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

by Rhonda Blackhurst

“Depends on what you heard.”

  “You know what I’m talking about.”

  “Yup.”

  He walked away leaving her speechless. Yup, what? Yup, the whole thing with Cooper was her fault? Yup, it’s time for her to step up? Or yup, he knew what she was talking about. She threw her hand up in the air, coffee spilling on her foot. “Geez!” she yelled, a new wave of frustration rolling over her. And here it started out to be such a good day.

  The resort was buzzing with activity, fireworks going off at regular intervals throughout the day, sending Gus into a panic. Abby finally put him in her room with the radio on. She hadn’t seen Gabriel all day but for a brief moment when he was hauling his fishing gear to the lake and disappeared around a bend.

  About seven o’clock, she began helping Cooper get the blankets together so the boys could haul them outside to begin their project as soon as Johnny’s grandma dropped him off. Beside the blankets, they piled a battery operated lantern, a flashlight, a deck of cards, a small radio, snacks, bottled water, clothespins to fasten the door closed, and sleeping bags.

  As if on cue, as soon as they got all the camping supplies in a pile ready to carry out, they saw Johnny’s grandma’s car driving slowly down the slope to the front yard. Abby went out to say hello and to let her know someone would be able to give Johnny a ride back home the following afternoon.

  “Cooper and I would love to meet Johnny’s dad sometime,” she said. She bit her tongue to keep from saying what she wanted to say—What kind of parent continually leaves his child. “Johnny’s very lucky to have you,” she forced out instead. “Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?”

  “No, no,” she waved, smiling politely at Abby. “I need to get home.”

  “Okay then. See you tomorrow when I bring Johnny home.”

  Abby stepped back from the car and noticed the woman’s eyes drift toward the direction of the cabins, a look of recognition as she focused on something in particular. She turned to see what Mrs. Parker was looking at, wrinkles furrowing between her eyebrows, but couldn’t see anything except the cabins, cars, and campers. Since it was nearing dusk, it was difficult to see everything well.

  Abby turned back to her, and as if sensing Abby’s keen intuition, she was now eager to get moving along.

  “Well, not to be rude, but my favorite TV show is about to begin, so I need to run. Tell Cooper thank you for inviting Johnny. He’s been so good for my grandson.”

  Abby turned to see the boys hauling armfuls of blankets out of the side door of the house before she looked back at Mrs. Parker.

  “I will.” She took a few steps back, smiled and waved. “See you tomorrow.”

  While the boys were designing their tent, she took a candy bar off of the store shelves for each of them—what was camping without chocolate—and then began popping popcorn.

  “Hey, Mom!” Cooper called as he ran into the house, screen door slamming behind him. “Can we bring my PlayStation out there and plug it into the side of the house?”

  Abby turned and looked at him, shaking her head in disbelief. “Absolutely not.”

  “Why?”

  “Coop, if you want to camp, then camp. If you want to play video games, then stay in your room. Camping means roughing it. No electronics.”

  To her surprise, he didn’t argue but was back out the door carrying another armful of fun, screen door once again slamming shut, making her jump.

  “I have got to ask Dad to fix the doors,” she said to Piper who was standing beside her. “Both of the screen doors, the one to the kitchen and the one leading outside from the store, slam every time someone goes in or out.”

  “I think we’re both just a little jumpy.”

  “Maybe you should lay a sleeping bag out on the porch and sleep out there by Dad since he’s going to be sitting up in the chair all night. That way you can keep an eye on Coop and Dad,” Abby half teased.

  “Not a snowball’s chance.”

  “Okay, okay,” Abby snickered. “Didn’t hurt to try.”

  While she waited for the corn to pop, she stepped out on the front porch and saw Gabriel looking out the window of his camper, smiling as he watched the boys making trips from the house to their tent. She felt a tug on her heart, then shivered. “Thank God for Pops,” she mumbled under her breath.

  Once the boys completed their project, they came to get Abby to take a look at their masterpiece.

