Eye of the Abductor (7 page)

He couldn’t let the remark go. “I
am when I’ve been blindsided.”

Colby jumped in. “Okay, you two.
Cool it.”

At the end of the game, his mother
stood at the doorway and announced that dinner was ready.

The garlic and spicy aroma of the
lasagna had Brance’s stomach rumbling. He didn’t waste any time moving to the
dining room, especially since he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

The others finally made their way
to the table. Dillon and Carla sat across from him. Brance already sensed his
brother had a bad case of male PMS and wanted to start some shit.

He ignored him and ate, careful
not to spill sauce on the white tablecloth. His brothers and dad, all
law-enforcement, discussed issues within the Memphis Police Department,
excluding him.

As Colby handed his dad the salt
and pepper, Brance studied how much their hands looked alike. He shifted his
gaze to Dillon and observed he too had their father’s hands.

He stared at his own hands.
Different. He had thicker fingers that didn’t taper as much. Nor did he have
his mother’s graceful hands. If he didn't know his mother better, he'd think
some other man had fathered him.

“Mom, this is really good,” he
commented.

The others offered similar
praises.

Dillon shot him a snide grin. “I
bumped into Randy. He said you took out Tammy Gibson.”

“Yeah. What of it?”

“He says she’s a nympho. That
true?”

“I don’t kiss and tell,” Brance
replied. Before he gave any thought to what he was doing, he flashed Carla a
smile accompanied with a quick wink. “Lucky for you I don’t.”

Carla choked and turned red.

“You son-of-a-bitch!” Dillon
spewed.

“Oh, Brance,” his mother whispered
on a sigh.

"Hell, here we go
again," Colby stated. His wife watched with amusement.

“You owe Carla and Dillon an
apology,” his dad demanded, giving him
the look
again.

“I don’t owe either of them shit.
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever tell them I’m sorry.” Brance stood
and placed one hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Thanks for dinner.”

Driving home, he thought about his
dad. Lately he sensed the distance between them growing. He didn’t understand
it. Nor did he know how to change it.

Brance pulled into the complex
parking lot. A dark figure moved around Allison’s car. His lights spotlighted
the area, and the person ran.

Brance shifted into park, hopped
out, and chased the silhouetted figure. After rounding the back corner of the
complex, he didn’t see anyone and decided to give it up.

He returned to Allison's car. Her
trunk and the front door on the passenger's side had been pried open. The mats
had been ripped out, and the glove box hung open with the contents scattered
about.

After parking his car, he hurried
to Allison’s door and knocked. She opened it. Her long hair covered her
shoulders. Even without makeup, she glowed with a natural beauty.

“Allison, someone broke into your
car.”

Rather than respond, she appeared
cautious. “Why would anyone want to steal my car? It’s junk.”

“It appears he was looking for
something. You got the two-hundred fifty million dollar lottery ticket hidden
in that car?”

Rather than smile, her expression
grew even more guarded.

“I think you should report it,”
Brance advised.

“No. There’s nothing in my car
worth stealing. Let me slip on my shoes, and I’ll be right out.”

Her reaction hadn't been what he'd
expected. He walked back to her car and fiddled with the busted trunk latch.
When she joined him, he glanced up. “Trunk won’t close. I can secure it down
until you contact your insurance company.”

“I only carry liability." She
stopped beside him and stared at her belongings strewed on the ground.

“I wish you'd file a police
report.”

“Absolutely not.” She picked up
what items had been thrown on the floorboard and placed them back in the glove
box. Then she closed the passenger door and walked around to where he stood.
“Nothing is missing. There isn't anything the police can do. Is there?”

He shook his head. By her worried
expression, he figured there was something she wasn’t telling him, something
she considered none of his business. Her decision not to involve the police
probably stemmed from a deep-seeded fear. Why was Allison afraid of the police?
And what did she have that someone would go so far as to break into her car
for?

***

Allison tried to hide her concern
from Brance. But terror boiled beneath the surface like a geyser waiting to
blow. The possibilities caused her pulse to quicken. Who knew she was back? Was
it Escobar?

She reminded herself the burglary
could’ve been random. Then she remembered her experience after choir practice
and the mysterious phone call.

Stop it. You can’t keep doing
this without driving yourself insane. Don’t let paranoia rule your life.

The events could have been random
and coincidental. For now, that’s how she’d look at it. But she’d definitely
glance over her shoulder more often.

Chapter Four

Though Allison had been concerned
about the vandalism to her car, it hadn’t stopped her from driving over to
Little Pal's Daycare the next morning.

Nathan had spent most of his
recess on a painted metal car anchored to the ground. He turned the steering
wheel round and round, pretending to drive. She worried he’d catch a cold
because he removed his jacket. The sheer joy of seeing Nathan made her giddy
and lightheaded.

No sooner than she walked into her
apartment and tossed her purse on the table, the phone rang. She made a dash
for the receiver. “Hello.”

“Okay girl, you really need a cell
phone. I've been tryin' to reach you all morning. Where have you been?”

“Out.” She wasn’t about to admit
to Jill that she’d been staked out behind Nathan’s daycare. Until Jill had
children, she wouldn’t understand the need of a mother to see her child.
“What’s so urgent?”

“It’s our day off. Remember? I
thought you wanted to shop for used furniture. I borrowed my dad’s truck.”

“Oh, I forgot.”

"I’ll be over in a minute.”

“I’ll be waiting out front.” After
hanging up, Allison took out a coffee can from her bottom cabinet and yanked
the lid off. She removed a wad of bills and counted out three hundred dollars, then
put the rest away.

