Facing Evil Read online

  “Doing?”

  “What is this — twenty questions? Look, I was just trying to be neighborly, but I can see you’d prefer to be alone. Enjoy the view.” Sarah quickly rose to her feet.

  “Wait, look I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come off like that. I—”

  “Well, you did! Enjoy the beer, and you can keep the opener.” Sarah marched off the dock without looking back.

  “Sarah, I’m sorry. I didn’t...” Abby could see Sarah had no intentions of stopping as she stalked up the stairs and into her own cabin. Abby sat back with a loud, audible groan.

  “Well, I came off like a super bitch, didn’t I? I can’t even carry on a conversation with a decent person anymore.” Abby was utterly disgusted with herself. “What the hell have I become? Don’t answer that,” she said to her faithful canine companion. After several long, self-analyzing moments, Abby looked down at her dog. “I guess maybe a bit of a break from work wouldn’t hurt, huh? If you say one word about Linc and the lieutenant being right...I’ll...I’ll have you neutered. Again!”

  Buck tilted his head to the side, but remained silent as he watched her tip back her beer to drain the last of it. Picking up her empty glass and the other full bottle of beer, she returned to her cabin.

  Abby spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening out at the end of her dock, returning to her cabin only to refill her glass with Aquavit. She watched as, one by one, each cabin’s lights went out for the night, though most of her attention was on the dimly lit cabin next to hers. Hidden by the cover of darkness, she watched Sarah leave and return from dinner at the lodge. Then her bright lights were dimmed as she lit candles and a fire. In the black of the night, surrounded by the dark skies and the dark water, Abby watched as the orange glow died away, leaving only the eerie glow of Sarah’s computer screen. The detective watched with interest as Sarah sat at her table, her delicate fingers flying over the keyboard of her laptop. Sarah had sparked something in her hardened heart, something Abby hadn’t been expecting. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin on them and made no attempt to wipe the goofy grin off her face. It wasn’t the alcohol making her smile, though she did find it amusing that Sarah held a pencil in her teeth the entire time her attention was on her computer. No, the smile was there because Sarah had done what no one else could. For a brief moment, Sarah had taken Abby’s mind off her life and the turmoil Billy Ward’s evil had created in it.

  It had been a long time since Abby had been in a relationship. Although a strict disciplinarian when it came to her schoolwork, Abby had come alive in college. She stopped denying that it was women who turned her head. And when those on campus found out, the line at her door grew. She dated, but only on her terms, revealing little about herself and always keeping her relationships from getting too serious. It made her quite mysterious, and together with her dark good looks, earned her the reputation of being the “catch of the campus”. Abby kept her personal life to herself, refusing to divulge anything about her family. It had been a conscious decision. No one could hurt her if she didn’t let anyone in, and that was the armor she had taken with her into adulthood. Most of the time she was happy with that — but not this afternoon.

  Abby’s focus returned to the movement in Sarah’s cabin. She had finished what she had been doing and folded down her computer. Rising from her chair, she walked over to the window and looked out in Abby’s direction. Abby felt Sarah’s eyes searching for something, or someone, in the dark.

  Chapter 5

  Leaning against the glass of the phone booth, Abby adjusted her sunglasses while she listened to the second ring of the phone. Her head was pounding; she had woken up with an epic hangover. Bloody Aquavit, she thought as she ran her hand through the hair of her pain-filled head.

  “Detective Quinn.”

  Lincoln’s deep voice rumbled in her head, but she still smiled. “Linc, it’s me.”

  “Hi, me. You’re not supposed to be phoning here,” Lincoln said in a lighthearted tone.

  “Oh come on, you miss me and you know it.”

  “Have you gone mad?” Lincoln scanned the squad room. “If I get caught talking to you, I’ll be joining you.”

  “Just throw me a bone or something, please?” A devious smile spread across her face. “You owe me.”

  “I owe you? How thin is the air up there? I owe you? You’re certifiable,” he sputtered into the phone.

  Abby chuckled, yearning to be at her desk across from his. “Seriously, Linc, just fill me in.”

