Lauren drove toward Queensborough as fast as she could without risking a ticket. She'd already left work late after putting out a couple of unexpected fires, and this new text from Rachel had her even more excited to get to her friends and figure out what the hell was going on:

Jordan's missing. Police are on the scene.

It had been, up to then, a hard slog of a day, running the ship with barely any sleep, still regretting her argument with Rachel the day before. Now, thankfully, there was a distraction. Jordan was missing, on the very same day Sunny and his family went to Birinder's house for dinner. Her first thought when Rachel sent that text was, Birinder has an alibi. However, that wasn't entirely true. She wasn't sure yet when exactly Jordan went missing, nor that his being missing was a result of foul play. Conceivably, Birinder could have done a misdeed up to the time Sunny and his family arrived, or maybe half an hour before, with time to clean himself up, depending on what he might have done.

She took Marine Drive east, but found herself at more than one red light, so she spent her time calling Naomi with her phone in its hands-free device. She picked up after a few rings. "Hi, Mom," she said.

"Hi, baby. How's everybody doing over there?"

"Good. Logan actually ordered pizza and paid for it himself."

"What?! We had dinner in the fridge for you to heat up. What did he go and do that for?"

"What can I say? You left us to our own devices."

"Cheeky. Is he sticking around to keep an eye on you, then?"

"For now. How long are you going to be?"

"Aw, do you miss me?"

"No!" she protested a little too loudly. "It's just, Logan wants to go out with his friends, but he can't until you get back."

"Why doesn't he tell his friends to come over?"

"Here?! Are you kidding?! They're older boys!"

"What, you don't think they'll behave themselves?"

"I trust Logan, but I don't know his friends."

"Fair enough. I'm just heading to Queensborough to meet up with the others. Hopefully we won't be longer than a couple of hours."

"What if you're longer?"

This was a nervousness Naomi had never exhibited before, and it broke Lauren's heart because she knew it was her fault. All Naomi's life, there'd been at least one parent at home at night, and since Joe had left, that wasn't a guarantee anymore, even though there were even more adults in the house than there'd been before. Cool Auntie Rachel might have sufficed for a night or two if Lauren was out on surveillance, but she wasn't her beloved Dad. Lauren really needed to get Joe back before they gave their kids an anxiety disorder.

"We'll call. You can stay up later tonight, it's a weekend. If there's an emergency, you have Grandma and Grandpa and Zio Johnny's numbers programmed into your phones, or you can call nine-one-one."

"Okay. Is Dad down there, too?"

"Yeah. He's with Joanie, talking to the police."

"Police? What's going on?"

"Nothing bad for any of us, they just noticed something suspicious and reported it."

"Oh. Okay."

Lauren thought Naomi was going to ask if Joe was coming home soon. The pretence they'd set up, that Joe was nursing Joanie back to health and that was why he was living at her house, was coming to an end now that Joanie was back at work on Monday, and Naomi had to be aware of it. Yet, notably, she didn't say anything. Did she simply trust he would be home soon, or had she just lost hope and decided to stop asking? Lauren hoped it was the former, and that she'd be able to fulfill her daughter's hope, for both their sakes.

"I better go," Lauren said, "I'm just crossing the Queensborough bridge now, so almost there. See you soon."

"Bye, Mom."

"Bye, baby."

Naomi hung up first. Lauren ended her call and looked out over the neighbourhood she so rarely visited even though it had been her home for some of the best years of her life. The road after the Queensborough Bridge curved right as it became Highway 91, and she remembered when the bridge instead kept going straight until it intersected with Ewen Avenue, before they'd built this connector, which ran through where Al's house used to be. She took the quick turn off for Howes Street, which then intersected with Ewen, and followed the directions she had on her phone. She passed Wood Street, which emptied into the cul-de-sac of Crane Place, where Birinder lived, and hoped Sunny and his family were all right and that Al and Rachel watching the place, hopefully from a vantage where they wouldn't be noticed and reported, would be sufficient to ensure their safety; there was already one police presence in Queensborough, they didn't need another.

She continued on Ewen until she reached the Port Royal area. She followed the flashing blue and red lights even though she had Jordan's address. She found Joe and Joanie sitting at the end of the block on which Jordan lived, on the tailgate of Joe's Dodge Ram. She parked her Versa behind them and pulled out her phone. She texted Regan the address and that police were on the scene now, but they were okay. If Regan wanted to come now, that was her choice.

