Finding Abby: A Romantic Suspense set in the Colorado Mountains (Whispering Pines Mysteries)

by Rhonda Blackhurst

  Abby lay the letter down on the table for a moment and looked out the window, hearing the traffic through the half-open window. She looked at the sky, a layer of hazy smog dimming the clarity, making the blue a little less—well, less blue. She wondered if Henry was up there somewhere, startled to be questioning her belief of life after death, a belief she had once held so strong. In her mind, she could see him smiling that gentle smile of his. The smile that could calm the most raging storm. She took another deep breath, wiped away tears with the back of her hand, and continued reading.

  Know that I am happy, dear child. I shall always be watching over you and Cooper. Know you are loved. You have been the daughter to me, and Cooper the grandson, that I’ve always dreamed of. I’m grateful to have shared your life, and now I go on to share the next life with my beloved wife for eternity. I hope you enjoy the resort as much as we did.

  She could taste the salt from her tears as they ran down her cheeks and onto her lips. As sad as she was that Henry was gone from their lives, she knew he wasn’t truly gone and that she and Cooper weren’t alone. He had been the angel sent to save her life from Hunter that one fateful night. The night that found her gripped with terror that she was going to die and leave Cooper motherless. She brushed her hand over her cheeks again in a fruitless attempt to dry her tears before she read the final lines.

  I only ask that you consider keeping the name of the resort, Whispering Pines, which I renamed when I bought the place. You’ll know why once you spend some time there. The pines whisper in the breeze, and if you listen carefully, they tell you exactly what you need to hear. That being said, however, if you choose to change the name to make it yours I will certainly understand.

  My love forever in this life and the next. Henry

  Abby slowly and carefully folded the letter and laid it on the table, covering it gently with her hand. She would never change the name of the resort. Of that, she was certain. It would be, and always remain, Whispering Pines. Her mind was spinning in circles. She had so much to think about.

  She reached for the phone and began punching in the numbers to call her father, but hung up. She tried to call her sister, Piper, but it went to voicemail, so she hung up. This wasn’t something she could leave in a voicemail message. She knew Holly wanted to know what it was about, but somehow it felt too personal to discuss with someone who wasn’t family. Even Holly. At least right now when her emotions were still so raw. It was just as well that Piper hadn’t answered the phone because there was someone else she needed to talk with first.

  “Cooper?” She called, sniffling and drying her tears on her sleeve.

  “What?” He hollered back.

  “Come here for a minute.”

  “Is he gone?”

  “Is who gone?” she asked, confused.

  “Him.”

  Abby looked around the room, startled. The shock of the news and reading the letter from Henry seemed to catapult her to another time and place. John’s visit had become a distant memory. And by Cooper’s tone about him, she was glad John was no longer there.

  “Yes, Coop. He’s been gone for several minutes.” With that said, Cooper appeared in the entryway to the kitchen.

  “What?”

  “Sit down, son. We need to talk.” She nudged the chair next to her with her slippered foot, encouraging him to sit down.

  After she’d filled him in, he surprised her with an outburst that he was not moving away, no way, no how. He stood so abruptly, his chair tipped over behind him, and she heard his bedroom door slam mere seconds after he left the room. She sat still as could be, not even wanting to breathe. What if all it took was a simple breath for the heaviness that hung in the room to come crashing down around her? Daring, finally, to take that chance before passing out, she drew in a slow, deep breath then reached for her phone.

  Piper’s phone rolled into voicemail again. She disconnected without leaving a message and stared at the phone in her hand. She lifted it again, hesitated for a fraction of a moment, and punched in Holly’s number.

  Abby’s doorbell rang twenty minutes later. She opened it to Holly standing there clad in sweatpants and her West Oakland Charter School navy blue sweatshirt. Her right hand clutched a travel mug with the same logo.

  “No one will ever wonder where you work.” She stepped to the side so Holly could get past her.

  “Nor should they have to. It’s none of their business.” She grinned, set her cup down, and gave Abby a quick hug.

  “Let me quick grab a soda or cup of tea and I’ll meet you in the living room.”

  Minutes later, Abby walked into the living room as she popped the top of her soda can open. Holly was perched on the edge of the ottoman, studying something on her hand. “Whatcha looking at?”

  “How much better this hand would look with a big ole’ fat diamond on it. The rate I’m going I won’t live long enough to see it happen.”

  Abby chortled. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

  “The diamond?”

  “Marriage,” she said, dryly. “You’ll find someone someday. Just don’t settle.”

  “So what’s going on? You sounded off when you called.” Holly crossed both legs Indian style and took a drink of her coffee.

  “I am.” Abby filled her in on John’s visit, the news that shook her world, and Cooper’s less than enthusiastic response. “I mean, Holly, I didn’t even tell him we were moving.”

  “Are you?”

  Abby sighed and sat back, sinking into the sofa cushion. “I don’t know.”

  “Give him time, Abby. He just needs to digest it all.”

  “What if it’s more than that?”

  “I know Cooper. Once he has time to process it, he’ll come around and tell you exactly what he’s thinking. And you know it takes him time. So give it to him.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I know. I always am.” Holly winked at her and smiled. “So now’s a good time to tell me your story.”