  “You mean I’m allowed inside?”

  “Only this once,” Cooper said. She saw the two boys exchange grins.

  “What about me?”

  “You can come, too,” he said to Piper.

  After the boys proudly pointed out all the key elements of their masterpiece, Abby crawled back out, Piper right behind her.

  They turned the corner to go into the house and saw a friend of Slider’s from cabin five walking across the lawn. He was clad in sweatpants and a hoodie. The sweats were ill-fitting for his nature. Despite his hood being up, his neck tattoos, a teardrop tattoo under the corner of his right eye, and his nose piercings were still visible when he crossed under the yard light.

  “Going for a run at this hour?” She asked, surprised. It was evening and the air was cooler, but it was still far too warm for sweats.

  “Just makin’ a run into town. My bike’s parked over there.” He pointed to his motorcycle, looked at her and grinned. “Just got out of the shower and didn’t want to do anything with the hair,” he explained.

  “Oh yes, the hair,” she chuckled. “I think you guys are more worried about your hair than we are.” She began walking to the house and said over her shoulder, “A baseball cap works wonders and it’s a lot cooler.” She turned her head to look but he was already gone.

  “What is it with guys and their hair?” she said.

  “It’s amusing if nothing else,” Piper answered.

  Then she remembered something odd. “Yeah, but Slider and his buddy are both bald.”

  27

  Abby kept watch over the boys for most of the evening from one of the windows in the house that faced their tent, taking extra precaution so they didn’t see her.

  “Wouldn’t it just be easier to sit outside their tent?” Piper asked from behind her, sending her up into the air a mile.

  “Darn you, Piper! You scared me half to death. And stop laughing,” she said, “It’s so not funny.”

  “If you would have seen yourself jump like I saw, it was super funny.”

  Abby scowled at her. “You know I have to do this.”

  “I think you should have just told him no and saved everyone a lot of unnecessary worries.”

  “Probably. But I don’t want Cooper—”

  “It’s good for kids to hear the word no, Abby. Just sayin’. He probably would have done better with no than knowing you’re watching his every move. You would have come unglued if Mom and Dad would have done that to you.”

  “Whatever,” Abby grumbled. “What’s done is done. Besides, Cooper already—well, I feel like I need to earn back his trust.”

  “By giving in to everything he wants? Yeah, that’ll work well.”

  “Stop being so sarcastic.”

  “Runs in the family.”

  “Not true.” Abby shook her head. “Mom wasn’t.”

  Finally, when they were sure the boys wouldn’t be making any trips outside the tent, Jeremiah set up his post in the rocker on the porch.

  For some time after he was in place, Abby continued to peek out the window, catching the beams from their flashlights bouncing around inside the tent, making the blankets that surrounded them glow. She saw them make hand animals in the light, reminding her of when she and a much younger Cooper did that same thing on rainy days. Or when he couldn’t sleep. He would wander into her room, toting a blanket and the little flashlight he kept by his bed at night, crawl up onto her bed, and ask her to make flashlight animals. She’d only turned him down once, and that’s because it was the middle of the night and she
had to work the next day.

  It was one o’clock in the morning before the last of the fireworks in the area had ceased to a muted explosion here and there. She finally trusted the boys were okay and she could go to sleep.

  She peeked out the window one last time. The flashlights were out. Just as she turned away from the window, she caught the light from one of them flicker back on for the briefest moment and then go back out. She listened through the screen of the partially opened window to see if she could hear voices, but all was quiet. She passed Piper’s room, listened for any noise, but heard nothing. Apparently, she was the only one still awake.

  She settled into bed, the softness of the mattress welcoming the weight of her exhausted body. She pulled the sheet up around her, certain this was how beautiful heaven would feel.

