Facing Evil Page 10

  “Abby, I...I’m sorry. I’m sorry I made you bring it up. I had no idea.” Sarah reached up to wipe away a straggling tear.

  “You had no way of knowing.” The caress of Sarah’s hand on her cheek felt so good, Abby pressed her face into the touch. Lifting her eyes, she looked into the comfort of Sarah’s compassionate face. There was something in her emerald green eyes that Abby felt in her heart. It was as though Sarah was reaching out to her, wanting to get to know her in a way no one ever had before. “I don’t talk about it. I never have.”

  Why the hell did you trust me enough to tell me that? Sarah thought as she smiled back at Abby.

  “There’s just something about you…I don’t know, but I’m glad I told you.”

  “I’m not sure what to say to that kind of compliment. That was a compliment, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” Abby said with a chuckle as she sniffed away her uncharacteristic show of emotion. “You know, even my partner doesn’t know the whole truth.”

  “Your partner?” The mere mention brought a chill of realization to Sarah’s heart. Partner, what partner? Oh, my God, she’s with someone. Why wouldn’t she have a partner?

  “Yes. I never knew where to start,” Abby said as she took a deep cleansing breath.

  Sarah’s face flushed as she looked down at the blades of grass just off the edge of the blanket. It had never dawned on her that Abby might be in a relationship, but then again, why shouldn’t she be? The woman was gorgeous — those eyes, those legs; all that, and brains too! Abby had the complete package, so why shouldn’t she have someone special in her life.

  “Sarah, you okay?”

  “Huh? Yes, thank you,” she said with a smile, trying to hide her own lies. Please don’t tell me anything else. I can’t take this; I’m crushed beyond words. I’m listening to you opening up, trusting me, and every second word I’m saying to you feels like a lie.

  Abby watched the change come over Sarah. Look at her, she is total freaked. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut! “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to dump all this on you. I asked you to come for a ride and then—”

  “Please, Abby, don’t apologize. I’m glad you trusted me enough to open up.” No shit, you lying piece of reporter sludge, Sarah’s mind screamed when she dared to use the word trust.

  “There’s something else I want to talk to you about before we head back.”

  Oh, please, don’t tell me anything more.

  “What happened the other day, between you and me...” The words felt so awkward in her mouth that Abby wasn’t sure if she could get them out. “I uh...” She stumbled some more and then laughed nervously.

  Sarah completely forgot her own troubles. “What?”

  Sarah reached over and took Abby’s hand in a gesture of encouragement.

  “There’s something I should’ve told you...about myself, when we first met, but it’s one of those awkward things that you don’t find the need to tell a stranger, and then once you get to know someone, then it’s...” Abby looked down at the soft skin of Sarah’s hand on top of hers, the velvety smooth skin of someone who had never raised a hand in...

  The change of expression from inner struggle to one of want and desire only confused Sarah more.

  “Abby?”

  “Sarah, I like you...a lot, and I need for you to know that. I like you no matter how you look at me.”

  “No matter how I look at you?” Are you kidding me? I adore you, Abby.

  Suddenly, the light bulb went on in Sarah’s mind and she realized with amusement what it was that Abby was trying so badly to say. As much as she wanted to help her out, she couldn’t stop the smirk from spreading across her face, then the reality hit her...hard. Abby was about to tell her something she wasn’t sure she could handle. Everything in her heart and soul told her to walk away, to leave this before things got more complicated than they already were. Abby was supposed to be her story, not someone she fell in love with. Not to forget she was already in a relationship. There was absolutely no way this could work. So then, why couldn’t she take her eyes off Abby’s lips? Because she knew Abby was speaking the truth, something she couldn’t bear to do.

  “I know this is a different world we live in, a world filled with all kinds of different relationships — old and young, as well as... Aw, to hell with it. Sarah, I’m gay,” Abby finally blurted out. Then she lifted her eyes to look deep into Sarah’s.

  “I know.”

  “You did? You do?” It wasn’t the question she wanted to ask.