  “What story?”

  Holly’s eyes grew huge. “Abigail Sinclair! Don’t you dare!”

  Abby chuckled and settled even deeper into the cushion as if trying to protect herself from the blows that were sure to come just by telling the history of her abuse from Hunter. She looked in the direction of Cooper’s bedroom, double-checking to be sure he wasn’t within earshot. Confident he was in his room, probably trying to sort things out before he called a friend to commiserate, she began.

  “I met Hunter at a concert—”

  “Which one?”

  “Which one what?”

  “Which concert?”

  The question took Abby by surprise. “Hmm … Know what? I seriously can’t remember. Pearl Jam I think.” She shook her head as if to clear away the web of uncertainty. “Anyway, we met at a concert. I guess you could say he talked me into going out with him.”

  “You didn’t want to?”

  “I wasn’t looking to meet anyone at that point in my life. But to say he was persistent is an understatement. He literally wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “Apparently, you finally agreed.”

  Abby nodded her head. “I did. His persistence and bull-headedness should have been a huge red flag. Obviously, it wasn’t big enough for me to see it. Or else his huge personality blocked it.”

  “So what happened then?”

  Abby felt her mind travel back to a time she tried hard from which to escape. She took a moment to collect her memories and put them in somewhat of an order that they would make sense to someone who couldn’t possibly have any idea of what she’d gone through. As she thought about it now, she could feel the firmness of Hunter’s hand as he held hers, nearly pulling her along as they walked down the sidewalk. She could feel the heaviness of his thick, muscled arm resting across her shoulders, his hand firmly holding her close, when they walked anywhere in public. She could smell his aftershave and feel the magnetic, irresistible pull when she was near him. It suffocat
ed her now as she remembered. She suddenly felt an urge to jump up and open a window for some air.

  “Hellooo,” Holly sang. “I’m waiting.”

  Abby’s attention snapped back to the present and lingered there for a moment before taking a tentative stroll again down a rocky road. She told Holly about Hunter’s possessiveness.

  “One time when we were at a Christmas party for the police department he worked for, Hunter left my side to use the men’s room. I could tell he didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t know why. While he was gone, the husband of one of the female police officers struck up a conversation with me while his wife had gone to the ladies room. Before I knew what happened, Hunter was leading me out of the party and hadn’t said a single word on the way home. But I knew he was really mad.”

  “Had you never been concerned about it before then?”

  “Not really.” She absently circled the rim of her soda can with her finger. “Not until then. But that night in bed, he told me I have to be more careful. That the man talking to me could have been a serial killer.”

  “A serial killer?” She snorted. “Isn’t that just a little dramatic?”

  “I thought he was just trying to prove a point. He said if anything ever happened to me he’d never get over it and that’s why he was so protective of me.” She shrugged a shoulder and looked at Holly. “To be honest, I was flattered that he was so worried about me.”

  “You seem smarter than that.”

  “You’re underestimating his manipulative abilities. It’s not so black and white when you’re caught up in the middle of it all.”

  “Go on.”

  “The first time he hit me it caught me so off-guard I thought it must have been an accident. We were on our way home from somewhere, I don’t remember where, but all of a sudden, his fist connected with my jaw. I was stunned and looked around me wondering what happened. His arm was stretched over to my seat, his hand resting on the back of it. I thought maybe he accidently hit me when he was reaching over.”

  “But it wasn’t an accident,” Holly said, her voice barely loud enough to hear.

  “The minute I looked in his eyes, I knew it was no accident. He told me to never embarrass him in public like that again.”

  “What had you done to embarrass him?”

  “I took his arm from around my shoulders. It was so hot and I was sweating to death.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you did?” Holly’s eyes grew huge again.

  “He told me he was sorry he hit me, that he just reacted out of anger and asked me to please forgive him. So I did.” Abby was quiet as she digested the regurgitation of the memory. She shuddered slightly. “He was really nice for a while, he bought me flowers, took me out to my favorite place for dinner, even bought me a silver chain that I found at an antique store. I hadn’t even realized he saw me looking at it. And then …” She took a drink of diet Pepsi, grimacing when she tasted that it had grown warm. “The next time was about a month later. I was pregnant with Cooper.”

  “He hit you when you were pregnant?” Holly gasped. “What kind of monster does that?”

  “Hunter, that’s who. We just got home from a movie and he wanted to have sex. I told him I wasn’t feeling well. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, said I was his wife and what’s mine was his. Next thing I knew he pushed me down onto the couch. I told him no, and he said, Why, are you afraid you’re going to get pregnant? You already are. Which you tricked me with, by the way. The way I see it, you owe me.

  “I tried to get up, he slapped me hard, and I stopped fighting. I was afraid of what might happen to the baby, so I just stopped. The next morning I had quite a shiner.” Bitterness welled up in her throat and she could almost taste bile. “Try explaining that one to a sister who hated the man in the first place.”

  “Piper didn’t like him?”

