We Find What Is Lost: A Novel of the Terribly Acronymed Detective Club (Book 1)

Chapter Fifty-Three: Rachel, Wednesday

Rachel took Lauren's advice. She soaked the rattle in diluted bleach for an hour and then rinsed it thoroughly. She took it to Allison's apartment, using it as the excuse to visit. Allison was pleased regardless. Her gratitude that she'd finally come made Rachel feel wretched for harbouring so much hate all this time.

Her apartment was filled with flowers of condolence, and the scent was almost overpowering. She thought about asking Allison to open a window, but she thought it might be rude.

"Apple's sleeping right now," Allison said quietly. "It'll give us the chance to have a chat."

Rachel sat stiffly on one end of the leather sofa, thinking it oddly masculine, but maybe Mason had a hand in choosing it, and maybe it cleaned up easier when the baby sicked up or pooped or whatever. She smoothed the knees of her slacks as she waited for Allison to pour the wine. When Allison came with two glasses, Rachel was surprised. "Are you supposed to be drinking?"

"I bottle feed," Allison confessed with what looked like real guilt. "I could never make enough of my own. It's more common than you think."

"I'm not judging," Rachel said. "I couldn't imagine something locked on my nipple for up to an hour."

"I know, the chafing was terrible. That was one silver lining of going to the bottle. But I did miss the connection."

Rachel took a sip of her wine, a nice cabernet, and made herself look at Allison. The woman was heartbreakingly beautiful in her still very apparent grief. She'd always been a little jealous of the woman's tawny hair and full lips. "I really am sorry about Mason," she said.

Allison's eyes welled up, and she nodded. "Thank you."

"And I'm sorry I hated you for taking him from me. You really didn't, I realize that now. I'd left him a long time ago, before the marriage even ended. I really shouldn't have been surprised he would look for comfort with someone else."

Allison buried her face in her hands and wept quietly. Rachel sat in awkward silence; she would feel clumsy leaving her seat and walking over to comfort her, because she didn't feel that much affection for her yet. Maybe one day they would get back to how they were in university, when they used to go out to bars together and spend what little money they had left after tuition drinking and dancing into the wee hours. Of course, they weren't in university anymore, and even the thought of staying out late made her tired, and Allison was a mother now, a single mother, so no staying up late for her except to feed and change Apple.

"I'm also happy you and he had Apple," she went on. "He always wanted children, and I just didn't. She's a beautiful combination of both of you."

Allison wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you. I just can't stop thinking back to that night... the accident... I can't understand how it happened..."

Rachel took another sip of wine as she considered whether she should tell her. "You know my friend Al? You met him."

She nodded.

"He saw it happen."

Allison gasped. "Oh, my God! What was he doing there?"

She decided on the simplest answer. "He lives in the area. The police cruiser took a U-turn from where it was parked uphill on Sixth Street to go back downhill. The other car was racing down the hill at the time, why nobody knows, because it would have had to brake really quickly to come to a complete stop before the bottom of the hill."

Allison shook her head furiously and wiped her eyes. "Fucking Maria," she hissed.

"What?" Rachel said, surprised.