Not by Sight (12 page)

Kate picked a warm towel out of the dryer and folded it, then put it neatly on top of the stack. Doing laundry was therapeutic and the one chore she had always preferred to do by herself.

“There you are.”

She turned around and saw Hawk standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the utility room.

“I have thirty minutes before my next jeep tour,” he said, “and wanted to check in and see if Sheriff Granger found anything else.”

Kate shook her head. “He called a little while ago and asked me to contact Dr. Silvers and authorize him to pull your father’s dental records. Virgil seemed to think the pathologist could make a determination within a day or two.”

Hawk exhaled. “Everything is a waiting game.”

“At least it won’t be long.”

Hawk came over and put his hands on Kate’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I almost hope it
is
Daddy. At least it would be closure.”

“More like the finale.” Kate turned and pulled another towel out of the dryer and began folding it.

“It’s better than feeling like this for another five years—or ten—or twenty. Or
never
knowing.”

“But you said yourself there’s no way your father and sister got lost out there.” Kate put the towel neatly on the stack, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Hawk. “If they’re dead, something awful happened to them. We could have
that
unknown hanging over us, which would almost be worse.”

“I don’t know, Mama. I’ve already wondered about it a thousand times. If they’re dead, I would rather know and get the grief out of my system than let it eat me up for the rest of my life.”

Kate started to reach for another towel and then paused instead. “I suppose I would too. But it would be hard to accept that they’re dead.”

“Would you rather think Daddy ran off and took Riley Jo?”

“He didn’t,” Kate said. “He wouldn’t do that to us.”

“Something happened out there, Mama. Maybe a bear got them. Or wild hogs.”

“I doubt just bones will tell
how
they died. So we’d still be left wondering. I’m not sure just knowing they’re dead would bring closure.”

“It would for me,” Hawk said. “At least some. Maybe Abby and Grandpa will stop trying to cram their beliefs down our throats.”

Kate pushed aside the stack of towels and turned to Hawk. “Don’t be too hard on them for wanting to believe that God answers prayer. I used to believe it with all my heart. I’m just worried your grandfather and Abby are going to bottom out when they realize it’s a myth.”

“At least then Abby would stop embarrassing herself by trying to find that girl she took a picture of. How many times is she going to pull this before she starts living in reality?”

“I’ve got a call in to Dixie to get her an appointment.” Kate looked over Hawk’s shoulder and spotted the old family photo she couldn’t bring herself to remove from the fridge. “But Abby may have to face reality when the pathology results are in.”

Abby studied the sixth sketch Jay had made using the facial features she chose that best fit the man she had seen with Ella.

“That’s close,” Abby said. “The eyebrows are still wrong. His were even fuller than that.”

Jay glanced at his watch. “Why don’t we take a break? There’s still time for me to sketch a few more possibilities before I have to leave for work.”

Abby sat next to him on the blanket. “I don’t know if we’re going to get any closer to what he looked like than this last one. The beard is perfect.”

Abby’s cell phone rang, and she felt tension tighten her neck. Was Mama calling to tell her that the sheriff had found something else? She glanced at the screen and saw only
Caller Unknown
. “Hello.”

“I warned you not to tell nobody that I told you to back off lookin’ for the girl.”

“I didn’t tell anyone.” Abby mouthed the words,
It’s him
, as she put the phone on speaker.

“You’re lyin’. I know you blabbed to that Oldham kid. He ain’t gonna tell nobody about the girl, and he knows why. But I’m warnin’ you, stop askin’ about her, or I’ll make sure you go missin’—permanently.”

Abby was rendered mute in the dead air that followed, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest. She stared at Jay, who looked as if he’d just seen a ghost.

Finally Jay began to pack up his art portfolio. “That was
not
Mason Craddock or any of his clones. That guy sounded middle-aged. Are you sure it was the same man who called you before?”

“I’m sure,” Abby said. “I guess I was so positive it was Mason having a good laugh at my expense that I just assumed he disguised his voice. I wonder why the caller thinks I ‘blabbed to that Oldham kid’? I don’t know anyone by that name. Why are you putting your things away?”

“Because”—Jay stuffed the last colored pencil into the portfolio and zipped it—“he made it clear what’s going to happen if you don’t back off.”

“But what is it he doesn’t want me to find out? I know it’s a long shot, but it’s
possible
that Ella could be Riley Jo. I have to know for sure.”

“Count me out,” Jay said. “Some of these mountain folks can be dangerous. Paranoid. Who knows what kind of word’s been spread because you were asking around about Ella.”

“But I don’t have anyone else. My family’s turned me off. I’d go to the sheriff, but he wouldn’t take me seriously either.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Actually, I do.” Abby took her finger and traced the star pattern on one of the quilt squares. What did she have to lose by telling Jay the whole truth? “I didn’t tell you this before because I was afraid you would think I was crying wolf.”

“Didn’t tell me what?” Jay said.

“Two times in the past three years, I saw a girl who looked like Riley Jo. Once at the county fair, and once on the lake. The sheriff had his deputies searching high and low, and it didn’t lead anywhere. They won’t do that again.”

“Guess you can’t blame them.”

“But this time is different,” Abby insisted. “The phone calls prove it.”

