Not by Sight (34 page)

“But they don’t have a suspect?”

“Not by name. But they were taking the cleaning lady in for questioning and hope she can help identify him. Isaiah was smug about the whole thing and denied being involved.”

Jay took her hand and led her to the bench, where they sat down side by side. He didn’t let go of her hand, and Abby was surprised that she didn’t mind.

“They’re going to get Riley Jo back,” Jay said. “That’s all there is to it. We didn’t risk our lives to have it end this way.”

“That’s for sure.”

Jay glanced over at Abby and then looked out at the lake. “How’s your mother?”

“Fragile. She’s just got too much hurt going on. I think the news about Daddy caught her off guard. I hadn’t seen her cry in a long time. It always breaks my heart whenever she does.”

“I’d give anything to go back five years. If I’d told my mom about the shooting, maybe the sheriff would’ve made the connection and gotten your sister back—and none of this would be happening.”

“You have to stop saying that,” Abby said.

“I’m sure you wish I’d stop saying I’m sorry, too, but I really am.”

Abby squeezed his hand. “I don’t doubt that. At least now you know you didn’t kill anybody. I think we should keep the focus on Isaiah, where it belongs. He’s to blame.”

“He
must
know who took Riley Jo.”

“Says he doesn’t.”

“Like we can believe anything the creep says.”

Abby turned and looked up at Jay. “Well, I believe he killed Daddy. He certainly enjoyed taunting us with the cruel details.”

“Yeah, he did,” Jay said. “That was horrible. It’ll be a long time before either of us gets that image out of our minds.”

The two sat in comfortable silence for a minute. Finally Abby said, “You told me on the phone that something good’s come out of all this.”

Jay smiled. “My dad came to see me. Mom told him what happened, and he wanted to make sure I was all right.”

“That’s wonderful!”

“We had the best talk we’ve probably ever had. He’s really sorry that I was afraid he’d reject me if I told him the truth about the shooting. He blames himself for being an absentee father. He said things are going to change. That we have a lot of catching up to do.” Jay paused and swallowed hard. “He said … he was proud of me. That what I did to get Riley Jo back took guts. And that I was more of a man than he was.”

“That must’ve meant so much,” Abby said.

Jay nodded. “Never expected him to say he’s proud of me—not in a million years. Of course, Mom reminded me how foolish it was to go after your sister, and I know she’s right. I mean, we nearly got killed. But now that it’s behind us, I’m glad we did it. But unless the sheriff gets Riley Jo back, it will all have been in vain.”

“I still believe God’s helping us.”

“Somebody must be. We really dodged a bullet—no pun intended.” Jay seemed lost in thought for a moment and fidgety.

“You seem … different,” she said. “What are you not telling me?”

Jay let go of her hand and leaned forward on the bench, his hands clasped between his knees. “Abby, I need to say something else. I don’t know that this is the right time, but I believe we should stay completely honest with each other.”

“I want you to be honest. What is it?”

Jay exhaled. “I don’t think I can be best friends with you anymore.”

Abby’s heart sank. “Why not?”

“Because … my feelings for you have changed.”

“What are you talking about?”

“After all we’ve been through, I feel a lot closer to you. I’m …
attracted
to you. I know that’s the last thing you wanted, and I didn’t plan it,” he quickly added. “But the way I feel about you now goes beyond best friends, and I thought you should know.”

Abby’s heart and mind raced with the implications. “Are you saying you want to date me?”

Jay sat up and turned to her. “Honestly, I like things the way they are. I love being friends. But I also like holding your hand, and sitting close to you, and putting my arms around you. I’ve wanted to kiss you for days. I know that’s not what we agreed on. But that’s the truth. And if I keep it to myself for another second”—Jay slid his arm around her—“I’m going to explode.” He gently cupped her cheek in his hand and let his warm, soft lips melt into hers.

Abby’s heart pounded, her stomach feeling as if it were a trampoline with a million tiny gymnasts jumping up and down on it. She had been kissed a few times before, but never with this much tenderness.

