Epilogue
Doreen and Mack had been home for a few days, with Nick happy to stay in Vancouver for a few more, overseeing Mathew’s property, while helping a few of his clients he still worked for, even with his move to Kelowna.
Today Doreen was thoroughly enjoying having a cup of tea at Nan’s apartment.
The entire group of Doreen’s Deputies was gathered here, and everybody had questions.
They each needed to know how their assistance had been invaluable, and, since they had made some very useful connections, Doreen was more than happy to give credit where credit was due.
“And you got even more treasure out of that house?” Maisie asked.
Doreen chuckled. “Yes,” she replied, yet shaking her head. “An unbelievable amount of it.”
“But you don’t even care about that, do you?” Richie asked, with a knowing nod.
She shrugged. “I care for what money can do,” she clarified. “And, therefore, all these items can be sold and will create more money that I can do things with to help others. But I don’t particularly care about money itself, and I really, really don’t care about things.”
She patted Mugs and Goliath, then stroked Thaddeus, who was on her shoulder. Afterward she reached for her grandmother’s hand and shared, “It’s really all about the people and the pets I love and has nothing to do with stuff. People are important, and it didn’t take me long to learn that at all.”
“What about Mack?” Maisie asked, rather delicately.
She chuckled. “Mack is doing just fine. I think he’s resigned himself to the fact that, no matter what we do, this will be our life, and I, for one, don’t mind,” she stated. “It keeps things exciting.”
Maisie grinned. “And what about the wedding?”
Immediately Doreen glared. “Nobody is allowed to ask me about when the wedding will be.”
“But we need to know, dear,” Nan replied. “Everybody has plans.”
“Plans?” Doreen repeated, frowning at her in shock. “What do you mean, plans?”
“All kinds of things have to happen before you get married.”
Doreen shook her head. “No, I’ve been married before, and no big plans are allowed this time. Maybe a nice big party down at the lake or something afterward,” she suggested, “but other than that? Nope, not interested.”
Maisie sat back with a big smile on her face. “Maybe you’ll just have to be surprised because life is all about accepting that you can’t control everything.”
Doreen stared at Maisie a little dismally and asked, “What are you guys up to? Aside from the fact that my grandmother is undoubtedly betting on which day I’ll choose for the wedding.”
Nan chuckled. “I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t.”
“Maybe not,” Doreen muttered.
“But that doesn’t mean I won’t listen to your wishes,” Nan added, with a repressive look over at Maisie. “We will honor your wishes, Doreen.”
Maisie nodded. “Of course we will,” she quipped, with a beaming smile. “Just know that everything happens for a reason, and it’s all because we love you.”
Doreen groaned at that.
“Doreen,” Richie interrupted, turning her attention to something else, taking the subject away from her wedding, for which she was grateful.
“Did you hear about what went on in the underbrush down along the river? Underneath the bridge I think, where the trees used to be, and now all that underbrush grows there?”
Doreen frowned at him. “No. What’s going on?”
He shrugged. “I’m not really sure. You’ll have to find out from Mack.”
“We haven’t been home that long, and I don’t know if he’s been assigned to any cases or not,” she noted, eyeing Richie curiously. “What do you know about it?”
He grinned. “Nothing really, just some chaos going on there. I don’t have any details,” he added, holding up a hand, “but something criminal may be happening there.”
“Oh, that’s interesting,” she noted.
“That’s what I thought you would say,” Richie declared, with a smile. “Of course Mack has the details.”
“I might have to ask him, but he probably thinks I need a break and I should be staying out of trouble for a while,” she muttered, with an eyeroll.
He chuckled.
“Besides, it’s about underbrush, not exactly a case where you could work with that into a title or anything,” Nan teased her, with a smile.
Doreen asked her, “You mean, my naming convention?”
“Exactly, which is why everybody was saying you should write a book.”
“I don’t know about writing a book,” she argued. Then she gasped and announced, “Undone in the Underbrush.”
They all stared at her in silence, until Richie started to chuckle, then laughed and laughed. “It’s perfect. You don’t even know what it’s about, but you’ve already got a title for this case.”
“That’s just so I can claim it,” she murmured, as she gave him a big grin. “After all, if I point out to the universe that it’s already mine, surely Mack won’t stop me from working on it, will he?”
“Oh yes he will, dear,” Nan countered, chuckling too. “He absolutely will.”
“If he can,” Richie clarified, with another chortle.
At that Mugs barked, and Goliath, who’d been sleeping beside him, took a swipe at him for waking him up. On cue, Thaddeus poked his head out from underneath Doreen’s hair and cried out, “Thaddeus is here. Thaddeus is here.”
Doreen burst into laughter, never happier to be home and to be with those whom she loved more than anything in this world.