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

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Rachel, Friday

Rachel and Al rushed through the door to find two uniformed RCMP constables waiting for them. "We're the foster parents," she said. 

"Let them through," said a male voice behind them. 

The two constables parted, and Rachel saw Emma on the couch, watching TV with Detective Marsden and, to Rachel's surprise, Trainee Detective Goncalves. All of them seemed interested in what they were watching. Logan sat at the dining room table with Detective Pak, who must have been the one who told the constables to let them through, and Detective Tracey.

"We came as soon as Logan called," Rachel said. They did, too. Rachel had to quickly tell Roger Sanderson, the newest partner and the only one in the office, that she had to go home for a family emergency. Then she met Al, whom she'd called and who had to make his own quick getaway, at the Stadium Skytrain station, where they both rushed home, Rachel calling Lauren to tell her they wouldn't be carpooling home with her, and that she'd call later to tell her why.

"Thank you for doing that," Tracey said. 

Rachel looked from Tracey to Pak, then to Marsden and Goncalves and, to lighten the mood, asked, "Are we having a party?"

"You're probably wondering about the presence of police from two different departments," Pak said.

"We're already familiar with Detectives Tracey and Goncalves," Al said. "They investigated an unrelated matter in which we were involved a few years back in New Westminster. I've been meaning to come in and make a statement in the matter of..." He looked at Emma, who seemed to be focused on the TV. "... the mother of Logan and Emma." Logan flinched at Al's words.

Tracey smiled briefly at him. "I guess we've come to you, now. No trip necessary."

Marsden rose and said, "You may or may not know that the Lower Mainland has an Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, or IHIT." She pronounced the acronym as if it were two words, I hit, a subject and a predicate but no object. "It's composed of police from the RCMP and a few municipal police departments, one of which is New West. They cooperate to investigate serious crimes where there is an element of organization involved."

"When Detective Tracey called us about Logan's predicament, we couldn't ignore the coincidence of two deaths, and potentially a third, to which Logan is connected," Pak said.

Rachel stared at them for a second. "Did you say a third?"

"Why don't you sit at the table and we'll discuss it?" Marsden invited, taking a seat herself.

Rachel looked to Al, and they reluctantly sat facing the three detectives and Logan. "Can we confirm, first, that Logan isn't in any trouble?" she asked.

"Not legal trouble, so far," Pak said. "The evidence doesn't contradict Logan's story yet. We're more concerned about his and Emma's physical safety at the moment, because if Logan's testimony is correct, there's a possibility his father may have been taken, by the people he described, and possibly killed himself, or he might have been induced into revealing where Logan lives, since they must know he's a loose end. That's really why we're here."

"Are you saying Logan's in danger from the real killer?" Rachel asked in a low voice.

"We have reason to believe, from Logan's testimony and from the evidence you provided us on Sunday, that there are other parties involved in this case, parties that might have an interest in making sure Logan doesn't testify against them in a trial."

"You mentioned an element of organization before," Al said. "So, we're talking organized crime, here?"

"We identified known individuals in the photos on that memory card," Marsden said. Rachel noticed Logan seemed to shrink in his chair.