Not by Sight (17 page)

Abby stood on her tiptoes and pushed and pulled on the iron grate that allowed her a glimpse of the room above. The grate wouldn’t budge. Not even slightly.

She was stuck in some dank, dark hole, and not a soul knew where she was.

Lord, I don’t want to die! Mama can’t handle it. Please … I know You hear me. Help me!

She yanked the grate one more time and then pulled herself up by her arms, her feet dangling. It was no use. She let go and dropped to the ground, brushing her hands together.

Abby sat on the earthen floor, her back against the wall that felt as if it was made of sod and held together with some sort of metal mesh. What possible reason would anyone have for digging out a room like this?

She ran her fingers across the dirt floor, thinking about her father lying there lifeless and without dignity. Her captor said Jay shot him but then implied he hadn’t. Jay could not have faked that gut-wrenching confession.

Abby thought back to the last time she had been alone with her father—the day before he disappeared …

“Don’t cry, princess,” Daddy said. “Let me take a look at you.”

He carefully lifted her up onto the bathroom counter. “Don’t let the blood scare you. I’ll fix you up. How’d you scrape your knees and elbows?”

A tear trickled down Abby’s cheek. “I was running down to the dock to tell Hawk that Mama wanted him to come home—and I tripped on a tree root.”

Daddy tilted her chin. “You’ve got a scrape there too. You never do anything just a little bit. You always do it up big.”

“Mama says I’m a drama queen.”

“You’re just sensitive. That’s part of what makes you special. Does it hurt?”

Abby nodded. “A lot.”

“I’m going to need to flush those abrasions with an antiseptic.”

Abby clutched his arm. “No, it’s going to hurt!”

“It’ll sting.” Daddy wiped away her tears with his thumbs. “But only for a few moments. It has to hurt some in order to get better. Don’t be scared. You can hold on to me. You trust me, don’t you?”

She did trust him. Abby studied his face and his kind eyes. If he had told her to jump off a bridge and he’d catch her, she would have done it. Daddy always told her the truth without sugarcoating it. And he had never given her reason to doubt anything he said …

Abby blinked to clear her eyes. When her father lay wounded and bleeding, no one was there for him. Had he died right away? Or had he lain where he fell, in pain and unable to move—and afraid for Riley Jo?

She curled up on her side, her cheek pressed to the ground. “I’m so sorry, Daddy,” she whispered. “We tried so hard to find you.”

Losing her father was the biggest hurt of Abby’s life. But there was nothing she could pour on that wound to make it better except maybe the truth of what really happened. But whose truth? Just when she thought she had solved the mystery that had consumed the last five years of her life, she was left to die alone with even more questions.

Kate rode in the passenger seat of her dad’s Toyota Corolla and perked up as they pulled into the Sycamore Apartments in Foggy Ridge.

“You try to spot Jay’s truck,” Kate said, “and I’ll look for my Odyssey.”

Kate searched carefully as her father drove slowly around each of the three buildings and then back to the entrance.

“Nah, Jay’s truck isn’t here,” Dad said.

“Are you sure? My Odyssey isn’t here either.”

He nodded. “I’m sure. But there’re plenty of empty parkin’ places. They could just be out somewhere together.”

“Why would Jay be out? He called in sick.”

“I don’t buy that any more than you do.” Dad looked over at Kate. “Maybe they’re still up on the slope. It won’t be dark for a while yet.”

Kate folded her hands in her lap. “I know Abby was upset about the remains and adamant that her father and sister are still alive. But I didn’t sense that she was angry with me. I don’t understand why she doesn’t call or answer my text messages.”

“Now don’t you go thinkin’ the worst.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Kate said. “Every time one of my children is two minutes late, my heart is in my throat. I don’t think I will ever feel comfortable with them out of my sight until Virgil figures out what happened to Micah and Riley Jo—if he ever does.”

“Have to trust the Lord.”

Kate stared out the window and let the silence speak for itself.

“It’s not God’s fault, Kate. It’s nobody’s fault. Whatever happened, happened. There’s nothin’ you could’ve done differently that would’ve prevented it.”

Her dad’s comment caught her off guard, and she felt surprisingly defensive.“I never said I could’ve prevented it, but
the Lord
could have. Forgive me, Dad. But I’m not having this conversation with you again. You know how I feel, and you’re not going to change my mind.”

Dad pursed his lips and started to say something, then didn’t.

Kate glanced over at the clubhouse. “Why don’t I go over to the office and see if anyone there knows where Jay lives? Maybe his mother is home and knows where the kids are.”

“Good idea.” Dad pulled over in front of the clubhouse and into a parking space.

Kate opened her door. “I’ll be right back.”

She walked up the steps and through the front door. She saw an arrow directing her to the office and found it just as a bottle brunette in a red dress was locking the door.

“Sorry, the office is closed,” the sixtysomething woman said. “You can call the night number. There’s always someone on duty.”

“I’m not a resident,” Kate said. “I’m looking for my daughter. She’s late coming home, and I’m a little worried. I believe she’s with one of your tenants, Jay Rogers. I was hoping you could help me locate him or his mother. His mother has a different last name. I’m sorry, I don’t know what it is.”

The woman raised an eyebrow. “Is Jay on the tall side? Nice looking. Sandy hair. Five o’clock shadow. About eighteen—give or take?”

“Yes,” Kate said. “Can you tell me where he lives?”

“No, sorry. That would violate our privacy policy. But I can call and convey a message.”

“Would you?” Kate said. “It’s really important.”

The woman opened the door and turned on the light. “By the way, I’m Betty Wilber, the day manager.”

“I’m Kate Cummings. I manage Angel View Lodge.”