  “Yes.” The young reporter was in a quandary. “You said you had a partner...”

  “Yes, and a pretty good one, too. Married, but then again, all the good ones are.”

  Married? Sarah made no effort to hide the surprised look on her face. This was more truth than she could handle. “But, but...”

  “Yeah, has been for a while now. I actually sent Lincoln and Carla here for their honeymoon. He knows about me, and that makes our relationship all that much easier.”

  Abby is involved with a married woman, but she... Sarah’s world became more complicated and her decisions a lot more confusing. Abby’s sleeping with a married...woman! The information hit her like a rock from the sky. She couldn’t help but turn away from Abby’s happy expression. The revelation that she was sleeping with a married woman, and that the woman’s husband knew about it, took the wind right out of Sarah’s sails. She couldn’t wrap her mind around Abby’s bizarre confession.

  They sat in silence, each lost in her own world, neither noticing that the other had become quiet. Sarah’s conscience was tapping loudly on her shoulder. All she wanted was to get off the mountain and get back to the comforts of her private cabin.

  “We should be getting back, don’t you think?” Sarah asked as she started to collect the trash from their lunch.

  “If that’s what you’d like, I’ll go and get the horses.” Abby rose to her feet and walked to where she had left their rides.

  Sarah watched her the entire way, feeling a mix of desire and remorse. The ride back, just like the ride to the clearing, was made with little to no conversation. This suited Sarah just fine. Her thought processes mirrored the back and forth movement of each step of the horse beneath her. She was a reporter and Abby was the story, but she was more than a story; she was a woman with a painful past, who was in need of a friend. A lot of people believed reporters lacked a certain moral and ethical standard, and the truth of it was that sometimes Sarah agreed with them. After all, she hadn’t met Abby by accident.

  Maybe Abby felt that being a cop gave her special... The obvious truth stopped Sarah’s mind in mid-thought. “Oh, my God!” she said out loud as she pulled up on the reins. Where was my mind? How could I have thought...

  Turning her mount around, Abby came back to see why Sarah had stopped. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m so stupid. Lincoln’s your partner,” she said in a bold statement that only confused Abby. “Lincoln’s your partner; he’s a cop.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “Yes.”

  “I’ve never felt so stupid. Where was my head? You said to me ‘your partner’ and I thought...and then you said ‘married’ and...”

  “You thought Lincoln was...that Linc and I...” Abby chuckled. “Now that’s funny. A picture I don’t want to think about, but still funny.”

  “Actually, I thought Carla was... Wow, do I feel like an idiot.”

  “Don’t. It was an honest mistake,” Abby said sincerely.

  Feeling the heat of embarrassment in her face, Sarah dipped her head, hoping to hide the red tinge surely contrasting against her pale skin. “Abby, I’m truly sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just, when you said partner...well, to me that meant ‘partner’. You know?”

  “Sarah, it’s okay, really.” Abby reached over and patted her hand. “I think it’s funny. Carla might even agree with me.”

  “Please don’t say anything.”

  Keeping her han
d on Sarah’s, Abby’s playful features turned serious, “I won’t.”

  Sarah could only nod her appreciation as they urged their horses onward. A genuine smile crept back onto her face as she thought of what she had almost assumed about Abby. Unfortunately, now that she knew the truth, it made her heart’s desire that much more difficult to bear, and her smile slowly disappeared.

  ♥

  The stables were barely in view, when Abby noticed there were more than a few people milling around. A typical cop, things out of the ordinary caught her attention.

  Günter rushed toward her. “Abby!”

  “What’s going on?”

  “I was just getting ready to send someone out to find you,” he said as Abby slid to the ground. “You got a phone call today.”

  “A phone call, here?”

  Abby’s voice dropped in tone and for the first time, Sarah saw Detective Abby Stanfield.

  “Ja, from Lincoln.”

  Abby turned to her companion. “Sarah—”

  “Go, go. I’ll be fine.” Sarah felt her own rush of adrenaline as she watched Abby sprinting in the direction of the lodge.

