Finding Abigail Read online

  I rolled my eyes at her. “Yeah, great fun. Let’s talk about something else please,” I complained, remembering that horrifying evening.

  We finished our meal as she discussed my pathetic love life. After a few minutes the waiter came with our bill.

  I left her in front of her building. Once she disappeared through the glass doors, I turned to hail a cab.

  The policeman from upstairs was leaning against his car, in front of me. The bright April sun glared off the white paint from his police cruiser.

  He was staring in my direction. After a quick glance behind me and seeing no one there, I guessed he was watching me. I took a step toward him, and he smiled.

  “You’re the girl I saw earlier.” He nodded his head to the building Debbie had disappeared into.

  A car squealed its tires in the street in front of us; shortly after, a horn honked.

  “Brilliant observation, Officer. I can see why you chose your particular line of work.” I folded my arms, taking a quick step sideways to avoid a stroller coming at me. The woman pushing it seemed to be in a huge hurry.

  He chuckled and shook his head. “What’s your name?”

  “You’re a cop, shouldn’t you already know it?”

  He laughed, showing perfect white teeth. “I could find out, but wouldn’t it be easier for you to just tell me?”

  “Who would you find out from? The girl you were hitting on only an hour ago?” The cold sarcasm in my voice was obvious.

  He arched his brow in confusion, then when understanding hit, he smiled. “That was my cousin, Maria. My mother asked if I’d stop by and ask her over for dinner since the station is just down the road.”

  Okay, now I felt dumb. “Oh, well, I’m still not giving you my name.”

  He opened his mouth to speak just as a cab pulled up against the curb, the squeaking breaks echoing through the air. Ignoring the urge to stay and flirt some more, I said, “Sorry, cab’s here, gotta go.”

  “I’ll give you a ride in my car.” His voice was deep and sexy.

  “Am I under arrest, Officer?” I said, with my head tilted.

  “Have you broken any laws lately?”

  I opened the door of the car and leaned in. “Not that I know of.”

  He folded his arms in front of him. “Then, no.”

  “In that case, I’ll stick with the cab.” I climbed in before the cabbie complained. He sighed a few times, obviously annoyed at having to wait.

  As we rolled away from the curb, I saw the cop watching me from out of the corner of my eye.

  Was it pathetic that even though I had only spoken to him for a minute or so, it was still the longest conversation I’d had with a guy in weeks?

  He was very cute—tall, with short dark hair. I couldn’t see the color of his eyes because he was wearing sunglasses, which also added to the look. His height could be a problem though; I’d have to use a step ladder to get a goodnight kiss. I grinned at the thought; the idea that after one meeting with this guy and I was already daydreaming about him was ridiculous. I knew I’d never see him again. It must be the uniform; it was a definite plus for me. What was it about a man in uniform?

  Chapter Two

  Family

  As soon as the elevator doors slid open on my floor, I heard my phone ringing from down the hall. I took off in a run, nearly tripping on the Berber carpet trying to catch the phone, but just as I stuck the key in the lock, the ringing stopped. My voice floated out of the machine, telling the caller to leave a message. It was my mother, reminding me of dinner tonight. Great, a family dinner, just what I was in the mood for after my lunch with Debbie.

  With time to kill before I needed to leave, I sat down at my computer and started working. However, two hours later, wrapped up in Little Miss Susie Sunshine’s first trip to the mall, I glanced at the clock. Crap, I was late again.

  It took about fifteen minutes to get to my mom’s quiet suburb. I only used my car when I left the city. Traveling within it was killer on the wallet. The price of parking was robbery.

  The drive through my old neighborhood was peaceful. The streets were filled with kids playing in yards, jumping rope, and having fun in the park. The houses were neat and trim, with perfectly manicured lawns. The sound of dogs barking and children’s laugher echoed through my open car windows. Even though I enjoyed my apartment in the city, I loved coming back home. I felt closer to my father here.

