Hidden in the Blood: A Novel of the Terribly Acronymed Detective Club (Book 5)

Chapter Sixteen: Joe, Saturday

Curious to see what would happen, he grabbed the bag of treats and shook one into his hand. Immediately, Samson was on the alert, sensing a new development. He made his cautious way back to Joe's hand, snaked his head over to sniff at it, looked up at him to make sure he wasn't going to snatch him if he made an attempt to get the treat, then delicately snatched it out of his hand. Joe chuckled at the sensation of his little mouth brushing his palm, his sandpapery tongue abrading the fleshy part at the base of his thumb.

"I can see why Rachel likes you so much," he said, feeling not at all silly that he was talking to a cat; he imagined everyone in Samson's vicinity eventually told him their life stories, his calm countenance had that effect. "You just do your thing, don't you. You don't feel the need to shower affection on anyone. I get it. It's all self-interest; they give you what you want, and you deign to stick around for them to appreciate you."

Samson stared at him as if he were really listening to him, and then he squeezed his eyes. Joe smiled, feeling like that meant something.

A knock on his window startled him, and he looked and saw Lauren on the other side, leaning on her crutches. Relieved, he wound the window down just enough so the cat wouldn't get any idea about going through. 

"Hey," he said.

"Having fun?" she asked.

"I think Samson and I have reached an interspecies understanding. I give him treats, and he sits still and doesn't make trouble."

She smiled tenderly at him and said, "You're adorable. I love you, you know that?"

Instead of replying in kind, he asked, "Did you see him?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just for a moment. He's a little out of it, not really getting what's happening, but he recognizes us all, at least, and seems happy we're there."

"Did you tell him you lost the baby?"

Her face tightened. "I didn't think it was the right time. Too many people around, and I didn't think he'd want to wake up to that news."

He stared at her silently.

She sighed and said, "I know you're insecure whenever I'm around him now."

"Can you blame me?"

"That's why I'm here, okay? I said my hello and welcome back, and I immediately came to see you. I knew he'd be overwhelmed if there were too many of us there, and I took myself away knowing I'd talk to him another time."

He reached his hand through the window, and she took it and squeezed. 

"Thank you," he said. "I appreciate the effort you're making."

She nodded. "Hey, look, I offered to go with you back to Mrs. Mackenzie's house and drop off Samson, then come back. I'm sure they'll be there a while, and by the time we're back they'll probably be sent home, because I'm sure Al will get tired from all the attention and want to sleep." She held up a set of keys. "Want to go?"

"I guess I'll have to drive if we do."

She nodded sadly. "I know you hate this car."

"Well, I'd rather drive this thing than sit in it for an hour. Do you want to sit like this and keep this guy company?"

"Sure. First, ratchet the driver's seat back and slide into it."

He nodded and did as she asked, then held Samson back with a hand as Lauren opened the door just enough to slide in. It was a clumsy effort, especially getting the crutches in, and they both laughed even as they cursed. Samson freaked a little when the crutches were placed in the back seat, but he only hopped into the foot well before she closed the door.

He started the car and looked over at her. She grinned and said, "I kind of feel like we're on a first date. No kids in the car, no one expecting us for a while. It's like an adventure."

He felt his heart swell when she said that, and he leaned over and kissed her. 

"What was that for?" she asked. "I'm not complaining, mind you."

He quickly wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I don't know. I think you just said exactly what I needed to hear right now."

She touched his face and said, "Aw, my big softy. Let's go."

"Buckle up, baby." He backed out of the space, and then they were off, officially on their mission to return a cat, but Joe felt like they were heading to another destination, which was a new paradigm in their relationship. 

Thanks for reading this far! Readers of past novels in this series will be aware of the rock-strewn path Lauren and Joe have taken to get to this moment. And everyone knows cats can be the catalyst of many breakthroughs. If you liked what you read so far, hit "Vote" to send this title up the ranks. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Let's go a few minutes backward to Agnes in Al's hospital room, witnessing his amazement that she really is there, and find out why she's really back home, by clicking on "Continue reading."