  ♥

  “Three times, and there were two other calls as well.” Helga held out a small stack of papers to Abby who was already picking up the receiver. “Lincoln just said to call. A Lieutenant Banks left a message and said to call.” Abby glanced down at the pieces of paper in her hands as she listened to the first ring of the phone.

  “Detective Quinn.”

  “Linc, it’s Abby,” she said, trying to catch her breath.

  “We’ve got another one.” She heard the pain and regret in his tired voice.

  Abby closed her eyes.

  “She went missing last week, but her parents didn’t file a missing person’s report until Saturday. They thought she was with friends.”

  “Same MO?”

  “Yeah, but—” Lincoln cleared his throat.

  “Jesus Christ! What do we have?”

  “Abby, it wasn’t Ward.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Abby, listen to me. It’s not him!”

  Reluctantly he told her what no one had wanted to tell her, not even Banks. “Ward has an airtight alibi.”

  “Bullshit. It’s him, who else could it be?” She said angrily.

  “We’ve had him under surveillance twenty-four/seven. There is no way it was him.”

  “It was him, we just don’t know how. I’m coming back. They have to lift my suspension now.”

  “No, they don’t. Look, I’ll keep you in the loop, but that’s it, understood? I’ll call you at this number.” Lincoln said.

  Abby heard the fatigue in his voice and it caused her concern. “You okay, partner?”

  “It was bad, Abby. I didn’t think they could get worse... This is one sick bastard.”

  “Don’t let it get to you, Linc. It will eat you up inside. Call one of the support officers and talk it out.”

  “Are you hearing your own words, Abby?”

  Abby’s mouth was open, but she said nothing.

  “I sleep at night, do you?” The question was a direct hit and he knew it, but she gave no response.

  Abby looked down at her scarred knuckles as she rolled her fingers into a fist of frustration. “I’m sleeping just fine, Linc. When the initials are done, I’d like a copy delivered here.”

  “You got it. Look, Abby, I gotta run. Banks is waving at me. I’ll get that stuff for you.”

  Abby hung up, but sat for several moments with her hand still on the receiver. Another murder. Another innocent girl wasn’t going home again, and this time Billy Ward had the best possible alibi — the cops themselves.

  Rubbing her face with her hands in frustration, Abby crumpled up the phone messages. Looking down at the ball of wadded paper she was about to toss into the garbage can, something caught her eye.

  Ever so carefully, Abby pulled the ball apart until she had five separate pieces of paper. She placed Lincoln’s messages on the counter and then the lieutenant’s, and there was one left. Abby’s blood ran cold as she looked down at the words written in Helga’s handwriting. “Helga!” she shouted as she reached for the phone again. “This message,” she held up the piece of crumpled paper, “tell me about this message.”

  “Which one is that, dear?”

  “This one. Is this exactly what he said? When did it come in?”

  “Oh, that one. I believe... Ja, just after lunch. Lincoln called, then your lieutenant.”

  “This one came first!” Abby felt her stomach tighten as she quickly dialed Lincoln again.

  “Detective Quinn,” Lincoln answered on the first ring.

  “Billy did it!” Abby said into the phone, the realization chilling her as she looked at the message in her hand. "He called here and left a message!" Abby looked down at the crumpled note:

  That's five now, Abby

  Chapter 10

  Sarah paced her cabin, waiting impatiently for Abby’s return. Her mind had raced with hundreds of thoughts since the detective’s sprint from the stables.

  Sitting down at her laptop, she stared at the few words she had written, but her mind wasn’t on her work. Dropping her head, she repeatedly ran her fingers through her hair. She knew her conscience wouldn’t let her write what she had recently discovered. Frustrated, she rose and walked to the front doors and looked out over the moonlit lake. Soft ripples lapped gently against the wooden docks, distorting the reflection of the lights coming from the cabins. She strolled out onto her deck and took a deep breath of warm night air as she sat down on one of the chairs.

