"This is the one I want," Patrick said once he'd finished touring the house where Jordan Trevelyan once lived.
"Oh, fantastic!" Tej said. "It's perfect for you, three bedrooms, two baths, and a quiet neighbourhood for your kids."
"That's what I thought. It's away from the busyness of Ewen Avenue with all these little side streets, and there's a park with a playground right over there." He pointed down the street as if she didn't see it herself.
"I know! And the school's not too far from here if you end up enrolling them."
Patrick's face fell. "Yeah, well, that remains to be seen. Since we last met, I made contact with my wife, and she hasn't yet decided where she'll be living; if we divorce, and that's not a sure thing yet, she might still be living with her parents in Richmond until we settle the division of money and she can move somewhere else. The kids might enroll wherever she goes, because my schedule's too erratic for me to have primary custody of them."
It occurred to Tej that Patrick had a slight maritime lilt to his voice, only becoming apparent the longer he talked. The man usually spoke with short sentences, concise and to the point, and rarely made comment on the properties they saw, so she was surprised he made such a quick decision on this one. Maybe he just knew what he liked.
"I take it this is smaller than the one you had in Kelowna?" she asked.
"Much," he said, nodding. "Prices are lower there, well, they were when I bought my place, so I was able to get a bigger lot than this. It's all right, though, I really don't need much, and if the kids are only with me two days out of the week it should be just enough house for them, too."
"You seem quite certain she'll get primary custody."
Patrick shrugged. "It's how it usually is, isn't it? The mother gets the kids. I'm not sore about it; on the contrary, it's better for them if they're with her, especially with her parents nearby to babysit if needed. Mine are back in Moncton, so no help for me here."
"Ah. That makes sense."
"So, what do you think I should offer?" he asked. "Think it'll go over asking?"
"It's possible. Metro Vancouver's a hot market. We'll come up with a competitive offer. You'll want conditions, I imagine? You're selling your house in Kelowna?"
"Yes. This place looks pretty new. Think we need an inspection?"
"I always recommend an inspection, but some people make their offers without it and snag it. That's a risk you'll need to decide on."
He nodded thoughtfully and scratched his chin. "Let's risk without. I can do some basic repairs if they're needed."
"Okay, so..." She opened her zippered folder containing the spec sheet for the house, pulled out the pen inside, looked again at the asking price, mentally recalled the comps for the area and wrote a number down. "Let's say this, with the condition of the sale of your house in Kelowna," she said, pointing at the number with the pen. "Five thousand below asking should keep you competitive enough for the estate that owns the house to make a counteroffer."
Patrick nodded, having gotten the story from Tej about the man who used to own this house. "It's too bad he didn't die in the house," he said. "We could have gotten it for much less."
"Ha. Yes," she said, remembering Birinder had made a similar remark on Monday. He wasn't with them today, because the agent for the seller was there to give them a private viewing and, anyway, she felt more comfortable in Patrick's presence today after having spent Monday with him touring properties. The man seemed to make a point of not standing too close to her, nor did he ever make an inappropriate comment to her like so many other male clients did, sometimes in the presence of their partners. He almost acted smaller in her presence. She appreciated the effort he made to be nonthreatening, and so she forgave him for his gallows humour about the house.
"So, he really was murdered?" Patrick asked.
"Yup. They found his body in Glenbrook Ravine."
"How did you find out about it? Was it in the paper? I know the seller wouldn't have to tell you if it didn't happen in the house."
She chuckled sheepishly and said, "I know because I knew the guy."
He blinked in surprise. "Seriously?"
"My husband's little sister used to be his girlfriend."
"Oh. Used to be? So, you still kept in touch with him?"
She didn't think Sunny would want her to talk about Bishan, and her murder at the hands of her husband, with a virtual stranger who may have committed murder himself. "He asked for our help just a week before he was murdered. Another girlfriend of his had gone missing, and he wanted our help finding her."
He frowned and said, "Didn't he file a missing persons report?"
"The woman's husband did." She also decided not to mention Birinder was the woman's husband... correct that, ex-husband, or that he'd filed the missing persons report for his second wife.
Patrick's eyes widened. "Jesus, your man Jordan was having an affair?" There was the maritime lilt again, the Jesus sounding like Jaysus. "I sense a tragedy."
