Not by Sight (22 page)

“I will. So … you fixin’ to bring in the feds?”

Virgil shook his head. “There’s no indication that we’re dealing with a kidnapping, or that Abby and Jay have left the state—or even the area, for that matter. Better if we keep the FBI out of it. If it turns into something bigger than this department and the Foggy Ridge PD can handle, we’ll reevaluate. Kevin, why are you still here? I thought you were going home to get some shut-eye.”

“I was.” Kevin came around and sat in the chair next to his desk. “But I’m as caught up in this as you are. We’ve been working the case on Micah and Riley Jo Cummings from the beginning. I’ve watched Kate Cummings suffer through five long years, not knowing whether they’re dead or alive. She sure doesn’t deserve to lose Abby, too. And until I feel brain fog messing with my judgment, I’d just as soon keep looking for her—if that’s okay with you.”

Virgil studied his chief deputy. Tenacity was his strong point. No point in trying to squelch it. “All right. As long as you agree to step aside when you can’t think straight. Or when I decide you can’t.”

“Fair enough.” Kevin rose to his feet. “I’d better get back out there and do what I can to help.”

“Heard any more from Jay’s mother?” Virgil said.

“She called and said their plane was landing in Little Rock tonight at seven. She and her hubby were fixin’ to drive home from there. Too bad she had to cut her honeymoon short.”

“Sure was,” Virgil said. “Let’s try to find Abby and Jay before they get here.”

Abby huddled between Jay and Ella—hungry, thirsty, and out of ideas. No one had said a word for the past hour. Their lives were slipping away with every tick of the clock. Abby had made her petitions known to God. What more could she do?

The sound of Jay’s voice startled Abby. “All right. There’s one thing we haven’t tried.” Jay turned around and sat on his heels, facing Ella. “Call for your angel friend. Maybe he’ll come get us out.”

Abby shot Jay a disapproving look, but he held up his palm.

“We’re out of options, Abby. Let her do it.”

“What if he don’t come?” Ella said.

Jay shrugged. “We won’t know unless we ask. Can’t hurt. Come on, Ella. Call him.”

Ella hesitated for several seconds, looking from Jay to Abby and then back to Jay. Finally, she clamped her eyes shut. “Custos, can you help us? Pa threw us down in this big ol’ hole, and we can’t git out. We’re powerful scared.”

Abby didn’t move in the pin-drop stillness that followed.

“Pleeease?” Ella pleaded. “Or bring us water and somethin’ to eat?”

No one stirred for half a minute.

Finally Ella said, “We ain’t gittin’ outta here.”

Jay spun around, faced the far wall, and began wildly kicking the metal mesh with the heel of his hiking boots. “Come on …
break
!” Some of the dried sod crumbled and fell through, but the mesh stayed secure. After a minute or so of repeated blows, he lay with his back flat on the dirt floor, his knees bent, and let out a sigh of exasperation. “Why’d you have to hide in my truck? Why didn’t you go home like I asked? We’re not getting out of here, Abby!”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do, and so do you! I just wanted to make things right. That’s all I was trying to do. If I could die in your place, I would. I’m sorry I got you into this.”

“You didn’t,” Abby said. “I’m the one who ignored Isaiah’s threats.”

“But if I hadn’t shot your dad,
none
of this would’ve happened.” Jay’s voice shook, sounding more angry than frightened. “Isaiah’s nuts! It’s not a matter of
if
he’s gonna kill us—it’s a matter of
when
.”

“Stop yelling, Jay. It’s not helping.”

Ella began to cry and then cry harder, seemingly inconsolable, her face buried in Abby’s chest.

“It’s okay, sweetie.” Abby tightened her embrace and rocked back and forth. “Shhh … it’s going to be okay.” Ella’s tears soaked the front of Abby’s shirt as the child continued sobbing.

Lord, help us!
Abby looked over at Jay, and he turned away, his chin quivering. It took every ounce of willpower to keep the dam of her own emotions from breaking through her defenses. She thought of her daddy lying dead in this hole, robbed of dignity, and his baby girl kidnapped by a mountain man with no set of rules but his own.

Anger rose up in Abby, and she welcomed it. As long as she stayed mad, she would have the will to fight.

Chapter 25

Buck stepped into the cedar gazebo on the back lawn of Angel View Lodge and leaned on the railing, looking down at miles and miles of glistening water and the green, rolling mountains beyond. Cloud puffs hung in the baby blue sky and a balmy breeze tickled the wisps of hair left on his nearly bald head.

About a hundred yards down the hill, he spotted Angel View Pier and counted eleven paddleboats on the lake—and a pontoon. His mind wandered back to when Abby was little. How that girl loved to fish!

“Carry me up, Gam-pa!” Abby looked up at him with eyes that matched her bright blue ribbons and pigtails the color of O’Shea, the neighbor’s Irish setter.

“Okay, all aboard.” Buck bent down and got Abby situated on his shoulders, then trudged down the path to Angel View Pier, which he and Micah had worked together to build the previous summer.

“I’m gonna catch a
whopper
!” Abby declared.

Buck set her on the dock, then reached in the pontoon boat and grabbed her yellow life jacket. “Listen, punkin’. We’re goin’ out after crappie for our fish fry. Whatever you catch’ll be just great. Doesn’t have to be big.”

Abby held up her index finger, her face animated. “If I say it, I’ll do it.”

Buck chuckled, tightening the straps of Abby’s life jacket. She was repeating what she’d heard him say the day before.

He pulled the boat next to the dock. Abby climbed in and sat on the passenger bench, and he stepped in after her, taking his seat at the wheel.

“Here we go.” Buck put the boat in reverse and slowly backed away from the dock, then headed off to Egret Island.