She climbed out and locked her door, then said, "I heard the news from Rachel. What's going on?"

"We discovered the door was ajar when we came to visit," Joe explained. "He knew we were coming right?"

"Yeah, as far as I know."

"Well, we knocked, but there was no answer. We called out to announce ourselves, you know, just in case he left the door open by accident; maybe he was waiting on the front porch but went inside for a minute." He gestured to all the houses on the street, which had the same cookie-cutter faux craftsman elements, among them small front porches.

"When we saw from the front door that the living room was tossed, we called out again," Joanie went on. "I got a bad feeling about it, so we stayed outside and I called nine-one-one. A New West Police patrol car showed up, and the constables went inside to search. When they asked us what our business was at the place, we explained about Jordan's connection to a missing persons case, and they radioed for a detective."

"Tracey and Goncalves are in there now," Joe said.

Lauren tried craning her neck to see Jordan's house, but the angle was all wrong. It was probably behind police tape now anyway. She could see other patrol cars up ahead, though, and other constables knocking on doors all along the block, asking neighbours if they'd seen anything suspicious. "Somebody on the block must have seen something," she said.

Joe shrugged. He looked bored. "We're still waiting for the detectives to talk to us, but once they do that, and once I know the others are safe, I'm getting out of here."

"Oh, come on, aren't you interested in knowing what happened?" Lauren asked.

"Do you think they're actually going to tell us?"

"They won't, unfortunately," Joanie said. "That assumes they even know. They might not."

They waited. Lauren found herself without anything to say. After the awkward conversation she'd had with Joanie on Monday, and then the session with Joe on Friday, she worried she wouldn't be able to open her mouth without sticking a foot in it. The case seemed to be the only safe topic of conversation.

As if Joanie were reading her mind, she said, "First this Naira woman disappears, and now Jordan's gone under suspicious circumstances. What are the chances that the two events are coincidences?"

"Exactly!" Lauren said. 

"The only thing tying them together is this Birinder fellow," Joe said. "And he's having dinner with Sunny and his family. Unless that whole dinner is a cover."

"Do you think he's using Sunny as his alibi?" Lauren asked. "That's what I was thinking before."

Joe smiled at her, and she felt a flutter in her belly, remembering the way they'd kissed yesterday. "He thinks Sunny is a disinterested third party, though," he said. "If Birinder did do something, that's the only thing keeping Sunny safe."

"Have you talked to him since he went in there?"

"Just text. He seemed fine. In fact, he was more worried about Jordan."

Lauren sighed and paced, shaking her hands out. This was the hardest part, waiting for something to happen. It would be different if it was her case; she could sit in silence with a camera for hours, waiting for her target to emerge from a motel room. What mattered was knowing she had some agency in what happened. Here, she was little more than a bystander. Maybe Joe was right. As soon as they could go, she would go. She had even less to tell the police than Joe and Joanie did, because she hadn't gotten anywhere near Jordan's house.

Two things happened at the same time. Sunny's Prius pulled up, and Detectives Tracey and Goncalves walked their way, accompanied by an older gentleman dressed casually for the evening. He didn't look like a cop, but the two detectives appeared to know him, because they were chatting and laughing together as they approached.

Sunny, Tej and Rachel emerged from the car. The kids didn't. They were probably eager to get home. Sunny and Tej looked like a pair of models on the cover of a glossy magazine for the South Asian lifestyle. Lauren had never seen Tej in a sari before, and she was so gorgeous that Lauren couldn't help remembering the shower she'd had with her and Rachel at Harrison Hot Springs back in August, and it made her feel an inconvenient heat down below; now was not the time for arousal, especially when both their husbands were within arm's reach.

"So, there was only enough room for me in the car," Rachel said. "I made Al walk, so we have to wait for him before we can leave."

"Poor Al," Lauren said before she could stop herself. 

"Why don't you go get him?" Joe asked. "You're not needed here."

The remark was like a slap, and she actually gasped. Even Sunny and Tej noticed, because they both frowned at Joe. He backtracked and said, "I mean, Joanie and I were the ones who discovered he was missing. The detectives will want to talk to us first. You can probably go get him and come back by the time they're done with us and they want to talk to you guys."

