Holiday Hideout (10 page)

And lost.

The grief pinched, but she didn’t look away from the happy child. She noticed Holly glancing at the duo every once in a while, and when her gaze would land on Daniel, her eyes would soften and her contentment would shine through.

Maybe one day, Abby sighed. Maybe God would allow that to happen for her. She turned back to the computer.

But for now, she couldn’t think about relationships, love or babies until she figured out a way to get Reese off her case. Although thinking about relationships, love and babies brought Cal McIvers to the forefront of her mind. Abby gulped at the thought of spending the rest of her life with him. As his wife. The mother of his children.

Longing stabbed her, and she nearly gasped out loud at how bad she realized she wanted that.

But she couldn’t have it.

Not yet. She needed to come clean and be completely honest with him about her role in her sister’s death.

She frowned at the screen and forced her thoughts to focus. Sally Jensen. No, the name just didn’t ring any bells. She decided to jot some notes, but before she could reach for her bag to grab a pen and paper, a cry echoed through the restaurant.

Abby jerked her head up to see a panicked Tori pounding on little Daniel’s back. The baby’s face was red, his little mouth open like a fish.

Instantly Abby stood and rushed over just as Holly reached for the choking toddler. “Daniel!”

A blue tinge circled his lips.

Abby said, “Give him to me.”

Holly’s terrified gaze slammed into hers and Abby could see the question there even as Holly took over pounding on the little guy’s back.

Abby grabbed a chair and said the one thing that might make the woman trust her. “Give him to me. I’m a doctor.”

Holly started, then handed over her precious child even as indecision warred on her face. Abby acted with quick, smooth movements. She sat and placed Daniel facedown over her thighs with his upper torso hanging over the side of her knee.

Using the heel of her hand, she thumped Daniel between the shoulder blades once, twice, three times.

The small piece of chicken landed on the floor and Daniel pulled in a gasping breath.

Then screamed an angry cry. “Mama!”

Abby nearly wilted with relief as Holly snatched him from her. Tears tracked down the mother’s cheeks as she hugged her son whose cries had died down to whimpers.

“Thank you,” Holly whispered to Abby. “Thank you. Thank you.”

Tori added her own tearful gratitude and Abby finally noticed the small crowd staring at them. She flushed as one person started clapping and the rest joined in.

Anxious to escape the limelight, she smiled at Holly, ignored the burning questions she could see in the woman’s eyes and hurried back to her computer.

Ducking her head, she tried to forget about the past few minutes and focus on figuring out who Sally Jensen was.

Abby bent over and began rummaging through her bag for a pen. She wanted to write the number down to call.

She heard someone settle in the desk beside her.

A black-gloved hand came into view and snatched the bag from her startled fingers. A hard shove sent her tumbling and she lost her balance to hit the floor. Startled, fear flowing, she looked up to see a hoodie-covered figure headed for the emergency exit.

A scream lodged in her throat as the thief burst through the door into the back alley.

The alarm screeched and customers careened their necks to see.

“I saw him,” someone said. “He just grabbed her bag and ran out the door!”

Another voice hollered, “Someone call 9-1-1!”

Furious, Abby scrambled to her feet and shot out the door after the man. Terrified, she swallowed her fear and determined to put an end to this craziness once and for all.

NINE

C
al’s radio squawked and he grabbed the microphone. “This is Alpha 304, go ahead.”

“Disturbance at The Candy Caper reported. A thief snatched a bag and ran out the back through the emergency exit.”

The Candy Caper? Alarm shot through Cal as he gunned the police cruiser in that direction. The chains on the tires gripped and held, allowing him fairly good traction. Snow swirled and his wipers were almost no match for the huge flakes now splashing onto his windshield.

He’d thought Abby would be safe at the store. And instead, he’d placed her right back in danger. Possibly. He didn’t know that it was her bag that had been stolen.

But the feeling in his gut said it was.

With a twist of his wrist, he turned into the parking lot just to find customers standing, shielding their eyes from snow, necks craning to see…what?

Cal got out of the car, his gaze taking in every detail. “Holly? Abby? Where are you?”

He couldn’t see either woman.

“Hey, Cal, that woman chased that guy down the street and behind the bank,” Arthur James said.

Cal took off in the direction of the bank, calling for backup as he ran through the blinding snow.

“Cal!” Holly’s voice.

He spun, slid, almost went down. “What?”

“It’s Abby!”

He took off again. Somehow, he already knew that.

A loud crack echoed through the air and his heart dropped far enough for him to step on as he recognized the sound of a gunshot.

Abby froze as the bullet slammed into the building beside her spraying her with cement fragments. She ducked, making herself as small as possible against the side of the building. She forced herself to pull in slower breaths. Her thumping heart threatened to jump right out of her chest.

With terror and rage, she watched the hoodie-covered thief duck around the next building and disappear.

She let him go.

He’d shot at her.

What was she doing?