  “Not only didn’t she like him, she hated him. Intensely.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “Whenever I had bruises, I stayed away until they were no longer visible. Or at least until I could cover them.”

  “What happened then?”

  “The lessons, as he called them, kept getting more frequent and more severe. Until the night Henry saved my life from the final one.”

  “What did he do to you?”

  “He’d been out after work having a few beers with the guys. By the time he got home, he was in a foul mood. I brought him a cup of coffee with his meal, hoping to sober him up, and—”

  “Where was Cooper?”

  “In bed. It was like 9:00 or something. When I got to the table he yelled, I jumped, and the coffee spilled on him. He flipped out and got up, his chair crashed to the floor behind him and woke up Cooper. I could hear Cooper crying and didn’t want Hunter to go in his room in the state he was in so I tried to talk him down. He picked his chair up and threw it at the window, shattering the glass, which is what alerted Henry. By the time Henry came busting through the door, Hunter was about to finish me off.”

  “Oh, my God, Abby,” Holly gasped. Her face paled. “Just hearing this makes me sick.”

  “Yeah, try living it. I ended up in the hospital with a broken arm, several broken ribs, a fractured pelvis, a broken nose, fractured eye socket, and a severe concussion.” Abby looked at Holly and saw tears spilling down her cheeks.

  “I’m so sorry,” Holly managed to whisper. “What did he get charged with?”

  “The initial charges were attempted murder and child abuse, and a bunch of lesser offenses. He took a plea deal, though, to felony aggravated battery and child abuse. He got five years in prison. ”

  “That’s it?”

  “You look as horrified as I was. Bottom line was, though, I was just happy to have him gone for at least that long.”

  “And now?”

  Abby lay her head back against the couch and tucked her feet under her. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and crossed her arms in front of her.

  “And now I wish I would have pushed for longer. Five years was enough time to get a good start on healing and that’s about it. I don’t think I’ll ever trust a man again. Not completely.”

  “I can’t say that I blame you. Heck, I may never trust one again after hearing your story.”

  “I’m sure there are good ones out there. I just don’t have the energy or desire to try find one. My priority is Cooper.”

  “I bet your dad wanted to kill him.”

  “Yeah, you could say that. I think he still would if Hunter dared to show his face anywhere within the same state as my dad.”

  “When does he get out? Of prison.”

  “He already is,” she croaked, hardly recognizing her own voice. “A few weeks ago.”

  “Oh, my God, Abby! Has he tried contacting you or Cooper?”

  “No.” She prayed it wasn’t a lie. “I don’t think so, anyway. Someone called me right after he was released and asked for Jasper.”

  “What makes you think it was Hunter?”

  “His voice. Not exactly the same, but too close to be sure it wasn’t him.” She decided not to mention the two text messages she’d received as well. They seemed harmless enough and could have been just about anyone, but she didn’t fully believe that was the case. One said, Hi beautiful, and the other, It’s been a while, let’s catch up. They came from two different numbers, neither of them programmed into her phone to let her know who they were. She had a gut feeling and she couldn’t shake it.

  4

  That night Abby had another of her nightmares. This time, her dream had Hunter in the house pounding on her bedroom door as she and Cooper cowered in fear behind the white slatted doors of her closet. Cooper’s breath was hot against her neck as he buried his face into her. Hunter busted down the bedroom door, and she saw him through the slats as he walked toward the closet, slowly, taunting her. Just as Hunter began opening the closet door, she woke up, breathless.

  It took a moment to snap out of it and to re
alize it was a dream. And yet, even then, she flew out of bed, nearly tripping on her white terrycloth robe she’d let fall beside the bed into a pile when she climbed into bed. She ran down the short hall to check on Cooper.

  It was in the wee hours of the morning before she was finally able to fall to sleep, fitful as it was. When she woke at six o’clock to go to the bathroom, she didn’t even attempt to go back to sleep. Instead, she called her sister. After the fifth ring, it went to voicemail, and just as Abby began leaving Piper a frantic message to call her ASAP, Piper picked up.

  “Abby?” Her voice was groggy. “Everything okay?”

  “How’d you know it was me?”

  “How d’ya think? Caller ID.”

  “Did I wake you?”

  “Again, what d’ya think?”

  Abby heard her yawn. “Do you want me to call you back later?”

  “That’d be pointless. I’m up now.”

  “Henry left us a resort in Colorado. I think we’re going to move there.”

  Abby could hear shuffling on the other end of the line and suddenly a loud crash.

  “Hold on!” Piper called, her voice sounding far away.

  There was more rummaging around and finally silence. “You okay?” Abby asked, afraid of the answer.

  “Yeah. Just dropped the phone from the weight of your news. You can’t just drop something like that without a little warning.”

  “Sorry ’bout that. I guess it just didn’t occur to me that you didn’t know.”

  “How could I know if you didn’t tell me.”

  “I know, I know. It’s just been such a huge part of my thoughts that it didn’t dawn on me that I hadn’t told you yet.”

  “Well, tell me now since I’m wide awake. What the heck, Abs?”

  Abby started at the beginning and filled her sister in on the inheritance she’d received from Henry and about John’s visit.”