It was half a save at best. She could still feel the sting on her cheek.

"No one's going anywhere," Rachel said. "He said he could use the walk, and it won't take him that long."

The detectives showed up, and when Rachel saw them she brightened. "Hi, Detective Tracey. Maria." She said the second in a flatter voice. Lauren knew about her strained relationship with Goncalves; the woman, when she was a constable, had been behind the wheel of the patrol car when it had made a U-turn and been struck by a another car, killing Rachel's ex-husband, Constable Mason Chan, who'd been in the passenger seat.

Goncalves detected Rachel's rancour and returned it with a stink eye. To Lauren's surprise, the older man with them looked at Rachel and said, "You look familiar. Have we met?"

"You have," Tracey said, patting him on the shoulder. "That's Rachel Chan, well, Mackenzie, now; she was at the Anderson house when we found that mummified baby."

"Oh, yeah, Saint Martha," the older man said. "I remember that case, it was one of my last." 

Rachel smiled and said, "You're Detective Rhodes, right?"

"Retired, now," Rhodes said. He gestured to the two detectives. "Still sticking my nose in whenever I'm around."

"Right, I think you mentioned you lived in Queensborough. In Port Royal then?"

"Yeah, suddenly I see patrol cars show up, and I wonder what the hell's going on; you bet I'm going to go and talk to the old crew."

"I remember you too," Sunny said. "I was also there for the baby."

Rhodes nodded uncertainly. For him, the pretty blonde was probably more memorable than the brown guy. "So, what's going on? Are you connected to this Jordan guy?"

"As a matter of fact, he came to me first about his missing girlfriend."

"Hey, Don, I think you need to let us ask the questions, now," Tracey said, patting his arm again. Poor guy, Lauren thought. She understood how Rhodes felt. Looming on the periphery of an investigation was frustrating as hell. He probably wished he was still working, and poor Tracey was humouring him until he became so annoying that he had to be sent home.

"So, let's go over the timeline again," Goncalves said. She was attractive, and Lauren could see how she would rub Rachel the wrong way, being associated with her ex even in a tangential way. "When did Jordan first approach you about his missing girlfriend?"

"Last Saturday, during my campaign opener," Sunny said.

"You're running for something?" Rhodes asked in amazement.

"City Council." Sunny noticed something, then smiled and pointed. "So is she, actually. Hello, Regan, what are you doing here?"

Lauren turned, and to her unexpected delight, there, pulling up on a bike and wearing a helmet, was Regan. Her cat's eye glasses were replaced by aerodynamic goggles, but her clothing was not otherwise special for biking, jeans and a short, yellow puffy jacket, and Doc Marten boots. She removed her helmet and goggles, revealing sweat-plastered hair, and smiled at Sunny. "Hey, Sunny! Wow, don't you and Tej look fancy! Did you have an event today?"

"No, just a dinner party."

"I know Regan Nakamura," Rhodes said, to Lauren's surprise. "Are you still a Victims Assistance Unit volunteer?"

"I am!" Regan said. "You used to be a detective, right?"

"Yeah, and I remember what good work you did. Is it true you're also running?"

"Yes, but tonight I'm meeting a new friend here, and what an interesting venue in which to meet!"

"Hi Regan," Lauren said warmly, offering her hand. The two shook, and Lauren said, "Don't tell me you rode all the way over here from where you live."

"Of course not! I happened to be on the road already, following a meeting with the Downtown BIA. I just went over the bridge and came here, lickety split."

"You never hear that expression anymore," Sunny said. "Lickety split. It sounds almost indecent now. But, Regan, you're putting me to shame on the campaign trail. I'd never think to ride to my events, even though I was an avid rider in my youth."

"Unless you want Tej to ride tandem with you, that would be hard to do," Regan said conciliatorily. "Anyway, green transportation is one of my campaign planks, so I'd be a hypocrite driving a car around."

"Hi, I'm Rachel," Rachel said, extending a hand to Regan. Lauren felt bad for not introducing her by now. "I'm Lauren's best friend in the whole world."

Lauren felt both warm inside that Rachel still loved her even after yesterday, and a little sad that her best friend and lover saw this newcomer as a threat to her place at the top of Lauren's list and felt she had to inform her of her status.