"Oddly enough, the woman was fine, it was Jordan who was murdered, and no, it wasn't the husband who killed him."
"Did they find out who did?"
How to explain to a member of the RCMP that his brothers in arms had gone rogue? Maybe he was even involved in the clandestine program that was exposed so recently in the media. She decided to play it safe. "No, the culprits are still at large. The New Westminster Police have the file, although our friend Joanie did some asking around while she was still on medical leave."
Patrick smiled the way he did when Tej last mentioned Joanie. "Sergeant Mara gets around. Did you hear she's going to be the media relations officer for our detachment?"
"No, I didn't hear that," Tej said in surprise. "We actually don't talk much, she and I. She's closer to my other friends."
"Ah. Well, yeah, our current guy's moving back east, so the spot opened up and the brass want her to do it."
"Well she certainly has a presence," Tej said diplomatically. How else could she describe the flame-haired amazon who'd shoehorned herself into Joe and Lauren's marriage?
"Hey, can I ask you something?" he asked. "Do you know if she's seeing someone?"
"Ummmm..." She had to tread carefully, here. "There's a gentleman she sees regularly. They're not married, but she prefers it that way; she doesn't want someone worrying about her at home while she's on shift. I bet cops have a hard time holding on to spouses."
He didn't express offence at the word cop, only sighed in resignation. "I'm afraid I'm not a poster child for harmonious marriage of police and civilian, though we did last longer than most. I still love her, but... ah... I'm afraid I was like your man Jordan, there. When you spend so long outside the home, it's hard to keep the home fires burning."
"Wouldn't it be a breach of some code of conduct to date a fellow officer?" she asked, to subtly remind him of how he got in trouble in the first place.
He winked at her and said, "What HR don't know won't hurt 'em."
She chuckled awkwardly to mask her dismay. His wink was a little too roguish, and she heard something in his voice that made her feel like a stone age hunter hearing the first rumble of a cave bear behind him. "Anyway," she said, changing the subject. "Let's go back in there and give her this offer, and I'll call you when I get a response. Things could happen quickly, so I hope you'll be ready to take my call."
"Yeah, sure. I'm on shift soon, but I'll have my cell with me."
"Great."
They'd been on the sidewalk outside the house discussing what they'd seen. The agent for the Trevelyan estate was still inside locking up, but she let them back in and received their offer with cautious optimism, letting them know they'd get a response by later today.
Once Patrick drove off in his truck, Tej sighed in relief and pulled out her cell phone. She dialled Lauren. Her friend and one-time lover picked up after a few rings. "Hey, girl!" she said brightly.
"Hey, Lauren. How's your day going so far?"
"Oh, you know, it sucks not actually being out in the field, Monday's little adventure aside; our insurance won't let me do any official work for clients, so I'm stuck here mired in office politics."
"Poor thing."
"How about you? Did you see Patrick again today?"
"I did, and we just put an offer on Jordan Trevelyan's house."
"Holy shit, that was fast!"
"I know, he was just so definite about it. Maybe he really wants to get out of his apartment, but I think he also wants to have a place to be with his kids."
"So... did you see any evidence of damage on his truck?"
"No, unfortunately not." Last night, out of the blue, Sunny had gotten a call from Joanie letting him know that the car Lauren had followed on Monday had been involved in an accident on Tuesday, and that the people in the car had given the description and plate number of Patrick's truck in relation to dangerous driving that had caused the accident. "It doesn't mean he didn't cause the accident, though, right?"
"He could have had minimal damage, like a dented door from a side swipe, say, and conceivably he could have had it repaired by today. A long shot, I know, but it's possible."
Tej thought about it and said, "He'd have to know someone who could do it fast. Would he already know someone if he'd just moved out here?"
"True."
"Do you think the guys in the car could have lied about Patrick? Given the police the details of the truck just to put the suspicion on him?"
"That would mean they'd have had the information beforehand," Lauren said. "They'd have to know him."
"Exactly. Joanie did say the plates of their car were stolen in Kelowna."
"But both could be true. If they were following him on Monday, they could have confronted him on Tuesday, had a high speed chase and wiped out, causing the big mess." Lauren paused and then said, "You know, I watched the news story about it. I saw Joanie answering a couple of questions."