“Hey, you said
I
could drive, Gam-pa!”

“Are you sure?” He winked at Abby. “All right. Come over here and give it a little gas.”

Buck took Abby’s hand and steadied her as she walked over to him and stood facing the wheel.

Buck put his hands around her waist, holding her tightly as she pushed fearlessly on the throttle, sending the boat into high gear. She giggled above the sound of the motor, her pigtails fluttering like flags in the wind.

“Whoa, girl. Let’s not get in too big a hurry!” Buck pulled the throttle back to a respectable cruising speed and turned the boat so they were headed straight for the island and away from other watercraft.

“All right, Cap’n,” he said. “Let’s go fishin’.”

Abby’s tiny hands gripped the wheel as the pontoon seemed to glide over the light chop, the wind blowing in their faces. “Look out, fishies,” she hollered gleefully. “We’re gonna catch you!”

Buck let go and allowed his granddaughter to take the helm, her expression pure bliss. He memorized the moment, hoping that one day she, too, would look back, remembering the magic of their time together …

Buck felt Halo rubbing his leg and was startled back to the present. The possibility that Abby might not come home suddenly overwhelmed him. He wrapped his fingers around the railing, his heart pounding. That girl was something special. He loved all his grandchildren, but he had a powerful connection with Abby. He couldn’t imagine life without her.

Lord, help us. You know where Abby is. Please bring her home to us. Don’t let any harm come to her. I’m trustin’ You know what’s best. But this is hard.

Buck thought about all the times he’d faced adversity and how God had been his Rock, his source of strength. Whatever happened, Buck could count on the Lord to see him through. But what did Kate and Hawk have to lean on? And Jesse’s newfound faith was still fragile. Would he be turned off to God if his prayers weren’t answered the way he hoped?

Lord, I’m not tellin’ You how to do Your business. I’m just askin’ for a little help down here. We got us a mess on our hands. I don’t mind sayin’ that I’m feelin’ mighty helpless.

Buck reached down, picked up Halo and set her on his shoulder, then walked back toward the lodge. He spotted the yellow scarf Kate had tied on the railing of the umbrella deck to express her own quiet hope that Abby would be home soon. How much longer would it be there?

Virgil’s cell phone rang. He put it to his ear. “Sheriff Granger.”

“Hey there, handsome,” said a female voice.

Virgil smiled. “Hey, yourself. What’re you doing this afternoon?”

“At the moment, I’m standing outside your door with a Flutter’s double cheeseburger and crispy shoestring potatoes. But if you’d rather I go away …”

Virgil jumped up and opened the door.

“That was quick.” Jill Beth’s infectious laugh echoed in the detective bureau.

He took the sack, the delicious aroma wafting under his nose, and let her inside, then shut the door behind him. “Let’s sit at the table.”

Virgil had the contents of the bag out and opened in a matter of seconds. He took a bite of the cheeseburger. “This is so great. How did you know I hadn’t eaten?”

“You never remember to eat lunch when you’re immersed in a case.”

“Didn’t you bring something for yourself?”

Jill Beth shook her head. “I had a Caesar salad hours ago. If I eat now, I won’t want any of the honey-baked chicken I’m fixing for dinner. Not that I’m under any illusion that you might miraculously appear at the dinner table. I invited the boys, but only Reece can make it. He’s coming at seven after he gets off work. I told him I wasn’t sure about you.”

Virgil smiled. “Stranger things have happened.” He grabbed some shoestring potatoes and stuffed them into his mouth. “Maybe I’ll come home and have dinner with y’all, and then come back here later. Then again, maybe we’ll get lucky and find Abby and Jay before that.”

“How’s Kate?”

“Hanging by a thread. She was just starting to get a handle on her grief, and now this has her on the edge again.”

“You think foul play is involved?” Jill Beth said.

“Too soon to say. We don’t have much to go on.” Virgil gave her a quick overview of what they knew for sure. “Shoot, Kate doesn’t even know where the slope is.”

“How many grassy clearings are there on Sure Foot Mountain?” Jill Beth’s puppy eyes were wide and questioning. “That’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Virgil nodded. “Fortunately, Kate remembered Abby saying that she and Jay had a great view of the lake from up there, so we’re assuming the slope’s on the east side of the mountain. The only way to get a good view of a clearing is by helicopter. Maybe it’s premature, but I’ve asked the Benton County Sheriff to lend us their air search-and-rescue team.”

“How could requesting a helicopter to search for a girl who didn’t come home last night be considered premature?” Jill Beth said.

“Darlin’, we’re not even sure that Abby
is
missing. Her relationship with Kate has been strained ever since she started looking for Ella. Maybe Abby’s deliberately trying to worry her mother. Or just wants attention. She wouldn’t be the first teenage girl to engage in passive-aggressive behavior. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about teenagers, it’s that they’re unpredictable on a good day.”

“But that doesn’t sound like the Abby I know,” Jill Beth said.

“I agree. That’s why I have an APB out on Jay’s truck and have called in air support. I’d rather be guilty of doing too much, too soon than too little, too late.”

There was a knock at the door, and it opened slightly. “Sheriff, it’s Kevin. You want me to come back?”

“No, come in,” Virgil said. “My sweet wife just brought me lunch.”

Kevin walked into his office and nodded in acknowledgment at Jill Beth.

“What’s up?” Virgil said.

“Great news: Duncan just found Jay Rogers’s truck parked in the woods half a mile north of Fox Trail Road and Summit. It was unlocked. No keys in it. At first glance, Duncan didn’t see any signs of foul play.”

“Other than the truck’s parked in the middle of nowhere?” Virgil said. “Is there a grassy slope nearby?”