Regan, for her part, seemed amused at the introduction. "Hi, Lauren's best friend in the whole world. Lauren and I just met last week at Sunny's do. We were going to go to the Nikkei Centre someday and get in touch with our Japanese side."

"That sounds lovely," Rachel said. "Lauren's given me her family history so often, I should go with her and get up close and personal with it."

"If we could get back to my line of questioning," Maria said a little louder than the rest of them, and Lauren was impressed with the woman's patience for letting them all get introduced; maybe Rhodes' esteem for Regan influenced it.

Everyone turned to Maria, who cleared her throat. "After that time, Mr. Parhar, did you ever see Jordan again?"

Sunny blinked in surprise. "No, as a matter of fact. We only corresponded by email. He sent me the schematic for the GPS device he claimed to have developed with his girlfriend, and he also sent me pictures of her to compare to the woman who is currently married to Birinder Sandhu. He did give me his phone number and address, and we arranged for Joe and Joanie here to come and have a chat with him, to let him know I was having dinner with Mr. Sandhu on the premise of a social visit so I could have a look around. Oh!" he said, snapping his fingers. "By the way, the woman Jordan was concerned about is your friend, right? Have you tried calling her?"

Rhodes looked inquiringly at Goncalves, and she cleared her throat. "I did. She's not answering her phone. It's... actually... not like her at all."

"Did your Naira ever mention she was married to Birinder Sandhu?" Sunny asked.

Goncalves shook her head. "She never mentioned being married at all. We don't know for sure if she was married to this guy."

"Divorce records for Birinder do show him once being married to a woman named Naira." Sunny shrugged. "I mean, it might not be her, maybe there's a third Naira we don't know about, but that's highly unlikely."

"What the fuck?" Regan breathed, looking from Sunny, to the detectives, to Lauren.

"Or the woman Birinder divorced could be the same woman, maybe he just remarried her," Goncalves said.

"You need to talk to this Birinder guy," Rhodes said to the detectives.

"Thanks, buddy, we would have never thought of that," Tracey said with a sarcasm that made Lauren smile. Only a lifelong partnership could have engendered Tracey's confidence to be cheeky and not be rebuked by his older partner. "Before that, we're going to need to talk to everyone who saw Jordan at that function. So far, that's the latest anyone's seen him, until we can find someone who saw him later."

"That's all of us, actually," Lauren said. "We were all at that function. Even Regan." She turned to Regan and said, "Sorry I've dragged you into this."

Regan shrugged and said, "My interview will be a short one. Unlike you guys, I only talked to him for a few seconds."

"Are you checking Jordan's work?" Sunny asked. "He mentioned being in IT."

"We're following all lines of inquiry," Maria said. "Mr. DiTomaso and Ms. Mara, since you discovered the house was empty, can we talk to you first?"

"It's Sergeant Mara," Joanie said. "I'm in the RCMP."

"Fantastic, then you know the drill," Maria said, beckoning them over. That was kind of a dick move, not referring to Joanie as a fellow officer. Had she forgotten Joanie was the hero of the Battle of Barnet? She'd been there with her, and had sung her praises afterward. 

While they wandered over to a place out of ear shot of the rest of them, Rhodes now eagerly chatting with Joanie, dazzled to know she was in "The Horsemen," Lauren turned to Sunny and asked, "How did the dinner go?"

"Perfectly ordinary," Sunny said, disappointed. "Here's what I found out: Birinder's dad remembers my dad from their mill days; Naira was really interested in my son's photos of Harrison Hot Springs, and she was also really interested in the fact that you made such a big fuss about her name last Sunday--"

"Shit," Lauren groaned. "That was a rookie mistake."

"Oh, and Birinder and Naira met on a dating website geared to the South Asian community."

"Now that's interesting," Rachel said.

"It is?" Tej said.

"Those things match you up, right? Birinder could put out a profile and view his matches. He sees a woman named Naira and says, hey, wow, I can marry another Naira."

"Wait, this guy's been involved with at least two women who have the same first name?" Regan asked. "Does he have some kind of obsession with the name?"

They all looked at each other. "I have no idea," Lauren said for all of them.

"I learned two other things," Sunny said. "One, Birinder really wanted us to stay out of the kitchen, but he could have just been a good host; I'm fifty percent sure he wasn't hiding anything in there."

