Err on the Side of Violence: Terribly Acronymed Detective Club Series (Book 3)

Chapter Four: Rachel, Saturday

When Lauren showed up with Naomi, Rachel was just finishing cleaning up after breakfast. Al cooked, she cleaned, that was the deal; it kept their marriage as equal as possible, especially now that two kids were in the house. 

House was a bit of a stretch, but it was a larger residence than the one bedroom, one bathroom apartment Rachel and Al lived in before this. That one had been in downtown Vancouver, where square footage was at a premium. This two bedroom, two bathroom unit had an interesting layout. It was a split-level situated in a complex that featured these units at ground level and smaller apartments in a tower above them. What made it seem like a house, or at least a townhouse, was that their front door actually opened to the outside, something Rachel hadn't experienced for a while and had been nervous about for months after moving in, until she realized that the trolls who'd made her life a living hell a few years ago were no longer interested in her and weren't coming around to stalk her anymore. When Logan and Emma entered her life, she discovered the advantage of the front door opening to the outside; parking on the street, it was just a few steps to the door, making the carrying of heavy backpacks easier. Not having to depend on a slow elevator was also a plus when bringing groceries into the house.

The layout offered another advantage to the foster kids. They took the bedroom and bathroom on the main floor, keeping a small emotional boundary to preserve their dignity, while Al and Rachel retained their privacy in their bedroom and en suite bathroom up a flight of stairs. When Logan sauntered in at a late hour, he wouldn't disturb them when getting ready for bed. Not that they slept any easier on those nights. They just couldn't help worrying about where he was, and about getting the dreaded phone call from the police that he'd gotten in trouble or, worse, that he was never coming home again.

At least that hadn't happened last night. Logan had been exhausted after a full day at the construction site and, wonder of wonders, all he'd wanted to do was eat at the dinner table and turn in early. Emma had been overjoyed to have her brother in the house the whole evening. She'd snuggled into him as he'd watched TV with her on the couch, and Samson had curled on her lap because the cat had now claimed Emma as his fur sister. Rachel had watched them from the armchair and known that this had been the reason they'd taken them both in, this unconscious affection they had for each other, and that to separate them would have been unjust.

Joe had been impressed with the boy's performance, which had surprised them all. Maybe Logan had just needed something to get excited about before he got his ass in gear. Logan had even told them a bit about his day, and not just grunted or given a one word response whenever they'd asked. He'd liked the work, it had been easy enough to learn, but what he'd liked best was the camaraderie he'd had with Tilly, Johnny's younger son. Rachel was familiar with both Vic and Tilly from their friendship with Joe and Lauren; they came around with Johnny and his wife to all the family functions, and they both reminded her of the Johnny who'd first sparked her interest in boys when she was twelve. She knew they would get girls' hearts pounding, but they seemed like they weren't in a hurry to go out there and get them. They still lived at home, which wasn't uncommon nowadays, but their ambition didn't match their father's or their uncle's, as Joe and Johnny had already had their own business going at that age. It was nice, though, that Logan was making friends on the job. It spoke well of his ability to get along with others in the workplace and would be a good skill to have in the future.

This morning, though, poor Logan was stiff and sore from using muscles he wasn't even aware he had, so he was laid up in bed, with cold packs, a heating pad and ibuprofen while Emma doted on him, bringing him breakfast and juice, and Rachel's heart swelled at the girl's solicitude. Despite her problems, she felt compelled to care for others, and she seemed to appreciate that Logan was working for both of them.