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Abby straightened as though yanked by a string to stare into Cal’s stormy blue eyes. Only they were more gray than blue as they drilled lasers into her. “Are you okay? I heard a shot. Nearly gave me a heart attack”

With a shaking finger, she pointed to the dent in the wall. “He missed me.”

“Where’d he go?”

She pointed to the footprints in the snow. Footprints quickly being covered as more snow fell. Cal called it in, asking for all available officers to converge on the scene.

“He stole my bag.” Her voice hitched and she wanted to burst into tears. But she held on, refusing to give in to them. “And now he’s getting away. You have to follow him.” She gulped. “No, don’t follow him. He has a gun.”

“I’m not going to follow him.” And she knew that he wouldn’t give chase because she was here. “Come on.” He grabbed her hand. “I don’t want to be back here. We’re sitting ducks and I didn’t hear a car drive away.”

Abby shook her head. “There’s plenty of places around here to hide,” she muttered.

Cal led her from the back of the building, keeping her behind him, his weapon drawn in front of him. She watched him in action and realized she felt completely safe in his presence. The feeling startled her. Warmed her.

Scared her.

Because it meant she should tell him everything.

They made it back to The Candy Caper where Holly waited, Daniel still clutched in her arms. When the woman saw them, she rushed from the still-lingering crowd. “Are you two okay?”

A tight-lipped Cal nodded. “Yes.” Then he looked at Abby. “Are you crazy? Chasing after that guy?” His mild tone telling her more about his state of mind than if he’d started yelling at her. He was mad. Real mad.

Seeing things through his eyes, she could understand that. She ducked her head and shivered. She felt the cold seeping into her bones. “Probably.” Then raised her gaze to meet his. “But he just made me so mad that I didn’t even think of the consequences of chasing him. I just…did it.”

Cal sighed and Holly motioned them inside. “At least it’s warm in here.” Eli came out of the back room where she’d been sitting when her bag was stolen. He tucked a small black notebook into his front pocket and clicked the pen in his left hand.

He looked at Cal and asked, “You figure out where he went? I’ve got Joel and Mitchell looking all over the area for him.”

Cal shook his head. “By the time I caught up with Abby, he was gone and the snow was covering his tracks. But he’s got a gun and isn’t afraid to use it. The bullet’s lodged in the wall near the fire escape behind the bank. I didn’t take the time to dig it out as I wanted to get Abby away from there as fast as possible.”

“I’ll get Joel out there to collect it.”

While he got on his radio to issue the request to Joel, Holly looked at Abby. “What were you thinking taking off after him?” Her southern accent was a little stronger than it had been a short time ago. She looked scared but determined not to show it.

Abby knew exactly how she felt. “It was stupid. I’m sorry.”

Eli came back and looked at Abby. Then in a sudden movement, reached out and drew her into a hug under Cal’s startled gaze. When he let her go, his throat worked and Abby knew he was trying to thank her. Holly must have had time to tell him about Daniel. She placed a hand on his arm and said, “It’s all right.”

“What’s going on?” Cal asked, puzzlement plain in his face.

“Abby’s a doctor. She saved Daniel’s life,” Holly said with a shudder. “He was choking on a piece of chicken and…if she hadn’t been here…” Tears formed, but the mother managed to hold them back.

Abby felt embarrassed all over again. She smiled. “It’s all right. I’m glad I was able to help.”

Cal’s gaze ping-ponged from one to the next, then back. He looked like he wanted to say something but was at a loss for words. “A doctor?” He blinked then nailed her with a look that said they’d be talking later.

A few customers had returned to their food. Others stood at the big front windows trying to see if anything else exciting would happen.

Abby prayed there would be nothing more to see.

Another Rose Mountain police cruiser sat outside the store while the officer continued to question the occupants.

The door opened and a tall, rugged-looking man came in. He wore his deputy uniform confidently. She figured he wasn’t a rookie and that made her feel good.

Eli looked up at him. “Joel, anything?”

“Nothing. We were able to follow the tracks a bit until the snow obliterated them. He must have run quite a ways. Probably had a car waiting, hopped in and took off.”

“I never heard an engine start,” Cal said.

Eli shook his head. “Might not get very far in this weather if he did, though.” To Joel, he asked, “You get that bullet?”

Joel shook his head and held up a digital camera. “Found the hole it left, though.”

Cal frowned and stepped forward. “What?”

“I think your man came back and dug out the bullet.”

“Seriously?” Abby stared at the picture. The bullet was gone.

Eli blew out a breath and looked at Cal. “Explains why you didn’t hear a car. I’m thinking we need to see who all is staying in town at the Rose Mountain Inn.”

Cal shrugged. “Worth a try I suppose. Lots of visitors this time of year. We’ve got only another week until Christmas and we can’t do a background check on everyone.”

Eli scowled. “I know that.”

“He might not be staying in a hotel here anyway. Could be sleeping in his car or camping out.”

“Mighty cold,” Eli mused.