"Only fifty?" Tej asked.

"Good effort trying to get in there, by the way," Sunny said. 

Tej shrugged. "It was worth a shot. Easier for me to get in there than for you. I'd like to say it isn't because of sexism, but I'd be lying."

"What was the other thing?" Lauren asked.

"I got Birinder talking about drones again," Sunny said. "He said they didn't get a visit from one last night."

"Now that is significant," Rachel said.

"What's this about drones?" Regan asked.

Lauren filled her in, because as soon as Jordan had announced his girlfriend was missing last Saturday, Regan had taken her leave. 

By the time Lauren finished catching her up, she spotted Al strolling up the street to them and couldn't help smiling; his presence was so calming, and the way he approached, hands in his pockets, unhurried, as if it wasn't weird at all that he was walking around in a neighbourhood that wasn't his, and that he wasn't at all inconvenienced at having to walk here when the rest of them got to drive, was somehow humorous, but she knew it wouldn't be appropriate to laugh right now, because Regan looked horrified at what she'd just told her.

"This guy was flying a drone to someone else's house every night?" she asked.

"I guess he doesn't seem so hot now, does he," Lauren said, still smiling as Rachel pulled Al in for a kiss, maybe as reward for having to walk here, or maybe to stake her claim to him in front of Lauren's eyes.

"Regan, this is Rachel's husband, Al," Lauren said.

"Hi," Al said, shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you." 

"You too." Regan looked over at the scrum interviewing Joe and Joanie. "So, that's really your husband over there?" she asked Lauren.

"Yup."

Regan wanted to ask Lauren about Joanie, she just knew it, because she looked at Joanie and then back at Lauren, but she didn't ask, probably because the others were around. Lauren was relieved. It was one thing to discuss it in a room full of strangers, and another when there were friends listening, friends who might not know all the details.

Lauren asked, "Rachel and Al, did you see anything suspicious while Sunny and his family were inside?"

"Nothing," Al replied. "No one was even on the street, and no cars passed by. We watched from a park bench down the street. So, what did I miss, walking here while the rest of you got to drive?"

"Jordan didn't fly his drone last night," Rachel said. "Theoretically, something could have happened to him as far back as yesterday."

Al blinked in surprise. "Holy shit," he said. "But, wait, Joe said his door was open, right? Could a whole neighbourhood not notice an open front door for a whole day?"

They all thought about that for a moment. "You know what?" Lauren said. "I say no. Not with Retired Detective Rhodes the de facto neighbourhood watch."

Al brightened. "You mean Detective Snackpants is here?"

"Hw-what?" Lauren stammered through surprised laughter. The others chuckled too, it was so unexpected.

"I remember Detective Rhodes from the Anderson house," Al explained. "He has this real tough-guy, take-no-bullshit attitude, and I always imagined he called the perps 'Snackpants' when he was interrogating them."

"He does have a gravelly voice, I can see how you'd think that way," Regan said. "But I know him from my years in the Victims Assistance Unit, and he's actually a real sweetheart."

"Wow, you do that kind of work?" Al asked. "That must be hard."

"It is, but it's also rewarding."

"We've interacted more than once in cases where my clients have suffered domestic abuse and the police had to be called," Sunny said. "Her role in the Victims Assistance Unit is why our Regan is Citizen of the Year. That and all the other volunteer work she does, in addition to her job as... what is it again... koala cuddler?"

Regan burst out laughing. "I sense resentment, Mr. Runner-up. I commend you for your blood drives at the gurdwara, by the way. You've done a lot to pull in a group not previously known for donating."

"Don't feed the beast," Tej said. "You'll just make him pout harder."

Eventually, the detectives finished with Joe and Joanie, then took the rest of them one at a time. Lauren told her story, which wasn't much: being introduced to Jordan last Saturday, hearing his story, viewing the footage on his phone with the others. "Did he ever turn the footage over to you, by the way?" she asked them.

"We can't comment on that," Tracey said, but from the tone of his voice, it didn't seem likely.

"Did you find a drone in his house, anywhere?"

"Again, we can't comment on anything to do with this investigation." Tracey gave her a crooked smile. "You're the P.I., right? You were with Sergeant Mara at Barnet Marine Park."

