Err on the Side of Violence: Terribly Acronymed Detective Club Series (Book 3)

Chapter Thirty-Two: Rachel, Thursday

Emma seemed remarkably cheerful for a girl who'd just lost her mother and was on her way to see her brother in jail. She spent the whole trip asking questions about Harrison Hot Springs, excited by Naomi's enthusiasm for the trip, and she and Al did their best to answer from their memories of what it was like years ago, while Al drove the Modo car, a red Toyota Prius that made very little noise because it was a hybrid.

"Why's it called Harrison Hot Springs?" she asked.

Al said, "I don't know about the Harrison part, but there is a hot spring in the area; water heated by underground thermal energy rises to the surface. It's normally very hot, but the town pumps it to the resort and to the public pool and cools it enough that you can swim in it safely."

"It's like swimming in a giant bath," Rachel said.

"But you're not naked, right?" 

"No! Oh, goodness, no!" Rachel said, chuckling. "The last thing I'd want to be doing is swimming naked with a bunch of tourists from Germany and Japan."

"Take away all the tourists and I like that image," Al said, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

She smacked him playfully on the arm. "You know what, though?" she said. "I don't think you and I have ever gone swimming together."

"You're right. I've never seen you in a bikini, it's one of the great regrets of my life."

She hooted and said, "I don't know if I'm comfortable enough in a bikini, especially if I'd be swimming. Maybe one of those... what do you call them... tankinis?"

He nodded. "I like it. Practical and visually appealing."

"Are you two going to want privacy if we go there?" Emma asked.

Rachel gasped and said, "Have you been talking to Naomi?"

"Is that bad?" she asked, suddenly sounding remorseful.

"No, of course not," Al said. "She's your bestie, of course you're going to talk."

"Do you and Naomi, you know, talk about what privacy means?" Rachel asked.

Emma nodded. "Sex. We learned it in school."

"Yes, and that's a good thing to learn about, for you especially, to know about your body and what you're comfortable sharing."

"My mom needed a lot of privacy when we lived with her," Emma stated as if she were talking about what she had for breakfast.

"Can I ask you something personal, and if you don't want to answer you don't have to," Rachel said.

"I never saw her have sex, if that's what you're asking."

"No, not that. Did any of the men she was seeing... you know... touch you in a way you weren't comfortable with?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"No. They ignored me, mostly."

She sighed in relief. Ignored was better than molested. "What about your dad?"

"What about him?"

"Was he around much?"

"No. I can't remember the last time I saw him, but my memory's not that good anyway. When I was able to live with Mom, she always had some other boyfriend around."

"Do you know if Logan saw your father, or phoned him, or maybe texted him?"

"I don't know," Emma said. "So, how far away is Harrison Hot Springs?"

"About two hours driving," Al said. He looked at Rachel knowingly, understanding what she was trying to find out and sharing her frustration at the lack of insight. "You know, I think they have a park over there called Sasquatch Park, and people have reported seeing the Sasquatch there."