  Hearing the plea in her voice, Lincoln knew he couldn’t turn her down. “All right, can I call you back?” He looked to see where his lieutenant was.

  “No. You know cell phones don’t work up here. I’m at the pay phone at Flanagan’s.”

  “Okay. Give me say twenty minutes and phone me back; it’ll give me time to get out of here. I swear Banks has my desk bugged. Call my cell, okay?”

  “Okay, twenty minutes. Thanks, Lincoln.”

  Leaving the phone booth, Abby strolled up the stairs into the general store. At the sound of the bell on the door above her head, she instinctively ducked. Looking up at the bell, Abby pushed back the rush of childhood memories and continued into the store. The worn, stained wooden floor echoed beneath her boots as she strolled casually down each aisle, her eyes scanning the assortment of items on the shelves. With a small smile, she recalled as a child she couldn’t see over the shelves; now she towered over them, giving her the ability to see the entire store.

  Just like years ago, if there was something you needed, odds were Flanagan’s would have it. From fruit to nuts, to auto parts, they had it all…because they had to.

  Abby made her way up and down the aisles, a rack of postcards catching her eye. With a devilish smirk, she decided to purchase one for Lieutenant Banks. Most had pictures of the resort, the lake, or the mountains; she looked through them all until a card with an old picture of Flanagan’s storefront caught her attention. So many memories from long ago flooded back to her and with them came a wide mix of emotions. Shaking off the effects of the black and white photo, she returned it to its spot on the rack. Instead, she selected a postcard with a picture of Gold Creek’s new lodge and made her way toward the young red-haired man behind the counter.

  He had been watching her as she made her way around the store. When she stopped next to the postcard display, his eyes took in every inch — from her cowboy boots to her long hair. He knew she was a visitor because he knew all the locals, but she moved with a familiarity that told him she had been there before. Twice he saw her look at her watch, and he wondered if she was meeting someone.

  Abby ignored his teenage manner of staring; she knew he was harmless. She glanced up at the clock behind the counter and realized she still had a good ten minutes before she could call Lincoln. Looking around the store again, her eyes fell on the fishing gear off to the side. Sarah. That single word awoke something inside her, something she had kept suppressed for a long time.

  The corner of Abby’s mouth lifted into a smile. “Can I leave this here?” she asked as she laid the postcard down on the counter.

  “Su-su-sure,” Sean Flanagan stuttered, grinning broadly as he watched her walk over to the fishing rods. “I c-c-can h-h-help you,” he said, quickly moving out from behind the counter.

  Abby gave the impression of listening with her full attention as he gave her his best sales pitch, but her mind wasn’t on fishing, it was on a certain redhead back at the resort. When she had decided on her selections, Sean carried them up to the counter and then, eventually, out to her Jeep.

  “Holy sh-sh-shit! That’s the b-b-biggest... I m-m-mean, wow, that’s the b-b-biggest d-d-dog I’ve ever s-s-seen.”

  “Easy there, Buck. Careful,” Abby cautioned. “He doesn’t like people rushing up to him.”

  “But he’s f-friendly r-r-right? C-Can I p-p-pet him?” Sean asked as he placed her things in the back of the Jeep.

  “His name’s Buck.”
She chuckled. “Go ahead. I have to make a call.” Sean raised his hand in acknowledgement.

  Abby watched the teen and her dog as she listened to the phone ring. When Lincoln answered, she closed the door to the phone booth. “Hi, it’s me again.”

  “Okay, before I say anything, I want your word that you won’t be calling me every day, deal?”

  “Deal. What’s going on?”

  “Not so fast there. I’m serious, Abby. Banks is watching me like a hawk.”

  “Okay,” Abby said in a more serious tone. “Just bring me up-to-date.”

  “Fine...let’s see. The press is looking everywhere for you. It’s a pretty even split within the division as to those who want to give you a medal and those who think you need to be medicated.”

  “Funny.”

  “You are all the press can talk about.”

  “Great.” Throughout her career she had kept her personal life private. She sighed heavily, hoping she could ride out the storm.

