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

Chapter Fifty-Two: Agnes, Monday

To Agnes' surprise, she was glad for Joanie's presence in the townhouse Sunday night. Two floors above her, sharing the floor with Patrick, who'd decided to take the other bedroom rather than lay out in front of the TV after all, she provided the security Agnes couldn't provide him from her bedroom on the main floor, where Melissa lay in her arms, so she could feel confident enough to go to sleep that night. After the previous night's devastating news, she hadn't been sure she'd sleep at all, but she figured that she hadn't gotten any the night before and was now crashing from pure exhaustion, the warmth of her daughter in her arms acting like an anchor to pull her under the surface of slumber.

She woke Monday feeling rested and content with Melissa beside her; the air mattress, though low to the ground, was still wide enough to accommodate both of them. Then a vague feeling of alarm settled on her as she realized she was supposed to be working today, but then she remembered she'd called yesterday and let her supervisor know her ex-husband had died and she needed to make arrangements, not that she was necessarily in mourning but she needed some leave to be there for her children. As relief settled in that she didn't have to go anywhere today, that she could laze with her kids around this townhouse so generously offered to them by her ex-boyfriend and his wife, a fresh wave of grief rolled in like the tide, and she realized she had been lying to herself as much as to her supervisor during that call; she was in mourning, if not for the Patrick who'd cheated on her and killed a man to save his adulteress, then at least for the Patrick who'd been a good father to her children, and who'd once been the kind man who'd loved her in his way.

She got out of bed as gently as she could so as not to wake Melissa, then checked the time on her phone. Her parents would be up by now. She went upstairs and called them in the living room, checking in and making sure no one had paid them a visit last night. They assured her all was well and were happy to hear the same from her. 

"This friend of yours, Al," Mom said. "I can't shake the feeling that his generosity is outsized for a friend from work. Are you sure there's nothing more to it?"

After their breakthrough yesterday, Agnes felt like she owed her the truth. "I'll be honest with you," she said. "When I was still living at home, before I went to Kelowna, Al and I were dating."

"I thought so. Just from the looks you shared, I knew there was a story."

"Are you angry at me for not telling you before?"

Mom sighed. "Anger is a useless emotion to be feeling at the moment, when you're mourning your husband. So much has happened since you went to Kelowna, why argue about something that happened so long ago?"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't think you'd approve of him. I wanted him to come to Kelowna with me, but he had to stay and look after his mother because his dad was sick."

Mom harrumphed and said, "He sounds like someone I might approve of, if he looks after his parents."

Agnes knew this complaint of old. "I wanted to look after you by moving you with me to this townhouse."

"I know, I know," Mom said resignedly. "If he'd gone with you, or if you stayed, do you think you might have married?"

Agnes thought about it for a moment and said, "If I stayed, I would have had to tell you about him before we married, and I didn't have the courage to tell you, so I don't know, honestly. If he went with me, then we definitely would have. Easier to send you a wedding invitation from Kelowna, like I did when I married Patrick."

Mom sighed. "We really did a number on you, didn't we."

"You made it clear that you wanted me to marry a Chinese boy from your congregation. I was so afraid to disappoint you that I didn't even have the courage to talk to a boy until I was in college."