  Just before she had drifted off to sleep, she heard the screen door creak and footsteps on the hardwood floor. As tempting as it was to get up and see what they needed, the comfort of the bed was stronger and hugged her close. Getting up only to find out one of them had to use the bathroom seemed but a distant memory as she began to drift off again, the creak of the screen door as it closed behind whichever boy it was before all was silent again. She forced herself out of bed to peek out the window and saw nothing but the glow of the moon, shining brightly on the water, casting its light on the silence and stillness of the resort and the tent housing two happy, contented, sleeping boys.

  Abby woke up early to have some quiet time on the back porch with her coffee before making breakfast for the gang. She nudged her father awake, sending him up to his bed for a few hours of comfortable sleep. After the door closed behind him, she moved the chair back in place. A nearly empty bottle of gin toppled over from behind the back leg of the chair.

  “Oh, Pops,” she whispered with a sigh. She shook her head slowly and picked up the bottle before one of the boys saw it. Had he been passed out all night? What about when Cooper or Johnny came in to use the bathroom. The back of her eyelids felt hot with salty tears.

  She contemplated waking up Piper, but as quickly as the thought occurred, it vanished. She needed to be alone, silence her only companion, to ponder both the oddities and the miracles of life. It seemed like just when she thought she had everything figured out, life threw a curveball. At least she could count on the consistency of that if nothing else.

  The boys probably ate every crumb of food she had sent with them and would still wake up hungry. She wished she had Cooper’s metabolism. The kid ate like a horse and never seemed to gain an ounce of fat. Much as she hated to admit it, he took after his father. She may be tall and lean, but it didn’t come as easy for her as it had for Hunter. If she ate half of what Cooper did, she would look like Gus.

  She surveyed the grounds, quiet save for a few early morning fishermen loading their fishing gear, eager to get a start on their catch for the day. Soon the boat motors would start and movement would begin to disturb the morning tranquility.

  Abby walked to the edge of the porch and peeked around the corner to where the tent remained intact. She couldn’t see any movement inside the tent. All was still. Gus, however, had somehow wiggled outside of the tent and was lying a few feet away. She called his name as quiet as she could, careful not to wake the boys.

  “Gus! Come here boy,” she called in a loud whisper. Gus’s head lifted slightly, looking at her with pathetically sad, brown eyes, but he stayed where he was. “Gus, come here boy. Come on,” she begged as she squatted down on the porch, patting her knee. He stayed still, answering with a faint whimper. She walked barefoot across the grass, peeked in the tent where both boys were sound asleep, Cooper snoring lightly. She fastened the clothespin again to keep the door shut then knelt beside Gus, the dew soaking through her jeans at the knee. “What’s wrong boy?” she whispered. She’d never seen him so lethargic. She hoped an animal hadn’t bitten him. She inspected gently for any puncture wounds or scratches. Nothing.

  She stood and walked to the house to get one of his treats. Maybe she could lure him back to the house with one of those peanut butter bones he loved so much—the proverbial carrot on the end of the stick. She held it in front of him, but Gus looked at it with disinterest and closed his eyes.

  “Gussie, what is it, boy? You’re not feeling well, huh buddy?” she whispered, petting him then leaning down to wrap her arms around his neck. Despite being able to detect his racing heartbeat, Gus didn’t respond.

  Once back in the house, she picked up her phone and called the vet to whom she’d brought Gus for his vaccinations a few months ago. Thank goodness he was up to date on his rabies shot in case he’d had a run-in with a rabid animal.

  The recording told her the office was closed for the holiday weekend but gave her the number for the on-call vet for dogs and cats in case of an emergency. This was definitely an emergency and something that couldn’t wait until after the weekend.

  She called the number and left a message on the recording with her name, number, and the symptoms Gus was exhibiting. The vet returned her call a few moments later, moments which felt like an eternity.

  “You need to bring him in as soon as possible,” came the voice on the other end.

  “What do you think it is?” Abby’s voice was tight with worry.

  “Hard to say without seeing him, but it sounds like he might have found some kind of poison.”

  Her mind was racing as she hung up the phone. How was she going to get Gus to the car? Her father was probably out for a while after drinking all of that gin. Piper put on a tough front, but she was weaker than Abby. She didn’t want to worry Cooper. Running through all the options, she decided Piper was the best one.