"My reputation precedes me, it appears. Odd that your partner didn't remember Sergeant Mara; she's a lot more memorable than I am, with her height and her hair."

Tracey shrugged. "Maybe I'm just better at remembering the women I meet; I think I've been single for too long. And I wouldn't say you're any less memorable than Sergeant Mara; on the contrary, your willingness to head into danger that night when you weren't even a police officer makes you very memorable."

Was he flirting with her? She had to fight the urge to arch her back like a cat at the complement. "It's a good thing I wasn't at the Anderson house when they found the baby; I would have been all over that before you got there."

Tracey chuckled. "I like your gumption, but you really do have to let us handle this."

"Yeah, yeah." 

By the time they were all done, they'd been there longer than the two hours Lauren had promised Naomi, and once they all gave their addresses and phone numbers (they all should have been on file with the police by now), Lauren was itching to get back to the kids. "How about we all go home, now," she suggested to everybody. "We let this sink in, and if we have anymore insights, we call a meeting of the LSDC."

"What's the LSDC?" Regan asked.

"Oh, sorry, you don't know," Sunny said. "It's the Lawrence Street Detective Club. Most of us grew up together on Lawrence Street, just west of here in Queensborough. We had a club as kids."

"You're kidding!" Regan squealed in delight. "I bet you were so cute, Sunny!"

"I'll tell you more about it sometime," Lauren said, "but we really have to go. Would you like a ride somewhere?"

Regan sighed and said, "Yeah, actually, I'm pretty tired. Just back across the bridge, if you can, I live downtown."

"I'll give you a ride," Sunny said, "it's closest for us."

"Oh, Tej," Rachel said, "Did you get the counteroffer?" Rachel and Al had decided to bring in Tej to represent them earlier in the week, to make sure they were getting the best deal. Tej had looked over the specs and researched the comps in the area, and helped them craft an offer; luckily they had no conditions other than inspection, and could make a quick closing, because they had no home of their own to sell. Now came the process of reviewing the counteroffer, but they were one step closer to moving out, and though it was necessary to bring Joe back, Lauren wasn't looking forward to them leaving.

"Oh, yes, thanks for reminding me!" Tej said. "I'll get back to you on it tomorrow, if that's okay."

"Sure, I just don't want it to be sold out from us."

Sunny loaded Regan's bike as deep into the Prius' hatch as he could, tying the door down with a bungee cord. They waved goodbye, Regan climbed into the back, and they drove away.

"Well, I guess we'll take off too," Joe said, closing the tailgate to the flatbed. "I'll come by for the kids for church tomorrow morning."

"Soon you won't have to do so much driving, if Al and I get this house," Rachel said.

Joe opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind and closed it. He nodded and looked at Joanie, who said, "Call us tomorrow if you want to get together. Otherwise I'll be back at work on Monday and less accessible."

"Good luck going back," Al said.

"Thanks. I just hope they don't throw me a welcome back party," she groaned, rolling her eyes. "I hate attention."

"I'm the exact same," Al said, chuckling.

Joe and Joanie smiled awkwardly and climbed into the Dodge Ram. As they drove away, Rachel turned to Al and said, "You just can't help being nice to Joanie, can you, even when she's keeping Joe away from Lauren."

"I'm afraid I'm the one keeping Joe away from Lauren, or have you forgotten what happened in August," he replied.

"Lay off him," Lauren said, "he's just a nice guy."

"Yes, everyone's getting the benefit of his niceness." Rachel said, looking pointedly at Lauren, and Lauren realized with relief that she'd never told Al she knew about last Friday.

Al put an arm around Rachel and said, "I save the nicest niceness for you, my love."

Rachel blew him a raspberry, then gave him a big smackeroo on the cheek. "Come on," she said. "Let's go home so Logan can go out with his buddies."

Thanks for reading this far! If you've read the first novel in this series "We Find What Is Lost," you'll remember Detective Rhodes was originally Tracey's senior partner, and you'll have read about the accident that killed Goncalves' partner and Rachel's ex-husband, Mason. If you liked what you just read, hit "Vote" and send this title up the ranks. If something doesn't ring true about police procedure, leave a comment; I strive for authenticity.

To see what Sunny discovers when he arrives at work Monday morning, click on "Continue reading."