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

by Rhonda Blackhurst

  Abby went back into the kitchen, poured a cup of coffee and walked out to the porch, taking Gus with her to do his morning duty.

  She sat on the top step of the wooden porch and leaned against a pillar, stretching her legs out in front of her. Gus ran to the nearest tree, lifted his leg, then roamed the area, sniffing the ground as he went along. A couple of times he lifted his head, perked his ears, and looked around in interest before going back to sniffing. He finally ran off to the edge of the grounds, squatted, and came back to the porch. Abby planted a kiss on the top of his head before nuzzling her face into his neck.

  She stood up to go back into the house. She looked over the grounds, still quiet and peaceful, and saw Gabriel’s camper door opening. She ducked into the house so he wouldn’t see her with bed-head and in her robe. Head down, she slipped in the house with expert speed, closing the door quietly behind her so he wouldn’t hear and look in her direction. She winced when the door creaked and quickly closed the inside door, turning to look and be sure he hadn’t heard it. She saw him and froze, icy blood running through her veins making the tips of her fingers and toes tingle. Now she remembered. What an idiot she’d been!

  Saturday mornings at the resort were usually hopping. Abby was relieved when Victoria arrived early so she could get away for a while. She needed to go into town and get some breathing space. She felt like she’d been literally sucker punched when she saw Gabriel. It was a quick one-two when she recalled the lost memory. She needed to call Piper or Holly. But if she called from the resort she ran the risk of her dad, Cooper, or someone else hearing. Even Sam. Sam! Was he involved in this too? How much did he know?

  Sam called in sick. As soon as her dad was up and out of the house filling in for Sam and Cooper was busy and distracted with what she’d lined up for him to do, she went to her car to head into town. She glanced at Gabriel’s camper, surprised to find his car gone. She inhaled deep relief.

  As soon as she got into town, she found her favorite coffee shop along the river walk, ordered her usual, black, no room for cream, and found a place to sit on a large boulder at the edge of the river.

  Just as she thought the phone ringing on the other end was going to roll into voicemail, she heard her sister pick up.

  “Piper?”

  “Abby, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Baloney. I don’t have to see you to know you’re upset. Is it Dad?”

  Now Piper was the one who sounded worried. “No, no, he’s fine.” Abby heard her exhale with relief.

  “Then what is it?”

  “I think I might have been wrong.”

  “About what?”

  “Hunter.”

  “Okay,” she said slowly, her voice wary, “have you been nipping at Dad’s bottle?”

  “I was certain it had been Hunter that’s been creeping around. Now I don’t think so. I don’t know. I thought it was. Everything seemed so clear, but now—”

  “Take a breath and start over. Slowly.”

  Abby took a deep breath and closed her eyes before opening them again. “I think it’s Gabriel.”

  “Gabriel?” Her voice rose in disbelief. “As in Sam’s uncle?”

  “Yes, that Gabriel.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Because of what he was wearing this morning.”

  “Abby, you’re seriously making no sense at all. What? Was he wearing a Jason or Freddy mask or something?”

  “Very funny.” Abby scowled. “When I went out to see my studio yesterday and found that it had been set on fire,” she explained, “I saw a blue BIC multi-purpose lighter lying on the ground not far from where the fire had been.”

  “So? Everyone has one of those stupid things.”

  “I saw that lighter on the little table outside Gabriel’s camper a couple of weeks ago.”

  “You realize how common those are, right? I would imagine especially with campers. They’d be perfect for lighting bonfires, camping cook stoves, grills—”

  “I realize that. I’m not an idiot,” she said, exasperated. “But this one had the same damaged handle as the one by Gabriel’s camper.” She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “And to make it even more obvious, that patch of fabric I saw in the woods when you were here?”

  “The one you tried to hide from me and failed miserably?”

  “Yes, that one. And now’s not the time to cop an attitude. Anyway, Gabriel had a shirt on with the same exact pattern and colors. I ran to grab my binoculars that I keep close by to look at the elk and deer with, and one of the elbows on his shirt was torn.” She heard Piper whistle long and slow.

  “You need to let him know you’re on to him. But don’t do it alone. Take Dad with you.”

  “Why would I do that? Like he’s just going to come out and say, Yeah, it was me, Abby. So sorry about that.”

  “No. But you do a pretty good impression of him.”

  “I’m not in the mood for jokes, Pip.”

  “I’m not joking. Call the police. This is serious stuff.”

  “Once I recovered from the initial shock, my practical self was trying to make sense of things. But the fire investigator is investigating the fire. According to the sheriff’s deputy that was out here at the time of the graffiti, all I have are a lot of hunches. He said cops don’t file charges on hunches.” She paused a beat. “That’s why I thought it was Hunter. He knows how to work the system, how to walk that fine line without crossing it and getting caught.”

  “First of all, this has grown a lot bigger than graffiti. Second of all, since when has graffiti been just a hunch? He saw the physical proof. Abs, seriously, I don’t know which of you is worse, the deputy for being such an arrogant idiot or you for actually believing that line of bull.” Silence fell across the line. “I’m in awe that you’d be so—”

  “You’re one hundred percent right. About the deputy, that is. I know he’s wrong. But what good would it do to argue with him? It would just tick him off. I’ve learned the hard way to never make an officer mad.”

