settle on the couch and Tilly starts reading out loud. Vera sneaks a glance at Selena, hoping her future xifu had witnessed this heartwarming sight, but Selena is too busy chatting with Julia and Oliver. Aiya! If only Selena would look over at Tilly, she'd know what a good father he would make. Vera coughs.

Julia looks over. "You okay, Vera?"

Now they're all looking over at her with concern.

"Yes, don't make such fuss," Vera says, her cheeks reddening. She shifts her attention to the food, lifting the mud-packed chicken from its container and going to the backyard with it. The grill has already been prepped beforehand, so all Vera has to do is slide the heavy load inside and close it. Three hours of baking, and it will be fall-off-the-bone tender when dinnertime rolls around.

The rest of the afternoon is spent chatting and playing various games. At four, Riki, his younger brother Adi, and Sana arrive, bearing homemade samosas and mint chutney, and the little house starts feeling too packed, so they spill out into the backyard. Riki and Sana had been Vera's other suspects in Marshall's death, and Vera is glad that none of them turned out to be the killer. Everyone is talking and laughing and snacking, and by the time dinner is ready, they're almost too full to eat. Vera, Adi, and Emma hammer away at the mud-packed chicken, and everyone cheers when the baked clay finally cracks apart. Vera unwraps the layers of aluminum foil and lotus leaves to reveal the perfectly baked chicken, and despite the ridiculous amount of snacks they've had throughout the afternoon, nobody can resist the food. Aside from the chicken, there's also braised pork belly, grilled carp with Szechuan chili sauce, and half a dozen side dishes.

"Oh my god, this chicken is so juicy," Sana says, her mouth full.

"Mmm. Worth the mess," Selena says.

"Oh yeah, totally," Oliver agrees.

Vera beams at them. Her little ragtag family. Sometimes, she can't believe how lucky she is, to have found this wonderful group of people. Sometimes, she wonders if she's dreamed them up, if she will one day wake up to find herself alone once more. The thought is so painful that she always shakes her head when she thinks of it, as though to shake it off.

Life couldn't be better. She is surrounded by a loving family, and her tea shop has a steady stream of customers. Vera should be content. And she is, really. But she's also kind of—dare she say it—bored.

Sometimes, all an old lady wants is a murder to solve. Is that too much to ask for?