Jay ever so slowly, almost reluctantly, ended the kiss. “Wow,” he whispered.

Abby put her fingers to her lips, her cheeks scalded with a mixture of self-consciousness and sheer delight.

“I know this changes everything,” Jay said.

“Definitely.”

“I totally messed up, Abby. I promised this would never happen. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.”

Jay stared at her blankly, surprise seeming to steal his voice. Finally he said, “So … you’re okay with it?”

“Clearly.” Abby smiled.

“I can’t believe this.” Jay hugged her tightly. “I didn’t sleep at all last night, worrying that I’d lose you once I told you how I felt.”

“No chance,” Abby said. “Haven’t you figured out by now that it’s no accident we became friends? It had to be God who put us together. What are the odds you would befriend the daughter of the man you thought you killed? Or that you held the key to unraveling the mystery of Daddy and Riley Jo’s disappearance? You were an answer to prayer.”

“Whoa,” Jay said. “That might be pushing the envelope a bit.”

“Not really. I prayed and prayed that God would bring Riley Jo home. He used you to make that happen.”

“But she’s missing again.”

“God knows where she is,” Abby said. “She’s not missing to Him. She never was.”

“Why is He putting everyone through this?”

Abby shrugged. “I doubt we’ll ever know why. But what I do know is that you and your dad have started over, which is very cool. And you and I have the beginning of something special because we’ve shared so much. And Mama will be free to let Elliot love her. I’m convinced he already does.”

A shrill whistle caused Abby to jump, partly because she was suddenly aware of being in Jay’s arms, and partly out of sheer terror.

“God, please don’t let Riley Jo be dead,” Abby murmured. “Come on, Jay. Come with me to the house.”

He shook his head. “This is the wrong time. I’d be an intruder. I need to face your mother alone first.”

“I have to go,” Abby said.

He let go of her, except for her hand. “Call me.”

“I will. Just as soon as I find out what’s going on.”

Kate rose from the kitchen table, feeling light-headed, and started to fall back in her chair.

Elliot grabbed her. “Just sit here a minute. You look pale.”

“I need to tell the kids what’s going on.”

“Buck’s getting them. Just take a minute and catch your breath.”

“I’m afraid if I stop to think, I’ll break.” Kate’s hands were shaking. “I can’t lose Riley Jo again. I haven’t even seen her. Or heard her voice.”

“Virgil’s deputies are trained for this. Have a little faith.”

“I don’t
have
a little faith.”

“Maybe not in God,” Elliot said, “but I know you trust Virgil. He’s invested so much of himself into this investigation from the beginning. He’s going to do everything humanly possible to make sure Riley Jo isn’t hurt.”

“What if it’s not enough? It wasn’t enough to save Micah.”

Elliot pulled out the chair next to her and sat. “Kate, Micah was already dead by the time Virgil knew they were missing. It’s nothing short of a miracle that Abby and Jay became friends, which led to their finding Riley Jo and discovering the truth of what happened. Or that Hawk found them just in time. Or that they narrowly escaped with minor injuries. By all accounts, they should be dead.”

“I don’t disagree,” Kate said. “But Virgil had nothing to do with any of that.”

Elliot smiled with his eyes, and Kate knew what he was thinking.

“Look, Virgil’s people are in place, with a lot of prayer behind them,” Elliot said. “They know how to handle people like Walter Tutt.”

Kate heard footsteps and looked up as her dad ushered Abby, Jesse, and Hawk through the door, their eyes wide and questioning.

“I heard from Virgil,” Kate said. “I want to tell you what’s going on with Riley Jo.”

Kate’s family took their places around the kitchen table without anyone saying a word.

Kate took a sip of water. She told them everything Virgil had recounted to her about Maria Diaz’s frightening encounter with Walter Tutt.

“Virgil also checked our phone records,” Kate said, “and discovered the anonymous call came from Walter Tutt’s residence and assume his mother made it. Sheriff’s deputies and Foggy Ridge police officers have secretly surrounded Walter’s house. He lives in the woods about a mile from Isaiah. They don’t know if his mother’s in the home now, but Walter definitely is because they placed a bogus call earlier, and he answered. He doesn’t know they’re out there yet. But he can’t get away.”

