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

Chapter Ten: Rachel, Sunday

Rachel had never expected to meet Joanie for the first time on her own doorstep.

There she was, the girl who'd stolen her thunder as maid of honour at Lauren's wedding, the woman who was now Joe's side piece to balance Rachel as Lauren's. The arrangement somehow still felt uneven, and she'd expected not to like her.

But she was lovely, in more ways than one. She was very tall, taller than Rachel, who liked to consider herself a tall woman. And, goddamn, that flaming red hair! Women would pay through the nose to match that colour at the salon. She also looked like she could break Rachel in half; all of her body parts had angles to them. Those shoulders! She probably looked fabulous in a strapless dress, but today she was just in a black sweatshirt and jeans, which still looked sexy on her.

It wasn't just her physical beauty that captivated Rachel. The fact that she'd offered to help look for Logan on a rare day off, when she didn't even know Rachel and Al, aside from one meeting with Al when he and Lauren had been looking for Rachel and Joe, endeared her to Rachel when she was looking for a reason to hate her.

"Hi," Joanie said with a smile. "You must be Rachel."

"I am," she said, as if amazed at her own existence. "And you must be my stand-in at Lauren's wedding."

Her smile faltered a little. "Will you forgive me for that?"

"I guess I can. She was maid of honour at mine, so one for two isn't bad."

"Well, it's good you got to experience one wedding together, at least."

"When Joe told me you were coming to help, I nearly fell out of my chair," Rachel said.

"Why would it?" Joanie asked with a shy smile. "I'm a police officer. I might be off duty today but I can't ignore a missing kid."

"Well, that's very nice of you, but..." She looked pointedly at Lauren, who shrugged.

Luckily, Joe and the kids weren't here to watch this awkward exchange. They'd gone off to church. She couldn't shake the suspicion that Joe had timed this specifically so he wouldn't face the fallout.

Al crept forward and offered his hand. "It's nice to see you again, and we're grateful for any assistance you can give us."

Traitor.

Joanie shook his hand. "Right, you were there on the highway, with Lauren."

"Yes. Thanks again for your help that time."

She shrugged and blushed a little, and Rachel felt a flare of jealousy. What, was she going to go after her husband now?

"I didn't really do anything," Joanie admitted. "Just found out about a road check."

"Joe and I were in that road check," Rachel said. She decided to be a big person and offer her hand to her. "Thanks for helping today."

Joanie shook it, and stood there awkwardly. Rachel realized she was still standing in her way. "Sorry, come in," she said, stepping aside.

Samson sniffed Joanie's shoes, then decided she was worthy and rubbed himself on her ankles. "Oh! You have a cat. Good thing I took my allergy pill today," she said.

"Oh, sorry, will you be okay?" Al asked. "I can put him in the bedroom."

"No, that shouldn't be necessary. Anyway, I like cats, they just don't like me. Or rather, their dander doesn't."

Emma slouched out of her room, despondent at losing her best friend to church as well as her brother. When she saw Joanie, though, she brightened. "I love your hair!" she said.