For the second time in two months, Joe found himself acting as a moving service, but at least this time it was during his day off and he had more help.
Al booked the Modo van, and Joe and Joanie rode in Joanie's truck while Lauren and Rachel took the Versa. They visited a furniture store nearby to purchase a bed, mattress and box spring to bring to the townhouse, because Joanie had no desire to return to her home to get hers while the media were camped there, interviewing everybody on the street about the explosion and hoping to get the face of the "woman the victim was seeing" on camera; the story was already on the morning news, and when everybody heard that part they all gave Joanie a sympathetic look, while Joanie looked like she wanted to punch her fist through the TV. Joe had no doubt she could.
"Thank you for doing this, guys," Joanie said when they loaded everything into the van. "For the place and for the help."
Al, Rachel and Lauren shrugged awkwardly. "There's no way you can stay at your house right now," Lauren said. "And the way the media is portraying you is criminal. Why do they always make the woman the centre of a salacious story like this? Like it wasn't what Patrick did that got him killed. It's sexist to imply that it had something to do with you."
Joe was feeling oddly proud of his friends for sticking by her, for treating her as a friend even if she happened to be the other woman in his life, at least in the past.
Joanie nodded thoughtfully. "Although," she said, "I guess at the very centre of what happened to Patrick there is a woman, the one he had an affair with in Kelowna."
They met Sunny and Agnes at the townhouse, because they needed to talk about their next steps. Sunny, in his suit and tie, understandably didn't offer to help them move the parts of the bed inside, nor did he offer to help them assemble it. He'd done enough this morning, anyway, accompanying Agnes to the police detachment to get the notification and be interviewed.
Agnes, for her part, was busy talking on the phone to her kids, reassuring them that she was fine and that she'd be home soon, that she had one more thing to take care of before she returned. Joe could only imagine what those kids were feeling. Far from the only home they'd ever known, in a strange house with grandparents they apparently didn't know very well, having lost their father, they were probably terrified that something would happen to their mother, now, and would be clinging to her every chance they got.
By the time they'd finished assembling the bed in one of the upper bedrooms, and Joanie had deposited the overnight bag she'd taken from her house, which contained among other things her uniform and gun locker (Joe had been nervous the whole time it had been in the house with the kids around,) Agnes had gotten off the phone. Somebody had purchased some groceries, Joe never found out who, and Sunny and Agnes were preparing a makeshift lunch. Once they'd all assembled sandwiches and plates of salads, drinks in hand, they sat or stood where they could in the living room. Joe felt a little sweaty after assembling the bed, and he was uncomfortably reminded that downstairs was the large walk-in shower where he and Rachel had that lovely, back breaking sexual episode two months ago. He took a drink to cool himself down.
As if Sunny was having similar memories about last night, his eyes kept flitting back to Rachel when he thought she wasn't looking. Joe was relieved Tej wasn't here to see this, and wondered how she was feeling about last night. Sometimes events gained new clarity in the light of day, and he hoped she wasn't feeling weird about their friendship now. What he really hoped was that she wasn't serious about not being satisfied with Sunny after she'd had him, because he didn't want Sunny to feel bad about something he had no control over -- biology -- even if the complement made Joe feel quite proud of himself. It amazed him that for most of his life he'd had only one sexual partner, and within a span of a few years that number had grown to four. What he needed to do now was make sure those experiences didn't blind him to what was really important: his marriage, and making sure his friends stayed his friends.
"So, we have two people in need of interim lodging while this mess sorts itself out," Sunny said. "Agnes needs to hide out in case the people who killed Patrick decide she needs to go too, and Joanie needs to hide out from the media until the next news cycle. Now, the police need to search Patrick's house in Queensborough in case there's any evidence pointing to who might have killed him, but once they're done they see no problem in granting Agnes ownership of the house before probate confirms it."
"Sunny, if these people know where Patrick's house is, Agnes and her family could be in danger if they move there before they're arrested," Lauren said.
"They don't have to move there right away," Sunny said, "if Agnes wants to stay here."
"You're both welcome to stay here for now if you can make it work," Al said.
Agnes looked askance at Joanie. "It's not like we were ever romantic rivals. I was already done with Patrick when he moved in on you, so I don't have a problem sharing space with you."
Joanie shrugged. "Thanks?"
"My only issue is," Agnes said, "if I'm able to convince my parents to move here too, because there's no guarantee the people who killed Patrick don't know about the house in Richmond, then they're going to need a room. I can keep the kids with me in my room, which will probably be just fine for them anyway right now, but that will mean my parents will share a floor with you, Joanie."
"I'm fine with that," Joanie said. "Here's another option we also talked about earlier when you weren't around. If those people are still out there when the police release the house to you, I can stay at the house."
Agnes blinked in surprise. "You?"
"Not because I feel like I have a claim on any of Patrick's things," Joanie clarified, "but because I feel better able to take them on if they come at the house. I do have a gun."
Agnes frowned. "I don't object to you staying there in principle, as long as the house reverts to me when it's safe. My concern is for you. They got to Patrick even though he was big and he also had a gun."
"Yeah, but at least I don't have kids depending on me, so if something happens to me it won't be as big a loss. That reminds me. All of you, from now on, until these people are arrested, keep your eyes out for people watching you, people you don't know, and make a practice of checking underneath your cars for bombs. Make sure you check the wheel wells."
