Authors: Lynette Eason
SEVEN
C
al took the steps two at a time. No one was supposed to be here. At the top of the steps, he paused, pushed the door open a crack. Just enough to peer around and into the kitchen.
Muttering reached his ears.
His fingers gripped his weapon…
…then he relaxed.
“What are you doing home?” he asked.
Joseph looked up, his blue eyes startled. “Cal? I finished up a day early and caught a flight this morning. What are you doing in my basement? And where’s Fiona? Is she all right?”
Cal laughed and before his brother-in-law could see the move, he turned slightly and slid his gun back into the holster. “Fiona’s fine. What’s all the racket up here?”
Joseph shook his head. “I stopped and got some groceries. Figured with this storm coming, we might need ’em. When I put them on the counter, I knocked over the cookie jar.”
Only then did Cal notice the sacks of food—and the spilled cookies Joseph was cleaning up. Cal snagged one and popped it in his mouth. “Did Fiona tell you about our visitor?”
“Yeah, she texted me.” He smirked. “Passed out right in your arms, so I hear.”
Ignoring the teasing and the flush he could feel creeping up the back of his neck, Cal nodded and walked to the top of the stairs. “Hey, Fiona, Joseph’s here.”
“Joseph?” His sister’s excited voice responded. Then he heard her footsteps. She appeared at the bottom of the steps, then began climbing, her right hand grasping the rail.
Joseph brushed past him and met her halfway to walk back up the steps, his hand on her back. Cal smiled. Now that she was pregnant, Joseph treated his wife like she was as fragile as fine porcelain. He could tell it grated on Fiona’s nerves occasionally, but Fiona knew he meant well.
“We had a little incident this morning. Abby fell in the river,” Fiona said.
“What?” Joseph frowned. “How did that happen?”
Cal explained. At the end of the story, Joseph shook his head, his mouth tight. “Domestic violence? She name the guy yet?”
Cal shook his head. “No. She’s too scared and she hasn’t known us long enough to trust us with that kind of thing yet.”
“Maybe if you tell her about Brianne, she’d be more inclined to open up,” Cal’s mother said from the top of the stairs.
She walked into the kitchen and everyone fell silent. Fiona looked at Cal. “You’re the one she really needs to trust because you’re the one who can do something about it. If she tells mom or me something in confidence…”
“You’d be obliged to keep it. I understand that.” Cal blew out a breath and vowed to do his best to get Abby to trust him.
Three days passed without any more frightening incidents. Abby continued to regain her strength. Each day the weather warmed to just above freezing and the snow started to melt, only to freeze again in the overnight lows. Cal left to head into town to work a shift for a deputy who’d called in sick.
Abby knew he felt better about leaving now that Joseph was there to keep watch and he couldn’t take time off infinitely. Fiona’s husband was officially off work until after the arrival of his son and the passing of the holidays.
And each day, Abby came to love this little family more. Her heart especially seemed to be attached to Cal. He invaded her dreams when she slept and her thoughts when she was awake.
And Abby decided she’d better leave the McIvers while she could.
But how?
Did the small town of Rose Mountain have a taxi service?
Probably not.
She looked at the screen on the borrowed laptop and an idea formed while thoughts of leaving were put on hold. She’d been diligent about searching the medical records she’d copied onto the flash drive.
And she’d found some conflicting information. However, she needed to access her work computer. The only problem was if someone knew she was doing it, she’d be easy to trace because she’d have to go through her account. Which would mean leaving a traceable footprint behind.
Although she thought she might not need to worry about that as it looked like Reese knew where she was. So, really, why bother to worry about it?
However, the fact that he’d been quiet the past few days made her nervous. Like she was waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop.
Or another attack to occur.
And what if this time he didn’t confine it to just her? What if he decided he didn’t care who he hurt and the McIvers family got caught in the cross fire?
Biting her lip, she clicked her way into the program that would give her remote access to her work computer.
As soon as she logged into her work program, she could be tracked.
Taking a deep breath, she decided the risk was worth it. Especially if she found the information she needed. She would grab it and run. Lead Reese away from the McIvers family and they would be safe.
Decision made, she continued to click, put in her user name and password and within a second had access to her work computer.
Navigating around the software was second nature and before long she was knee-deep in reading, comparing the information to what she’d copied on the flash drive. She frowned, unsure if she was seeing what she thought she was.
“What are you doing?”
Abby jumped and spun to see Fiona standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Abby had come upstairs to work and have access to the printer. She smiled at the woman who placed a hand on her lower back and grimaced.
“Hey, are you all right?”
Fiona nodded. “Junior here is really active today. I tried to take a nap and he punched and kicked me until I got up to move around. Now he’s decided to go to sleep.”
Abby studied her. “You’ve dropped.”
“Huh?”
Abby laughed. “The baby. He’s moved lower, you’re not carrying him as high.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Definitely. It means he’s getting ready to announce his presence to the world. Can you breathe better?”
Fiona laughed and cocked her head. “You know, I can. And just this morning I ate breakfast and didn’t get heartburn for the first time in months.”
Abby nodded knowingly. But then her gut twisted as she remembered the forecast. Snow, snow and more snow. And freezing temperatures.
Even though it wouldn’t be a problem right now, the closer Fiona got to her delivery date, the more Abby worried.
She had to leave.
A door slammed and Fiona waddled out of the kitchen to the front of the house. “Joseph?”
Footsteps stomped toward her and then Joseph stood in the kitchen, his face tight, anger lighting his blue eyes as he looked at Abby.