  “We’re watching Ward’s every movement; so far, not much. On a different note, the families are filing a class-action lawsuit against him.”

  “That doesn’t help us.”

  “No, but they can use the evidence we couldn’t, and as long as he is tied up in court, he can’t go anywhere. Hey, how are you, anyhow?”

  “Bored. I’m seriously thinking I'm becoming an alcoholic...” Her voice trailed off as she thought about what had transpired the day before on the dock with Sarah.

  “Hey, I thought about it, and I think Japanese.”

  “For what?”

  “The language you should learn, I think it should be Japanese. You never know, it could come in handy.”

  “You’re killing me here.”

  “I know. Take care, Abby. Say hi to Günter and Helga for me.”

  “I will.” Hearing his disconnect, Abby hung up the phone. Turning around in the phone booth, she stood for a moment and watched the young boy still playing with her dog. Sensing his master’s attention, Buck stopped and turned.

  “He s-s-sure is a n-n-nice dog, lady.”

  “Call me Abby,” she said as she walked over to the front steps.

  “M-my n-name is S-S-Sean.” He stood up on the steps almost eye to eye with her and smiled.

  “Well, thanks for your help, Sean,” Abby said as she walked toward her Jeep. The Husky leaped into the back seat and then turned to howl at his new friend. Sean waved as Abby pulled away from the store.

  Sarah had been working at her computer when the sound of the Jeep leaving next door drew her attention. Walking across the hardwood floor of her small cabin, she had seen only a glimpse of Abby and her dog leaving.

  “Where are you off to so early this morning, Abby Stanfield?” Sarah asked out loud to herself as she stood at the window. Once the Jeep disappeared down the trail, her gaze turned toward the lake and the distant mountains. She had to admit this was one of the most gorgeous places she had been to in all her travels. Sarah liked the West, always had, but for some reason she had never put down roots anywhere. The clock and the hustle of the city ran her world, not the lone call of a loon making its way through the morning mist. She did love the country, but it was the city that paid her bills.

  Looking back at her laptop, Sarah realized she had lost interest in what she had been working on. She sat in front of the screen, engrossed in thought. She knew she had things to do, but her mind kept going back to the previous afternoon and the anger and pain she had seen in Abby’s dark eyes. Crossing over from the side window, Sarah stopped in front of the glass doors. The run-in with Abby had shaken her, and that was something she wasn’t used to.

  She prided herself on her instinctual ability to separate her personal emotions from her professional ones, but yesterday afternoon she had failed — miserably. Almost from the moment she had set eyes on Abby strolling casually down her dock, Sarah had found herself drawn to the turmoil in Abby’s life and the secrecy surrounding her past. There was something mesmerizing about the way she moved, almost cat-like, her long legs striding without effort almost gliding her along. Then when she finally got a chance to talk to her enigmatic neighbor, Sarah had felt tongue-tied and nervous, like a naïve young schoolgirl.

  It wasn’t nervousness making her feel that way; it was excitement. She was drawn like a moth to a flame. She knew she was putting herself in danger the closer she got to Abby. If she were to find out who I am and why I’m here... The thought bothered her, but it didn’t matter; she still couldn’t seem to stop. Sarah knew before they exchanged a single word that there was a fierce independent streak in Abby Stanfield, a “do or die” mentality that drove her to succeed where others would have failed.

  Watching Abby struggle with her bottle of beer had been amusing at first, but that soon changed. Without giving it another thought, Sarah had grabbed the bottle opener and a couple of beers. She hadn’t been ready for what she saw when she got close enough to look into Abby’s eyes — something so powerfully entrancing that it made her forget why she was there, something dark and mysterious as it moved like a shadow, deep in her eyes.

  Sarah had no idea how long she stood there looking out of the window, thinking about the tall dark-haired woman. When she did come to her senses, she knew she had to get out of her cabin. Maybe something to eat would take her mind off Abby. She saved what little she had done on her laptop, and then headed to the lodge for breakfast.

  ♥

  Balancing a tray of pancakes, fruit, and tea, Sarah made her way outside to enjoy her breakfast on the deck at the main lodge. There were several tables empty, so she opted for one next to the railing.