  “They aren’t all Hunter. It’s not fair to paint them all with the same brush.”

  “You sound like Pops.”

  “Think of us as your voice of reason.”

  “Right now I’m thinking of you as something a lot less flattering.”

  “I’m going to ignore that comment,” she grumbled. “The arrogant deputy that was out there isn’t the only one who works for the department, Abby. Every single office has its share of arrogant idiots. They aren’t limited to police departments.”

  Abby could almost see Piper rolling her eyes. She heard an exasperated sigh.

  “They’ll just stick up for each other like Hunter and his cronies.”

  “For God’s sake, Abby!” Piper exploded. Abby pulled the phone away from her ear. “This isn’t Oakland! It’s Blue Mist Mountain. And not every department has the same mentality as the one Hunter worked for. Or at least the few idiots who supported him.

  “This deputy did.”

  “As I said, there’s at least one idiot in every office. Why would a police department be any different. Is Stewart there?”

  “Yeah. He came up just as I was leaving this morning. Dad was checking him in. But what’s Stewart have to do with this?”

  “It’s just good that he’ll be there until Gabriel leaves, right?”

  “I don’t need his protection.”

  “The hell you don’t.”

  “Piper—”

  “No. You need all the eyes you can get looking out for you right now. If you’re not going to do it for yourself, then do it for my nephew.”

  After some final parting words, they hung up, Abby feeling worse than before she’d called her.

  “Abby?”

  The hair on the back of her neck stood at attention at the sound of his voice. She turned slowly and looked up. “What are you doing here, Gabriel?”

  “Came to get some supplies.” He moved
to sit beside her on the boulder and she stood, taking a step back. He reached for her elbow to stabilize her when her balance faltered. “What’s wrong? You don’t look so well.”

  She pulled her arm back. “I’m fine.” She looked at the elbow of his shirt. “You tore your shirt, I see.”

  He looked at it and shrugged. “Yeah. Don’t know how it happened, though. Last time I wore it I didn’t notice it.”

  “Strange.” She watched his eyes closely but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Sociopaths have no feelings so there wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary, genius. “I have to go.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” He tilted his head to the side.

  “Just tired. I really have to go.”

  “Maybe we could roast some marshmallows with Cooper tonight.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to work. Not tonight. I’ll talk to you later,” she lied. She had no intention of talking to him. Piper and Holly both had accused her in the past of always looking for the snake beneath the rock when it came to men. This time, she didn’t have to look. The snake jumped right out and bit her when she least expected it.

  She slid behind the steering wheel of her car and sat there, needing to cool off before she hit the road to go home. She stared out the window, taking deep breaths.

  Could Gabriel really be the one behind terrorizing her? Had he been watching her every time she felt that someone was? Was he responsible for everything that had been going on around there, or was some of them simply things that had a plausible explanation? But how could he explain his lighter in the woods by her studio and the piece of fabric in the woods not far from her studio? Fabric from the shirt he was wearing this morning.

  How could I have been so wrong? Stupid question, Abby. It wouldn’t be the first time. “Grrr,” she yelled, pounding her fist on the steering wheel. So much for cooling off. The more she thought things through, the more frustrated she became. There were so many unanswered questions that she wasn’t sure she wanted the answers to. In fact, she had so many questions, her head was spinning.

  She had no more walked through the door when Cooper asked if Johnny could come over and play.

  “Not today, Coop.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I said so,” she snapped, instantly regretting it. She forced herself to take a deep breath. “How about I make you something to eat?” She silently pleaded for his forgiveness.

  “Not hungry.” He turned away from her.

  “You? Not hungry?” She feigned shock and outrage. “Who are you and what have you done with my kid?”

  “Who are you and what did you do with my mom?”

  Abby sighed. “That’s fair,” she said quietly enough that Cooper looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry, Coop. I don’t have a good reason for Johnny not coming over.” She was just about to go up to her room to drop off her things when she turned around. “Actually, go ahead and call him. Let me know if he needs a ride. One of us can go get him.”

  “Why?” He looked at her warily.

  “What do you mean why? Because I changed my mind, that’s why.”

  “Is this a trick?” He gave her a sideways glance, his eyes narrowed.

  “For crying out loud, Cooper. Do you want him to come over or not? Just call him.”

  She shook her head and turned toward the stairs. Having Johnny there would keep Cooper busy so she could focus on what needed to be done. Or at the very least, try to figure out what needed to be done.

  “Fine,” he called after her. “I’ll call him and see if Victoria can take me to get him.”

  “Okay.”

  As it turned out, Johnny was all too eager to come over and play. His dad was out of town again and his grandma was laid up in bed with the flu.

  “The first thing both of you do when you get here is to wash your hands good,” Abby instructed as he followed Victoria to the car. “With soap and hot water.”

