Eye of the Abductor (12 page)

“And he’d be eating pizza for the
second time this week instead of me.”

She laughed. “I’ll take a roast
out now and leave it in the crock pot tomorrow.”

He held her gaze for a moment,
thinking about how he’d hurt her. “I’m sorry about the rabbit remark.”

"I know, but thanks for the
apology."

He opened the box, pulled out a
slice of pizza, and started eating it. “Speaking of Brance, he still hasn’t
apologized.”

She handed him a napkin. “You
started agitating him the second he walked through the door.”

“Only because I didn’t like your
thigh touching his.”

“Get real. I moved over.”

Dillon recalled Brance being the
one who moved first. Still he didn’t argue. It hadn’t bothered him at first,
but now when he thought about how many times his younger brother and Carla had
been together, it pissed him off.

He hadn’t intended on stealing his
brother’s fiancée. His mother asked him to drop off some books at Carla’s
apartment. While there, she needed help lifting a box to the bedroom closet,
and the next thing he knew they were in the bed, bumping and grinding.

When Carla called off the
engagement, Brance had behaved like a wounded animal. It wasn’t until they announced
their engagement that his hurt turned to anger. After the twins were born,
Dillon realized a large part of his attraction to Carla had been because she’d
belonged to Brance.

“Next time he makes a snide
comment about you, I’m stuffing his teeth down his throat.”

Carla kissed him long and hard
until Bridget and Sam entered the room. “I love you, Dillon.” She turned toward
her kids. “What do you want to drink?”

“Juice,” Bridget answered.

“Kool-Aid,” Samuel shouted.

“Go sit at the table, and Daddy
will bring the pizza over.”

Carla joined her family at the
table and looked at Dillon “Don’t count Brance’s part of Gramie’s inheritance
too fast. Your mom told me he’s interested in a girl who lives near him.”

“They’d better elope to Vegas.
Time is running out.”

***

Allison hadn’t seen Brance since
the evening she’d told him she was a felon. His silent treatment had been indication
enough that she’d succeeded in destroying any chance of a relationship with
him. Not that she wanted one. She didn't.

By Christmas Eve, she and Nathan
would be together. And that was all that mattered.

 Wednesday evening she rushed into
the nursery at the Baptist church ten minutes late. "I am so sorry. I overslept."

"Not a problem. We're just
glad you're here now," Mona said.

She hated lying, but if she ran
into Dorothy at this point, Plan B would be finished. She scanned the room for
Nathan. He sat in his usual spot, playing cops and robbers. She’d have to find
something else he liked. Maybe she could get him interested in cowboys or
astronauts. Anything but this. She spoke to the other children before working
her way over to her son.

“Hey, Nathan.”

He glanced up from his toys and
gave her an exuberant smile. “Hi, Miss Allison.”

That smile warmed her heart and
knocked the breath right out of her. It required a moment to compose her
emotions and restrain herself from grabbing him up in her arms and kissing him.

She recalled her thoughts about
Christmas. “Have you been to see Santa yet?”

He shook his head. “Memaw said
after Tanksgiving.”

“Do you know what you’re asking
Santa for?”

He nodded. “Police Cruiser with a
remote.”

“Anything else?”

“I want a badge just like my
daddy’s.”

“What about a castle with horses
and knights?”

“Nah.”

“A ranch with horses and cowboys.”

He shook his head.

This might not be so easy
.

Her son was totally brainwashed.
Dorothy wouldn’t stop until she cloned Nathan into Rob. What a scary thought!

At snack time, Mona glanced across
the table at her. “Grab a pair of scissors. I can’t open these cookies.”

Allison crossed over to the desk
and pulled the wide drawer back. She pillaged through it. Staring at her own
picture, her stomach rose to her throat. She eased the picture from the drawer
and slid it into her pocket.

Jo Anne came up beside her and
opened a different drawer. “Wrong drawer.”

“Thanks.” Allison reached for the
scissors and returned to the table where she helped with their snacks. Apparently
Dorothy had given the church an old picture of her.

After another thirty minutes,
Allison glanced at her watch. Church would be out soon. "I need to use the
restroom. I'll only be a moment."

Mona nodded.

Before reentering, she scoped out
the main room from the hallway to make sure Nathan had gone.  A deep sense of
loss for her son left her feeling hollow.

Mona approached her. "You
have a way with Nathan."

Allison held her breath. Had she
paid too much attention to him? "How's that?"

"He seems to connect with
you. He's never said more than two words to Jo Anne and me. He lights up when
he sees you and talks to you."

This thrilled Allison. She held
back the emotions that rose up like a fountain. "That's nice to know. He's
a sweet kid."

After leaving the church, she
drove to the new bridge in downtown Memphis, checking out the fastest escape
route. She figured she’d have a good thirty minutes before they realized Nathan
had been abducted.

They’d first search the church building.
That would take time. It wouldn’t be until Dorothy appeared that the puzzle
would come together.

She looked in her rearview mirror
and realized the same car had been behind her since pulling out from the church
parking lot. Coincidence? Probably not.

It proved that people were aware
she’d moved back.

Or had Dorothy somehow become
aware of her and was keeping tabs on her. No, it wasn’t the bitch’s style.
Dorothy would come at her like a two-ton steamroller.

Could her car withstand a
high-speed-chase? Not a chance. So how could she lose the car tailing her? Was
it the same person who’d ransacked her car? This made leaving Bartlett a
priority.

She made a quick turn into a
bookstore parking lot and parked up front. She twisted around to see if the mystery
car had turned in behind her. It hadn’t. So maybe she was just being jumpy. The
rest of her drive home was uneventful.