“What are they waiting for?” Hawk said.

“They don’t think he’s planning to harm Riley Jo. But if he’s anything like his brother, it’s hard to say what he might do if he’s cornered. And if his mother’s inside, they don’t want to put her in harm’s way either. Virgil is working on a plan.”

“What reason would
Walter
have for takin’ Riley Jo?” Dad said.

Kate folded her hands on the table. “Virgil thinks Walter’s in denial about his brother’s having kidnapped Riley Jo and murdered Micah. And still believes he’s Riley Jo’s uncle. He probably thinks he’s doing the right thing by bringing her home with kin, rather than having her live in foster care.” Kate glanced over at Elliot, calmed by his presence. “But Virgil did some further digging after he questioned Maria Diaz and found out Walter’s divorced. And that three years ago, when he lived in Alabama, he had an eight-year-old daughter that was removed from the home and put into foster care. Neither he nor his ex-wife ever regained custody.”

“Why’d they take her away?” Abby said.

“Virgil just said neglect. He didn’t elaborate.”

“So why would Walter want the
responsibility
of carin’ for Riley Jo?” Dad said.

“Maybe it’s his twisted way of wanting to redeem himself.” Elliot leaned forward on his elbows. “If Walter believes his brother’s innocent and will be cleared of the charges, he may have convinced himself that he did what he had to do to protect Riley Jo from getting swallowed up in the system—and that the law would see that and forgive it.”

Hawk sneered. “Well, that’s not gonna happen.”

Abby twisted a lock of hair. “I wonder what the sheriff’s going to decide.”

“I don’t know, honey,” Kate said, dreading the thought of another long wait. “He said he’d call once he has.”

“Why wait around here?” Hawk said. “I’ll take you to his command post. We can stay out of their way.”

Kate turned to Elliot. “That way I could catch a glimpse of Riley Jo—when they get her to safety. Surely Virgil can’t argue with that. I’m tired of feeling like a bystander. She’s my baby. My flesh and blood.” Could she really handle it if something went wrong and Riley Jo were seriously injured—or worse? What could be worse than never laying eyes on her daughter again?

Kate moved her gaze from Elliot to Abby to Dad to Jesse and could almost hear their silent prayers going up.

Lord, if You’re really there, just look at their faces—such hope. And faith. Please don’t let them down.

Chapter 37

Virgil stood leaning on the hood of his squad car, where he had set up his command post for the operation to free Ella Tutt from her misguided uncle—hopefully without anyone getting hurt.

Virgil looked up just as Kevin Mann and Foggy Ridge Police Chief Reggie Mitchell walked over and stood next to him.

“Sheriff, the perimeter’s sealed tight as a tick,” Kevin said. “No way Tutt’s getting through it. What’s our next move?”

Virgil cleared his throat. “I’ve wrestled with each of the approaches we discussed. And since we really don’t think Walter’s intention is to harm the girl, and his mother may be in the home, I keep coming back to the simple ruse: I call Walter and tell him that we are intensifying our search for the missing girl and have some follow-up questions we want to ask him. I make it clear it’ll be at least an hour before we get there. It’s possible he’d buy the ruse and see that as an opportunity to flee. And if he does, we can catch him off guard and get the girl to safety, whether she’s with him or still in the house.” Virgil glanced over at Reggie, whose dark skin glistened with perspiration. “Thoughts?”

Reggie pursed his lips. “That could work if everything goes perfectly. But if your phone call makes him suspicious, he might decide to stay right where he is and devise a plan to keep us from getting Ella. That would give him the advantage. We both know he’s far more dangerous in that house than away from it.”

“Which is why if he doesn’t flee within twenty minutes,” Virgil said, “I’ll use the bullhorn and try to talk him out while the SWAT team gets positioned. To buy us time, I can pass Walter off to Deputy Martinez. She can negotiate as well as the best of them. If she can’t get him to surrender, the SWAT team will be ready to go.”