"Yeah, Patrick did say she's going to be the new media relations officer for the detachment."
"She looked good," Lauren said, and Tej could hear the smile in her voice. "She was just flustered enough to be adorable. The reporters were fawning over her."
"Patrick asked if she was seeing anyone."
Lauren hooted and said, "Poor Joe. He's got competition, now."
"He has you. That should be enough."
"Thanks, Tej, but you know what our arrangement is."
"Did that arrangement include me that time in Harrison Hot Springs?"
"Damn, Tej," Lauren said. She could tell she was a little turned on. "No, that wasn't part of the arrangement. It was good, though."
"Poor Sunny was jealous when I confessed to him. He wanted it to be him."
"I bet he did."
"Hey, um..." she started, then stopped herself. Was she really going to say what had popped into her head?
"Yes?" Lauren prompted.
She took a deep breath and went for it. "If he were to have an opportunity to be with you and Rachel, say if I gave him a one-time hall pass, would you be game?"
"Tej!" Lauren squawked in disbelief. "Jesus, it's a good thing I have my office door closed. Where is this coming from?"
"I don't know, I just feel kind of bad about what I did... don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it... but we're out of balance now, Sunny and me. He could go out and be with someone I don't even know, and I'd have to suck it up, but I'd rather, if he were with anyone else, it be someone I trusted not to move in on him, you know? Hell, while we were at it, I could even join in on the fun; I bet he'd love to see me perform with you."
"You little devil," Lauren cooed. "You just want another opportunity to be with us yourself, and this would be your way in."
"I know both of you are attracted to him," she said. "You both implied it that night we were together."
"Yeah, but I never... I don't know..." Lauren was flustered, and Tej never thought she was capable of being flustered. The woman was usually so brazen and fearless.
"You know what? Forget I said anything," Tej said, feeling she'd gone too far. She didn't want to lose her friends by suggesting something they weren't comfortable with.
"I don't think I can," Lauren said. She sighed and went on. "You know I'd love to be with you again, and Rachel would too. Bringing Sunny in would be... tricky. Joe and Al would have to consent to it, for one thing, and they might have their own conditions."
Tej wondered what those conditions might be. Would Joe or Al ask to be with her in return? She knew both of them thought she was attractive, and the idea wasn't repugnant to her, at least where one of them was concerned, but how would Sunny feel about that? "So, you're not giving it a hard pass."
"Uh... no, not necessarily. Let me take this away for a while. There are a lot of moving parts to this, and if it were to happen it would be a monumental feat. Just managing jealousy alone will be a nearly impossible task, and if we're not careful we could risk regret and hard feelings at the very least, and at worst our friendships dissolving."
"You're right. That's exactly what I don't want."
"Okay, good. I'll talk to Rachel about this because I can talk to her about anything. If we agree on an arrangement that could work, we'll get back to you, and then maybe we can talk to the guys."
"Should I wait to talk to Sunny about it?"
"You'd better. I don't want that horndog to get his hopes up."
Tej chuckled and said, "Thanks, Lauren, for not making me feel like a freak."
"Because you're not a freak, you just want to spice up your marriage a little. You're a good girl for the most part, but when you're bad..." Her voice quavered a little, and Tej could tell she was a little turned on. "... well, Rachel and I enjoyed that side of you even more."
"Shit," Tej breathed, feeling a heat down below. "I'm standing in the middle of a quiet Queensborough neighbourhood, thinking about you two in the shower."
"Down, girl," Lauren cooed. "I don't want you to embarrass yourself and frighten any mommies with strollers. Thanks for the info on Patrick."
"You're welcome. Have a good rest of the day."
"You too."
As soon as Lauren hung up, Tej's phone rang again. She looked at the screen and saw it was the other agent. The woman must not have known Tej was still outside. She answered, "This is Tej Parhar."
"Tej, I talked to the family, and they have a counteroffer."
"Let's hear it," she said, quietly remarking that this was happening even quicker than she'd promised.
Thanks for reading this far! If you liked what you read so far, hit "Vote" to send this title up the ranks. If anything doesn't ring true about real estate transactions, leave a comment and let me know; I strive for authenticity.
To see how Sunny and Agnes take the next steps to deal with Patrick, click on "Continue reading."