  “Hey, Mom,” I yelled, letting myself into the house I grew up in. I hung my coat on the hook behind the door and glanced around my old living room. The space was full of memories—the red brick fireplace that I hit my head on when I was wrestling with my older sister Brenda. I still had the scar on my scalp from the cut which, although tiny, had covered my whole head in blood. Apparently, I had hit a blood vessel, causing blood to spurt out of the wound. My mother nearly fainted at the sight of me.

  A painting of our cottage my dad built hung on the wall above the mantel. The frame had to be repaired after my sister and I knocked it over while throwing a soccer ball in the house.

  The furniture was new, thank God. My mother had kept our old orange, flower-patterned couch longer than she should have. It was hideous, and it took Brenda and me buying her a new set to get rid of it. And even then, she cried as the Salvation Army truck towed it away. It had been a gift from my father a few months before he died.

  He passed away suddenly of a heart attack when I was twelve. It was the hardest thing we ever went through, and we still weren’t over it. A hole was left in our lives the day he was taken away in the ambulance, and after fifteen years, it still wasn’t filled. My dad was a special man. He paid attention to all of us, made anyone he talked to feel like they mattered. Since he often worked late, he made a point to spend time with each of us, creating different nightly rituals with his daughters. Every night he and I would share cookies and milk while he listened to me talk about my day. His presence still lingered here, even after we redecorated and gave most of his things to charity.

  “Is that you, Abby?” I heard my mom yell from the kitchen, interrupting my trip down memory lane.

  “Yes,” I answered, strolling into the kitchen. The room was filled with the aroma of beef, spices, and the chatter of my family.

  Brenda and her husband, Jeff, were sitting at the table munching on some hors d’oeuvres. Brenda’s kids, Justin and Haley, were piling food into their mouths. Haley nibbled on the crackers while Justin shoveled cheese by the handful, as their mother looked away from them and turned to me.

  Justin was six and Haley was four. They were the two cutest kids in the world and I didn’t think that just because I was their aunt, it was the truth. They both had blond hair and blue eyes, with a round cherub faces. Haley even had ringlets.

  “It’s about time you got here. Look at my poor children, they’re starving,” Brenda teased. I knew she didn’t care if I was late. She was proud that I wrote books, even if I did lose track of time writing them. She always stood up for me when my mother gave me a hard time.

  “Yeah, I can see they’re suffering.” I laughed, pointing to Justin who had his mouth stuffed with cheese. He looked like he was storing for the winter.

  “Justin, spit that out,” Brenda scolded. Her son did what he was told and spit the cheese right onto the table. A pile of slimy orange goo lay on the shiny oak surface in front of him. He glanced up at his mother and smiled, a dimple popping out on his right cheek. “Justin Jeffery Markson, you clean that up right now.”

  “Ewww!” Haley whined, with her face scrunched up, nose wrinkled.

  I picked the four-year-old up, giving her a kiss on her chubby little cheek, and glanced at the boy with the gooey face. “Hey, little man. I’d give you a kiss too, but you’re covered in orange slime.” He was smiling wide, obviously proud of his disgusting actions.

  “Hey, Mom,” I said, heading over to her where she was standing at the stove stirring here famous beef stew. I gave her a peck on the cheek and put Hal
ey down.

  “Aunt Abby, can you write a book about me?” Haley asked, tugging on my shirt.

  “Haley, she’s already written two about you. How many do you need?” her mother scolded while wiping cheese off of the table with a wad of paper towel.

  Haley considered the question and answered seriously. “Fifteen.” The adults laughed as Haley gazed up at me, wondering what was so funny.

  “You’re late again,” my mother remarked. She scooped out stew and divided it into bowls. I took the one she had already filled, along with a basket of her homemade biscuits, placing the stew in front of Jeff, and the basket in the center of the table. Justin leaned up on his knees to grab a fresh biscuit, but quickly withdrew when his mother slapped his hand.

  “I know, but I started a new series and it was difficult to stop. I’m sorry.” The next bowl went to Haley, who was just sitting back down beside her father.

  “There’s more to life than work, you know. I’d be more understanding if you were late because of a man,” my ever-meddling mother said, smirking.

