Sabre couldn’t fight back the tears. Sobbing, she replied, “I love you, too, Bro.” As he turned to leave, she and her mother squeezed each other’s hands watching Ron transform into Dr. Steele and shuffle out the door.
39
“Come on, Sobs, you’re going to miss your flight,” Bob yelled.
“Relax, Grumpy, we still have plenty of time,” Sabre said, as she walked out of the bedroom with her suitcase. “By the way, how are you doing with the smoking? You still clean?”
“Absolutely,” Bob said, looking at his watch. “Twenty-seven days, three hours and thirty-two minutes … but who’s counting?”
“I’m really proud of you.”
“I promised, if you lived, I’d quit. I have to admit there were a few times when I first stopped that I wanted to kill you myself just so I could smoke again.” They laughed as they got in the car and left for the airport. “Well, Sobs, things haven’t turned out so badly after all.”
“Yup, you’re right. Howard, the FBI agent, sure came through, finding Elizabeth and all.”
“How did that come about? I never heard what happened to her.”
“More of Gaylord’s doing. Elizabeth decided she had had enough of his abuse and his gambling, and she told him she was leaving him. He threatened to kill her mother and Alexis if she left. He told her, if he couldn’t have Alexis, no one would, especially not her. He kept getting worse and worse. Crazy things started to happen to her, including a red bat appearing in her bathroom during her shower. Imagine that. A few days later, the riddle about the bat showed up in her purse. Things escalated to the point where she couldn’t take it any longer. When he left for work one morning, she packed some things for her and Alexis, and went to tell her mother goodbye. He must’ve been having her followed because those thugs intercepted her and she never made it to her mother’s house. Somehow, though, she managed to escape. She hid for a while, and then she went to the police station. When she arrived, she saw one of her abductors in the parking lot. She hid behind some cars and saw him talking to a police officer. She was too frightened to go in after that because she didn’t know who to talk to. Murdock had lots of friends in the police department.
“She left, went to Boston, and hid out. She had a friend in Atlanta who kept her informed about Alexis. Her friend discovered she knew one of the investigating officers on the case, named Steve Parker. She assured Elizabeth he could be trusted. Steve was Joe Carriage’s best friend, remember?”
“Yeah, the cop they killed.”
“Yup, so Elizabeth’s friend called Steve. She planned to meet with him and tell him about Elizabeth and what had happened. She went to the meeting, but Steve never showed. She read in the paper the next day he was killed in a car accident. That clinched it for Elizabeth, too afraid she would put her mother or Alexis in danger if she came forward. She didn’t want to leave Alexis with Gaylord, either, but in many ways he was a good father. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her as long as she stayed away.”
“So she sacrificed a life with her daughter to save her life?”
“And her mother’s,” Sabre added. “She’s quite a woman. I can see why Ron loved her.”
“Oh, by the way, do we need to pick up Alexis?”
“No, Marla’s bringing her to the airport.”
“I’ll bet she’s anxious to see her mother.”
“Yes, she’s excited. They’ve been talking on the phone everyday, getting reacquainted. Everyone is anxious for Alexis to return to Atlanta.”
“How are the Murdocks taking all this?”
“They’re upset, of course; after all, they lost a son. They also feel terrible about all the suffering he caused. I expect they are terribly disappointed in his behavior. They made a public apology on behalf of the Murdock name, but other than that they’re keeping it within the confines of their home and family, like well-bred southern folks do. They appear to be good people and they love Elizabeth like a daughter, so I’m sure it’ll all work out,” Sabre said. “They bought us all tickets for some big shindig at the country club for New Year’s Eve. It might be fun, hobnobbing with the rich and famous.” She laughed.
They arrived at the airport, and Sabre and Alexis flew to Atlanta, where Alexis would begin her new life. The Murdocks, Elizabeth, and Ruby were waiting in baggage claim when they arrived. The grandparents held back and let Alexis greet her mother alone. Alexis saw her mother in a periwinkle blue cotton dress with her natural flaxen hair standing across the room, and said, “She looks like an angel.”
“She sure does,” Sabre said.
Alexis ran to her with open arms. “Mother,” she yelled from across the crowded corridor. Within seconds the family gathered around her, hugging and smiling, every one of them teary eyed.
Dear Reader,
So, what did you think of the book?
Please email me. I’d love to hear from you…
Teresa
[email protected]
www.teresaburrell.com
The Advocate Series
The Advocate
The Advocate’s Betrayal
The Advocate’s Conviction
The Advocate’s Dilemma
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
Note to Reader
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