“All the phone calls prove is that someone threatened you.” Jay was quiet for longer than Abby was comfortable. “I think you need to drop this right now.”

“I can’t. Not without finding Ella.”

“Abby, you’re chasing a rainbow.”

“Maybe the sheriff would take me seriously since you witnessed the second call.”

Jay reached over and gently held her wrist. “Look, even if I back up your story about what the caller said, the sheriff won’t just reopen the case; he’ll have to treat it as a kidnapping and get the FBI involved. Is that what you want?”

Abby considered how obvious the FBI presence was before in the search for her father and sister. “That’s the last thing I need. If the caller’s watching me, he’ll know. And if he’s the one who has Ella, he might take her away. Then I’ll never find her.”

“Maybe you’re not supposed to.” Jay rose to his feet, his portfolio tucked under his arm. “You’re in over your head, Abby. You just got a death threat. This guy’s not kidding around.”

“Then help me find out who the Oldham kid is, since he apparently knows something. He might talk to us if I explained the situation.”

“The caller told you to back off.”

“I’ve come this far. I have to know the truth.”

“Even if you end up dead?” Jay exhaled loudly enough to make his point. “I’ve got to go to work. I’ll call you.”

“Can I at least have the last sketch you did?”

Jay shook his head. “There’s no way I’m helping you put yourself in danger.”

“I’m going to find Ella, with or without you.”

“Don’t do this, Abby. Do you want your mother to lose another daughter? I don’t want to lose my best friend.”

“Then help me.”

Jay walked past her and headed up the slope.

Abby sat on the blanket, her cell phone in her sweaty palm, and replayed the last few minutes in her mind. She had never once considered the threat to be real—until now. Jay was right. The caller was no high school kid.

A cold chill made her shudder. She got up and grabbed the quilt and the sacks, her mind spinning out of control.

“Come on …”

The male voice startled her and sent her pulse racing. She turned around, her hand over her pounding heart. “You scared me to death, Jay!”

“I’m not leaving you out here by yourself. I’ll walk you to your car.”

Chapter 14

Abby slipped into her room, the Raleigh County phone book tucked under her arm, and shut the door behind her. She flipped through the white pages and found the residential listings for the last name Oldham. There must have been over a hundred. She didn’t know anyone with that last name except Mr. Oldham the pharmacist, and he was older than Grandpa Buck. Not that she knew what the caller meant by the Oldham
kid
. Was he talking about a child or a teen or a young adult?

Abby slammed the phone book shut. What good were all these phone numbers without a first name? Why would the anonymous caller make his threat seem less credible by accusing her of confiding in someone she’d never even met? If he was messing with her mind, it was working.

Abby flopped on the bed. She was getting close to something big. She could feel it.

Don’t do this, Abby.
Do you want your mother to lose another daughter?

Abby lay on her side and hugged her pillow. She would never want to put Mama through the agony of losing another child.

Lord, I don’t know what to do if Jay won’t help me. My family thinks I’m delusional. I can’t go to the sheriff. But if Ella’s in trouble—whether she’s Riley Jo or not—how can I just walk away?

Abby watched the clock until 9:59, then called Jay’s cell phone and got his voice mail. She hung up and called his work number.

“Tutty’s Barbecue. Randy speakin’.”

“Randy, it’s Abby Cummings. May I speak with Jay before he leaves?”

“Could if he was here,” Randy said. “He called around three and said he was sicker ’n a dog and could Philip take his place tonight. Said he was fixin’ to stay close to the bathroom.”

“Okay, thanks.” Abby pulled up the keyboard on her phone and began typing a text message to Jay.
Called Tutty’s. Home sick? Call or text me.

Abby set her phone on the bed. She was with Jay until almost three. He must have called in sick right after he walked her to her car and they parted ways. Was he even more shaken by the caller’s threat than she was?

She heard a knock on her door and put her pillow over the phone book. “Come in.”

“It’s me,” Mama said. “I saw your light on. Just checking to see if you’re all right. You seemed distracted at dinner, and I haven’t seen you all evening.”

Abby sat up on the side of the bed. “I’m fine. Just a little tired. You’re not bringing bad news from the sheriff, are you?”

“No. I was just wondering how your afternoon with Jay went.”

“Fine.”

“Did you mention to him I would like to see his work?” Mama smiled. “I really would.”

“It didn’t come up. But I’ll remember to ask him.”

“Dixie just called back. She shuffled her schedule so she could see you Friday at one. I wrote it on the calendar so we won’t forget.”

Zero chance of that
,
Abby thought as her phone beeped. “That’s probably Jay.”

“I’ll let you answer him.” Her mother came over and hugged her. “Good night, Abby.”

“Good night.”

Mama glanced at Riley Jo’s doll as she closed the door.

Abby pulled up one new text message from Jay.

Not sick. Need space.

Why space?
Abby replied.

A minute later her phone beeped with his answer.

What you’re doing is dangerous.

“So … you’re … shutting … me … out?” she said aloud as she keyed in her reply.

Jay’s response came quickly.
Weak signal. We’ll talk soon.

How soon?
Abby shot back.

She waited ten minutes for a response and then put her phone on the nightstand. She wasn’t going to play games with Jay because he couldn’t handle the situation she found herself in. If he was going to abandon her when she needed him most, then he wasn’t much of a friend.