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

Chapter Twenty-Six: Joanie, Tuesday

Joanie clocked into work Tuesday morning and was disappointed to see Constables Marinville and al-Rashad weren't on the roster until tonight, when she'd already have clocked out. How could she keep an eye on him when he wouldn't even be here, she asked herself as she thought back to last night.

The phone call surprised her. She'd been just about to turn in after having brought Mrs. Mackenzie home and eaten dinner. At first she was afraid it might be Joe; she'd gotten his text but ignored it because she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being curious about the case when she was still angry at him. Her chat with Al might have helped her deal with her feelings about Joe's actions, but she wasn't ready to forgive him yet. For a brief second she'd also been afraid it was Lauren calling; perversely, she thought her sister-in-arms/sort-of-sister-wife might call to ask her to reconsider ending things with Joe, if only so that Joe wouldn't make Lauren end things with Rachel as per their arrangement. She wouldn't know how she'd react if she had to have that conversation with her.

When she looked at the screen, though, she was surprised again to see it was Sunny calling. She couldn't remember ever talking to him on the phone, even if at some point they'd all given each other their numbers in the past.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Joanie, Sunny Parhar here, sorry for the late call."

"No worries, Sunny, how can I help you?"

"Well, I found out some news today, and I think you might have a connection with it."

"You mean Patrick Marinville."

"Oh, so you know?"

"Yes, Joe texted me about Lauren's little adventure. If I'd known she was out my way I would have said hi."

"Did he mention Patrick was being followed by someone else?"

"Yes. That is concerning. I'd wondered if something was off about him. So, his wife really is this Agnes who was Al's girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"Joe didn't say if Lauren knew who was following him, but he did text me the make, model and plate number of the car."  

"Well, we have suspicions, but we don't know for sure. That's why I'm calling, actually. Could you just keep an eye on him when you can, in case he does anything or if anything happens to him?"

"Well, I'll do what I can, but our shifts don't always overlap."

"That's about all I can ask, then."

Of course, once Sunny had hung up, Joanie couldn't sleep, preoccupied as she was not only with thoughts of Joe and his indiscretion, but also the intrigue surrounding Patrick Marinville and whoever might be following him. It had made her eager to see him, so of course she was disappointed to see he wasn't there, in addition to being tired from lack of sleep.

When she went to her desk, however, she was surprised to see Corporal Natychuk waiting there for her. "Sergeant Mara," he said, smiling. 

"Corporal," she said, offering her hand, which he shook. "What can I do for you?"

"I hear you've been approached to take over my role as media relations officer."

"I have," she said.

He waited for her to say more, but she had no more to say. He cleared his throat and said, "I take it you haven't decided yet?"

She grimaced and said, "May I be frank with you?"

He looked around to see if anyone was paying attention, then leaned in and said, "Let me guess. You don't want to do it."

She shrugged sheepishly and said, "Is that bad?"