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

Chapter Forty-Five: Agnes, Saturday

She kept it as concise as she could, a shortened version of the story she told Mandeep Randhawa, because she was really starting to get cold and she wanted to end this call as quickly as she could and go back inside, though what she would do once she was inside she didn't know. Wake everybody up and tell them? Then nobody would be able to get back to sleep, and the house would be one wall of sound, her children wailing and crying for their daddy. No, better for them to have one last untroubled night, and then they could figure out what they might do in the morning. Shit, she had a shift tomorrow; she'd have to call in and cancel.

When she was finished, Al was silent a moment. Then he said, "If this is true, Agnes, if these people have retaliated against Patrick for something he did, do you think there's any possibility that they might target you?"

"Me?" she asked, surprised.

"You said they visited you at your house in Kelowna. What if they realize you'll get this news and remember that visit? Maybe they'll want to tie up loose ends."

She was silent a moment as she thought about it. "I don't know," she finally admitted. "I mean, why not kill me back then as a punishment for Patrick? And anyway, they don't know where I am, or at least I don't think they do."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay at the townhouse full time with your family until this gets resolved, just in case these guys do track down your family home?"

She sighed in resignation and said, "I'll think about it. Maybe once I break the news to my family, I can convince them of the threat and the necessity of the move."

"Good. You might want to tell them soon, I imagine the police will be around; you're probably still next of kin even if you're divorced."

"Yeah."

"Look, Agnes, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for your loss. I might not hold any man who replaced me in high esteem, but nobody deserved this."

"Thank you," she said, and finally the tears came.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"No," she admitted, wiping her face and sniffing.

"Do you want me to come over?"

His offer was so tempting that she'd almost accepted. If there was one person she wanted to see after receiving this news, it was the man she was still in love with, the man for whom she'd put on a brave face when they had their friendly lunches these past two months, while she fantasized about the life they could have together, maybe even joining their two families in a happy mishmash. Somehow, in these fantasies, Rachel either didn't exist or had suddenly run off with some other man, leaving Al lonely, brokenhearted and a single father, desperate for her to swoop in and save him from a life without love. If she asked him to, he'd come tonight, and they could cuddle on this porch while he spoke words of condolence in her ear, and maybe they'd kiss like they did that day at the hospital.

But then she'd have to introduce him to her parents, because his arrival would probably rouse them, and then he'd have to explain why he was there so late at night, and then the whole bloody circus would begin. 

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "No, it's all right, Al. As much as I'd like you to, it's probably best for everyone here if you don't. I think for now I need to be with my family and grieve together."

"Okay. Call me if you need me, though, for anything."

She smiled even though he couldn't see it. "Thanks, Al. And thanks for letting me know before the police did. As hard as the news is, I'm glad I had you to talk to about it."

"Of course, Agnes. I guess I'll let you go, then."

"Okay, Al. I love you."

"I love you too, and I'm only able to say that because Rachel's upstairs."

She laugh-cried and said, "Don't let me get you in trouble. Goodnight, Al."

"Goodnight."

He hung up and the audiobook continued playing. She didn't hear any of the words the narrator was saying, because now she was full on sobbing, being as quiet as she could so as not to wake up anybody inside.

Thanks for reading this far! This was a short chapter, but I thought I should show Agnes receiving the news of her ex-husband's death; she might not have wanted to be married to him anymore, but he was still the father of her children, and his loss will still leave a giant hole in their lives. 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!

To see how Joanie's doing in the aftermath of Patrick's death, click on "Continue reading."