  “Don’t start, Mother.” I rolled my eyes, but held back the groan.

  “Yes, please, let’s have a peaceful dinner without arguing for once.” Brenda’s tone was firm, giving me and my mother a fierce look.

  I ignored her and picked up two more bowls of stew, handing them to her and Justin. Now that the table was orange-slime free, I grabbed mine off the counter and sat down between the two kids. My mother took the seat opposite me, giving me a warm smile before scooping a spoonful of veggies and beef into her mouth. I gave her a wink and then focused on my niece and nephew.

  “How is school going, guys?” I asked, glancing between them.

  “We’re learning about butterflies. Did you know that they come from catabillars?” Justin asked with his mouth full.

  I grinned. “Yes, I know that caterpillars change into butterflies.” I emphasized the p.

  “That’s what I said, catabillars. They go into this weird-looking white round fuzzy thing called an acorn and fall asleep. And when they wake up, they come out a butterfly. Isn’t that cool?”

  Interesting description of metamorphosis; he should be a storyteller. “Very cool, but it’s called a cocoon.” I ruffled his hair.

  His big eyes glanced at me in confusion. “Huh?”

  “It’s called a cocoon, not an acorn.”

  “That’s what I said.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes, as if dealing with adults was trying on his nerves.

  I stared at him, about to argue, and then decided to let it go. I turned to his mother. “What’s new with you, Brenda?”

  She was in the process of wiping Haley’s mouth with a napkin; she balled it up and glanced at me. “Not much. Debbie and I talked today and decided that we’re taking you out tomorrow night. We’re going to The Cave. Remember how much fun we had last time?”

  For some reason panic bubbled up inside me. “Are you sure? Don’t you think you should stay home with your family? Who knows what this kid will shove in his mouth while you’re gone.” I tapped Justin’s head. “Are you willing to risk it? Besides, you can’t leave Jeff alone with these monsters.”

  She scoffed. “Nice try.”

  “No, that’s okay, Abby. I don’t mind. By the time you guys go out, the kids are already in bed. And she bribed me with something to make sure I’ll get up with the kids in the morning.” Jeff wiggled his eyebrows at his wife.

  “Please, not while I’m eating. I don’t want to know what she bribed you with. But okay, I’m in,” I said, giving up. I took a sip of wine, knowing when I was defeated.

  “Are you serious? You’re agreeing that quickly?” Brenda asked with her eyes wide.

  I pushed down the panic, because I knew I needed some time to let loose. “Yes, I haven’t been out in a long time, it’ll be fun.”

  She grinned widely. “Awesome, I can’t wait to have a night to myself. No offense, honey.” She batted her eyelashes at her handsome husband.

  “None taken. I get out with the guys to play poker. You should have some time away from home too.”

  Brenda leaned over and kissed Jeff on the lips, lingering for a few seconds. “You are the best husband, you know that?” Now that they were starting to get all mushy, I wasn’t sure if I was touched and envious by their loving words, or about to be sick.

  “Get a room!” Justin yelled, staring at his parents. All the adults at the table gaped at him. I had to cover my mouth to stifle my laughter.

  “Justin! Where did you hear that?” his mother asked, her eyes wide with shock.

  “From the big kids on the bus. Why? What does it mean?” Since I was finished eating I decided it was time to clean up. My mother followed me. As we stuck our dishes in the dishwasher we heard Brenda stumbling for an explanation.

  “Guess what I found in my sewing room?” my mom asked, wiping her hands on the dish towel.

  “In my old room? I have no idea. My retainer?” I closed the dishwasher, turning around to face her. She took something out of her pocket and held up a sterling silver necklace with a heart-shaped locket. Tears fell down my cheeks as I took the necklace into my hand and gazed at it. The memory of my father giving it to me flashed into my mind. “Now remember, Abby, every time you open this locket, you’ll see me. That way I’ll always be with you. No matter how many business trips I go on, as long as you have this, I’ll always be close by,” my father explained, opening the locket that was resting against my chest. I stared at the tiny pictures of my mother in a pastel floral dress with her sandy hair up in a bun. Tiny curls fell along the side of her pinkened cheeks. My father looked striking in a black suit and red tie, his thick wavy brown hair brushed smoothly. His blue eyes held humor, as if the photographer had just told a joke.