“Nice place. My parents stay there when they come to visit.”

Kate paced in front of the window and saw her dad waiting in the car.

“Ah, here it is.” Betty picked up the phone and keyed in some numbers.

Kate could hear it ringing and listened intently.

“Hey, y’all. You’ve reached Sue Ann, soon to be Mrs. Richie Stump. Me and the groom are in Vegas. If it can’t wait, Jay can reach us. If it’ll keep, leave a message at the sound of the beep, and I’ll get back to you when we return.”

Betty handed Kate the phone.

“Jay,” Kate said, “this is Mrs. Cummings. I’m looking for Abby, and she’s not returning my calls or texts. Would you please call me as soon as you get this message, even if you don’t know where she is? I’m really quite concerned.” Kate gave him her cell number and then hung up. “Thank you, Betty. I guess all I can do now is wait.”

Betty studied her for a few seconds. “You know what? I’ve got teenagers and know how upset you must be. I’m going to turn my back, and if you should just happen to see Sue Ann’s apartment number, there really wouldn’t be anything I could do about it, would there?”

“Thanks.” Kate looked at the information on the Rolodex and wrote it down. “I really appreciate this. My daughter has never done this before, and I’m beside myself.”

“Good luck,” Betty said. “I hope you find her.”

“So do I. Thanks again.” Kate left the office, pushed open the door to the main entrance, and hurried down the steps. She got into her dad’s car. “Pull around to building three.”

Dad drove around to the building marked with a large numeral three, and Kate got out. “I’ll be right back.”

Kate walked inside and up the steps to apartment 3C and rang the bell. She put her ear to the door and didn’t hear anything. She rang the bell again and waited. Finally, she took a notepad out of her purse and wrote a message for Jay.

I came looking for Abby. I’ve left messages for her and for you. I’m very upset and worried. Please call me ASAP. Kate Cummings.

Kate added her cell phone number, then folded the note and pushed it under the door. What more could she do?

She started to leave and noticed someone in the apartment across the hall, looking through a crack in the door.

“Excuse me,” Kate said. “Do you happen to know where Jay is? I believe he’s with my daughter, and I’m trying to find her.”

The door opened wider, revealing an elderly woman wearing a floral house dress. “He goes to work at four. Some barbecue place.”

“Have you seen my daughter?” Kate held up a phone picture of Abby.

The woman smiled. “She’s pretty, that one. I haven’t seen her since Sue Ann and her beau went off to Vegas to get married. They’re fixin’ to be back on Monday.”

“You don’t have any idea where Jay might’ve gone—other than to work?”

The woman shrugged. “Had on hiking boots. Doesn’t usually wear those to work. Come to think of it, he left about an hour earlier than usual.”

“Have you ever heard him mention the slope?” Kate said.

“Can’t say as I have. We don’t talk much.”

“Well, if you happen to see him, would you tell him to call Kate Cummings right away? Here’s my number.” Kate tore off a sheet from the notepad and jotted down her name and number and handed it to the woman.

“My name’s Clara Bresden. If I see Jay, I’ll tell him to call. I might even knock on his door later and check on him. He’s usually home by ten thirty.”

“Thanks.” Kate shook Clara’s hand and then went down the stairs and out the door and got in the car.

“Jay wasn’t there,” Kate told her father, “but I left a note with the neighbor across the hall.” Kate relayed the short conversation she’d just had with Clara.

“Maybe those kids
are
on the slope,” Dad said, “seein’ as how Jay left the apartment in hikin’ boots and hasn’t come back yet.”

“But from the way Abby described the slope, it’s just a grassy clearing. Why would he bother with hiking boots? And what’s he doing up there if he’s sick? And if he’s not sick, why’d he call in sick?” Kate tucked a runaway lock of hair behind her ear. “You don’t think Abby lied to me about the nature of her relationship with Jay, do you?”

“Kate”—Dad gently took her arm—“don’t go jumpin’ to conclusions. Abby’s never given you reason not to trust her. There’s gotta be a logical explanation for everything.”

“What if they’re hurt? What if they can’t get a signal to call for help? Maybe we should drive up Summit and see if we can spot their vehicles. I remember Abby saying the slope was near the top.”

“Yes, but off road,” Dad said. “Doubt if we could spot their cars from Summit.”

“I can’t just sit at home and wait, or I’ll go stark-raving mad.”

Dad nodded knowingly. “All right. Let’s head up that way and nose around. It’s premature to think of callin’ Virgil, but I’m uncomfortable with doin’ nothin’.”

Chapter 20

Abby’s stomach rumbled, and she regretted having skipped lunch in her haste to meet Jay. But she was miserably thirsty and wondered how long she could go without water before she died of dehydration.

She had been wrong about her father still being alive. But she wasn’t wrong about God being good. He might not do everything she wanted, but He was listening to her prayers. He had promised.

Lord, I can’t see how You’re going to get me out, but I have faith You will. I won’t stop loving You, even if You don’t. But I really need Your help.

Abby stood on her tiptoes and held her watch up toward the lightbulb burning dimly in the room above her.
8:05
. It would be dark soon. Her mother must be worried and had probably surmised that Abby and Jay were together. She would check every place they could possibly be—but not this one. How long would she wait before she called Sheriff Granger? And even when she did, what could he do? No one knew what she and Jay were trying to do. No one—except the man who was out to make them disappear.

Abby grabbed the grate and swung from it, pulling with all her weight. “Let me out of here!” she hollered. “Somebody let me out!”

Her arms started to cramp, and she dropped to the ground, out of breath and out of ideas. No one was going to come to her rescue unless Jay figured out what had happened and went for help. But he was being hunted.