  The sound of heavy footsteps on gravel disrupted the silence, and Sarah saw the lights come on next door. Abby was home, but it sounded like she was not alone. The low hum of voices drifted through the air.

  She decided to investigate and stepped through the trees, hearing Buck’s low howl. Climbing the steps onto the deck, Sarah peeked inside the cabin as Abby tossed back a drink. A quick glance at the bottle on the counter confirmed it was the same stuff she had been drinking a few weeks back. Sarah paused, wondering if she should venture any further, but when she saw the look on Abby’s face, she knew she had to. She entered the cabin through the open front doors just as Abby’s glass flew through the air and smashed against the fireplace wall.

  "You fucking bastard!" Abby yelled out as the glass shattered into a thousand pieces. Sarah stopped in her tracks. The furious detective caught movement out of the corner of her eye, realized it was Sarah, and was immediately embarrassed by her outburst. “Sarah, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.”

  Sarah smiled meekly, her eyes searching for other occupants, but there was only Buck. “Are you okay? I thought I heard voices and—”

  “No, it’s just me.”

  Abby was angry, very angry, and it showed in the glowing red of her cheeks. “I-I don’t think I should be here,” Sarah stammered as she started to back away.

  The thought of being alone suddenly unnerved Abby, but she didn’t stop long enough to think about what that meant. “No, please stay,” she said. “I’ll just clean this up. Please? I’d like you to stay.”

  Looking from the open bottle of alcohol to the remains of the glass, Sarah pondered the invitation for only a moment. “All right,” she said softly. But please don’t tell me anything. “I can help with that,” she offered as she knelt down next to Abby, wondering what had upset the usually composed woman. “So, what did it do?”

  “Pardon?” Abby raised an eyebrow.

  The glass...what did it do?” Sarah queried with an uneasy grin.

  “Oh.” Abby attempted to smile, but only shrugged. “Nothing. It was just the first thing within reach.”

  “Remind me to stand further away from your reach,” she teased. Sarah rose to her feet, her hands cupped carefully around the broken glass. “I’ll grab a garbage can.”

  Coming out of the bathroom after washing her hands, Abby turned to Sarah, �
��You want a beer, or tea? How about a shot of Aquavit?”

  “A beer would be fine. What exactly is that stuff anyhow?” Sarah pointed at the nearly empty bottle.

  “Aquavit. It’s pure poison from Norway. It doesn’t have much of a smell, and it tastes like...well it has its own taste. Günter got me hooked on it. He sends me a bottle every year for Christmas. Either way, it will knock the stuffing out of whatever ails you.” Abby reached for another glass. Pouring about an inch, she held it up to Sarah. “Try some?”

  “No, thanks. I like my stuffing inside me. I’ll stick to beer.”

  “Your choice. Cheers.” Abby swallowed down a large mouthful. Sarah took a seat in the rocking chair, Buck happily curling up at her feet. “How about a fire?” Abby asked.

  “You don’t have to.”

  “Every cabin needs a fire.” Abby took another drink and then placed the glass on the coffee table.

  Sarah watched with gnawing interest as Abby went to work lighting a fire. She kept telling herself the reason she wanted to know why Abby was upset was out of a desire to support her friend, but the voice in the back of her head knew the truth.

  Sitting back on her haunches, Abby stared into the growing fire. It didn’t matter where she looked, all she could see was her past burning brightly in the dancing orange and red light. Another girl was dead, and Abby’s conscience keenly felt the guilt and responsibility. She had let them down, all of them, and there didn’t seem to be anything she could do to stop him.

  “Are you okay?” Sarah’s words of concern came in a low whisper. She wasn’t sure if Abby had heard her, so she leaned forward in her rocking chair. “Abby?”

  The voice of the innocent was calling out to her, and when the troubled detective finally heard it, she turned away from the fire and from Sarah’s questioning eyes. Her gaze went to the black of the night just beyond the window. Many voices cried out to her, desperate pleas she could no longer silence.