“It’s still doable,” Cal argued.

Joel said, “Well, wherever he is, he’s probably going to sit tight for a while. He got what he was after.”

“Yeah, my bag.” Abby gritted her teeth wondering once again what Reese would have to gain stealing her bag. Was it just one more way to assert his power over her? Was he doing his best to make her suffer before he got his hands on her? Probably.

Cal looked at Abby. “Did you get a good look at him?”

“No. He had his face covered. He was wearing one of those hoodie sweatshirts. All I saw was the floor and the back of him as he raced out.”

Cal turned to Eli and Holly. “Are there any security cameras?”

“Yes,” Eli nodded. “We’ll get the footage and take a look.”

“In the meantime, I suggest you get Abby back to the ranch if that’s where she’s going. The roads are getting bad. If anything develops, I’ll give you a call.”

After Abby thanked Holly for her hospitality, Cal ushered her out to the car. “I’ve got to stop by the office and pick up my truck. There’s no way I’m driving this thing home.”

They crept through the still-falling snow and Abby hunched in the passenger seat pondering the latest incident. She was going to have to tell Cal about Reese. Convince Cal to help her get Reese off her back. All she wanted was to be alone and try to find a measure of peace.

And the only way she was going to have any peace is if she turned around and faced God instead of trying to outrun Him.

She had to admit that life on the run wasn’t for her. Part of her wanted to give up, face Reese and beg his forgiveness one more time. But she just wasn’t ready to face his rejection, his contempt.

And she’d tried that before.

She’d approached him at church, tried to talk to him and he’d brushed her off without a word. Just gave her a look so chilling she still hadn’t thawed out.

“Are you okay?”

With a start, she realized Cal had parked the car next to the SUV and was waiting for her to move. “Oh. Sorry. I was thinking.”

His eyes smiled at her. “I could tell. What about?”

She sighed. “Forgiveness. And why it’s so hard to give sometimes.”

A scowl chased away his smile. “I know.”

Abby studied him. “Who do you need to forgive?”

“Come on. Let’s get in the truck.”

So he didn’t want to talk about it. She could understand that.

They transferred themselves to the other vehicle, Abby’s fingers touching the little pouch she’d sewn into her jeans. Comfort filled her when her hand felt the money, the ID and cell phone. She’d almost thrown them into her bag and had decided at the last minute to stick them in the little pocket.

Maybe God was looking out for her after all. She looked at the strong man in the seat beside her. He believed in forgiveness, he believed in God. Maybe…

“His name’s Mark Sawls.”

His deep voice came out of nowhere and Abby focused on him. “What?”

“You asked who I needed to forgive. I need to forgive Mark Sawls, Brianne’s husband, for killing her.”

Abby’s sharp gasp echoed in the cab of the truck. “I’m so sorry.”

“I am, too.” His jaw flexed and his fingers gripped the wheel. “She went to Fiona and told her she felt like her husband was losing it. He was a fellow cop. He came from a larger city, had dealt with the kind of crimes we don’t really see around here. One of them involved the death of a teen killed by his mother. She shot him in his sleep.”

Abby winced. “That’s awful.”

“It seemed to haunt Mark, but none of us knew how bad it was. Brianne got pregnant in high school at the age of sixteen. Mark was crazy about her and married her when her son, Isaac, was two. Apparently Isaac was causing a lot of problems at home. He was twelve and there was a lot of friction between him and Brianne. I never saw that it was anything more than typical preteen rebellion. Mark saw it as something more, I guess.”

“What happened?” she whispered.

Cal rubbed a hand across his eyes briefly before narrowing them back on the road. “Brianne came to Fiona several times. Not only were they cousins, but they were also best friends who’d grown up together, were roommates in college and then moved back home after graduation. They even taught at the same school.” He cleared his throat. “Brianne had bruises all the time. She finally came to Fiona and told her she wanted to leave Mark, but was afraid she’d lose her son if she did. Mark had adopted him when they got married and Isaac seemed to prefer Mark over his mother.”

“What a choice.” She paused. “No, there was no choice for her, was there? She had to stay or lose her son completely.”

Cal shook his head. “Fiona came to me, begged me to help.”

“What did you do?”

“I went to Mark and asked him about it. He got really sad, even had tears in his eyes. He said Brianne had been talking crazy. She’d run into something, get a bruise and accuse him of hitting her. He said he tried to get her help, but she just wouldn’t listen and he was at his wit’s end.”

“And you believed him.” A chill covered her.

“Yes.” Cal’s sigh spoke volumes. “I believed him.”

“Because he was a fellow cop.” Abby bit her lip and looked out the window. A low-slung car followed a safe distance behind. Absently she noted the chains on the tires, watched them roll and cut through the tracks Cal’s vehicle left behind.

“Yes, partly. But because he was so convincing. I’d never seen him like that before. He was torn up. And even Fiona had said Brianne was distraught, depressed and acting a little strange.”