  Abby lifted Gus’s front legs, balancing his head, and Piper lifted the back half. Gus was dead weight and unable to help except to whimper and stiffen, making it even harder to maneuver his body into the car.

  They finally got him in and lying across the back seat. Abby called and left voicemails for Victoria and Sam asking if either of them could come as soon as possible. Piper stayed to watch the boys and to open the store on time.

  By the time she reached the vet’s office, Gus looked even worse. The vet met her at the car and they carried him into the office and laid him on a blanket draped over the table. Abby stood beside Gus, keeping her hand on his side as he lay, whimpering, stiffening occasionally. His heartbeat slowed to a more reasonable rate. After taking some vials of blood, the vet left the tiny room, reappearing shortly.

  “Ms. Sinclair, we’ll need to keep Gus for a couple a days.”

  “What did you find?” Her muscles tightened, and she stood closer to Gus. The only way she could get any closer was to climb up on the table with him.

  “He definitely got into some poison, but I don’t know yet exactly what. I’ll need to run some more tests to find out before I can determine a course of treatment. It’s a good thing you called when you did, though. That I’m sure of.”

  “He’s going to be okay, right?” Her voice quivered.

  “Ms. Sinclair …” the vet looked at her, his eyes serious. “We’re doing everything we can. I can’t make any promises, but he should be okay once we know how to treat him. In the meantime, maybe you could do a little investigating around your house to see what Gus might have gotten into. Do you have any poisonous plants in your yard?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Rat or mouse poison like d-CON?”

  “No.”

  “Well, he got into something. You work on your end, I’ll work on mine, and we’ll figure it out faster that way.”

  She swallowed a lump in her throat, nodded, and left after one more hug around Gus’s thick middle.

  The boys were up and eating a bowl of cereal when Abby walked into the house.

  “Hey, Mom. Where were you?”

  She looked at Piper who was leaning against the counter. Piper shrugged her shoulders.

  “Didn’t know what to tell him,” Piper said.

  �
��Coop, was Gus acting strange last night?”

  “Nope. He was in the tent with us when we went to sleep. I know because I covered him with a blanket.”

  “When did he get outside?”

  “What do you mean?” He shoveled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

  “When I saw him he was outside the door of your tent.”

  “I don’t know. We had the door to the tent clipped with clothespins.” He and Johnny exchanged glances.

  “Well, he got out at some point. Maybe when you came into the house?”

  “I didn’t come in the house.” Cooper looked at her in obvious confusion.

  “One of you did because I heard you.”

  “I didn’t,” Johnny said, his mouth full.

  “Neither of you came in to use the bathroom?”

  Both boys looked at each other and snickered. Abby glared at Cooper. “What’s so funny?”

  “We did have to pee, but we went outside instead because we didn’t want to wake you up. Besides, we were roughing it, remember? No luxuries when we’re supposed to be roughing it.”

  A tremor of fear rippled through her. “At least you were listening,” she mumbled absentmindedly, her thoughts on something entirely different. She looked across the room to Piper.

  “Maybe it was Dad?”

  “Why would Grandpa be going in the house to go to the bathroom? He always goes up to his room early, and there’s a bathroom right outside his room.”

  “So, boys, are you both saying that neither of you were in the house last night?”

  “Nope,” they said at the same time.

  “Not together or individually?”

  “Mom,” Cooper said, his voice laced with impatience, “we told you we weren’t in the house. No matter how you ask, the answer isn’t gonna change.”

  She looked at his spoon dripping milk on the table.

  “Okay, then.” She felt a sudden chill again. Someone was in the house. She may have been exhausted, but she heard it and she wasn’t dreaming. What in Sam hill was going on? She clung to the hope that it was her dad.

  Abby filled Sam and Victoria in on Gus before they all split up to cover more ground in less time to see if they could find what Gus had gotten into. Victoria operated the store.