  “Good morning to you, Sarah. How are you enjoying your stay?” Helga asked as she approached.

  Sarah found her host’s smile contagious. “It’s absolutely beautiful here, Helga. Everything is...is perfect.”

  “Good, good, that is what I like to hear.”

  It was not hard to feel the energy vibration off the Scandinavian woman who obviously loved her job and her life. “Actually I was wondering — would it be possible for me to extend my stay?”

  Helga paused, closing her eyes as if to study her internal booking schedule. “Ja. I do not see that as a problem.”

  “In the same cabin?”

  “Ah, you like your cabin there?”

  “Yes, yes I do. It has a very nice view.”

  “Dear, all the cabins have a nice view,” Helga reached over and patted Sarah on the shoulder with a wink. “But not all have a neighbor like Abby.”

  Sarah choked, her eyes opening wide in disbelief. Had her unprofessional feelings been that obvious?

  “I watch, I see. Abby is a beautiful woman, on the inside and the outside. And like a daughter to me, so I watch.” Helga turned to leave, but paused. “Your cabin is short one bottle opener, no?”

  Sarah’s open mouth curled slowly into a smile. Apparently her neighborly hospitality had been seen. “Yes. Yes it is.”

  “Ja, I thought so. You be good to her. She is not as tough as you might think.” With a wink, Helga was gone, on to the next table.

  Sarah’s walk to her cabin from the main lodge should have taken her only five minutes, but on this bright morning she dallied, and it took much longer. Energized and refreshed, she bounded up the stairs onto her deck, stopping in her tracks as she rounded the corner. Leaning up against her cabin was a brand new fishing pole with a white flag tied to the end of it. Sarah smiled at the peace-making gesture, knowing all too well who had left it. With a smile, she collected the pole and opened her front door. Pausing in the threshold, her eyes went from the pole in her hand to the laptop waiting for her on the table. It took her only a fraction of a second to decide that her computer and her work could wait.

  Abby was stretched out on a lounge chair on the deck beside the cabin, her dark glasses hiding her bloodshot eyes. The moment Sarah came around the trees Buck announced her arrival with a low, ominous growl. The detective’s head turned at the soun
d and a pleased smile crossed her face when she saw Sarah walking toward her, the white flag of surrender still waving on the fishing pole.

  Though Abby had a book on her lap, something told Sarah she wasn’t reading. “Hi there,” Sarah said as she approached the stairs to the deck. Abby said something under her breath and Buck backed away to lie down next to her chair. “Would he really eat me?” Sarah asked, keeping her eyes on the large Husky.

  “Probably not, but I wouldn’t completely put it past him.”

  Sarah was almost positive Abby was joking. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Come on up,” Abby offered as she put her book down and stood.

  Sarah was surprised to see the title: Japanese for Beginners. “That’s a mighty task.” Sarah pointed her fishing pole at the book. “Learning Japanese?”

  Abby chuckled. “Getting even with a friend, but who knows, it may come in handy for ordering sushi.”

  “Oh, one of my favorites.” Sarah beamed. “And speaking of raw fish...” She held up the rod and flag. Abby pulled off her sunglasses and placed them on her head. It’s her eyes, it’s all in her eyes, Sarah thought as she tried not to stare.

  “Sarah, I’m not very good with apologies, but I’m truly sorry for my behavior yesterday. And, well, I was at Flanagan’s this morning and when I saw the rod, and you’d said you’d not brought yours...” Abby looked down and picked at the fiberglass of her cast before she spoke again. “Part of the reason I’m up here, is because I...well, need to learn to relax. Jesus, I’m shitty at this. Sarah, I’m sorry, and I was hoping you’d let me make it up to you...maybe take you fishing or something.”

  The sheepish look on her face melted Sarah’s heart right there as she thought about the “or something” that Abby offered.

  “Hey, we’ve all had bad days. Why don’t we just start over?” Sarah smiled as she leaned her pole against the cabin and then extended her hand. “My name is Sarah and I’m staying in the cabin next door.”