UNSEEN (2 page)

"
Girl! You coming in or are you gonna hassle that poor man all day?" Her tone was playful; Abigail immediately liked her.

The redhead looked up flabbergasted. "He only grabbed three of my bags and won't go back unless I pay the extra fair!" She stabbed her finger at him. "Which I'm NOT gonna do!"

He remained silent, and crossed his arms.

"
Let him go! We’ll go get it later," she called, holding the door open farther.

Abigail took advantage of the extra space and shuffled past the woman into the building. The entrance room was spacious, with a wall of metal mailboxes to the left, and to the right, a brushed metal communication box with buzzer buttons. Abigail scanned down the slightly crinkled list taped to the inside of the glass compartment next to the buttons. There it was: 203. And the name: Jake Paris.

Abigail stiffened slightly as the two women fumbled through the door behind her, banging the luggage and making enough racket to wake the whole building.

"
I told him there were four," said the redhead.

The brown-skinned lady dug a key card out of her pocket and swiped it on the door. "We'll call the airport when we get upstairs and make sure they still have it."

"
They better, Jackie. If my bag gets stolen, I'm suing that cab company!"

The ladies pushed into the hallway beyond, and Abigail slid through behind them.

"
So—how was your trip?" Jackie said, as Abigail tagged along, unnoticed behind them.

"
It could have gone worse, I guess. It was the red eye, but at least I didn't have to sit next to a fat guy or some chatter box."

"
No, I mean the trip to Houston, you know... Everything?" She emphasized the last word.

"
Oh. Did I see Blake?" Her voice sparkled when she said his name. "He came up from Galveston; we spent some time together."

They stopped in the T-shaped intersection at the end of the short hall, and the redhead pressed a glossy white-tipped thumbnail to the elevator button.

"
And?" said her friend with a brilliant white smile.

"
I don't think it is going to work out."

Precisely when the ding of the elevator sounded, a frown flashed on Jackie’s lips. "Why? What happened? Is he another dirtbag?"

"
No. It’s just that—he loves his job traveling around Texas. He doesn't want to move to Maine."

They filed into the elevator and leaned against the back wall. Abigail stepped on and turned to face out. Neither woman paid any attention to her.

"
Why don't you move there?"

The redhead shook her head. "My family’s here. You're here. I can’t move to the other side of the country. I- I just don’t know him well enough."

Jackie put her hand on her hip. "Is he worth holding on to?"

"
Well... I... Yeah. I mean, he’s really sweet, he’s gorgeous...” She shook her head. "But—it's complicated."

"
Girl, you need to call him and set something up."

"
I can't impose on Sarah again. She has enough mouths to feed."

"
I don't mean go to Houston, ask him to come here, you know, for a visit."

Ding.

Abigail stepped out. The ladies brushed past her and headed up the hall. Now it was Abigail's turn to frown; she wanted to hear the rest of the story, how they’d met and fallen madly in love. But it was time.

Each floor in the old high school looked the same, with the main hallways shaped like a T and ending with a bank of tall windows or double doors. Carpeting helped to make it feel more like an apartment building and less like a school—but not much less.

She gripped her cane and waddled forward down the hall. The ladies conversation grew fainter behind her, but, before they were completely out of earshot, Abigail heard something that made her stop and listen intently.

"
I think I’m pregnant, Jackie," said the redhead.

"
What?"

There was a sound of a door opening. "And it's his..." Then the door shut.

Abigail smiled.

She continued on to the end of the hall where a paint-chipped bank of windows let light in through double-paned glass. There were two doors, one on each side of the wide hallway. Abigail tapped her cane on the one marked 203.

Chapter 2

Jake Paris stood by the kitchen table his girlfriend Jenna had considerately placed near the large bank of windows in their apartment. They afforded him a view of the beautiful courtyard in front of the building as well as the network of streets that threaded through the hillsides of Sunbury. She knew he enjoyed watching the city come to life, so it only made sense that the table should live there. Just like the nightstand needed to be on his side of the bed, because he liked to empty his pockets into the drawer after a long day. He didn’t ask her to cater to him, it was just her nature to bring harmony into everything around her. Not just harmony in her relationship with him, but in every aspect of her life.

When she’d decided to buy a carpet for the living room, she had taken snap shots of the brown sectional couch, the tannish-red wallpaper, and the slightly cherry colored table upon which their television was perched, so she’d be able to find a carpet that matched perfectly. He loved that about her. His life before her was a chaotic mess. Jenna offered him a harmony his heart desperately yearned for.

This harmony was only mildly disrupted by Jenna’s emotional temperament, which by some was considered a little volatile, but he didn’t mind. He understood that it was a trade off. Her hyper-emotional sensitivity was the reason why she felt so strongly connected to everything, and why she always worked so hard to bring unity. He could deal with the occasional outburst of tears, both happy and sad, if it meant stability in every other aspect of his life.

