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

Chapter Four: Joe, Monday

"Now, Logan," Joe said as he pulled out his tape measure, "I want you to know that what we're doing is illegal."

"What?!" Logan yelped, turning to him with wide eyes.

Joe chuckled. "Relax. I just mean we're making an illegal suite, meaning not to code and not suitable to rent out. People make them all the time, and most rent them too, because the rental market in this city is so tight that people will live anywhere."

"What makes it not to code?" 

"This basement has no windows. A proper suite has windows in the bedrooms, in case you need to exit in an emergency. Since we never intended on having a separate suite, we didn't put them in."

Logan blinked at him for a second before saying, "Are you saying Al and Rachel have been risking their lives the whole time they've been living down here?"

Joe smiled and patted Logan's arm reassuringly. The teenager stumbled from the force of his hand. "No. Since the basement as it is is one open plan, at least where they've put the bed, the sliding patio door acts as sufficient egress."  

"But if we're making rooms now, and there's no windows, won't we be putting them, and me, I guess, at risk now?" The purpose of the redesign was to make two bedrooms, one for Rachel and one for Logan, who'd been sleeping on the couch in the living room since they moved in here and really should have his own room. Emma still slept quite happily in Naomi's room, so no need for another one for her. 

The redesign was only necessary because Joe, to his surprise, didn't want them to move out. They'd been all set to move to a townhouse a few blocks away, and Joe had been looking forward to it, because it meant Al would finally be out of his house and away from Lauren. Then Lauren and Al were in an accident, with his son Tosh in the backseat, and Al was in the hospital in a coma. The tragedy made Joe feel protective of everyone in the house, and he and Lauren both agreed that Rachel and the kids should stay. 

To their relief, Rachel agreed, but Joe felt the need to improve their living space; when they originally moved in, after their old house had gone up in flames, it was supposed to be temporary until the insurance payout from the fire went through, but now they had the new place, bought with the insurance payout, and it was sitting empty, because they might not be able to move out after all, if Al's medical bills forced them to sell the place, or at least rent it out. Canada had a fantastic health system, where you didn't have to pay out of pocket for receiving treatment at a hospital, but that didn't mean the entire experience was free of charge. Long term hospital stays cost money, and though they both had extended health plans through their work, they didn't pay a hundred percent of the costs, and the longer Al was in a coma, the higher the bill.  

"That's a very good question, Logan," Joe said. "Now you understand why we have a building code: safety. I guess, technically, you would be at risk. There are risks to everything you do, though. Even leaving the house carries the risk that you'll be hit by a car, for example."

Logan nodded. "Like, travelling up to Harrison Hot Springs last summer without police protection exposed me to the risk of getting kidnapped by Auntie Kathy."

Joe blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected him to say that. "Yes, exactly. I know we don't talk much about what happened those few days..."

"I never said thank you for saving Rachel and me. From Auntie Kathy. When you... you know..."

Joe shook his head. "You don't have to thank me. I'm not proud of what I did, even if it helped you in the end. I don't want thanks, because it would make what I did a good thing, and it wasn't a good thing."

Logan flinched and said, "Okay, whatever you say."

"Killing is never the answer."

"She was going to kill us."