  Wrapping my eight-year-old arms around him and rubbing his scruffy cheek against my smooth one just to feel the tingle, I whispered, “Thank you, Daddy.”

  “What is it, can I see?” Haley screamed, bringing me back to the present.

  I bent down to show her the dainty little heart with the lace design embossed on the front. “Isn’t it pretty? My daddy gave this to me when I was eight. He was away on business trips a lot. So he bought your mommy and me matching necklaces to remind us of him when he was away. I lost mine years ago, but Grandma found it.” I opened the locket to show her the pictures inside. “See, just like Mommy’s. There’s Grandma, and that’s Grandpa. Look how young Grandma is.” Both kids gazed at the photo intently, then looked up at their grandmother and smiled.

  I stood up and faced my mom. “Where was it?”

  “In the corner where your bed used to be, lodged between the wall and the carpet. I saw something shiny this morning and bent down to investigate. I couldn’t wait to give it to you. You were so devastated when you lost it.”

  I hugged her, holding on tightly, inhaling the familiar scent of jasmine. When I let go, I gave her a kiss on the cheek; her skin was silky soft. “Thanks, Mom. I’m putting it on now and never taking it off. That way I won’t lose it again.” I put the necklace around my neck and then gave my mother another quick hug, thankful for coming here tonight. I had lost my necklace about a year after he died. I was afraid I would lose my memories of him if I didn’t have it on to remind me. I knew better now, but I was still relieved to have it back.

  At home that night, I nestled into bed with a glass of wine and a movie. I fell asleep watching a film about a single father raising a daughter on his own. After receiving my necklace, I wanted to watch something that would remind me of my father.

  Chapter Three

  The Cave

  In preparation for my night out, I only worked for a few hours. After a quick look in my closet I decided a shopping trip was in order. I found a really cute black top and a pair of dark blue, low-riding skinny jeans at a boutique not far from my home. The top was a little more riskqué than I usually wore. It was a halter style with a low neckline, showing cleavage I didn’t realize I had.
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  Debbie and Brenda met me at my place. We had a few drinks as we got ready to go to the club. Brenda looked amazing in a short sparkly silver dress, which was cut a little high above her knee; her silky blond hair flowed down her back like liquid honey.

  Debbie went for bold in a hot red halter like mine, and a black leather miniskirt; with her cinnamon-colored hair curled, she looked beautiful. “Holy shit, Debbie, is your skirt short enough?”

  “I don’t know.” She pouted, staring into my full-length mirror. “Do you think it would be too slutty if I pulled it up?”

  Since it was almost showing her ass now, my answer was, “Definitely.”

  She laughed, and continued to brush the dark gray shadow onto her eyelids. When we looked as good as we possibly could, it was time to go.

  We traveled the two blocks to the club on foot, through the busy, energized streets. As darkness settled over the city, people made their way out of their residences looking for some excitement from their everyday lives. The sidewalks were full of couples holding hands making their way to the variety of restaurants located down town. Teenagers loitered in the streets in groups, laughing and flirting with each other as they looked for an adventure. A homeless man leaned against a bench holding a paper cup. His eyes were closed, and a loud snarl came out of his lips as we passed. I leaned down and dropped a twenty into his cup, careful not to cringe at the sour stench that rose off of his filthy over coat. Brenda took my hand and pulled me away from the man just as his eyes flitted open.

  As we approached the club, a buzz of excitement swept over me. I hadn’t been out in a while, and it was time for some fun.

  Even though it was called The Cave, it was anything but. The building was enormous and industrial looking. Like a warehouse right in the middle of the restaurant and bar district. Bass echoed from the building with a constant thump, thump, thump, making the steel siding hum with vibration. There was always a line that led down the block to enter, but fortunately the line went fast, and we didn’t have to wait long.