Unease gripped her. “What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?”
He held up his right hand and she saw his fingers wrapped around a piece of paper. “This just came. Addressed to me and my wife.”
Abby stood and took a step forward. “Okay. And why does it have you looking at me like you’d like to rip my head from my shoulders?”
She knew that look. Reese had glared at her with that very same expression the day his wife died. When the coroner had pried his baby girl from his arms after one last anguished goodbye.
“Joseph, what in the world?” Fiona looked shocked at her husband’s actions.
“Because,” Joseph bit out, ignoring his wife, “it says that you’re a—” He shoved the letter at her. “Read it yourself, then get out of my house.”
“Joseph Whitley!” Fiona’s outraged cry caught his attention.
His face never softened. “You’ll understand in a minute.”
Abby’s heartbeat tripled, her hands shook and she didn’t even know what she was going to read. She just knew it was about her and that it was bad.
As her eyes flowed over the words, the trembling started from deep within.
Aloud, she read, “Dear Whitley family, I’m sure you meant well by taking in the woman, Abigail O’Sullivan. However, I feel it’s my duty to warn you just who you’ve allowed into your home. Abby is a murderer, a cold-blooded killer. A baby killer who hasn’t been brought to justice. You’d do well to get rid of her before you regret it. Sincerely, Reese Kirkpatrick.”
Abby felt numb, sick, angry and hopeless all at the same time. The paper slid from her fingers and hit the floor.
“Would someone please tell me what’s going on? And her name’s not O’Sullivan, it’s Harris.” Fiona’s trouble expression sent shards of pain shooting through Abby’s heart.
She bent down and picked up the paper. Without a word she handed it to the woman she’d come to care for as a friend. “I…lied about my name. I’m so sorry. I have no excuse except that I was…afraid. I’ll go get my things.” To Joseph, she said, “Would you mind giving me a ride to the bus station?”
His cold eyes pierced her. “My pleasure.”
Cal’s internal alarm kept nagging him. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. From his own desk across the room, Eli looked at him. “Problem?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
Cal shrugged. “It’s Abby. I’m not sure what her story is and I think I really need to know.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“You can always do a background check on her.”
Troubled, Cal nodded. “I know. I’ve considered it. The thing is, I don’t think she’s done anything wrong. I think she’s on the run from someone and I don’t know how to gain her trust. She seems to be pretty comfortable with me until I ask her a personal question.”
He told Eli about calling Abby’s mother and the cold reception and rejection of Abby. “By her own mother,” he said. “Hard to imagine someone could just turn their back on their own kid like that.” But in his profession, he’d seen his share of rotten parents. Still, it bothered him.
Eli shook his head. “I know. I can’t think of anything my son would do that would make me disown him.” He grinned. “Of course he’s almost two, so we’ll see.”
“The terrible twos?”
“Holly always has an interesting story for me when I get home. That boy is stubborn. He wanted to try and swim in the toilet. Pitched a fit when she wouldn’t let him.”
Cal choked on a laugh, then grunted. “Comes by it naturally with you two for parents.”
“You just wait.” Eli narrowed his eyes. “You’ll find out one day.”
That pronouncement immediately brought to mind Abby in a white dress, a church and a couple of rings.
And an infant in her arms.
His heart thundered in his chest and he swallowed hard. Watch out, buddy, you don’t even know this woman’s background and you’re already walking down the aisle and imagining children.
His cell phone buzzed. Fiona.
“Hello?”
“Cal! You’ve got to do something, quick!”
All senses on alert, he sat straight up. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Abby!” He listened as she spilled some awful nonsense about Abby being a baby killer and Joseph being angry.
“And she’s on her way to the bus station?”
Eli listened, gaze sharp, showing a readiness to jump into action should it be needed.
“I’ll take care of it.” Cal hung up and bolted to his feet. He looked at Eli. “Do that background check, will you?”
Abby stepped out of Joseph’s truck. She looked at him.
“It’s not what it sounds like.”
Joseph’s eyes softened for a moment. “That may be true. But I can’t take that chance. I have to protect my family.”
“Protect your family from what?”
Cal’s growl whipped her head around. The thunderous look on his face didn’t look good.
Abby grabbed her bag from the floor of the cab. “From me.”
Tossing the bag over her shoulder, she tromped toward the bus station.
“Abby, wait!” she heard him holler. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and run into his arms. Then she heard him demand, “Joseph, what’s this all about?”
The hair on the back of her neck rose, and she couldn’t help giving the area around her a glance. Nothing seemed out of place or suspicious, but she couldn’t help wondering if her attacker was somewhere nearby, watching, waiting for her to be all alone.
Well, he wouldn’t have to wait long.
A blast of frigid wind compelled her to hurry inside the station. Absently, she noted the snowflakes that had started to fall once again. Big heavy flakes.
A hand on her arm spun her around just inside the door. “You don’t have to leave,” Cal told her.
“Yes, I do.” She pulled away from him and walked toward a bench.
“I saw the letter.” He paused. “I don’t believe a word of it, but I’d like an explanation as to why someone dislikes you so much he’d write it. Don’t you think you owe me that much?”
Probably. Actually she owed him much more, but she just couldn’t bring herself to trust him no matter how much she wanted to. Vision of Reese’s buddies watching her, waiting for her wherever she went flitted through her mind. Pulling her over and giving her a warning for some made-up infraction of the law.
Cops stuck together. No matter what. At least the ones she knew did.