He sipped his orange juice and looked at her sitting on the couch, her blue eyes fixed on a couch cushion. She slid her fingers down a long strand of chestnut hair, listening intently to whoever was on the other end of her cell phone, oblivious to his contented stare. Her naturally red lips were curled into a smirk, and her soft brown cheeks lifted as she smiled in response to what was probably a joke. She had no idea how beautiful she was, or how much he loved her, and needed her.

Jake glanced at the clock and quickly finished his orange juice. But as he turned to leave, the television caught his attention. The local news anchor was running down the news for the day. "Local authorities warn residents to keep close watch on their children, on this, the fifth anniversary of the Cape murderer, named for the location of his first murder in Cape Cod, Massachusetts four years ago. Officials say the killer could strike anywhere and that residents should be vigilant to watch for any suspicious..."

A loud cracking knock startled him. He set the glass on the bar between the kitchen and the living room and looked over at Jenna. She continued to twirl her hair and stare at a couch cushion. It must have been a good conversation for her to have missed that knock.

Jake went down the short hallway and looked through the peep hole in the door. In the distortion of the glass, he could see a tiny old woman with bright green eyes, horn-rimmed glasses, a festive flowered hat, and a broad smile encased in wrinkles.

Who on earth?

He opened the door to reveal the rest of his odd guest. "Can I help you?"

She continued to smile as she gazed at his face.

Jake looked up the hall. "Do you live in the building?"

"
She was right, you are very handsome," said the woman, her words jiggling out of her throat.

Jake’s eyebrows rose. "Ah, I’m sorry—who are we talking about?"

"
Shorter than I thought." She cocked her head and looked him up and down. "But not much.”

"
Look," said Jake, checking his watch, "I have to get to work, is there something I can help you with?"

Her pretty green eyes lit up. "Oh, yes! There is indeed. I was so excited about being here I almost forgot."

Jake flinched slightly as she shoved her hand into her crocheted pocket book. He wasn't sure if he thought she had a gun, or mace... but the action made him uneasy. He was relieved when she pulled out a single white rose.

"
I’m supposed to give this to you," she said, holding it out.

"
I think you have the wrong..."

"
Here," she said, clutching his wrist. She spoke gently. "Take it, take it. You're supposed to take it." She placed the stem in his palm and closed his fingers around it. Her soft cold hands enveloped his, and she looked up with such compassion he could almost feel it pouring from her eyes into his heart.

"
Don't let the flower die, Jake." Her voice cracked. "Don't let the flower die."

He looked at his big hand encased in hers.

"
Right," he said with an incredulous grin. "Don't let the flower die." He gave a knowing nod, as if this was a secret they alone shared. And followed it with a wink.

She reached up with her right hand, gripped his tie, and slowly tugged him down. Her face scrunched into a wrinkled smile, and her eyes struggled to focus on him. "Be nice to the children, Jake." She closed her eyes and nodded gently.

"
Yeah," he said knowingly. "Got it." He pulled gently on his hand, but she wasn't ready to let go.

Her eyes opened as if she had just been awakened. Still holding the tie, her left hand reached up and patted him lightly on the cheek. "You're such a nice boy." The grin stretched out on her face; she let out a soft sigh. Her grip loosened, and Jake stood upright, nonchalantly fixing his tie. The old woman pointed to the flower. "You're going to want to put that in water."

"
Yeah. I'll do that right now," he said, hoping she would be satisfied and scurry off on her merry way. But instead, she stood in the hallway, smiling her wrinkled smile and gripping her wooden cane.

"
Is—there anything else I can help you with?" he said, slowly.

"
Oh, no. I'm done." She stood with stiff confidence, her head wobbling ever so slightly.

"
Then, ah, I'll just go and put this in some water, like you said?”

She nodded enthusiastically.

"
Okay. Well, have a nice day.” He backed up into his apartment, closed the door softly, and set his eye to the peep hole. The old woman still stood in the hallway, smiling, apparently oblivious to his departure.

"
Is she blind?” he muttered. No, just crazy, he decided.

He hung his head, his hands still straddling the tiny glass portal. He could feel the stem of the rose pressed between his palm and the door. This was all he needed today. It wasn't enough to have a day of boring sales calls. He had to add to it the annoyance of some crazy old woman making him late to work.

He tilted his head back up and peered through the hole; his heart skipped a beat. Though he could see quite a distance down the hall, the old woman was nowhere in sight. His hand snapped to the doorknob, but he didn't twist it. His desire to avoid talking to the old woman was stronger than his curiosity. He pushed off the door and went back to the living room, tossing the flower onto the kitchen counter as he passed.

Jenna pulled the phone from her ear. "Was someone at the door?"

"
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you."

She shrugged. "I didn't hear the buzzer."

"
She didn't buzz," he said, checking his tie in the mirror, "she must have slipped in."