Jill thought her savings should be
kept in a bank. But in case things turned sour, Allison wanted to be able to
snatch Nathan and flee. There wouldn’t be time to make a pit stop at the bank to
withdraw all of her money.

She locked the door behind her and
walked to the edge of the parking lot. When she recognized the Crown Victoria
coming toward her, she cringed.

 
Ignore him
.
Maybe he’ll
keep going. No such luck.

Brance stopped beside her and
rolled down the window. “Everything all right?”

She nodded. “I’m waiting for
Jill.”

After parking, he joined her. His
gaze locked on her with an expression that seemed almost sensual.

Why was he looking at her like
that? A flutter of nervous jitters filled her stomach. “What are you doing home
in the middle of the day?”

“I was about to ask you that.”

“I’m off today. What’s your
excuse?”

“I thought I’d eat lunch at home.”

“Thank you for wiring my trunk
shut.”

“Sure thing. You'll need to get
that fixed.”

“No rush. I usually toss my
groceries in the back seat.” She waved at Jill pulling into the drive. “That’s
my ride. See you later.”

“See ya,” Brance said.

She inhaled a cleansing breath and
walked over to the truck. Before hopping in, she waved to him.

“That’s him, isn’t it?” Jill's
eyes sparkled with excitement and interest.

“Yep, Mr. Fantasy.”

"He can handcuff me any day of
the week." Jill looped around the parking lot, then drove toward the exit.
"With him living above me, I'd be double clicking my mouse every
night."

Allison laughed. “You’re bad.”

“With him I could be. Hey, where
were you this morning?”

“Looking for a second job. I
really need the money.”

“I can’t believe you poured water
on his date. What got into you?” She looked both ways and pulled out into
traffic before glancing back at Allison.

Allison sighed. “She deserved it.”

“Sure you weren’t jealous?”

She swallowed hard and lied. “No.
Why would I be?”

Jill shrugged. “Just a thought.”

“Well, find something else to
think about.” She stared out the window a few moments before turning back to
Jill. “Someone knows I’m back.”

“You’re delusional.”

“Someone ransacked my car last
night.”

“No way. You're shittin' me?”

“I wouldn’t joke about something
like that. I don't have to guess what they were searching for.”

“Don’t get too bent out of shape.
Probably a case of random car theft.”

“With all the nice cars in the
lot, they chose my beat up old Dodge? I don’t buy it.”

“I don’t see how anyone could
know. You’ve been so careful.”

Have I?
Had the Lieutenant recognized her that day and spread
it around that she was back? She started to mention it to Jill, but didn't. At
any time, Allison might have no choice but to act on Plan B. The less Jill knew
the better.

The Goodwill store smelled like
old clothes and books. Allison browsed through the furniture section. She
checked out an outdated floral sofa that had a huge stain on one cushion and a
worn plaid sofa. Then she spotted a leather loveseat without a scratch on it
that looked like it might’ve been used in a lawyer’s waiting room.

She turned to Jill. “What do you
think?”

“The leather one looks
comfortable, and it seems to be in excellent condition.”

Allison checked the price tag.
“Eighty dollars.” She glanced back at Jill. “The price is right.”

Scrooge had nothing on her. With
so much at stake, Allison had to be frugal. But that didn't seem to be the case
today as they strolled through the store.

After paying at the front, Jill
drove to the rear of the store and backed up to the dock where several men loaded
everything.

On the short
drive home, Allison’s neck and shoulders ached. “I spent too much. I shouldn't
have let you talk me into the tables and lamps.”

“And they'll
look great with the loveseat. So chill.”

The Crown
Victoria that sat beside her Dodge caught Allison’s attention when they drove
into the parking lot. She’d never noticed him coming home for lunch before.

Jill backed into
an available space to make unloading easier. “Let’s get the tables and lamps
out first.”

The larger
coffee table proved a little difficult, mainly getting it through the door. But
now they faced the really tough part
-
the
leather loveseat. In the store, it hadn’t appeared so large and bulky.

“I’m not so sure
we can carry the loveseat,” Allison remarked.

“Think positive.
Of course, tomorrow we both might need a chiropractor.”

After ten
minutes of trying to lift it, Jill threw her hands in the air. “I give up. This
is like moving a dead elephant.”

When Brance’s
door opened, Allison glanced toward his apartment. “No, don’t go there. I can’t
ask him.”

“Why not?”

“Jill, I’m
trying really hard to ignore the man. He’s trouble.”

Brance
approached them. “Hey, Allison, are you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“Hi, I’m Jill
Weaver.” Jill offered her hand. “And you’re...?”

“Brance Stone,”
he replied shaking her hand.

“Nice to meet
you,” Jill responded, her voice taking on a husky quality. She wore her sexy
come-hither expression, pursing her bottom lip slightly.

Allison
experienced the same strange sensation gnawing at her stomach as she’d had at
the restaurant with Linda.
Jealousy
. Why? The man wasn’t hers and never
would be.

Brance didn’t
seem to notice Jill’s seductive come-on. Instead, he focused all his attention
on her. “Looks like you have a problem. I’ll see what I can do to help you out.
Let me make a quick call.”

“Thank you. We’d
appreciate it,” Allison managed to say.

He removed his
phone and keyed in a number. “Hey, Randy. Think you can come to my apartment
and help me move something.” He paused. “Now, actually.” Another pause.
“Thanks, see you in a few minutes. I'll be outside.”

Allison hadn’t
planned on him calling for back up. “We could’ve carried one end. You didn’t
have to recruit anyone.”