"Good thing we still only have the one," Lauren said. "The insurance payouts for the Highlander and the Dodge Ram are finally coming, so we'll have another one to check for bombs soon enough." She looked to Joe with a hopeful smile. "Now that you're home, we'll only need one replacement, right?"
"Yes," he replied. "If only because our insurance premiums are through the roof now. Jesus, let's not have another vehicle become a write-off."
"Don't worry, I'll do the checking," Lauren said with a smirk. "I'm lowest to the ground."
Everybody laughed at that, if only to relieve the tension of knowing the next time they started their vehicles they could risk death.
Suddenly a phone rang, and Joanie reached into her pocket and drew hers out. She looked at the screen and her face fell. "Shit, it's the brass," she said. "Excuse me."
She went up the stairs as she answered the phone. The others exchanged awkward glances, suddenly not knowing what to say, until Lauren asked Joe to talk to her in private downstairs.
They were in the large bedroom that held the air mattress on which Agnes slept from time to time. Through an open door lay the ensuite bathroom that had provided so many lovely memories of Rachel, and for the briefest moment Joe feared Lauren had found out and wanted to confront him about it.
She surprised him, then, when she offered her arms to him, that familiar gesture that meant she wanted to be lifted up for a kiss. He obliged, and she squeezed him hard.
"Are you okay, babe?" he asked.
"Yeah, I just... we didn't have any time to talk about last night, because you went out to be with Joanie, and then when you came back I moved downstairs."
"Joanie and I didn't do anything when we got back, just slept."
"I believe you."
"You could have stayed. There was room for you."
"You two smelled like smoke. I couldn't stay in the room for the smell."
"Oh, shit, sorry. Joanie was smoking." It was true, but not the whole truth.
Lauren's eyes widened. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, she used to when she was working up north, but she quit. She said she had an old pack in her house somewhere, and she just needed them again."
"I guess I can understand."
"And you?" he asked.
"And me what?"
"Did anything happen after you went downstairs?"
"No. I was too tired."
Her qualification made him believe her. "But earlier in the night, you were with Al."
"Yes. Is that okay? Sunny chose to finish with Rachel, and I didn't want Al to feel left out."
"Ah, is that your reasoning." Still, it was incredible how far they'd evolved in their truth telling. What would the point have been in lying, anyway? They'd all been there for the same reason last night.
"And you?" Lauren asked. "How was Tej?"
Now for more truth telling. "I won't lie. It was nice." When her face twisted, he felt the need to add, "A little rudimentary, though. We didn't have a lot of time to really explore each other, so it had all the akwardness of a first time."
"Hm. Was she able to handle...?" She looked down pointedly to the lower half of his body.
He cleared his throat. "Just, I think. She seemed pleased with the result."
"I bet she was. Poor Sunny."
"Did he see to your needs, at least?"
She smirked. "Oh, yeah. I think we gave him a night he'll never forget."
"Do you think Rachel was pleased?"
"I think so. Why, are you jealous you're not her only affair?"
That one hit like a punch in the gut, but he tried not to show how he felt about it. "Maybe," he muttered.
"Well, tough." She kissed him hard. "Okay, so, we're okay?"
"Of course we are."
"Good. You can put me down now."
They went back upstairs. In the living room, the others were staring at Joanie, who looked shell shocked.
"What is it?" Joe asked.
She turned to them and said dully, "They want me to come to the detachment."
"Didn't you call in sick?"
She nodded. "They want me to give a press conference about the incident. People are already talking about what he was doing there, and they want to get out in front of it."
"They can't ask you to do that, can they?" Lauren said indignantly. "You're too close to it! You'd get too emotional!"
Joanie shrugged sullenly. "I'm the media relations officer. It's my duty to make these announcements. I'll have the statement prepared for me, at least, and I'm not to divert from it. I can leave right after, since they know I'm grieving. It's all over the detachment, now, our relationship."
"So... what are you going to do?" Joe asked.
"I guess I'm going in."
"We'll make a copy of the house key for you while you're out, then," Rachel said.
Joanie examined Rachel a little too long before saying, "Thanks. I better get a move on."
As she went upstairs to get her uniform, Joe's phone rang. He checked his screen and discovered his mom was calling. "Hey, Ma," he said, "What's up?"
"Giuseppe, why no we see you at church today?" she asked.
"Oh, shit, I forgot it's Sunday," he said.
"Hey! Language!"
"Sorry, Ma, I lost track of time today. A friend of mine suffered a bereavement, and we've been helping her out."
"Which friend?" she asked. "Rachel?"
"No, someone you don't know." He didn't want to mention Joanie's name. He knew his mother hated her. "Look, we might be too busy to go today, there's more for us to do."
Mom was silent a moment before she said, "You be sure to tell Father at Confession next time."
"I will, Ma. Sorry." He'd add it to the list of everything else he needed to confess, two of them being Rachel and Tej.
After he hung up, Agnes gave him a knowing smile. "Church?" she asked.
He barked a laugh and asked, "You too?"
"Oh, yeah."
Thanks for reading this far! If you liked what you just read, hit "Vote" to send this title up the ranks. If anything doesn't ring true about police procedure or probate law, leave a comment and let me know; I strive for authenticity.
To witness Al meeting his ex-girlfriend's parents for the first time, and Joanie's gauntlet drop to the people who killed Patrick, click on "Continue reading."