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

Chapter Thirty-One: Tej, Thursday

"This is the one I want," Patrick said once he'd finished touring the house where Jordan Trevelyan once lived.

"Oh, fantastic!" Tej said. "It's perfect for you, three bedrooms, two baths, and a quiet neighbourhood for your kids."

"That's what I thought. It's away from the busyness of Ewen Avenue with all these little side streets, and there's a park with a playground right over there." He pointed down the street as if she didn't see it herself.

"I know! And the school's not too far from here if you end up enrolling them."

Patrick's face fell. "Yeah, well, that remains to be seen. Since we last met, I made contact with my wife, and she hasn't yet decided where she'll be living; if we divorce, and that's not a sure thing yet, she might still be living with her parents in Richmond until we settle the division of money and she can move somewhere else. The kids might enroll wherever she goes, because my schedule's too erratic for me to have primary custody of them."

It occurred to Tej that Patrick had a slight maritime lilt to his voice, only becoming apparent the longer he talked. The man usually spoke with short sentences, concise and to the point, and rarely made comment on the properties they saw, so she was surprised he made such a quick decision on this one. Maybe he just knew what he liked.

"I take it this is smaller than the one you had in Kelowna?" she asked.

"Much," he said, nodding. "Prices are lower there, well, they were when I bought my place, so I was able to get a bigger lot than this. It's all right, though, I really don't need much, and if the kids are only with me two days out of the week it should be just enough house for them, too."

"You seem quite certain she'll get primary custody."

Patrick shrugged. "It's how it usually is, isn't it? The mother gets the kids. I'm not sore about it; on the contrary, it's better for them if they're with her, especially with her parents nearby to babysit if needed. Mine are back in Moncton, so no help for me here."

"Ah. That makes sense."

"So, what do you think I should offer?" he asked. "Think it'll go over asking?"

"It's possible. Metro Vancouver's a hot market. We'll come up with a competitive offer. You'll want conditions, I imagine? You're selling your house in Kelowna?"

"Yes. This place looks pretty new. Think we need an inspection?"

"I always recommend an inspection, but some people make their offers without it and snag it. That's a risk you'll need to decide on."

He nodded thoughtfully and scratched his chin. "Let's risk without. I can do some basic repairs if they're needed."

"Okay, so..." She opened her zippered folder containing the spec sheet for the house, pulled out the pen inside, looked again at the asking price, mentally recalled the comps for the area and wrote a number down. "Let's say this, with the condition of the sale of your house in Kelowna," she said, pointing at the number with the pen. "Five thousand below asking should keep you competitive enough for the estate that owns the house to make a counteroffer."

Patrick nodded, having gotten the story from Tej about the man who used to own this house. "It's too bad he didn't die in the house," he said. "We could have gotten it for much less."

"Ha. Yes," she said, remembering Birinder had made a similar remark on Monday. He wasn't with them today, because the agent for the seller was there to give them a private viewing and, anyway, she felt more comfortable in Patrick's presence today after having spent Monday with him touring properties. The man seemed to make a point of not standing too close to her, nor did he ever make an inappropriate comment to her like so many other male clients did, sometimes in the presence of their partners. He almost acted smaller in her presence. She appreciated the effort he made to be nonthreatening, and so she forgave him for his gallows humour about the house.