Not by Sight (8 page)

“Sorry if I scared you,” Hawk said. “Could we talk privately for a minute?”

Kate glanced at the crowd of folks on the umbrella deck. “Sure. Let’s go downstairs.”

Kate walked down the steps to the ground level, then turned around. “What is it, Hawk? You look upset.”

“Did you know Abby has been asking people in town if they know who the girl in the picture is?”

Kate bit her lip. “I did
not
. How’d you find out?”

“I went into Bella’s to get donuts and saw Abby’s name and cell number on a card at the register. I asked Laura Lynn about it. She said Abby and Jay were in there last night, asking if anyone knew
Ella’s
last name and where she lived. And if they were uncomfortable giving out that information, would they contact her parents and ask them to call Abby. She showed Laura Lynn a doll and said it belonged to Ella, and Abby wanted to return it.”

Kate dropped her head into her hands and shook it. “Okay, I’ll take care of it.”

“You have to make her stop.”

“I
said
I’ll take care of it, Hawk. That means you need to drop it and let me handle it.”

“Abby’s freaking me out. Why won’t she let them go?”

“She just wants her father and sister back,” Kate said. “She hasn’t accepted the finality of the situation.”

“Well, she’d better. She looks like an idiot.”

“To whom?” Kate said. “She’s just telling people she wants to return a lost doll.”

“There are plenty of folks who know Abby’s history and are smart enough to see through that. What’re you going to say to her?”

“Let me worry about that. I would appreciate it if you’d just leave it alone.”

“All right, Mama.” Hawk kissed her cheek. “I’m heading out to take that couple from Illinois on a jeep ride.”

“Be safe,” Kate said.

“I’ll be home for dinner.”

Kate walked across the street, fighting back the tears that threatened to spoil her professional demeanor. She sat on the porch steps of the log house and keyed in Abby’s cell number. Halo came out from under the porch and nestled next to her. The phone rang four times.

“Hello, Mama.”

“Where are you, Abby?”

“I’m at Tutty’s with Jay. His boss is letting me sample the barbecue. It’s incredible.”

“I’d like you to come home. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Like what? I was going to hang out with Jay until he starts his shift at four.”

“Just come home. We’ll talk then.”

“Can’t you give me a hint?” Abby said.

“Come to the house, not the office.” Kate glanced at her watch. “I’ll see you in an hour.”

“All right. I’m going to get off now. It’s noisy. I can’t hear you very well.”

“One hour, Abby.”

Abby went in the front door and tossed her purse on the couch. “Mama?”

“I’m in the kitchen.”

Abby went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “You want something to drink?”

“I’m fine.” Mama sounded stuffed up, her eyes red-rimmed.

Abby grabbed a bottle of spring water and sat at the table, facing her mother. “What’s wrong?”

“Why are you going around town asking about the little girl whose picture you took?”

“You told me not to bring it up again.”

“I’m bringing it up. Answer me, please.”

“I want to know who she is, that’s all.”

“Abby, that’s not all. You’ve been claiming to have a doll that belongs to her.”

“It’s Riley Jo’s doll.”

“So it’s a lie.”

Abby took a sip of water. “Not if I’m going on the premise she might actually
be
Riley Jo.”

“But she’s not. Her name’s Ella.”

Abby didn’t flinch. How did her mother know that? “According to the clerk at Murchison’s, the man and woman she was with called her Ella. But what if those people aren’t her parents?”

“Your sister isn’t coming back, Abby. Neither is your father. You’ve got to accept that. You’re not living with reality, and I’m afraid it’s going to hurt you.”

“No, you’re afraid I’m going to embarrass you again.”

Mama’s eyes welled with tears. “I’ve got a call in to Dixie. We need to nip this in the bud.”

Abby felt hot all over. “Do you really think you can counsel away my hope? I don’t get what you’re afraid of. If it turns out I’m wrong about Ella, so what? But if I’m right, it would be amazing.”

“This behavior is over the top,” Mama said.

“Because I want to find out who she is?”

“You can’t pester people in town.”

“Not one person I’ve talked to seems to mind. I’m just getting the word out there that I want to return her doll, and I’m leaving my name and cell number. If someone knows who she is, they might tell her parents, and they’ll call me.”

“Then what?”

“I’ll tell them that Ella reminds me so much of my baby sister who disappeared. I’ll ask if I can meet her. That just seeing her up close would help me to let my sister go.”

“No parent in their right mind would put their child in a situation like that, Abby. For all they know, you’re a troubled teen.”

“I’ll let them talk to Grandpa. He’ll convince them I’m harmless.”

“You’ve talked to your grandfather about this?”

“No. But he’d do it. I know you won’t.”

Her mother took the wadded-up tissue in her hand and dabbed her eyes. “
I
know you’re not a dangerous person, but Ella’s parents don’t know that. And I think Dixie would agree with me that searching for a child who looks like your sister on the off chance it might be her isn’t healthy—for you or Ella. And it won’t work anyway. After Ella, it would be someone else.”

“That’s not fair.” Abby’s eyes burned with indignation. “I have a strong connection to her I can’t explain.”

“She isn’t your sister.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I
do
know that!” Mama’s quivering voice wasn’t convincing.

“Well, I don’t. Can’t you just leave me alone and let me figure it out for myself?”

Kate buried her face in her hands. Finally she looked up and held Abby’s gaze. “I don’t suppose it would do me any good to forbid you to do this?”