Upon entering her apartment, she
managed to grab the phone before it stopped ringing. “Hello.”

“It’s late,” Jill stated. “Where
have you been?”

“I took a new job working at a
church nursery.”

“What time do you have to go in
tomorrow?”

“Ten. You?”

“Same. Since we can sleep in, I’m
taking you out. Make yourself pretty. I’ll be by to pick you up at nine.”

“I’m tired. I plan to go to bed
early.”

“Nonsense, you need to have some
fun.”

Allison surrendered. She’d been
depressed since her date with Brance. “I guess so. But you know how I feel
about bars and clubs.”

“I haven’t forgotten. Have you
eaten?”

“No.”

“We’ll grab a bite and catch a movie.”

"Sounds good."

Jill arrived a short while later
dressed in jeans and a tight, low-neck top. Allison wore a turtle neck sweater
and jeans, preferring to be comfortable.

“Have you ever been to Bahama
Breeze?”

“No. It looks expensive.”

“Don’t sweat it. Dinner’s on me. Consider
it an early Christmas present.”

A spark of guilt showered Allison.
There wouldn’t be a present for Jill. Not even a goodbye.

The tropical décor of the
restaurant with its turquoise walls and Reggae music made Allison feel like she
was on a vacation. Jill was right. This had already lifted her spirits.

“Let’s sit at the bar until our
pager buzzes.”

“Sure.”

They managed to grab two seats.
Jill gave the bartender her come-hither look to lure him to their end. “I’ll
have a Sex on the Beach. It reminds me of my favorite fantasy.”

Allison shook her head. Leave it
to Jill to say something shocking.

“And you,” the bartender asked.

“Just a glass of white wine
please.”

“Sure.”

Jill glanced around the bar.
“Isn’t that Brance in the corner?”

She turned around. Brance sat at a
table with another woman. Allison's chest constricted. She twisted back around
not wanting him to see her. “Yeah, that’s him. Mr. Fantasy.”

“I know that woman he's with.
She’s a real man-eater. She’ll jump his bones like a shark on a feeding
frenzy.”

Allison wished Jill would shut up.
She didn’t want to know about the woman. It hurt. Why be angry with him for
seeing another woman? She’d ended her chance of being with him by telling him
about her past.

She gulped down the wine in an
effort to cool the burning in her throat. As she was about to ask Jill if they
could go somewhere else, the pager vibrated and flashed lights.

“Our table’s ready." Jill
paid the bar tab, then nudged Allison off the high stool. “Let’s eat.”

Before following Jill, Allison
glanced at Brance. The impact of seeing him with someone else had her inflamed
with jealousy. She was angry and sad because she could never have him.

She couldn’t help remembering how
it’d felt to be in his arms while he kissed her. Finally, she took control of
her thoughts and focused on Nathan. He was the only important person in her
life. Always had been.

The thought of her son helped
overcome the jealousy attack. After they ordered the jerk chicken pasta, Jill
kept probing for information. “Where’s this new job?”

"The big Baptist church at
the corner of Kirby.”

“Not your church?”

“No. I attend the Methodist. Of
course I've been missing my service to work in the Baptist nursery.”

Jill appeared in thought for a
moment. “Isn’t that where the Wilsons attend?”

“Yes. But I stay out of sight
until Nathan is dropped off or picked up. I couldn’t stay away from him.”

“Are you crazy? They’ll catch
you.”

She planned to snatch Nathan
within the next few weeks. She had her new identity set up, including the new
driver's license she’d picked up. Only a couple of obstacles still stood in her
way. She had to have her trunk repaired. Transferring her car title into the
name of Laura Marsh presented a small hurdle, but it could be done.

She waited until their server
placed steaming plates of pasta in front of them before she continued. “You
wouldn’t understand. The urge to see Nathan and be near him is so strong. I
can’t stay away. It’s like trying to keep an addict from drugs. Besides let’s face
it, I’ll never have the kind of money it takes to go to court. And even if I
did, I’m a convicted felon. They don't always rule in favor of the biological
parent.”

“What about trying to clear your
name?”

“With Rob dead, it’d be nearly
impossible.”

“Surely not.”

“Unless you plan to conduct a
séance and bring him back.”

“No. But someone had to know he
was lying about you.”

“Yeah, Dorothy. Think she’ll
testify on my behalf?”

“You’re being a testy smartass
tonight.”

Allison sighed and rubbed her
temples. A headache already throbbed behind her eyes. “I know, and I’m sorry.”

“You care more about that cop than
you want to admit. And seeing him put you in a grumpy mood.”

Her mouth went dry. Still she
managed to lie to Jill and to herself. “He doesn’t mean anything to me.”

But he did. And deep down she knew
it.

“I didn’t mean to snap at you.
You’re a good friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Jill sighed. “Too bad you don’t
know where Rob’s five million is. You wouldn’t have to work, and you’d be able
to get Nathan back.”

Allison motioned for the server to
take her plate.

It struck her odd that Jill would
bring up the money now. “I don’t have a clue what he did with it. He wasn’t a
dummy. More than likely, it’s collecting interest in an offshore account.”

After leaving the restaurant, they
caught a movie. During the chick flick, Allison relaxed and enjoyed herself.

At the apartment, Jill dropped her
off near the building, waved, and pulled away. Brance’s jeep was parked in its
usual spot. No doubt he had the man-eater upstairs. She couldn’t bring herself
to enter her bedroom. Not tonight. She’d sleep on her love seat.