  As soon as they pulled out of the driveway, Abby swept her cell phone off the counter on her way to the store. She sat on the stool behind the counter and called Holly. She hadn’t spoken to her for too long. She missed her and was disappointed when it went to voicemail.

  “Hey, Holly, it’s me, Abby. Call me—”

  “Abby!” Holly’s voice squealed over the line. “I thought you forgot about little ole me back here.”

  “Not a chance.” Her heart warmed. “It’s good to hear your voice, girl.”

  “Ditto. What have you been doing with yourself? Ready to move back yet?”

  “Not a chance.” Abby looked up when she heard the door open. “Just a second, okay?” She put her hand over the mouthpiece. “Hi, Stewart. Can I get you something?”

  “No. Sorry to interrupt,” he whispered, seeing the phone in her hand. “I just came in to tell you there’s been an emergency at home and I need to head back early.”

  Abby’s brows furrowed. “Nothing too serious I hope.”

  “All will be fine. But I need to get back. I’ll talk to you soon.” He lay a check down on the counter, waved and was out the door.

  “Okay, I’m back.”

  “Business call?”

  “Yeah. One of our friends, Stewart, had to leave suddenly. Some kind of emergency at home, I guess.”

  “A friend, huh?” she said with a snicker.

  “Yes. I’m capable of making friends, you know.”

  “Male friends? I could hear despite you trying to cover the phone.”

  She could hear the smile behind Holly’s question. “You’re nosy. And, yes, male friends.” She filled her in on Gabriel from beginning to end, including what she suspected him of. Holly didn’t utter a sound until Abby was talked out. After taking a long drink of water, wetting her parched throat, she said, “I don’t know what to think. It’s got to be Gabriel. I just thought he was such an awesome guy. So different from Hunter. Apparently, I don’t know how to pick a man.”

  “Abby, are you sure it’s this Gabe guy?”

  “Can you think of another explanation?”

  “Not off the top of my head. What did he have to say about it?”

  “I didn’t ask him.”

  “You didn’t ask him?” she asked in disbelief. “Please tell me I didn’t just hear you say that.”

  “Why would I? Ask him, that is.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Holly said, irritation snaking its way across the phone line. “To give the guy a chance to explain? Now there’s a novel idea.”

  “What’s to explain? It was in black and white right before my eyes.” Holly was quiet on the other end. “Hello? Are you still there?”

  “I don’t know, Abby …”

  “You don’t know what?”

  “Something just isn’t sitting right with me. Why would he wear a shirt he was sure you would recognize if he had something to hide?”

  “Maybe he forgot. Or maybe he didn’t think I would recognize it. Either way, it wasn’t too smart on his part.”

  “Why would he just leave his lighter out by the fire?”

  “He probably dropped it when he was trying to get out of there and didn’t want to take the time to find it. Again, not smart.”

  “I think you’re being way too quick to judge.”

  “Since you weren’t here to see it, you’ll never know, will you?” She didn’t want to admit it, but Holly doubting her stung. “When are you coming up here by the way?” Abby asked.

  “How about the fourth of July weekend?”

  “That’s next week!”

  “If you don’t want me to come, just say the word.”

  “No! That’s not what I meant. I just meant—it will be good to see you, Holly. I think Piper is going to be here, too. I think my dad really misses her.”

  “He’s got you. What more could he want?”

  “Freedom from me.” She laughed. “So how’s this Paul guy? Have you broken his heart yet?”

  “No. He’s pretty amazing, Abby. He’s so
good to me, I can’t even believe it.”

  “Well, good. Because you deserve it. Wait a sec, my phone just beeped.” Abby’s stomach did a flip as she pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the incoming call.

  “Do you need to go?”

  “Nope.”

  “You’re such a delightful conversationalist.”

  “Most people would get the hint that I didn’t want to talk about it. But not you,” she half teased.

  “It was Gabriel, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, okay. I get it. But I am going to say this last thing—”

  “Of course, you are.”

  “Stop being such a brat. How would you feel if someone thought you did something and didn’t even give you a chance to explain? Don’t take this the wrong way—”

  “Uh-oh,” Abby said. “Why do I think I’m not going to like this?”

  “I mean this with love, okay? I just think you need to get down off your high horse and stop judging people. Sometimes I think your expectations of people are unrealistic.”

  Abby felt like she’d just been punched in the gut. In fact, how did she respond to that?

  “I made you mad, didn’t I?” Holly whined. “Abby, I’m sorry. It’s just that—well, sometimes being your friend can be a little intimidating. No one is perfect.”

  “Holly, the guy is stalking me. Up until now, I thought it was Hunter.”

  “It’s not.”

  “How would you know that?” Abby’s voice felt brittle and sounded foreign to her own ears.

  “Because you just said it’s Gabriel.”

  There was something Holly wasn’t saying but she didn’t have the energy to go into anything more. She needed time to digest Holly’s harsh assessment of her.

  “I think it’s best if we just say good-bye for now, Holly. See you July 4th?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

  “Will you be bringing Paul? You’re welcome to, you know.”

  “He has to work.”

  “Okay, then. See you soon.”