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

Chapter Thirty-Two: Sunny, Thursday

"You remember our friend Joanie?" he asked.

She nodded, mouth twisting. 

Sunny wondered what that was about. "She told Al--" he began.

"She told Al?" she interrupted, brow furrowing. "She visited him in the hospital?"

"Apparently. It must have been when you weren't there."

"I guess it's nice he has lots of visitors," she said drily. "So, what did she tell him?"

"That on Tuesday she was at the scene of an accident, and that one of the cars involved crashed into a traffic light pole, sending its occupants to the hospital. They gave a description and plate number of the truck that ran them off the road as belonging to Patrick."

She shook her head in disbelief. "He didn't mention anything. That's why I'm a little worried. He's not like himself. It's like he's in denial."

"Here's something else Joanie found out: the plates on the car that hit the light pole were reported stolen in Kelowna."

Her eyes widened. "Shit. They've followed him here."

"They?" Mandeep asked.

"Or they hired someone to follow him here," she went on as if she hadn't heard him. Maybe she hadn't.

"All right, now we come to the part where I interview you and record what you witnessed and when," Mandeep said, opening his folder and beginning to write on a legal pad.

She took a deep breath and said, "All right."

"Who are these people you suspect are here?"

She cleared her throat and said, "The family's name is Mercer. They own the largest winery in the Okanagan. Mercer Estates?" She looked at them expectantly.

"Manny and I don't drink alcohol, so we're not well versed in wine," Sunny said.

"Oh, sorry," she said, flustered. "They're huge in Kelowna. They sponsor every single event that takes place in the city. Wine is a big draw for the region, both in sales of product and the tourism it generates, so it's only natural that Mercer and other wineries have a lot of influence over municipal planning and policy.

"The patriarch, John Mercer, has a rather large family. He's also known to have a fiery temper, which makes him a force to be reckoned with in business, but it also must make life hell for his family and for his employees. One of his sons, John Junior, J.J. for short, apparently took after dear old Dad. He was married to an RCMP officer by the name of Heather Redfern, and her position as a police officer seemed to make it more satisfying when he abused her, assuming she'd never admit she was a battered wife because it would diminish her credibility among her mostly male colleagues. He didn't count on Patrick, though.

"Patrick was her partner. Patrick told me he often saw Heather with bruises, but the bruises weren't visible where the public could see them; J.J. was clever enough never to touch her face. Looking back now, I have to wonder how Patrick knew this, unless Heather told him; my suspicion, though, is he was already having an affair with her, and he got to see her bruises under her clothes up close and personal. I can understand why Heather took up with him; he's big and strong, someone who will step up to protect you if you need him. Plus, he can't tolerate spousal abuse because of his experiences with his mother."

"Did Patrick admit to you he was seeing this woman?" Mandeep asked.

"No, not officially. John Mercer and one of his other sons, Luke, told me this after J.J. wound up dead."

"And how did they know?"

"J.J. told them he confronted Heather once and she admitted it; Heather had finally worked up the courage to ask for a divorce. Whether J.J. told them he was hitting her or not, I don't know. My guess is that spousal abuse is never talked about outside the family, and that J.J. learned it from the old man. For him, the adultery was infuriating enough, and Heather had to flee the home before things escalated. He might have even tried to kill her the night she left, but maybe this time she held him off with her service weapon, who knows. The point was, she'd left, and he was furious.