Abby looked out at the hummingbird feeder attached to the window. “Mama, all I want to do is find Ella. You don’t have to worry that I’m going to fall into some deep depression if she turns out to be the daughter of that man and woman she was with.”

“And what if you can’t find her?”

Abby shrugged. “Then that’s just the way it is.”

A long moment of silence made Abby shift in her chair. It was hard to tell if her mother was angry or just thinking.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Mama said. “I won’t get in the way of your looking for Ella if you agree to go talk to Dixie—willingly and with an open mind.”

“It’s a waste of money.”

“It’s my money, Abby. I’ll make the appointment. Deal or not?”

“Deal.”

Chapter 9

Kate sat at a corner table on the umbrella deck at Angel View Lodge, watching the rental boats returning to the marina as dusk began to fall, her earlier encounter with Abby playing in her mind.

“Your sister isn’t coming back, Abby. Neither is your father. You’ve got to accept that. You’re not living with reality, and I’m afraid it’s going to hurt you.”

“No, you’re afraid I’m going to embarrass you again.”

There was no denying that she found her daughter’s public search for Ella embarrassing. But that wasn’t what Kate was afraid of. Abby’s inability to let go of the past had stolen five years of her young life. It had to stop.

She heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up just as Savannah, carrying half a pitcher of lemonade, approached the table.

“I thought I might find you down here.” Savannah filled Kate’s empty glass to the brim with lemonade. “Tuesday nights are dead after the early crowd clears out. I’ve already stripped the tables and reset them for breakfast. I’ll put fresh flowers in the vases in the morning. Carmen is watching for any last-minute customers, but I think we’ll be ready to close up tighter than a tick at nine o’clock.”

“Sounds like you’re ahead of the game. Why don’t you sit for a minute?” Kate said, hoping some girl talk would give her a sense of normalcy.

“Thanks. My feet could use a break.” Savannah pulled out a chair and sat next to Kate, looking out toward the lake. “Incredible view from up here. All those years of living in Looziana, I don’t think I was ever higher than a few feet above sea level. And now I’m living on a mountain. Isn’t that a lick?”

“Sure Foot Mountain is only eighteen hundred feet high—not exactly Mount Everest.”

“Well, this bayou gal feels on top of the world.” Savannah laughed. “I could get a nosebleed up here. And just feel that cool evening breeze. Summer sure is different here.”

“Wait until July and August. It won’t be quite as humid as south Louisiana, but you can still fry an egg on the sidewalk. So are you settled in your new house?”

Savannah grinned. “Yes, but every chance I get, I end up outside on the covered porch, staring at these beautiful mountains.”

“You and me both.”

“Benson and I feel right at home here. Relocating was easier than we thought. And we couldn’t ask for nicer people to work with. I was afraid the wait staff might resent an outsider being hired to coordinate things. But they’re all so nice. Abby’s a great asset, I can tell you that.”

Kate took a sip of lemonade. “Does she seem okay to you?”

“Sure, why?”

“She’s going through a thing right now. The five-year anniversary of her dad and sister’s disappearance was last Saturday, and it’s dredged up a lot of feelings. She really misses them. We all do. But Abby’s having trouble letting go.”

“Now that you mention it, she has seemed preoccupied,” Savannah said. “But she’s on top of her game with customers. You turned out one responsible young lady.”

“Thanks. But Micah gets a lion’s share of the credit.” Kate coughed to cover the unwanted emotion that tightened her throat. “For the first eleven years of her life, Abby was a daddy’s girl.”

“So was I,” Savannah said. “But me and my mama are real close now. Took me a while to realize what a positive influence she’d been on me.”

“That’s encouraging to hear, since Abby and I don’t see eye to eye on much of anything these days.”

Savannah waved her hand. “I don’t think Mama and I agreed on anything till I married Benson. Once I didn’t have to take her advice, I found myself asking for it. It’ll happen.”

Would it? Kate wasn’t so sure.

“Don’t you worry none about Abby,” Savannah said. “I’ll keep an eye on her. And if I see anything you should know about, I won’t be shy about telling you.”

Abby sat with Jay on the pier at Angel View, watching the sun disappear below the horizon, the western sky the color of glowing embers and streaked with gold and purple.

“I can’t believe Mama’s making me go back to counseling just because I want to know more about Ella.”

“She’s just being a mother. They’re all worrywarts. It’s part of their job description.”

“I don’t need a shrink, Jay. I need to find Ella and satisfy this weird connection I feel.”

“I know. But you have to admit, it’s a long shot.”

“Worth pursuing.” Abby kicked the top of the water with her toes.

“How good a look did you get of the man you saw with Ella?”

“It was quick. But there were some things about him that stood out.”

“Like what?”

“Bushy beard. Muscular arms.”

“Did you see his face?”

“I did, but only for a few seconds.”

“Do you think you could describe him enough for me to sketch him?” Jay said. “I’m pretty good at it.”

“You mean like a police composite?”

Jay nodded.

“I’m not sure,” Abby said. “Maybe.”

“If I could sketch a good likeness of him, we could show the sketch around town, together with Ella’s picture. Maybe someone would recognize them.”

“That’s a great idea,” Abby said. “But we can’t do it at my house.”

“What if we met on the slope under that big shade tree around noon? I’ll bring sub sandwiches and my sketchpad.”

“Okay, but it’s my turn to bring lunch. I’ll get the subs.” Abby glanced over at Jay. “Something else happened today. I haven’t told anyone. I got a crank call on my cell. Some hick warning me to back off asking about Ella. I’m pretty sure it was Mason Craddock and his clones.”