Rude Awakenings: A Novel of the Terribly Acronymed Detective Club (Book 2)

Chapter Fifty-Six: Al, Saturday

"What the fuck?!" Lauren squawked. She was on speakerphone, and Al, Rachel and Sunny chuckled at her exclamation. 

"Yup. Well, the plates aren't on the van, but it's a white Kia Sedona, and it looks an awful lot like yours." Rachel smiled at their triumph. "We were taking a tour of the addresses of people opposed to the subdivision, and the sprawling complex at one of them has a multi-car garage with one open door, in which is parked a familiar van. Sunny has a pair of binoculars, the resourceful bastard, and we all had a good look at it before determining that it might be the one."

Lauren made a non-committal noise, which made Rachel frown. "Well, if there are no plates we can't be sure, unless you can go and check the Vehicle Identification Number on the dash," she said.

"Well, seeing as there's a gate across the property, I don't think we'll be able to sneak in," Al said.

"Is that you, Al?" Lauren asked. "Am I on speaker?"

"Yup, and I'm here too!" Sunny called from the front seat. For some reason, Al and Rachel had chosen to both sit in the back as if they were being chauffered.

"Sunny too?" She chuckled. "So, you were able to find names off the minutes?"

"Tej came through," Sunny said. "So we're out here in Aldergrove on my day off, acting like we're thirteen again and peering through Danny Trybek's window."

Lauren sighed. "Damn it, I wish I was there with you, but I'm stuck here administrating, which is the least favourite part of my job."

"We wish you were here too, girl," Rachel said. "You might have been able to give us better confirmation."

"Maybe. I also would have avoided a rather awkward situation with Ralph today."

"What was Ralph doing there?" Rachel asked. "It's his Saturday off."

"He didn't lock the door to his office last night, so he came in to do it, or so he said. It didn't help that I was in his office when he arrived."

Al gasped. "Jesus, Lauren, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, nothing happened, but it was a little tense. I think he suspected something was up, but he didn't want to confront me directly. Funnily enough, he arrived soon after I got a call for him from this woman, she didn't give her name but I thought she sounded familiar. I couldn't help thinking the two were connected."

Rachel checked the address list. "Would that woman be Carrie MacDougall?"

Silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Then Lauren said, "Son of a bitch. Are you serious?"

"Wait, what's going on?" Al asked.

"This has got to be a coincidence," Lauren said, and Al could tell she was dismayed by the news. "If this is her, she's definitely come down in the world."

"Do you know this woman?" Sunny asked.

"Well... it's been years, but... okay, she was a client of ours. I shouldn't be telling you this, but she isn't anymore, at least I don't think she is. Remember when I told you about the time Joe punched a guy out in a nightclub?"

"Yeah..." Rachel said uncertainly. "What's the connection?"

"He was the husband of this woman. They used to live in the posh Dunbar-Southlands area of Vancouver, but he had an apartment downtown that he used when he stayed overnight for business, or so he said. She suspected he was cheating on her with women he picked up in nightclubs. Joe came with me one time while I was playing the part of one of these women to get evidence on him. He noticed before I did that this guy spiked my drink. That was why he punched him out. After the police got involved, they determined that he'd done this before, drugged women, brought them back to his apartment and raped them."